Say goodbye to the 440th

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission has spoken, and the 440th Airlift Wing at Mitchell International Airport lost their battle to stay open. The eight C-130H transport planes will be removed, and some personnel will be moved to Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.

As a consolation, General Mitchell Air Guard Station will be getting three KC-135 refueling aircraft allowing opportunities for at least some workers displaced by this decision. Earlier this week, the commission voted to keep Wisconsin's Fort McCoy intact.

Excerpt from the governor's statement:

"We recognize that the BRAC Commission had hard choices to make, and while this one didn't turn out the way we hoped, overall Wisconsin has come out of this process better than many other states. When we started this fight, there was great concern about the future of Fort McCoy - and we're very pleased that we were able to protect it, and secure additional resources to preserve the base well into the future."

Mitchell's 440th airwing currently has 1409 military personnel, and 379 civilian employees working there.