HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – Lt. Col. Jayson Rickard assumed command of the 419th Operations Support Squadron from Lt. Col. Erik Fiederer Oct. 18, 2020, during the wing’s training weekend here.
During the ceremony, Fiederer called Rickard a “benchmark example” of being a leader during good and bad times, and turning adversity into an advantage.
Rickard expressed a desire to take care of Airmen and to continue to grow the capabilities and recognition of the squadron.
“Each one of you has played a role in the transformation of this organization from a support flight to a support squadron,” Rickard said during his remarks.
The OSS is comprised of three major functional areas: air crew flight equipment, intelligence, and current operations. Each of these areas is integrated with the active duty 388th Operations Support Squadron as they support all four F-35A Lightning II fighter squadrons at Hill AFB.
The 419th OSS supports the wing’s mission by providing the foundation for F-35 combat power and enables its Airmen to deploy with the intelligence data and equipment needed to execute the mission at any deployed location.