192nd AMXS welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kellyann Elish
  • 192nd Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. --  The 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, welcomes a new commander for the 192nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron during an assumption of command ceremony held Oct. 14, 2018, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

Presiding officer Col. Catherine M. Jumper, 192nd Maintenance Group commander, welcomed Maj. Frances Dixon with the ceremonial passing of the 192nd AMXS guidon.

“Anyone sitting in this hangar who has been a squadron commander can back me up when I say that being a squadron commander is absolutely the best job in the Air Force,” said Jumper. “All of the Airmen of the 192nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron can confirm that I left the AMXS commander job kicking and screaming because I was not ready to go. However, the good news is that in my current position as group commander, I am in a unique position to make recommendations to Col. Lobash [192nd Wing commander] on who I think is the right person to lead the AMXS…I have no doubt that I have picked the winner with Maj. Dixon.”

Dixon has served in both the active and reserve components, deployed multiple times, received her Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School and holds a masters degree in crisis and emergency management.

“I could not be more confident that Maj. Dixon has exactly what it takes to lead the 192nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron,” said Jumper.

Jumper remarked on the incredible Airmen of the 192nd AMXS that Dixon would be commanding and what they bring to the VaANG.

“You have a team of all stars without a doubt,” said Jumper. “Every day that you serve next to these Airmen, you will be amazed at the dedication and effort that they put into everything they do… Together, I am confident that you and this team of all stars are going to take the Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to new heights, and I’m really excited to watch it happen.”

Dixon thanked those in attendance including family, command leadership, family and Airmen of the 192nd. She also thanked Jumper for her confidence in her ability to take on this new role as squadron commander.

“The 192nd to me is an amazing organization,” said Dixon. “A brilliant officer once told me, ‘The one thing a maintainer looks for in a commander is someone who cares and who is competent.’ Those are the two things that I’d like to I pledge to you…to be able to show a competence to the difficult task of flight line maintenance and what it takes to produce aircraft every day as well as the caring to understand that these tasks are completed by men and women who are fighting their own battles and balancing their own lives. No one knows this more than a guardsman… My pledge to you is to lead you with competence, caring, courage and compassion and to be mindful and respectful of your time.”

As a part time guardsman, like most VaANG Airmen, Dixon must balance the priorities of family, civilian work and military obligations. She promised to be available every day as their commander any time her Airmen need her. She vowed to be the ‘servant leader’ the 192nd AMXS deserves and will strive to make the Airmen better, individually and as a group.