Lt. Col. Greg Coffield, formerly of Breinigsville, now of New Tripoli, recently assumed command of 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap.

The change of command ceremony took place at the flight facility on Muir Field, Fort Indiantown Gap.

Coffield, who has been in the military 26 years, was previously an executive officer of the battalion.

The battalion has 500 soldiers and 30 aircraft. As a commander, he can fly other helicopters which he is looking forward to.

His parents and sister, along with her four children, came from Ohio for the ceremony.

“It’s been a good life with a paid education,” Coffield said. “I saw a bit of the world, some of best days of life and some of the worst.”

Coffield recently trained with a Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team on the Susquehanna River.

This was the first time the HART team, using Pennsylvania National Guard helicopters, worked with other government organizations comprised up of rescue volunteers from different municipalities.

Coffield’s in charge of medical evacuations, is readying for deployment to Afghanistan.

All deployments in the last 10 years were with the General Support Aviation Battalion.

Trained in flying Lakota, Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters, (all named after Indian tribes) Coffield flew with many Vietnam-era veterans.

Coffield has served in Iraq twice, been to Kosovo and participated in exercises in Lithuania and France.

His wife, Kelly MacMechan Coffield, accompanied him when he went to Germany for simulated training.

Coffield and his wife have three sons: Owen, 13; Keegan, 17; and Colin, 11.

They attend school in the Northwestern Lehigh School District.

Coffield, who entered the military in 1989, became a paratrooper at Fort Bragg, N.C.

He recalled keeping his eyes closed for his first jump.

Coffield took part in Operation Desert Storm and went to college when he came home, though he stayed in the Reserves.

He received his commission and attended flight school.

He flew relief missions during Hurricane Katrina and liked it because he was directly helping American citizens.

“You could see how high the water was because the water line on an overpass in the Pearl River Valley could be seen,” Coffield said.

He saw the Panama Canal, traveled through Europe, and flew over the Alps to the Adriatic Sea.

“Just flying from Pennsylvania to New York is cool,” Coffield said.