News

Group commander bids farewell to Robins

  • Published
  • By Kendahl Johnson
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  After nearly two years as 78th Mission Support Group commander, Col. Patrick Higby will soon be moving on to tackle an even greater challenge.

Colonel Higby will be the new commander of the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, with Monday being his last day at Robins.

"Being a wing commander is somewhat daunting," Colonel Higby said. "The 75th Air Base Wing is facing many of the same challenges we are facing here at Robins, so it's a fantastic opportunity for me."

Colonel Higby said he learned a lot while working as group commander here and truly enjoyed the opportunity.

"I am very blessed to have been a part of the 78th Air Base Wing, working with lots of talented individuals with lots of experience," the colonel said. "It's been a fantastic two years. There is great local community support and I had great support all across Robins."

He said Robins is such a large base with an active environment, there was always something going on. "I never had any dull moments; that made the time fly by," he said.

Colonel Higby said his fondest time at Robins was preparing for the Operational Readiness Inspection.

"It gave me an opportunity to be out in the field with my WABBAs (Warrior Air Base Battlefield Airmen) from all across the Air Logistics Center," he said. "At the time, I didn't realize how significant it would be in the long run, but the teamwork and camaraderie that came out of it was really amazing."

Colonel Higby said he is proud of the work he did at Robins, but more importantly he is proud of the Team Robins employees and their diligence and hard work. He encourages them to keep persevering.

"The resources we have to handle the mission - the people, the money, the time - will either stay the same or shrink, and that leaves an imbalance. There is a tendency to get overwhelmed and think, 'what's expected of me far exceeds my ability and my resources,'" he said. "The only way to mitigate that gap is to look at our processes, and that's where we succeed. I'd just encourage workers to keep doing what they're doing and what they know is the right thing to do."



Col. Warren Berry, 78th Air Base Wing commander, said Colonel Higby will leave here with a long list of accomplishments, with the most lasting and most impacting being his warrior ethos.

"His vision of conducting weekly warrior exercises for our Airmen is a 'game changer' as they deploy downrange," Colonel Berry said. "As a result, they are better prepared, more comfortable, and far more competent in their battlefield Airman skills than ever."

He said thanks to Colonel Higby's efforts, the Airmen at Robins are more prepared to not only survive, but lead in any area of responsibility they may be deployed to.

Colonel Higby encouraged Team Robins members to give the same support to the new group commander, Col. Lee-Ann Perkins, as was given to him.

"Take care of the new boss," he said. "An air logistics center is somewhat unique; there are only three in the Air Force. The mission is a little different than what you might experience at a regular base, so the challenge is to make sure she is set up for success."

Colonel Higby said his only regret was he never had the chance to get his 1970 BMW 2800CS fixed up and running, but plans to keep working towards that goal at his new base. He also said he looks forward to getting back on the snowy slopes and plans on teaching his children how to ski.