[MilCom] Air Guard Says Goodbye to McConnell

[GrayGhost]

 http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/9679652.html?source=enews&c=y

After 66 years in the Air Capital, the Kansas Air National Guard's hanger at
McConnell Air Force Base is now empty.

The Guard said goodbye Sunday to their last plane, a KC-135, as it took off
for Forbes Field in Topeka. The guard, better known to some as the Flying
Jayhawks, had to give up their wings under the terms of the 2005 Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) mandate.

For the last several years, the Guard has been flying refueler missions, but
over the years, the Guard has also filled a combat role. Veteran pilots say
it's a loss that's hard to get over.

"You train all your life to be a pilot and then they take the airplanes
away," says Brigadier General Ed Mcilhenny. "Now what do I do? Do I stop
flying or transfer?"

The Kansas Air National Guard is not closing down. Officials say the Guard
will now work on an intelligence mission. More details of exactly what that
will involve are scheduled to be released in October.