March Airmen demonstrate imagination, flexibility, vision

by Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

12/4/2013 - FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander and command chief visited with Team Fairchild Airmen serving at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., Nov. 22, to meet and motivate Airmen administratively attached to Fairchild.

Col. Brian Newberry and Chief Master Sgt. Wendy Hansen met with 912th Air Refueling Squadron Airmen from maintenance, crew communications, intelligence and operations during their visit.

"It was a privilege meeting with Airmen from the 912th ARS," said Newberry, who, as the 92nd ARW commander, is also the 912th ARS administrative commander. "While we at Fairchild have strengthened relationships with our Air National Guard partners, the 912th ARS have done the same using passion and professionalism to continually evolve their association with their Reserve partners."

This association is also referred to as Total Force Enterprise, a concept integrating active duty Airmen with their Guard and Reserve counterparts. The goal of TFE is to enhance the Air Force's ability to conduct its mission through the sharing of resources, to include aircraft, crews, maintenance, and support, between active duty and the air reserve component.

The 912th ARS is a sister unit of the active duty 92nd and 93rd Air Refueling Squadrons assigned to the 92nd ARW here. Much like its family ties at Fairchild, the 912th operates the KC-135 Stratotanker conducting aerial refueling and other air mobility missions. However, unlike its sister squadrons, aircrew only represent 20 percent of the 912th ARS. The remaining portion of the squadron is composed of elements and career fields that would normally reside in an aircraft maintenance squadron, operations support squadron, aeromedical and dental squadron, wing staff agencies, force support squadron and logistics readiness squadron.

"Despite being two states away, the men and women of the 912th know they are part of Team Fairchild," said Lt. Col. Scott Minton, the 912th ARS commander. "The support we receive from every squadron assigned to the 92nd ARW only proves we are able to execute the mission and take care of people on a global scale."

World War II, Vietnam, the Cold War and the Gulf Wars are but a few combat operations the 912th has seen during its tenure, moving about the country to support worldwide aerial refueling missions across the decades. The squadron was inactivated at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., in 2009, following a base realignment and closure commission action directing the transition of Grand Forks from an air refueling mission to an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft mission with the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

In 2010, the 912th was reactivated at March ARB as an Active Association organization assigned to an Air Force Reserve Command flying unit. As part of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March, the 912th is an active duty squadron with Fairchild family ties.

"March Airmen demonstrate incredible imagination, flexibility and vision," Newberry said. "Taken together, they soar as a team, offloading 20 percent more fuel than previous years. In my mind, they are a benchmark as an Association, and I salute them for their commitment to excellence."