Commander addresses Oklahoma ROA convention

  • Published
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Oklahoma --  Colonel Jeffery R. Glass, 507th Air Refueling Wing Commander, addressed the annual convention of the Oklahoma Department of the Reserve Officer's Association March 5.
Addressing the gathering which included the national ROA president Rear Admiral Paul T. Kayye, USAN (Ret.), the colonel discussed how the ROA has "really helped my organization."

Among those initiatives listed were TriCare Select and Early Retirement for reservists performing extended active duty during the War on Terror. "Our wing has averaged 400 to 500 deployers per year and for them this is a huge benefit. The ROA has also fought hard to ensure pay parity with active duty for our reservists. You guys at the ROA are truly one of my champions."

The colonel went on to discuss the 507th ARW's mission and its new relationship with the Oklahoma Air National Guard Associate wing the 137th ARW. He discussed the Impact of the 200f5 Base Realignment and Closure decision upon both the 137th and 507th and the multiple construction projects currently ongoing at Tinker AFB to support the new associate mission.

Colonel Glass then discussed the mission of the 507th saying, "The 507th has been involved with pretty much every major operation since 1994 and we are now heavily involved in Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, which is now called Operation New Dawn. " He discussed the aggressive tempo which has become the daily life within the wing saying the 507th currently flies 2,600 flying hours per year and the 137th flies 1955.7 hours per year. "We fly an average of four to seven missions daily, we operate a 24-hour, seven day as week command post and our people are deployed at a consistently high rate. We are not a force in reserve anymore. We are an operational force with a tempo that rivals any active duty unit."

Despite the high tempo, the colonel described the high quality caliber of personnel within the wing and the enthusiasm they display towards the mission. He bragged on the efforts of the maintenance team in maintaining the 50- year- old KC-135R Stratotankers assigned to the wing. "Because of our Air Force Smart Operations 21 (AFSO 21) initiatives and since the ANG has started working with us (allowing the wing to extend maintenance evening shifts) we have not cancelled any mission because of aircraft maintenance in the past 3 years."

"We are working hard to recognize and reward our members for their hard work and I again thank the ROA for their hard work on our behalf," he said.