KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The 58th Special Operations Wing welcomed a new commander, Col. Jonathan Graham, during a change of command ceremony, June 30, 2022. Prior to Graham taking command, his previous assignment was serving as the vice commander for the 27th SOW, at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
After accepting command, Graham expressed his gratitude for a warm welcome and his excitement to take care of his people in his command and the institutions of which he’s in charge of.
"My family and I are excited to be back here", said Graham "The time that I spent at this wing set the foundation for my future and helped keep my crews alive across the many combat deployments that I was going on. That gave me an opportunity to hone my craft and pay lessons forward to the folks that were coming behind. I'm excited and proud to be back here one last time to serve all of you as a commander as we go about our solid mission of shaping our Airmen to build the world’s best Air Force."
As the 58th SOW commander, Graham will lead more than 2,200 Airmen, teaching 118 courses to more than 14,800 students annually. As part of Air Education and Training Command’s 19th Air Force, the 58th SOW provides undergraduate, graduate, and refresher aircrew training for special operations, personnel recovery, missile site support and distinguished visitor missions, along with instruction in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) survival and isolation practices.
Col. Michael Curry, previous commander, expertly led air education and training commands and most diverse wing commanding 2,367 personnel and facilities, spanning seven Air Force, Army and Marine Corps installations. He was instrumental in graduating 29,340 students from 29 courses, including undergraduate helicopter flying training, graduate-level flying training for special operations, personnel recovery, nuclear support and special air lift forces, Air Force survival evasion, resistance and escape training and Air Force evasion and conduct after capture and pre-deployment training.
"This team is some of the most dedicated and professional Airmen I've ever had the honor of being around", said Curry. "They have and will continue to amaze those around them with their ability to get the mission done. I'm incredibly excited to turn the wing over to you. I know you'll do an amazing job. And I look forward to hearing about the success that you will inspire."
The change of command was presided by Maj. Gen. Craig Wills, 19th Air Force commander, who gave words of encouragement and reflected on Curry’s previous leadership accomplishment while serving as the 58th SOW commander.
“[Col. Curry] I'm immensely proud of the work that you and the 58th SOW have done these past two years under your command,” said Wills. “Through your leadership, this wing has graduated nearly 30,000 students for our major commands. You revolutionize the SERE program and helped save the career field from extinction to further modernize our curriculum.
We're also very fortunate to welcome Col. Jonathan Graham and his family to Kirtland. He has a sterling track record of success that has prepared him well to command this magnificent wing.”