Sones assumes command of base

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Col. Dwight Sones took command of the 60th Air Mobility Wing during a change of command ceremony Aug. 5 at hangar P-14.

Sones, who spent the last year as commander of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing in Kyrgyzstan, joined the officer corps as a second lieutenant in 1988 after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, Pa.

Sones is rated as a command pilot with more than 3,300 flight hours logged. His flight experience includes seven different aircraft including the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-5B Galaxy.

Sones took command as Col. James Vechery, former 60th AMW commander, took his new position as Air Mobility Command's deputy director of operations at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Lt. Gen. Robert Allardice, 18th Air Force commander, presided over the Aug. 5 ceremony, in which he commended Vechery's performance and ability to form alliances with community members. He also praised the performance history of the new wing commander.

"The partnership with civic leaders he (Vechery) has formed is really extraordinary," said Allardice. "These are two of the finest leaders in our Air Force today."

All indications point to Sones continuing the Team Travis legacy and connectedness to the community.

"I'm excited that the Travis family extends beyond the gates to all of Solano County," said Sones. "This extended sense of family has been a key to the success Travis has enjoyed. That success will carry on as we remain America's first choice for global mobility."

Sones made an immediate impact on Harry Price, mayor of Fairfield, when the mayor learned the two shared Penn State as their alma mater. Price also was impressed by Sones resume, which includes 436th Airlift Wing vice commander from July 2009 through June 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Sones is a Bronze Star, Aerial Achievement Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Meritorious Service Medal recipient.

"I think Colonel Vechery turned the reins of the 60th Air Mobility Wing command over to a very fine officer in Colonel Dwight Sones," the mayor said. "I think the Sones family will fit in very well with the high standards that have already been set for the folks at Travis. I know they are very much involved in community activities and I look forward to the mayors and the board of supervisors working very closely with Colonel Sones as the new commander."

Sones' priorities upon assuming command include safety, mission accomplishment, caring for Airmen and their families and individual self improvement.

As the 60th AMW commander, Sones is responsible for the combined efforts of all operations and support activities associated with the worldwide air mobility mission. The colonel is responsible for ensuring the readiness and well being of nearly 22,800 active duty, Reserve and civilian personnel and their families.

"My wife Dana, my children Braydin, Karina, Torin and I are ecstatic to be the newest members of the Travis family," said Sones.