On Saturday, July 21, 2001, Colonel  S. Craig Widen will take command of the 108th Air Refueling Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard at McGuire Air Force Base, NJ.   Widen will assume command of the 1,400-member unit from Brigadier General Wallace F. Pickard Jr. who is retiring after 31 years of service. The Change of Command ceremony will be conducted at 8:45 am at building 3333 on McGuire Air Force Base. Major General Craig Cosgrave, Commander of the New Jersey Air National Guard, will preside at the ceremony. Major General Paul J. Glazar, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the event.
 
 Colonel Widen will be responsible for two flying squadrons, both flying the KC-135E Stratotanker, and 19 support units.  The 108th Air Refueling Wing conducts in-flight refueling for US and Allied aircraft on a worldwide basis, and frequently deploys overseas in support of military operations. The 108th is part of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command and one of only three “Super Tanker Wings” in the entire Air National Guard.

 Col. Widen received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Louisville, KY, and entered the Air Force in May 1972.  He earned his pilot wings in 1973 and completed combat crew training in the KC-135.

 When he completed active duty in 1978, Widen moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and joined the Utah Air National Guard.  He served in various positions including operations officer of the 191st Air Refueling Squadron, where he led his unit through operation Desert Storm. He later commanded the 151st Air Refueling Group, of the Utah Air National Guard.  In 1998 he was named Wing Commander, 151st Air Refueling Wing where he served until he was assigned to the Joint Task Force – Olympics, U.S. Joint Forces Command in April 2001. Widen is a command pilot with more than 6,000 flight hours in jet aircraft.  He and his wife, Marci, have three sons.

 The media is invited to cover the ceremony, but must call no later than Friday July 20th to gain access onto McGuire Air Force Base. Media planning to attend should call Captain Denise Waggoner at 609-754-4173 to RSVP.