YARS busy, productive in 2012 Published Jan. 7, 2013 By Major Brent Davis 910AW/PA YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- 2012 proved to be a year of pride, commitment and sacrifice for the Citizen Airmen, Sailors and Marines stationed at Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS) in Vienna. The Air Reserve Station's primary purpose is to facilitate training of Reservists and to be ready to serve anytime, anywhere. These men and women come from all walks of life and occupations. They are postal workers, doctors, GM employees, policemen, firefighters and people from many other professional backgrounds who live in areas spanning the Mahoning Valley, much of Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Air Force Reserve Command's 910th Airlift Wing aircrew members flew nearly every day of the year, flying the C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing. These aircrew members flew the C130s, 12 of which are assigned here, on local low-level flying operations and other types of training missions. Pilots flew more than 1,200 local sorties for pilot proficiency training using the 9,003 foot runway shared with the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, and more than 3,200 proficiency landings on the 3,500 foot assault landing strip owned by the 910th Airlift Wing. In 2012, the 910th Airlift Wing flew more than 2,200 sorties and more than 5,193 hours in support of training and operational requirements. The 910th Airlift Wing here maintains the DoD's only large area fixed-wing aerial spray capability to control disease-carrying insects, pest insects and undesirable vegetation and disperse oil spills in large bodies of water. Missions may be executed in combat areas, on DoD installations or in response to disasters/emergencies as declared by the President of the United States. The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport provides an outstanding training location for the 12 C-130H aircraft assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, as well as other non-Youngstown based military C-130 cargo planes and aircraft from Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard and Active Duty Air Force units from across the United States. Since the airspace is not congested and is readily available for military air operations at the airport, the 910th and other units highly regard YARS as an important training location. The 910th maintains a close working relationship with the airport and supports it with a full-time fire, crash and rescue force from the 910th Fire Department. The fire department responded to 22 off-base calls in 2012 including 15 structural fires and four hazardous materials responses. Training missions also included joint operations with Army, Navy and Marine Corps paratroop jumpers anywhere from Fort Bragg, N.C. on the East coast to North Island Naval Air Station, San Diego, Calif., on the West coast. In 2012, men and women with specialties such as aircraft maintenance, security, transportation, civil engineering, intelligence, avionics, public affairs, culinary arts and supply deployed in support of contingency operations all over the world to places such as Kuwait, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq and many other countries. These missions required the Reservists to be away from their families and full-time jobs for up to six months to support their active duty Air Force counterparts as part of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force. In November, the 910th Airlift Wing safety office was named the FY12 Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) Safety Office of the Year. The office was also selected for the outstanding achievement award for flight safety. The citation accompanying the award recognizes the 910th safety office for "promoting Air Force Safety Programs through strong and credible support of contingencies and humanitarian missions around the globe." Their efforts allowed the 910th Airlift Wing to continue its more than 31 years and 146,072 hours of accident-free flying. Without the tremendous support 910th Airlift Wing Reservists receive from their families and employers, this amount of contribution to our Nation's defense would not be possible. The 21 full-time support staff or active duty members to the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center here contributed to the Nation's defense by mobilizing reservists in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Eleven Marines returned in spring 2012 from a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan. Three Marines are deployed to Africa serving as members of the Special Purpose Marine Air and Ground Task Force. The Marine Reservists wrapped up the 2012 Toys for Tots campaign, receiving more than 25,000 toys and more than $48,000 in monetary donations for needy children in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Youngstown deployed 15 sailors in 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Community minded, NOSC Youngstown began an outreach program at Maplewood Elementary school through the Navy's Adopt-a-School program. The Navy and Marine Corps reservists teamed up to continually engage in community outreach civil engineering projects in the local community. Most recently, they erected two pavilions at a local Boy Scouts camp in October. YARS's economic impact infused more than $123 million (up $8 million from FY2011) into the local economy. The base continues to run an environmentally friendly operation utilizing a nearly $2 million de-icing pad project that allows for the proper control of de-icing fluid runoff during de-icing operations. An indoor hazardous materials storage and recycling facility was built by a local contractor as a drop-off point and collection center for the station. Brig. General Brian Dominguez, commander of the 910th Airlift Wing and YARS installation commander acknowledged the enthusiastic, positive "can do" attitude and extreme job competence of the more than 2,000 Citizen Airmen, Sailors, Marines, federal civilians and contractors assigned here. "Team Youngstown leads the way in serving our great nation; having served for more than 31 years, I've never seen a better integrated, more professional team than we have here at Youngstown. The support of the local community and organizations such as Youngstown Air Reserve Base Community Council, have helped contribute to our success and the ability of all of our Reservists to serve their country and their civilian employers. A big thank you also goes out to those families who support their Reservists, whether their Reservist is at home station or deployed."