Will was the son of a Navy Chief Petty Officer, a veteran of WWII and the Korean War. Will was born in 1954 in the dispensary onboard NAS North Island and began his military career on December 7, 1972 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 18. After recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina, Private First Class Ainsworth attended “A” School at NTTC Millington, Tennessee. His first assignment was to the HMH-361 Flying Tigers at MCAQS Tustin, California, as a CH-53 Helicopter Mechanic and Air Crewman. While assigned to HMH-463 in 1975, Sergeant Ainsworth flew missions in Operation Eagle Pull and Operation Frequent Wind; the evacuations of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, respectively. In December 1976, he was discharged from the Marine Corps and began working as a civilian aircraft mechanic at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California while pursuing his college education.
In 1984 Will was commissioned as a Navy Ensign through the Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. After attending Aviation Maintenance Officer School, Will was designated a 1520 Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer. He subsequently reported to the VA-192 World Famous Golden Dragons based in Lemoore, California. During this tour, VA-192 transitioned from the A-7E Corsair to the FA-18A Hornet and changed homeport to Atsugi, Japan to join Carrier Air Wing FIVE operating aboard the USS Midway (CV-41). Subsequent tours were as Production Officer for Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department, NAS North Island, student at the Naval Postgraduate School, Maintenance Material Control Officer for the VF-111 Sun Downers, Aviation Maintenance Management Team Leader for COMNAVAIRPAC, Carrier Air Wing TWO Maintenance Officer, and Deputy Program Manager for COMNAVAIRSYSCOM PMA260. While at NAVAIR, Will was selected to head a major AIMD and in March 2001 assumed duties as the Officer in Charge of AIMD North Island. In June 2003, he reported as Executive Officer of the Naval Air Mediterranean Repair Activity based in Naples, Italy, and took command of NAMRA in May 2005. During his tour with NAMRA, he was responsible for establishing forward-deployed depot-level repair sites at Al Asad and Al Taqaddum, Iraq in support of Navy and Marine Corps combat air operations. Subsequent to his command of NAMRA, he was assigned to the staff of Commander Fleet Readiness Centers and in October 2008 he was assigned to the staff of Commander Naval Air Forces where he served as Director, Force Aviation Maintenance Policy. Will retired from the Navy in 2010.
Will earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento and a Master’s Degree in Material Logistics Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. In addition to numerous personal, unit and campaign awards, Will was honored with selection as Fighter Wing Pacific Maintenance Officer of the Year in 1992 and the Admiral Stan Arthur Award for Logistics Team of the Year in 2003.
After his military retirement in 2010, Will returned to work as a civilian as the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program Policy Manager. He was responsible for coordinating the efforts of Commander Naval Air Force, Commander Naval Air Systems Command, and Navy and Marine Corps Fleet staff Subject Matter Experts in the reviewing and updating of Naval Aviation Maintenance Policy. Will retired from civil service in July 2020.
In his "spare" time Will loved to challenge his creative side with landscaping and gardening. Additionally, he satisfied his sense of adventure with extensive travel.
Will died after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by Jan, his wife of 41 years, son David, daughter Brandi, sister Carol, 8 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and numerous other relatives.
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