CONTACT: Major Jeff Brown, 315-773-8734 or Capt. Anthony Bucci, 315-233-2651.

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Sep 12, 2010

ON SITE: Major Jeff Brown, 315-773-8734 or Capt. Anthony Bucci, 315-233-2651.

SYRACUSE, NY (09/10/2010)-- A refurbished F-86 Sabrejet, that the 174th Fighter Wing flew in Germany during the Berlin Crisis of 1961, will be unveiled during Family Day celebrations at Hancock Air National Guard Base on Sunday, Sept. 12. Members of the press are invited to attend the ceremony and interview those who flew and maintained the planes, as well as the Airmen who refurbished this aircraft, which will be the first exhibit in a historic display of planes flown by the wing. Who: Col Kevin Bradley, Commander of the 174 Fighter Wing; Maj. Gen. James Kwiatkowski, Commander of the New York Air National Guard, several retirees, current members of Hancock Field ANGB and their families and the guest of honor, Brig. Gen. (ret) Curt Irwin, who flew the aircraft and SMSgt. (ret) Charles F. Poehlman who maintained the F-86. What: A dedication ceremony for the F-86 Sabrejet. The unit received the first F-86 Sabrejet in December 1957 and flew them until 1970. This will be the first of several refurbished aircraft that the unit has flown into combat. The aircraft will eventually make up Hancock Field Memorial Air Park. When: Sunday September 12 , 1230 p.m. Where: The hangar, building 610, Hancock Field Air National Guard Base. Thompson and Malloy Road, Syracuse For access to this secure military facility members of the media should be at the Thompson Road gate no later than 1200 on Sunday, Sept. 12 to be escorted past security. Call the Major Jeff Brown at 315-773-8734 or Capt. Anthony Bucci, 315-233-2651. Coverage Opportunities: Col. Kevin Bradley, the commander of the 174 Fighter Wing will dedicate the F-86 Sabrejet to Brig. Gen. (ret) Curtis J. Irwin in a ceremony at Hancock Field ANGB hangar. Pilots who flew the F-86 and maintainers who worked on the first jet will be in attendance and available for interviews as well as the crew who recently completed the refurbishment. Background: F-86 Sabrejet: The F-86 Sabrejet, also known just as the Sabre, was the first swept wing fighter aircraft flown by the United States Air Force and made a name for itself fighting Russian-built MIG-15s in the air near the Chinese-Korean border during the Korean War. Air Force pilots shot down 792 Migs for a loss of 76 F-86s. The Sabre was an incredibly successful fighter flown by all NATO nations, with more than 6,000 being built in the United States alone. The F-86H model flown by the 174th Fighter Wing, known as the 138th Fighter Squadron when the jets arrived in 1957, was designed as a fighter bomber with longer wings, a more powerful engine, and a deeper body than the dog-fighting version and the ability to carry 5,300 pounds of bombs. The plane was armed with six 50 caliber machine guns and was one of the last Air Force fighters not to be armed originally with air-to-air missiles. The last American-built F-86 Sabrejets were constructed in 1956. The 174th's flew F-86 Sabrejets until 1970 when they were replaced by the A-37 ground attack aircraft. The unit now flies the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. Berlin Crisis In 1961 the Soviet Union was demanding that the United States, France and Britain, which then occupied the western half of Berlin under the agreements which had ended World War II, withdraw and that the city become part of East Germany. The Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev threatened to use force to expel the western forces from Berlin. The western powers refused and the confrontation escalated, as U.S. President John F. Kennedy called for an increase in the strength of the Army, Air Force and Navy and talked about identifying space in public buildings for fallout shelters. The crisis culminated in August of 1961 when the East German government began building the wall to seal off the western from the eastern sides of the city, stopping the flow of migrants fleeing west. At one point American and Russian tanks faced each other at Checkpoint Charlie, the access point from west to east Berlin. President Kennedy mobilized 148,000 members of the Army and Air Force Reserve and National Guard in response. The Air National Guard mobilized 21,000 Airmen in 26 Squadrons as part of that mobilization. What was then called the 138th Fighter Squadron was one of 18 fighter squadrons sent to Germany. The squadron was mobilized on August 26, 1961, departed for Germany in October 1961 and returned home a year later.

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