JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Lt. Col. Devin Beckstrand assumed command of the 628th Aerospace Medicine Squadron from Lt. Col. Pamela Smith during a routine change of command ceremony at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base, June 13. Colonel Beckstrand was previously the medical standards branch chief at Headquarters, Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Colonel Smith will be going to Pacific Air Force, Hawaii.
Colonel Beckstrand was born at Hill AFB, Utah and earned his bachelor's degree from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He earned his medical degree at the University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School after being awarded an Army Health Professions Scholarship. Following completion of a family medicine internship at Dewitt Army Community Hospital, Ft. Belvoir, Va., he volunteered to serve as an Army flight surgeon and was assigned to the 78th Aviation Battalion, Camp Zama, Japan. He completed an inter-service transfer to the Air Force to pursue a career in aerospace medicine and was simultaneously selected for residency training in Aerospace and Occupational Medicine earning a Master of Public Health from the University of Utah and subsequent board certification in both specialties from the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks City-Base, Texas. Upon graduation, he served as the 14th Medical Operations Flight Medicine flight commander and chief of aerospace medicine at Columbus AFB, Miss. He also has served as the Flight Medicine Flight commander with the 374th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. Additionally, he has deployed in support of one NORTHCOM and three SOUTHCOM Joint Task Forces where he accumulated 112 combat hours.