JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The 149th Fighter Squadron, recognized as the oldest unit assigned to the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, welcomed Lt. Col. Peter “Sly” Liggieri, former 149th FS deputy commander, as the new squadron commander during a change of command ceremony Aug. 3, 2024.
Col. Andrew M. Weidner, 192nd Operations Group commander, presided over the ceremony. Liggieri took command of the unit from Lt. Col. Lawrence “Mongo” Dietrich, who had served as the commander since June 4, 2022.
"He is a natural born leader - credible and approachable," said Weidner when describing Dietrich. "He took the 149th Fighter Squadron to heights I didn't see."
Weidner was optimistic about the future of the 149th FS under the command of Liggieri, noting that many of the same adjectives he used to describe Dietrich could also be used to describe Liggieri.
"Behind the background, he has taken on anything and everything you ask of him, and he takes it to the edge of the earth," said Weidner.
In June 2016, Liggieri transitioned from active-duty Air Force to the VaANG’s 149th FS. He arrived from the 19th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, where he was the 2014 Instructor Pilot of the Year and the 2016 Hawaiian Raptors Warrior of the Year.
Liggieri is a command pilot with more than 150 F-22 Raptor combat hours and 2,200 combined hours in the F-15C/D Eagle and F-22 Raptor.
He was named Outstanding Graduate at the United States Air Force Weapons School. Additionally, he has served in numerous assignments, exercises and deployments to include participation in Operation Noble Eagle, taskings in defense of the President of the United States and in multiple missions to support Operation Inherent Resolve.
"I am truly honored and humbled to serve alongside you," Liggieri addressed members of the 149th FS. "I'm amazed at what you do each and every day and am excited to see what we accomplish together in the future.”