Meet the new 375th OG Commander Published June 17, 2009 By Senior Airman Andrew Davis 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The second of 11 new group and squadron commanders from the 375th Airlift Wing has started to settle into his new office. Col. Terry Ward took command of the 375th Operations Group June 5 from former commander Col. Curt Connell. Colonel Ward comes to Scott as a recent graduate of the Air War College. Family Colonel Ward hails from Augusta, Ga., and comes to Team Scott with his wife, Bev, and a daughter and son. "Bev is a special education school teacher and enjoys quilting," he said. "She is very excited to be part of the operations group and wing team." "I have a daughter, Alexandria, who will be going off to college this fall to study to become a veterinary technician, and a son, Cale, who will be a junior at O'Fallon Township High School where he plays on the soccer team," added Colonel Ward. In addition, Colonel Ward has a sister who lives in Chesterfield, Mo., a mother who is the former mayor of Werns, Ga., and a brother who lives just south of Perry, Ga. Before the Air Force Colonel Ward attended college at Voldosta State in Valdosta, Ga., where he played on the baseball team and attended a two year Reserve Officer Training Corps program. College and his first few years in the Air Force established his mindset that got him to where he is now. "The main reason for me to join the Air Force was the allure of being a pilot. To me it was an exciting and prestigious job," said Colonel Ward. "After I achieved my goal of becoming a pilot, I learned more about the military lifestyle. The kind of military family cohesiveness at the end of the day kept me in. I loved the lifestyle, the attention to detail and what it offered in terms of sense of duty and commitment to country." Focusing on the future "I think the biggest initiative is the total force integration and my goal for the project is to make it smooth, successful and make it an integration that the Air Force can use as a model," said Colonel Ward. "As far as I know this will be the first attempt to fully integrate the active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel. "I'm beyond excited to be here and look forward to a great tour," he added. Sidebar: Colonel Ward's words to Airmen The colonel's main message for 375th OG Airmen--Be Ready. Be ready to deploy · Personal Readiness · Ensure that family is ready for you to deploy Be ready to make the next stripe · Personal and professional expertise Be ready to flex and adapt to the challenges of today as well as those that are yet to come.