Training Air Wing Five Holds Change of Command (Kerr '98 and McCoy '91)
Marine Col. Andrew Kellner took command of Training Air Wing 5 at Naval Air Station Whiting Field on Sept. 5, taking over from Navy Capt. Kenneth Kerr, according to a news release from Whiting Field.
Rear Adm. Max McCoy, chief of naval air training, presided over the ceremony and awarded Kerr the Legion of Merit for his leadership and conduct during his command, which began in 2023.
Kellner previously served as the wing's deputy commodore. He was born at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and grew up in North Carolina and Virginia. He was commissioned in 2000 after graduating from Jacksonville University and was designated a naval aviator in 2002.
Under Kerr, the wing flew more than 203,000 flight hours on 105,100 missions, which sent more than 1,100 students into advanced training and awarded over 750 sets of aviator wings, according to the Navy.
The wing also completed the transition to the TH-73A Thrasher helicopter during his tenure.
A Pennsylvania native, Kerr was commissioned in 1998 from the U.S. Naval Academy and was designated a naval aviator in 2000. He previously commanded Training Squadron 18 at Whiting Field, served as air boss on the USS Bonhomme Richard, and was the director of Aviation Commanding Officer Training at Naval Aviation Schools Command.
BZ '91 and '98!