selfridgeflyer… · 2019. 1. 24. · ing closely with soldiers, sailors, marines, coast guard...

SELFRIDGE FLYER

I am humbled by the oppor-tunity to share some thoughtswith you as I hang up myflight suit for the last time.Most of all, I wish all of thewing’s Airmen, their families,our community partners, andeveryone reading this, a su-perb and rewarding New Year.I arrived at Selfridge Field

back in December of 1999, andhaving served nearly 19 yearsin the 127th Wing, I have re-tired effective January 2, after28+ years of service. It is im-possible to adequately expressmy gratitude to everyone whohas either supported or served

with me here at Selfridge.These have truly been the bestof times. Our community andits citizens are second-to-none.It is impossible for our Airmento walk off the base and avoidbeing thanked, appreciated,and supported. That makes allof the difference… all of thetime! We appreciate being ap-preciated. I can confirm thatSelfridge Airmen bring theirmaximum effort and excep-tional skills to bare every dayin service of our community,state, and nation.My family has served this

nation in a way that cannot

be easily described. Indeed,military families sacrificemuch, and do so often, to en-sure their loved ones can servewithout hesitation.This kind of sacrifice hap-

pens all around us. Everymember of the Guard or Re-serve has loved ones, friends,and supporters who enabletheir service. As a measureof goodwill, please seek outand thank these families andfriends for their fortitude andresolute support of our servicemembers.Finally, it has been my dis-

tinct honor and solemn vow

to defend our Constitution fornearly three decades. I’ve hadthe great fortune to gaze uponbreathtaking sunsets fromhigh above the clouds. I havecertainly seen the face of God,on many occasions. So thisscribe is to be my final offi-cial act as an Air Force Officer,thank you for sharing sometime with me. I am a husband,a father, a warrior, an Ameri-can Airman, and a pilot. I feelgratified and ready for life’snext challenge. God Bless theUnited States of America.

— Col. David Brooks

RETIREMENT

MASTER SGT. DAVID KUJAWA — U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Col. David A. Brooks (right), former 127th Wing vice commander, receives the Air Force’s Meritorious Service Medal during hisretirement ceremony on January 5, 2019. Col. Stanley Krasovic, the Wing’s new vice commander, presented the award to Brooks formore than 28years of distinguished service.

127thWing,MichiganAirNational Guard

CommanderBrig. Gen. John D. Slocum

Vice CommanderCol. Stan Krasovic

Command Chief Master SergeantCMSgt. Danny McDow

PUBLIC AFFAIRSSTAFF

Chief of Public AffairsC. Phillip Ulmer

Chief of Community RelationsTracy Morris

Public Affairs OfficersCapt. Anthony Lesterson1st Lt. Cammy Alberts

Public Affairs StaffMaster Sgt. David KujawaTech. Sgt. Dan HeatonTech. Sgt. Chelsea E. BarberTech Sgt. Rachel BartonStaff Sgt. Samara TaylorStaff Sgt. Andrew SchumannSenior Airman Ryan ZeskiSenior Airman Brandon GiffordMr. Terry AtwellMr. Munnaf Joarder

PUBLISHER’SSTATEMENT

The Selfridge Flyer is not an officialpublication of the Department ofDefense. Contents of the SelfridgeFlyer are not necessarily the officialviews of, or endorsed by, the U.S.Government, the DoD, or DigitalFirst Media.Published by Digital First Media, aprivate firm in no way connectedwith the U.S. Air Force.

SELFRIDGEFLYER

A 21st Century Mediapublication managed by

Digital First Media

On the cover: Master Sgt. Matt Huff,a boom operator with the 171stAir Refueling Squadron, MichiganAir National Guard, performs apreflight check in the boom podof a KC-135 Stratotanker prior toan early evening take-off at JointBase Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii,Nov, 9, 2018. The Michigan aircraftand a group of Michigan Citizen-Airmen, were enroute home froma deployment in Guam. (U.S. AirNational Guard photo by SeniorAirman Ryan Zeski)

Former Wing Vice Commander reflects on decades of service

| SPECIALSECTION | THE MACOMB DAILY SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 20192

By Tech. Sgt. Daniel Heaton

The 127th Wing is focus-ing on four areas of empha-sis for 2019.They are:• Expeditionary Readi-

ness & Lethality• Focus on the Drill-Sta-

tus Guardsman• Joint Service Opera-

tions• Unconstrained Inno-

vationThe areas of empha-

sis were outlined by Brig.Gen. John D. Slocum, the127th Wing commander,during the annual 127thWing Awards Ceremonyin December. By tradition,the wing commander fore-casts the year ahead in theannual awards ceremony,typically held the finaldrill weekend of the calen-

dar year.“We exist to be warriors,”

the general said, highlight-ing the first emphasis. “Ifcalled, we are ready to gotonight, to protect and de-fend our nation.”Slocum spoke at length

on the skills and talentsthat part-time membersof the Air National Guard

bring to the 127th Wing.“All that they learn in

their civilian careers, webenefit from all that knowl-edge,” he said. “At the sametime, they continue to servein the Air National Guard,meeting the same stan-dards as our active-dutycounterparts.”Slocum noted that the

Air National Guard as awhole provides approxi-mately one third of the ca-pabilities of the Air Force,at about 6 percent of the to-tal Air Force cost.“We bring incredible

value to the nation,” hesaid.Slocum said increasingly,

127th Wing personnel findthemselves working in ajoint environment, work-ing closely with Soldiers,Sailors, Marines, Coast

Guard personnel and civil-ians from various govern-ment agencies.“We need to be flexible to

fight as one unified team,while still bringing the in-dividual skills and capabil-ities that are unique to ourwing,” he said.Slocum’s fourth area of

emphasis is the conceptof unconstrained innova-tion. The general stated heencourages Airmen fromacross the wing to sharetheir ideas of new ways toimprove on existing prac-tices around the wing.“This is about being

ready today for the chal-lenges of tomorrow,” hesaid. “We don’t know whatchallenges tomorrow willbring, but by willing to trynew ideas today, we can beready for what lies ahead.”

AREASOFEMPHASIS

Slocum forecasts year ahead for 127th Wing

Brig. Gen. JohnD. Slocum, the127th Wingcommander,discussed theyear aheadduring theannual 127thWing AwardsCeremony inDecember.

U.S. AIR NATIONALGUARD PHOTO

“Wedon’t knowwhat challengestomorrowwillbring, but bywilling to trynew ideas today,we can be readyforwhat liesahead.”— Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum

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Brig. Gen.Paul Rogersaddresses127th WingAirmenreadying fordeployment.

TECH. SGT.CHELSEABARBER — U.S.AIR NATIONALGUARD


Anywhere between athird and a half of the Cit-izen-Airmen of the 127thWing at Selfridge Air Na-tional Guard Base are utiliz-ingmilitary-provided bene-fits in any given semester tofurther their higher educa-tion goals.“It is a tremendous ben-

efit that we encourage ourAirmen to take advantageof,” said Master Sgt. Chan-dra Corrado, the recruitingand retention manager forthe 127th Wing, which is acomponent of theMichiganAir National Guard.Michigan Citizen-Air-

men are eligible to take ad-vantage of the MichiganNational Guard State Tu-ition Assistance Program,or MINGSTAP, which pro-vides up to $6,000 per yearfor Citizen-Airmen to payfor college or vocationaltraining tuition costs. Inaddition, many Citizen-Air-men are eligible for GI Billbenefits from prior periodsof active duty service. ManyMichigan colleges and uni-versities also offer reduced

rate tuition to current mil-itary personnel, helping tostretch those benefit dol-lars.Corrado said about 75 to

80 percent of potential can-

didates who are consideringenlisting in the MichiganAir National Guard activelyinquire about the availabil-ity of the educational ben-efits.

For many Michigan Cit-izen-Airmen, serving theirstate and nation while alsoattending college oftenmeans juggling responsibil-ities and engaging in care-

ful time management prac-tices. For two Airmen, thatmeant taking advantage ofdowntime during a recentdeployment to get somestudying in.Senior Airmen Andre

McClain and Ryan Zeskiboth traveled to the Pa-cific Ocean region in No-vember onboard a 127thWing KC-135 Stratotankerto pick up and transporthome a group of MichiganAirmen who had been de-ployed to Guam. For bothAirmen, that meant spend-ing some time in the backof the aircraft doing home-work while flying over thePacific Ocean.McClain, who is a boom

operator with the 171st AirRefueling Squadron, is tak-ing classes fromNorthwoodUniversity. He expects tocomplete his requirementsfor an associate degreefrom the Community Col-lege of the Air Force whenthe current semester ends.Next, he hopes to transferto Lawrence TechnologicalUniversity to work toward abachelor’s degree in archi-tectural engineering.

“The degree will give memore career opportunities,”McClain said. “I don’t wantto limit my options.”McClain is using MIN-

GSTAP as he juggles classtime with serving as an aircrew member at Selfridge.Zeski, a military photo-

journalist, has used bothMINGSTAP and the GI Billas a student first at Ma-comb Community Collegeand now at Oakland Uni-versity where he is study-ing computer science.“Without themilitary ed-

ucation benefits, I wouldn’tbe able to afford to attendschool full-time. I eventook some extra summerclasses so I could graduateon time,” Zeski said.Zeski said his professors

at Oakland were very ac-commodating when he toldthem he would miss a weekof classes to support a mil-itary mission.“I talked to them in ad-

vance and they were willingto let me turn some work inon line, so that I could staycurrent in the class and stillget my mission done in theGuard,” he said.

EDUCATION

Education part of the mission for Michigan Citizen-Airmen

By Tech. Sgt. Chelsea Barber

On only his third dayof duty as Michigan’s ad-jutant general, Brig. Gen.Paul Rogers visited the Sel-fridge Air National GuardBase Jan. 3, and along withMaj. Gen. Leonard Isabelle,assistant adjutant general,and Brig. Gen. John D.Slocum, 127th Wing com-mander, briefly addressed agroup of Airmen set to de-ploy overseas.“I have a great admira-

tion for you because youvolunteer to do this,” Rog-ers said. “How many have

never deployed before?”Only a few hands in the

audience rose in responseto the question, represent-ing a very small percentage.Rogers was appointed by

incoming Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer, whosefirst two acts after beinginaugurated Tuesday wereto conduct the change ofcommand between outgo-

ing Lt. Gen. Gregory Vad-nais and Rogers. The sec-ond was to call a currentlydeployed unit of the Michi-gan National Guard.“I’m truly proud to be

your adjutant general,” Rog-ers told the group. “I lookforward to hearing aboutyour successes and wel-coming you when you comehome.”

DEPLOYMENT

MING TAG addresses 127th Wing

TECH. SGT. DAN HEATON — U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Senior Airman Ryan Zeski utilizes time during a long flight as a passenger on a MichiganAir National Guard KC-135Stratotanker to work on some homework for a course heis taking at Oakland University, Nov. 8, 2018. Zeski is one of more than 250MichiganCitizen-Airmen who are utilizing state or federal tuition assistance to further hiseducation through his military service.

“I look forward to hearing aboutyour successes andwelcoming youwhen you comehome.”— Brig. Gen. Paul Rogers



Members of the 127thWing hosted approximately140 distinguished guestsand civic leaders duringa key-passing ceremonyfor Selfridge Air NationalGuard Base’s newest tenantorganization on November14, 2018. The “EisenhowerVeteran Care TransitionCenter” will provide a res-idential rehabilitation andreintegration program, ul-timately capable of ser-vicing 42 veteran patientssuffering from service-re-lated conditions, specifi-cally post-traumatic stressdisorder, mild-to-moderatetraumatic brain injury orchronic traumatic enceph-alopathy.“This is a great way that

Selfridge can continue tocontribute to southeast-ern Michigan and our lo-cal community as well asour nation,” said Brig. Gen.JohnD. Slocum, 127thWingand Selfridge Air NationalGuard Base Commander.The first phase of the

project will take two unoc-cupied base facilities andrenovate them to suit 14patients and 15 employees.The facilities were formerlyutilized as transient hous-ing and theHoyt S. Vanden-berg Service Club will pro-vide housing, rehabilitativecare, employment readinessand family support servicesto treat all types of veteransto establish the capacity tolive independently and par-ticipate fully in their com-munities.“When you have a trau-

matic brain injury withfrontal lobe damage, manytimes if you get caught up inpainmanagement, you self-medicate and your behav-iors start to change,” saidJohn Cornack, chief exec-utive officer of the Eisen-hower Center. “It’s hard tocontrol your thoughts and

keep [your behavior] consis-tent…we want [veterans] tobe as clear-headed as theycan.”The second phase will

renovate unoccupied sin-gle-family housing remain-ing to accommodate up to42 patients in addition to 42dependents. The benefit ofcreating a campus-like environment not

only makes it possible tokeep veteran families in-tact through the duration ofthe program, but it allowsthe veterans to find com-fort in the familiar settingof a military environment.Selfridge is well-suited forthis endeavor due to its in-ventory of 65 unused single-family homes, built in the1920s and left vacant afterthe base realignment and

consolidation act of 2005.“We want them in a com-

fortable area, in a house, sothe family can live together,go through the recovery to-gether,” Cornack said.The Eisenhower center,

out of Ann Arbor, also hasfacilities in both Manches-ter and Kewana, Michiganas well as in Jacksonville,Fla. Tom Jones, Army vet-eran, president of Michi-gan Operation FreedomOutdoors, and a success-fully rehabilitated patientof Eisenhower’s “After theImpact” program in Man-chester, provided his testi-mony during the ceremony.“They’ve given me my

mission back,” Jones said.“This is a group that caresand they’ll see it through tothe end.”

VETERANCARE

127th Wing welcomes Eisenhower to SANGB

TERRY ATWELL — U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Members of the 127th Wing hosted approximately 140distinguished guests and civic leaders during a key-passingceremony for Selfridge Air National Guard Base’s newesttenant organization on November 14, 2018.

MUNNAF JOARDER — U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

A key-passing ceremony for the Eisenhower Veteran Care Transition Center, Selfridge AirNational Guard Base’s newest tenant organization, was held on November 14, 2018.

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The 127th Wing has anew vice wing commanderand a new command chiefmaster sergeant.Col. Stanley Krasovic Jr.

was named the Wing’s vicecommander by Brig. Gen.John D. Slocum, the wingcommander, and will as-sume the position in Janu-ary 2019. Chief Master Sgt.Danny McDow was namedthe Wing’s command chiefand assumed the positionin December 2018.Krasov ic prev iously

served as the commanderof the 127th Air RefuelingGroup and will replace Col.David Brooks, who is retir-ing after a 28-year long AirForce career.McDow serves in a full-

time capacity as the super-intendent of the 127th Se-curity Forces Squadron andwill continue in that role inaddition to serving as theWing’s command chief. Mc-Dow replaces former wingCommand Chief MasterSgt. Tony Whitehead, whorecently left the wing tobecome the territory com-mand chief for the PuertoRico Air National Guard.Krasovic began his mil-

itary career in the U.S.Navy, flying the E-6 Mer-cury, an airborne commandand control aircraft. Af-ter nine years in the Navy,he transferred to the U.S.Air Force Reserve, serv-ing in the 927th Air Refu-eling Wing and flying KC-135 Stratotankers at Self-ridge Air National GuardBase. When the 127thWing’s 171st squadrontransitioned from flyingC-130 Hercules to KC-135sin 2007, Krasovic trans-ferred into the MichiganAir National Guard and the127th Wing. He has servedas commander of both the171st Air Refueling Squad-ron and the 127th Air Refu-eling Group. Krasovic has

been a trailblazer in recenttimes in the MIANG, serv-ing in each of his commandpositions as a traditional,part-time Citizen-Airman.He will continue to servein a part-time capacity asthe vice wing commander.“It takes a good team to

make it work as a tradi-tional member in the com-mander’s role, and I def-initely had a very strongteam at both the group andthe squadron. I fully expectthat to continue to be thecase at the wing level,” Kra-sovic said.The new vice wing com-

mander is now one of sixtraditional Guardsmenwho are serving as com-manders across the 127thWing.“And that’s intentional,”

Slocum said. “We are put-ting a renewed focus on ourdrill-status Guardsmen andall of the skills and talentsthey bring to the table.”Krasovic said working

with the Airmen of the171st and 191st squadronsduring the transition fromC-130s to KC-135s has beenthe highlight of his careerto this point.

“The dedication thatthey took in carrying outthat task was amazing.That dedication and pro-fessionalism has carriedthrough to this day,” Kra-sovic said. “I am very proudto have been a part of thatgroup.”Brooks also has a long

history with the KC-135and C-130 at Selfridge,

having served as a pilot onboth aircrafts. He also pre-ceded Krasovic as the 127thAir Refueling Group com-mander.Brooks was a member of

the 127thWing for 19 years,after previously serving asa C-130 pilot on active dutyin the Air Force.Brooks said among his

career highlights was serv-

ing as the director of oper-ations for the 171st squad-ron during the run-up tothe final deployment of thatsquadron while it was stillflying C-130s.“It was full-out, pedal-

to-the-metal training toget ready for the missionin Afghanistan,” he said.“And then we got on sta-tion and we were able toperform at that high levelbecause of all that trainingwe had done.”Brooks later served in a

leadership role during thetransition from C-130s toKC-135.“It was a challenge, of

course, but to be a part oftransferring to an entirelynewmission set and then tobecome a benchmark unitfor that mission – it wasjust awesome to be a partof it,” he said.McDow began his mili-

tary service in the U.S. Ma-rine Corps as an armorer.In 1999, he affiliated withthe U.S. Air Force Reserveand became a defenderwith a Security Forcessquadron. McDow trans-ferred to the Michigan AirNational Guard to joinedthe 127th Security ForcesSquadron at Selfridge in2015.The 127th Wing is the

largest component of theMichigan Air NationalGuard and is based at Sel-fridge Air National GuardBase in southeast Mich-igan. The wing’s two fly-ing squadrons, the 107thFighter Squadron and the171st Air Refueling Squad-ron fly the A-10 Thunder-bolt II and the KC-135, re-spectively. The wing is thehost unit at Selfridge, pro-viding support services to44 tenant commands com-prised of more than 4,400active, Guard, Reserve andcivilian personnel at thebase. Approximately 1,700Citizen-Airmen serve in the127th Wing.

NEWLEADERSHIP

Krasovic, McDow named to leadership posts at Selfridge

SENIOR AIRMAN RYAN ZESKI — U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Sanchez, a crew chief with the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Air Refueling Wing preparesto service a KC-135Stratotanker from the Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam,Hawaii, Nov. 5, 2018. The Michigan aircraft was passing through Hawaii on a mission to pick up cargo and personnel inGuam.

Krasovic previously served as the commanderof the 127thAir Refueling Group andwill replaceCol. David Brooks, who is retiring after a 28-yearlongAir Force career.McDow serves in a full-time capacity as the superintendent of the 127thSecurity Forces Squadron andwill continue in thatrole in addition to serving as theWing’s commandchief.



Command staff and ap-proximately 1,500 mem-bers of the 127th Wingconvened to announce thisyear’s Outstanding Airmenof the Year winners on De-cember 1, 2018.The six winners, rep-

resenting the Wing’s topindividual members andgroups, were selected froma pool of 21 nominees andfour teams in five catego-ries.Final award recipient

decisions were based onsuperior leadership, jobperformance and overallachievement.“We’re here to recognize

some of the fantastic per-formers, and this is… a rep-resentation of all the fan-tastic work that goes onwithin the Wing,” Brig.

Gen. John D. Slocum, com-mander of the 127th Wing,said during his openingaddress. “These are justsome of the superlativeperformers.”Winners were selected

in the following five cate-gories:• Outstanding Airman

of the Year — Staff Sgt. Ja-bett Glenn, 127th Mission

Support Group• Non-Commissioned

Officer of the Year — Tech.Sgt. Jonathan Smaltz,127th Security ForcesSquadron• Senior Non-Com-

missioned Officer of theYear — Master Sgt. LanaAllred, 127th ComptrollerFlight• First Sergeant of the

Year — Sr. Master Sgt.Bryon Harvey, 127th WingHeadquarters,• Company Grade Offi-

cer of the Year — Capt. Ja-son McNally, 127th WingHeadquarters• Commander’s Trophy

— 127th Wing Headquar-ters Public Affairs TeamThe winners of the first

four categories are now el-igible to compete in thestate level awards, an-nounced in August.

AWARDS/RECOGNITION

127th Wing awards2018 top performers

MASTER SGT. DAVID KUJAWA — U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum (pictured far left), commander of the 127th Wing, and ChiefDanny McDow (pictured far right), command chief master sergeant of the 127th Wing,awarded winners of the Wing’s 2018annual awards program at Selfridge Air NationalGuard Base, on December 1, 2018. Categories were: Outstanding Airman of the Year,Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year,First Sergeant of the Year, Company Grade Officer of the Year and the Commander’sTrophy. Winners are (from left to right): Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum, Tech. Sgt. JonathanSmaltz, Capt. Jason McNally, Staff Sgt. Jabette Glenn, Master Sgt. David Kujawa, StaffSgt. Samara Taylor, Senior Airman Brandon Gifford, Tech Sgt. Dan Heaton, Senior AirmanRyan Zeski, Phillip Ulmer, 1st Lt. Cammy Alberts, Tech. Sgt. Chelsea E. Barber, Tech. Sgt.Rachel Barton, Staff Sgt. Andrew Schumann, Master Sgt. Lana Allred, Sr. Master Sgt.Bryon Harvey and Chief Danny McDow.

Thewinnersof the first fourcategories arenow eligibleto competein the statelevel awards,announced inAugust.

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Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI 48045586.463.2496 • 800.622.9000www.northwood.edu/military

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