Jordan Lauds New Developments at 179th Airlift Wing
November 30, 2009
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) praised today's announcement that the Ohio Air National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing, based at Mansfield Lahm Airport, should see the arrival of its new airlift mission by September.
Jordan was on hand at the 179th for a visit by General Raymond E. Johns, Jr., the newly appointed Commander of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. General Johns assumed his command on November 20.
"We're honored to host General Johns at the 179th so early in his tenure at Air Mobility Command," Jordan said. "It's a tribute to the dedication of Mansfield's Guardsmen that General Johns made the 179th Airlift Wing one of the first visits of his new command."
Air Mobility Command, based at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, was created in 1992 to undertake worldwide airlift and aerial refueling missions for all branches of the armed forces.
As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure round, the 179th is slated to lose all of its C-130 cargo aircraft by August of 2010. Since that announcement, Ohio National Guard leaders have promoted Mansfield as the ideal basing location for the new C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA). Aircrews from the 179th have already begun training on the new airframe at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
The Pentagon announced earlier this month that the 179th would be the first of six Air National Guard units to receive the new plane. Colonel Mark Stephens, Commander of the 179th, confirmed today that he expects the first of these aircraft to be delivered to Mansfield by September.
"I applaud Ohio's Adjutant General, Major General Gregory Wayt, and Colonel Stephens and his team for their perseverance and foresight throughout the uncertainites of recent years," Jordan said. "It's because of their commitment that the 179th, which was slated for closure just four years ago, will be the first to receive this vital new mission."
Jordan was on hand at the 179th for a visit by General Raymond E. Johns, Jr., the newly appointed Commander of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. General Johns assumed his command on November 20.
"We're honored to host General Johns at the 179th so early in his tenure at Air Mobility Command," Jordan said. "It's a tribute to the dedication of Mansfield's Guardsmen that General Johns made the 179th Airlift Wing one of the first visits of his new command."
Air Mobility Command, based at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, was created in 1992 to undertake worldwide airlift and aerial refueling missions for all branches of the armed forces.
As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure round, the 179th is slated to lose all of its C-130 cargo aircraft by August of 2010. Since that announcement, Ohio National Guard leaders have promoted Mansfield as the ideal basing location for the new C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA). Aircrews from the 179th have already begun training on the new airframe at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
The Pentagon announced earlier this month that the 179th would be the first of six Air National Guard units to receive the new plane. Colonel Mark Stephens, Commander of the 179th, confirmed today that he expects the first of these aircraft to be delivered to Mansfield by September.
"I applaud Ohio's Adjutant General, Major General Gregory Wayt, and Colonel Stephens and his team for their perseverance and foresight throughout the uncertainites of recent years," Jordan said. "It's because of their commitment that the 179th, which was slated for closure just four years ago, will be the first to receive this vital new mission."