351st ARS pays homage to heritage unit

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Micaiah Anthony
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  At 3:51 p.m. every Friday, all the offices and halls are empty in the 351st Air Refueling Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England. There aren't any Airmen in the locker rooms or even the snack bar; instead, all the Airmen are at the bowling alley.

The bowling alley, not to be confused with the RAF Mildenhall Bowling Center, is a common room in the 351st ARS building. The Airmen meet there for what they call their "Friday 3-5-1s," to celebrate the squadron's heritage and have their weekly roll call.

To kick off the meeting, the squadron recognizes its newly qualified aviators in a patching ceremony.

"Although our aviators are qualified prior to reaching Mildenhall, they must undergo mission-certification training to orient them to squadron operations," said 1st Lt. Zachary Ziegler, 351st ARS executive officer and copilot from Seagrove, N.C. "Once completed, these aviators are certified to conduct missions without an instructor. Our squadron patching ceremony is a symbol of these aviators joining the long 3-5-1 heritage."

The patch these Airmen receive during the ceremony traces back to the squadron's bomber heritage from World War II. Mission-certified aircrew members are able to wear the patch every Friday to remember and honor the 351st Bombardment Squadron.

"At first I didn't get it when I arrived to the squadron. They were a bomber squadron and we are a refueling squadron, but then I went out to [RAF] Thorpe Abbotts," said Lt. Col. Timothy Kuehne, 351st ARS commander from Woodbridge, Va. "Seeing the Square D and both squadron patches out there, and then learning about the unit's rich history, was a real eye opener. When I received my patch it was humbling, as well as motivating, to be a part of that legacy."

After the patching ceremony, Kuehne reads the "Ode to the Bloody 100th," followed by a toast to the 100th Bombardment Group.

"Our unit has a long heritage from World War II. Obviously we fly tankers here, but we definitely understand the sacrifices those before us made," said Capt. Bryan Machen, 351st ARS executive officer and instructor pilot from Mobile, Ala. "We like to keep that memory going by meeting every week and paying our respects."

Following the toast to the 100th BG, Kuehne opens up the floor for "Hangar Fly," which is an open forum for aircrew to swap flying stories, discuss lessons learned and talk about aviation and non-aviation related topics.

"Hangar Flys are always good for the aircrew," said Machen. "It's good to build the camaraderie between the enlisted and the officer ranks, because we are all in it together. We all make decisions as a crew and at the end of the day we have to rely on each other to bring the aircraft back safely and get the mission completed."

To wrap up the weekly roll call, Kuehne provides Airmen from the 351st ARS with a weekend safety brief and one more chance to address any issues.

"We bring everybody together to have a chance to look everyone in the eye before the weekend," said Kuehne. "We want to make sure the squadron comes back safely and recharged for Monday to continue the legacy of the 351st ARS."