WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo.-- Lt. Col. John Riker took command of the 442d Civil Engineer Squadron from Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kreofsky November 7, 2021 in a ceremony held on Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Prior to joining the 442d CES, Riker served in the Colorado Air National Guard as Chief, Readiness Division, 240th Civil Engineer Flight, Buckley AFB, Colo.
“There’s probably more than a thing or three that you could teach me and that you need to lead me through,” Riker said to the 442d CES members in attendance. “That’s where I ask you be willing to lead up the chain of command.”
Riker described a moment he remembered from flight training where his instructor asked him, “what do a pilot and an air traffic controller have in common? If either of them has a bad day, the pilot dies.”
“When we execute the mission, we can’t afford to have a bad day,” Riker said. He emphasized the importance of being mission-focused while also being Airman-centered and taking care of each other.
Kreofsky will continue his career with the 822 CEF in Fort Worth, Texas.