Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey | U.S. Air National Guard Col. Michael Griesbaum, commander of the 168th Wing, left,...... read more read more
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – Col. Randy Saldivar assumed command of the 168th Mission Support Group during a ceremony, January 12, 2023.
Saldivar comes to the 168th MSG after serving as the commander of the Logistics Squadron at the 176th Wing and, before that, serving at the National Guard Readiness Center and Office of the Director of the Air National Guard. He served in the Guard in both Texas and the Virgin Islands and initially started his career in the Coast Guard.
During the ceremony, Saldivar said, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the 168th family and the trust and faith you have placed in me to work with wonderful folks.”
"When I talked about coming up here, I was asked what do you need from us. The first thing that came out of my mouth was that I wanted one of those really cool Polar Bear Patches. It's by far the coolest patch I've ever seen in my entire career and the entire Air Force. Really happy to be wearing it."
I've already seen many of the great things people advocated for and told me about the 168th. The unit is family-centric, and you will fall in love with interior Alaska.
Somebody told him, I hope you enjoyed all the fun as a Squadron Command – All the fun is over. He agreed it was really the best position as an officer in the AF. He said, "It gives you the greatest opportunity to have a tactile feel and have the greatest influence in airmen's lives inside your organization.
Saldivar addressed the 168th MSG for the first time during the ceremony.
I look forward to focusing on helping Squadron commanders lead their organizations. One of my objectives was to always keep the MSG group commander out of my business. The more I kept them out, the happier I was.
The results and impacts that a Group commander can have on an organization can be very impactful, damaging, or beneficial. One of the things I will take extra caution on is to be very diligent in all the decisions that will be made in the best interests of the Airman.
Saldivar finds there is a lot of inspiration to be found in movies.
"I'm a big advocate for having fun while you are working because you are a lot happier while you work. I like to do a lot of my leadership through movies."
He quoted Yoda from Star Wars: "You must feel the Force flow around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, yes, even between the land and the ship.”
"I can't state enough how important and impactful that portion of the movie was for me when I stared at it through a leadership lens. We as leaders need to pay attention to the Force. Airmen are the greatest asset. I challenge all the squadron commanders, Chiefs, senior enlisted leaders, and supervisors inside the squadrons to be attuned to the Force. Find out who your Airmen are so we can help each other. Lean on one another and make Airman's lives easy so they can focus on the mission."
He shared his expectations for the Airman and said to be dutiful, do your best, and answer the call above and beyond. If you do that, it will be really easy to separate yourself from a lot of folks. Be bold and take your career into your own hands.
Saldivar gave an example of how he has challenged himself in his career as he said to challenge yourself with new opportunities.
"The Chief of the NG Bureau looked over at me during one of the staff meetings and asked What do you think, Randy? I could see my entire career pass in front of me. How did I get here? I was just at a Wing staff meeting a couple of months ago, and now I was listening to what was happening at a DOD level. It was an incredible experience – be bold and challenge yourself with new opportunities."
He said, "I implore each of you to take a chance on who you are. Never think that you can't do something. Those things will creep into your brain. Just don't let them rule your brain. I did it when I was coming up here, and obviously, I did it when I came to Eielson to be a group commander. Have faith and confidence in yourself. You will be surprised by what you can do if you take chances."
Addressing the 168th MSG for the first time as their commander, Saldivar told the group.
“I implore each Airman to speak the truth to power. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable - it’s a great place to be. If we do that together, we are going to be a much stronger organization. What we can’t afford to do is have an Airman not say something.”
An assumption of command is a military tradition representing a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit to a commanding officer.
| Date Taken: | 01.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.16.2024 18:50 |
| Story ID: | 461917 |
| Location: | EIELSON AFB, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 188 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New Leader takes command of the 168th Mission Support Group, by SMSgt Julie Avey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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