LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The 1st Fighter Wing bid farewell to Brig. Gen. Mark A. Barrett as he relinquished command of the wing to Col. Matthew H. Molloy in a ceremony here May 8.
Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, commander of 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, officiated the ceremony.
General Barrett served two years as the commander of the 1st Fighter Wing and has been reassigned as the Air Combat Command Inspector General.
"I won't leave the 1st Fighter Wing with a heavy heart," said General Barrett. "I find myself to be one of the luckiest people on Earth. I have worked with the best personnel imaginable. God bless you, and God bless this fighter wing."
Colonel Molloy is a 1987 graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo., where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and a commission in the Air Force through the university's Reserve Officer Training Corps program.
Colonel Molloy comes to the wing from the Joint Warfare Analysis Center where he was the commander. Prior to that assignment, he was the commander of the 325th Operations Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
He has also been the commander of the 67th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan.
"My policy is simple," said Colonel Molloy. "Misson first and people always."
The 1st Fighter Wing is the crown jewel of the Air Force and it's irreplaceable, he said.
"I will strive to make this the best assignment you will ever have," said Colonel Molloy.
Colonel Molloy is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in T-37, T-38, F-15 A/B/C/ and D, and F-22 aircraft.