Schwartz, Perkins visit Capitol Hill Published July 18, 2014 By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- While famed actor and Air Force Reserve retired Brig. Gen. James Stewart got his big Hollywood break with the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," Grissom's top commander got his start to his new job going there himself. Col. Doug Schwartz, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Karen Perkins, 434th ARW command chief, visited six members of Indiana's congressional delegation on Capitol Hill to talk about Grissom's role in the national defense, Indiana economy and future as part of the Air Force Reserve's Capitol Hill Visit Program June 16. During their visit, Schwartz and Perkins visited with Sen. Dan Coats, Sen. Joe Donnelly, Rep. Susan Brooks, Rep. Luke Messer, Rep. Marlin Stutzman and Rep. Jackie Walorski, as well as their military legislative assistants and legislative aides. "We had a great visit with Indiana's congressional leadership," said Schwartz. "It provided us with a tremendous opportunity to carry the message of all the great work the citizen Airmen of the 434th ARW accomplish each and every day in support of our nation's defense." While just on the job for little over a month, Schwartz leveraged his 15-year history at Grissom as well as his previous command assignments to give perspectives on both Grissom and the Air Force Reserve. "Grissom is truly a beacon of military capability in north-central Indiana," he said during the visit. Perkins, who just recently returned from a 6-month deployment to Camp Bastion and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was able to provide information about Grissom's enlisted force as well as her deployed experiences. "From an enlisted perspective, we talked about how important it is to get our troops trained and ready to answer the nation's call," she recalled. "I got to see things from both the stateside and overseas point-of-views and relayed that on to them." The 434th ARW at Grissom is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command, and the base has a more than $118 million economic impact on the local Indiana economy. Of the Hoosier Wing's approximately 1,800 personnel, more than 980 reservists and nearly 500 civilian employees reside within the state. The Air Force Reserve Capitol Hill Visit program enables wing commanders to meet annually with congressmen representing their areas. The primary purpose of the program is to assist commanders in improving and building on relationships established with congressional delegations and to increase their unit's visibility with members of Congress. In addition to being the home of the 434th ARW, Grissom also hosts three Army Reserve units and a Marine Corps Reserve communications detachment. Grissom Airmen, Soldiers, Marines and Sailors routinely deploy around the globe in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with Grissom and the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
