908th closes book on nearly 2 scores of Herculean Airlift, begins anew as the 908th FTW

The 908th Airlift Wing essentially ended its standing as a member of the tactical airlift community April 2, 2022, when the wing conducted its final flights with its last remaining C-130 Hercules aircraft, a four-ship formation flight, prior to their divestiture to other units in the Air Force.

The 908th last converted airframes when it began changing from the C-7A Caribou to the C-130 in February 1982. On Oct. 18, 1983, aircrew flew their first tactical training mission, which was also the first formation flight for the 357th Tactical Airlift Squadron in more than a decade, before the unit began flying the C-7A.

Now, more than 32 years since the 908th Tactical Airlift Group was redesignated as the 908th Airlift Group, Feb. 1, 1992, and nearly 30 years since the 908th Airlift Group was redesignated as the 908th Airlift Wing, the storied unit closes that chapter of its history and begins anew. 

On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the 908th Airlift Wing redesignated as the 908th Flying Training Wing, while the 357th Airlift Squadron inactivated and then reactivated as the 703rd Helicopter Squadron.

Background

The writing was on the wall for the wing since Nov. 20, 2020, when then Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara Barrett, announced that the 908th was the preferred location to host the MH-139A Grey Wolf Formal Training Unit.

At that moment, the wing began working the transition in the background of its daily business, while continuing to prepare 24% of the unit, or roughly 284 members, for the wing’s largest deployment ever, in the middle of a pandemic.

The 908th accomplished this by standing up the wing’s Program Integration Office. Led by a former Air Force helicopter pilot, Mr. Anthony “Todd” Taylor.

“We are responsible for working with other leaders to ensure the 908 AW safely and efficiently converts from a tactical C-130 mission to the Air Force's Formal Training Unit for the MH-139A helicopter,” said Taylor.

While Taylor and his team continued to answer questions and provide information to help guide and potentially influence the decision makers in the conversion process, the remainder of the wing had to stay focused.

With almost a quarter of the wing deploying throughout 2020 and 2021, leadership had to make sure that focus was kept on the now, and not the potential of the future.

Then 908th Airlift Wing Commander, Col. Craig Drescher, was able to keep that focus by following the concept and mantra of, “The wing will be a C-130 unit providing tactical airlift until and through its last flight.”

Having to prepare members for deployment meant having to take calculated risks and lean forward in the face of the pandemic to accomplish readiness training.

After dividing the number of members who attend the wing’s unit training assemblies in half by creating an alternate UTA weekend every month, the wing also found ways to accomplish computer-based training and tasks remotely via telework agreements, thus shrinking the number of members physically at the 908th down to only those needing deployment training and those providing or supporting that training.

Once that deployment cycle was complete, and the last of the wing’s C-130s left, the wing began to shift its focus to the transition, bringing the new mission to the forefront.

908th Operations Group

Aircrew members in the 908th Operations Group had to decide if they were going to stay with C-130 tactical airlift world and leave the unit, or would they transition to the rotary wing world and stay at the 908th to be instructors.

For those choosing to stay and become pilots that will be instructors for the MH-139A Grey Wolf, the first step in this process is attending the TH-1H Rotary-Wing Fundamentals course conducted at Fort Novosel, Alabama. Then 908th Operations Support Squadron Director of Operations, Lt. Col. Jeffrey E. Randall, was the first member of the wing to complete the course.

Another way the 908th OG members leaned forward to help prepare for the future was having current instructors come to them.

The 908th had eight enlisted members graduate the Basic Special Missions Aviator Course on April 27, 2022.

The four weeklong three-level course for Air Force Specialty Code 1A9X1, Special Mission Aviator, was taught by a mobile training team of two instructors, Tech Sgt. Adam Bradford, Basic Special Mission Aviator course lead instructor, and Staff Sgt. Raymond Bourne, Basic Special Mission Aviator course instructor, both with the 344th Training Squadron’s Career Enlisted Aviator Center of Excellence from Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Texas.

This was the first time that the BSMA course was taught by a mobile training team.

Knowing not every subject matter expert can come to the unit, members of the 908th OG took opportunities to see other helicopter units in action at their home stations, like when the 357th AS sent six members to New Mexico for specialized training under Kirtland Air Force Base’s 512th Rescue Squadron in preparation for the arrival of their new aircraft.

While on Kirtland, Airmen of the 357th trained with Squadron Aviation Resource Managers on topics ranging from student management, scheduling, and data systems to flight training. 357th Airlift Squadron Aviation Resource Manager, Master Sgt. Larry Williams, shared the contrast between tactical airlift operations and the unique challenges of establishing and operating a rotary wing FTU, and what it’s been like training at Kirtland.

“There is a lot they can provide for us, and we can take back home to stand up our schoolhouse,” Williams said. “For us, going from tactical to converting to a schoolhouse are two totally different worlds, so we wanted to see how they do what they do and learn their processes.”Another way members of the 908th OG have been preparing for their new mission is by gaining valuable instructor time at Fort Novosel’s Cairns Army Airfield in southeastern Alabama with the 23rd Flying Training Squadron.

The 23rd FTS belongs to the 58th Operations Group, 58th Special Operations Wing, 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, U.S. Air Force.

The mission of the 23rd FTS is to train undergraduate aircrew members in all aspects of helicopter operations for follow-on training in special operations, combat search and rescue, missile support and distinguished visitor airlift missions.

“The plan, before I joined the team, was for 908th converts to attend the Rotary Wing Fundamentals Course at Fort Novosel with the 23rd FTS,” recalls Commander of Detachment 3, 58th Operations Group, Lt. Col. F. Derek Cumbie, who is also the AETC active-duty liaison to the 908th Program Integration Office. “At the time, there was no plan for training beyond RWF.  As I researched RWF, I discovered that it will only give C-130 operators an intro to helicopters.  Bottom line, the C-130 pilots would receive a certification at the end of the course, but they would not be qualified on anything.”

That’s when Cumbie had an idea.

“We wanted the crew to have an avenue to get qualified,” explained Cumbie. “We also wanted the pilots with lower numbers of flying hours to get experience flying and teaching students. The best way to accomplish both was to send them through the Instructor Pilot Course. The course would qualify them as instructor pilots. Upon this qualification they could start flying with students and gaining experience.”

908th Maintenance Group

The 908th Maintenance Group has also found innovative ways to prepare for the mission change during the past three years.

One way was hosting classes on basic helicopter rotary systems during the July 2022 Unit Training Assembly.

The classes were led by Master Sgt. Mike Cutter, 908th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief and expediter, and Master Sgt. William Little, 908 AW flight safety noncommissioned officer in charge. Little has more than 20 years of experience as a helicopter mechanic and avionics technician at Fort Novosel, Alabama, and has worked on AH-64 Apache, OH-58D Kiowa, and the UH-72 Lakota platforms. Cutter is currently a C-130H Hercules crew chief and expediter, but has more than 35 years of helicopter experience from his time in the Marine Corps and the Vermont Army National Guard prior to joining the Air Force Reserve.

Another way that MXG members stayed busy while learning valuable skills was an idea that 908th Maintenance Group Quality Assurance Superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Quincey Hester, came up with.

The idea was to create an avenue for maintainers to earn an Airframe and Powerplant Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, with the first class starting in November 2022, and the class being validated by the FAA and the Community College of the Air Force in January 2023.

Then for much of 2023 and 2024, the MXG had groups of 10-20 Airmen gathering for a week following each UTA to conduct block training to stay current on items.

The 908th MXG then looked outside the Department of Defense to civilian subject matter experts to help prepare for the new mission.

With the mindset of innovation ingrained in the wing’s culture, and the members of the 908th MXG already leading the push for their members to be ready for the new helicopters ahead of schedule, the unit has turned to the civilian industry for a new opportunity.

Since January 23, 2023, more than 20 maintainers from the 908th have spent a minimum of 30 days each watching first-hand; learning tactics, techniques, procedures, and best practices, on how to effectively maintain the MH-139A Grey Wolf’s civilian variant, AW-139s, from the Chevron Corporation in Picayune, Mississippi.

 908th Mission Support Group

The 908th Mission Support Group is the one group that won’t change its role or mission due to the new aircraft, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t changes in how members of the group train.

Losing the C-130s meant that the wing’s 25th Aerial Port Squadron had to find new ways to stay current with on-loading and off-loading procedures. One way would be to go to another unit, like they did in May and June 2022, to train with 305th Aerial Port Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Or, have aircraft come to Maxwell on UTAs like when the 349th Air Mobility Wing sent a C-5M Super Galaxy from Travis Air Force Base, California, during the January 2023 UTA.

And when they can’t go to another unit or bring in an aircraft from another unit, the 25th APS reached out to a sister wing in the 22nd Air Force for help.

Seeing the value of tactile training, 25 APS leadership contacted the 76th Aerial Port Squadron, assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, to obtain a highline-dock no longer in use.

“A highline-dock is a piece of equipment simulating rolling pallets onto the back/inside of aircraft such as a C-5, C-17 or C-130,” said Senior Master Sgt. Gary Ramey, assistant aerial port manager. “We can fit four pallets instead of just one or two that we did with a next generation small loader and forklift. Having this piece of equipment gives us increased flexibility in building, prepping, and loading or unloading multiple pallets.”

Another unit in the MSG changing they way it trains was the firefighters of the 908th Civil Engineer Squadron. They collaborated with the Fort Moore Fire Department Aug. 4, 2022, and Maxwell Fire Department, Aug. 5, 2022, in a two-part live fire training exercise to prepare for real-world scenarios and ensure mission readiness.

What was of great benefit to the unit, outside of testing the joint interoperability, was the fact that Fort Moore’s aircraft fire trainer is a helicopter, giving the 908th members their first chance to attack a helicopter fire.

Wing prepares for change

Not only were individual sections, squadrons and groups preparing for the transition, but the wing as a whole, also had to prepare, while staying mission ready.

One of the things many didn’t expect to have to accomplish in the middle of a unit transition was an inspection, but the wing did just that.

 The 908th Airlift Wing had a Unit Effectiveness Inspection performed by the Air Force Reserve Command’s Headquarters Inspector General Inspection Team from Sept. 8, 2022, to Sept. 13, 2022, at Maxwell.

The purpose of a UEI is to measure a unit’s effectiveness and readiness on a scale of four grades ranging from ineffective to highly effective.

The wing’s senior leaders were informed during the UEI out-brief that the wing had earned a grade of effective according to Drescher.

“The (IGI) team validated that we are doing outstanding work,” said Drescher. “It was very gratifying to see the very large number of superior performers recognized across the wing.”

Much like the wing’s subordinate units, the wing also had a chance to bring outside units in to help members with the transition, and that’s exactly what happened during the November 2022 UTA when one MH-139A Grey Wolf from the 413th Flight Test Squadron in Duke Field, Florida, and two UH-1N Hueys from the 23rd Flying Training Squadron in Fort Novosel, Alabama, made a stop at Maxwell Air Force Base.

The primary purpose of the visit was for 908th OG and 908th MXG members to get familiar with the incoming and retiring aircraft, to communicate with the helicopter crew and build a closer relationship between each other. This was the first time at Maxwell AFB that members from the wing observed and interacted with their future mission and the legacy they are now inheriting.

The next major shift for the wing took place in the fall of 2023 when Alabama’s only Air Force Reserve Command Wing, held a change of command ceremony Saturday Sept. 9, 2023.

22nd Air Force Commanding General, Melissa A. Coburn, was the presiding official for the ceremony, which saw the wing say farewell to outgoing commander, Col. Craig W. Drescher, and welcome new incoming commander, Col. Christopher K. Lacouture, as the 27th commander of the 908th Airlift Wing.

Since Lacouture has taken command, the wing has had it’s first MH-139A Grey Wolf arrive on station April 3, 2024, and had its first flight take place exactly three weeks later, on April 24, 2024.

In between those two major events, Lacouture convened a strategic alignment event with wing leadership April 15 and 16, 2024, at Air University’s Fairchild Library on Maxwell.

The event’s facilitator was Mr. Justin Bell, the wing’s process manager.

According to Bell, the purpose of the event was, “to define the way forward for the next few years, and more closely align our mission, vision and priorities with our higher headquarters.”

Lacouture announced the results of the event during a wing commanders call May 4, 2024.

The 908th Airlift Wing’s new mission statement is to, “Deliver lethal combat Airmen to defeat America’s enemies.”

The 908th AW’s new vision statement is to, “Be the dominant Wing integrating lethality and readiness to consistently deliver bold, agile, and dedicated Airmen supplying superior combat capabilities.”

When unveiling the new mission and vision statements to the wing, Lacouture explained why they were chosen.

“Lethal, I didn’t pick this word, we didn’t come up with these words because we wanted fluff, we needed these to have meaning and to resonate,” said Lacouture. “Bold, take action, be willing to act, advance when others aren’t willing, make wise risk decisions and accept risk where it makes sense. Agile, if something’s going wrong, change your plan. If you fail, get up, try again. If you see a better way to do it, bring it up to your superiors. Dedicated, know why you are here. Understand that what you are doing is important. Supplying superior combat capability, that’s what everyone in this room does. You all have a role and it’s all tied together and is necessary.”

The wing’s new priorities are: Generate Lethal Readiness; Develop Airman Warrior Ethos; Launch MH-139 Flight Training Unit; and Streamline/Modernize Local Processes.

When presenting those to the unit, Lacouture explained that they are what he is going to pay attention to in order to drive the mission and vision.

More recently, the wing celebrated the MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter and the unit's efforts for the past three and a half years preparing for the transition from a tactical airlift mission to a formal training mission during a ceremony May 31, 2024, at Maxwell.

The event gave wing members, congressional staffers, local civic leaders and senior military members representing three different major commands, a chance to see the new aircraft and learn about its importance to U.S. national defense.

During the event 908th AW Commander, Col. Christopher Lacouture, thanked all in attendance including military members form around the globe, industry leaders and experts, and local, state and national elected officials for celebrating with the unit.

Then he turned his attention to the Airmen of the 908th.

“To the Airmen of the 908th, sincerely, thank you for jobs well done and thanks in advance for the work you will do in the coming years,” said Lacouture. “With our partners in [Air Education and Training Command], [Air Force Global Strike Command], civilian manufacturers and contractors, by working together, to do what is best for the mission, you are building a new capability on the foundation of 40 years of proud and effective service flying combat airlift.”

Lacouture closed his remarks noting that the event was about change.

“We honor the past as we accelerate into the future,” said Lacouture. “We have much to do. [Enjoy today], then, let’s get back to work building the MH-139A schoolhouse the nation needs.”

The final speaker for the event was the presiding official, the Chief, Air Force Reserve and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Lt. Gen. John Healy.

Healy thanked the federal staff delegations from the House and Senate and officials from the state of Alabama, Air Force Global Strike Command, Boeing, Leonardo, Maxwell Air Force Base’s host unit-the 42nd Airbase Wing, the 58th Operations Group and then focused on the 908th and its members.

“The transition from a fixed-wing to rotary aircraft has not been easy,” said Healy. “However, the men and women of this unit persevered through combat deployments and the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing us to this moment. The MH-139 trainer before you is a testament to the determination of the 908th Airmen who, time and again, deliver the firepower and operational capacity that the Air Force needs and our nation demands.”

Healy then thanked the aircrew members saying, “My hat’s off to the crew members who opted to stay with the wing and learn to fly a new aircraft. The experience Reserve pilots bring makes a transition like this not just possible but successful.”

Then he turned his attention to the wing’s maintainers.

“It wasn’t just the pilots who had to make difficult adjustments,” noted Healy. “Our maintainers, many of whom have more than 10 years’ experience on the C-130, demonstrate what it means to be mission-capable Airmen. They’ve pursued extra education in basic rotary systems and more than 30 days instruction in helicopter maintenance to support the Grey Wolf’s arrival.”

Healy closed his comments and the event by focusing on wing members.

“Lastly and most importantly, thank you to the 908th Airmen and their families,” said Healy. “In the face of incredible change, you continue to display commitment to family, community and mission. You embody what it means have grit and persist in the face of challenges. To you and your families I say thanks for all you’ve done. Now get to work!”

Future

With the wing’s redesignation, another step has been made in both preparing for the MH-139A Grey Wolf, and further shifting the focus to better align with the wing’s mission, vision and priorities.

Both 908th OG and MXG members continue to gain valuable experience with Boeing and Leonardo at their facilities around the country, as well as gaining hours flying and maintaining aircraft locally.

908th facilities continue receiving upgrades, new members with rotary experience continue to join the unit, and the coursework and syllabi continue to grow as the unit looks to be a fully functioning and operational schoolhouse, graduating students in fiscal year 2026.

While 908th Airlift Wing might no longer be with us, the 908th Flying Training Wing is alive and well, preparing to become the only formal training unit in the entire Department of Defense for the DoD’s newest helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf.