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Members of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations’ 5th Field Investigations Region came together to welcome their new commander June 29, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Col. Shan Nuckols took command of the 5th FIR from Col. James Hudson during a change of command ceremony presided by Brig. Gen. Keith Givens, commander of AFOSI, Quantico, Virginia.
“This is our premier wing, supporting our premier region, supporting what I think is the premier [major command] in the United States Air Force, [U.S. Air Forces in Europe],” Givens said. “Not only is the mission very important here but just as important is protecting the Airmen who live and work in this [area or responsibility]. It’s been a very dangerous AOR over the past year. … There’s no mistake of the caliber of the officers sitting on this stage today. Many of our commanders have come through [the 5th FIR], and [because of] the caliber of these two officers, [they] could easily be standing in my position. That’s how important OSI sees this MAJCOM.”
Givens highlighted some of the achievements the 5th FIR accomplished while under Hudson’s command. Hudson led the 5th FIR to decrease the completion time of investigations from an average of 180 to 75 days, not only focusing on getting the information to commanders quicker but also alleviating the stress of Airmen involved in investigations.
Givens also recognized Hudson’s efforts in protecting children of the region. Hudson’s team not only headed the investigation that led to the imprisonment of a child molester in the Kaiserslautern Military Community but also another multi-child abuser in England. He also started the Internet Crimes Against Children program, which was designed to battle the online activity of predators.
“Almost everything you’ve touched here has been gold,” Givens said to Hudson. “I can’t thank you enough for your leadership here.”
As with any permanent change of station, there is joy and sadness in moving on.
“I could easily spend an hour going unit by unit across the AOR, but in the interest of time, I would like to just give a special thanks to the men and women of region 5 spread across two continents, multiple time zones, 28 units supporting three [combatant commands] and one numbered air force,” Hudson said. “These folks made me proud and inspired me every single day. They are region 5.”
Givens also spoke of his expectations for Nuckols and the 5th FIR under his new leadership.
“[Nuckols] is another all-star coming here to USAFE,” Givens said. “Every command he’s been in, he’s been number one. … I wish you the best of luck here. It’s a tough job, but you are the right person to follow after [Hudson].”
While taking command of the 5th FIR may seem like a daunting task, Nuckols seemed up to the challenge.
“Sir, thank you for this opportunity to lead this important unit at this critical time, to serve with all the dedicated professionals of the 5th Field Investigations Region,” Nuckols said to Givens. “I won’t let you down. I won’t let them down.”
