GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, IND. -- GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE - With fiscal year 2025 coming to an end, Grissom pilots had flying hours requirements they had to meet; fly 2100 hours. This year, they flew 2681.9 hours - the most out of all KC-135R Stratotanker units in the Air Force Reserve Command.
Lieutenant Colonel Dan Keeney, 434th Operations Group chief of current operations, tracks flight hours for the 72nd and 74th Air Refueling Squadrons, ensuring Grissom pilots stay on par to hit their goal set by AFRC.
“The bombers, the fighters, the transports, they don’t get to where they need to go without the refuelers," said Keeney, “We’re like the lineman on a football team. Those guys don’t get to the end zone without us.”
All these flight hours provide opportunities for Grissom’s pilots to train locally and overseas, coordinating with receivers from other bases, branches and partner nations. In the last year, Hoosier Airmen were involved in seven major exercises, including Cope North, Mobility Guardian and Patriot Medic. They have trained alongside the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and Polish Air Force to bolster interoperability among allied nations.
“I’ve coached football and baseball for years, and it is evident on game day what team practiced and trained and prepared better,” Keeney said. “If you’re not trained or prepared, you’re not going to perform well, especially in a wartime scenario. That’s going to cost lives.”
Hoosier Airmen train often in order to maintain proficiency, ensuring they stand ready to answer the call – anytime, anywhere.