WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Maj. Erika Cordes assumed command of the 442d Maintenance Squadron April 2, 2022, in a ceremony held in the 5-Bay maintenance hangar here.
Cordes spent the previous eight months serving as the 442d Fighter Wing executive officer.
The 442 MXS had been without a commander since Maj. John Goodwin, the previous MXS commander, assumed command of the 442d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in September 2021. Goodwin acted as commander for both squadrons until Cordes took the reins of the MXS.
“I received a lot of phone calls about you,” said Lt. Col. Bill McLeod, the 442d Maintenance Group commander and presiding official for the ceremony. “There were three calls that really meant a lot to me: two chiefs down at Barksdale who I hold in very high regard, and an old Master Sgt. who called me and said he would work for you anytime, anywhere. That was the call that sealed the deal.”
Cordes, a prior-enlisted member, began her career in the Non-Destructive Inspection shop in 2005 before getting her commission as a maintenance officer in 2011 when she was a Staff Sgt.
“I hope that, with my experience and background, the squadron continues to set the standard within the MXG and FW,” Cordes said. “That we create an environment that empowers our Airmen to make decisions at the appropriate level, and then move out on them. One that will allow Airmen to not be afraid of making mistakes, but overcoming those fears and growing as a team. A team that stands ready to do what we train for!”