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Colonel Vician leads 72nd MSG

  • Published
  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  A host of civilian and military personnel from Tinker AFB gave a warm sendoff recently to the outgoing commander of the 72nd Mission Support Group, Col. Julie Boit, and greeted the new commander, Col. Todd Vician.

"Today we bid farewell to a devoted leader" and welcome her successor, "another terrific officer" who will "step in and take command," said Col. Christopher Azzano, the new 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker installation commander.

"Times change and people come and go," Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Paul Sutter noted in his invocation during the change-of-command ceremony held July 2 in the Tinker Club. The chaplain further remarked that God "watches over our going out and our coming in."

Colonel Vician most recently was the director of public affairs for Headquarters Air Combat Command, guiding the communication activities of more than 550 public affairs professionals at 22 Air Force wings and 13 installations in the U.S. and overseas.

The 72nd MSG is "the linchpin to everything" at Tinker, Colonel Azzano said. Its nearly 1,500 military, civilian and contractor personnel provide base security, law enforcement, logistics and personnel support, readiness planning, education, family support, and other essential services to more than 80,000 employees, family members and retirees.

Upon receiving the 72nd MSG guidon from Colonel Azzano, Colonel Vician told those in attendance at the change-of-command ceremony that he was "honored to join you today." In addition, he acknowledged that, "To whom much is given, much is expected."
Colonel Vician also said that his oldest son recently joined the Air Force, and another son is in Air Force ROTC.

Colonel Vician has served in public affairs assignments during much of his career, "and his exposure to numerous installations and Air Force issues will serve us well," Colonel Azzano said. Colonel Vician has been a services squadron commander, both stateside and deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom, and he's been to Spain, Italy and central Asia, including Afghanistan, in support of contingency operations.

He is a graduate of Air Command and Staff College and was a National Defense Fellow at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. "And from his most recent time at Langley, he understands the strategic landscape surrounding our Air Force and the vital role Tinker plays in our nation's defense," Colonel Azzano said.

"Equally important," Colonel Vician's values "will keep the MSG focused on our mission while caring for our Airmen and families."

"Command is a privilege, and with it comes tremendous responsibility," Colonel Azzano said. "It demands absolute professional competence, tenacious leadership and selfless sacrifice -- putting the needs of the mission and your people above all else." By those standards, he said, Colonel Boit "has been a superstar across-the-board."

Colonel Boit will become the new director of Manpower, Personnel, and Services in Pacific Air Forces headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
During the two years she has served at Tinker, Colonel Boit has achieved "a phenomenal track record," Colonel Azzano related.

· She led major force protection improvements at Tinker. These included increased camera surveillance and installation of more than 1,000 donated concrete barriers at numerous locations across the base, "all at no cost to the government," saving $2.5 million for U.S. taxpayers.

· Colonel Boit reduced shifts for security forces from 12 hours to 8, "with minimal impact to installation access and no degradation in security."

· The colonel earned a continuous process improvement "green belt" while conducting important rapid improvement events. As a result, she brought the Tinker golf course "back from near extinction" to profitable status "for the first time in 10 years."

· Under her leadership, the 72nd MSG earned distinctions such as "best child development program in the Air Force," "best large security forces unit in Air Force Materiel Command," and 13 other major command-level awards.

· She led a fuel infrastructure project in support of flight line operations, and a $1.4 million base service-station replacement project that will bring the alternative fuel E85 to Tinker in 2015.

· Colonel Boit also coordinated two visits to Tinker by President Barack Obama. The most recent visit, in the wake of the Moore tornado, was praised by the Secret Service as "the best presidential support ever."

Colonel Azzano presented Colonel Boit with the Legion of Merit, which recognized her for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service" as commander of the 72nd MSG.

Afterward, Colonel Boit said she was "honored, thrilled, excited and humbled," and said Team Tinker "couldn't do its mission as well as it does" without the personnel of the 72nd Mission Support Group. The colonel received her final salute as the 72nd MSG commander from a group formation led by 72nd MSG Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Rick Johns and comprised of 24 military and civilian members of the MSG.