Wing Span: Spanier takes command of Dyess AFB, 7th Bomb Wing
Seth Spanier started a new week with a new job.
On Monday morning, Spanier took charge of Dyess Air Force Base as Col. Joseph Kramer relinquished command of the base and the 7th Bomb Wing. Kramer took command June 15, 2021, from Col. Jose "Ed" Sumangil.
Spanier previously had served at Dyess.
Monday's ceremony was scheduled for the morning instead of mid-afternoon, when recent changes of command have been held. The high temperature was predicted to again top 100 degrees, and a west-facing hangar would be toasty.
Parked outside to the right of the stage was the command aircraft, which later was presented with Spanier's name. To the left was a C-130J.
Inside, the ceremony area was flanked by DY 097 and DY 110 parked in adjoining bays.
Starting time was 9:07 a.m. - the 7 representing the 7th Bomb Wing.
Parked near the hangar was the wing's bat car, a classic painted black with the Batman emblem.
Families first
Base leadership, bomb wing personnel, family and local guests comprised the audience. Kramer's family, already relocated, were part of the virtual audience.
Representing Spanier were his wife, Chris, and sons Dylan, 7, and Ryan, 4. Now the "first lady" of Dyess AFB, she wore a sleeveless dress of Air Force Blue to match her husband's dress uniform. Dylan wore a tie, and Ryan a bowtie. Joining them were Richard and Margaret Spanier, the new commander's parents, and the commander's brother, Shaun.
Team Spanier was thanked for embarking on this mission in West Texas.
"We do what we do because we love this stuff. Our spouses do what they do because they love their spouse," said Maj. Gen. Andrew Gebara, the presiding officer and both Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center commander, based at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. "The kids don't always get a vote.
"Thank you for the challenges you're going to take on. Look around. All of this is for you. The change of command day is all about the commander and his family.
"The other 729 days are about the airmen."
History to the forefront
When he took the flag relinquished by Scab (Kramer's call sign) to Gebara, Cocker (Spanier) took charge of the air base. This is the second time that Kramer relinquished a command to Spanier.
"Man, it doesn't get any better than this," Kramer told his friend. "A part of the Mighty Eighth, and leading the Black Crosses of the 7th Bomb Wing. I know you're ready for the challenges and the triumphs ahead. The 7th is in good hands."
The change of command ceremony dates back to the Romans. While the style is different, the substance is not, the audience was told. It represents both continuity and change.
Kramer was presented with the Legion of Merit, first presented in 1942, to honor excellence in service.
Gebara called Monday's ceremony a "time-honored tradition."
"This wing certainly understands tradition and legacy," he said. Even its name, to honor Lt. Col. Edwin Dyess, speaks to history. The wing in 1998 deployed to Iraq to take a key role in Operation Desert Fox. Since then, 7th Bomb Wing airmen have conducted global operations, he said.
"These missions show we are ready to deploy combat power anywhere in the world," he said. And it all starts at the Air Force base on the west side of Abilene. Leading airmen into harm's way is "why we never take commands lightly. Command is leadership organized around responsibility, authority and accountability."
Kramer built on legacy
Gebara praised Kramer for his performance.
"You built upon a legacy of those who came before you, and you displayed these airmen's capability to respond to our nation's call quickly when needed in many diverse situations," he said. "You commanded the 7th Bomb Wing with excellence."
In his outgoing remarking, Kramer improvement comes "today, not one day. We focus on being Day 1 airmen."
He also thanked the Abilene community for its support of the Dyess mission.
"We are serving together," he said.
While Kramer was lauded for his accomplishments the past two years, he said the day was not about him.
"Today is not about the past," he said. "It is about the future. Your Air Force doesn't expect you to be perfect, but our nation needs the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base to be excellent.
He wished his friend, Spanier, smooth sailing across Big Country blues skies.
"Mors ab alto," he said. Translated from Latin, "Death from above."
Staying 'sharp and lethal'
Gebara said Spanier, who first came to Dyess almost 20 years ago, now is tasked with keeping the wing "sharp and more lethal than ever."
Spanier was chosen, he said, as the Air Force moves forward with its new bomber yet is "ready to fight tonight."
"I know Seth, and we're fortunate to have him take over as commander," Gebara said."Seth was hand selected for his reputation for attacking the mission with efficiency, tenacity and brilliance. He will not only leverage and build upon on the solid foundation left by Joe, he will make it even better."
Recounting his journey, Spanier said, "All paths lead back to Dyess."
"General Gebara, I offer my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to take the helm of a truly historic wing. Scab, Dyess is firing on all cylinders. Dyess, I am deeply privileged to take command of this storied wing."
Spanier comes to Abilene from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, where he was vice commander. Ellsworth is the largest B-1 wing in the Air Force. The base serves more than 7,700 military members, civilian personnel and family members.
A B-1 base, Dyess also is home to the 317th Airlift Wing and its fleet of C-130Js. The two wings were referred to as a partnership in the overall Air Force mission.
The commander of Dyess is responsible from more than 13,000 active duty military personnel, civilian employees and families.
Spanier will lead the base as preparations continue for the arrival this decade of the B-21 Raider next general bomber. The bomber in December was first shown publicly at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., headquarters. Over time, it will replace the B-1, which arrived at Dyess in the mid-1980s.
More: B-21 bomber revealed Friday night, and Abilenians who were there share their impressions
About the new guy
Spanier is a 2002 graduate of the Air Force Academy, completing his pilot training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, in 2004.
He came to Dyess that same year for his B-1 bomber training, returning in September 2011 as flight commander and weapons school instructor for two years. He stayed three more months as assistant director of operations and weapons school instructor.
He has 2,90 flight hours in the T-37, T-38 and B-1B.
He has master degrees in aeronautical science, strategic intelligence and strategic studies.
Spanier has been stationed at Ellsworth, Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Washington, D.C., and Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He commanded the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth at Ellsworth from June 2016-February 2018.
He was promoted to colonel in June 2021.
Kramer leaves with long Dyess resumē
More: New Dyess Visitors Control Center showcases air base-community effort
More: Dyess command change: Sumangil leaves duty to Kramer, coming from Arizona base
Kramer is a 1999 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. A command pilot with more than 3,300 hours - including 1,660 combat hours in a B-1B.
He had several duty assignments at Dyess before returning to lead the base.
Kramer was at Dyess from April 2004-April 2005 for B-1 training with the 28th Bomb Squadron, and until December 2006 served as chief of ground scheduling and as a B-1 pilot in the 9th Bomb Squadron. He was a B-1 aircraft commander here through May 2007.
Next, he was assistant director of operations and B-1 instructor through July 2008, and through December that year the B-1 weapons instructor for the 77th Weapons Squadron.
Upon his return two summers ago, he said running a base is based on knowing your ABCs - A for airmen, B for bombing, C for community. All are vital to the success of the mission globally and right here in Abilene, he said 25 months ago.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Wing Span: Spanier takes command of Dyess AFB, 7th Bomb Wing
