155th Maintenance Group Commander
NEBRASKA AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Lieutenant Colonel Keith A. Schell is the Maintenance Group Commander for the 155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard. The wing contributes to the Air Force Global Reach mission by supporting U.S. and allied military forces worldwide with aerial refueling and transportation of passengers and cargo.

Lt Col Schell began his career in June of 1981 when he enlisted in the Nebraska Air National Guard as a Photo Processor Specialist working in the 155 Tactical Reconnaissance Group's Photo Processing Interpretation Facility (PPIF). After becoming the Production Control Supervisor in the PPIF he was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). Lt Col Schell was commissioned in Dec 1986 as a Second Lieutenant at the Air National Guard's Academy of Military Science located at McGhee Tyson ANGB, Knoxville, TN. Following his graduation from UPT he attended RF-4C RTU in Boise, ID. Upon completion of RF-4C RTU Lt Col Schell was assigned as a RF-4C Aircraft Commander in the 173rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (TRS). While in the Squadron he served as Intelligence Officer. Following his upgrade to instructor pilot in the RF-4C he was temporarily assigned to Torrejon Air Force Base, Madrid, Spain and later to Choo Won Air Base South Korea where he instructed the Spanish and South Korean RF-4 Pilots on the Navigational Weapons Delivery System. He converted to the KC-135R in June of 1994. Lt Col Schell served in various positions in the 173 Air Refueling Squadron including the Flying Training Officer, Deputy Chief of Current Operations, Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, and as the Squadron Director of Operations. While in the Squadron Lt Col Schell was appointed to and served as the Air National Guard's lead KC-135R Instructor Pilot in charge of the planning, development, and implementation of the Global Air Transportation Management (GATM) System modification. He participated in the worldwide Operational Testing and Evaluation of the GATM system. He was subsequently assigned as the 155 Air Refueling Wing Executive Officer.

Education

• 1985 BA in Finance and Marketing, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
• 1993 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
• 1997 Masters of Business Administration with emphasis in International Finance, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
• 2003 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence)

Assignments

• Jun 1981 - Feb1985, Photo Processing Specialist, 173rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Mar 1985 - Oct 1985, Production Control Specialist, 173rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Nov 1985 - Oct 1986, Production Control Supervisor, 173rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Nov 1986 - Dec 1986, Student, Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson ANGB, Knoxville, TN
• Jan 1987 - Nov 1987, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Columbus, MS
• Dec 1987 - Feb 1988, Fighter Lead in Flight Training, Holloman Air Force Base, NM
• Mar 1988 - Sep 1988, Student, RF-4C RTU, 189th Tactical Reconnaissance Training Flight, Boise, ID
• Oct 1988 - Sep 1992, RF-4C Aircraft Commander, 173rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Oct 1992 - Dec 1992, RF-4C Instructor Pilot, Spanish Air Force, Torrejon Air Force Base, Madrid, Spain
• Jan 1993 - Mar 1993, RF-4C Instructor Pilot, South Korean Air Force, Choo Won Air Base, South Korea
• Apr 1993 - Oct 1993, RF-4C Instructor Pilot, 173rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Oct 1993 - Dec 1993, Student, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL
• Jan 1994 - Jun 1994, Student, KC-135R RTU, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Castle Air Force Base, CA
• Jul 1994 - Dec 1995, KC-135R Aircraft Commander, 173rd Air Refueling Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Jan 1996 - Feb 1999, Flying Training Officer, 155th Operations Support Flight, Lincoln, NE
• Mar 1999 - Aug 2002, Deputy Chief Current Operations, 155th Operations Support Flight, Lincoln, NE
• Sep 2002 - May 2003, KC-135 Standardization and Evaluation Pilot, 155th Operations Group, Lincoln, NE
• Jun 2003 - May 2004, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 155th Operations Group, Lincoln, NE
• Jun 2004 - Sep 2005, Director of Operations, 173 Air Refueling Squadron, Lincoln, NE
• Oct 2005 - Mar 2006, Executive Officer, 155 Air Refueling Wing, Lincoln, NE
• Apr 2006 - Present, 155 Maintenance Group Commander, Lincoln, NE

Major Awards:

• Meritorious Service Medal
• Aerial Achievement Medal
• Air Force Commendation Medal with two devices
• Air Force Achievement Medal with three devices
• Joint Meritorious Unit Award
• Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with seven devices
• Combat Readiness Medal with six devices
• Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Serve Medal with one device
• Air Force Recognition Ribbon
• National Defense Service Medal with one device
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• Kosovo Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Korean Defense Service Medal
• Armed Forces Service Medal with two devices
• Humanitarian Service Medal with two devices
• Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
• Air Force overseas Ribbon Short
• Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
• Air Force Longevity Service with five devices
• Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two devices
• Small Arms Expert marksmanship Ribbon (Rifle)
• Air Force Training Ribbon with one device
• NATO Medal

Effective Dates of Promotion:

• Second Lieutenant - 19 December 1986
• First Lieutenant - 19 December 1989
• Captain - 2 October 1992
• Major - 15 July 1999
• Lieutenant Colonel - 1 May 2004