Air Commandos welcome new commander

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jeff Parkinson
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Col. Sean Farrell assumed command of the 1st Special Operations Wing here Jan. 6.

Col. Bill West relinquished command to Farrell, the former commander of the 27th Special Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

Farrell is no stranger to Florida. He was born on Eglin Air Force Base, earned his commission through ROTC at Florida State University, and has spent more than a third of his 24-year career here at Hurlburt Field.
Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, presided over the ceremony.

"Sean, you have the right combination of commitment, focus and compassion, which is crucial for being a successful commander in today’s Air Force," he said. “As you take command of the 1st SOW, I challenge you to focus on our people and their families.”

In his first address as commander, Farrell reminded everyone that although leadership is constantly evolving, the obligation to execute the mission does not change.
“In order to carry out this task, the 1st SOW must be highly trained, capable, and ready to conduct special operations, anytime, anyplace,” Farrell said. “Our partners deserve nothing less than the best, and that’s what they’ll get when they dial-up a Hurlburt Field Air Commando.”

During his final speech as the 1st SOW commander, West praised the team he led since June 2013.

"You are the most deployed wing in the Air Force,” he said. “During the peak of our deployment cycle, we had about 1,000 Air Commandos deployed to 17 countries. That’s 20 percent of the wing. And, it’s our strong families who enable us to sustain that tempo year after year.”
Under his command, West said the 1st SOW flew more than 47,000 hours on almost 10,000 combat sorties. In addition, the wing swept nearly every Air Force-level flying award.
West will be the next deputy commander of the combined joint task force in the Horn of Africa.