KC finds friends in Stratotanker maintainers Published May 18, 2007 By Senior Airman Mark Orders-Woempner 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Incirlik AB, Turkey -- It has been said that a dog is man's best friend, and the deployed Airmen of the 434th Air Refueling Wing know exactly what that means. The know because they have a best friend in "KC," an Anatolian Shepherd, who has become a welcome sign to the tanker crews and their maintainers who are deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. According to a written history kept and provided by the maintainers assigned to the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, KC first showed up near the maintenance area alone, scrappy and in need of someone to love her. Anatolian Shepherds originated in the Anatolian Plateau of Turkey, and were bred more than 6,000 years ago. They are often good watchdogs and are appreciated from their loyalty. She first approached the maintenance crew of the 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard who were deployed there. They quickly adopted her, but soon had to leave their new friend behind. When they left, a lasting friendship that has spanned continents and years began, as the maintainers from the 434th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron came into the picture, said Senior Master Sgt. Charles Hoover, 434th AMXS flight chief. "When we first came here in 2003, KC was already here," said Sergeant Hoover. "She had just been adopted and she was very young, thin and energetic." The maintainers quickly warmed up to the pup, but it took KC a while to warm up to them, he said. KC was very skittish and the only way she would come close was to give her food, he added. "She used to steal our hats, chew them up and throw them around," said Sergeant Hoover, remembering his first experiences with KC. "Some of the other guys and I went through a couple hats that deployment." When the Grissom maintainers left, KC was handed off to another group of refueling Airmen, and she became the mascot of all the tankers and their crews, he said. But, the story doesn't end with the return of the 434th ARW Airmen. As they geared up for a second trip to Turkey, many of the ones who were there in 2003 began to think of KC and wonder how she was doing. "When you think of Turkey, you think of KC," said Sergeant Hoover. "She's our mascot and friend; she's like family to us." Sure enough, just as she had done in 2003, KC was waiting for the Grissom aircrews and maintainers. And, even though their friendship didn't end, some things were a little different. KC wasn't so scrappy and then, and she wasn't nearly as energetic, said Sergeant Hoover. "She used to be more playful than what she is now," he said. "But, she will still get excited and chase after those cats." Sergeant Hoover also said that KC is well groomed and maintained. She is current on all of her shots and is fed a steady diet. When asked who has the job of taking care of KC, Sergeant Hoover said that responsibility falls on the maintenance officer or superintendent. "We take care of her through the snack bar fund," he said. "Through that program, we have saved over $600 for her." Several of the other units have also chipped in to help take care of KC. One tanker unit even built a dog house for her that sits right behind the Maintenance Operations Center. "She's our mascot, the mascot of all the tankers, but she's not just our dog," said Sergeant Hoover. "She belongs to all of us here."
