LOUISVILLE, Ky. –
More than 200 current and former members of the 123rd Maintenance Group gathered at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base here for a cookout and fellowship June 28.
The event represented well over 3,000 years of aircraft maintenance experience, said Lt. Col. James Embry, commander of the 123rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
“It was definitely uplifting for all our current and retired members to see the pride in accomplishment as maintainers spoke of the jobs they performed, regardless of what era they worked in,” Embry said.
Attendees showcased experience working on nine different aircraft throughout the unit’s history, including the P-51 Mustang, F-84 Thunderjet, F-86 Sabre, RB-57 Canberra, RF-101 Voodoo, RF-4C Phantom, C130B and H-model Hercules, and the wing’s current aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules.
Airman 1st Class Ryan Dinh, a crew chief assigned to the 123rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, was amazed to see how the maintenance organization was built.
“I could see that the retirees had a lot of pride in what they accomplished for their unit, and it meant the world to see the legacy live on through the next generation,” Dinh said. “This event made us all feel closer together as a unit, being a part of something bigger than any one of us – regardless of whether you’re brand new or the oldest retiree.”
One retiree in attendance, Master Sgt. Walt Ragland, joined the Kentucky Air National Guard in 1954, just seven years after its founding, and worked on P-51s.
Another retiree, Chief Master Sgt. Michael Shepherd, was pleased to see a current aircraft adorned with D-Day invasion stripes, a tribute to the recent 80th anniversary of the historic World War II event.
“What an outstanding event to bring us all together, witnessing the heritage-striped aircraft,” Shepherd said. “It’s very important for the Kentucky Air National Guard to understand and remember where we came from.
“We must learn from the past to keep the outstanding tradition of maintenance excellence alive. The unit’s 20 Outstanding Unit Awards are testament to that, and whether retired or a current member, we all have stake in that.”
Several historical photos, documentation and artifacts were displayed for the event in Heritage Hall, a museum located in the wing’s Maintenance Hangar.
“The goal is to make this an annual event so we can all share in the heritage of what we created together,” Embry said.