Wing commander says sayonara

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Allison Day
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  In a change of command ceremony, Col. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, 35th Fighter Wing commander, passed the reigns of command this morning to Col. David Stilwell in Hangar 949. 

During his speech, Colonel O'Shaughnessy reflected on his last 19 months as the commander of the 35th FW and what it meant to him. 

"It is indeed with a heavy heart that I stand before you today," said Colonel O'Shaughnessy. "It seems like it was only a few weeks ago when I stood in this hangar and took command of the world's greatest Wild Weasel wing and Misawa Air Base." 

Colonel O'Shaughnessy thanked Mayor Taneichi, the mayor of Misawa, the city of Misawa and the surrounding community for the incredible support they provide to Misawa. 

"Our Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors and their families are very fortunate to have the support of such a welcoming community," said Colonel O'Shaughnessy. "The mayor's policy of co-existence and co-prosperity - kyozon and kyoei - is a brilliant articulation of how the base and the surrounding community are linked. The cooperation between the city and the base is truly something we should all be proud of and it does not happen by accident. It is only possible because of the communication, relationships and investments that both the base and the city have made to support each other in the spirit of co-existence and co-prosperity." 

Misawa is a joint and bilateral base and Colonel O'Shaughnessy built a relationship with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force here. He thanked the JASDF for their tremendous support and friendship. 

"You have my deepest respect and please know I place tremendous value on our friendship," said the colonel. 

The high operations tempo at Misawa kept Colonel O'Shaughnessy quite busy during his time here, so he had a few words to say to Team Misawa for their hard work. 

"To the men and women of Misawa Air Base, I thank you for your unwavering professionalism," said Colonel O'Shaughnessy. "You have so many things to be proud of - your presence here in Northern Japan has contributed greatly to the stability in the region. You have supported the Global War on Terror with more than 1,300 members deploying last year and you're getting ready to begin the cycle all over again. Last year, you garnered 58 [Pacific Air Force] awards and 13 Air Force-level awards. You showcased your mission capability to the PACAF [inspector general] team and caused their eyes to water with a performance which included an 'outstanding' for aircraft generation. You have challenging times ahead of you to include another [Air Expeditionary Force] cycle and the [Unit Compliance Inspection], but I have extreme confidence you will excel at them just as you have for the past 19 months." 

He also told Team Misawa how "blessed they are with outstanding group and squadron leadership" and he thanked all his commanders, as well as the command chief of Misawa. He also welcomed the new commander, Colonel Stillwell, and his family. 

"Stilly, Jan, Dane and Janae Stillwell - welcome to Misawa, the best base in the world, home of the world's greatest Wild Weasels and I can say without hesitation you are about to have the best job in the Air Force," said Colonel O'Shaughnessy. "Misawa is lucky to have such a great team as you and Jan as their wing and installation team. Donna and I will sleep well at night knowing that Misawa is in good hands." 

During this assignment Colonel O'Shaughnessy was accompanied by his wife, Donna, and their son, Sammy. 

"This has been a team effort for Donna, Sammy and I," he said. "Donna, I simply could not have done this without you and my little man, Sam, at my side. You're my life's wingman and I look forward to out next adventure." 

Colonel O'Shaughnessy ended his speech by saying, "the combination of mission, people and community make Misawa a truly special place - a place that will always hold special meaning for Donna, Sammy and I. We will always cherish our memories of Misawa and look forward to continuing our friendships. Each week at Right Start for inbound personnel and their families, I brief that this assignment to Misawa will be the highlight of your career. I thank each and every one of you for making this the experience of a lifetime for us, the highlight of our career and for the honor of serving you as your commander." 

Colonel O'Shaughnessy will next serve as the commander of the 613th Air and Space Operations Center at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.