Tanker team refuels F-16s on final mission for OUP

Photo By Maj. Andra Higgs | Airman 1st Class James Shaffer (right), KC-135 Stratotanker boom operator deployed to the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing in the European theater of operations, prepares to refuel F-16 Fighting Falcons on Oct. 31, 2011, over the Mediterranean Sea on their final no-fly zone mission of the NATO-led operation. A United Nations mandate to protect civilians in Libya resulted in a coalition of 28 countries providing air and maritime intridiction. This was Shaffer's first operational deployment. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Maj. Andra Higgs)  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

11.03.2011

Courtesy Story

Air Mobility Command

By Maj. Andra Higgs
313th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA -- A KC-135 Stratotanker, deployed to the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing in the European theater of operations, refueled a U.S. Air Force F-16 over the Mediterranean Sea on the final mission day of flying during Operation Unified Protector, Oct. 31, 2011.

The United Nations' mandated mission lead to a coalition of 28 countries and the enforcement of a no-fly zone and maritime embargo to protect the citizens of Libya.

The 313th AEW brought together Total Force airmen who delivered more than 24 million gallons of fuel during the operation. Airmen serving in the 313th AEW were from myriad places, but they were "one team."

Those airmen, an April Air Mobility Command report shows, and the planes they use for air refueling and airlift for Operation Unified Protector, were not only active duty, but also from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve -- a Total Force effort. It's an effort that supported the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 of a no-fly zone over Libya.

If a person were to gaze out on the flightline of their deployed base, they might even make an observation similar to that of the former 313th AEW Commander, Brig. Gen. Roy Uptegraff. When looking at the multitude of colors of tail flashes on the 313th AEW ramp, "General Uptegraff said the ramp looked like a 'calico cat,'" said Col. Dave Cohen, 313th AEW vice commander.

"Thus, the 'calico wing' was born," Cohen said.

A calico cat, facts show, is a domestic cat with a spotted or parti-colored coat. As an example, a published photo illustration in April 2011 from 313th AEW public affairs shows the various tail flash colors of the aircraft that might resemble the "spotted" coat of a calico cat.

That photo included colors of aircraft tails from Air National Guard units in Nebraska, Utah, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa and Pennsylvania. It also showed Air Force Reserve aircraft from Indiana and North Carolina, and active-duty aircraft from California, Kansas, Washington, Florida and New Jersey.

• Date Taken: 11.03.2011
• Date Posted: 11.03.2011 15:20
• Story ID: 79518
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)