Wing change of command brings back 'one of our own' Published March 14, 2011 By Senior Airman Danielle Grannan 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- The 55th Wing said goodbye to Brig. Gen. John N.T. Shanahan March 9 at a special change of command ceremony and welcomed back Brig. Gen. Donald "Bits" Bacon, this time as the new wing commander. Lt. Gen. Glenn F. Spears, 12th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony and presented General Shanahan with the Legion of Merit for meritorious service while leading Team Offutt. General Shanahan assumed command of the 55th Wing in April 2009 and spent the ensuing two years leading his troops to various awards and praise for their work in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack, command and control, presidential support and treaty verification. This track record of excellence and culture of compliance is no stranger to incoming commander General Bacon. He has been part of the 55th Wing four times before, leading both the 41st Electronic Combat Squadron from 2002-2003, the 55th Electronic Combat Group from 2006-2007 and working as an electronic warfare officer in the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron. He is most recently returning to the continental United States from serving as the 3rd Air Force deputy commander at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "My wife Angie and I are thrilled to be back at Offutt and are truly privileged to be members of the Fightin' Fifty-Fifth once again," said General Bacon. "The 55th Wing has a tremendous heritage starting with WWII where the wing had 16 ace pilots and led the very first U.S. mission over Berlin, to being the vanguard of freedom during the Cold War. The wing was instrumental to America's combat operations in Panama, Libya and Grenada in the 1980's and has been deployed continuously since 1991 and Desert Storm. "Since 9/11, our wing has had multiple squadrons conducting continuous combat operations in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, while simultaneously deterring unpredictable nations like North Korea and Iran, and supporting our national- and theater-level leaders all over the globe. Being a 55th Wing Airman is an honor that we must all cherish and protect," he added in an address to the wing populace. General Shanahan took a few moments at the ceremony and in the days leading up to it to express his thanks and pride to members of the Fightin' Fifty-Fifth. "I am amazed by how much we accomplished over the past two years," General Shanahan said in an open letter to the wing March 7. "It is true now more than ever before in our legendary history that 'The Fightin' Fifty-Fifth Leads the Fight!' The one word that summarizes the attitude of this wing and that will stick with me forever is 'pride.' It was a proud organization long before I arrived, and it will be a proud wing long after I am gone." General Bacon, who had been frocked from colonel to brigadier general in another ceremony earlier in the morning, said at the change of command ceremony that he is not here to create an excellent wing, since the 55th has already reached that goal. His job, he said, is to build on that reputation and keep the Fightin' Fifty-Fifth as irreplaceable as it is today. In a command philosophy he would like the wing to become familiar with, General Bacon stressed mission excellence, the Air Force core values and family support - both families at home and the Air Force family. Also present for the ceremony were some of Offutt's community partners including Richard Sheehy, Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, Rita Sanders, mayor of Bellevue, Jim Suttle, mayor of Omaha, Donald Groesser, mayor of Ralston, representatives of United States Senators Ben Nelson and Michael Johanns, a representative of United States Congressman Lee Terry, Gen. Robert Kehler, commander, United States Strategic Command and two former 55th Wing commanders. As an expression of gratitude and farewell, members of the 102nd Legislature of Nebraska passed Resolution 78 honoring General Shanahan during its first session. General Shanahan left the 55th Wing for Washington, D.C. where he will work on the Joint Staff.