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Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin (left), 3rd Air Force commander, passes the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing guidon to Col. Joseph McFall, 435th AGOW commander, during the 435th AGOW change of command ceremony July 1 on Ramstein.
Col. John S. Shapland relinquished command of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing to Col. Joseph D. McFall during a change of command ceremony July 1 in Hangar 1 on Ramstein.
Lt. Gen. Craig A. Franklin, 3rd Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony and thanked Shapland for his hard work during his time as the 435th AGOW commander.
“A change of command is a very emotional event. On one hand, it’s sad to see the outgoing commander leave who we have come to know and love, but we are also excited to see the new commander come in,” Franklin said. “The AGOW, under Colonel McFall’s leadership, will be ready to meet any challenge as it did under Colonel Shapland’s leadership.”
McFall’s most recent assignment was at the 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, where he was the vice commander.
“I stand before you proud, humbled and honored to be the commander of this incredible wing,” McFall said. “From this moment on, you have my absolute trust and loyalty. I promise to tell your stories, fight for the resources you require, fix the things that make your jobs difficult and equip you with the tools for future, personal and professional success.”
He was commissioned through the Air Force Academy in 1993 and most recently received his Master of Science in national security strategy in 2012.
McFall has more than 2,700 flying hours on the F-16, AT/T-38 and T-37 combined and 795 combat hours during operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
The AGOW is one of two air ground operations wings in the Air Force and consists of more than 1,500 members among three groups and 11 squadrons with 19 geographically separated units across six installations in Germany and Italy.
