931st AMDS receives new commander

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Brannen Parrish
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  The 931st Aerospace Medicine Squadron received a new commander during an assumption of command ceremony, here May 4.

Lieutenant Col. Michelle E. Van Sickle assumed command from Col. Mark S. Larson, commander, 931st Air Refueling Group.

"In talking to the people about Lt. Col. Van Sickle, they all say she is very people-oriented and very personable," Larson told the Airmen of the 931st AMDS. "People who worked for her respect her and love working for her and I know she is going to make a great difference here."

Prior to assuming command at the 931st AMDS, Van Sickle served as the director of the Commanders Action Group at the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
Van Sickle informed her squadron that she would do her best to ensure they had the tools to accomplish their mission with minimal interference.

"I trust you. I trust you to do your job, and I do not intend to micromanage you," said Van Sickle.

Van Sickle reaffirmed the 931st AMDS role in the Group's mission accomplishment by relating a mantra she learned during her first aeromedical evacuation exercise - "Patients will flow, planes will go."

That simple philosophy, she said, permeates the member to provider relationship.

"Our job is to support the entire 931st Air Refueling Group," said Van Sickle. "The clinic provides a personal interaction with every military member assigned to this group, and it is our mission to ensure that they are medically ready to take care of this mission."