New commander takes charge of 189th Mission Support Group Published Dec. 4, 2007 By Airman 1st Class Kayla K. Edwards 189th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- As Lt. Col. Rick Oxner accepted the 189th Mission Support Group's guidon into his hands Dec. 1, he took command of the most diverse group in the 189th Airlift Wing. The colonel, previously the group's deputy commander, took charge of a group that provides communications, civil engineering, security, services, contracting and logistical support to the wing and five geographically separated units. Col. Jim Summers, the wing's commander, presided over the ceremony. "When I was thinking about the words I could use to describe Colonel Sanders and Colonel Oxner, the same descriptive adjectives came to mind and my comments quickly began to look like an officer performance review," Colonel Summers said, as he joked with the audience. The wing commander said both are impeccable officers. "The 189th Mission Support Group is in capable hands with Colonel Oxner," said Colonel Summers. Colonel Oxner thanked Colonel Summers for the opportunity to lead the group with the upcoming operational readiness inspection quickly approaching. Colonel Oxner's group will play a key role in the success of the wing during the inspection. With more than 400 members under his command - nearly half of the entire wing - the group will be heavily scrutinized and will receive a score that will impact the wing's overall grade. The colonel is a civil engineering officer by trade and has served a combat tour in Iraq, earning a Bronze Star medal for his work as commander of the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron at Balad Air Base in late 2004-early 2005. Colonel Oxner replaced Col. Alice Sanders, who now severs as the wing's vice commander.