PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 720th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron held a change of command ceremony welcoming their new commander inside the Fuel Cell Hangar here this week.
The incoming squadron commander is inheriting the Air Force Reserve Command’s only HC-130J Aircraft Maintenance Squadron; a squadron that is professional, highly trained and constantly in demand around the world to carry out the wing’s mission of planning, leading and conducting military rescue operations the 920th Maintenance Group commander explained during the ceremony.
“Your Airmen are motivated and will drop everything when asked,” the 920th MXG commander said. “Just as they did on New Year’s Eve when the wing conducted a real-world search for a lost vessel with just a few hours’ notice.”
Often tasked for airdrop, airland, helicopter air-to-air refueling and forward-area ground refueling missions, the HC-130’s mission capabilities also include humanitarian aid operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation and noncombatant evacuation operations.
The repair and maintenance work performed on the 920th RQW’s HC-130J Combat King II fleet by the 720th AMXS enables countless rescue missions and continued operations throughout the US and world, the new squadron commander explained. Ensuring its mission to provide safe, reliable aircraft and dependable maintenance support to the 920th RQW in fulfilling its global peacetime and combat operations is carried out.
“You have a legacy of excellence and we owe it to ourselves and our predecessors to maintain that high standard,” said the new squadron commander. “I’ve found that the most successful people have also been the most prepared. I commit to being your advocate and being truthful in my communications to you. I’m honored to be able to operate in this capacity and I will honor your competence and trust.”