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Krasovic, McDow named to leadership posts at Selfridge

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton
  • 127th Wing Public Affairs
The 127th Wing has a new vice wing commander and a new command chief master sergeant.

Col. Stanley Krasovic Jr. was named the Wing’s vice commander by Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum, the wing commander, and will assume the position in January 2019. Chief Master Sgt. Danny McDow was named the Wing’s command chief and assumed the position in December 2018.

Krasovic previously served as the commander of the 127th Air Refueling Group and will replace Col. David Brooks, who is retiring after a 28-years long Air Force career.

McDow serves in a full-time capacity as the superintendent of the 127th Security Forces Squadron and will continue in that role in addition to serving as the Wing’s command chief. McDow replaces former wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Tony Whitehead, who recently left the wing to become the territory command chief for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

Krasovic began his military career in the U.S. Navy, flying the E-6 Mercury, an airborne command and control aircraft. After nine years in the Navy, he transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve, serving in the 927th Air Refueling Wing and flying KC-135 Stratotankers at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. When the 127th Wing’s 171st squadron transitioned from flying C-130 Hercules to KC-135s in 2007, Krasovic transferred into the Michigan Air National Guard and the 127th Wing. He has served as commander of both the 171st Air Refueling Squadron and the 127th Air Refueling Group. Krasovic has been a trailblazer in recent times in the MIANG, serving in each of his command positions as a traditional, part-time Citizen-Airman. He will continue to serve in a part-time capacity as the vice wing commander.

“It takes a good team to make it work as a traditional member in the commander’s role, and I definitely had a very strong team at both the group and the squadron. I fully expect that to continue to be the case at the wing level,” Krasovic said.

The new vice wing commander is now one of six traditional Guardsmen who are serving as commanders across the 127th Wing.

“And that’s intentional,” Slocum said. “We are putting a renewed focus on our drill-status Guardsmen and all of the skills and talents they bring to the table.”

Krasovic said working with the Airmen of the 171st and 191st squadrons during the transition from C-130s to KC-135s has been the highlight of his career to this point.

“The dedication that they took in carrying out that task was amazing. That dedication and professionalism has carried through to this day,” Krasovic said. “I am very proud to have been a part of that group.”

Brooks also has a long history with the KC-135 and C-130 at Selfridge, having served as a pilot on both aircraft. He also preceded Krasovic as the 127th Air Refueling Group commander.

Brooks was a member of the 127th Wing for 19 years, after previously serving as a C-130 pilot on active duty in the Air Force.

Brooks said among his career highlights was serving as the director of operations for the 171st squadron during the run-up to the final deployment of that squadron while it was still flying C-130s.

“It was full-out, pedal-to-the-metal training to get ready for the mission in Afghanistan,” he said. “And then we got on station and we were able to perform at that high level because of all that training we had done.”

Brooks later served in a leadership role during the transition from C-130s to KC-135.

“It was a challenge, of course, but to be a part of transferring to an entirely new mission set and then to become a benchmark unit for that mission – it was just awesome to be a part of it,” he said.

McDow began his military service in the U.S. Marine Corps as an armorer. In 1999, he affiliated with the U.S. Air Force Reserve and became a defender with a Security Forces squadron. McDow transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard to joined the 127th Security Forces Squadron at Selfridge in 2015.

The 127th Wing is the largest component of the Michigan Air National Guard and is based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in southeast Michigan. The wing’s two flying squadrons, the 107th Fighter Squadron and the 171st Air Refueling Squadron fly the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135, respectively. The wing is the host unit at Selfridge, providing support services to 44 tenant commands comprised of more than 4,400 active, Guard, Reserve and civilian personnel at the base. Approximately 1,700 Citizen-Airmen serve in the 127th Wing.