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Indiana flying wings team up with ESGR for boss lift

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner
  • 434th ARW Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. --  Indiana's Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard connect in the Hoosier skies every week offloading fuel and training to fight, but they recently connected for another mission - educating employers.

Airmen from the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom teamed up with those from the 122nd Fighter Wing in Fort Wayne, Ind., along with the Indiana Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to host a two-day tour and boss lift flight Aug. 19-20.

"We were really excited to host our first boss lift in over two years in support of the ESGR and the great employers of our reservists and guardsmen," said Col. Doug Schwartz, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander. "It was a special couple of days as we were able to team up with our partners from the Air National Guard, Army Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve to showcase what we do here as part of team Grissom."

Elizabeth Ransom, Indiana ESGR program support specialist, agreed with that assessment.

"This was the first time our Indiana guard and reserve units have combined together to host a flight like this," said Ransom. "What made this so special was that it wasn't them just seeing one aspect; they saw training in combination with real-world operations and also showed them that no one component can do anything on their own.

"We live in a joint environment where things are always in conjunction with another component, and this event allowed the employers to put those puzzle pieces together," she added.

On top of showcasing the joint aspects of today's military, the event also allowed the employers to see the unique skills their reserve component employees have due to their military service.

"Not only did they get to see and experience today's military, a military that is quite different from even 15 years ago, they got to see the skills and training their employees have and how they can apply them in their civilian workforce," explained Ransom.

Another goal of the event was to educate the employers about the rules and responsibilities both they and their reserve component employees have as well as foster a stronger relationship between them.

"This breaks down barriers and allows them to communicate on a new level," she said. "Many of these employers haven't been military, but now they can talk the lingo and feel more comfortable in engaging with their employees about military service.

"It also makes them more comfortable to hire servicemembers and have them in the workplace," Ransom added.


Lynn Harshberger, an employer from a steel erecting and rigging company in Lagrange, Indiana, said the event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and accomplished all of its goals.

"What a mind opener," continued Harshberger. "I don't have a military background, so it was very educational for me to see what our military does for us; it really woke me up as to what we can do to support them."

To kick off the two-day educational adventure, employers of 434th ARW Airmen, along with those nominated from around the Hoosier state by the ESGR, toured Grissom's Army Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Air Force explosive ordnance disposal units while employers of 122nd FW Airmen toured Air National Guard facilities in Fort Wayne.

The two groups, consisting of 37 employers in all, then converged for a dinner in Kokomo, Indiana, before heading back to Grissom for the night.

The following morning, the employers traveled to Grissom's aircrew flight equipment section were they received briefings on the ESGR, 434th ARW and 122nd FW before taking flight onboard two KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.

The two-ship formation first headed to an air refueling track over southern Indiana, Illinois and Missouri to offload 35,000 pounds of fuel to an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft from the 513th Air Control Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, before heading to a military operations area just above Grissom to refuel two 122nd FW A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.

Upon their return, Col. Timothy Donofrio, 122nd FW vice commander, presented each employer with an honorary aircrew certificate.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R unit in the Air Force Reserve Command, and the 122nd FW is one of two Indiana ANG units.

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