The Air Force fired the leader of its hospital on Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina as well as the commander of the squadron that helps support it March 14.
628th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Michael Freeman relived Col. Anadis Collado, leader of the 628th Medical Group, and Lt. Col. Douglas Grabowski, commander of the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron, citing “a loss in trust and confidence in their ability to lead,” spokespeople for the wing told Air Force Times Monday.
In addition, Chief Master Sgt. Ann Johnson, the senior enlisted leader for the medical group, has also been reassigned.
Lt. Col. Syreeta Lawrence has been named to lead the 628th Medical Group, and Maj. Joseph Estep is replacing Grabowski at the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron, the Air Force said. Senior Master Sgt. Hector Velazquez Ramos has been named the 628th Medical Group senior enlisted leader. The service did not say to which roles the previous leadership had been reassigned.
“The [628th Air Base Wing] is committed to maintaining good order and discipline by holding leaders to Air Force standards and expectations,” the Air Force said.
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Collado and Grabowski had each held their leadership roles since June 2022. Neither immediately responded to attempts to reach them through social media accounts on Monday.
The 628th Medical Group provides health services for more than 63,000 beneficiaries, including 4,000 active duty service members.
Courtney Mabeus-Brown is the senior reporter at Air Force Times. She is an award-winning journalist who previously covered the military for Navy Times and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., where she first set foot on an aircraft carrier. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy and more.
