Photo By Kevin Hynes | Nebraska Air National Guard Lt. Col. Samuel Schneider (right) relinquishes command of...... read more read more
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OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. – One of the newest units in the Air National Guard saw its first changing of the guards take place, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, when Maj. Jordan Jacobs assumed command of the 170th Maintenance Support Squadron from the unit’s first commander, Lt. Col. Samuel Schneider.
Schneider had served as commander of the unique Nebraska Air National Guard maintenance squadron since it first stood up at Offutt Air Force Base in April 2022.
According to Col. Wendy Squarcia, commander of the 170th Group that is associated with the active Air Force’s 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, the 170th Maintenance Support Squadron was one of two units stood up three years ago following decades of successful Nebraska Air Guard support of the 55th Wing’s global mission. Prior to the addition of the new aircraft maintenance support and intelligence support squadrons, the 170th Group had supported the 55th Wing through its operations support and combat training support squadrons.
Squarcia said creating a new maintenance support squadron essentially from scratch caused numerous and often unforeseen challenges that tested unit leaders.
“It threw us challenges and had us jumping over hurdles we weren’t even sure how to get over,” said Squarcia. “But here we are. We’ve added one more squadron to the Total Force partnership with the 55th Wing.”
Squarcia said the 170th Maintenance Support Squadron has made huge strides since it first stood up under the command of Schneider and that the squadron is now responsible for providing support to more than 1,200 active duty Airmen and contract personnel maintaining 29 different RC-135 and E-4B aircraft, which have flown global operations missions in in nine separate Areas of Responsibility in support of Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Agency and Combatant Commander taskings.
“We’ve taken on a task we’ve never done before by standing up a new organization, hiring the next generation, teaching our Total Force partners who we are and what we do, knocking on doors at (National Guard Bureau) to get what we needed…” Squarcia said.
“It’s been a busy three years to say the least, but you did it and the unit has some of the highest caliber professionalism that I’ve seen in my career,” Squarcia told the assembled unit during the change of command ceremony. “Each of you bring a wealth of knowledge, innovation and perspective to everything you touch. You make things better than you found them.”
The unit’s current capabilities, Squarcia said, were directly impacted by Schneider’s leadership and drive to stand up the squadron. The results included increasing unit staffing by 45 percent, developing new unit support and operational plans, developing an internal maintenance standard evaluation program to track potential shortfalls, and supporting numerous requests including providing Airmen to support operations on the Southwest Border in Texas, tornado relief in Omaha, and a hurricane response mission in Florida.
“Sam is an incredible leader and officer. He is the person you want and you need on your team,” said Squarcia, adding that Schneider helped create a highly professional culture within the squadron through his focus on unit and Airman development, team-building and mission accomplishment.
“You took it upon yourself to build a culture,” she said. “We have set the standard moving forward.”
Schneider received his commission as a second lieutenant in 2002 through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Following his commission, he served in numerous leadership positions including assignments at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Baghdad, Iraq; and Offutt Air Force Base. Following his transfer to the Nebraska Air National Guard in 2012, he served in a variety of positions within the Offutt-based 170th Group including chief evaluator for the RC-135U, director of operations for the 170th Operations Support Squadron, 170th Group director of staff, and the chief of Maintenance Operations for the 55th Maintenance Group.
Schneider said he was extremely honored to have played a part in the development of the 170th MSS, helping take a vision and turn it into a reality. He also expressed his gratitude to Squarcia for giving him the opportunity to be part of an extremely unique effort.
“Thank you for trusting me to stand this up years ago,” he said. “It was the first – and only – maintenance support squadron in the United States Air Force. We traveled a lot of uncharted territory.”
Schneider also thanked the leaders and Airmen of the 55th Wing’s maintenance community for welcoming the new unit onto their team and giving the Nebraska Air National Guard Airmen an opportunity to become contributors to the organization’s wide-ranging maintenance missions.
“In the past three years, we’ve grown from five people on the first day to more than 40 maintenance professions,” Schneider said. “We recruited some incredible folks, and we’ve accomplished some tasks that I couldn’t have even imagined.”
Schneider said he knows the new commander will pick up where he left off and help lead the unit to new and undiscovered heights.
“Welcome to the good life, buddy,” Schneider told Jacobs. “I know that you said you were thrilled to be here, but not nearly as much as everyone else here in this room, including me… You are the perfect person for the job.”
“I will sleep soundly knowing that these guys are in your care,” Schneider said. “Your experience, approachability and demeanor will take the Guard and RC-135 maintenance to the next level.”
Squarcia agreed, saying Jacobs is well known as “one of the rock stars of maintenance.”
“His professionalism, knowledge and demeanor are topnotch,” said Squarcia “… He is exactly what this organization needed to continue what we have started.”
Jacobs has served in the Air Force since September 2004 when he enlisted as a security forces apprentice. Following multiple security forces assignments, he earned his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2013. Since then, Jacobs has served in numerous maintenance leadership positions at such locations as Offutt Air Force Base and most recently at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where he served as the 4th Component Maintenance Squadron commander.
Jacobs said he is thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Nebraska and contribute to the unique mission of the 170th MSS.
“(Schneider) leaves behind an incredible mark as the first-ever 170th Maintenance Support Squadron commander,” said Jacobs. “He has handed over an exceptional team that has accomplished so many great things and will continue to do so.”
Jacobs said his feelings for the 170th MSS have only grown since watching the development of the squadron while serving as the 55th Maintenance Group director of Operations and seeing first-hand the commitment of the Nebraska Air Guard Airmen to contribute to the Total Force effort.
“I am grateful for the trust and confidence you place in me to lead and serve in this new capacity,” he said, adding he looks forward to working with the 55th Maintenance Group to continue to grow the 170th MSS’s capabilities and support to their combined mission.
“Though we may wear different patches on our shoulders, we’re all on the same team and we wear the same jersey,” he said. “(I am) looking forward to building stronger bonds with you as we embrace the ‘One Team, No Seam’ approach to our mission.”
| Date Taken: | 02.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2025 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 490556 |
| Location: | NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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