Change of command: MCAS Cherry Point in new hands with big things on the horizon

As if to show a sign of respect, the threatening rain held off a bit toward the end of a change-of-command ceremony Friday morning at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point as retiring Col. Mikel R. Huber relinquished command of the air station to Col. Brendan C. Burks.

The change of command is a military tradition representing the formal transfer of responsibility and authority from the outgoing to the incoming commander.

Huber also retired at the ceremony after 29 years of service. Burks, a native of Alabama last served as the chief of Global Force Management, Plans Division and U.S. European Command, according to a release from MCAS Communication Strategy and Operations.

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Huber, a Naval Academy graduate knew he wanted to fly since he was a child. His favorite aircraft is the AV-8B Harrier. His uniform is unique in that he wears two sets of wings – on the top are the gold Naval Aviator wings and underneath Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Officer wings. He said he earned that set of wings when he was the commanding officer of VMU-2 (Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2).

The colonel said he decided to join the Marines over the Navy and any other service because of its unique structure and mission.

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“While I was at the Naval Academy, I had an opportunity to be around Marines for the first time in my life," Huber said in an email. "I was always impressed by the discipline and motivation of the Marines I met. I really liked the missions that Marine aviators performed."

Huber was Cherry Point’s commanding officer before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and said the Marines and his command certainly didn’t shut down over the virus but there were challenges. He also saw the base through Hurricane Florence reconstruction and modernization of the facilities; and hosted the award-winning 2021 MCAS Cherry Point Airshow, which featured the Blue Angels.

"During COVID, 2nd MAW (Second Marine Air Wing) did not stop training and didn’t stop deploying – in fact, they flew more during COVID than they had in previous years," Hubert said. "FRCE (Fleet Readiness Center East) didn’t see a decrease in their workload of aircraft maintenance. Our Naval Health Clinic still had to ensure our Marines and Sailors were medically ready to deploy when our nation asked. So as COVID ebbed and flowed, keeping the team focused and motivated to get the job done the right way, every single day, was the challenge. But I have to tell you, the team of Marines, Sailors and civilians here at Cherry Point stepped up and knocked it out of the park. I have been very proud of what we accomplished despite the pandemic.”

When asked what he thought some of his personal goals and accomplishments were, he said he stuck to the basics.

“To help Cherry Point continue its transformation to a 5th Generation Master Jet Base. And I think we took some huge steps while I was here,” he said.

Huber, who lives in New Bern, plans to stay in the area and says he hopes to keep flying in the next chapter of his life.

He thanked his family for supporting his sacrifices to be a successful Marine.

“My family has been the bedrock of my career. They have always supported me. Since my wife Alana was a career Naval Officer, we always had to work together as a team. However, she always made sure that I could answer the call throughout.”

The next chapter of MCAS Cherry Point

Cherry Point will become the home of six F-35s Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadrons in the near future, an example of the base's growth that Col. Burks is poised to continue.

“Our role here is going to continue to work (with what has been) laid out," Burks said. "We’re going to set the next phase after those six squadrons. We probably won’t see the fruits of our labor in some of the projects over the next three years. We’ll be finishing out other projects and two to three predecessors in place."

Burks said buildings and hangar completion, one of which will hold two squadrons, will be goals for the next six months as well as introducing a new F-35 simulator.

Mayor Will Lewis offered his thoughts on the incoming commander.

“Change of command is always a fun thing, but also bittersweet," Lewis said. "We’ve become great friends with Col. Huber. He’s done a fantastic job, leading the Marines here and running the base. The new commander Col. Burks seems like a fantastic individual; we’re looking forward to working with him for the next three years and carrying on all the good work that we’ve done around here.”

This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Change of command: MCAS Cherry Point in new hands