Don E Davis Squadron
Marine Corps Aviation Association
A Service-Oriented Fraternity of Marine Corps Aviation Logisticians
Please welcome our new Officers:
Commanding Officer, Col Steve Franklin, USMC (Ret)
Adjutant, CWO-5 John Bandy, USMC (Ret)
Treasurer, CWO-3 Patrick Kelly, USMC (Ret)
Thank you for your many years of service as Officers of the Don E Davis Squadron:
Col Kevin McCutcheon, USMC (Ret)
CWO-3 Gale Rodgers, USMC (Ret)
DUES REMINDER
Membership period is from 10 Nov to 10 Nov! Schedule Electronic Transfer or send your check for $12 and mark it for annual dues. Multiple years can be paid
Hello, members and friends of the MCAA Don E. Davis Squadron Aviation Logistics Community and friends of Marine Aviation!
First things first. This is Steve Franklin, Col (Ret.). I have the honor and privilege of stepping into some HUGE shoes as the new CO of the Davis Squadron. The members voted to elect me during this year’s annual business meeting at our reunion. Kevin McCutcheon and I transferred the ceremonial gavel, and then Col Rick Owen gave me the oath of office. Klutch has led or helped lead our squadron SO well for the past 12 years – the first 7 as the XO, and then the last 5 years as the CO!! Wow! I am standing on the shoulders of him, Laura Sampsel, and Don Davis as I step into this office! For any of you I haven’t yet had the chance to meet or serve with, my bio is on the Squadron website.
Wow – what a reunion we had last month!! We have raised the bar, yet again, for subsequent reunions; they just keep getting better every year! We had another outstanding gathering at the Embassy Suites Oceanfront in Myrtle Beach. Our reunion was attended by more than 95 members & guests, our past MCAA Commander, sponsors, active-duty awardees, and guests. It was tremendous to see so many new faces in attendance. I want to acknowledge the amazing work of our Davis Squadron Officers for pulling things together. Bravo Zulu, Gale, Rob, Brent and Kevin! Additional thanks to those who helped our Officers and Board with the setup and care of the Ready Room and our banquet area. As always, the hotel staff were exceptional in their support accommodating the squadron! Special thanks to Board Member Brad Bergman for coordinating the Golf outing, and to our Financial Officer, Gale Rodgers, for coordinating the Lunch River Cruise!!
Our Guest of Honor was LtGen (Ret.) Robert “Whaler” Walsh, the current MCAA Commander. Whaler shared his insights on Marine Aviation readiness and the strategic importance of aviation logisticians in support of critical missions, now and into the future. He finished by sharing with the group his perspective on the direction of Marine Aviation, its evolution and how it will continue to be one of America’s most lethal fighting assets. Thank you, Sir!
Thanks to our very generous members and industry donations and sponsorships, we were able to hold a first-class awards program with Marines of the Year from 2ndMAW – GySgt Christopher Walker – and VMM-162 – Sergeant William Holtzman. We also were able to recognize our Distinguished Service recipients from 2024, Col (Ret.) Pat Garrett, and 2026, Capt (Ret.) Jim Rodgers. A special thank you goes out to our guests who led our Executive Roundtable Saturday morning. LtGen (Ret) Thomas “Stash” Conant, past MCAA Commander, gave us a strategic level overview of where Marine Aviation is heading and the importance of a more responsive and adaptable defense industry to meet the evolving threat environment. Weapons systems must be cheaper, faster, more lethal and interoperable across the C 2 spectrum. Capt (Ret.) Brian Scott, representing Paradigm Max Q shared with the group how technology and support enhancement will be the only acceptable way forward to sustain current aviation weapons systems.
I’d like to welcome Col (Ret.) Kevin McCutcheon (former CO) and CWO-3 (Ret.) Gale Rodgers (former FO) to our Board of Directors. They both agreed to transition from Squadron Officers to Board Members to help maintain continuity and to continue our squadron’s great activities! Many thanks, Kevin and Gale. I’d also like to welcome CWO-5 (Ret.) John Bandy as our new Adjutant, and CWO-3 (Ret.) Patrick Kelly as our new Financial Officer. John fills a vacant position, and Patrick replaces Gale Rodgers. I also want to thank LtCol (Ret.) Brent Meeker and MGySgt (Ret.) Rob McCutcheon as they continue to serve (respectively) as our XO and CommO! Finally, I want to welcome LtCol (Ret.) Chuck Jones and GySgt (Ret.) Corey Carlson as new members of our Scholarship Board. I thank each of you for your past AND future commitments!
Our efforts going forward are squarely focused on our Pete Freeman Scholarship Program, where our next reunion will be, and our continuing support to our MCAA Executive Director, Col (Ret) Bob “Strombo” DeForge and his ongoing MCAA membership drive. I encourage everyone to become – and stay – a MCAA member!
Remember, this is your organization! We are better and stronger together, and together we will maintain our tremendous momentum! Again, I thank each of you, and I look forward to hearing from you and/or seeing you soon!
Semper Fi, Steve
