Commander bids farewell to wing

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • 96 ABW Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When Col. Eric Pohland retires as commander of the 96th Air Base Wing June 26, he can look back on a successful turn at the helm. 

Colonel Pohland said he had two main objectives when he assumed command in November 2007 after serving as the wing's vice commander from June 2006 to October 2007. He wanted to strengthen the warfighting effort and take a hard look at how the wing supports the many missions here. By all accounts, he succeeded. 

"I wanted to get the wing very focused on continuing the vital missions of the wing," he said. "While I believe we were on the right path, I wanted to strengthen some objectives."
The colonel was committed to ensuring that Airmen were ready to deploy. 

"The people we send in support of the war on terrorism absolutely need to be confident, well trained, well equipped with all the right tools, to include the leadership and sense of mission as they go forward to protect the U.S.," he said. 

Being responsible for a base the size of Eglin is a daunting task. It caused the colonel to take a hard look at base operations. 

"There's so much to take care of ; instead of just troubleshooting an emergency, we needed to take a comprehensive look at the base, the missions we support, then guide the resources to maximize the effort," he said. 

Colonel Pohland doesn't lay claim to all the credit for the wing's performance during the last 24 months. He realizes it's a team effort and feels the wing is postured for continued success. He cited the communication group's modernization and the medical group's partnership with the Veterans Administration and community medical providers as part of the foundation for the future. 

"It wasn't just me," he said, "but once you help remind people or provide direction and then let people take off and go, they will amaze you with what they are able to accomplish. The wing's success rides on smart people thinking about the future and where challenges will emerge." 

The colonel said he's going to miss the magnitude and diversity of the base. His career has spanned 25 years and he said nothing compares to the scope and magnitude of the mission and the size of Eglin. 

"Just executing the mission every day was challenging, let alone the things that crop up over the spectrum of the mission like supporting the very unique range missions or the 33rd Fighter Wing or the day-to-day operations of the groups," Colonel Pohland said. "Posturing for BRAC just adds another dimension to an already massive organization. The challenges were endless but that kept it exciting." 

Colonel Pohland said there are many memories surrounding his time at Eglin, from his daughters first day of school to the many people he met whether out doing physical fitness or enjoying what the area had to offer. 

"It's a fantastic way to top off an AF career," he concluded.