Airmen to support continuous bomber presence to Guam

Airman 1st Class William Rand, 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron Aircraft Maintenance assistant crew chief, marshals a KC-135R piloted by Lt. Col. Jason Denton, aircraft commander, as the tanker departs on a training mission over the western pacific. The tanker and Airman are deployed to Guam from Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Johnson)

Airmen to support continuous bomber presence to Guam

Published Jan. 16, 2015
By Tech. Sgt. Thomas Johnson
157th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. -- Air National Guard members from New Hampshire, Mississippi, Michigan, Rhode Island, Georgia and Ohio have arrived here lending their support to the local missions in the area.

The resources include assets from the 157th Air Refueling Wing, based out of Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H. the 186th Air Refueling Wing based out of Meridian, Miss and Airmen from 186th Air Refueling Wing, Miss., 171st Air Refueling Squadron, Mich., 143th Airlift Wing, R.I., 116th Air Control Wing, Ga. and 121st Air Refueling Wing, Ohio.

Lt. Col. Jeff Cole, acting as the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron Detachment commander during this deployment, sees the experience as a great opportunity for younger Airmen to learn a great deal from the experience.

"They're able to get out and do their job on a real world mission, it builds up their skills and their confidence, and adds to the camaraderie within the squadron," Cole said.

The Airmen were pulled from specialties from across the Air National Guard including aircraft maintenance, logistical support, communications and medical staff.

The N.H. Air National Guard routinely deploys Airmen and planes to the western Pacific. These deployments demonstrate the Air National Guard commitment to fulfill its security responsibilities throughout region.