New Mexico Minuteman - Winter 2012

By Master Sgt. Paula Aragon, New Mexico Air National Guard
Most people don’t know what the RC-26
and its personnel are all about. They have
been a part of the unit serving proudly
alongside the F-16s, but since the F-16s
have departed, this twin turboprop aircraft
sits alone on the ramp. The missions this
aircraft handles vary from overseas tours
to local homeland security missions to
disaster response.
The RC-26 primary mission is reconnaissance.
As with any reconnaissance aircraft,
they are in high demand all over the world.
All crewmembers have deployed seven
times or more in recent years. The pace
shows no indication of slowing down.
In the national RC-26 community, New
Mexico is a leader. The 150th is the RC-26
pilot unit and maintains the UTC, coordinates
movement of personnel and equipment
for rapid deployments, and maintains the
specialized equipment for the entire fl eet.
In Haiti, the unit was called on to
provide real time imagery. Lt. Col. Greg
Mathwig was tasked as the commander
of the multistate deployment of the
RC-26, commanding National Guard units
from New York, Washington, Arkansas,
Florida and Texas. His crews provided
high quality, real-time video downlinks
to the ground force commander, intelligence
staff and the Joint Task Force
providing disaster relief to the citizens of
Haiti. The imagery helped rescuers and
other ground personnel plan and execute
rescue missions. It also helped them to
position food and medical supplies to
the most needed areas of the disasterhit
region. They helped save hundreds
of lives. Air Force Southern commanding
general, Lt. Gen. Mike Shields personally
commended the job Mathwig and the
RC-26 crews accomplished.
RC-26 crews also assisted in the relief
effort after the devastation Hurricane
Katrina brought to the Gulf states. They
were able to show imagery of damaged
power plants and the local infrastructure
which assisted ground personnel in
getting help, resources, and medical
supplies to the areas needing
the most aid.
The aircraft was also involved
with the British Petroleum oil spill.
Their mission was to fi nd the oil
and help vector in the skimmers to
recover it.
When the fi res in Southern
California were raging out of control,
they assisted in checking for
hotspots. Again, using the imagery,
they were able to alert the fi re
crews below. This helped prevent
fl are-ups, and fi re crews were able to
contain the fi res with better accuracy.
When not deployed, the RC-26 unit supports
law enforcement all over the Southwest
region, resulting in a more secure
border. They also support kids at the local
schools through National Guard Bureau
education drug awareness programs.
Day in and day out, they are the “eyes
in the sky” giving data to the agencies that
rely on them. They have proved their skills
and given help to numerous groups and
individuals. They will tell you that it’s all
in a day’s work, but the work they do has
touched many lives.
This piece is dedicated to honor
Kenneth Lee Baileys, RC-26 maintainer,
Sept. 25, 1962-January 21, 2011
May your wings always fl y high!
Photo: Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
Winter 2012 / NEW MEXICO National Guard 7