Welcome Col. John Miner to Alpena.

Miner became the 12th commander at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center Tuesday, a role that puts him “front and center” with not only the military personnel that he works with, but also Northeast Michigan residents.

Make no mistake, the Alpena CRTC is an integral part of the region’s economy. Having strong leadership at the facility is critical to promoting the center within military circles, but also advancing its cause within the state.

Certainly his commanders believe Miner is the right man for the job, and his credentials are impressive.

Miner is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and also holds an M.A. in business administration from Troy State University.

He spent 10 years on active duty before joining the National Guard in 2001 as a C-130 Hercules pilot at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and has been under several deployments, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Afghanistan. Most recently Miner served as commander of the 217th Air Operations Group in Battle Creek.

We wish the new commander well. While he inherits a well maintained facility that has enjoyed the support of the public, he understands his mission is not without headaches as well. First and foremost before him is the PFC water issue, and resolution of that problem. Then there is the ongoing challenge of attracting military units and groups to the base for training.

It won’t be easy, but we doubt Miner expected easy.

What he needs is our support, and we are pretty sure he can expect that, and then some in the months ahead.