From one great leader to the next

  • Published
  • By Tim Rodenberger
  • Public Affairs
Grand Forks AFB, ND --  The wing’s change of command ceremony took place Tuesday in Hangar 605 in the shadow of a KC-135 Stratotanker with Col. Bill Bender relinquishing command of the 319th Air Refueling Wing to Col. Diane Hull. 

Colonel Bender and his family moved on to Stuttgart, Germany, where he will work directly for the deputy commander of the United States European Command.
Colonel Bender attended Manhattan College, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1983, earning his commission into the Air Force shortly thereafter. 

He later went on to receive his Masters of Arts in Business from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Army War College. Colonel Bender served in various leadership positions and is rated as a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours of flying time in multiple airframes, including the T-38 Talon, C-17 Globemaster III and Grand Forks’ own KC-135 Stratotanker. 

Colonel Bender took command of the wing in Spring 2005 and has since overseen many notable wing awards and achievements. During his tenure, the wing achieved 19 straight months of accident-free flying time, received nine Air Mobility Command-level awards, flew nearly double the amount of flight hours for the number of personnel and maintained close relations with the local community. He earned praise from Maj. Gen. James Hawkins, 18th Air Force commander, as both a “great commander and great leader.” 

Colonel Bender then relinquished command to Colonel Hull, also a KC-135 pilot and daughter of a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Colonel Hull said her fascination with flight - and her resulting military career - began at an early age after a helicopter flight at the Spokane World’s Fair. 

Originally hoping to join the Navy, she later accepted an appointment to the Air Force Academy where she received her commission in 1983. After earning her wings, she flew every model of the KC-135 and deployed in support of various operations, including Northern and Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. 

Colonel Hull’s previous posts include vice-commander of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing where she said the accomplishments of the 319th ARW reached her long before she received word of her current assignment. 

Placing the mission as paramount, Colonel Hull explained how the wing could reach further heights with “brains, resources and technology.” She further broke down mission success into two main parts; “Airmen and family.” Her vision of mission excellence promotes a “lifetime of learning” and a “Warrior culture,” both consistent with Air Force core values and standards, which she says paves the way for the 319th to succeed in the future and in the on-going War on Terror.