Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      22 ARW349th ARS secures Air Force level award
                        
                        
                        Boom operators assigned to the 349th Air Refueling Squadron pose for a photo July 19, 2019, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. The squadron earned the 2018 Senior Master Sgt. Albert Evans Outstanding Air Refueling Section Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding air refueling section in the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alan Ricker)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

349th ARS secures Air Force-level awardPublished July 24, 2019
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Joshua Crawley
                    
                    
                    22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
            **MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (AFNS) --**The 349th Air Refueling Squadron was recently recognized as the 2018 Senior Master Sgt. Albert Evans Outstanding Air Refueling Section Award winner. The award is presented every year to the top boom operator section in the Air Force. This is the first time the 349th ARS has won the award. “Since I took command, I’ve known the 349th ARS boom operators are the best in the business, and the Air Force just made it official,” said Lt. Col. Dan Schone, 349th ARS commander. “I could not be more proud of these guys. They work their butts off day in and day out – and a lot of times our boom operators aren’t recognized. We can’t do our mission without our boom operators.”The 349th ARS was chosen out of 56 air refueling squadrons across the Air Force.During the award period, the squadron offloaded 2.9 million pounds of fuel and supported 2,200 combat missions across the Middle East and Afghanistan. The team also brought new ideas to the table, revising their education and training programs and even securing a win at the first ever Air Force Spark Tank competition for innovation within the unit.Master Sgt. Aaron Tessmann, 349th ARS superintendent said, while challenging, these changes made the team stand out.“It’s kind of a paradigm shift, really,” Tessmann said. “This is one of the oldest jets in the inventory, so we’re pretty set in our ways. We had to change our mindset with the way that we fight and the way that we train.”Competing against more modern refueling platforms was one of the biggest hurdles for the unit. The KC-135 Stratotanker has six pallet positions for cargo, while the KC-10 Extender has 36 pallet positions. Nine of the most recent wins have been awarded to boom sections operating on the KC-10 platform. “When you compare a KC-135 and a KC-10 one-for-one, the KC-10 is going to have an advantage because they can carry more, and they can offload more gas,” Schone said. “Our boom operators have taken it to a different level and increased the effectiveness of how we operate. They’re getting the mission done, taking pride in it, and showing our younger folks what we can do.” Schone stated that the unit’s mindset of prioritizing and enhancing mission success was always at the forefront of the team’s efforts.“We don’t do our job to win trophies, but it’s nice to quantify our hard work into a win, and show our boom operators that they are better than everyone else,” Schone said.Tessmann reflected on the unit’s accomplishments, but knows that in a world of increasingly capable near-peer adversaries, that this kind of performance must be cemented as the norm.“If we don’t improve every single day, we’re just going to fall behind,” Tessmann said. “To claim we’re the number one AF in the world, you have to keep that title. We train the way we’re going to fight, and this is a key aspect of it. Our guys are ready to go at a moment’s notice, more ready than any other tanker fleet. I can tell you that.”FS 



349th Air Refueling Squadron 



2018 SMSgt Albert Evans Outstanding Air Refueling Section Award 



349th ARS 



Boom Operators 



56 air refueling squadrons 



Combat Missions 



modern 



refueling 



Platforms 



KC-10 Extender 



pallet position 



Middle East 



Afghanistan Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil