433rd Maintenance Squadron welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Maj. A. Spence Pennington assumed command of the 433rd Maintenance Squadron during a ceremony here Jan. 30, 2016.

Col. Gretchen M. Wiltse, 433rd Maintenance Group commander, presided over the ceremony.

"He brings a lot of that 'One team, one fight' spirit with him, and we're going to use a lot of that knowledge to make this a very strong maintenance squadron, and in turn, a stronger maintenance group as well," she said. "He is a great asset to our team, and I'm looking forward to installing him as commander of the maintenance squadron."

Pennington comes to the 433rd Maintenance Squadron from the 433rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron where he has been serving as an operations officer since spring 2015 shortly after leaving active duty. During the ceremony, he thanked those who supported him throughout his career and wing leadership for affording him this opportunity.

"Col. Smith, Col. Scott and Col. Wiltse, thank you for choosing a small-town kid from deep South Texas who just came off of active duty and decided he still wanted to be in the Air Force Reserve."

Pennington, a Harlingen, Texas, native, also addressed the men and women of his new unit.

"To the members of the 433rd Maintenance Squadron, it's an honor to be able to stand with you, he said. "I promise to provide you with the leadership and stability you deserve through stern and fair means. We will create an environment that is disciplined yet considerate, safe and timely. The standards will be high, and I will hold each of you accountable as I do myself. I hope you each feel a great sense of pride for your efforts in protecting this great nation and making aircraft like that one (referencing the C-5M) fly to meet all of our various missions. Everything we do and stand for is summed up in three focus areas: people, planes and processes.  We'll focus on these three things."

As the 433rd Maintenance Squadron commander, Pennington is responsible for directing the efforts of 260 Airmen sustaining back shop operations for five C-5M aircraft worth an estimated $1 billion in support of Air Mobility Command airlift and flying training unit missions; the Air Force's only dual mission unit, according to his official biography. He also oversees compliance-driven maintenance and safety directives while preserving equipment reliability and personnel safety. He develops and implements policies for unit combat readiness, morale and discipline.