Col. R. Wyn Elder takes command of the 62nd Airlift Wing from Col. Kevin J. Kilb in a change of command ceremony at
10 a.m. Tuesday.
Colonel Elder arrives at McChord Field from Altus Air Force Base, Okla.,
where he served as Vice Commander of the 97th Air Mobility Wing.
As the 62nd Airlift Wing commander, Colonel Elder will be responsible for
nearly 2,500 active-duty military and civilian personnel, along with 42
permanently assigned C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, to deliver global
airlift, focused logistics, and agile combat support for America. The wing
provides mission support to the 446th Airlift Wing, a Reserve Associate
wing.
Colonel Elder entered the Air Force in 1991 as a graduate of the ROTC
program at the University of Virginia. He is a senior pilot with more than
2,800 hours experience in the C-17, KC-135 Stratotanker, T-1 Jayhawk, T-38
Talon and T-37 Tweet.
  
During his distinguished career he has served as commander of the 817th
Airlift Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; commander of the 4th Airlift
Squadron, McChord AFB; and special assistant to the commander, US Joint
Forces Command, Norfolk Naval Station, Va.
Colonel Elder is joined by his wife, Maggie, and their three sons.  They
look forward to reuniting with the McChord family.  
After more than 22 years of dedicated service in the Air Force, Colonel Kilb
is retiring to his home state of Arizona with his wife, Stacey, and their
three children.