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  • The Desert: Part four

    The war went on for only 38 days, but the pace was such that many Airmen who went through it can only remember it as a sort of blur, with certain moments standing out.That is easy to understand when you look at the final totals for those 38 days: 16,959.6 total tanker flying hours; 3,496 sorties

  • The Desert: Part Three

    Prior to the Dec. 20 activation order, almost all unit members in Jeddah were brought home for Christmas and to prepare for federalization. Colonel Charles "Mick" Baier, 1701st Strategic Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) commander and 190th member, and five others remained.The unit was tasked to

  • The Desert: Part Two

    More than 600 people attended the first Family Support Group meeting at Forbes Field on the evening of Aug. 13, 1990. Their actions over the next few weeks became the model for most other Family Support Groups across the nation to follow. Because of this, the 190th Air Refueling Wing Family Support

  • The Desert - 20 years ago

    On the second day of August, 1990, forces of Iraq under Saddam Hussein overran the country of Kuwait ... things were about to get really interesting for the Kansas Coyotes at Forbes Field. On Aug. 3, Col. Charles "Mick" Baier received a call from Strategic Air Command (via the National Guard

  • Each of you must be a mentor

    How often have you heard, or said, "I am mentor for so-and-so, but I've never met him?" How many of us hear mentor and tune out? Unfortunately, this is too common.There seems to be two schools of thought on mentorship. Either, it's incredibly important, and I want to do all I can to promote it; or,

  • 23 temporary years later ... Thanks Bob!

    Ten years ago... I turned my face for a moment and it became my life.I never intended to make a career of the Guard. I enlisted to go to pilot training. I was fully immersed in preparing a parallel "real life" outside of the Guard. I was going to get a degree in biochemistry and keep my real career

  • Coyote Heritage ~ March 2010

    Lt. Col. Dave Render stands next to a RB-57 during a cold spring day in May 1972. In a few moments, he would take the controls of the old jet for the last time, as ten of the jets were transferred to Aberdeen Proving Ground for a destruction-testing program, while the rest of them were transferred

  • Coyote Heritage ~ January 2010

    Last month we told you a story about how Captain Bill Fry (center with harness) and Lt. Gene Crackle (far left) had been the first two pilots to sign up for the new squadron to be formed at Hutchinson. We also told you how they had checked each other out in the F-80s (actually the T-33 trainer

  • Coyote Heritage ~ December 2009

    Capt. Gene Crackle briefs aircrew members prior to their missions, possibly at summer camp at Alpena, Mich., in 1959. Gene Crackle was one of the original members of the 117th, and he and Capt. Bill Fry were the first pilots to sign up for the new unit to be formed in Hutchison in 1957.Crackle had

  • Answering our nation's call

    By the time you read this article, many citizen-Airmen of the 190th Air Refueling Wing will have once again deployed to serve our country at an overseas location supporting the Global War on Terrorism. Responding to the needs of our nation is not new to the National Guard. As a matter of fact, the