Museum exhibit celebrates 75 years of the Air National Guard in Battle Creek

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Sonia Pawloski | Col. Shawn Holtz, 110th Wing Commander, Battle Creek Air National Guard, visits the Battle Creek Regional History Museum, Battle Creek, Mich., Thursday, April 14, 2022. The museum recently unveiled a temporary exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base. Pictured here Doug Sturdivant, BCRHM director, Col. Shawn Holtz, 110th Wing Commander and Rich Bauer, BCRHM volunteer. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Sonia Pawloski)  

BATTLE CREEK, MI, UNITED STATES

04.15.2022

Story by Capt. Andrew Layton 

110th Wing

BATTLE CREEK, Michigan – The Battle Creek Regional History Museum recently unveiled a temporary exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of Battle Creek Air National Guard Base. The exhibit features numerous artifacts including photographs, flags and awards dating to the base’s federal activation in September 1947.

The exhibit will run until the end of June 2022.

“The Battle Creek Regional History Museum is proud to showcase the heritage of the Air National Guard in this way,” said Doug Sturdivant, BCRHM director. “For 75 years, members of the 110th Wing have served as a pillar of the Battle Creek community, not to mention their illustrious contributions to our state and national defense.”

Throughout its history, the 110th Wing at Battle Creek ANG Base has hosted numerous missions and aircraft including the P-51 Mustang, the F-86 Sabre, F-89 Scorpion, RB-57 Canberra, O-2 Skymaster, OA-37 Dragonfly, A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-21 and MQ-9 aircraft.

Today, the Wing is home to a state-of-the-art Air Operations Group that offers command and control and joint task force capabilities to support the U.S. National Defense Strategy. Airmen from the 110th Operations Group fly the MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft from Battle Creek supporting Department of Defense requirements anywhere around the world. The base also hosts an elite Cyber defense squadron (one of only 12 of its kind), along with a Medical Group and Mission Support Group to provide capabilities and ensure Airmen readiness.

“Battle Creek ANG Base is home station for nearly 1,000 diverse members – Airmen, federal, state, and civilian employees with a proud heritage of service in Southwest Michigan.” said Col. Shawn Holtz, 110th Wing commander. “I am grateful to the BCRHM for recognizing all they have done for our community, state, and nation.”

Holtz says that while the exhibit captures the rich history of Battle Creek ANG Base, the installation is aligned for an equally relevant future.

“Air Force leaders in Washington have made it clear that we cannot allow ourselves to stagnate with strategies and missions that may have worked in the past,” he said. “This is what makes the 110th Wing’s huge potential for future growth so exciting: our Airmen are indeed innovating – constantly – and we are aggressively pursuing ways for our existing capabilities in some of the National Defense Strategy’s newest concepts to be leveraged with new missions crucial to Department of the Air Force priorities. I firmly believe that with proven capability, values, and experience, the potential for the 110th Wing to reach even greater heights is limitless.”

The Battle Creek Regional History Museum (307 W Jackson Street) is open Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 5 p.m.

• Date Taken: 04.15.2022
• Date Posted: 04.15.2022 09:16
• Story ID: 418572
• Location: BATTLE CREEK, MI, US