New commander to keep Hurlburt at Tip of the Spear Published June 16, 2010 By Senior Airman Ryan Whitney 1st SPecial Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- "The 1st Special Operations Wing has been running full throttle since I first stepped foot on this base in 1990, and even before that," said Col. Michael Plehn. "As wing commander I plan to keep us at the tip of the spear and make sure we can apply our specialized airpower whenever our nation needs it, any time any place." Colonel Plehn, who has been in the commander's chair here for a little over a week, took command of the 1st SOW from Col. Greg Lengyel June 7. Though he thinks the work Colonel Lengyel did during his tenure is outstanding, the new commander said he would like to build on the foundation the former commander laid and help improve the quality of life for the 1st SOW's Airmen. "Our military members are hitting it out of the park, but a lot of times it is our families and loved ones who may be having challenges," Colonel Plehn said. "The community support, the neighbors of our families throughout Navarre and Fort Walton and all the surrounding areas, that support is what help us continue what we are doing." Along with supporting each other's families, Hurlburt Airmen should continue to support each other to help complete the wing's unique mission. Throughout the colonel's nearly 23-year career as a navigator, he said he has learned time and time again of the unique bond and mutual respect each member of the military has for each other, regardless of inter-service rivalries. Thanksgiving day in 1993, during a deployment to Mogadishu, after his AC-130 crew landed at a small base to refuel and get food for the remainder of the trip, he learned that the Army Soldiers working at the dining facility crafted a thanksgiving meal and kept the facility open hours past the usual closing time to ensure that the aircrew was able to eat and enjoy their meal. He said it is this level of service before self and commitment to excellence Airmen need to continue displaying. "These were just young Soldiers taking care of their Air Force teammates," Colonel Plehn said. "I'm not sure if this was my best experience in the military, but it certainly was the most memorable for me, and it really says a lot about the military community." Colonel Plehn has spent more than half of his career in Air Force Special Operations Command including two assignments as both a squadron and group commander. The experience, personality and camaraderie of AFSOC and its Airmen are something the colonel has missed since he was last in AFSOC as the commander of the 27th Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M, from June 2007 to July 2008. Most recently, Colonel Plehn was selected as one of seven colonels chosen for the inaugural Chief of Staff of the Air Force Fellows program. "I am excited to be back in AFSOC. The [Airmen] in our organization are personally committed to ensuring the success of our mission, and they are doing a great job," Colonel Plehn said. "All I ask is they keep it up and let [leadership] know how they can help them do a better job."