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  • Airman Weapons Safety Class Held at 117 ARW

    The first on-base weapons safety class was held for Airmen here at the 117th Air Refueling Wing this past weekend. Instructors from the base provided training on a broad range of topics but the most important was weapon safety.The class is suited for people with varying degrees of experience

  • 117 ARW Participates in Southern Strike

    The 117th Air Refueling Wing participated in Exercise Southern Strike above the Gulf of Mexico earlier this month. KC-135R Stratotankers from the 117 ARW refueled F-22 Raptors and F-35 Stealth Fighters that were simulating tactical dogfights.  Southern Strike is a Joint Force Exercise hosted

  • Three Change of Command Ceremonies at the 117th Air Refueling Wing

    The 117th Air Refueling Wing had three change of command ceremonies during December drill here at Sumpter Smith ANG Base.The 117th Force Support Squadron and the 117th Mission Support Group change of commands were on December 8 and the 117th Maintenance Group change of command was on December 9.

  • 117 ARW Participates in Active Shooter Exercise

    An active shooter exercise with local law enforcement agencies took place here at Jefferson State Community College on September 8.Airmen from the 117th Security Forces Squadron partnered with approximately eight other agencies to prepare for a variety of emergency scenarios. Participants practiced

  • Health & Wellness Crew Feeds Airmen

    Family readiness and key spouses from the Health and Wellness Crew prepared meals and received donations to feed Airmen here at the 117th Air Refueling Wing during super drill in August.The program was initially implemented this past February by key spouse mentor Dr. Debbie Grant to feed the Airmen

  • Shelter Receives Food in Time of Need

    Approximately 950 meals were donated from the 117th Air Refueling Wing to a local shelter here in downtown Birmingham on August 20.  The shelter serves between 90 to 125 lunch meals per day and is a staple in the community as the homeless and families below the poverty line rely on it daily for

  • 117 ARW Holds Run for Veterans

    The First Veterans Suicide Awareness Run was held here at Sumpter Smith ANG Base today.A collective 22 mile run was organized in order to bring awareness to the lives of 22 veterans that are taken every day due to suicide.The Health and Wellness Crew along with Team Birmingham Booster Club and Team

  • 117 ARW Conducts ATSO Training

    Airmen from the 117th Air Refueling Wing participated in Ability to Survive and Operate training here on July 22.ATSO provides a foundation for Airmen to survive chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive attacks and conduct mission essential operations in environments that have been

  • Vehicle Extraction Training

    Firefighters from the Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base conducted vehicle extrication training here on May 20.This training gave the firefighters more experience in getting out people who are stuck in a wrecked vehicle using specialty tools.“We practiced making cuts, sawing windshields and

  • Crash, Damaged and Disabled Aircraft Recovery Exercise

    The 117th Maintenance Group held a Crash, Damaged and Disabled Aircraft Recovery exercise here at the Southern Museum of Flight on May 19.The CDDAR training program is designed to provide Airmen the opportunity to take part in hands-on training that simulates a scenario in which an aircraft has