Del Rio graduate takes command of Air Force training wing
A 1999 Del Rio High graduate now leads the Air Force’s 12th Flying Training Wing, deepening Val Verde County’s link to pilot training.
Col. James Long II, a 1999 Del Rio High School graduate, took command of the 12th Flying Training Wing on June 26 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, giving Val Verde County a direct connection to one of the Air Force’s most important training posts.
The change-of-command ceremony marked the handoff from Col. Peter Lee to Long and was officiated by Maj. Gen. Roy Collins, the deputy commander of Air Education and Training Command. The wing Long now leads is responsible for teaching Airmen the fundamentals of airmanship, instruction and leadership while preparing future military aviators for operational service.
Long’s rise carries unusual local weight in Del Rio, where military aviation has long shaped the city’s identity. His father was a U-2 scholar and helped spearhead the Laughlin Heritage Foundation Museum, tying the family name to the history of Laughlin and the training culture that has influenced generations of Val Verde County students, service members and military families.
Before moving into the new job, Long served as deputy commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. In that role, he helped oversee worldwide air refueling support connected to U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and 32 mission partners, experience that placed him in the middle of high-level operational planning before he stepped into training leadership.
At the ceremony, Long emphasized the central role training plays in combat readiness. He said the wing’s mission is to produce the next generation of the world’s best aircrews and stressed that victory in combat starts with training.
For Del Rio, the appointment is more than a ceremonial hometown milestone. It places a local graduate in command of a wing that helps feed the Air Force’s pilot-training pipeline, reinforcing the city’s long-standing place in the service’s aviation network and giving residents another reason to see Laughlin and Randolph as part of the same regional story.
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