THE EAGLE MONTHLY Detachment 475 Newsletter September 2014 Detachment 475! Family, friends and cadets of Detachment 475, welcome back to another year of ROTC! We are excited to share what we ve been doing thus far! I do not agree with what you have to say, but I ll defend to the death your right to say it. - Voltaire In This Issue Leadership Labs Plane of the Month PFA Tips and more!
Cadets Heindl and Shaheen relaxing after lab day of hiking and navigating through the woods, cadets were able to enjoy the remaining time at New Boston by eating a barbecue lunch served by several cadets from the POC. -C/3C Sou New Boston Lab On Saturday, 20 September 2014, Air Force ROTC cadets from the University of New Hampshire, Detachment 475, traveled to New Boston Air Force Station in New Hampshire for their third Lead Lab of the semester to do a land navigation lab in the woods. New Boston Air Force Station was established in 1942 as a practice area for bombers and fighter planes during World War 2. Now, New Boston Air Force Station is used as a satellite tracking station. Cadets were put in a scenario where they had to locate a crashed plane and bring the injured pilot back to safety. In this lab, leadership skills were put to the test when GMC cadets were thrust into groups and had to navigate through the woods with only a compass and points given to them. No map was provided. A few days before the lab, Field Training Preparation cadets prepared for this lab by learning about land navigation from fellow Army ROTC cadets at UNH. This was a way for FTP cadets to get comfortable with using a compass and navigating through the woods before they were put to the test in their leadership role at New Boston. Every cadet was successfully able to locate the missing plane and rescue the down pilot. From there, cadets performed several different Group Leadership Problems in the woods to test their leadership skills even more. After a long Cadets Erickson, Adams and Moore at New Boston Air Force Station 2
F-22 F-15E Strike Eagle B-1B C-27J Plane of the Month This month s Plane of the Month is the F-15E Strike Eagle. The F-15E Strike Eagle is a multirole fighter aircraft designed for long range and deep air support. This is a military plane intended to perform different roles in combat, such as ground attack, retaining air to air lethality, and defending itself against enemy aircraft. It is distinguished from other fighter aircrafts in the Air Force because of its darker camouflage and conformal fuel tanks mounted along the engine intakes. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s and is still used in today s Air Force. The Strike Eagle has been used in recent military operations such as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. They carried out deep airstrikes against high value targets, lead combat air patrols, and gave close air support for grounds troop. The F-15E Strike Eagle is one of the most valuable and important planes that is used by United States Air Force to maintain air supremacy. 3
Russian Aircraft Intercepted On Thursday, 18 September 2014, two Canadian CF-18 fighters intercepted two IL-78 Russian Bombers off the coast of the Beaufort Sea. It was later that Lt. Col. Michael Jazdyk of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spoke out about two F-22 fighters that intercepted more Russian military aircraft off the coast of Alaska about 55 nautical miles (88 kilometers). The planes were two IL-78 Bombers, two MIG-31 fighters, and two Bear Long-Range Bombers. The F-22 fighters scrambled around, marking their Sovereign Airspace, making sure they were seen. It was reported that the Russian Fleet went south and headed back to base, never entering Sovereign American Airspace. Supposedly NORAD has intercepted over 50 Russian Bombers within the last 5 years, which only begs the question...why? Now, an optimist could say that the Russians were just practicing a drill or training exercise, which is not an absurd claim. However, someone more suspicious may say that Russia has been poking and prodding at our defense lines to possibly find a weak point, after all, 50 attempts in 5 years does sound fishy. I m sure that this has been addressed between the Russian and American governments. We have our airspace and Russia has its own. Not to say that we should be bracing for an attack or that we are completely safe and should be at ease, but in my personal opinion, Russia is taunting the U.S. in such a way that we have to constantly raise our alarm and exhaust resources. This behavior seems a bit in their nature and we should acknowledge that, yet never let our guard down. However, we do know that once again thanks to the Best Air Force in the World, America can rest easy, knowing that there is always someone watching out. - C/4C Roche PFA Tips As we draw closer to the PFA, here are a few things to do! Set goals Start slow Pick a well-rounded, total body workout Breathe For the week prior to the test, do lighter workouts Eat healthy Drink 12 to 18 ounces of water when you wake up Stretch Warm up properly Get some rest Cadets doing Ranger Push-ups 4
Reveille and Retreat Reveille is a tradition that has been around since the year 1812. Today, it represents the beginning of an official duty day and also pays respect to the flag as it is raised up the flag pole. Retreat is very similar. Retreat represents the end of an official duty day and also pays respect to the flag as it lowers for its final moment of the day. Although these are the reasoning's and traditions of today, reveille and retreat did not always mean these things. Originally, reveille was meant as a sort of roll call a way to gather units. Reveille was never intended to honor the flag as we do today. Retreat was originated by the French Army and dates back as far as 900 years ago. Retreat originally was to tell all people to return to their quarters and stay there, ending the day. These old traditions have warped over the years into the ceremonies that we perform today. Now, these ceremonies are not just an action, they represent past warriors who have shed blood for their people, and also honor the flag that flies high and free. - C/3C Aliberti The POW/MIA Corner As a high school student, looking for a way to pay for college, Jessica Lynch never imagined she would be serving her country on foreign soil, let alone become a prisoner of war. In 2003, serving in Iraq as a Private First Class, Lynch and the 507 th Maintenance Company convoy she was with, were ambushed by Iraqi soldiers when they took a wrong turn. The Humvee was hit by an RPG. Lynch was severely injured and captured. She was rescued eight days later, after an Iraqi lawyer tipped off U.S forces. When rescued, Lynch became the first American prisoner of war to be rescued since the Vietnam Conflict and, at that point, the only woman to ever be rescued. After returning home, Lynch was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Prisoner of War medals. C/3C Adams PFC Lynch receiving her medals "The truth of war is not always easy to hear but it is always more heroic than the hype." - PFC Lynch 5
Leadership Laboratories Mark Your Calendars! DATE ACTIVITY 09/02 Commander s Call 09/09 GLP Lab 09/20 New Boston Navigation Lab 09/23 Drill and Ceremonies Lab 09/30 FTP Realization Night 10/07 Career Night 10/14 Transitory Challenge 10/25 Parents Weekend 11/01 Paintball Lab 11/07 Veterans Day Ceremony 11/11 Warrior Challenge /SERE 11/18 FTP Run Lead Lab 12/02 Buddy Care Challenge 12/06 Dining In 12/09 Commander s Call 6
A Little AF Humor... Contact Us If you are interested in writing an article, sharing pictures or having the next issue of The Eagle Monthly sent to family or friends, please contact one of the cadets listed below! Cadet Adams rar85@wildcats.unh.edu or Cadet Sou bch37@wildcats.unh.edu Visit us on the web at www.facebook.com/ theeaglesnest475