689th commander set to retire Published June 3, 2011 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- For the final stop in her 27-year Air Force career, Col. Theresa Giorlando took on a unique assignment. She has commanded the 689th Combat Communications Wing since it stood up on Oct. 5, 2009 and became the parent organization for two units with 50-year histories - the 5th Combat Communications Group at Robins and the 3rd Combat Communications Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. She will retire after handing over command June 15 to Col. Joseph Sherrer, currently the 75th Mission Support Group commander at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Seeing the two storied units come together for a shared identity while each maintained its own distinctiveness is a source of pride for Giorlando. "The culmination of that identity has come a long way," she said. "It goes to the heart and soul of who the Airmen are in this wing." The 689th's mission is to train, deploy and deliver expeditionary and specialized communications, air traffic control and landing systems for combat and relief operations. Its 1,500 members have conducted operations around the globe during the wing's first two years. The 689th has also taken on new assignments, including development of new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance communications for the MC-12. It has added a Hammer Adaptive Communications team, which is on standby around the clock to provide emergency communications in support of U.S. operations. The wing is also taking on communications support for the Secret Service. Giorlando said she is proud of the wing and the two groups all passing compliance inspections during her tenure. "That was a huge hurdle," she said. As she prepares to leave, she declared the wing in good shape, with 300 Airmen currently deployed at 30 locations around the world. She said the wing's biggest challenge ahead is evolving its tactical element. The wing is a part of Air Force Space Command's 24th Air Force. "There are so many challenges we have met, and yet so many more to go," she said. "That's the bitter-sweetness of leaving. I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish, but I see all the things on the horizon we still have to do." She said Sherrer is the right person to take the wing forward, and she offered him some advice. "Have fun," she said. "Every day these Airmen motivate you to do more."