719th MXS members bid farewell to unit

  • Published
  • By Jasmine DeNamur
  • 919th SOW Public Affairs
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  Past and present members of the 719th Maintenance Squadron gathered together to talk about the good ol' days of their squadron April 5, marking the end of an era where decorations were earned and contingencies were supported under the wings of MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft. 

More than 100 people paid tribute to the squadron and its people during the farewell party, said Master Sgt. George Reyes, 919th Maintenance Squadron instruments and flight controls systems craftsman and prior 719th MXS member. 

The party was a solemn remembrance of the squadron's move nearly a decade ago when signs displaying "Lost our lease" and "Everything must go" were posted in a maintenance building here signifying maintainers' moves to Eglin AFB to form the squadron there. 

It's kind of ironic, because nobody really wanted to go to Eglin AFB when they were asked to go in 1999. Once they were there, everybody's eyes opened up to a different world, said Sergeant Reyes. 

"The 719th MXS wound up being an oasis. There was a strong cohesiveness in the unit - we were a big family. If somebody needed help, everyone came out to help each other, from the highest leadership to the lowest ranking Airman. It made coming to work worthwhile and satisfying," he said. 

Now, the members are essentially coming home, or to at least what they used to call home. 

"I've been at Duke Field since 1988 and transferred to the 719th in 2000," said Master Sgt. Larry Pelton, 919th Maintenance Group quality assurance aircraft inspector. "Coming back was a nice change of atmosphere." 

Maintainers from the 919th Maintenance Squadron were moved to Eglin AFB in 1999 to support flying contingencies of the 5th Special Operations Squadron, which also moved to there from Duke Field. Originally called 919th MXS Detachment 1, the unit was reconstituted as the 719th MXS one year later. 

The squadron has a vibrant and exciting history dating back to World War II. Since its inception in 1942, the squadron has seen several missions and locations, moving from Michigan, New York, New Jersey, India, Burma, and back to the U.S. within a three-year time span. It has seen two activations thus far, dating back to 1942 through 1945 to support World War II efforts, and most recently, from 2001 to 2003, in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. 

"The squadron has set its footprint on several continents and countries around the globe," said Sergeant Reyes. "In some instances, we went from a training environment to a real world contingency, giving us the opportunity to validate years of training," he said. 

Amongst several deployments in support of the war, the squadron also played an integral part in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, providing humanitarian aid and supporting rescue efforts. 

"As a special operations unit all around, we played an important role in the war and continue to do so in the wing today," said Sergeant Pelton. "In addition to the inflight refueling the Shadows provided, we were also responsible for the transport of other elite services in and out of the war zone, whether they were Army Special Forces troops or Navy SEALs." 

Given that the MC-130E Combat Talon I has similar mission to its sister aircraft, coming back to Duke Field wasn't a difficult idea to swallow. 

"I like coming back - I'm now completely immersed in a Reserve atmosphere," said Sergeant Pelton. "Sure, there's no Commissary or full service Base Exchange, but they don't beat being able to be surrounded by colleagues all around." 

"Being on Eglin had its challenges because the active-duty turnover rate was high," said Sergeant Reyes. "We provided the continuity there; we were the technical experts. A lot of the senior leadership would come to us first to assess issues." 

"Despite our family atmosphere, we were also a business. You know the saying - work hard, play hard - that's exactly what the 719th did. We put 100 percent into everything we did," he added. 

It was this hard work and camaraderie squadron members celebrated during the party, which was held at the Eglin Officers' Club. 

The party was great. It was nice to see a lot of old faces in the crowd and find out what everybody's been up to, said Sergeant Pelton. 

In addition to the 719th family coming together once again, the party culminated with a series of musical slide shows depicting the unit's members in action here and overseas, followed by live music from "Not Quite Fab", a band that includes Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Fitzpatrick, 919th Maintenance Squadron avionics flight chief and former 719th MXS member. 

A lot of planning went through to be able to make this happen, said Sergeant Reyes. 

Some key players who helped put the party together include Lt. Col. Wendy Deemer; Capt. Carmel Weed; Chief Master Sgts. Pamela Duvall and Jeffrey Fitzpatrick; Master Sgts. Kent Castro, Flor Contreras, David Griffith, Charles McBride, and Jimmy Sands; Tech. Sgts. Laurence Fisher and Oswaldo Roman; and Senior Airman Emily Bush. 

"It's an honor and pleasure to have served with a group of people as dedicated and hard working as the 719th members," said Sergeant Reyes. "I'm just one little cog in that big wheel. My hat is off to every member who served in the unit." 

When asked if the 719th would be back in the future for more action, Sergeant Reyes had a simple answer. 

"...just as the phoenix arises from the ashes - bigger and better."