20th Fighter Wing welcomes new command team
From left, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Steven G. Behmer, 15th Air Force commander, Col. Kevin D. Hicok, 20th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, and Col. Hugh E. Walker III, 20th FW incoming commander, applaud during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
Members of the Shaw Air Force Base community watch the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team conduct a practice routine following the 2026 20th Fighter Wing change-of-command ceremony at Shaw AFB on July 2.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force base honor guardsmen assigned to the Shaw Air Force Base Honor Guard present the colors during the 2026 20th Fighter Wing change of command ceremony at Shaw AFB. The change of command ceremony is a highly symbolic, time-honored Air Force tradition that signifies the transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit's mission from an outgoing commander to an incoming one.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Steven G. Behmer, left, 15th Air Force commander, presents the Legion of Merit award to Col. Kevin D. Hicok, 20th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base. Hicok received the award for his accomplishments during his command tenure, including his leadership of the wing's largest deployment in over 30 years in 2025.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin D. Hicok, front, 20th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, and Col. Hugh E. Walker III, 20th FW incoming commander, embrace during the ceremony on July 2. Hicok and Walker had previously served together as the 20th FW's commander and deputy commander, respectively, from 2024 to 2026.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Col. Hugh E. Walker III, right, 20th Fighter Wing incoming commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Jarrod W. Getz, 20th FW command chief, assume the wing's guidon from Maj. Gen. Steven G. Behmer, 15th Air Force commander, during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base on July 2. Walker and Getz's assumption of the guidon symbolized their assumption of their leadership of the 20th FW.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin D. Hicok, 20th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, delivers his farewell address to the Shaw Air Force Base community during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony at Shaw AFB on July 2. Hicok relinquished the 20th FW guidon following a five-year assignment to the wing, during which he served in both the deputy commander and commander positions.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin D. Hicok, right, 20th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, and retired Chief Master Sgt. Christopher D. Griste, who last served as the 20th FW command chief, relinquish the wing's guidon to Maj. Gen. Steven G. Behmer, 15th Air Force commander, during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base on July 2. Hicok and Griste's passing of the guidon symbolized their relinquishment of their leadership of the 20th FW.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Col. Hugh E. Walker III, 20th Fighter Wing incoming commander, renders his first salute to the wing as its commander during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Col. Hugh E. Walker III, 20th Fighter Wing incoming commander, delivers his inaugural address as the wing commander to the Shaw Air Force Base community during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony. Walker, a career F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter pilot, previously served as the wing's deputy commander from 2024 to 2026, which included a period in which he served as the wing's acting commander.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
Chief Master Sgt. Jarrod W. Getz, 20th Fighter Wing command chief, bears the wing's guidon during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base on July 2. Getz entered the Air Force in 2001 and has served in a variety of Security Forces defender roles, including Deployed Aircraft Ground Response Element (DAGRE) and contingency response positions.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chad Pledger, an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft crew chief assigned to the 55th Fighter Generation Squadron, dedicates an F-16 to Col. Hugh E. Walker III, 20th Fighter Wing incoming commander, during the 2026 20th FW change-of-command ceremony. The rededication symbolizes Walker's assumption of responsibility for the wing's F-16 mission.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
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U.S. Air Force photos by Staff Sgt. Max J. Daigle
Col. Kevin D. Hicok, 20th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, relinquished the 20th FW guidon to Col. Hugh E. Walker III, 20th FW incoming commander, during the 2026 20th FW change of command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base on July 2, 2026. The change of command ceremony is a highly symbolic, time-honored Air Force tradition that signifies the transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit's mission from an outgoing commander to an incoming one.
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