10.01.24 ~ OHANG  |  121ST ARW

Senior Master Sgt. Ralph Branson / 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Ohio National Guard Airmen deploy to North Carolina to support Hurricane Helene recovery efforts

Airmen with the 121st Air Refueling Wing's Fatality Search and Recover Team, part of the Ohio Homeland Response Force, prepare to deploy to North Carolina in support of Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2024. The unit will provide unique critical response capabilities, answering the call from a state in need.

PHOTOS  |  STORY  |  VIDEO

05.16.24 ~ OHANG  |  121ST ARW

Senior Airman Ivy Thomas / 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st ARW conducts readiness exercise validation to ensure mission capability

The 121st Air Refueling Wing conducted Operation Buckeye Resolve in May 2024 at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. The three-day, 24/7 basewide exercise demonstrated the wing’s ability to perform various aspects of its mission, including deployment processing, loading and launching aircraft, defending the base, emergency and attack procedures and casualty care.

PHOTOS: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  |  STORY

02.02.24 ~ OHANG  |  121ST

Tech. Sgt. Wendy Kuhn / 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st Airmen return from deployment

Airmen from the 121st Air Refueling Wing are welcomed home from an overseas deployment upon their return at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 2, 2024. The 121st Air Refueling Wing provides combat-ready Airmen to provide security and defense of the state and nation.

PHOTOS: 1, 2

11.11.22

Photo by Staff Sgt. Aven Santiago, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

Celebrating November as National Veterans and Military Families Month

A color guard from the 121st Air Refueling Wing leads the Columbus Veterans Day Parade Nov. 10, 2022, in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Other Ohio National Guard parade support included a contingent of senior leaders presiding over events from the reviewing stand, music from the 122nd Army Band (pictured behind color guard), a procession of vehicles and Guard members from several Army and Air units and an F-16 flyover from the 180th Fighter Wing. Sponsored annually by MILVETS, the parade honors the service and sacrifice made by veterans, current service members and their families.

PHOTOS |  VIDEO

06.30.22

Photo by Tech. Sgt. James Courtright, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st ARW helps 'shape' new standards for aviator career fields

The 121st Air Refueling Wing is the only National Guard unit that is part of an Air Force-wide study to modernize height and body composition standards for enlisted aviator career fields, something that has not been done in over 50 years.

STORY

02.22.22

Senior Airman Mikayla Gibbs, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st ARW Airman: A passion to serve

Serving others seems to be second nature for Staff Sgt. Cherelle Hines. She stands out in her community, and even though she was not looking for recognition, she recently received an award for her dedicated involvement.

STORY

08.27.21

Photo by Senior Airman Mikayla Gibbs, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st Airman is Ohio Air National Guard Recruiter of Year

Tech. Sgt. Jordan Hopson of the 121st Air Refueling Wing is the Ohio Air National Guard’s Recruiter of the Year, facilitating 79 enlistments in federal fiscal year 2020, the most in the entire Air National Guard. After being a member of the 121st Security Forces Squadron for the first five years of his career, he decided he wanted to become a recruiter so he could give back to the wing and to the ANG and help others share in some of the experiences and opportunities the Guard has given him, he said.

STORY

08.09.21

Photo by Senior Airman Mikayla Gibbs, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st ARW sheet metal technicians work to maintain KC-135s

Staff Sgt. Ethan Waymire, Airman 1st Class Carson Walker and Airman 1st Class Alexander Lupton, sheet metal technicians with the 121st Maintenance Squadron, 121st Air Refueling Wing, replace a panel on a KC-135 Stratotanker Aug. 9, 2021, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. The squadron Airmen continuously maintain readiness of the fleet so the wing is able support numerous missions around the world.

PHOTOS

06.29.21

Photo by Spc. Jessica Silhavy, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

Ohio Air National Guard wings work together: KC-135 refuels F-16s

Airman 1st Class Tristen Miller, a boom operator with the 121st Air Refueling Wing, closes the over-wing hatch of a KC-135 Stratotanker June 29, 2021, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. Multiple aircraft, including an F-16 from the 180th Fighter Wing with Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., Ohio adjutant general, aboard, were refueled mid-air during the training flight.

05.26.21

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot

Eyes on from the boom pod

Staff Sgt. Morgan Hall, a boom operator assigned to the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing, looks out of the boom pod of a KC-135 Stratotanker during a refueling flight off the coast of the United Kingdom, May 26, 2021. Miller is a part of a group of Guard members operating from Scotland and providing air refueling support as part of exercise At-Sea Demo / Formidable Shield. Formidable Shield is a first-of-its-kind multinational exercise, taking place in the region of the North Atlantic Ocean around the United Kingdom.

11.23.20

Photo by Airman 1st Class Tiffany A. Emery, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st ARW Airmen innovate to help solve Air Force-wide aircraft battery testing failure

A KC-135 Stratotanker operated by the 121st Air Refueling Wing sits on the flight line at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. Members of the 121st ARW recently partnered with active-duty Airmen at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. to help revise outdated procedures for testing the condition of aircraft batteries on the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-130 Hercules aircraft.

STORY

10.17.20

Photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Gibbs, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st Medical Squadron trains to save lives during catastrophic event

Airmen from the 121st Medical Group, 121st Air Refueling Wing conduct a training event Oct. 17, 2020, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. Part of the medical element of the Ohio National Guard Homeland Response Force, the Airmen trained on scenarios to prepare them for facilitating medical and casualty recovery operations in the event of a major or catastrophic event in the U.S.

PHOTOS

09.30.19

Photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Gibbs, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Flying in their father's footsteps

Lt. Col. Scott Notestine, a pilot with the 166th Air Refueling Squadron, 121st Air Refueling Wing, and Staff Sgt. Cody Notestine and Staff Sgt. Nick Notestine, aircraft metals technology specialists with the 121st Maintenance Squadron, 121st ARW, pose for a photo in front of a KC-135 Stratotanker on the flight line at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio, Sep. 28, 2020. Lt. Col. Notestine retires Sep. 30 after 35 years of service, and his sons were recently selected to become pilots in the 121st ARW.

STORY

09.23.19

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Nic Kuetemeyer, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

121st Air Refueling Wing hero is Air National Guard Firefighter of the Year

Staff Sgt. Michael Ginikos, a crew chief in the fire department at the 121st Air Refueling Wing, is the winner of the 2018 Chief Albert Fitzpatrick Award for Air National Guard Firefighter of the Year. Ginikos, a Westerville, Ohio native, was chosen as the standout candidate from applicants nationwide.

STORY

09.21.20

Photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Gibbs, 121st Air Refueling Wing

KC-135 sits on flight line at sunrise

A KC-135 Stratotanker operated by the 121st Air Refueling Wing sits on the flight line during sunrise Sep. 21, 2020, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. Located within one hour’s flying time of 60% of the U.S. population, the 121st ARW is ideally positioned to support numerous refueling missions, domestically as well as around the word.

PHOTOS

08.04.19

Photo by Staff Sgt. Wendy Kuhn, 121st Air Refueling Wing

Airman aspires to inspire

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nathaniel Carter, a production controller with the 121st Air Refueling Wing Maintenance Group, stands outside a hangar at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2019. As a production controller, Carter's job is to coordinate the flight line between the Operations Group and Maintenance.

STORY

04.27.18

Photo by Airman 1st Class Tiffany A Emery, 121st Air Refueling Wing

Embrace Your Voice 5k Color Run

U.S. service members from Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio participate in the “Embrace Your Voice” 5k Color Run April 27, 2018 at RANGB. Participants were doused with teal powder as they ran, walked, and biked the 3.1 miles.

PHOTOS

04.27.18

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Ralph Branson, 121st Air Refueling Wing

Sexual assault prevention awareness month 5K color run

U.S. service members participate in the Ohio National Guard 'Embrace Your Voice' 5K Color Run April 27, 2018, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio. Participants were doused with teal powder as they ran, walked, and biked the 3.1 miles.

PHOTOS