MSAS celebrates five years of African partnerships, friendships

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The sound of small-talk and laughter filled Tommy B's Community Center Cotillion room as past and present members of the 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron greeted each other one handshake, one smile, and one hug at a time.

The young MSAS celebrated its five year anniversary with a dinner April 8, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. In attendance was Air Force Lt. Col. (retired) Thom Adkins, the squadron's first commander.

Adkins recalled the MSAS' birth from the time he was the chief of safety assigned to the 305th Air Mobility Wing. In 2011 the wing commander called Adkins to his office to discuss an upcoming career changing opportunity.

"He congratulated me and told me they had a squadron for me," Adkins recalled. "I thought it was fantastic. Then he said it's the eight...one...eight... then he paused and got up out of his chair to get a piece of paper because he couldn't remember the name of the squadron," he smiled as he recalled.

Adkins was tasked with building a new squadron under the 621st Contingency Response Wing. The unit would build partnerships and provide air mobility advising and training to African partner nations.

"It was a blank sheet of paper," Adkins said. "We didn't have phones hooked up, we didn't have computers, we started with eight people on the books and it rapidly grew," he said.

The squadron first started out small traveling to Africa with travel contact teams initiating engagements with the partner nations.

"It just continued to gain momentum," Adkins said. "You build these partnerships and they're meaningful, long-lasting and to see it grow from absolutely nothing to what it is today is absolutely phenomenal," he said.

The 818th MSAS evolved and is now comprised of approximately 77 Airmen spanning 33 Air Force job specialties. In that five-year timespan, the squadron produced 115 air advisors, 20 team sergeants, and 16 mission commanders skilled in international diplomacy and security cooperation. The 818th MSAS has performed 123 missions in more than 20 countries across Africa, training and engaging with over 2,000 partners.

"The MSAS has opened doors, built relationships and most importantly partnered with the African Air Forces delivering enhanced security for both African and the U.S.," said Lt. Col. Scott McKeever, 818th MSAS commander. "It's the most dominant and impactful squadron in the U.S. Air Force."

Being part of the MSAS made Adkins understand the importance of friendships and partnerships. As an airlines pilot he still uses this skill on a daily basis.

"I was in New Orleans where there was a Delta (aircraft) maintainer and I recognized he had an accent and I asked him where he was from," Adkins said. "He said he was from Ghana. He did all of his checklists and everything like that and we got to talk a little bit," he said.

After the conversation with the Ghana born maintainer, Adkins said, "me da wo ase," which means thank you in Twi, a language spoken in Ghana.

Just then, the maintainer's face lit up with a smile.