Marine Aviators Get New Commander

The top job in the Marine Corps Third Aircraft Wing changed hands Friday, as Maj. Gen. Donald E. P. Miller officially turned over the command of $50 billion worth of fighter planes and helicopters and thousands of Marines to his successor, Maj. Gen. Royal N. Moore Jr.

The change-of-command ceremony under a bright morning sun at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station took more than an hour and was attended by about 2,000 people.

Spread over three air bases in two states, the Third Aircraft Wing is the largest in the Marine Corps. It boasts 500 aircraft, ranging from the small Cobra helicopters to the sophisticated, supersonic F/A-18 Hornet, and 16,200 Marines at El Toro, Tustin, Camp Pendleton and the Marine Corps Air Station at Yuma, Ariz. The force represents the Marine’s front-line defense in the Western Pacific, including Korea and the Philippines.

The Third Wing’s new commander, born in Pasadena, was director of operations for the U.S. Pacific Command at Camp H. M. Smith in Hawaii. Before that, he was assistant deputy chief of staff for aviation at Marine headquarters in Washington. He also served as assistant wing commander for the Second Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point, N.C. He enlisted in the Marines in 1953.