Guard members volunteer for missions

After days of heightened activity at the Bangor Air National Guard base amid an evolving Persian Gulf crisis, the 101st Air Refueling Wing swung into action Thursday.

But an official of the MANG, reading from a prepared statement, said the unit was not being dispatched to Saudi Arabia and stressed that it was not being mobilized or recalled.

The 101st ARW joins National Guard units with varying functions from at least 13 other states whose members have joined what is being described as a volunteer effort.

Capt. Mark Tuck said Thursday that 450 members had agreed to fly air-refueling missions to support the U.S. military troops already in the Middle East. Mechanics, pilots and navigators are among the personnel involved.

“We just went into action this afternoon,” he said, explaining that the groundswell of volunteers developed over the course of the day. The flights will continue around the clock indefinitely.

Tuck said he was unaware where the refueling was taking place, and that he would be unable to disclose the information anyway.