Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has assigned Maj. Gen. Lawrence Wells to take command of 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB, S.C. He succeeds Maj. Gen. Stephen Hoog, who’s been in charge of 9th AF since last August. Wells comes to Shaw from Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea, where he’s been deputy chief of staff for United Nations Command and US Forces Korea since July 2009. He is a command pilot with more than 2,500 flight hours in aircraft such as the F-16, KC-10, and U-2. (DOD release)
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.