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302nd Airlift Wing gets new commander

  • Published
  • By Maj. Corinna Moylan
  • 302nd Airlift Wing
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Col. James R. DeVere took command of the 302nd Airlift Wing during an assumption of command ceremony here April 2. Maj. Gen. Stayce D. Harris, 22nd Air Force commander, officiated and provided insight into DeVere’s pathway to wing commander.

“He wanted to serve like his dad. He wanted to serve in the Air Force and he wanted to fly airplanes,” she said. “What impressed me even more is Jim believes in community support. He gets it. Jim knows that the community outside the fence needs to get to know us because they support us so much.”

As commander of the Reserve airlift wing, DeVere is responsible for all operational tasking to include training of personnel and employment of the wing’s eight C-130 Hercules aircraft.

“The 302nd needs to be combat ready on a moment’s notice when our nation calls. Combat ready to deploy, which we in the C-130 world do on a routine basis. And what is so very special about the 302nd is that we need to be ready to deploy in the homeland to combat Mother Nature, to combat the fires,” Harris said. “Jim, you are the right leader at the right time for the 302nd.”

DeVere is a command pilot with more than 5,900 flight hours and has served more than 26 years in the Air Force Reserve as an instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, director of operations, deputy operations group commander and commander.

Addressing the wing, DeVere said he has three words the wing will hear him say often.

“Empowerment. I empower you to do your job. I empower all of the squadron commanders, the senior NCOs and the supervisors to empower people to do their job,” he said. “Number two. Trust. I trust each of you to do your job. Our number one core value is integrity. Do the right thing. And, number three. Accountability. We learn by our mistakes and move on. Accountability goes back to trust. What is your intent, is your intent honest and are you following our core values?”

DeVere went on to explain the concept of “conditions of employment.”

“What does this really mean? It means we stay mission ready. “Our first priority is mission ready Airmen,” he said. “It means that we follow the strategic alignment of our leaders.”

DeVere previously served as the 94th Operations Group commander, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. He also previously served six years at the 302nd Airlift Wing and 16 years at Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

“I am so excited to be back and thrilled to be part of our wing. It is such an honor,” DeVere said.

The 302nd AW, one of nine Air Force Reserve C-130 wings with an airdrop and airlift mission and the only Air Force Reserve C-130 wing assigned the special Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System mission, is one of the largest tenant organizations at Peterson AFB. Approximately 1,300 Reserve Airmen are assigned, of which roughly 200 are full-time, dual status federal civil service/Air Force Reserve employees as Air Reserve Technicians.