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179th says goodbye to last of C-130's
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By MEGAN FERRINGER
Daily Globe Staff Reporter
MANSFIELD — On Tuesday, August 24th at the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield, members of the Ohio Air National Guard lined up along the runway with their eyes pointed at the overcast sky to catch a final glimpse of the last C-130 aircraft flying out of their base. Some waved and others saluted as the aircraft took off and headed westward to Missouri, which would be its final destination.
 The C-130’s departure marked a bittersweet end to an era for the 179th Airlift Wing and signified the beginning of another. Having operated the C-130 for 34 years, the 179th Airlift Wing was given a new mission: Instead of flying C-130’s, they were to fly C-27J Spartans — making them the first base in the Air National Guard to begin the new C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft Mission.
According to Senior Airman Joseph Harwood, the switch over is a significant one and solidified the Mansfield base would remain open.
The new mission came as exciting news for the base after the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) gave word to the 179th Airlift Wing in 2005 they were slated to be closed.
The local community and National Guard Bureau rallied together to show the value of the base and important history. As a result, they were given a new mission — a change of direction that ensures their planes will fly over Mansfield for many more years to come.
“Switching over to the C-27J is a huge deal,” said Colonel Gary McCue, Commander of the 179th Airlift Wing. “It’s an end of an era, but it also means that we can focus on the future now. We’ve been through a lot in the past five years and have seen a lot of changes, so this is very exciting.”
The C-130’s have been a big part of the 179th Airlift Wing, and most recently they assisted relief efforts in Haiti by arriving in Port-au-Prince after the country’s major earthquake in January.
The planes have also put in thousands of hours for Middle East war operations and flew Army National Guard units to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It was this long history of service that dismissed the fear of closure and introduced a new mission.
Since getting word of the C-27J arrival, the base has been in a two-year transition process, with the first C-130 leaving the base a year ago, McCue said. He hopes that by February they will have received four of the new planes.
On Saturday, August 14, more than two dozen legislative and Air Guard representatives joined 800 men and women of the 179th Airlift Wing to publicly celebrate the historic change. The first of the C-27J’s arrived on base and was christened “The Spirit of Mansfield.” The last C-130 flying out on Tuesday made the transition official.
“We’re sad to see the C-130’s go,” McCue said. “It signifies a culmination of losing a mission but also gaining a new one. Now we’re in full force and busy focusing on the new mission.” |
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