GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- The 434th Air Refueling Wing’s newest deputy commander has traded Florida’s sunny beaches for Indiana’s Hoosier pastures.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Indiana…I did not know a whole lot about the community, but I’m trying to learn as fast as possible,” said Col. Michael Albert, 434th ARW deputy commander. “I want to be an advocate, and the greater community plays such a vital role.”
While Indiana is new territory for Albert, Grissom’s tankers are not. He began his Air Force career as a KC-135R pilot and is familiar with the aircraft assigned here.
“Grissom was always known for their incredibly clean and reliable jets,” said Albert. “I remember in the desert as a young lieutenant, the throttle quadrants were metal, as opposed to all our jets at MacDill were just plastics, and when I walked into the back the floors shined so much; I felt like I needed to take my shoes off.”
“I’m in awe of the pride and ownership that they [Grissom] have here. I’m just so happy to be here…When people take pride in their work, it shows,” he said.
When he’s not in uniform, Albert is a pilot for Delta Airlines, but his target wasn’t always aimed up at the sky.
“I wanted to be a doctor, that did not work out,” Albert laughed.
After Albert was admitted into the pediatrician program at Davidson College in North Carolina, he was faced with the same dilemma all college students face. How am I going to pay for this? He found the solution to his problem in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. He graduated and earned his commission in 1999, and said he was lucky to receive one of the few pilot slots left.
Prior to this assignment, Albert served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans, Joint Planning Support Element, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, at Naval Station Norfolk, Virgina. He has also served as the 927th Operations Group deputy commander, the 927th Operations Support Squadron commander, and the 927th Inspector General.
“I really valued my time at the IG, because I really got to learn how the wing worked,” Albert said. “I got to understand not one, not two but three sides to every story…I’m hoping to use these pieces throughout my life to help me make better and more informed decisions.”
During his off time, Albert spends his time in either the kitchen or in nature. He said he finds cooking therapeutic and has even taken a few lessons at Le Cordon Bleu, a prestigious culinary school in Paris.
“I do love to cook, I also enjoy camping, and I love to travel,” he said. “My wife and I will go to different places throughout the world just to check out the different cultures. You don’t really appreciate what you have until you go to some of these other countries… We’re just very fortunate to live in this country and you know, part of Grissom is protecting our freedom and our rights here as Americans. I’m just so proud to be a part of that operation.”
During a commander’s call on May 8, 2025, Col. Van Thai, the 434th ARW commander formally introduced Albert to the wing. The commander’s call was Thai’s last unit training assembly here at Grissom before he moves onto Scott Air Force Base, Illinois as the deputy commander of the 618th Operations Center, after which, Albert will be stepping into the role of acting commander of the 434th ARW.
“I want to continue what Col. Thai has done,” Albert said. “We want to make Grissom known, and clearly, for good reasons, but we want people to feel valued and appreciated and want people to want to come here…He’s going on to bigger and better things. He’s left incredibly huge shoes for me to fill, and I’m just hoping to be able to keep my head above water.”