Warren welcomes MXG commander Published May 21, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Jennifer Viveiros 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- The Mighty Ninety welcomed Col. Donald Adams as the 90th Maintenance Group commander April 30. So far, he has hit the ground running, getting to know the base, the community and the Airmen here. The 90th MXG commander is no stranger to the process of getting acclimated in a new community. He is a self-described third generation Air Force brat and has spent more than 22 years in the ICBM career field. Colonel Adams said he's always been interested in missiles and jumped at the chance to get into the career field while in college. "I had always been fascinated with the Cold War," he said. "ICBMs were interesting to me as a little 12 to 13-year-old kid." In his personal time, Colonel Adams said cars are his main hobby. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, boating and spending time outdoors with his wife, Lissa, daughter, Stephanie, and son, Jacob. He added that being stationed at ICBM bases in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming have allowed him to pursue these outdoor interests. Since taking command of the maintenance group, Colonel Adams has nothing but positive things to say about his transition to F.E. Warren. "I love it [here]; this is a fantastic place to be," he said. "I've really enjoyed getting to know some of the community leaders." "The command climate here on base is probably the best I've ever seen," Colonel Adams added. One thing he said about the relationship he as with the group commanders is that they all get along great. "They're all my friends, and that's a nice situation," he added. "Overall, the biggest thing right now is just the attitude of the wing is of cooperation," he said. The colonel said his primary focus as 90th MXG commander is maintaining the excellence that is already in place. "Using my car terminology, this group is running on eight cylinders, and I want to keep it that way," he said. "My goal is to not mess up the good thing we have going now." As for the maintenance Airmen here, Colonel Adams said they are fantastic and have a great work ethic. Even at 5:30 a.m., they are excited to go to work, and they're having fun doing their jobs, he said. He said he likes the fact that no one is dragging their feet, griping or complaining. "They're dead serious about what they're doing, but they're having fun doing it, and they're excited about getting out to the field," he said. "That's what I've always enjoyed about the maintenance business," he said. "They know what they do is important, and they show it every day." In terms of development, Colonel Adams is focused on encouraging Airmen to further their education. "I think education is critical," he said. "The degrees themselves are not what are important; it's the process that you have to go through -- the learning to study, the research -- just learning how to think." In addition to education and degrees, Colonel Adams said critical thinking and professional reading are imperative to the development of Airmen. As a history buff, he said he thinks learning Air Force as well as ICBM history is critical. "I just think understanding where we've come from helps us to see where we need to go," he said. As he settles in as commander, the colonel's optimistic attitude will surely be beneficial to both the maintenance group and the base.