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Kadena air refueling squadron delivers for 45 years

  • Published
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
The 909th Air Refueling Squadron recently entered its 45th year in delivering world-wide air-to-air refueling capabilities for all branches of the U.S. Military and allied partners.

Throughout the squadron’s time in service, Airmen of the 909th have made it possible for airframes to fully function and maintain stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. They have also supported many high-profile operations all over the globe, to include Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

“Global reach is the Air Force’s capability enabling our country to touch any place on the globe,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Burdick, 909th ARS commander. “With it, we can effectively expand the bounds of air power and provide our senior leadership the abilities and have options they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Kadena is home to the squadron’s 15 KC-135R Stratotankers, which have been the Air Force’s core aerial refueling asset for more than 50 years. The airframe allows for small aircrews, often comprised of two pilots and a boom operator, to deliver fuel from thousands of feet in the air, while only 47 feet from the receiving aircraft.

Executing air-to-air refueling requires careful coordination well before the jets take off. Planning entails the combined effort from maintenance, weather, intelligence, air traffic control, flight operations and many other agencies.

“We all have a saying, ‘we all work with each other so everybody on the jet is on the same page,’” said Senior Airman Victoria Rose Mora, 909th ARS boom operator. “Everyone has that same mindset, that same momentum and we’re all striving to get the job done.”

Having enough fuel to take an aircraft from one destination to another is often times the difference between life and death. At any given moment, the 909th can be called upon to support higher headquarters missions; intelligence, surveillance and response; and aeromedical evacuation assistance, which enables Stratotankers to host medical teams and transport Department of Defense members to higher medical care.

Stratotankers here take flight almost every day to test their combat capabilities for training and exercises, preparing the jets for war-time scenarios and humanitarian assistance. Last year the 909th responded to two massive earthquakes in Nepal by delivering 115 tons of aid to 8 million people, and providing equipment that was essential in caring for 65 aeromedical patients.

Burdick said that humanitarian aid and catering to the many functions of PACAF wouldn’t be possible if the squadron wasn’t able train on a continuous basis.

During the first half of 2016, the 909th has completed more than 850 missions and has taken home six Pacific Air Forces-level awards since 2014. Regardless of the squadron’s accomplishments and milestones, sometimes it’s the community that makes everything worthwhile.

“Without a doubt the biggest reward of working with tankers is the sense of pride and satisfaction to work with my Airmen on a daily basis,” said Burdick. “By empowering those Airmen, it makes them more capable, which leads us to be able push the mission to where we’ve never been able to go before.”