By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A new commander of the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport brings a new perspective to the position.
Col. Barrett Golden began his tenure at the 139th as an instructor at the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, moving to St. Joseph after serving with the Air Guard at Channel Islands, California, which included a deployment to Afghanistan.
Golden says the Training Center brings something to the 139th that should help secure its future.
“If somebody ever wanted to shut down a flying mission here, they need to understand the massive strategic impact that would be to the entire mobility Air Force, not just little St. Joe here and taking away a small C-130 chunk out of the fleet,” Golden tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Golden says he will continue the work of his predecessor, Col. John Cluck, in strongly pursuing the latest C-130 cargo planes for the 139th, but will always consider contingencies to keep the base relevant to the Air Guard.
Golden will follow a two-prong approach to the base’s future.
“I believe the base out here in its future is going to be the premiere C-130J model flying unit. I believe that we continue to grow and expand the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center,” Golden says. “I’d like to get more bandwidth at the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center.”
Golden says he would like to see the Air Force require its pilots to complete the Advanced Tactics Aircrew Course at Rosecrans before becoming lead pilots. Germany has already adopted such a requirement. The center trains U.S. and allied military air crews, so far serving 17 allied nations.
Golden says while the 139th serves both the state and the nation, it could also expand to incorporate operations that extend beyond its military mission.
“And I say that, because the West Coast has had some terrible fires recently. The C-130 has the capability of doing modular, airborne firefighting,” Golden says. “I would love to be a firefighting schoolhouse and just be able to provide some of those domestic capabilities, just because they would lay in very easily with the capabilities the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center already has.”
Golden came to the 139th in the summer of 2011, serving as an instructor at the Tactics Training Center. His work at the center differs from that of Cluck, who moved up the ranks as a pilot. His background is different as well. Cluck would joke that he was the local kid, coming from Wathena and spending his entire career at the 139th.
Golden sees his experience in other states as beneficial to his leadership, giving him some outside perspective.
A native of California, Golden has found a new home in St. Joseph.
“But we moved here in June of 2011 and we have absolutely fallen in love with the Midwest. My kids have foundations set in their schools and this will probably be home for the rest of my life,” Golden says. “We absolutely love the Midwest mentality, the people of the Midwest. We’re on the bandwagon with the Chiefs, the Royals, and all those things. So, absolutely, this is home.”
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
