Buckeye State Airmen join total force Rodeo By Lt. Col. Kathy Lowrey 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AMCNS) -- A 19-member team from the 121st Air Refueling Wing in Columbus, Ohio, is the only Air National Guard u Published June 20, 2005 A 19-member team from the 121st Air Refueling Wing in Columbus, Ohio, is the only Air National Guard unit competing in Rodeo 2005. It is our honor to be here and further the tradition of the citizen soldier, said Maj. Dave Johnson, the team commander. We are proud to go shoulder to shoulder against the best of the best in air mobility and showcase our strong commitment to the Total Force and Ohio. The 121st ARW was recognized as the best Air National Guard Wing in Ohio in 2004. They also received the 2004 ground safety award for Ohio. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, they performed 27 percent of all the refueling missions, flying 3,788 hours and 797 sorties. Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is the second largest Air National Guard unit in the United States, and has been described as a joint model installation by Dr. Mario Fiori, the Under Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment. The 121st ARW has 18 aircraft and approximately 1,400 people. The Rodeo maintenance crew has nearly 160 years of combined military maintenance experience including deployments all over the world. The maintenance team chief, Master Sgt. Kevin Cameron said, We have never been more prepared to make Ohio and the Guard proud. Two of the security forces competitors participated in the international security forces Defender Challenge competition last year. We are ready to push the envelope and bring home some trophies, said security forces team leader Tech Sgt. Jamie Burr. Air Mobility Command News Service is a service of the Internal Division Office of Public Affairs 503 Ward Drive, Room 214 Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225-5335 618-229-7821