Hail and Farewell at Hurlburt Field

The men and women of Hurlburt Field were turned out in their finest, and the might and majesty of the United States Air Force was on full display as Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel assumed command of the Air Force Special Operations Command last week.

The event was held on Friday, June 24, at the Freedom Hangar.

Fiel has served on active duty for nearly 30 years, beginning in 1981 as a student navigator at Mather Air Force Base in California. From there, Fiel has held more than two dozen leadership positions, serving in forward areas such as Bosnia and Kosovo. 

Prior to his assignment as AFSOC commander, Fiel had served as the vice-commander at Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command in Washington, D.C. Fiel has served often in combat positions, from command of a special operations squadron during operations in Bosnia and Kosovo to his recent deployments in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

The function of a change of command ceremony is not simply to welcome the incoming commander, it is also a time to pause and reflect on the service of the outgoing commander.