Maj. Megyesi assumes command of 910th SFS Published Dec. 22, 2020 By Senior Airman Noah J. Tancer 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- Maj. Nicholas Megyesi assumed command of the 910th Security Forces Squadron during an assumption of command ceremony held in Youngstown Air Reserve Station’s community activity center, Dec. 5, 2020. Officiated by Col. Gregory Meyer, commander of the 910th Mission Support Group, the 910th SFS guidon (unit flag) was picked up by Megyesi, symbolizing his assumption of command. “Congratulations to Nick on this opportunity, you’ve earned it,” said Meyer. “I have full faith and confidence in you to lead our people. Previously, you were known as the interim commander, but as of today, you are the commander of the Security Forces Squadron. You’ll have full authority over your Airmen, the mission and resources, and are charged with ensuring they are ready for tomorrow’s fight now.” The assumption of command is a military tradition deeply rooted in history, dating back to the time of Roman legions. Militaries developed flags unique to the organization with specialized colors and designs. When soldiers followed their leader into battle, they kept sight of the flag. If the banner still waived after the conflict, it was a sign that their side did not taste defeat on the field of battle. “An assumption of command is a little different than a change of command,” said Megyesi. “In a change of command, there is a lot of ‘I hope tos’ and ‘I want tos,’ but as for an assumption of command, particularly this one, it’s a little different. Just over a year ago, I was asked to step into the role as interim commander, and a year ago to this UTA was my first commander’s call, so I got all my ‘hope tos’ and ‘want tos’ and all that said at that point.” Modern assumption of command ceremonies honor history and tradition with a ceremonial passing of the guidon to the new commander, who traditionally, in front of his Airmen and fellow commanders, exclaims his promise to take command. “At that commander's call (a year ago) I sat down with my Airmen and laid out what I expected of them; but most importantly, I told them what they could hold me accountable for and what they could expect of me,” said Megyesi. “I told them that I’d be fair and consistent across the board, that my leadership philosophy was simple. I would lead how I’d want to be led, I would follow how I’d want to be followed and I would treat others how I would want to be treated. And my commitment to my squadron remains the same.” Megyesi expressed his gratitude and admiration to his Reserve Citizen Airmen attending the ceremony through Zoom and spoke of their many accomplishments over the past year. “We are a squadron that has a proud heritage, we’re a squadron that has a lot of accolades, and we hold that line as we always have. And so today, in this last year we’ve accomplished a few things, and I want to share my squadron’s success,” said Megyesi. “Since I’ve taken the interim position and now command we’ve had 21 decorations awarded. We’ve had over 25 folks submitted for different various awards at the wing level all the way up to the Air Force Reserve Command. Most recently, we just had a member win civilian of the year for AFRC Security Forces. We’ve had multiple distinguished graduates at tech school, had a commandant graduate award and we actually had a top graduate for sniper school out of all four branches of service and different components. We are a squadron of proud heritage, and to my squadron, I say thank you for allowing me to be your commander, and my commitment to you remains the same. The best is yet to come.” The 910th SFS provides force protection for YARS’s C-130H Hercules aircraft, the Department of Defense’s only aerial spray capability and all personnel assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing as well as tenant organizations. The 910th SFS global mission includes training and deploying for worldwide contingency operations. The squadron provides combat arms training, law enforcement patrols, criminal investigations, close-in security and resource protection for YARS. To complete their assigned mission, the 910th SFS works closely with local, county and state police agencies as well as other federal agencies while simultaneously maintaining Youngstown’s deployable air base defense capability. The ceremony abided by all of the DoD and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidelines.