910th Airlift Wing installs Valley resident as commander

February 5, 2017 at 12:10a.m.

VIENNA

Colonel Daniel J. Sarachene

For the first time in more than three decades, the newly installed commander of the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station is a Mahoning Valley resident.

Col. Daniel J. Sarachene, who has lived in Austintown for 20 years and previously served at the facility, officially took over Saturday in a traditional Assumption of Command ceremony inside a YARS aircraft hangar.

Nearly 800 airmen who make up the 910th stood in formation across the width of the hangar. They, along with local political officeholders, dignitaries and family members watched as Maj. Gen. John Stokes, commander of the 22nd Air Force, Dobbins, Ga., presented a flag to Sarachene symbolizing the change of command, a military tradition that dates back several centuries.

Among those attending were U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel.

Sarachene had served at YARS from 1992 until 2014 before being reassigned as vice commander of an airlift wing in Niagara Falls. During those three years, he maintained his residence here, he said.

“I never left Austintown, and my wife is from there,” said Sarachene who, in civilian life, is a pilot for Delta Airlines.

During Sarachene’s previous tenure at the 910th, he commanded an airlift squadron responsible for aerial spraying for disease control and dispersing oil spills in water. The airlift wing with its C-130 aircraft is the only fixed-wing unit authorized by the Department of Defense to spray areas larger than 5,000 acres.

The new commander acknowledged a number of challenges in his return to YARS.

“We have budget limitations and constraints, so we have to be efficient,” Sarachene said. “We have to keep the tempo going, [but] I’m very stoked.”

Sarachene sees more interaction with the community among his responsibilities. The 910th has participated in several community partnerships in which airmen have torn down dilapidated housing in Youngstown and helped build steps at a park in Newton Falls.

“Community service is a part of training,” he said.

The future of YARS in light of cutbacks at a number of military facilities has been an ongoing concern. Gen. Stokes offered a long-range positive outlook after the ceremony.

“The future is bright here,” reassured the soft-spoken general. “The reserves are looking to grow.”

Stokes called Sarachene the “right man” to lead the airmen.

“It’s comforting to have someone come in from day one who knows the place,” he said.

“I know he’ll do a great job.”