As Col. Allison Black retires, Col. Patrick Dierig takes command at Hurlburt Field

HURLBURT FIELD — After almost two years as base commander of Hurlburt Field, with 32 years of service, U.S. Air Force Col. Allison Black is retiring from active duty.

On Friday, base officials, airmen and elected leaders from Okaloosa County were present in the Freedom Hangar for a change of command ceremony for the 1st Special Operations Wing.

Taking over command of the 1st SOW and Hurlburt Field is Col. Patrick Dierig, who has served as an active-duty officer in the Air Force since January 2001. Dierig will oversee four wing groups and 24 squadrons, along with 40 tenant units, which includes Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command.

Woman in the Arena

As Black came to the podium, she thanked those who participated in the opening ceremonies that began the event. She then took a moment to thank mentors during her Air Force career.

Under Black's leadership, she noted that the partnerships created between Hurlburt Field and the local community have soared to new heights, creating "irreversible momentum" that has set the standard for investing in the community's youth.

As Black began to address the "mighty" men and women of the 1st SOW, she expressed pride in a fighting force that could take on any challenges that may come their way.

Black referenced President Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech as continued inspiration to the service members she led for the past two years.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man, in our case, the men and women, who are actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood," Black said.

"I am a better person for serving side by side with patriots like you. Thank you for allowing me into your personal and professional lives," she said. "As much as I have given you, you all have given me so much more. I complete my command tour proud. Proud of every single one of you, proud of your families and proud forever for calling you teammates."

Who is Col. Patrick Dierig?

According to his biography on the Hurlburt Field website, Dierig graduated with a liberal arts degree from Xavier University in 1999 and earned his commission from Officer Training School in 2001.

After completing qualification training on the AC-130U at Hurlburt in 2002, he spent six-and-a-half years with the 4th Special Operations Squadron and two-and-a-half years as commander of the 14th Weapons Squadron at Hurlburt Field.

Serving as a master navigator and electronic warfare officer with more than 2,700 flight hours in the AC-130U and MC-130H, Dierig has been part of combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq and led mission planning in joint special operations in South America and Africa.

Dierig has also served with the United States Air Force Weapons School, as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and as a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he advised the chairman on foreign and domestic engagement strategy.

Before taking command of the 1st SOW, he served as commander of the 479th Flying Training Group at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

'Removing hurdles'

Dierig noted how grateful he was to be assigned to Hurlburt for the third time in his career. He also thanked Black for "turning over a world-class organization."

He thanked those who organized the event, his family, friends and co-workers who supported him. Dierig then turned his attention to the airmen of the 1st SOW as he pointed out two things that would be the foundation of his leadership moving forward.

"Be ready to fight tonight and pathfind for tomorrow. Any time, any place. I don't know where or when, but just be ready," Dierig said. "Let's build upon the efforts that you have already been undertaking to make this a world-class installation for both the execution of the mission and your quality of life.

"My job is to remove hurdles, get roadblocks out of the way so that you can keep doing what you do best," he added. "God bless all of you; let's get to work."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Hurlburt Field gets a new commander as Col. Allison Black retires