Photo By Staff Sgt. William Downs | Col. Charles A. Huber, 301st Fighter Wing Operations Group commander(left), and Lt....... read more read more
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U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas -- 457th Fighter Squadron members welcomed Lt. Col. David E. Zeytoonjian as their new commander during a change of command ceremony at U.S. Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas on May 4, 2024.
Col. Charles A. Huber, 301st Fighter Wing Operations Group commander, presided over the ceremony as Lt. Col. David N. Snodgrass passed the guidon to Zeytoonjian.
Huber delivered a welcome address to the crowd, expressing his confidence in Zeytoonjan to lead the squadron.
“Trigger [Zeytoonjian’s call sign] has all of the confidence in the world from me and from the men and women in this room, to take this organization to the next phase, which is the F-35, coming at the end of the summer,” said Huber. “There is not a warrior that is more ready, that is more of a coach to this organization. He’s got the compassion, and he’s got the emotional intelligence to do the right thing at all times. Character and integrity are a hallmark of the leadership that we have come to appreciate and expect within this organization, so Trigger, I know you’re going to do a fantastic job!”
After, Snodgrass shared parting words with the 457 FS.
“To the Spads, it’s an honor to serve alongside you,” Snodgrass said. “It’s been amazing to see all that you have accomplished. You always got the job right despite any difficulty or adversity. You use teamwork and humor to deal with our challenging circumstances to make those a little more palatable and tolerable. You did an awesome job taking care of the tasks that made our mission happen. Through it all, your work as a team, trust in each other, and encouragement of your fellow Spads when they needed it, was the key to it all. I look forward to watching what you continue to do. Thanks to each one of you. Spad to the bone.”
After assuming command of the 457 FS, Zeytoonjian addressed his new Airmen.
“I want to thank Shave [Snodgrass’s call sign], I had the privilege of being his operations officer for 24 months,” said Zeytoonjian. “Shave, in two years, we went on numerous TDY’s [temporary duty], faced multiple challenges, and spent most of the summer of 2023 in beautiful Saudi Arabia. Shave, you have defined what it means to be a poised, calm leader and you’ve been a great example for me. The next two years are our opportunity for great moments in the Spads. There is a lot going on with the big transition to the F-35; this is our time to build on the legacy the old Spads spent decades building. It’s our time to take this amazing culture and carry it into the F-35, and there's not another group of warriors I would want to do it with.”
Prior to becoming the squadron commander, Zeytoonjian served as the director of operations for the 457 FS.
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2024 15:56 |
| Story ID: | 471173 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 305 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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