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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – Lieutenant Col. Joseph A. Craft, the commanding officer of Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 121, relinquished his command to Lt. Col. Mark T. Palmer during a change of command ceremony in Hangar 1, Dec. 06, aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Upon receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science with honors from the United States Naval Academy, Palmer was accepted into Officer Candidate School. Following the completion of OCS, Palmer went to flight school at Pensacola, Fla.
After completing flight school, he was designated a naval flight officer in 1994. After receiving his wings, he completed F/A-18D weapons and sensors officer training at Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 and went on to Naval Strike Fighter Weapons School, Top Gun, in 1996.
He transferred to VMFA(AW)-121 after serving as the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 F/A-18 division head.
Palmer's personal awards include a Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with strike-flight award numeral eleven, Navy Commendation with "V" for valor and gold star in lieu of second award, and a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with three gold stars.
Craft graduated George Mason University and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1989.
Immediately after receiving his wings as a naval flight officer, he attended the Aircraft Maintenance Officer course receiving his secondary military occupational specialty.
In 1997, Craft attended Amphibious Warfare School and graduated with distinction.
Lt. Col. Craft received orders to Marine Aircraft Group 11 where he served as the weapons and tactics instructor.
In 2002, he received the MCAA Tober Guy Robinson Award as Naval Flight Officer of the Year.
Craft took command of VMFA(AW)-121 in 2006.
"Lt. Col. Craft led our squadron into combat and our Marines excelled because of his attention to detail and planning," said Sgt. Maj. Antonio N. Vizcarrondo, the squadron sergeant major who just recently left for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. "It was an honor to have served with an officer of his caliber.
Since Craft assumed command of VMFA(AW)-121, the squadron has performed a number of tasks in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
While deployed, the squadron accumulated 40,000 mishap-free flight hours with over 8,200 combat flight hours during his command.
Lt. Col. Craft's personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with a gold star, an Air Medal, an Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, a Navy Commendation Medal with "V" for valor and two gold stars, and a Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Continuing to uphold the high standards of VMFA(AW)-121, Palmer, as the new commanding officer plans to leave his mark.
"The Green Knights have performed exceptionally well during combat operations and I know they will continue to support MAG-11 missions with enthusiasm and professionalism," said Palmer. "I look forward to working up and deploying with the Marines of VMFA(AW)-121, taking the fight to the enemy where ever that may be."
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 12.06.2007 17:13 |
| Story ID: | 14492 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,125 |
| Downloads: | 715 |
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