The Commander of the Corpus Christi Army Depot took his last flight in an army helicopter today. It is the military tradition to honor him before his retirement.
Colonel Allan Lanceta has been the CCAD commander for two years, and retires after more than 27 years in Army aviation.
The Colonel took his final flight, before the traditional water salute to honor him. Two fire engines sprayed the helicopter with water, before friends and colleagues splashed Lanceta with water guns.
Col. Lanceta says his main goal at CCAD was to deal with changes in the fiscal environment, and get helicopters repaired quicker and at a lower cost to protect the nation.
"Hopefully we’ve put in place things here so that the new commander, Colonel Gail Atkins, can take and run with it, and improve, and put her programs into place. But I believe we set a foundation here for many years to come. Those things will be here to stay, and really make the depot more relevant as we go into the future," Col. Lanceta said.
Col Atkins will be sworn in as the new Army Depot commander Friday. She says her goals are keep CCAD’s momentum going, use new technology, and prepare for warfare in the future.
