Sigler returns to lead 434th OG Published Jan. 26, 2015 By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- While trading in temps in the 60s for those in the single digits may not be attractive to most, one Air Force Reserve colonel is looking forward to making the switch. Col. Mark Sigler, who is currently the 452nd Operations Group commander at March Air Reserve Base, California, has been selected to replace Col. Gerard Malloy as the 434th Operations Group commander here in February. In his new position, Sigler will be responsible for commanding the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. As such, he will manage the day-to-day operations and training of two operational flying squadrons and an operations support squadron. "Grissom was my home for nine years," he said. "I left in September of 2009, and I'm thrilled to be coming back." The colonel, who is a command pilot with more than 6,000 military flying hours, began his career after joining the regular Air Force in 1986, receiving his commission after graduating Loyola University, Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering. Upon graduation of undergraduate pilot training, Sigler was assigned to be a KC-135A pilot at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire. He was then selected to the Air Education and Training Command's T-1A Jayhawk Initial Cadre, where he played a significant role in the implementation of the Specialized UPT program. In 1995, the then Captain Sigler, transitioned back as a KC-135R instructor and evaluator pilot and flight commander at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. During that time he also spearheaded his unit's Pacer CRAG, or Compass Radar and Global Positioning System, conversion, which upgraded avionics systems on KC-135s and eliminated the need for a navigator for most Stratotanker missions. Sigler's first stint at Grissom came upon joining the Air Force Reserve in 2000, when he was assigned to the 72nd Air Refueling Squadron here. Since that time, he has served in various command and leadership positions at Grissom; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina; and March. Those positions include plans officer, chief of standardization and evaluation, operations officer, squadron commander and group commander. "One big thing I've learned is that Grissom does things right, especially when it comes to flying and maintaining the KC-135," Sigler said of his time since leaving Grissom. "Another lesson that has been really driven home to me the last few years is the importance of the people that you work with and the relationships that you form that really get the job done and make it worthwhile," he added. "That's what I look forward to the most about coming back to Grissom - reuniting with my old friends, meeting all the new people and dedicating myself to what I've always believed, which is Grissom is really the best air refueling wing in the Air Force Reserve." Grissom is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command, as well as three Army Reserve units. Airmen, Soldiers and Marines routinely deploy from Grissom around the world in support of the Department of Defense mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
