An Aerial First for Hoosier Air Guard Unit

The Indiana Air National Guard’s 181st Intelligence Wing conducted its first-ever aerial operation in support of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, according to a unit release. An aerial collection team from the wing in late February completed a sortie in a Civil Air Patrol aircraft to assess flooding in the state’s Tippecanoe and Fulton counties, states the release. “I am proud of how our airmen responded to this historic tasking,” stated Col. Patrick Renwick, 181st IW vice commander. During the flight, the Air Guardsmen observed and reported a sport utility vehicle stranded in flood water, according to the release. The wing, which relinquished its F-16 flying mission in 2008, operates from Hulman Field in Terra Haute. “While we hope disasters don’t happen, we are here and ready whenever the state of Indiana requires our assistance,” said 181st IW Commander Col. Donald Bonte. (Hulman Field report by Lt. Col. Frank Howard)