Team McConnell celebrates Air Force birthday

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Abigail Klein
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Team McConnell Members celebrated the service's 68th birthday with an Air Force Ball at the Marriott Hotel in Wichita Sept. 12, 2014. The ball is an annual Air Force-wide tradition that celebrates the heritage and history of the Air Force.

McConnell celebrates semi-annually. The four-hour event began with a social hour and then a formal program that was a mix of tradition and history with dinner and dancing.

The theme for the 2015 ball, "Creating Partnerships, Bridging Communities," was selected to highlight McConnell's interdependent relationships with Sedgwick County and Kansas, said Col. Albert Miller, 22nd Air Refueling Wing commander.  This "partnership" included hosting the ball during the 931st Air Refueling Group's monthly unit training assembly.  This made the event more accessible to the group's more than 450 traditional reservists, some of whom travel monthly from 28 different states.

This total force initiative was not lost on Col. Mark S. Larson, the 931 ARG commander, who also attended the event along with Col. Jeff "J.J." Jordan, the 184th Intelligence Wing commander.

"We are all Airmen," he said.  "We all have the same mission to do and we all work as one team, but it also important that we come together and celebrate our Air Force heritage as one team."

Before the night concluded with a rousing rendition of the Air Force song led by Larson, Miller and Jordan, guest speaker Rep. Mike Pompeo used his time to thank Team McConnell for their service.  Pompeo also remarked at the important job the Airmen of McConnell have.

"You guys get the job done that needs to be done around the world, and I have a great appreciation for the amazing things you do," he said.

McConnell is one of only three supertanker KC-135 Stratotanker wings in the Air Force. The wings primary mission is to provide global reach by conducting air refueling and airlift.