DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- When Air Force members receive correspondence from the Department of the Air Force, and the first paragraph reads, "By order of the Secretary of the Air Force", almost anything is apt to follow.
In a recent case for the 7th Medical Group, the correspondence read, "the following unit, the 7th Medical Support Squadron, will be inactivated on or about July 22, 2022."
That brief sentence ended 28 years of the squadron's continuous service to the Airmen and families at Dyess AFB. The inactivation is part of the Defense Health Agency's efforts to streamline the delivery of healthcare services throughout the Department of Defense. Activation and inactivation are to be expected as the Air Force's mission changes to meet the dynamic evolution of America's adversaries around the globe and in space.
The 7th Medical Support Squadron functions will transfer to the 7th Healthcare Operations Squadron, located at Dyess AFB. Six squadron flights, Pharmacy, Diagnostics, Logistics, Tricare Operations Patient Administration, Resource Management Office, and Information Systems, will be transferred, to include 42 active-duty Airmen and several civilians and contractors.
The flights' missions will not change, the transfer will eliminate no positions, and only the squadron patch will change. The legacy of service will continue but under a new squadron designation.