319th ARW commander declares mission complete

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachel Waller
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) --  The 50-year air-refueling mission here was declared complete during a ceremony Dec. 3.

The 319th Air Refueling Wing Commander, Col. Don Shaffer, along with the Air Mobility Command Commander, Gen. Raymond Johns, declared the 319th Operations Group, the 905th Air Refueling Squadron, the 319th Maintenance Group and the 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron mission complete in a formal ceremony.

The ceremony was held to recognize the completion of 50 years of KC-135 Stratotanker flight and maintenance operations here.

"Grand Forks Air Force Base has fulfilled its role in national defense through a multitude of operations," said Master Sgt. James Gantar, the master of ceremony with the 319th Mission Support Group. "These operations cover the spectrum from supporting nuclear alert missions during the Cold War; to combat-support and humanitarian missions; past and current conflicts including Vietnam, Panama, Bosnia, Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan; and as a community pillar and partner in the devastating flood of 1997."

The 905th ARS was the first squadron of tankers to arrive here in 1960, and in 1993, the base transferred from the Strategic Air Command to AMC. With the transfer, the 906th ARS, 911th ARS and 912th ARS were assigned to Grand Forks AFB, making it the first super tanker wing in the Air Force.

"Global power is the ability to hold a targeted risk, in any part of the world, to defend our nation and our freedom," General Johns said. "We wouldn't be able to use the word global in front of vigilance, reach and power without the tanker. This year alone, the KC-135 Stratotanker has off-loaded 127 million pounds of fuel in Afghanistan alone, and you helped that."

After 50 years of service, the 905th ARS is scheduled to inactivate Dec. 31. Along with the 905th ARS, the 319th OG, 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 319th Maintenance Group also are scheduled to inactivate Dec. 31. The 319th Operations Support Squadron, commanded by Lt. Col. Darin Driggers, is set to realign underneath the 319th ARW commander.

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended Grand Forks AFB for realignment, allowing the ground work to be set for the new remotely-piloted aircraft mission.

General Johns said to look forward to the base's new chapter. The RQ-4 Global Hawk has capabilities that will have the ability to find people who would want to harm us and keep an unblinking eye on them, he said.

The first Global Hawk is expected to arrive in the summer of 2011.