Leader of Indiana's Grissom air base retiring from military

PERU, Ind. (AP) - The commander of northern Indiana's Grissom Air Reserve Base has stepped down after nearly two years in the position.

Grissom officials say Col. Doug Schwartz's retirement after 35 years in the military took effect Saturday.

The Purdue University graduate who grew up in Fort Wayne took over the 434th Air Refueling Wing in June 2014 after military officials removed the previous commander during an investigation of his job performance.

The Kokomo Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/27DFyrF ) Col. Larry Shaw III will assume command of the base located midway between South Bend and Indianapolis in July. Shaw is now deputy director of air operations at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.

Schwartz says he's glad he could complete his career at the Indiana base that flies KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes.

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com