HomeNewsArticle Display

130th Airlift Wing Force Support Squadron Change of Command

By Airman 1st Class Caleb Vance, 130th Airlift Wing / Published August 08, 2018

Lt. Col. Christian Capece (middle) commits to taking command of the 130th Force Support Squadron from Lt. Col. Rick Thomas, 130th Mission Support Group Commander (left), as Lt. Col. David Lester (right) relinquishes command Aug. 5, 2018 at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va. Capece was formerly the 130th Airlift Wing's Staff Judge Advocate, which he served as for the last 10 years. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Capt. Holli Nelson)
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 3

Lt. Col. Rick Thomas, 130th Mission Support Group Commander (left), hands over the Force Support Squadron guide-on to Lt. Col. Christian Capece in a formal change of command ceremony where Capece took over as FSS Commander Aug. 5, 2018 at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va. Capece gained command of the FSS after serving as the 130th's Staff Judge Advocate for the last 10 years. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Capt. Holli Nelson)

Lt. Col. Christian Capece (middle) commits to taking command of the 130th Force Support Squadron from Lt. Col. Rick Thomas, 130th Mission Support Group Commander (left), as Lt. Col. David Lester (right) relinquishes command Aug. 5, 2018 at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va. Capece was formerly the 130th Airlift Wing's Staff Judge Advocate, which he served as for the last 10 years. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Capt. Holli Nelson)
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 2 of 3

Lt. Col. Christian Capece, 130th Airlift Wing Force Support Squadron Commander, gives a speech to FSS Airmen following receiving command Aug. 5, 2018 at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base. Capece was formerly the Wing's Staff Judge Advocate for the past 10 years. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Capt. Holli Nelson)

Lt. Col. Christian Capece (middle) commits to taking command of the 130th Force Support Squadron from Lt. Col. Rick Thomas, 130th Mission Support Group Commander (left), as Lt. Col. David Lester (right) relinquishes command Aug. 5, 2018 at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va. Capece was formerly the 130th Airlift Wing's Staff Judge Advocate, which he served as for the last 10 years. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Capt. Holli Nelson)
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 3 of 3

Lt. Col. Christian Capece (middle) commits to taking command of the 130th Force Support Squadron from Lt. Col. Rick Thomas, 130th Mission Support Group Commander (left), as Lt. Col. David Lester (right) relinquishes command Aug. 5, 2018 at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va. Capece was formerly the 130th Airlift Wing's Staff Judge Advocate, which he served as for the last 10 years. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Capt. Holli Nelson)

PRINT | E-MAIL
MCLAUGHLIN AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, W.Va. -- Lt. Col. David Lester relinquished command of the 130th Force Support Squadron (FSS) to Lt. Col. Christian Capece during a formal change of command ceremony held August 5, 2018, at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, West Virginia.

Col. Rick Thomas, 130th Airlift Wing Mission Support Group Commander, presided over the ceremony. Special guests included Brig. Gen. Paige Hunter, West Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Brig. Gen. Christopher Walker, Chief of Staff of the West Virginia Air National Guard, Col. Michael Cadle, 130th Airlift Wing Vice Commander, Chief Master Sgt. James Dixon, State Command Chief and Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Cecil, 130th Airlift Wing Command Chief.

“Lt. Col. Capece, your record speaks for itself and I can’t think of a better officer to lead the FSS on its mission,” said Thomas. “Your track record of excellence in the Marine Corps and here, mixed with your civilian experience embodies the leadership and commitment needed for this command, you have my full confidence and support.”

As Lester left, he thanked all the leadership present, and especially thanked the 130th AW Commander, Col. Johnny M. Ryan for his faith in leadership and bringing back pride and heritage to the Wing. Lester is set to retire in September.

Following the formal change of command and thanking the special guests, Capece gave the Wing members and FSS some encouraging words.

“I’m excited to be in this new office and doing the best I can to follow up on the recent success and improvements to this squadron,” explained Capece. “And all the support has been great, I’m completely humbled by how you all have greeted me as the new commander.”

Capece started his military career serving in the United States Marine Corps from 1997-2007 as a Marine Corps Officer and Judge Advocate, and joined the 130th Airlift Wing in 2008, where he had served as the 130th’s Staff Judge Advocate until moving to FSS.
USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.