Beale unit officially named 940th wing.

Air Force Reserve Command has one less air refueling unit with the redesignation of the wing located at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

Maj. Gen. Frank Padilla, 10th Air Force commander, presided over a ceremony July 11 re-designating the 940th Air Refueling Wing as the 940th Wing. He lauded wing Reservists for embracing their new mission and for their commitment to the Total Force Integration initiative.

"No one has been better than the 940th Wing, teamed with the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, to embrace change and to embrace the total force initiative," General Padilla said. "It has become AFRC's showcase for TFI."

The wing is the first in the command "to embrace the combat capabilities in four major core TFI areas: distributed ground system; high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; air operations center; and Air Force forces operations."

General Padilla said the 940th WG will continue to evolve as mission requirements change.

"It was an act of wisdom to call it the 940th Wing instead of naming it a reconnaissance wing, command and control wing or ISR wing because we are not constrained by limitations," General Padilla said." Our wing will be able to grow and respond to our country's Air Force missions and requirements, and I am very proud of that."

Col. Jeffrey Mineo, 940th WG commander, thanked members of the wing for embracing the new missions.

"Today has a twofold purpose: One is to mark progress on the path to transformation, but we also have to recognize that today commemorates our proud heritage and traditions from over 35 years of history and of safe flying," Colonel Mineo said. "There has been no class A mishaps around the Sacramento area. That is a marvelous achievement."

Colonel Mineo asked Airmen who had served with the 940th when it was at both Mather and McClellan AFBs in California to stand and be recognized for their accomplishments and the tradition they bring to the new wing. The wing moved from Mather to McClellan in 1993 and from McClellan to Beale in 1998.

"These people have pioneered the change for us to get us to the point where we are today," Colonel Mineo said. "I relied on these people to carry us through a difficult time."

Although changing from a KC-135 air refueling mission has been difficult, Colonel Mineo said the 940th Airmen have stepped up to ensure success of the wing's new missions.

"In the year and a half that I've been here, I have seen the folks do some amazing things," he said. "I am truly humbled to be part of this major milestone in the history of the 940th." (Tech. Sgt. Luke Johnson, 940th WG public affairs)