High Rollers’ 2026 accomplishments noted during Saturday’s change of command ceremony

Nevada Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs:

"Reflection on the past year marked a common theme during the change of command ceremony Saturday for the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard.

“The reputation and accomplishments of the 152nd Airlift Wing are nothing short of monumental,” said Col. Erik Brown, a C-130 pilot, who during the ceremony became the 26th commander of the “High Rollers,” Nevada’s only airlift wing unit that operates C-130 Hercules airframes at the air base in Reno. “Our young men and women have generated the ability to continuously traverse the polar ice caps of Antarctica, into the deep regions of the Pacific and abroad. Covering all continents across the globe they were thrown into the reins of terror across (U.S. Central Command) during Epic Fury while continuing to operate their domestic obligations to provide security and sustainability for the homeland here in Nevada.”

Brig. Gen. David Chauvin, the presiding official for the ceremony, echoed that theme when he asked those who deployed on 72-hour notice this spring in support of Epic Fury to stand during the ceremony.

He noted the 722 sorties, 1,481 flight hours, 68 patients and 1.8 million pounds of cargo and 3,355 passengers the unit’s Airmen moved during the six-month deployment. He also underlined Brown’s abilities to continue the unit’s success.

“There is no doubt in my mind that (Brown) is the officer we need to take us to the next level,” Chauvin, Nevada’s assistant adjutant general, said. “I am willing to give you everything I have left in the tank, as I know you will give this wing everything you have. I’ll leave you with a simple marching order of three words I believe everyone here knows: Fly, Fight, Win.”

Col. Catherine Grush, who served as the wing’s commander the past three years, was credited as laying the groundwork for that success.

“Col. Grush has moved this organization further forward in the past few years than I’ve seen in my entire 18 years in the Nevada Air National Guard,” Chauvin said. “When it comes to work ethic and getting things down, she is unmatched.”

Grush, a C-130 pilot, is set to become Deputy Commander, Joint Staff, Nevada National Guard. Grush oversaw the Wing’s 72-hour federal callup this spring to support Operation Epic Fury, the largest short-notice deployment of the Nevada Air National Guard since the Persian Gulf War in 1991. She has served as the wing commander since August 2023.Brown has served as the deputy commander, 152nd Airlift Wing, since May 2025, and prior as the commander of the 152nd Operations Group, 2023-2025. Brown has amassed more than 2,800 flight hours, nearly 300 of which were flown in combat. He is a decorated command pilot, instructor pilot, evaluator pilot and Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) instructor pilot.

Brig. Gen. Jeremy Ford, a past commander of the High Rollers who now serves as the director of operations at the National Guard Bureau’s Readiness Center, attended the event Saturday.

“It really is great to be back, especially with the High Rollers just getting back from deployment, to help connect what I do now as the director of operations with what they’ve done with the warfighter down range,” Ford said. “It really helps remind me of what we’re doing at the readiness center and make sure we are supporting the warfighter.”

The Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Airlift Wing provides combat-ready airlift for overseas deployments and firefighting capabilities in support of the U.S. Forest Service using MAFFS. The High Rollers have operated fighters (1948-1961), reconnaissance aircraft (1961-1995) and C-130 personnel and cargo transport (1996-present) throughout its history in northern Nevada.

“(Brown) has everything it takes to be at a high-level command,” retired Col. Eric Wade, who served as the commander of the unit from 2017-2020, said after the ceremony. “He’s got a lot of compassion, and he sees everything from both directions. He’s always wanted to take care of his people, but he is also mission oriented. He demands a lot of people - as did Col. Grush - and then lauds them when they get the mission done. He’s always been a hope of mine to get to this level.”