West named 434th Operations Group Officer of the Quarter Published July 20, 2007 GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- Maj. James West was selected as the 434th Operations Group officer of the quarter. Major West is a KC-135R Stratotanker pilot and aircraft commander assigned to the 72nd Air Refueling Squadron. He is the son of Ken and Mary West of Lansing, Mich. The major is a 1984 graduate of East Lansing High School, in East Lansing, and earned a bachelor's degree from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and a masters of science from Embry Riddle in Lubbock, Texas. He has 18 years of military service. He and his wife Tracy reside in Carmel, Ind. The 72nd ARS and the 434th OG are both components of the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom. The 434th is the largest aerial refueling unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Personnel and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of Air Force operations. In his civilian capacity, Major West is a flight officer with Delta Airlines in Atlanta.
