Selfridge changes course
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Selfridge changes course
Base starts new life as home of air refueling squadron
Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News
HARRISON TOWNSHIP -- A new mission for Selfridge Air National Guard Base takes flight today as the men and women who have delivered materials to the military's front lines for more than a decade begin flying a different kind of airplane.
The base has dissolved its cargo unit, which flew propeller-driven C-130s, and reorganized into a refueling squadron with jet-powered KC-135 Stratotankers. The change is part of a 2005 federal base realignment that changed some of Selfridge's missions and personnel responsibilities.
Members of the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing are to gather today on the Harrison Township base for a change-of-command ceremony to mark the change of mission and establish the 127th Air Refueling Group.
"It is a change, and with all change, there is some trauma," said U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, whose husband is the past base commander. "The refueling aircraft is an important mission for the United States, and it is a positive thing for Selfridge now that we survived the (base realignment)."
While the mission may be new for the Michigan National Guard, the eight refueling planes have been a familiar sight around Selfridge for past 16 years. The planes belonged to the 927th Air Force Reserve Refueling Wing that previously was assigned to the base. The members of the refueling wing have been transferred to Florida, but the planes stayed. The planes now will be flown by the National Guard's 127th Wing.
The eight C-130 cargo planes have since been transferred to other bases across the country.
More than 300 members of Selfridge's 127th Wing received training to learn to fly, maintain and support the refuelers.
"Our goal was to never let these national assets be grounded," said Col. Mike Thomas, group commander. He added that the National Guard appreciated the training and support provided by the Air Force Reserve: "(This) has been an excellent relationship."
The guardsmen and women taking on the new mission received a number of awards and commendations over the 13 years they flew cargo planes. They flew a variety of missions across the globe, delivering cargo to troops on the ground in Afghanistan and making relief trips to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, the unit was named one of the National Guard Association of the United States' Distinguished Flying Units.
But the new mission comes with a challenge, because the KC-135s are at least 45 years old. New planes may be coming; the Air Force has awarded a contract for next-generation refuelers, and Selfridge was named by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as a potential location for the new aircraft.
The KC-135s refuel every type of military aircraft. They also can be used to move cargo, troops or injured soldiers. The jets are 136 feet long with a wingspan of 130 feet and can achieve speeds of 530 miles per hour.
"Everything we do, whether it's disaster relief, humanitarian relief, global vigilance, global strike or global mobility, the thing that makes us global is the jet tanker," said Gen. Michael Moseley, chief of staff of the Air Force.
"Selfridge has gone through a number of transitions in its long and proud history and, through them all, the base has remained important and relevant to the U.S. military while being a great community partner," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, who serves on the Senate Armed Forces Committee. "I am pleased to see it continue that tradition today."
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