421st CTS welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Zachary Wilson
  • U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center
JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The 421st Combat Training Squadron conducted a change-of-command ceremony June 24 at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center.

Lt. Col. Rhett Boldenow, formerly the director of operations for the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan took command of the squadron from outgoing commander Lt. Col. David Lenderman in front of the nearly 100 EC "Eagles" in the Grace Peterson Hall.

The 421st CTS is responsible for educating, training and exercising expeditionary combat support Airmen in deployed operations. The 421st conducts Combat Airmen Skills pre-deployment training, Security Forces specific training and facilities Air Force exercise Eagle Flag focusing in integration of all expeditionary combat support skills in a realistic, multi-service training scenario.

"This unique squadron needs a unique commander," said Col. Mark Ellis, Expeditionary Operations School commandant and the presiding official. "Ninety-seven percent of the Air Force's casualties (in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan) are on the ground so this mission cannot be overstated."

Colonel Boldenow is a 15-year Air Force veteran with mobility experience as a C-130 navigator who has deployed in support of Operations Southern Watch, Joint Forge, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He also has unique assignments as a participant in the Air Force intern programs as well as holding a staff office for U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
"The 421st CTS performs an outstanding mission in today's Air Force," he said. "Being a center of excellence for the greatest Air Force on Earth is no small task. It is an honor to be associated with this great team."

Lt. Col. Lenderman served as the 421st CTS commander since July 2009, and is scheduled to be the deputy commander of the 375th Operations Group at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. A career KC-135 pilot, Colonel Lenderman oversaw several major initiatives during his tenure including the transition of Advanced Contingency Skills Training to the CAST curriculum, the construction of an $18 million counter-improvised explosive device training area and major changes to the Eagle Flag exercise.

"I was one of the most fortunate lieutenant colonels in the Air Force because I got to command the 421st CTS," he said. "The mission is tremendous and people who do it are some of the best I have ever served with."

The 421st is composed of more than 129 subject-matter experts from 47 unique Air Force Specialty Codes. The unit offers six expeditionary combat support courses and trains more than 5,000 Airmen a year.