At Ease - Wisconsin National Guard Department of Military Affairs

115th Fighter Wing
Mission:
With its F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, the
Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter
Wing engages in air-to-air combat, close air
support and precision-guided bombing. The
115th also maintains an Air Sovereignty Alert
force of armed fighter aircraft and personnel
ready at a moment’s notice to defend domestic
airspace. The 115th and its subordinate units
have an assigned strength of more than 1,000.
Members of the Wisconsin Air National Guard
participate in The Junior Enlisted Orientation
Program (JEOP), held in August. JEOP is a threeday
event which allows junior enlisted Airmen to
gain an awareness of unit missions and experience
various careers within the Air Guard. Photo provided
128th Air Refueling Wing
Mission:
The 128th Air Refueling Wing, based at General Mitchell
International Airport in Milwaukee, provides aerial refueling
and airlift support to the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine
Corps, as well as aircraft of allied nations. Composed
of about 900 military members, the 128th includes a
headquarters; a refueling squadron; and maintenance, security,
civil engineering, communications, support, weather, medical
and operations units.
The unit’s KC-135R tankers are the military versions of
the Boeing 707. Each can carry more than 31,000 gallons of
fuel, and deliver 1,000 gallons of fuel per minute to receiving
aircraft.
An Overview: Wisconsin Air National Guard
2008 Highlights:
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The 115th celebrated its 60th birthday in ceremonies and
activities Nov. 1, with a celebration dinner held in the newly
refurbished Hangar 400. The event brought current and past
members of the wing together to celebrate the history of the
Wisconsin Air National Guard.
Nearly 300 members of the 115th Fighter Wing deployed from
January through May for another tour of duty in Iraq.
Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, identified
the 115th Fighter Wing as a potential future base for the nextgeneration
fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, as part of the U.S. Air
Force “Roadmap to the Future.”
The 115th Services Flight returned from a 120-day deployment
to the United Arab Emirates.
Northern American Aerospace Defense Command conducted an
alert forces evaluation of the 115th Air Sovereignty Alert mission,
and overall, 115th alert forces were rated “NORAD Mission
Ready.”
The 115th Fighter Wing Environmental Management Office
received the Air National Guard Environmental Restoration
Award for Team Excellence. One of the accomplishments of
the team was identifying a former petroleum, oil and lubrication
facility and removing its abandoned fuel lines, thus clearing
the way for the future expansion of the Dane County Regional
Airport fire station.
The 115th received another Distinguished Flying Unit award
from the director of the Air National Guard.
Col. David Romuald, Col. Michael Fantini and Col. John
Dolan each completed their 3,000th flying hour in an F-16 in
December, joining about 150 F-16 pilots Air Force-wide who
have surpassed the 3,000-hour mark.
The 115th also responded to the widespread flooding last spring,
using its RC-26 aircraft to downlink real-time video to the state’s
Department of Emergency Management. This capability allowed
our state leaders to deploy resources more effectively.
2008 Highlights:
The 128th completed construction of a new 33,000
square-foot aircraft maintenance facility.
The unit hosted a tactical response exercise for 50
local law enforcement officers from five agencies.
Anti-terrorism Force Protection education programs
also trained local area law enforcement agencies on
national “hate groups” and related hate crimes.
The unit flew numerous U.S. and Pacific Air Forces
aero-medical missions transporting wounded
military personnel.
90 at ease
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