Noteworthies with a Local Link

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.

After more than 22 years of dedicated service in the Air Force, Colonel Kilb is retiring to his home state of Arizona with his family.