916th brings home RODEO's top honors
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on July 29, 2009 1:46 PM
Members of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base's own 916th Air Refueling Wing have plenty of reason to celebrate this week, as they recently returned from Air Mobility Command's premier mobility competition winners in several categories.
AMC's RODEO competition pitted nearly every AMC wing -- including Guard and Reserves -- against each other at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., last week.
The 916th's combined active-duty and Reserve team brought home top honors as the best KC-135 air crew and cargo load team. The wing also won in the Stratotanker postflight category.
Wing officials can't remember the last time the Goldsboro unit had so much success at RODEO, a competition that brings in competitors not only from the U.S., but from more than a dozen foreign militaries as well.
916th Commander Col. Fritz Linsenmeyer was elated by the news.
"The airmen of the 916th RODEO team have a lot of reason to celebrate today," he said. "Winning four trophies at such a respected international competition tells you the dedication of this team to hard work and success."
Linsenmeyer was also pleased that community leaders from the local Military Affairs Commission could be on hand to see the victories in action.
"We're excited that leaders in the Goldsboro community could join us this week ... and witness firsthand the warrior spirit possessed by the ... airmen that represent this wing. They did an amazing job."