MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. -- The 927th Operations Support Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, welcomed their new commander during a change of command ceremony Apr. 7, during the Unit Training Assembly.
During the ceremony, the presiding officer, Col. Caroline B. Evernham, commander of the 927th Operations Group, introduced Lt. Col. Ben Ward as the wing’s newest squadron commander.
“Lt. Col. Ward has a great range of experience with KC-135 operations and everything that makes the mission happen as a flight commander,” said Evernham. “With his very approachable, big picture leadership style, he will have a tremendous impact as the new commander for the OSS.”
Ward earned his commission from Baylor University in 1998 and has served in a number of positions both operational and as staff, including duty as chief of wing scheduling, chief of standardizations and evaluations and squadron director of operations. While deployed, Ward has served as an operational planner and more recently as an assistant director of operations.
Ward accepted the command with a hopeful optimism for the future.
“No matter what the daily grind is,” Ward said. “You guys still get up in the morning, you put the uniform on and you look in the mirror and you decide you’re going to come here anyway. You come here and you look out for each other and you help each other with a smile on your face with an effort of ‘how can I make this better, what can I do.”
Ward, a Tampa resident and former instructor pilot with the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron, expressed the importance of the role of reservists who have strong ties to the area.
“This is our unit. We are the reservists. We are the people who are here while others may come and go. This is our home,” he said. “Thank you for being here and for your optimism to take on the challenges that may come.”
As the OSS commander, Ward will be responsible for the manning, training, and administration of the support squadron which includes: Wing Plans, Current Operations, Wing Intelligence, Combat Crew Communications, Aircrew Flight Equipment, Training and Aviation Resource Management.