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  • The South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing conducts a change of command ceremony at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Sept. 11, 2021, where U.S. Air Force Col. Quaid Quadri Jr., center, assumes command from Col. Akshai Gandhi., right. Brig. Gen. Boris Armstrong, Chief of Staff, South Carolina Air National Guard, left, presides over the ceremony. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech Sgt. Megan Floyd, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    169th Fighter Wing conducts change of command

    The South Carolina Air National Guard conducted a change of command ceremony Saturday September 11, 2021. U.S. Air Force Col. Quaid H. Quadri, Jr. assumed command of the 169th Fighter Wing from Col. Akshai Gandhi. Quadri is now in charge of organizing, training and equipping the largest operational F-16 wing in the Air National Guard while maintaining a 2,400 acre Federal military installation. He is responsible for the care, morale, and welfare of 1,500 Airmen and civilian personnel, including 100 active-duty Airmen assigned in an “Active Association” construct.
  • U.S. Air Force Maj. Sean Pitale (right), a doctor with the 169th Medical Group, and U.S. Army Specialist America Oropeza, a medic with the South Carolina Army National Guard, provide an optical exam to a Colombian patient September 4, 2021. Doctors and med techs from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Medical Group teamed up with medics from the South Carolina Army National Guard to travel to the remote town of Tamana, Colombia to participate in a real-word community medical and humanitarian support mission September 4, 2021. While there, the medical personnel provided dental, optical, dermatology, pharmacy and general medical care to more than 300 patients. South Carolina Air National Guard and South Carolina Army National Guard medical personnel participate in the regional Ángel de los Andes (Angel of the Andes) and Cooperación VII exercises in Colombia August 30 to September 10, 2021. The exercises provide training opportunities with South Carolina’s state partner Colombia in realistic combat search and rescue missions as well as humanitarian aid and disaster response scenarios such as earthquakes and tsunamis. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Jim St.Clair, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    South Carolina National Guard conducts “Band-Aids not bullets diplomacy” in Colombia

    South Carolina Army and Air National Guard medical personnel conducted a real-world humanitarian medical mission in the remote town of Tamana, Colombia last weekend during the regional Ángel de los Andes (Angel of the Andes) and Cooperación VII exercises. Approximately 30 members of the South Carolina National Guard are participating in the exercises from August 30 to September 10. The exercises provide training opportunities with South Carolina’s state partner, the Republic of Colombia, in realistic combat search and rescue missions as well as humanitarian aid and disaster response scenarios such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
  • U.S. Air Force civil engineers from the pavements and construction equipment career field, known as the Dirt Boys from eight separate units, team up with U.S. Navy Seabees from the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, Gulfport, Mississippi for an Expedient and Expeditionary Airfield Damage Repair (E-ADR) demonstration at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Aug. 27, 2021. The purpose of the training is to provide just enough, just in time repair capability with minimal cost and materials in a wartime situation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    169th Fighter Wing hosts second airfield repair demonstration

    The 169th Fighter Wing hosted another U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) led runway repair demonstration Aug. 16 to Sept. 1. During this iteration, lessons learned from the Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) held at McEntire Joint National Guard Base (JNGB) four months ago were incorporated into a Military Utility Assessment (MUA) this time around.
  • U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace from Charleston, South Carolina and her staff pose for a picture with leaders from the South Carolina National Guard in front of a 169th Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon jet during her visit to McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina Aug. 19, 2021. The purpose of her visit is to meet with South Carolina National Guard leadership to discuss the current state of the South Carolina National Guard and future endeavors for the organization as well as a familiarization of the base and the capabilities of the units housed there. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Congresswoman Mace visits McEntire Joint National Guard Base

    U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace from Charleston, South Carolina visited McEntire Joint National Guard Base Aug.19, 2021. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina, and U.S. Air Force Col. Akshai Gandhi, 169th Fighter Wing commander, hosted Congresswoman Mace.
  • U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Isaac Carr assumes responsibility as the new State Command Chief for the South Carolina Air National Guard (SCANG) during a ceremony at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, August 14, 2021. The presiding officer is U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Bridgers, Assistant Adjutant General, Air. Carr is the fourteenth State Command Chief for the SCANG and takes over from U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Thomas who is retiring. In his new role, Carr will be the enlisted advisor for senior SCANG leadership. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Megan Floyd, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Carr assumes responsibility as the South Carolina Air National Guard’s State Command Chief

    U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Isaac M. Carr assumed responsibility as the South Carolina Air National Guard’s State Command Chief during a ceremony held at McEntire Joint National Guard Base. Carr is the fourteenth State Command Chief for the South Carolina Air National Guard.
  • U.S. Air Force personnel recently deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, return home July 18, 2021 to the 169th Fighter Wing at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. "Swamp Fox" Airmen from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing were deployed to PSAB for the past three months to project combat power and help bolster defensive capabilities against potential threats in the region. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Megan Floyd, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Swamp Foxes return from Saudi Arabia after successful deployment

    Approximately 300 Airmen and a contingent of F-16CJ Fighting Falcon aircraft from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing have returned home after a successful three month deployment to Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Destiny Sims (left), assigned to the 169th Fighter Wing, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, supports Operation Healthy Delta, a Department of Defense sponsored Innovative Readiness Training program designed to provide military training opportunities by providing key services to local citizens. Sims is assisting Capt. (Dr.) Tanaka who is examining a patient at Massac County High School, Metropolis, Illinois June 16, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Jim St.Clair, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Swamp Foxes Support Operation Healthy Delta 2021

    More than 40 Airmen from the South Carolina Air National Guard (SCANG) deployed to the Midwest to participate in Operation Healthy Delta 2021, a Department of Defense sponsored Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program designed to provide military training opportunities by delivering key services to local citizens in underserved communities. Swamp Foxes from the 169th Medical Group and 169th Force Support Squadron provided medical and food service support in three locations in Sikeston, Missouri, Caruthersville, Missouri and Metropolis, Illinois June 14-24.
  • U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Elizabeth Sailer (right), 169th Civil Engineer Squadron, works with fellow engineers Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Novak (middle), HQ Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Hickam, Hawaii, and Tech. Sgt. Adam Ballash, 36th Civil Engineer Squadron, Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, to perform a soil test using a Clegg hammer during an Expedient and Expeditionary Airfield Damage Repair (E-ADR) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, April 22, 2021. The demonstration simulates the rapid repair of a battle damaged runway. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Jim St.Clair, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Swamp Fox engineers participate in joint training during airfield repair demonstration

    This isn’t your father’s rapid runway repair. Eight Airmen from the 169th Civil Engineer Squadron (169CES) joined Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Navy engineers to participate in an Expedient and Expeditionary Airfield Damage Repair (E-ADR) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration at McEntire Joint National Guard Base (JNGB), South Carolina April 21-28, 2021. The demonstration simulated the rapid repair of a battle damaged runway. Swamp Fox engineers were joined by engineers from the 36th Engineer Squadron, Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, and the 647th Civil Engineer Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, plus engineers from U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 133, Gulfport, Mississippi to field test the 'just enough, just-in-time' repair capability on a decommissioned runway at McEntire JNGB. The U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s (AFCEC) Expedient and Expeditionary Airfield Damage Repair concept uses local materials and minimal manpower and equipment in order to expedite a temporary runway repair designed to support tactical and mixed load combat operations just long enough until a permanent repair can be made.
  • U.S. Air Force equipment load crewmembers from the 169th Logistics Readiness Squadron and C-5 Super Galaxy aircrew from the 312th Airlift Squadron from Travis Air Force Base, California, load palletized equipment onto the heavy transport aircraft at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, as the South Carolina Air Naitonal Guard's 169th Fighter Wing prepares for an Air and Space Force Expeditionary Force deployment to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, April 8, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Swamp Fox fuels experts assist C-5 crew with maintenance problem during deployment surge

    Teamwork makes the dream work, as the old saying goes. When a C-5 Galaxy transport jet landed at McEntire last week to pack up cargo for the wing’s overseas deployment, the aircrew discovered a fuel leak which could have grounded the aircraft. Fortunately, three Swamp Fox Airmen stepped in with the right expertise to troubleshoot and fix the problem so the jet could take off on time.
  • U.S. Air Force personnel, assigned to the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing, load onto on a U.S. Air Force contracted Boeing 747 transport aircraft from McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, to support an Air Expeditionary Force deployment to to Prince Sultan Air Base Saudi Arabia, April 11, 2021. The 169th Fighter Wing will support U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) by preserving operational depth, staging joint forces and projecting overwhelming combat power in the region. This is the wing’s largest deployment since the summer of 2018 when they supported an Air Expeditionary Force rotation to Kuwait. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Jim St.Clair, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    Swamp Foxes deploy to Saudi Arabia for expeditionary force rotation

    Approximately 300 Airmen and a contingent of F-16CJ Fighting Falcon aircraft from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing have deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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