Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

This handsome Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) coin says it all: “Pilots without maintainers are just pedestrians with cool jackets and sunglasses.”

No aircraft flies without fuel. Since 1993, the 319th Air Refueling Wing at Grand Forks has guaranteed global reach for United States forces with its fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers. Grand Forks AFB was the first supertanker wing in the Air Force, deployed around the world to supply vital in-flight refueling for our aircraft anytime, any place.

The challenge coin features recessed detail, and is highlighted with rich enamels. The obverse shows a laurel wreath and eagle, and the global refueling ability of the tankers. The reverse of the Grand Forks Air Force Base coin is the Air Force emblem.

The end to a glorious past arrives December 2010, when the last KC-135 departs Grand Forks Air Force Base. The Base’s primary mission is transitioning from KC-135 refueling aircraft to support for launch, recovery and maintenance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs. The new mission begins in 2013.