After spending some time furthering her education and working behind the scenes at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Col. Valerie Hasberry is anxious to get back to the front lines of the Air Force's mission.

She will get that opportunity as the new commander of the 627th Air Base Group with the Joint Base Garrison at McChord Field.

Hasberry took over command of the 627th ABG from Col. Kenny Weldon during a ceremony Tuesday morning inside a hangar at McChord Field.

The 627th ABG was established as part of a unit reorganization action required to conform to the Department of Defense's joint-basing architecture. After inactivating the 62nd Mission Support Group, five former MSG squadrons were separated from the flying-mission wing and embedded in the installation-support focused JBLM garrison. The 627th ABG commander also serves as the deputy commander for the Joint Base Garrison.

"She's got a big job ahead of her," Maj. Gen. William Bender, commander of the Air Force Expeditionary Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. and the ceremony's presiding officer, said of Hasberry.

Despite the challenge, it's something that Hasberry plans to tackle head-on.

"When you look at what they've gone through the last two years getting to the final stage where it actually became the joint base and you look at the things that still have to be done, it will be challenging," said the 45-year-old Hasberry, a Jackson, Miss., native. "We live for challenges. There is some nervousness of course, but there is also the excitement about being able to continue on and make a difference."

Hasberry most recently graduated from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pa. Prior to attending the War College, she served as the Chief, Capabilities Integration Branch, Joint Requirements Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense, at the Joint Staff inside the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Hasberry has held several base, major command, and Air Staff level positions, including command of a civil engineer squadron.

"For most of us, it's (about) being out in the field with the men and the women who are getting it done and knowing you're actually making a difference," she said. "That makes the job enjoyable and worthwhile - and it's why we serve."

During her tenure she also plans on continuing to build on a strong relationship with the local communities where many Airmen and Soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord live.

"Especially with the high deployment rates now where (Airmen and Soldiers) are leaving the families behind, if you haven't connected with those communities and they don't support the installations, it makes it tough on the families, which makes it tougher for the military member to concentrate on getting the mission done," Hasberry said. "I look forward to continuing (the relationship). "Without the teamwork, we can't get the mission done."