Sen. Coats' staffer visits Grissom Published April 1, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Andrew McLaughlin 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- As a key player in the nation's defense, as well as the local economy, there is a lot that goes on at Grissom, and one U.S. senator's regional director recently got a close-up look at the base and its mission. Rebecca Holwerda, a regional director for Sen. Dan Coats, toured Grissom and met with 434th Air Refueling Wing Airmen and leadership during a visit to the north central Indiana base March 27. Shortly after arriving, Holwerda got a hands-on experience with the 434th ARW's mission as she took the controls of a KC-135R Stratotanker for both a takeoff and landing in Grissom's state-of-the-art flight deck simulator. Gary Beebe, a contract site manager for the simulators, helped her learn the aircraft's controls and assisted her through a simulated flight over Hawaii. "It seems so overwhelming," Holwerda said of the crash-course in flying before moving on to what Beebe referred to as the "business-end" of the KC-135 in Grissom's new boom operator weapons system trainer, or BOWST, where she simulated refueling various different aircraft. After her stint in the simulators, Holwerda stopped to see a real KC-135 in Dock 1, where Tech. Sgt. Benjamen Bond and Master Sgt. Joshua Stedman, 434th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron KC-135R crew chiefs, explained their roles and what goes into keeping the aircraft, which are more than 50 years old, flying. "It looks immaculate in here," she said from inside of the aircraft. Taking a break for lunch, Holwerda had a chance to talk with Col. Bryan Reinhart, 434th ARW commander, as they discussed the 434th ARW's mission as well as hopes and plans for the future. On the last stop of the tour, Holwerda got a birds-eye view of the base from Grissom's new $7.4 million air traffic control tower. She also met with controllers in the radar approach control facility where they explained how they control all civilian and military air traffic between Chicago and Indianapolis, going as far west as Lafayette, Ind., up to 10,000 feet. To the Airmen of the 434th ARW, Holwerda expressed her own thanks and that on behalf of Coats before she left. "We appreciate what you do," she said. The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with Grissom and the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
