Sheppard Air Force Base welcomed a new leader this morning.
    Brigadier General Darryl Burke is now the commander of the 82nd Training Wing.
   Katie Crosbie attended the ceremony ...
    Gwyn, outgoing commander, General O.G. Mannon told General Burke that this will be the best assignment of his career.
    And General Burke told those in attendance that he'll work to make it everyone else's best assignment as well.

It's the start of a new era at Sheppard Air Force Base.  

"It's a perfect North Texas day to start a perfect command."

After farewell remarks, Brigadier General O.G. Mannon relinquished command of the wing -- passing the flag to Brigadier General Darryl Burke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a great day to be an airman!"

More than a thousand members of the 82nd Training Wing marched past General Mannon in a final review.  They're the men & women General Burke will now oversee.

"I think it's important that we get them off to the right start. It's amazing how quickly they can find themselves over in Afghanistan or in Iraq."

General Burke severed as a commander in the desert for a year. Recently, he spent two months in Haiti.

"Haiti will always be in my mind. I've got images that will never leave. I mean -- 230-thousand dead, 190-thousand injured, 800-thousand to a million people displaced.  But the Haitian people are very resilient.  It was an honor to be there, and it was an honor to be an American."

General Burke says people are the heart of the military:

"If you take care of people, they take care of you, and they take care of the mission."

And he says Texoma has earned a reputation that's renowned throughout the Air Force.

Col. Kevin Schneider
Commander, 80th FTW
"General Burke, I know, will enjoy that and will relish the support he gets from our local community partners. They're true patriots; they do everything they can for the base."

Glenn Barham
Wichita Falls Mayor
"General Burke, welcome to Wichita Falls.  The rumors that you've heard, and the stories that you've heard, about the opportunities here in North Texas - and the community relationships are all true.  We look forward to working with you."
    General Mannon is headed to Florida to become Vice Commander of Special Op's ...
    General Burke came from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where he served as vice commander of the 12th Air Force.