Each of the 90 wings with the Air National Guard have crafted their own personalities, dividing and utilizing their resources in completely different ways, and Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the director of the Air National Guard, is visiting them all.

“My wife and I have been to over 80 of our units so far,” Rice said. “It’s fascinating, for us, how different our units are… Each unit does have a personality.”

At the Key Field Air National Guard Base, home to the 186th Air Refueling Wing, that personality has roots in Meridian’s aviation history, including brothers Fred and Al Key. Rice toured the wing with his right-hand advisor, Chief Master Sgt. Ronald C. Anderson Jr. 

“The thing that I’ve heard for months, and for years… is that the place you need to go is that place with a rich history – Key Field,” Rice said. “(Air refueling) started with those two people – Fred and Al. Who wants to go up in a plane for 37 days, constantly refueling? They did it and they showed us that’s possible. That’s in your DNA.”

For Col. Edward Evans Jr, the commander of the 186th ARW, the visit gave airmen the opportunity to show Rice how the 186th ARW fit into the overall national defense strategy and domestic operations of the Guard.

“It gives us a chance to tell our story,” Evans said. “To see the director, it supports the thought that he cares. He’s important to the mission that we have.”

By establishing the personal connection, Evans could show Rice what needed to be done to make the wing more successful or assist their mission.

“It gives us a direct line to the top. We’re able to identify and articulate our issues so he’s aware of what it takes to get things done here,” Evans said. “He’s a direct link to all of those resources… I’m proud of the wing and the job we do. It’s always a privilege for us to showcase that.”

Several airmen were recognized for their achievements with the wing, including Staff Sgt. Nicholas Miles Barrett, who was named as the non-commissioned officer of the year.

“I tend to be humble for, for me, it’s an honor that I have a supervisor to push me to the next level. My flight chief would push me as far as possible if I let him,” Barrett said.

Though the recognition meant a lot to Barrett, who plans to continue building a career with the wing, having Rice and Anderson present made the recognition even more meaningful.

“(Rice) is basically the CEO of our company and (Anderson) is his right-hand man,” Barrett said. “It’s going to be one of my top moments; it’s going to be hard to beat that one.”

Rice, during a luncheon with the airmen, credited Key Field’s historical foundation for the reputation of the 186th ARW. 

“I’ve realized that history really affects heritage, a heritage of a unit or of an organization. That heritage really builds a culture of excellence and professionalism,” Rice said. “And then when I get to a place like Key Field, and the rich, deep history that is here at this base and that has turned into a great heritage and has built a culture that they’re famous for: resilience, versatile. There’s nothing that this unit can’t do and accomplish.”

Ultimately, this heritage protected Key Field in the past and would continue to do so in the future, Rice said, in the event of changes in the Guard.

“One of the things our (ANG) presents to our nation is a very cost-effective way of maintain capability with that mix of full-time members and part-time,” Rice said. “That will never go away from a location like this here at Key Field in Meridian. That’s the future that will be long and deep as they build more history on top of the heritage and culture that they already have.”

More than meeting each wing, Rice and Anderson said they wanted to discuss the path forward for the Guard with the airmen.

“To talk about the future of what you do,” Anderson said. “We want to understand what makes you different (and) what makes you successful… how to make this mission stay here so that your grandchildren, if they want to, can come here.”