51st Fighter Wing to Change Command Dec. 7

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  • By 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Col. Patrick Malackowski will assume command of the 51st Fighter Wing from Col. Thomas Deale during a ceremony scheduled for Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. 

Colonel Deale, who has served as 51st FW Commander since October 2008, has been selected by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force to serve as the Director of Colonel Management at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. 

"My family and I are honored to be selected for this new opportunity, but it will pale in comparison to the honor it has been to serve the Mustangs and the Republic of Korea as the 51st Fighter Wing Commander," Colonel Deale said. 

Colonel Deale led the 51st Fighter Wing through the first stages of Tour Normalization, which will ultimately bring thousands of families to Osan Air Base by 2020. There is currently a waiting list for Airmen interested in being assigned to Osan with their families. 

"I am very proud of our team and our Airmen," Colonel Deale said. "They exemplify what is best in our nation and our Air Force." 

Colonel Malackowski will be joining the Mustangs from his current assignment at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where he is the Commander of the 57th Operations Group. 

He is a 1986 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a command pilot with more than 3,100 hours in the A-10 Thunderbolt II. He also served in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom as the Commander of the 438th Air Expeditionary Group.