HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. -- The 482nd Fighter Wing held a change of command ceremony at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, Dec. 4 during the wing’s monthly unit training assembly.
During the ceremony Col. David Castaneda relinquished command of the wing to Col. Joshua Padgett.
Castaneda had served as commander since August 2020 and led the wing through a deployment and the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I want to thank the outstanding men and women of this wing for working incredibly hard to complete our mission during a very unprecedented and challenging time over the last three years,” Castaneda said. “I look forward to seeing the combat mission continue and the Makos thrive.”
Col. Padgett, prior to taking command, served as the Special Assistant to Maj. Gen. Bryan Radliff, 10th Air Force Commander, at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Forth Worth, Texas.
“It is an honor to be joining the world's greatest fighter wing here at Homestead,” said Padgett. “I look forward to leading our outstanding Reserve Citizen Airmen in our combat-ready mission.”
Maj. Gen. Radliff presided over the change of command ceremony and complimented Castaneda and the men and women of the 482nd Fighter Wing for their hard work over the last three years.
“As we emerged from the COVID pandemic, your team didn’t miss a beat providing continuous support to operations around the globe,” said Radliff. “The mission of this outstanding wing is to deploy combat-ready Airmen to answer our Nation’s call. Your caring and personable servant leadership amplified the 482nd’s ability to support full spectrum operations in any environment.”
Check out Col. Padgett’s official biography here.