WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Lt. Col. Thomas Schmidt assumed command of the 442d Force Support Squadron December 2, 2023, in a ceremony held in building 705 on Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Prior to assuming command, Schmidt served as the 442d Fighter Wing staff judge advocate, providing legal advice to commanders.
Before they can serve as a commander, a judge advocate general officer must receive permission from their career field functional manager. It’s rare, said Schmidt, for a JAG to both have approval and opportunity at the same time. However, in his determination to lead, Schmidt personally wrote the waivers necessary to allow him to take on the leadership role.
In his remarks, Schmidt asked the squadron to remember three things: first, that it is a customer-service organization; second, to make smart mistakes – that is, mistakes the members can learn from and iterate on until a problem is solved; and third, to always look for ways to innovate and improve processes and functions.