SOUTHWEST EUROPE – Senior Airman Michael Hareld is currently deployed to southwest Europe with the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron.
Hareld is a Joliet, Ill., native.
The 351st EARS is comprised of airmen and KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England. The unit deployed on Jan. 26, 2013 and began operating Jan. 27, 2013, at the request of the French government. The airmen and KC-135s provide air-to-air refueling support to French fighter aircraft conducting military operations in Mali. The air-to-air refueling expands the operational capability of French aircraft by allowing them to remain airborne for extended periods of time.