Reserve Commander Selected for Star Published March 2, 2009 By 403rd Wing Public Affairs and Air Force Reserve Command News Service 403rd Wng Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Col. James Muscatell, 403rd Wing commander, was nominated by the president for promotion to brigadier general, according to an announcement Feb. 25 by Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., chief of Air Force Reserve. Colonel Muscatell, a command pilot with more than 7,100 flying hours, arrived at the wing in January. This is his eighth assignment. He was previously commander of the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., which had a tactical airlift mission involving the C-130H model. For nearly three years, he was responsible for overseeing more than 1,300 reservists. Colonel Muscatell is also Air Force Reserve Command's 2009 nominee for the General and Mrs. Jerome F. O' Malley Award. Named after General O'Malley and his wife, Diane, who were killed in a 1985 aircraft crash while en route to a Boy Scout fund-raising banquet in Scranton, Pa., the annual award is given to an Air Force wing commander and spouse team whose contributions best exemplify the highest ideals and positive leadership of a military couple in a key position. "Col. and Mrs. James J. Muscatell Jr. should be proud of their total effort and commitment to the mission of the Air Force Reserve Command and are truly deserving of this prestigious award," said General Stenner. "I stand here today, not because of my accomplishments, but because of those I have worked with," said Colonel Muscatell. "I've been blessed to be their servant." Colonel Muscatell, a United States Air Force Academy graduate, was nominated for promotion along with six Air Force Reserve brigadier generals and 14 colonels. Their nominations must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate for them to be promoted to the next higher rank.