Yuma Sun June 29, 2008
Yuma air station getting new commander
By James Gilbert
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma will hold a ceremony Wednesday for its incoming and outgoing commanding officers.
The change of command will begin at 9 a.m. on the MCAS parade grounds.
During the ceremony, which is steeped in military tradition, Col. Ben Hancock will formally relinquish command of the air station to Col. Mark A. Werth, who at one time served with the Black Sheep of VMA-214, one of the base's Harrier squadrons.
"We are sorry to see Col. Hancock go. We wish him all the best in his endeavors. He has been an absolutely fantastic leader and will be missed," said MCAS spokesman Sgt. Robert Smith.
"At the same time we are also looking forward to Col. Werth coming here and following in the tradition of excellent leadership here at the air station."
Smith stated that command of a base typically lasts about three years.
Hancock, who assumed command of MCAS Yuma in 2005, has been assigned to Joint Task Force-Civil Support in Fort Monroe, Va.
"He is going to be the deputy director," Smith said.
According to the Web site GlobalSecurity.org, the newly established Joint Task Force Civil Support is assigned to U.S. Joint Forces Command. It ensures that Department of Defense assets are prepared to respond to requests from a lead federal agency in a time of national crisis after a weapon of mass destruction incident.
Werth, who was promoted to the rank of colonel in February, is coming to Yuma from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., where he has served in various assignments.
Werth was born on July 20, 1964, in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1986, he completed his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and mechanics and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps through the NROTC program at the University of Minnesota.
After finishing the Basic Officer Course in Quantico, Va., Werth began flight training in Pensacola, Fla. On Nov. 3, 1989, in Beeville, Texas, he was designated a naval aviator.
After flight school, Werth underwent AV-8B replacement pilot training, after which he reported to VMA-214 at MCAS.
From August 1990 through July 1994, Werth held the positions of airframes division officer, aviation safety officer and squadron weapons and tactics instructor/pilot training officer.
In August 1994, Werth returned to Quantico for the Amphibious Warfare School. During the one-year tour, he was selected for Class 109 of the United States Navy Test Pilot School.
Upon graduation and designation as a test pilot on June 14, 1996, he was assigned orders to the Marine Aviation Detachment aboard China Lake, Naval Air Weapons Station.
During this three-year tour, Werth advanced to the position of lead test pilot for the Tri-National (U.S., Italy and Spain) AV-8B test program.
In May 1999 he earned his Master of Science from the University of Tennessee and in June 1999, Werth received orders to the Fleet Marine Force, where he served as the executive officer of VMA-223 and the commander for the AV-8B detachment assigned to the 26th MEU(SOC).
From October 2001 until April 2002, Werth flew 75 combat missions over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In August 2002, he was assigned to the U.S. Joint Forces Command, Joint Experimentation Directorate, where he was the project manager for the Joint Fires Initiative.
On June 1, 2005, Werth took command of the VMU-2 Night Owls while deployed to Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq. During command he served two consecutive Operation Iraqi Freedom rotations and accumulated 111 combat missions as an unmanned aerial vehicle mission commander.
On Dec. 1, 2006, Werth relinquished command and served until June 2007 as the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing inspector. From July 2007 to June 2008, he attended the Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, where he earned a Master of Science in military campaigning.
Hancock assumed command of MCAS from the outgoing commanding officer, Col. James Cooney.
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