552 ACW welcomes new commander Published July 2, 2012 By 552nd ACW welcomes new commander Brandice J. O'Brien TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- America's Wing welcomed back a familiar face June 21. On a relatively cool morning standing in front of hundreds of Airmen, state and civic officials at Bldg. 230's Dock 2, Col. Gregory Guillot accepted his third Tinker assignment. He succeeded Col. John Rauch as the 552nd Air Control Wing commander. Lt. Gen. Robin Rand, 12th Air Force commander and Air Forces Southern commander, presided over the change-of-command ceremony. He said the wing is "incredibly fortunate" to have Colonel Guillot, pronounced Gee-oh, who was hand-picked for the assignment. He thanked Colonel Rauch for his accomplishments and for leading a culture of success. "You are incredibly fortunate to have Colonel Guillot and to have this fine Airman lead you," said General Rand. "There is no one better qualified to lead this wing right now than him. He knows this business." Colonel Guillot arrived at Tinker from Air Combat Command Headquarters at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., where he served as the deputy director of Operations. Colonel Guillot first came to Tinker in July 1998 where in his two-year assignment he served as chief of Weapons and Tactics for the 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron. In July 2003 he returned, first as the director of Operations for the 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron. In August 2004 until February 2006, he commanded the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron. Also a senior air battle manager, Colonel Guillot has 1,200 flying hours and has flown in the E-3 Sentry, KC-10 Extender, F-15 Eagle, and U-2 Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. "To the men and women of the 552nd Air Control Wing, it is a true privilege to serve with you and command this wing," Colonel Guillot said. "My duties and responsibilities will be straightforward; first, take care of you and your families. Second, provide air component commanders with highly-disciplined, combat-ready forces. I am honored to serve with the men and women of the 552 and with our team partners on Tinker and in the local community. Together we will remain focused on our mission - to fly, fight and ultimately, win." Colonel Rauch came to Tinker in July 2010 from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., where he served as the vice commander of the 55th Wing. Following his Tinker assignment, he returned to Offutt AFB to become the 55th Wing commander. At the change of command ceremony, General Rand awarded Colonel Rauch the Legion of Merit. He said while the commendation recognizes many significant accomplishments by the 552nd ACW and its commander, it doesn't capture the colonel's extraordinary warrior leader spirit or his character, which embodies the Air Force's core values. "Colonel Rauch is a brilliant senior leader for the United States Air Force," said General Rand, "who always reflects credit to his Airmen and who accepts responsibility when things go wrong ... I'm elated to keep you on the leadership team that heads back to Offutt." Colonel Rauch said it had been an honor to serve with America's Wing for the past two years. He's proud of the wing's accomplishments and its go-getter attitude. "To the men and women of the air control wing, I remain amazed at your enthusiasm, professionalism and expertise. We embraced many challenges over the last two years. You delivered persistent air power in day-to-day operations. You swiftly rose to the challenges and deployed in various operations. Without complaint you leaned forward at 4:30 in the morning without much detail about how we were being deployed and with big smiles on your faces," Colonel Rauch said. "America's Wing, I have one final request: please welcome Colonel Guillot and his family like you did for us two years ago." During the ceremony, Colonel Rauch received a final salute from his wing and Colonel Guillot received his first salute.