MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The 927th Air Refueling Wing hosted members of Leadership Tampa Bay as they visited MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., May 30, 2019.
During the visit to the base, members were greeted by Col. Doug Stouffer, 927th Air Refueling Wing commander, who provided the class with a mission brief and Lt. Col. Marc McCallister, 63rd Air Refueling Squadron commander, who thanked the LTB class for participating in MacDill Day. The group also met with nd met with Airmen and civilians employed on base to better understand the base’s mission with a concentration on Airmen, the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, and other training facilities.
"You as the community of Tampa Bay make the military members in this area feel like they are family," said Stouffer. “We love the support that you all show us and today we want to show you how much we appreciate you.” he concluded.
The tour included a briefing from Col. Shawn Budd chief of strategy policy from United States Central Command, a visit to a KC-135 static display where boom operators and pilots explained the capabilities of the aircraft. The class also experienced how fly the aircraft and how to operate the boom during a stop at the simulator and learn about parachuting from the Special Operations Command Para-commandos.
To conclude the event, members of LTB and the 927 ARW were gathered to say final words before departing for the rest of the day.
“We just want to thank the 927 ARW for hosting us today and providing our team with a deeper insight into what our military does for us,” said Tim Jarrett, chairman board member for LTB. “What these men and women do for our country is special and we appreciate the time they were able to give us.”