Col. Kwast will take over 4th Fighter Wing Thursday
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on September 4, 2006 1:52 PM
The 4th Fighter Wing will mark the end of an era -- and welcome the beginning of a new one -- at a formal change of command ceremony Thursday on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Col. Mike Holmes will pass command of the wing to Col. Steven L. Kwast, who comes to Seymour from the Pentagon, where he served as the U.S. Air Force colonels' management office chief.
At a going away celebration held Sept. 31 on base, Holmes told those in attendance that Kwast has been a member of the Goldsboro and Wayne County communities before -- having served at Seymour years ago. Kwast has a reputation as a great leader and "one of the Air Force's very best", he added.
Holmes will leave the fighter wing after two years in command. His next assignment will take him to the Pentagon, where he will become the U.S. Air Force checkmate division chief.
As he said goodbye for the first of many times last week, Holmes told Seymour's personnel that he looks forward to following their future accomplishments from afar and envies Kwast for moving into "the best job in the world."
"I'm a little jealous that he'll get to be here with all of you," Holmes said. "I'm going to miss a lot of things about being here, but mostly it will be all of you."