ESGR Boss Lift

Maj. Ben Evans, right, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot with the 507th Air Wing of the Air Force Reserves based at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., stands on the wing of a KC-135 alongside civilian employers. The trio watch as A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthogs" takeoff during a 188th Fighter Wing ESGR event at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. More than 40 local employers visited the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB Feb. 22-23 to watch the Flying Razorbacks and their A-10s participate in Operation Snowbird, a combat rehearsal for the unit’s deployment to Afghanistan this summer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The event was part of an Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) trip. The objective was to give employers a better understanding of how vital the Guardsmen they employ are to the mission and how they each play a key role in the unit’s success. (National Guard photo by Maj. Heath Allen/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)