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76th PMXG welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group welcomed a new commander June 30.
Standing in front of approximately 150 people at the F117 Heavy Maintenance Center, Post X75, in Bldg. 3001, Col. Robert Helgeson accepted command. Colonel Helgeson succeeded Col. Evan Miller, who, during the ceremony, received the Meritorious Service Medal - fourth oak leaf cluster.

"Our Air Force is really blessed with the ability to have great leaders," said Brig. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, 76th Maintenance Wing commander. "Bob Helgeson is the right man at the right time. Bob has a rich background that has prepared him well for this task."
Colonel Helgeson, a career logistics officer, comes to Tinker from Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where he served as chief for Repair Network Integration and High Velocity Maintenance Implementation for the Directorate of Logistics.

Colonel Helgeson, as General Litchfield noted, is a "smart guy," having earned a Master of Science in logistics management degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB. He also attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.

Additionally, Colonel Helgeson is a warrior who spent 12 months in Baghdad, Iraq, prior to his most recent assignment. In Iraq, the colonel served as deputy chief of Plans for the Combined Joint Staff for Logistics at the Multi-National Force-Iraq.

"To the men and women of the propulsion maintenance group, I want to thank you personally for all the sacrifices, hard work and dedication that you've provided to support our nation's defense," Colonel Helgeson said. "You may not see it out there every day - the air power that you create - but, you truly put the 'power' in 'air power.'"

Colonel Helgeson's predecessor, Colonel Miller, arrived in the propulsion maintenance group in May 2008. Colonel Miller directly supported maintenance, overhaul and repair for 2,800 engines and 1,080 aircraft.

"Evan is a special kind of leader and I appreciate the opportunity that we had to work together in the past and look forward to the opportunity to abuse him a little bit longer as moves up after this command," General Litchfield said, cracking a smile. Colonel Miller will next serve as the vice commander to Maj. Gen. David Gillett, OC-ALC commander.
Reflecting on his tenure, Colonel Miller said moving on is bittersweet and likened his assignment within the propulsion maintenance group to that of the vast Oklahoma sky and it unpredictable, and sometimes violent, weather.

"Over the past two years, this group of 1,900 - and growing - professionals, my teammates, helped me navigate through our share of clouds and turbulence," said Colonel Miller. "Together we faced and overcame lots of tests including an increase in workload, manpower losses and now, fortunately, some gains; process challenges, aging infrastructure, parts shortages and lots of other things.

"We've weathered all those storms and I know that's what you're going to continue to do that because that's what the professionals in this group do."