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***image1***The 435th Air Base Wing will bid farewell to its commander, Col. Kurt Lohide, Wednesday in a change of command ceremony at 2 p.m. in Hangar 1.
Colonel Lohide took the reins of the 435th ABW in July 2005. The Indiana University graduate received his commission in 1980. He attended Undergraduate Navigator Training at Mather Air Force Base in California and earned his wings in 1981.
He completed F-4 training at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida in 1982 and has served in a wide variety of assignments at base level, secretariat, unified command and Headquarters Air Force.
His career has taken him to the Philippines, the Pentagon, Oklahoma and Germany. He is a master navigator with more than 2,200 flying hours, including 124 combat hours in the F-4 D/E/G.
Colonel Lohide has earned such high decorations as the Legion of Merit Award and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
During his time as commander of the 435th ABW, Colonel Lohide led his team – four groups and 16 squadrons of 6,000 active duty troops – to help Ramstein secure the 2006 Commander in Chief’s annual Installation Excellence award, a title that won Ramstein $1 million dollars for base improvements.
Ramstein has deployed nearly 100,000 U.S. and coalition partners on more than 2,100 combat, security, stability and humanitarian missions.
Additionally, Ramstein fosters a family-friendly installation for more than 53,000 Americans living in the KMC.
Under Colonel Lohide’s leadership, the 435th ABW earned an “Excellent” rating during its Operational Readiness Inspection in 2006.
“It has been my great honor to serve side by side with the men and women of the 435th Air Base Wing,” Colonel Lohide said.
In his next assignment, Colonel Lohide will oversee the Air Force Smart Operations 21 program at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. AFSO 21 was launched last year as a way for the Air Force to eliminate waste, including time, manpower and money. The goal is to find ways to maximize value.
“I am looking forward to this next challenge of helping the Air Force improve the way it does business,” Colonel Lohide said. “I’m leaving here with some great examples of AFSO 21 work by the 435th team and, of course, with fond memories of all the people in the 435th ABW who work so hard and accomplish so much.”
