MANSFIELD, Ohio — In keeping with tradition, the 179th Airlift Wing dedicated another one of its aircraft to a local community–this time recognizing the City of Shelby.
A dedication ceremony was held Thursday afternoon at the 179th Airlift Wing, drawing attendance from several Shelby officials.
A total of eight C-130 Hercules aircraft exist at the base, each of which are to be named in honor of a local community.
So far, planes have been dedicated to Mansfield, Lexington, Clear Fork Valley, Ontario and Shelby. On the 179th’s list for future dedications include Ashland, Crestline and Galion.
Schag expressed his appreciation for this dedication.
He said, “The Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base is situated in such a way in Richland County that all of our cities and villages enjoy a real connection with the operations here. In fact, I would imagine that every municipality has some sort of representation here on this base.”
He continued, “The City of Shelby is blessed to have several men and women currently serving here, and we are proud of them all.”
Capt. Jeffrey Musseman, 179th maintenance officer, echoed that statement, saying, “The Shelby footprint here is huge. You can’t go into one of these buildings without running into somebody from Shelby, and they’ll let you know and tell you how great it is.”
Crew chiefs of the “Spirit of Shelby” aircraft are Master Sgt. Steve Esno and Staff Sgt. Justin Mittelstadt.
Esno commented, “For me, personally, this is the best [plane] we have here. She likes to fly.”
He added, “It’s an honor to have the ‘Spirit of Shelby’ on my airplane.”
Challenge coin
Following the dedication ceremony, Tech. Sgt. Joe Harwood was recognized for creating a challenge coin for the 121st Medical Group in Columbus.
A challenge coin is a small coin that bears an organization’s insignia or emblem. They are commonly presented to unit members in recognition of a special achievement.
To reward Harwood for his hard work, he was given the first of the 121st Medical Group Series Coins.
As a public affairs specialist at the local base, Harwood is very involved in the creation of various artistic pieces, including challenge coins.
He said it was an honor to have worked on this project.
