Schulte tapped to lead 434th Maintenance Group Published Feb. 28, 2014 By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- While a record-setting winter has some wanting to flee the Midwest, one Air Force Reserve colonel is glad to be headed back as she has been selected to lead the 434th Maintenance Group here. Col. Anna Schulte, who commands the 403rd Maintenance Group at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., was recently selected to command Grissom's maintainers and will assume her new role March 23. Schulte will replace Col. Paul Weimer, who is headed to command 919th Special Operations Maintenance Group at Duke Field, Fla. The colonel said she joined the Air Force to be an aviator in 1980, but when that didn't pan out she took advice from her father, an active duty maintenance chief master sergeant, who pointed her toward the aircraft maintenance career field. "I said if I can't fly them, I'll fix them, so I drove from Laughlin AFB in Texas to Travis (AFB, Calif.,) and joined the reserve 349th Maintenance Squadron there," she recalled. Since then, Schulte has held a variety of positions to include officer in charge of mission systems, job control officer, executive officer, logistics branch chief, squadron commander and group commander. She has also deployed in support of Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom. No stranger to command, Schulte has been in leadership at the group level since 1999, when she filled in as the acting group commander for the 445th Logistics Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Part of the reason Schulte said she is excited for her new job is that she is returning back to the Midwest, an area that suits her. "The south isn't for everyone," she explained. "I love the north and four seasons, and it's close to my family in Ohio, so for me it's a perfect fit." Despite a desire to leave the south, Schulte said she will miss the people she worked with at Keesler AFB. "The unit down there was outstanding," she elaborated. "I admired the C-130J's capabilities, the people supporting them, and their two missions including tactical airlift and hurricane reconnaissance, but it's time to move on to the next challenge." Looking ahead, the colonel said she is really excited about those challenges and opportunities at Grissom. "I haven't worked on KC-135s since 1989 at March ARB, Calif., so it's good to get back into that world, and work heavy aircraft," she said. "I'm ready to get back into the strat way of doing things with maintenance philosophies and procedures, and getting to know my Airmen." And, getting to know her people is one of the biggest challenges Schulte said she will have, but one from which she will not shy away. "By far the biggest challenge will be getting out and meet the [Air Reserve Technicians], traditional reservists and civilians," she said. "There are over 500 of them and only one of me, but I'll endeavor to meet with everyone and make sure they all understand I work for them." As far as work is concerned, the colonel said on her first trip ever to Grissom she was impressed by the Airmen she will command as she saw their dedication first-hand in the aircraft they maintain. "There are some beautiful planes here," Schulte commented. "They are taken care of, they've got the [tender loving care] in them." She went on to say that TLC is indicative of Air Force Reserve maintainers. "It's not like that with the active duty, who, depending on their rank, move every 2 or 3 years to another aircraft system," she elaborated. "When our maintainers come into the unit they could stay for years and have that expertise and sense of ownership that the active duty doesn't have, and you can see that in the planes. "Maintenance has been good on these planes and they are going to last a lot longer than they need to," she added. Well-maintained planes and challenges ahead weren't the only thing to greet the new colonel on a two-week trip to Grissom. She was also met with Hoosier hospitality. "I've met a lot of the wing people, and they are all very welcoming," she concluded. "It's nice being on a small base because you get to know everyone, know where everything is and you build that closer camaraderie than when you're spread out all over a gigantic base." While Schulte will officially assume her new responsibilities in late March, her assumption of command ceremony will not take place until the April unit training assembly. The 434th MXG maintains the aircraft for the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft routinely deploy from the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom to support the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
