U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Parks, center, 351st Air Refueling Squadron commander, receives the 2013 Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Trophy on behalf of the 351st on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014, during the 46th Annual Airlift/Tanker Association Convention and Symposium in Nashville, Tenn. The 351st ARS was the first overseas unit to win the trophy. Courtesy of U.S. Air Force (Courtesy Photo)
RAF MILDENHALL, England — An RAF Mildenhall unit is the first overseas recipient of an award honoring U.S. Air Force refuelers.
The 351st Air Refueling Squadron won the 2013 Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Trophy in June for being “the most outstanding air refueling squadron in Air Mobility Command,” the base said Monday.
“Our sister squadrons in the U.S. tend to have a training mentality because they’re ensuring all the [air refueling] receivers in the states maintain their qualifications,” Lt. Col. Michael Parks, commander of the 351st, said in a statement. “But here we’re doing the mission everyday supporting aircraft going to and from U.S. Air Forces Central Command and supporting operations in three different areas of responsibility simultaneously.”
The 351st has logged more than 8,400 flight hours, accumulated more than 10,000 days of deployment and spent 21,000 hours on alert status to support operations in Libya, according to the statement.
The unit currently has airmen deployed to Moron Air Base, Spain, to provide midair refueling support to the French military in Mali. The 351st started the mission soon after France invaded its former colony in January 2013 to stop al-Qaida-linked militants from toppling the government. A Defense Department official said in January that the French have received more than 15.6 million gallons of fuel from the U.S.
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