The 628th Force Support Squadron won’t be releasing a Kraken after all.
It’s short hunt for a Kraken costume came to a quiet end in September — and as is the case with so many naval tragedies, a hurricane played a part in its demise.
The Air Mobility Command squadron at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina had been looking for a costume of its mascot, the legendary sea beast, which is on the squadron’s morale patch and awards. The costume was intended “to increase unit morale and esprit de corps,” Joint Base Charleston spokesman Marvin Krause said in a Wednesday email.
It was smooth sailing for the Kraken at first. The 628th put out a request for price quotes on FedBizOpps in August, and the approval to purchase was under consideration in early September, Krause said.
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But the effort stalled when Joint Base Charleston issued a limited evacuation order for personnel on Sept. 10, as Hurricane Florence bore down on the Carolinas. Krause said the purchase approval was delayed due to the evacuation, and the 628th Air Base Wing then decided to let the matter sink to Davy Jones' locker.
Fair winds and following seas, Air Mobility Command Kraken.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
