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National leaders visit Selfridge

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton
  • 127th Wing
SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. --  A short stop by Vice President Joe Biden and Air Force Two capped off an unprecedented stretch of distinguished visitors to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in the month of September.

Over a 15 day period, President Barack Obama, Vice President Biden, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and six members of the U.S. House of Representatives have spent time at the air base.

Biden arrived at Selfridge on Sept. 17 aboard Air Force Two to travel to a function with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan in support of local mass transit initiatives.

Obama arrived at the base - and shook hands with a number of Selfridge Airmen - on his way to Macomb Community College in Warren, where he outlined a series of higher education goals. During the visit to Selfridge, Obama was accompanied by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Joe Biden; and U.S. Reps. Sander Levin and Brenda Lawrence, both D-Mich. Among the receiving party for the president at Selfridge was Duggan and Warren Evans, Wayne County executive.

On Sept. 2, Stabenow, and U.S. Reps. Levin, D-Mich; , Fred Upton, R-Mich.; Candice Miller, R-Mich.; Dan Benishek, R-Mich.; Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.; and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.; were at the base, escorted by Major Gen. Gregory Vadnais, the adjutant general of Michigan and other senior Michigan National Guard leaders including Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum.

Selfridge is the largest and most complex Air National Guard operated base in the nation, hosting units of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Border Patrol and Customs & Border Protection, along with the host Air Force unit, the 127th Wing. Some 2,000 military and federal and state civilian personnel are assigned to the base as full-time employees. In addition, more than 2,500 Reserve and National Guard military personnel receive training at the base.

About the 127th Wing
Comprised of approximately 1,700 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing supports Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command operations by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marks its 98th year of continuous military air operations in 2015.

About Selfridge Air National Guard Base
One of the oldest military air fields in continuous service, the military first took possession of Selfridge Air National Guard Base on July 1, 1917. The first military flight at the base took place on July 8 and formal flight operations began on July 16, 1917. Today the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard is the host unit at the base, which also houses units of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection.