LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
After nearly 22 years of service to the 1st Fighter Wing, the 1st Maintenance Operations Squadron inactivated in a ceremony at Langley Air Force Base, Va., Aug. 23.
The 1st MOS was the 1st FW's focal point for maintaining the combat readiness of its F-22 Raptor fleet and the 1st Maintenance Group's personnel. The 1st MOS managed all maintenance-related Air Force Specialty Codes and training programs. Additionally, the squadron managed the 1st MXG's finances and facilities.
The inactivation effectively created a group-level staff agency to assume the former responsibilities of the 1st MOS.
U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Venzke, the 1st MXG commander, reminded those in attendance that while change is inevitable, the group is committed to delivering the same warfighting capability as always.
"We will take the [1st] MOS emblem as an unofficial logo for the group staff and continue to identify members of this team as 'Sabres,'" said Venzke."Ultimately, I remain as confident as ever that the 1st Maintenance Group, along with our partners in the 192d Fighter Wing, 'America's First Team,' is ready to fly, fight and win.
"Sabres, leading the charge," Venzke said in closing, referencing the squadron's bold motto.
"Even though we will be a squadron no more, you will always be a 'Sabre,'" Maj. Paul Netchaeff, the squadron commander, said to his Airmen. "In this cyclical process we call change, I'm sure there'll be sometime in the future when the 1st MOS sabre will be unsheathed and ready for the mission."
The 1st MOS was originally constituted as the Air Base Detachment at Key Field, Miss., March 17, 1942. Following an assignment on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean during World War II, the unit disbanded Dec. 18, 1944.
The unit was reactivated in October 1991 as the 1st Logistics Support Squadron at Langley AFB, adopting its most recent designation July 15, 2002.