Brig. Gen. Matthew Brancato, Commander of the 127th Wing, delivers his September Drill message to #TeamSelfridge
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Approximately 30 Airmen from the 127th Maintenance Group, Michigan Air National Guard, broke new ground this summer when they successfully completed a combat turn on an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in complete darkness, using night-vision goggles. The milestone, accomplished Aug. 6, 2025, at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, marked the first time an Air National Guard maintenance unit performed the combat operation entirely using NVGs.
“This is about pushing our capabilities forward,” 2nd Lt. Joseph DiGiovanni, a weapons officer assigned to the 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, said. “If we can turn an A-10 in the dark, with NVGs, it means we’re ready to keep these aircraft in the fight no matter the...
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Call, left, and Airman 1st Class Austin Finley, right, both aircraft armament systems technicians with the 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Michigan Air National Guard, celebrate after a successful training exercise in Alpena, Michigan, Aug. 5, 2025. Call, an Air Force veteran turned Air National Guardsman, helped train Finley on his first training trip outside of Selfridge Air National Guard Base. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Chelsea E. FitzPatrick)
