274th Air Support Operations Squadron Welcomes New Commander

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Autumn Velez
  • 174th Attack Wing
HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SYRACUSE, N.Y. --  Lt. Col. Patrick Cox, 274th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) commander, relinquished command to Lt. Col. Anthony Pasquale during a change of command ceremony held at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Sunday, April 3.

During the ceremony, Col. Michael Comella, 152nd Air Operations Group commander, provided opening comments about the change of command.

"This change of command marks the next chapter in this unit's history," Comella said.

Cox was one of only four individuals who had commanded the squadron since it was stood-up over sixteen years ago. During his time as commander, Cox had many accomplishments including increasing the manning of the squadron by thirty-two percent while also ensuring  his Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Airmen were trained and prepared to perform their unique mission.

The TACP Airmen of the 274th ASOS are unique in the sense that when they deploy,  they  deploy with Army units and are responsible for directing close air support for friendly forces during combat operations.

Cox credited much of his own success to the Airmen of the 274th ASOS and left them with some final words.

"The dark-knights have made me proud and made their Air Force proud," Cox said.

As the new commander of the 274th ASOS, Pasquale will be faced with the challenge of developing today's battlefield Airmen.

"There's a tough battle ahead and we are going to prepare you for it," Pasquale said.

Pasquale went on to thank the unit for the opportunity to serve as their commander.

"It is humbling to be a part of this unit and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Pasquale said.