Under New Management

It's been a while...


There has recently been some major changes in command at the 131st. First off the beloved Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Kessinger has retired from the unit and is now succeeded by Richard Pingleton.

In addition Col. Robert L. Leeker who has been with the Missouri Air Guard since around 1971 is retiring from being commander of the 131st. Col. Leeker started flying with the F-4 Phantom and continued on with the unit flying the beloved F-15 Eagle, leading the unit to deployments such as Northern Watch and Red Flag. He was also a strong force in transitioning the unit to the B-2 Spirit out at whiteman. Col. He recently had his final B-2 flight nearly a year after his final F-15 Eagle flight. Not many people can say they have had final flights in both aircraft, much less any flying time. Col. Leeker will be very missed by all. He is to be succeeded by Col. Gregory Champagne.

In addition to the new command, the 131st will also be deploying to Anderson AFB in Guam to support the ongoing B-2 Mission. We wish everyone a safe, strong and "enjoyable" deployment.