National Guard remains on alert ‘Maineiacs’ waiting for Pentagon orders

BANGOR – Despite conflicting reports, the Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing remained on high security alert Monday and its members began getting aircraft and equipment ready for deployment, even though the unit had not received its marching orders.

The “Maineiacs,” as the Bangor-based Air Refueling Wing is dubbed, received notice last Thursday that they could be activated as early as Friday, Sept. 21. But that didn’t happen, and, four days later, the base is still waiting for further direction from the Pentagon, according to Col. Don McCormack.

“We’re on a day to day thing,” McCormack said Monday. “The National Guard is supposed to be ready anytime,” McCormack said. McCormack said he was not sure why the Pentagon sent a mobilization notice to the 101st Air Refueling Wing five days ago and has sent nothing since.

“It’s caused some real confusion,” McCormack said of Thursday’s notification, which was followed by erroneous Associated Press news reports early Monday that indicated the 101st Air Refueling Wing had been called to active duty.

Still, the prospect of callup remains a real possibility, with the Pentagon indicating that as many as 346 members and 10 aircraft could be activated from the 101st Air Refueling Wing.

“I was betting [the callup would occur] on last Friday and it still could come any day. Or it may not come at all,” said McCormack. The latest report circulating in defense magazines is that “we’re scaling back and are not going to do any big attacks,” McCormack said in a telephone interview.

McCormak is stationed at Camp Keyes, Augusta, and is the executive support staff officer for the Air National Guard in Maine.

About 350 National Guard members were on the Bangor base Monday, getting aircraft and equipment ready for possible deployment. Another 120 to 140 volunteers were called in to help with paperwork and organizational details, McCormack said.

Likewise, the 157th Air Refueling Wing in Portsmouth, N.H., was notified that 210 members would be called to active duty.

The 101st Air Refueling Wing at the Bangor International Airport and the 157th Air Refueling Wing at the Pease International Tradeport in New Hampshire operate KC 135 Tankers used for midair refueling of F-15 and F-16 jet fighters as well as other combat aircraft. The standby order was part of the mobilization of 50,000 troops ordered by President George W. Bush.