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Eglin Air Force Base Welcomed its new commander Wednesday in the cool of the McKinley Climatic Hanger at Eglin Air Force Base.
Members of the wing and dignitaries from Congressman Matt Gaetz, to local elected officials and company executives dodged the rain on the way into the lab and were greeted by a refreshing environment, away from the July heat.
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500 or so airmen watched Retiring Lt. General Evan Dertein relieve Brigadier General Jeffrey Geraghty and replace him with newly-promoted Brigadier General Mark A. Massaro.
All three men addressed the 96th test wing about the importance of their mission.
Geraghty will move on to Dayton, Ohio and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where he will serve as director for the Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and director of International Affairs at Air Force Materiel Command, according to Eglin Air Force Base’s website. Geraghty arrived at Eglin Air Force Base two years ago to take over for now Major General Scott Cain, who is now in charge of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
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Massaro will lead about 10,000 personnel who test and evaluate weapons, aircraft and more for the Air Force.
“As commander, my priorities are simple but essential – execute the mission, take care of our people, and partner for success,” Massaro said in a statement released by Eglin Public Affairs.
General Mark A. Massaro commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Air Force after graduating from Georgia Tech. He graduated from joint specialized undergraduate pilot training and was assigned to fly the F-16.
Massaro graduated from the Air Force’s Test Pilot School. at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He then moved to Eglin Air Force Base for the first time to work as a experimental test pilot, where he flew both F-16s and F-35s for test missions.
Massaro commanded the 412 Operations Support Squadron and the 495th Fighter Group.
He has more than 100 combat hours flying in support of operations Allied Force (Kosovo), Southern Watch (Iraq), Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).
