90th EARS Guardsmen fuel OIF, OEF missions

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brian Jones
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (USAFENS) --  While most Airmen at Incirlik are on 15-month or two-year tours, one cog in the Team Incirlik mission has new faces every thirty days.

Members of the 90th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron support Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom by refueling C-17 Globemaster IIIs going in to Afghanistan and coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently, 120 National Guardsmen from the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker International Airport, Ohio, perform this critical mission.

Refueling C-17s coming in and out of the Area of Operations helps to ensure the safety of the C-17 crews and the vital cargo they carry.

“We enable C-17s to land and offload cargo at downrange locations and get out quickly, without refueling,” said Lt. Col. Steve Siefert, 90th EARS commander. “This limits the time on the ground where they can be targets.”

The Guardsmen deployed here with a package of Airmen that includes aircrew, maintainers, administrators, intelligence, life support and logistics -- allowing them to be, for the most part, self sufficient. Although the unit’s main function hasn’t changed from that of their home station, there are some subtle nuances to flying in the AOR.

“Overall, the mission doesn’t change. The nuts and bolts are the same,” said Colonel Siefert. “There are some minor changes; the threat is a little higher, we have to work with foreign controllers and every country has slightly different procedures, but we train to operate in any environment -- refueling is refueling.”

While the KC-135 Stratotanker crew members are adjusting to maneuvering in unfamiliar airspace, the men and women on the ground keeping the aircraft mission ready also face some challenges unique to operating here.

“The planes tend to act differently here,” said Tech. Sgt. Kris Fausnaugh, a maintenance expediter with the 90th EARS. “We see some maintenance issues here we may not normally see (in Ohio).”

In addition to location-specific maintenance variations, working extended operations provides an experience some in the unit have not had.

“Many of our maintainers are traditional Guardsmen,” said Sergeant Fausnaugh. “For them, working at night is new. They just go with the flow, understand the changes and are prepared. This experience is invaluable.”

While the squadron is made up entirely of Guardsmen, according to Colonel Seifert, you would be hard pressed to make a distinction between his unit and Airmen performing the mission full-time.

“We’re no different than an active-duty unit,” said Colonel Seifert. “There’s a perception that we’re just ‘weekend warriors,’ but we’re just as capable.”

Being part of the National Guard, in some instances, gives the squadron’s members an edge over their active-duty counterparts.

“Active-duty folks rotate from assignment to assignment. Our folks are assigned to an aircraft and stay with it for years and have a vested emotional interest in it,” said Colonel Seifert. “Because of this, they’re probably some of the most experienced maintainers in the world.”

Whether active-duty or Guard, one variable is constant among all Team Incirlik Airmen, dedication to the mission.

“Nobody wants to be left out,” said Colonel Siefert. “We want to be part of it.”

“We’re just glad to be here to do our part,” said Sergeant Fausnaugh. “And we are.”