MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Col. Ryan Richardson took command of the 42nd Air Base Wing from Col. Eries Mentzer during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, July 29, 2022.
Richardson received his commission in 1998 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at South Dakota State University. He serviced in a variety of assignments at major command, forward operating agency, secretariat, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, combatant command, and Joint Staff levels.
“Command is a humbling undertaking and one for which I am sincerely grateful,” said Richardson. “The whole of Team 42, as well as our mission and community partners, will get everything the Richardson family can muster throughout this tour. We’re stoked to call Montgomery, Alabama, home and look forward to leading, learning, listening, and laughing at your side. As a team, we will remain committed to enabling Air University’s high-end accession and education missions and advancing Maxwell-Gunter as a righteous platform for warfighter resilience and combat readiness. See you around campus.”
Richardson has deployed in support of Operations Joint Force and Enduring Freedom. In his previous assignment as director, Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, he served forward in support of Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom’s Sentinel, and the Resolute Support mission.
Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University commander and president, officiated the ceremony.
“Col. Richardson is the right officer at the right time to keep the wing flying through and being a competing wing,” said Tullos. “He brings scientific rigor, business acumen, strategic thinking, and leadership lessons from three commands to an operational unit that is true to Air Force DNA.”
The 42 ABW oversees all base operations, infrastructure, and services support for 42,000 active duty, Reserve, civilian, and contract personnel, students, and families at Maxwell AFB and Gunter Annex in direct support of Air University, 908th Airlift Wing, Air Force Materiel Command units, Defense Information Systems Agency, and more than 40 other mission partners.
“Team 42, thank you for just doing right, upholding the Air Force standards of excellence, and setting the example around the installation,” said Mentzer.
“In a command that prides itself in carrying torches, under Col. Mentzer's leadership, the 42 ABW torch has burned brightly,” said Tullos.
Mentzer is heading to Hurlburt Field, Fla., where she will be director, Force Generation Center, Air Force Special Operations Command.