Ohio National Guard News

Brown tours new Ohio National Guard facilities in Mansfield

Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Jessica Q. Hill, 179th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (left) gets a firsthand look at the cockpit of a C-27J Hercules cargo aircraft from a member of the
179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield, Ohio. Brown was at the Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport Oct. 26, 2011, to see the wing's new
C-27Js and to tour the newly built facilities to be utilized by Ohio National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.

Lt. Col. Daniel Tack (left), commander of the 200th RED HORSE Squadron Detachment 1, guides U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (second from left) on a tour the newly built facilities. Also pictured is Col. John Harris (right), Ohio assistant adjutant general for Army. Maj. Gen. Deborah Ashenhurst (center), Ohio adjutant general, flanked by U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan (left) and Bob Gibbs, cuts the ceremonial ribbon opening two new facilities for the Ohio National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Mansfield, Ohio. The 200th RED HORSE facility and Mansfield Armed Forces Reserve Center cost $23 million, and provide new work areas for Soldiers and Airmen.

MANSFIELD, Ohio — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and his aides stopped by his hometown Oct. 26 to see the 179th Airlift Wing's new C-27J Spartan cargo aircraft, and to tour the newly built Mansfield Armed Forces Reserve Center and 200th RED HORSE Detachment 1 Facility at the Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.

During the visit, Brown met with trained C-27J pilots and talked at length with members of the 164th Airlift Squadron about the new airframe. He noted that housing more planes on fewer bases makes good financial sense, especially from a maintenance aspect.

"Mansfield has proven that more planes here make sense," Brown said. "This base serves people who live not just in Mansfield, but for miles around. The base injects life and money into the local economy."

When Brown's schedule did not allow him to make the formal ribbon cutting for the new buildings on Oct. 28, he told Ohio National Guard officials that he wanted to pay a visit to the Soldiers and Airmen in Mansfield to show his support for the men and women who have worked so hard to build up the base since the most recent round of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Committee initiated changes, including the 179th AW transitioning from the C-130 Hercules, a larger cargo aircraft, to the C-27J.

"This growth and ribbon cutting sends the message that we should not be afraid of BRAC," Brown said when talking to Guard members during his visit. "There are dedicated professionals here. There is also great growth potential. We know what they have done."

Col. Michael Howard, 179th AW vice commander, told the senator that the expansion of the RED HORSE (which stands for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) and the Army on and around the 179th AW has been the result of good collaboration among the Army, Air National Guard and the surrounding community.

"There has been a lot of cooperation between the city and the Guard," Howard said.

Also during the senator's visit, he spoke with Lt. Col. Daniel Tack, commander of the 200th RED HORSE Squadron Det. 1. While touring the Mansfield Armed Forces Reserve Center (MAFRC), Brown also met with Col. John Harris, Ohio assistant adjutant general for Army.

The MAFRC and 200th RED HORSE Det. 1 Facility encompass more than 103,000 square feet, situated on about 63 acres. Both facilities are part of a $23 million project that includes a field maintenance shop, used for military vehicle storage and repair. The project took 31 months to complete and the facilities will be used for administrative, operational and training purposes.