After decades at Westover, unit commander named to top AFRC post Published Feb. 9, 2012 By 2nd Lt. Andre Bowser 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. -- After more than three decades as a Patriot Wing member, Colonel Robert A. Sousa told a packed audience at the base conference center during his farewell speech in late January that the key to lasting success was simple: "You need to be passionate!" He explained to the audience at his change of command ceremony for the 439th Aeromedical Staging Squadron: "Passion is what makes you want to give every ounce of your being during your waking hours -- and some of your sleeping ones also -- to accomplish your mission." He spoke from experience. Col. Sousa, after all, first arrived at Westover as an enlisted Reservist in 1974. The years to follow would yield a high-speed Airman and non-commissioned officer who wore the stripes proudly on his sleeves, and later as an award-winning officer in the medical service corps. Perhaps his achievements are most notable given his next assignment: "Deputy Command Surgeon for the Air Force Reserve Command," the highest post in his career field. The move to his new assignment at Robins Air Force Base came as a surprise, said Col. Sousa, who said he had been eyeing retirement. "I was so close to retirement, even though in the medical field you can go until 62 years old without a waiver," said the 60-year-old Col. Sousa. He said after a lengthy selection and hiring process, he was offered and accepted the position, but not before one final -- important step. "I said: 'I have to ask my wife.'" While his family, including wife Lydia Todd and five children, will remain in the Northeast, Col. Sousa will live in Georgia. His wife said there would be lots of trips up and down the coast between the Bay State and the Peach State, "but we're a tough, military family," Todd said. Col. Sousa will work as the chief of staff for the headquarters AFRC surgeon general directorate, which includes serving as career manager for the medical service corps, among other responsibilities. He started the position while still commanding the 439th ASTS because of the need for immediate attention in the job that guides the careers of officers in the expansive medical service corps. Col. Sousa said he wears so many hats that in his first few days on the job his head was spinning. "It takes some getting used to," he said. He has a history of going beyond mission completion, and of pushing the limits of his own capabilities. In 1987, he was selected as the 439th MAW Junior Officer of the Year; in 1994, he was recognized by AFRES as the Outstanding Reserve Officer Assigned to a Medical Squadron; in 2000, he was recognized by AFRC as the Outstanding Reserve Officer Assigned to a Medical Squadron; and in 2001, he received the prestigious Brigadier General Donald B. Wagner Administrative Excellence Award, just to list a few of his accomplishments. In 2004, Col. Sousa assumed command of the 439th ASTS. He was chosen for the post as the AFRC Deputy Command Surgeon in late 2011. At his change of command ceremony on Jan. 21, Col. Sousa relinquished command to Lt. Col. Karen Gardner, after what he described as a very long grooming process, which began years before either of them knew their fates. "We sat down a long time ago and discussed her future long before this day," Col. Sousa told the audience. "I love it when a plan comes together."