Air National Guard

by Joe Crocetta / staff photographer see the enlargement HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. - Triplets Aaron, Ben and Chris Harding don't have the sibling rivalry that divides some families. They share the same taste in clothing, music and sports and all work at Roger's County Market in Martinsburg, W.Va. Now the 19-year-olds have made another move together by joining the West Virginia Air National Guard's 167th Airlift Wing. This is believed to be the first set of triplets to enlist in the airlift wing's 43-year history.

Millions in funding awarded to Air National Guard Larger equipment can mean more responsibilities. That may be the case at the Air National Guard in Martinsburg with the recent approval of more than $38 million in funding for Guard facilities throughout West Virginia. In a prepared statement, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., announced last week that he added $2 million to appropriations legislation for design upgrades at the Martinsburg base, home to the 167th Airlift Wing.

Kimberly Ridenour and her father, David Ridenour, were named Co-Veterans of the Day at Disney World on Feb. 17. The Hagerstown residents were picked at random while entering the Florida amusement park. The Ridenours served with the Air National Guard in Martinsburg, W.Va.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Base changes for the 167th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard at the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport will also bring changes to the surrounding community, said Capt. Melissa Shade, who was on hand as part of a tour of the air base Monday. Shade said the airlift wing will sponsor a job fair at the airport Friday in anticipation of doubling the full-time work force at the base to 300 employees as the base continues with plans to replace its fleet of C-130 Hercules air transport planes with a nearly equal number of the behemoth C-5 Galaxy heavy cargo planes.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - President Bush is expected to visit with members of the West Virginia Air National Guard at the 167th Airlift Wing base in Berkeley County on July 4, invited guests and officials familiar with the White House schedule said Friday. "I'm not sure what the itinerary is," said West Virginia Air National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Cadle, who was anticipating a White House announcement Friday. Bush's appearance was listed on the White House schedule released Friday by The Associated Press, according to Natasha Metzler in the AP office in Washington.

Potter-Vance Joanna Rea Vance and Keith Todd Potter Jr. were married on Saturday, March 29, 2008, at Salem United Methodist Church in Keedysville. The bride is the daughter of Scott and Lori Vance of Inwood, W.Va. The bridegroom is the son of Keith and Lynnette Potter of Boonsboro. The bride is a 2005 graduate of Musselman High School and International Beauty School. She is employed as a home care assistant for the elderly. The bridegroom is a 2006 graduate of Boonsboro High School.

By DAVE McMILLION Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A Gerrardstown man was killed early Wednesday morning when his car ran off Union Corner Road and struck a tree, according to West Virginia State Police. Brian Sean McDougald, 21, a 1995 graduate of Musselman High School, worked at the Bob Evans Restaurant in Martinsburg and was a member of the 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard in Martinsburg. "He was very well liked. It's a shock," said McDougald's mother, Frances McDougald.

tarar@herald-mail.com Master Sgt. Robbie Gossard had little contact with his family as he worked nearly around the clock in Qatar last year to fix and resupply C-130 planes being used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. But one day, in November 2003, a box arrived unexpectedly at the Al Udied Air Force Base where he was stationed, and it made him feel a little closer to home. Inside were letters from his daughter's kindergarten class at Clear Spring Elementary School.

charlestown@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A 16-year veteran of the 167th Airlift Wing in Berkeley County, W.Va., has been tapped to replace Col. Jesse Thomas as the commander of the local West Virginia Air National Guard unit, officials with the base announced Monday. Col. Eric Vollmecke was selected to replace Thomas, who is retiring for health reasons, said Brig. Gen. V. Wayne Lloyd, commander of the West Virginia Air National Guard. Vollmecke, who will take over the job on Jan. 11 during a base ceremony, brings a wealth of experience to the post, including a stint at the Pentagon, extensive worldwide airlift experience with the 167th and holding various leadership positions in the unit, according to a news release distributed at a press briefing at the base Monday afternoon.

NOV. 5, 1946-FEB. 24, 2009 Preston Carl Guessford, 62, of 525 Frederick St., Hagerstown, died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, at his home. Born Nov. 5, 1946, in Hagerstown, he was the son of the late Carl William Guessford Jr. He was a graduate of North Hagerstown High School. He was a member of the Air National Guard in Martinsburg, W.Va. He is survived by two stepbrothers, William Gossard of Palm Coast, Fla., and Robert Gossard of Shepherdstown, W.Va.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

National Little League will hold registration for the upcoming season on the following dates: • Thursday, Feb. 7, and Friday, Feb. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the National Little League press box. The field is at 728 Frederick St., behind the city's Claude M. Potterfield Pool. To help speed up registration, bring completed forms with you. Forms are available at www.leaguelineup.com/handouts.asp?url=nationallittleleagueofhagerstown under the “handouts” menu.  The league is for players ages 4 to 12, based on age as of April 30, 2013.

Members of the West Virginia Air National Guard based in Berkeley County are flying bucket trucks and other equipment from Phoenix, Ariz., to a guard base in Newburgh, N.Y., to assist in Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts in the Northeast. Four loads of equipment are due to be transported by the Guard unit's C-5 aircraft beginning Friday, said Col. Roger Nye, commander of the 167th Airlift Wing. In a separate relief mission, more than 90 members of the West Virginia National Guard are distributing food and water from the base at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport to thousands of residents in areas where deep, wet snow from the storm downed trees, blocked roads and left them without power.

About 10,000 people turned out Saturday for the 2012 Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House & Air Show, according to organizers. More than $13,000 in donations to United Way of the Eastern Panhandle were collected Saturday at the entrance gates, according to spokeswoman Tiffany Lawrence, who noted the support of dozens of volunteers. “The generosity has been overwhelming,” Lawrence said. Gates open Sunday at 9 a.m. for the second day of the show at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport.

Hagerstown Community College's Alumni Association recently announced its concert schedule for the eighth annual Red, White and Blue Summer Concert Series:               Thursday, June 7, U.S. Air Force Heritage Brass Ensemble at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17, Maryland Defense Force Band at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 21, U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23, Air National Guard of the Mid-Atlantic at...

Berkeley County Council on Thursday unanimously agreed to send a letter of support to organizers of Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House & Air Show, encouraging them to hold another air show in the future. Council member James "Jim" Whitacre proposed the letter of support, noting the air show had quickly become a "huge attraction" for the community. Council member Douglas E. Copenhaver Jr. said the air show could be held in honor of pilot John Mangan of Concord, N.C., who was killed when the North American T-28 C he was flying crashed at this year's air show on Sept.

Area military personnel, active and retired, including National Guard members and their dependents, are enjoying bargain prices this weekend shopping for groceries and big-screen televisions at an on-site commissary sale at the West Virginia Air National Guard 167th Airlift Wing. Among the long lines of customers Saturday were retired Marine Master Sgt. Jesse Englehart, a Korean War veteran, and his wife, Betty Englehart, of Smithsburg. "We try to shop at the commissary at Fort Detrick as much as we can," Betty Englehart said.

JULY 30, 1951-MAY 5, 2011 Raymond David Feltner Jr., 59, of 9711 June Ave. in Hagerstown, Md., died Thursday, May 5, 2011, at his home. Born July 30, 1951, in Ranson, W.Va., he was the son of Raymond David Feltner Sr. of Hagerstown and the late Shirley Viola Jackson Feltner. He was employed as a machinist by Caldwell Manufacturing. He loved to spend time with his wife and family, and watching sports. He was a member of the Air National Guard. In addition to his father, he is survived by his wife of 38 years, Marlene Feltner; one daughter, Julie Finch and husband, Jared, of Sheffield, Pa.; one son, John Feltner and wife, Erin, of Gold Bar, Wash.; two sisters, Roxanne Sue Jones of Gaithersburg, Md., and Donna Clevenger of Leitersburg, Md.; seven grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

Kimberly Ridenour and her father, David Ridenour, were named Co-Veterans of the Day at Disney World on Feb. 17. The Hagerstown residents were picked at random while entering the Florida amusement park. The Ridenours served with the Air National Guard in Martinsburg, W.Va.

The lineup of aerial acts has yet to be finalized, but the dates for the 2011 Thunder Over the Blue Ridge air show and open house are set. The West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing formally announced Tuesday in a news release that it will host the event on Sept. 17 and 18. Officials said the show attracted more than 80,000 over Labor Day weekend this year. Show organizers are negotiating with a variety of military and civilian aerial acts for next year’s show, but the Airlift Wing said The Black Daggers, the official U.S. Army Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team, will perform, according to the release.

The men and women in the West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing will tell you it’s an honor just to serve, but it doesn’t hurt when special recognition is given. More than 170 airmen who were deployed from their home base for more than 30 days and their family members who were burdened by it were honored Sunday during the second annual Hometown Heroes Salute ceremony. The recognition program was sanctioned in 2008 by Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau.