WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Col. Sean Brazel assumed command of the 88th Mission Support Group during a change of command ceremony at the Wright-Patterson Club on June 22.
Brazel replaced Col. Sirena Morris, who relinquished command after a two-year tour and will now serve as special assistant to the director of Joint Staff for general/flag officer matters at the Pentagon.
Before graduating from the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Brazel served as executive officer to the commander of Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
Col. Christopher Meeker, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, praised Morris for her accomplishments while also welcoming Brazel.
“Sirena, I can’t express enough gratitude for the year that I got to spend with you and watch you lead these Airmen,” Meeker said. “You’ve left behind a legacy, and this place is absolutely better than you found it.”
Among her many accomplishments, Meeker said Morris led 88 MSG as its personnel returned to work following COVID-19 restrictions, reinstated the Air Force Marathon after a two-year hiatus and helped support deployment operations around the world.
Brazel thanked his family and those in attendance while addressing his Airmen for the first time.
“My family and I are honored and humbled to be a part of (this) team,” he said. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
Morris addressed 88 MSG for the last time, calling the event a “bittersweet celebration.” She reminded Airmen of her initial goals when she took command in July 2021: to “lead authentically with compassion and open ears.”
“So as I depart, I hope you can say she was authentic…she led with compassion…and she was always there to listen,” she said. “God bless and Godspeed.”
As the “muscle behind the mission,” 88 MSG oversees security, communications, transportation, fuels, maintenance, education and training, military family and personnel support for WPAFB.
The group directs the 88th Force Support Squadron, the largest in the continental United States, with more than 100 facilities and services ranging from child development and fitness centers to consolidated clubs.
It also directs planning for the Air Force Marathon and helps facilitate and support the local USO chapter, Defense Commissary Agency and Army & Air Force Exchange Service on base.