Staff Writer

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE | Air Force Col. Colleen M. Ryan officially took her place as 88th Air Base Wing and Installation commander during a ceremony Friday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Ryan, most recently commander of the 100th Mission Support Group at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, replaces Col. Andrew Weaver, who came to the base in 2005 and is retiring at the end of this month.

"I am so honored and humbled to be standing before you as commander," Ryan said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I picture myself in this scenario at this historic base."

Ryan is Wright-Patterson's first woman commander.

"Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. "
George W. Bush