LOUISVILLE, Ky. –
With friends, family and fellow Airmen in the audience, Col. George H. Imorde III assumed command of the 123rd Mission Support Group during a ceremony here at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base Nov. 14.
Col. David Mounkes, commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, presided over the change of command, formally passing the unit guidon to Imorde.
“He is a leader of airmen, and I think he’s a leader’s leader,” Mounkes said. “I am extremely pleased that we continue such a continuity of great leaders in the Mission Support Group. I am completely confident that George is going to knock it out of the park. He truly cares about those charged to his care and command, and he is really good at bringing a team together. That is no small skill.”
Imorde commissioned into the active-duty Army in 1997 and spent his first assignments as a U.S. Army Adjutant General Corps officer at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As an Army officer, Imorde deployed to Djibouti as deputy director of personnel as well as strength management officer with United States Central Command.
In 2007, after almost 10 years of active-duty service in the Army, Imorde joined the Kentucky Air National Guard. As an Air Force officer, he deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, as assistant chief of staff with a joint special operations task force.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to work in this fantastic organization each and every day, but mostly I am grateful to be around the people of this organization,” Imorde told the audience. “They’re all true patriots, they’re true Americans and they’re hard workers.”
Prior to assuming his current position, Imorde served as deputy commander of the Mission Support Group. Before moving over to the MSG, he served as commander of the 123rd Security Forces Squadron and antiterrorism officer for the 123rd Airlift Wing.
The Mission Support Group is the wing’s largest and most diverse group, with more than 400 Airmen who provide base fire protection, security and force protection, civil engineering, disaster preparedness, communications, and personnel, dining, lodging and information technology services.