96th MOS furls its guidon at inactivation ceremony

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gaddie
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 96th Maintenance Operations Squadron furled its guidon June 6 at an inactivation ceremony here.

When they were approximately 83 members strong, the 96th MOS "Gryphons" provided premier quality assurance and test planning support for all system tests. They conducted training and technical/logistical management for the 96 MXG.

Although the 96th MOS has inactivated, it will not go away, said Maj. Aaron Whitlock, who assumed command of the squadron in June 2011.

"The squadron's responsibilities will be absorbed by the 96th MXG staff," he said. "The MXG is a diverse team. That team is going to remain here for years to come."

The 96th MOS was the group's "nerve-center." It provided direct support to aircraft, munitions and maintenance operations while exploring and implementing quality, cost effective maintenance practices.

"This inactivation is in response to a need the Air Force saw in current and future years off of maintenance officer manning," said Col. Daniel Runyon, the 96th Maintenance Operations Group commander. "Simply stated, our career field is not big enough to support placing a major billet into the MOS, for the foreseeable future."

In keeping with the Air Force-wide decision to better align field and company grade officer authorizations with operational requirements, the 96th MOS' major billet was inactivated.
The squadron's personnel and their responsibilities now reside in maintenance operations on the 96th MXG staff.

Missions provided by five sections of the former squadron are still essential for the group's future, according to Runyon.

"When I think of MOS, I think of a diverse group of people with varied jobs, all absolutely guaranteeing the success of the maintenance group and the test wing's mission," he said.

The contract management office oversaw three large government contracts that oversaw all back-shop maintenance, plans and scheduling and transient large services totaling more than $20 million annually for 36 aircraft and additional engines in support of the Air Force Test Center and 53rd Wing test missions.

The Air Force repair enhancement program section optimized Air Force resources by increasing wing-level repair capabilities of airspace parts and equipment.

The maintenance training flight directly supported more than 1,100 maintenance group personnel through in-class and computer-based training.

The test support section provided logistics test support and bed-down coordination efforts.

The weapons standardization section oversaw the wing's weapons loading program. WSS's core Air Force function was to provide weapons load training and evaluation on F-15 C, D and E, A-10 C, and multiple blocks of F-16 aircraft, for the 106 weapons loaders assigned to the group.

Whitlock said he has been both humbled and amazed at the talent and dedication of the men and women from the 96th MOS.

"'Though he be but little, he is fierce.' That describes this squadron," the former commander said, quoting from his favorite movie, Seabiscuit.

Whitlock said two 96th MOS accomplishments he's proud of, during his tenure, were scoring 'excellent' on their 2012 Logistics Compliance Assessment Program inspection, a short notice inspection that solely assesses logistics functions on an installation, where three of his teams were recognized as outstanding performers; and winning Air Force Materiel Command's Maintenance Effectiveness Award, given to the squadron who uses their maintenance resources most effectively.

At the inactivation ceremony, Whitlock praised all 96th MOS personnel for their accomplishments.

"This may be an inactivation of the squadron, but it is a new chapter for the Gryphons," he said. "Regardless of your designation, you will keep making it happen."