MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jacqueline D’urso, boom operator with the 91st Air Refueling Squadron, prepares to make contact with a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft during a refuel mission over the Southeast region of the United States April 4, 2017. In the first quarter, the 91st ARS flew 170 sorties in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, which included initial strikes during the Mosul offensive. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston)

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MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Todd McNeal, commander of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, conducts a briefing with 6th Air Mobility Wing leadership about the unique challenges Airmen at the 99th ARS face being stationed on an Air National Guard Base and working alongside the Guard unit there at Birmingham ANG Base, Ala., April 4, 2017. The 99th ARS is a geographically separated flying squadron commanded by the 6th AMW, flying the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston)

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MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

U.S. Air Force Col. Jennifer Crossman, vice commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, talks to the Airmen of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron during a commander’s call at Birmingham Air National Guard Base, Ala., April 4, 2017. The 99th ARS is a geographically separated flying squadron attached to the 6th AMW at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston)

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MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

(Left to right) U.S. Air Force Col. Jennifer Crossman, vice wing commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, reenlists and enlists Staff Sgt. Corey Matera and his spouse, Travis Matera during a flight aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft enroute to Birmingham, Ala., April 4, 2017. Crossman, along with the wing’s command chief, operations group commander and superintendent, visited the Airmen of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron on Birmingham ANG Base to assess how they can better serve their Airmen serving in a geographically separated location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston)

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MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

U.S. Air Force Col. William Stowe III, commander of the 6th Operations Group, salutes a 99th Air Refueling Squadron staff sergeant after coining him for being recognized as a top performer during a visit by Stowe and other 6th Air Mobility Wing leadership April 4, 2017. Stowe, although stationed at MacDill, is the operations group commander over the 99th ARS on Birmingham Air National Guard Base, Ala. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston)

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MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Melanie Noel, command chief of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, listens as a 99th Air Refueling Squadron staff sergeant explains his perspective on the new promotion system during a commander’s call at Birmingham Air National Guard Base, Ala., April 4, 2017. The chief, joined by the wing’s vice commander, operations group commander and superintendent, spoke with the Airmen of the 99th ARS to see how they can better serve them moving forward. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston)

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MacDill leadership visits Alabama’s 99th ARS

Published April 10, 2017
By Staff Sgt. Ned T. Johnston
6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Senior leaders from the 6th Air Mobility Wing flew to Birmingham Air National Guard Base, Alabama, April 4, 2017, to meet with the Airmen of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron.

The 99th ARS is a geographically separated flying squadron administratively commanded by the 6th AMW at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. More than 100 active-duty 99th ARS Airmen work alongside the Air National Guard’s 117th Air Refueling Wing, flying and maintaining the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft.

Because the Airmen of the 99th ARS live and work 611 miles from MacDill’s front gate, making communication and unit cohesion with the 6th AMW difficult, the vice commander and the command chief of the 6th AMW, and the commander and the superintendent of the 6th Operations Group brought MacDill to them.

Once on the ground at Birmingham ANG Base, Col. Jennifer Crossman, vice commander of the 6th AMW, and the rest of the MacDill team spent time connecting with Airmen. Splitting up, Crossman and Chief Master Sgt. Melanie Noel, command chief of the 6th AMW, shared lunch with the enlisted and officer corps of the 99th. Listening to the Airmen talk about the unique praises and grievances of working so far from MacDill and so interconnected with the ANG, the MacDill leadership team gained a new perspective on how to better lead and serve these Airmen.

Hosting a commander’s call later that day, Crossman, Noel and the 6th OG leadership fielded questions from Airmen of the 99th about the future of the force, and enlisted and officer promotion systems.

At the end of the commander’s call, Col. William Stowe, the commander of the 6th OG, brought five top performers in front of the whole squadron to recognize them by coining them with a 6th OG challenge coin.

Having intently listened to the Airmen of the 99th, the MacDill leadership team boarded a KC-135 and headed home energized, ready to implement change and remove roadblocks to enable the Airmen of the flying squadron to continue doing what they do best – perform aerial refueling missions to extend the flight of the nation’s warfighting aircraft.