Warriors aid Sailors during joint exercise

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  • By Staff Reports
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AFB, N.D. --  Two base aircraft and their crews recently lent their support to the Navy as part of a major joint exercise. KC-135s traveled to McDill Air Force Base, Fla., on April 13 to support the crew of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) as they began their Composite Training Unit Exercise, a major requirement for the Eisenhower Strike Group’s certification as ready for deployment. 

COMPTUEX is designed to train the ship, embarked air wing and other units that make up the carrier strike group to function as a single effective fighting force. Evaluators from Commander, Strike Force Training Atlantic ensure the strike group’s units are exercised in all warfare areas. 

Grand Forks sent a total of four aircrews, including 13 maintenance troops and four staff members, to provide 12 hours of air refueling support on each scheduled flight day. 

“The crews flew eight hour sorties every other day while they were there. In total, the Grand Forks detachment flew 28 sorties over 19 fly days for a 96.6 percent mission accomplishment rate, offloading 1.9 million pounds of fuel to 766 receivers,” said Capt. Tom Hutton, 319th Operations Support Squadron. 

Warriors of the North that participated included Maj. Scott Selzer, detachment commander; Capt. Christopher Collins, 905th Air Refueling Squadron; 1st Lt. Joshua Shultz , 911th Air Refueling Squadron; Capt. Jody Robertson, 912th Air Refueling Squadron and Capt. Sheroyd Brown, 906th Air Refueling Squadron, all aircraft commanders. 

Additionally, the staff included, Capt. Thomas Hutton, 911 ARS; Tech. Sgt. Michael Ulmer, 905 ARS; Senior Airman Travis Ham, 905 ARS and Master Sgt. David Stern, 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. 

“The detachment was lauded by the Air Refueling Liaison Officer on the USS Eisenhower for being the most reliable and first completely autonomous tanker unit they had ever worked with,” said Captain Hutton.