319 CS welcomes new commander Published June 17, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Rachel Martinez 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Lt. Col. Joseph Moritz formally assumed command of the 319th Communications Squadron from Lt. Col. Samuel Bass, June 17 during a change-of-command ceremony at the 319 CS building. As commander of the 319 CS, Colonel Bass was responsible for all base communication and information systems, as well as the High Frequency Global Communications System mission and equipment. "Commanding this squadron has been an absolute honor and we'll (Colonel Bass and his wife Julie) take the memories of the hard work, dedication and care that the Airmen of this unit showed every day," said Colonel Bass. Colonel Bass has been the commander of the 319 CS since July 2008. His next assignment will be with the Pentagon. Colonel Moritz, prior to this assignment, was the Chief, Systems and Contingency Operation Branch at the United States Transportation Command. He was responsible for more than 150 members of a government/contractor team that provided systems, networks contingency operations and project support to more than 2,300 USTRANSCOM personnel. "Ruthie (Colonel Moritz's wife) and I are honored to have the opportunity to serve with you and the Warriors of the North and we look forward to working with you to implement the operational mission of Grand Forks Air Force Base," said Colonel Moritz.