DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- The 910th Airlift Wing launched a civic leader tour consisting of 22 local civic leaders and six military escorts to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, May 11-12, 2023. The tour created an opportunity for civic leaders to gain an understanding of the role and mission of the 910th AW within the local community and the Air Force Reserve Command. Civic leader tours give participants the chance to see other AFRC installations and missions and Department of Defense capabilities.
“Prior to this trip I didn’t understand the mission of Youngstown Air Reserve Station,” said Richard Begalla, president/owner of Window Depot of Youngstown and a participant in the tour. “I now understand the importance of YARS to the community, the economic impact and the mission it has to the whole country. It put a lot into perspective.”
A highlight of the trip was a guided tour of the Lockheed-Martin plant in Marietta, Georgia, to observe the assembly of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The 910th AW leadership had the honor of signing one of the aircraft that is slated to be assigned to YARS in the near future. In December 2022, YARS was selected by the Secretary of the Air Force as the preferred location to receive eight new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to replace the wing’s existing C-130H fleet.
The visit to Dobbins ARB included briefings from the 22nd Air Force and Dobbins’ 94th Airlift Wing. Participants toured the Transportation Proficiency Center and the Silver Flag facility where they got to explore the inside of tents that are used for lodging during deployments.
Several of the civic leaders had never set foot on a military installation or lacked a good understanding of the 910th AW’s and AFRC’s missions.
“I have never had much exposure to the military at all and was honored to get the chance to see all the awesome lives Airmen lead,” said Rod Wilt, executive director of Penn-Northwest Development Corp. and a tour participant. “It’s incredible the amount of preparation and training that takes place. The execution of plans, everyone having a job and a responsibility and how it all comes together seamlessly just amazes me.”