New boss at Nellis takes over

Dick Benoit

Thursday, June 15, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

Col. Delwyn R. Eulberg assumed duties as commander of the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis Air Force Base during ceremonies last week.

In some ways his job as commander of the 99th Air Base Wing are similar to those of a city manager for the military community of 10,000 uniformed and civilian workers at the base.

In addition, he will oversee the security, fire protection and several support activities for the 116 military aircraft assigned to Nellis as well as ensure that uniformed personnel within the 99th Air Base Wing are prepared to deploy for wartime or peacekeeping requirements around the world.

Before coming to Nellis, Eulberg served as the commander of the 12th Support Group, a smaller, but similar unit at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas.

The former commander of the 99th, Col. Andrew S. Dichter, is moving to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, to serve as inspector general for the Pacific Air Forces, which is the higher headquarters for Air Force units in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and Japan.

Air Guard associate

Maj. Stephen Waller, an F-15 pilot, recently became the first associate pilot in the Nevada Air National Guard when he was sworn in during a brief ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base.

As an associate pilot, the major will continue working and flying test missions in the F-15E Strike Eagle for the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis, which reports to the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Waller, who lives in Henderson, will be the only active fighter pilot within the Nevada Air National Guard, which switched from RF-4 reconnaissance jets to C-130 cargo aircraft several years ago.

According to Brig Gen. Stephen Vonderheide, Nevada Air National Guard chief of staff, the associate pilot program is part of a "Total Future Force" concept in which the Air Guard takes a member separating from active duty and transfers that position to a Guard unit.

The active Air Force continues to benefit from the skills of a highly trained pilot while the Guard provides a means of continuing toward retirement while remaining in a fixed location.

In brief

Paul Hack, son of Maury and Barbara Hack of Las Vegas, is providing critical electronics expertise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is currently patrolling in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship is home based in Norfolk, Va. Hack, a petty officer third class, calibrates and repairs electronic test equipment used to maintain Navy aircraft aboard the ship.