JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Joshua Dorr, 7th Fighter Training Squadron commander, assumed command of the newly reactivated 7th FTS during a ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Nov. 12, 2021.
Previously based out of Holloman Air Force Base, NM, the 7th FTS ‘Screamin’ Demons’, formerly designated as the 7th Fighter Squadron, was inactivated in May of 2014 with a primary mission of providing air dominance and global air superiority via the F-22 Raptor.
The 7th FTS will received personnel and equipment transferred from the 71st Fighter Training Squadron here at JBLE. The 7th FTS will then assume the adversary air mission, which utilizes T-38 Talons to help prepare F-22 Raptor pilots for real-world combat scenarios.
“This is a great opportunity to be able to represent the men and women of the newly reactivated 7th FTS here at JBLE,” Dorr said. “There’s no doubt in my mind we will continue to enhance the 1 FW’s combat capability by providing world class F-22 Adversary Air support.”
The 7th FTS has a history steeped in tradition dating back to World War II, where the squadron conducted air defense missions in the Pacific Theater flying the P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning in Australia and New Guinea. The 7th FTS mascot and emblem, the ‘Screamin’ Demons’, was derived from the Australian Aboriginal’s death demon, the ‘Bunyap’.
“We’re all extremely fired up about bringing a squadron back to life that has a history dating back to WWII. Many squadron members have been counting down the days until we transition from the ‘Ironmen’ to the ‘Screamin’ Demons’,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Swiechowicz, 71st FTS assistant director of operations. “In the grand scheme of things, it will be a smooth and seamless transition, and we’re fully prepared to carry on the history and traditions of the ‘Screamin’ Demons’.”