JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The 315th Airlift Wing welcomed a new commander during an assumption of command ceremony Saturday at the Joint Base Charleston base theatre here.
Col. James Fontanella took command of the wing, succeeding the current commander, Col. Russell Fingar, who will assume the wing's vice commander position here.
"To me, this is really special," Fontanella said. "It's the culmination of all the hard work in my career."
Fontanella, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, most recently worked at the Pentagon, in the office of the Air Force Reserve, as the programs and requirements chief.
A 24-year- veteran of the military, Fontanella has logged more than 3,000 flight hours in six different types of aircraft, ranging from helicopters during his tenure in the Navy to the C-5 Galaxy, the Air Forces largest cargo airplane.
Looking forward to the mission ahead, Fontanella took the time to thank the men and women of the 315th Airlift Wing for their dedication to job at hand, going forward.
"In addition to the great vision we have, it's our people who really make it special," he said. "They're moving the mission and they're representing the Air Force Reserve, the Air Force and our DoD everyday as proud citizen airmen and representing the their country well."
"I'm really honored to be here," Fontanella said. "This is a special group. This is a special place to work."