New commander takes over Selfridge Air National Guard Base, praised as 'lethal, resilient'

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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A new leader took charge Saturday of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, one of the oldest continuously operating military airfields in the nation, in a change-of-command ceremony attended by about 1,500 airmen, civilians and local officials.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Matthew Brancato now commands the Harrison Township base and the 127th Wing. Brig. Gen. Rolf Mammen, who held the position for about four years, will transition to a new position at the Michigan National Guard’s joint forces headquarters.

"Under Brig. Gen. Mammen’s authentic leadership, Team Selfridge has been molded into a lethal, agile, and resilient force," Maj. Gen. Bryan Teff, who oversaw the ceremony, said of the outgoing commander. "Faced with a significant paradigm change, Brig. Gen. Mammen forged the path toward laying a new foundation, coupled with growing and developing wing capability."

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Matthew Brancato, second left, salutes the Airmen of the 127th Wing, during a change of command ceremony at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, Aug. 5, 2023. Brancato succeeds Brig. Gen. Rolf Mammen, third left.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Matthew Brancato, second left, salutes the Airmen of the 127th Wing, during a change of command ceremony at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, Aug. 5, 2023. Brancato succeeds Brig. Gen. Rolf Mammen, third left.

"This job has been the best job I’ve had in the U.S. Air Force, and that’s because of you," Mammen told the airmen, the Air National Guard said. "I feel like Brig. Gen. Brancato is the luckiest person in this room, because serving in this role has been the greatest honor."

The Macomb County base — which is named after Thomas Selfridge, who graduated from West Point the same year as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and, later, became a first lieutenant who died in an airplane crash in 1908 — has a long history.

The base has been in continuous use since the Michigan National Guard took possession of the former Joy Aviation Field in 1917, and the first flight on what was then called Selfridge Field, was the same year. The base has been in continuous use ever since, and in 2017, celebrated a century of service.

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Brancato most recently served as the senior executive officer to the 29th Chief of the National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon. Most recently he was commander of the 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis, Tennessee.

"Selfridge stands ready to receive future missions as well as ready to execute current taskings," the one-star general said. "With all of us together, the nation will continue to see Selfridge as a National Guard treasure."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Selfridge Air National Guard Base gets new commander