COLONEL JAMES E. LENTZ

COMMANDER

 

 

 

Eaker Air Force Base, Blytheville, Mississippi County, Arkansas

INTRODUCTION

 

James Estes Lentz was born 1942 and died 1996. He was the son of James Otis Lentz and Mary Elizabeth Lunsford.  His maternal grandparents Julius Eustace Lunsford and Anna Lee McLeod.  He was the great grandson of Green C. Lunsford and Mariah Louise Thompson of Lauderdale County, Tennessee. 

 

LENTZ NAMED COMMANDER

 

 

 

 

 

(USAF Photo)

 

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            Lt. Col. James E. Lentz assumed command of the 340^th Bombardment Squadron at Blytheville Air Force Air Base in change of command ceremonies Monday.  He replaces Lt. Col. James L. Vick, who was reassigned to Offutt AFB, Nev.  A Blytheville native, Lentz graduated from Blytheville High School in 1960 and Arkansas State University in 1964.  He joined the Air Force in August 1965.  Prior to coming to Blytheville, Lentz was stationed at SAC headquarters in Omaha.

 

 

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               Lt. Col. James E. Lentz assumed command of the 340^th Bombardment Squadron in change of command ceremonies here recently.

            He has replaced Lt. Col. James L. Vick who is being reassigned to Headquarters Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, Neb. Col. Loring R. Astorino, 97^th Bomb Wing vice commander, officiated the ceremony.

            A native of Blytheville, Colonel Lentz graduated from Blytheville High School in 1960 and received his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Arkansas State University in 1964.  He later obtained a masters degree in management from Golden State University in San Francisco.

            Prior to entering the Air Force, Colonel Lentz taught math at Blytheville Senior High School for one year.  He entered the Air Force in August 1965 and graduated from pilot training at Vance, AFB, Okla. in 1966.

            He served as a B-52 co-pilot here at Blytheville AFB from December 1966 to August 1967.  Among his many worldwide assignments Colonel Lentz has served as a B-52 aircraft commander, chief of standardization and evaluation branch and combat crew training instructor.

            Before returning to Blytheville AFB as bomb squadron operations office, he was assigned as deputy chief of systems division for the directorate of program management at Headquarters SAC.

            Colonel Lentz is a senior pilot with more than 4,000 hours flying time.  He has attended Squadron Officers School, the Air Command and Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

            Among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 14 oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

            He is married to the former Ann Hudson of Blytheville.  They have two children, Cindy and Jamie.

 

 

 

CSG CHANGES COMMAND

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               Col. James E. Lentz will assume command of the 97^th Combat Support Group at 10 a. m. Friday during a ceremony at the State Flag Plaza on Memorial Drive.

            Colonel Lentz, Eaker's deputy commander for Resource Management since December 1989, will assume command from Col. Peter J. Giroux, who will become the vice commander of the 633^rd Air Base Wing at Andersen AFB, Guam.  Colonel Giroux has been the 97^th CSG commander since November 1988.

            Col. George I. Conlan, 97^th Bombardment Wing commander, will preside over Friday's ceremony.

            As the 97^th CSG commander, Colonel Lentz will have the unofficial title of base commander.  He will manage a multitude of base functions including family housing, construction and maintenance of base facilities, law enforcement, and base administrations, among others.

            Colonel Lentz is a command pilot with more than 5,600 hours flying time.  He has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 14 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster.

He was born in 1942 in Peoria, Ill., and shortly thereafter moved to Blytheville.  He graduated from Blytheville Senior High School in 1960.  Colonel Lentz entered the Air Force in 1965.

He is married to the former Ann Hudson of Blytheville.  They have two daughters, Cindy and Jamie.

All Eaker people are invited to attend Friday's change of command, officials said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 © Deborah Lunsford Yates, 2000 - 2015

Last updated Sunday, July 05, 2015, 1:43:40 PM CST