KARL members soar with McConnell

by Staff Sgt. Abigail Klein
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

2/11/2013 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- More than thirty members of the Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership group took to the skies to witness McConnell's main mission firsthand Feb. 7, 2013.

A staple of the Kansas community, KARL is a two-year program that provides study, training and worldwide travel opportunities for emerging leaders in the states agriculture and rural communities since its founding in 1990, said Jack Lindquist, KARL president.

The flight also gave KARL members a chance to learn about the importance of air refueling, detailed during a unit mission brief conducted by Col. Kyle Kremer, 22nd Air Refueling Wing vice commander. The pre-flight briefing detailed McConnell's history and the importance of the Air Force's role in combat.

The brief also provided Kremer a chance to thank KARL members for their dedicated support to McConnell as leaders and members of the Kansas community.

"You guys are really what makes this community great and we can't thank you enough for coming out here today," he said.

The flight lasted approximately three hours, and was a once-in-lifetime event for the members, most who have little or no military background.

"It is important for the KARL class to participate in McConnell tours because the military helps to keep the [agricultural] trade routes open," said Luke Thornton, KARL member. "Since we are heavily involved in production agriculture, this is a very important function considering the purpose of our class is to understand as many aspects of our Kansas economy as possible."

KARL has toured McConnell every two years since 1993. The importance of maintaining this link was re-emphasized by Thornton.

"We are very supportive and thankful of everything the U.S. military does to ensure our safety and we are fortunate to have such a long-standing relationship with McConnell as part of our program," he said.