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Six Grissom officers selected for colonel promotion

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Douglas Hays
  • 434th ARW Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. --  Rooted in tradition as old as Rome itself, the rank of colonel is one that has not only commanded men throughout generations, but still commands respect today.

Six 434th Air Refueling Wing officers learned they were selected for promotion to colonel as the Air Reserve Personnel Center announced results for the 2013 Air Force Reserve Line and Nonline Colonel Promotion Selection Boards Jan. 16, 2014.

The Grissom selectees are:
- William Bray, 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
- Hiram Gates, 434th Operations Group
- Doug Gullion, 434th Operation Support Squadron
- Gerald Malloy, 434th OG
- Stephen McManus, 434th ARW
- Bryan Runion, 434th Logistics Readiness Squadron

The selection boards convened at ARPC Nov. 4, 2013, to determine those officers qualified to assume the next higher grade. Board members selected 226 of 1,840 officers considered for promotion to colonel.

A complete list of Citizen Airmen selected for promotion is available online.

The history of colonels began around 1505 when Spanish King Ferdinand reorganized part of his army into twenty units called colunelas. These consisted of about 1,000 to 1250 men further organized into companies with their commander being named a coronel.

The French, and later the British, adopted the title, and although initially retaining the original Spanish pronunciation, the British soon used the pronunciation of 'kernel' that is used today.

U.S. military colonels rank above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general. The modern day insignia for a colonel is a silver eagle with a U.S. shield on its chest and holding an olive branch in one talon and a bundle of arrows in the other.

The eagle insignia led to the informal term 'full-bird colonel.'

Dates for the selectees to pin on their new rank will vary.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

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(Editor's note: Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner, 434th ARW Public Affairs, contributed to this article.)

Public Affairs Staff

Material contained on the Official Grissom Air Reserve Base Internet Web Site is written and produced by members of the 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office. The award-winning staff includes:

Ben Mota
Chief, public affairs

Maj. Elias Zani
Public affairs officer

Master Sgt. Wendy Day
Staff writer

Tech. Sgt. Alexa Culbert
Staff writer

Senior Airman Elise Faurote
Staff writer

Senior Airman Benjamin Cowles
Staff writer