KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — The Okinawa summer heat took its toll on about 20 airmen who staggered or were pulled out of formation during the 18th Wing’s change-of-command ceremony here Thursday morning.

Col. Nicholas Evans, an F-16 and F-35 pilot, took charge of the largest U.S. air wing and fighter base in the Western Pacific from Brig. Gen. David Eaglin, who goes next to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii, where he’ll serve as deputy director of operations.

During his two-year tenure as wing commander, Eaglin grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, which struck Okinawa’s population particularly hard, the phase-out of aging F-15C/D Eagle fighters in favor of rotating squadrons of more advanced aircraft and the escalation of Chinese military activity in the seas west of the island.

Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, delivered the keynote address. The first airman overcome by the heat during the 40-minute, morning ceremony inside a hangar collapsed during Rupp’s address.

“Only a few weeks ago, we saw reporting of a dangerous [Chinese] intercept from U.S. aircraft in international air space,” Rupp said, recalling a May 26 incident in which a Chinese fighter flew across the nose of an Air Force RC-135 surveillance plane.

“This is the reality our brave aircrew live every day,” he said.

Two minutes into Rupp’s remarks, a female airman wobbled from the back of the formation, then collapsed as two other airmen lowered her to the hangar floor.

Over the next half-hour, more sweaty, pale airmen wobbled or were pulled from the formation by several Air Force personnel on the lookout for swaying airmen. Several stricken service members were escorted to a nearby air-conditioned bus to recover.

The morning temperature reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit and 64% humidity around 8:50 a.m., for a “feels like” temperature of 95, according to an Apple iPhone weather app.

Eaglin, an F-15 pilot, thanked the airmen of the 18th Wing before handing Evans control of the largest U.S. air power hub in the Pacific. About 7,000 airmen are stationed at Kadena, which has a total population of about 23,000 and squadrons of fighters, air refuelers, airborne command-and-control aircraft and helicopters, according to the base’s website.

“Kadena holds an unrivaled key significance in the Pacific,” Eaglin said. “The air base is a key location for U.S. allies and partners serving as a power projection platform, ready to receive and deliver forces,” he said.

Evans, previously the executive assistant to the commander of Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is new to Okinawa but has served 15 years in the Pacific over his 24-year career.

“Having worked in Pacific Air Force the past few years, I know how much we rely on this base,” Evans told airmen during the ceremony. “Your actions were pivotal through many critical events.”

Evans’ experience includes stints with fighter squadrons at Kunsan and Osan air bases in South Korea, and at Camp Smith and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, both in Hawaii, according to his official Air Force biography. He is also a command pilot with more than 2,000 hours in the F-16 and F-35.

Nominated to brigadier general in January by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Evans’ promotion is on the list of approximately 250 military promotions held up in the Senate by Sen. Tommy Tuberville. The Alabama Republican objects to a Pentagon policy that pays transportation costs for troops traveling for abortions.

“At any overseas base, the most important relation is with local civic leaders,” Evans said. “Airmen, when you see us, please stop us and say hello and what is going on with your life and work and any way we can help improve your quality of life.”

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