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Col. Pat Gooley takes helm at 375th Communications Group

  • Published
  • By Samantha Crane
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
Scott Air Force Base, Ill. --  On July 7, the 375th Communications Group met their newest commander, Col. Pat Gooley during an Assumption of Command ceremony.

"The man of the hour we welcome this afternoon is none other than Col. Pat Gooley, a 22-year, powerhouse career Air Force communications leader, and whom we could not be more excited about joining our showcase team," said Col. Mike Hornitschek, 375th Air Mobility Wing commander, during the ceremony.

Gooley says he is looking forward to working with the unique people and mission Scott AFB offers.

"I think it's going to be a great assignment," he said. "It's a wonderful base with a tremendous mission and a lot of great people."

In terms of his plans for the 375th CG, Gooley plans to help his team focus on the upcoming Combined Unit Inspection in addition to their already demanding operations.
"It's a big group with a wide range mission," he said. "We've got the inspections coming up, and those are critical, but the key to success is to be professional, be a leader and do things the right way."

Though Gooley knows there may be challenges ahead, he stresses that teamwork is one of the most important things to remember.

"While we need to focus on training and readiness, we must also be good Wingmen and always put the mission first," he said.

Gooley is originally from Odessa, N.Y. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences. His first assignment was Keesler AFB, Miss., where he attended the Basic Communications-Computer Systems Officer Course.

His other assignments include serving as the commander of the 6th Communication Squadron at MacDill AFB, Fla.; director of communications and Iraqi air force A6 lead advisor of the Coalition Air Forces Training Team, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing at Camp Phoenix, Baghdad, Iraq; and the deputy commander of the 6th Mission Support Group at MacDill.

His last assignment before arriving at Scott was as the deputy director of network services for the Headquarters Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade, Md.
"The whole team has given me a warm welcome, and I'm very thankful for that," said Gooley. "I'm looking forward to working with everyone here."