On September 18 Lt. Col. Kevin Gross, USMC, was awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s James Maguire Award for 2004. The award, named in honor of Gunnery Sergeant James Maguire, the first enlisted Marine ordered to aviation duty, was presented to Lt. Col. Gross in San Diego during the association’s annual banquet. The Maguire Award is given each year in recognition of the most significant professional contribution made to enhance Marine Aviation by either Marine Aviation personnel or a Marine Corps squadron.

The citation for the award notes that in his capacity as V-22 Government Flight Test Director, Lt. Col. Gross “was responsible for the highly successful accomplishments of all development tests and flight test prerequisites for entry into operational assessment of the MV-22. Additionally, his brilliant technical competence, superb performance of duty, and unequaled leadership skills were dominant factors that contributed to a renewed confidence in the V-22 program at the highest levels of the Department of Defense. The total dedication and professional judgment of Lt. Col. Gross have helped shape the future of Marine Aviation, paving the way for this transformational technology in the 21st Century, and providing warfighters with a capability that will be vital to the defense of the nation.”

Lt. Col. Gross, whose fleet experience includes flying AV-8B Harriers during Desert Storm, recently left the ITT and has assumed duties as deputy MV-22 IPT lead at PMA-275, the V-22 Joint Program Office at NAVAIR.