Description
Computer made/mounted on velcro 3. 5 inch-90mm
Seamless Integration
commentary by Lt. Col. Brice Middleton 912 ARS
6/22/2011 – MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. — Some people may have noticed a growing number of new faces here at March Air Reserve Base since last September when the 912th Air Refueling Squadron reactivated and added more than 200 people to Team March.
For those who don’t know, the 912th is an active duty associate unit that is a tenant on the base. However, we have almost 30 Air Force specialty codes in our squadron that work on an integrated basis in and among the units of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing. We are here as part of the Total Force Initiative to leverage the strengths of our Reserve partners with our own, in an effort to provide Air Force Reserve Command and Air Mobility Command with increased flexibility and agile combat support.
Despite being a relatively new term, TFI is not a new concept. In fact, mobility forces in particular have been practicing TFI for more than 50 years with Reserve, Guard and active duty forces working together on an almost daily basis to accomplish the mission.
However, the demand on mobility resources has increased exponentially in the past decade, even though budgets and personnel have been decreasing. The Air Force has had to be more efficient and find synergistic ways to make one plus one equal three. ..and sometimes four.
As a result of this necessity, the TFI active duty associate unit concept was created to stand up KC-135 and C-130 units at aircraft-equipped Guard and Reserve bases to augment their mission capability and personnel availability. In other words, even though the AFRC does a phenomenal job supporting the fight, many of you have “real” jobs that often limit your availability.
We in the 912th are here to help provide personnel who are available 365 days a year and increase March ARB’s contribution to the Global Reach mission. In addition, similar units have been stood up at Seymour-Johnson, Pease, Birmingham, Cheyenne, Colorado Springs and Scott Air Force Bases, and we, the joint AFRC-Active Duty team, have provided an incalculable impact on supporting the mobility mission.
On a more local level, I would like to thank Team March and all of the units of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing for being a terrific host unit and providing unsurpassed support to the 200 active duty Air Force members and their families who have moved into the local area in a very short span of time. PCSing and standing up a unit are two tasks that are always very trying and challenging, but your support has made our transition an easy one and that’s despite the fact that March, as a Reserve base, does not have all of the facilities active duty members are accustomed to having.
I would especially like to thank our sister squadron, the 336th Air Refueling Squadron, for opening up their building to us and sponsoring our ADVON members as they arrived. The seamless integration of our two squadrons flying daily missions around the world has proven the value of the TFI concept and I know our combined experience will provide the total force with big dividends in the future.
336th AIR REFUELING SQUADRON (AFRC)
Lineage. Constituted 536 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Oct 1942. Activated on 3 Nov 1942. Inactivated on 31 Mar 1944. Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with the 336 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, which was constituted on 10 May 1949. Activated in the Reserve on 26 Jun 1949. Ordered to Active Service on 1 May 1951. Inactivated on 1 Feb 1953. Activated in the Reserve on 1 Apr 1953. Redesignated 336 Military Airlift Squadron on 1 Oct 1966. Ordered to Active Service on 26 Jan 1968. Relieved from Active Duty on 2 Jun 1969. Redesignated: 336 Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 Apr 1972; 336 Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 Oct 1976; 336 Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Feb 1992.
Assignments. 382 Bombardment Group, 3 Nov 1942-31 Mar 1944. 514 Troop Carrier Group, 26 Jun 1949-1 Feb 1953. 514 Troop Carrier Group, 1 Apr 1953; 514 Troop Carrier Wing, 14 Apr 1959; 904 Troop Carrier (later, 904 Military Airlift; 904 Tactical Airlift) Group, 17 Jan 1963; 452 Tactical Airlift (later, 452 Air Refueling) Wing, 1 Sep 1975; 452 Operations Group, 1 Aug 1992-.
Stations. Salt Lake City AAB, UT, 3 Nov 1942; Davis-Monthan Field, AZ, 23 Jan 1943; Pocatello AAFld, ID, 3 Apr 1943; Muroc AAFld, CA, 5 Dec 1943-31 Mar 1944. Birmingham Muni Aprt, AL, 26 Jun 1949; Mitchel AFB, NY, 10 Oct 1949-1 Feb 1953. Mitchel AFB, NY, 1 Apr 1953; Stewart AFB, NY, 15 Mar 1961; Hamilton AFB, CA, 31 Dec 1969; March AFB (later, ARB), CA, 1 Jan 1976-.
Aircraft. B-24, 1943-1944. Unkn, 1949-1950; C-46, 1951-1953. C-119, 1953-1966; C-124, 1966-1972; C-130, 1972-1976; KC-135, 1976-.
Operations. Operational training, Feb-Mar 1943; replacement training, Apr 1943-Mar 1944. Transported U.S. Army troops and cargo, provided aerial resupply, and dropped paratroopers within the U.S., May 1951-Jan 1953 and performed similar duties worldwide, Apr 1953-Jun 1976. Performed aerial refueling worldwide, 1977-.
Service Streamers. World War II American Theater.
Campaign Streamers. None.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 26 Jan 1968-31 Mar 1969; 1 Jan 1976-2 Oct 1977; 1 Jul 1991-30 Jun 1993; 1 Sep 1995-31 Aug 1996; 1 Sep 1997-31 Aug 1999. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Oct 1966-31 Mar 1972.
Emblem. Approved on 29 Jul 1996; modified on 28 May 1997.
912th AIR REFUELING SQUADRON (AMC)
Lineage. Constituted as 22 Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Redesignated as 412 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 Apr 1942. Activated on 15 Jun 1942. Redesignated as 412 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 20 Aug 1943. Inactivated on 28 Aug 1945. Redesignated as 412 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 9 Jul 1947. Activated in the Reserve on 16 Jul 1947. Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949. Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with 912 Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, which was constituted, and activated, on 3 Aug 1961. Organized on 1 Dec 1961. Redesignated as 912 Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Sep 1991.
Assignments. 95 Bombardment Group, 15 Jun 1942-28 Aug 1945. 95 Bombardment Group, 16 Jul 1947-27 Jun 1949. Strategic Air Command, 3 Aug 1961; 4137 Strategic Wing, 1 Dec 1961; 465 Bombardment Wing, 1 Feb 1963; 19 Bombardment (later, 19 Air Refueling) Wing, 25 Jul 1968; 19 Operations Group, 1 Sep 1991; 319 Operations Group, 1 Apr 1994; 92 Operations Group, 1 Oct 2010-.
Stations. Barksdale Field, LA, 15 Jun 1942; Pendleton Field, OR, 26 Jun 1942; Geiger Field, WA, 28 Aug 1942; Ephrata, WA, 31 Oct 1942; Geiger Field, WA, 24 Nov 1942; Rapid City AAB, SD, 17 Dec 1942-18 Apr 1943; Framlingham, England, 11 May 1943; Horham, England, 15 Jun 1943-6 Aug 1945; Sioux Falls AAFld, SD, 14-28 Aug 1945. Knoxville Municipal Aprt, TN, 16 Jul 1947-27 Jun 1949. Robins AFB, GA, 1 Dec 1961; Grand Forks AFB, ND, 1 Apr 1994; March AFB, CA, 1 Oct 2010-.
Aircraft. B-17, 1942-1945. Unkn, 1947-1949. KC-135, 1962-; EC-135, 1984-1989.
Operations. Combat in European Theater of Operations (ETO), 13 May 1943-20 Apr 1945. Long distance aerial refueling, 1961-1972; worldwide aerial refueling, beginning 1973. Gained EC-135 airborne command post mission, 1984-1989. Supported operations in Grenada, 23-24 Oct 1983; Panama, 18-21 Dec 1989; and Southwest Asia, Aug 1990-Mar 1991. Performed aerial refueling operations in support of various missions including: Joint Task Force Southwest Asia; effort to monitor airspace over Bosnia; humanitarian missions in Haiti, Rwanda and Cuba; and NATO actions, 1996-. Deployed aircraft and personnel in support of homeland defense after terrorist attacked the US on 11 Sep 2001.
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. World War II: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Germany, 17 Aug 1943; Munster, Germany, 10 Oct 1943; Berlin, Germany, 4 Mar 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: [1 Dec] 1961-31 Mar 1962; 1 Jul 1976-30 Jun 1978; 1 Jul 1982-30 Jun 1984; 1 Jul 1984-30 Jun 1986; 1 Oct 1993-30 Jun 1995; 1 Jul 1995-30 Jun 1997; 1 Jul 2000-30 Jun 2002; 1 Jul 2002-30 Jun 2004; 1 Jul 2004-30 Jun 2005; 1 Jul 2005-30 Jun 2006; 1 Jul 2006-30 Jun 2007; 1 Jul 2007-20 Mar 2009.
Emblem. Approved on 28 Sep 1964; updated on 27 Aug 2007.