New squadron activated Published July 8, 2008 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Keesler's newest squadron, the 81st Diagnostic and Therapeutic Squadron, is activated at 8 a.m. Thursday during a ceremony in Keesler Medical Center's Don Wylie auditorium. Col. Stephanie McCann, previously the commander of the 60th Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., assumes command of the unit. Chief Master Sgt. Ronald Ward is the new squadron's superintendent. He was superintendent of the pathology and clinical laboratory flight. The squadron, the 81st MDG's seventh, consists of more than 230 people in three flights: nutritional medicine, pathology and clinical laboratory, and pharmacy. The flights formerly were part of the 81st Medical Operations Squadron. This is the second time the squadron has been activated. It originally stood up in May 1997 and was deactivated in September 1999.