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  • Bay of Pigs Airmen Remembered

    Members from the 117th Air Refueling Wing gathered in Forest Lawn Cemetery at the gravesite of Thomas "Pete" Ray friday as Lt. Col. Darryl Jett laid a wreath in his honor.On April 19, 1961 Ray, Riley Shamburger, Wade Gray and Leo Baker, died after the two B-26 Marauder aircrafts they were flying

  • President Barack Obama Visits Birmingham

    The 117th Air Refueling Wing welcomed President Barack Obama here on March 26. During his visit, Obama traveled to Lawson State Community College when he spoke to student and faculty members on economic issues and the impact of payday loans.Upon arrival at the 117 ARW, Obama was greeted by Alabama

  • 877th Engineer Battalion Returns Home

    The Alabama National Guard  welcomed home the Soldiers of the 877th Engineer Battalion, out of Hamilton, at a ceremony December 10that the Army Aviation Support Facility.More than 158 Alabama National Guard Soldiers deployed with the 877th Engineer Battalion in April 2014, as part of Operation

  • WWII Vet Revisits Base

    A World War II veteran and former member of the 106th Observation Squadron revisited the National Guard base here on October 24, 2014.Jim Dobrovich, 94, served with the 106th Observation Squadron that is now recognized as the 106th Air Refueling Squadron. He flew on more than 100 flights in the

  • Air Force revamps AEF

    The Air Force will deploy Agile Combat Support Airmen under its redesigned air expeditionary force construct October 1. The primary purpose of the redesign was to look at ways to deploy more ACS Airmen with their units and standardize dwell times across the Air Force as much as possible to present a

  • Guardsman Rescues Woman

    A local Guardsman rescued a young woman attempting to escape from a group of intoxicated men here in April.Senior Airman Brendon Sheiry from the 117th Air Refueling Wing confronted the men after the woman looked at Sheiry straight in the eye and said, "Don't let them take me." He stood up to the men

  • Ceremonies Held to Remember Fallen Airmen

    The 117th Air Refueling Wing held two ceremonies here on April 18 to honor four Alabama Air National Guard Airmen who were killed in action during the Bay of Pigs invasion.On April 19, 1961 two B-26 aircraft operated by Thomas "Pete" Ray, Riley Shamburger, Wade Gray and Leo Baker were shot down by

  • Airman Returns from South Pole

    An Airman from the 117th Air Refueling Wing recently returned here from a six week deployment to Antarctica. Senior Master Sgt. Trey Hamm was the Joint Ground Safety Manager for the Air Force and the Navy at the National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station in Antarctica. "The trip down to

  • 117th Air Refueling Wing Remembers Fallen Airmen

    A historic event honoring the heritage of the Alabama Air National Guard Bay of Pigs involvement began here in early March. Artists from the University of Alabama-Birmingham spent 72 hours at the Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base painting nose art on a KC-135R Stratotanker commemorating the

  • Airman Saves Baby's Life

    Staff Sgt. Jeremy J. Brush was recently selected as the 117 ARW "Airman of the Quarter" NCO category.Brush saved the life of an infant by immediately applying life-saving techniques while deployed in September 2010.Brush, a firefighter assigned to the 117th Civil Engineering Squadron, received a