MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Commander of the 908th Airlift Wing, Col. Craig Drescher, bestowed command of the 908th Operations Group to Col. Shane Devlin during an Assumption of Command ceremony, August 6, 2022 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
Devlin, previously served as the director of inspections for the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi from December 2021 to August 2022. There, he ensured compliance and adherence to the regulations pertinent to the wing.
During the ceremony, Drescher confessed that command is not an easy position to have, especially during a transition.
“We still require bold and innovative leadership,” he said. “We are in the most difficult and complicated transition the Air Force has ever undertaken… which is exciting but not for the faint of heart.”
Drescher reassured all that Devlin is up to the task, adding that command requires teamwork.
“We all have to work together,” he said. “(Leadership) is a full contact sport.”
After the ceremonial tradition of the passing of the guidon signifying the change in leadership, Devlin held back tears thanking his wife and two sons for all the sacrifices they have made in support of his service. Devlin recounted his previous experience describing his time serving in an organization in the middle of transition.
“I’m sure emotions are running rampant,” said Delvin. “That’s understandable and I applaud you for knowing the unit (the 357th Airlift Squadron) was to stand down and you all were still able to execute the mission in a flawless manner.”
Devlin addressed the opportunity the group has to build its identity from the ground up as it enters a new chapter, with a new mission.
“How many times have you walked into an organization and the culture was set for you?” he asked. “You have the opportunity to set the culture and build the organization the way you have always thought it should run.”
Devlin first commissioned in the Louisiana Army National Guard in 1998 serving as the aid de camp to the state adjunct general at Jackson Barracks, New Orleans. He was then selected to the entry rotary wing course, Fort Rucker, Alabama and graduated with his wings in 2000. In 2001, he graduated the UH-60 Black Hawk aviator qualification course and took command in various positions in the 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment of the Louisiana National Guard. In 2007 he switched to the Air Force Reserve and was gained by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler AFB.