Grissom, Wright-Patt team up to tell AF Reserve story

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner
  • 434th ARW Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. --  Since the Wright brothers first took to the sky, Ohio has been known as a state for aviation innovation, and in that spirit, two Air Force Reserve units found a creative way to showcase their missions to the world.

The 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom partnered with the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to host a combined media flight showcasing their unique missions June 18.

"This was a great opportunity that allowed us to showcase both airframes and mission sets," said Col. Doug Schwartz, 434th ARW commander. "The community needs to see what our great citizen Airmen are doing each and every day."

Helping to allow that opportunity is the fact that the majority of Grissom's 16 KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft are currently operating out of Wright-Patterson as the Indiana base's runway is undergoing construction.

During the flight, eight Ohio media representatives came face-to-face with a 445th AW C-17 Globemaster III aircraft as they flew onboard a 434th ARW KC-135R during air refueling operations.

Seven media members from Indiana also got a unique perspective as well as they flew onboard that C-17, learning more about airlift operations and aeromedical evacuation missions, with one even becoming a patient in a medical training scenario.

Rocky Walls, of 12 Stars Media, raised his hand and volunteered to take part in the aeromedical evacuation training and quickly found himself being treated for a simulated collapsed lung.

"I like getting in the middle of it and getting my hands dirty, and they gave me a good picture of why and how they do what they do," said Walls. "There's always that chance something could go wrong and they have to be ready for anything. A patient they pick up could have any number of challenges and they have to be ready with the right people in the right places to take care of them."

Walls was onboard a more traditional media flight in 2010 as he flew with the 434th ARW on one of the unit's KC-135s and said that opportunity allowed him to appreciate the experience all the more.

"It was absolutely fantastic being down in the KC-135 boom pod and seeing the precision of the boom operator, but seeing it from the cockpit this time is a different perspective entirely," he explained. "There's something about facing forward and seeing this other plane on right top of you that is so much more intense and really speaks to how complicated air refueling actually is."

The media flight was also unique for the aircrews as well, said Maj. Francis W. Saul III, 89th Airlift Squadron C-17 pilot.

"It's incredibly rare for the crews of the receiver and tanker aircraft to meet in person because we are generally coming from two different bases and headed in two different directions," explained Saul. "But, I love being able to meet these guys; it puts a face on a voice over the radio and lets you connect and learn what these guys are all about."

With their footage and experiences in hand, the media representatives left Wright-Patterson also knowing what both air refueling and airlift operations were all about and were armed to share the Air Force Reserve mission from an entirely new perspective.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R unit in the Air Force Reserve Command, and the 445th AW C-17 flies the newest and most flexible cargo aircraft in the airlift force. Both units routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter. Also connect with the 445th AW on Facebook.