Change of Command at Maxwell AFB’s 908th Airlift Wing
Brig. Gen. Melissa A. Coburn, 22nd Air Force commander, transferred command of the 908th Airlift Wing from
Col. Craig W. Drescher to Col. Christopher K. Lacouture during a Change of Command ceremony Saturday at Maxwell Air Force Base.
Conducted in the presence of unit members, the change of command ceremony is a military
tradition where the outgoing commander symbolically relinquishes command and authority over
a unit by passing the unit’s flag and guidon unto the presiding officer, who will hand the them to
the incoming commander, thus beginning a new era of leadership for the incoming commander
and the unit.
The ceremony Saturday was of special importance, as the wing is transitioning to a new mission.
Drescher is the last commander to lead the 908th as a tactical airlift wing, and Lacouture is
projected to usher in the helicopter flight training mission.
