NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland, – The AV-8B Weapon Systems Program Office (PMA-257) welcomed a new leader June 6 during a change of command and retirement ceremony here.

Marine Corps Col. Charles Gray, outgoing PMA-257 program manager, passed the command flag to Marine Col. Frederick Schenk, former F/A-18A-D Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) integrated program team lead in the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265).

Gray retired from the Marine Corps after more than 25 years of service.

“I want to thank the people of the program office from the bottom of my heart for all their dedicated work over these past two years,” Gray said. “They come in every day and do their best for the Harrier and Marine Corps. This isn’t a job for them; it’s almost a religion, in how much they care about this program.”

Rear Adm. Donald Gaddis, Program Executive Officer Tactical Aircraft Programs (PEO(T)), served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker.

“The Harrier is a vital part of the Marine arsenal and continues to serve us well,” said Gaddis. “There’s still service life left in the Harrier and Colonel Schenk, you have an enormous responsibility on your shoulders right now, not only for the Marine Corps but for the Italian and Spanish navies, to keep these aircraft combat ready.”

Gaddis continued that PMA-257’s work with the Harrier has had an impact that will be felt for years.

Gray once said “the Harrier’s capability is not enabled by millions of lines of software code nor by hundreds of man years of modeling simulation efforts, but is enabled by the minds, the hands, the hearts and the sweat of Marines, and these enablers will never be matched, will never be beaten in peace or in war.”

After taking command of the program office, Schenk thanked his family and friends for their continued support during his years of service.

“It’s been almost 19 years since I checked in to VMAT-223 at Cherry Point and became part of the tight-knit community that is the Harrier team,” Schenk said. “It’s truly great to be back home with the Harrier family and having the privilege to serve as the program manager for the AV-8B. It’s amazing to see what the people in the program office do with the limited resources they have to keep the Harrier reliable and relevant for the fleet until it flies its last flight.”

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Schenk is a graduate of Cedarburg High School in Cedarburg, Class of 1988, and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Class of 1992.

After graduation from The Basic School, Schenk was transferred to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida, and subsequently NAS Meridian, Mississippi, where he was designated a Naval Aviator on April 7, 1995. In June 1995, Schenk reported to Marine Attack Training Squadron (VMAT) 203, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, for AV-8B Harrier training.

In September 1996, Schenk joined Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 231 and deployed on USS Wasp from February to June 1998 with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 264 (Rein) and the 26^th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Following Amphibious Warfare School, Schenk received orders back to VMA-231 in Cherry Point, he deployed on USS Nassau from September to December 2002 with HMM-263 (Rein) and the 24^th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

In January 2003, Schenk was transferred to the United States Naval Test Pilot School here, Class 124. He graduated in December 2003 and was assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 as the Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) project pilot for the F-35 Lighting II.

In May 2007, Schenk was transferred to the Naval Aviation Training Systems Program Office (PMA-205) as the Department Head for all Marine Corps Aviation Training Systems. He was responsible for coordinating the acquisition efforts of nine different integrated product teams utilizing common solutions and best practices across the entire spectrum of the training continuum.

Schenk was transferred back to VX-23 in November 2008 as the government flight test director for the F-35 Integrated Test Force. He was responsible for a combined government / contractor team of more than 750 people and eight F-35B/C aircraft.

In July 2012, Schenk was transferred to the Industrial College of the Armed forces earning a Master of Science degree in National Security and Resource Strategy. In July 2013, he was transferred to the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265) and served as the F/A-18A-D Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) integrated program team lead.