Photo By Maj. Sam Otto | A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon with the 120th Fighter Squadron, 140th Wing,...... read more read more
SIOUX CITY, IOWA – Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Iowa National Guard, Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Hjelmstad, came to the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City to visit with Airman and observe operations on Aug. 20, 2020.
The 185th ARW uses KC-135 Stratotankers to refuel aircraft in midair. This detailed and high precision maneuver is rarely witnessed by Soldiers in the Army.
“I have never been in an aircraft during this kind of mission before,” said Hjelmstad. “This was a great opportunity to see what the 185th does and gain some understanding of what their mission is and what they do.”
F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Colorado Air National Guard were scheduled to receive fuel from two Stratotankers of the 185th. To the left and right of the In-Flight Refueling Specialist or boom operator, are observation seats to watch fuel getting transferred from the tanker to the fighter jet.
“If you didn’t have perspective you would think we were sitting still,” said Hjelmstad. “Then you see the wings tilting and realize we are both moving at a significant rate of speed and they are trying to match that, so it was absolutely amazing.”
“The proximity of the F-16 to our tanker was not surprising, you know what they are doing” said Hjelmstad. “But when you are sitting and looking out the window it was just, wow!”
Two tankers took off from the Sioux City airport to meet up with the fighters over the skies of Colorado. Before transferring fuel, the team of pilots need to operate the aircraft from take-off to in flight operations.
“Riding in the jump seat gave me an opportunity to see how the pilots interact with air traffic control, other aircraft and their flight control processes” said Hjelmstad. “It was really neat to see them work together as a team even with the complexity of their mission.”
After landing and exiting the aircraft meeting with senior leaders at the 185th and Airmen across the base were on Command Sgt. Maj. Hjelmstad’s agenda.
“Having the opportunity to visit with Airmen and hear about the training they go through and how they balance civilian careers with their service to the Air Guard puts everything into perspective,” said Hjelmstad. “Witnessing that sacrifice for service and dedication it takes, shows how the 185th is fulfilling an absolute crucial mission and they couldn’t do it without these Airmen.”
Hjelmstad accepted the position of Command Senior Enlisted leader in December 2019. He has 28 years in the Army National Guard and has served in four deployments across the world.
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2020 13:28 |
| Story ID: | 377326 |
| Location: | SIOUX CITY, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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