New 57th commander takes charge Published Jan. 23, 2008 By Senior Airman Oleksandra G. Manko Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The Airmen of the 57th Wing welcomed a new commander in a formal ceremony at the Thunderbird hangar here Jan. 18. Col. Russell Handy came to Nellis from Eglin AFB, Fla., where he was the 33rd Fighter Wing commander. "Las Vegas is a fun place - there's a lot to do here," he said. "I'm excited to be here." Colonel Handy said he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, boating and camping. He has already visited Red Rock and Mt. Charleston with his family. In his military career, Colonel Handy has been assigned to Nellis twice, first as a student at the Weapons School and later as an instructor and a 57th Wing flight safety officer. "It's great to be here," said the colonel. "What I like [about Nellis] is that we're flying the most demanding scenarios, have the most number of aircraft, and the best Airmen in every career speacialty. "In every career field you're working and operating with the best in the Air Force at a high intensity level," he said, "which makes every day very exciting. Also, because of such diversity in the wing, it's a constant learning process. I'll be learning until the day I leave here, I'm quite sure." The first thing on the new commander's agenda is getting to know everyone and understanding their various roles and missions. "I will be learning about what everyone does, to be able to better represent them as a wing commander," Colonel Handy said. The 57th Wing is the largest composite flying wing in the Air Force. It consists of 36 squadrons and maintains more than 150 aircraft at eight different continental U.S. locations. In addition, the U.S. Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer School, the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and Red and Green Flag exercises all fall under the 57th wing commander's supervision. Colonel Handy said Nellis has changed a lot since he was last stationed here in 1994, from the size of the surrounding community, to the diversity of the wing and its mission. "What the wing represents is excellence in air, space, and cyberspace power, everything that the Air Force does," he said. "I want to continue to do that, to move forward, not to get complacent -- to continue to look forward to what that next threat is, what that next requirement is, to keep our Air Force the best." Colonel Handy said he expects Airmen under his command to live by the Air Force core values. Integrity, owning up to mistakes, so that they can be learned from; service before self , understanding that a higher standard is expected from them and deploying on short notice; excellence in all we do, continuing to work as hard as they can. From his side, Colonel Handy said it is his mission responsibility to make sure that Airmen and their families are taken care of so that the Airmen can focus on the mission. "I'm looking forward to serving the Airmen of the 57th Wing and learning as much about what we do as quickly as possible and working together with the rest of the Nellis team," concluded the new commander.
