Photo By Staff Sgt. Celeste Zuniga | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. David Snodgrass, 301st Operations Group commander, assumes...... read more read more
Subscribe
NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas – Members of the 301st Operations Group welcomed Lt. Col. David N. Snodgrass as their new commander during an assumption of command ceremony Aug. 3, 2024, at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Forth Worth, Texas.
The 301st Fighter Wing commander, Col. Benjamin R. Harrison, acted as the presiding officer for the ceremony. Before passing the guidon to Snodgrass, Harrison addressed the audience.
“He continues to have a significant, positive impact on everyone he interacts with,” Harrison said. “He excels at everything he does, but he does so while giving everyone else the credit. It is awesome that he has this opportunity to be the group commander. He is absolutely the right guy for the job.”
Snodgrass took command of the OG at a pivotal time for the wing as the unit transitions to the F-35A Lightning II. The 301st was selected to become the first Air Force Reserve command unit to own and operate the 5th generation platform.
After assuming command, Snodgrass addressed the OG and what lies ahead.
“I think today represents a transition to the F-35 era for our operations group. Over the next few weeks, we’ll receive our first F-35,” said Snodgrass. “First, we’ll start flying local training sorties, then, in the next couple of years, we’ll progress to being combat-ready to deploy when our nation calls upon us,” Snodgrass said.
As the OG enters a new era with the F-35, the incoming commander acknowledged potential challenges. However, he also emphasized the significance of teamwork in accomplishing the mission.
“This new beginning will certainly bring new challenges and it will probably bring along some of the old challenges,” Snodgrass said. “This new beginning will also present some new opportunities to learn and innovate. We will incorporate new people, new job specialties and new tactics using the F-35’s enhanced combat capabilities. Most importantly, we’ll need to work together to accomplish these goals and continue to propel our strong unit culture forward.”
Snodgrass concluded his speech with the following words.
“Our country is counting on us to be professionals who can deploy and win in aerial combat,” Snodgrass said. “I know that our group is up to this challenge, and I am honored to begin this journey of F-35 combat readiness with you.”
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2024 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 477981 |
| Location: | NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 301st Operations Group Assumption of Command, by SSgt Celeste Zuniga, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
