DeLange takes command of 38th CEIG
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, --
On a muggy Thursday morning with the sun beaming down, Lt. Col. Eric DeLange accepted command of the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group. Col. Paul Welch, commander of the 688th Information Operations Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, presided over the event July 11 in front of the headquarters building at the 38th CEIG complex.
Colonel DeLange came to Tinker from Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., where he was a student at the National War College and earned a Master of Science in National Security Studies. With a career rich in communications and cyber operations, Colonel Welch said Colonel DeLange is ready to take the helm. Colonel DeLange succeeds Col. Cynthia Wright.
"Eric knows his business and Eric is also absolutely brilliant," said Colonel Welch. "He has three masters' degrees. He's very well rounded, has a great strategic vision and great strategic view. That's coupled very nicely with a deep technical understanding of this enterprise, the Air Force and how it works."
Colonel DeLange said he is excited to be at Tinker.
"Thank you to the men and women of the 38th CEIG for all you've already done. You've helped my family and I integrate into the group and the area," Colonel DeLange said. "And, thank you in advance for all that we will be doing together to accomplish the mission and continue to make the 38th CEIG great ... I am honored, humbled and grateful to join shoulder-to-shoulder with you, the men and women of the 38th CEIG as we move out together to carry out our crucial mission."
Colonel Wright, who left Tinker for Air Force Headquarters at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., received the Legion of Merit award.
"Cindy is strategic in her thinking and her thought processes. She's absolutely brilliant and she will never tell you that but spend five minutes with her and you'll know that," Colonel Welch said. "She's incredibly articulate and strategic in her thinking ... I can't say enough to personally thank you for your leadership. As a wing commander with a geographically-separated group, I was never concerned about the leadership of the 38th CEIG and all of your geographically-separated units. You made my life very easy. You made our wing mission incredibly successful, and because of our role in cyber and what we're doing in this business, you made the Air Force mission incredibly successful."
Colonel Wright thanked Colonel Welch for his kind words, but said it was ultimately the group who made the wing and Air Force successful. She will remember and miss them.
"Thank you to the men and women of the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group for what has been one of the most memorable and fulfilling assignments of my career," Colonel Wright said. "When I first got here, I wondered how I'd fit into the 38th CEIG and its mission, but the one thing I knew was it was a tremendous opportunity to work with 600 smart people ... I've never been prouder of the work I have been associated with during this tour. I thank you all for that."
Colonel DeLange came to Tinker from Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., where he was a student at the National War College and earned a Master of Science in National Security Studies. With a career rich in communications and cyber operations, Colonel Welch said Colonel DeLange is ready to take the helm. Colonel DeLange succeeds Col. Cynthia Wright.
"Eric knows his business and Eric is also absolutely brilliant," said Colonel Welch. "He has three masters' degrees. He's very well rounded, has a great strategic vision and great strategic view. That's coupled very nicely with a deep technical understanding of this enterprise, the Air Force and how it works."
Colonel DeLange said he is excited to be at Tinker.
"Thank you to the men and women of the 38th CEIG for all you've already done. You've helped my family and I integrate into the group and the area," Colonel DeLange said. "And, thank you in advance for all that we will be doing together to accomplish the mission and continue to make the 38th CEIG great ... I am honored, humbled and grateful to join shoulder-to-shoulder with you, the men and women of the 38th CEIG as we move out together to carry out our crucial mission."
Colonel Wright, who left Tinker for Air Force Headquarters at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., received the Legion of Merit award.
"Cindy is strategic in her thinking and her thought processes. She's absolutely brilliant and she will never tell you that but spend five minutes with her and you'll know that," Colonel Welch said. "She's incredibly articulate and strategic in her thinking ... I can't say enough to personally thank you for your leadership. As a wing commander with a geographically-separated group, I was never concerned about the leadership of the 38th CEIG and all of your geographically-separated units. You made my life very easy. You made our wing mission incredibly successful, and because of our role in cyber and what we're doing in this business, you made the Air Force mission incredibly successful."
Colonel Wright thanked Colonel Welch for his kind words, but said it was ultimately the group who made the wing and Air Force successful. She will remember and miss them.
"Thank you to the men and women of the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group for what has been one of the most memorable and fulfilling assignments of my career," Colonel Wright said. "When I first got here, I wondered how I'd fit into the 38th CEIG and its mission, but the one thing I knew was it was a tremendous opportunity to work with 600 smart people ... I've never been prouder of the work I have been associated with during this tour. I thank you all for that."
