New commander for Patriot Wing

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Timm Huffman
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --    The reins of leadership at the 439th Airlift Wing shifted hands Aug. 6 during a time-honored change of command ceremony held in the Base Hangar.

  Colonel Steven D. Vautrain became the commander of the Patriot Wing as Col. Robert R. Swain prepared to move on to a new assignment.

Major Gen. James T. Rubeor, 22nd Air Force Commander, presided over the ceremony. Katie Vautrain, wife of Col. Vautrain, Diane Swain, Col. Swain's wife, family members, friends, local community leaders and almost 1,100 Westover troops attended. 

  Colonel Vautrain comes to Westover from U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where he served as the Chief of the Deployment and Distribution Operations Center. He is a command pilot with more than 5,100 hours in the C-17, C-130 and T-37. He is a 1983 graduate of the University of Miami, with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He also holds a Masters Degree in Military History from Norwich University, Vt.

  For more on Col. Vautrain, view his official biography at http://www.westover.afrc.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=14888

  Colonel Swain, the commander at Westover since 2008, will move to the Pentagon. He thanked his Westover family for all their hard work and exceptional performance during his tenure as wing commander. Under his tenure, the 439th Airlift Wing earned some of the most prestigious awards in the Reserve Command, including the 2010 Lt. Gen. Sherrard Award as the top Reserve wing in the command.

  "Westover is a very special place and it is truly where our heart is," he said of himself and his wife.

  General Rubeor presented Col. Swain with the Legion of Merit, First Oak Leaf Cluster, for his accomplishments as commander at Westover.

  Colonel Vautrain is already familiar with the local area. A Winchester native, the colonel has family members in the local area, including his grandparents, who are South Hadley, Mass., residents.

  "It's great to be back home," he said. "We look forward to becoming active members of the community."

  In his speech to the hundreds of Airmen gathered in the formation, Col. Vautrain spoke highly of the men and women of the 439th Airlift Wing and said he was looking forward to serving alongside them.

  "My goals as commander are to continue the reputation of Westover in the Air Force and promote the core values of integrity, service before self and excellence in all we do," Col. Vautrain said in closing.