Thursday, November 30, 2017
NEWS/FEATURES JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. Seven mobility Airmen received the Bronze Star Medal here during a ceremony, Nov. 21. Maj. Gen. Christopher J. Bence, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, presided over the ceremony and presented the Bronze Star Medal to the following Airmen for their work with the 621st Contingency Response Wing during their deployments to Northern Syria and Iraq from Oct. 2016-Feb. 2017: Col. Rhett Champagne, Lt. Col. Blaine Baker, Lt. Col. Robert Rayner, Maj. Jacob Becker; Capt. Andrew Schnell, Chief Master Sgt. Ricky Smith, and Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Wright. The Airmen on this stage truly put the rapid in our rapid global mobility, Bence said. It s a true honor to be here today to award these Bronze Stars to these Airmen. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces for heroic or meritorious service or achievement in a combat zone. During their recent deployments in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Northern Syria, the Airmen led air base Opening operations that enabled coalition forces to maintain and extend the range and persistence of counter-islamic State group operations that sustained coalition forces conducting offensives that led to the elimination of IS in key regions and territories. For Baker, 821st Contingency Response Squadron commander stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of receiving the Bronze Star Medal is the Airmen he had the pleasure of working with in Iraq. At the end of the day, the team made that mission happen, Baker said. We re just fortunate to have the caliber of professionals in the CRW that are not just able to go do their mission, but they re eager to go do their missions. See BRONZE STAR, Page 12 COMMANDER S ACTION LINE The Action Line provides two-way communication between the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. Personnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to macdillwingcommander@us.af.mil. Website: www.macdill.af.mil Facebook: www.facebook.com/ MacDillAirForceBase Instagram: macdill_afb Twitter: @macdill_afb 2 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, November 30, 2017 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT
NEWS/FEATURES In the maintenance world, the quote for fabrication flight has always been, you break it, we fix it! said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Dowden, aircraft metals technology section chief assigned to the 6th Maintenance Squadron. In the world of metals technology, Airmen work with just about any component that could break on an aircraft or aircrew ground equipment and are able to create customized parts that may not be made any more. Basically, if it goes on an aircraft, we are involved with it one way or another, said Staff Sgt. Eric Griese, aircraft metals technology technician assigned to the 6th MXS. Depending on the codes assigned to each part, our shop can either make a part or we will determine if we need to procure it. These Airmen work mostly with components that need to be replaced on a regular basis. We also get some unusual projects, like we had an aircraft come back that had a fuel component that was dented, so we had to fabricate a patch and then weld it to the component, said Griese. The hardest part of that was to find a way to pressure test the component. METALS, Page 15 JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AFNS) November has been designated as National American Indian Heritage Month since 1990. This is a time to celebrate the cultures, traditions, histories and acknowledge the contributions of Native Americans. Capt. Travis Trueblood, 11th Wing assistant staff judge advocate assigned to Joint Base Andrews, is a Native American service member. Trueblood is half Choctaw, a tribe tracing its ancestry to the Mississippi River Valley area, including parts of present-day Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. His father, William, a Choctaw Indian and Vietnam War veteran, made a big impact on Trueblood s life and his call to serve. My father put a high emphasis and encouragement on my service, Trueblood said. He has been a great supporter and (has) given me a lot of advice along the way, and I appreciate that. I want to have the same legacy of service that he had and continue that contribution to the nation. Trueblood s grandfather was in the Army Air Corps, and his great-grandfather was a World War I veteran. Trueblood has someone who has served See NATIVE, Page 15 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Thursday, November 30, 2017 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM 3
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NEWS/FEATURES With 16 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and eight more on the way, MacDill Air Force Base s maintenance scheduling shop are up for the challenge. As maintenance managers, the Airmen in the plans and scheduling office assigned to the 6th Maintenance Group, oversee all maintenance and operations their aircraft participate in. - Tech. Sgt. Laquena Alicea We basically manage the entire aircraft, and all of its equipment, said Tech. Sgt. Laquena Alicea, the section chief of plans and scheduling assigned to the 6th MXG. Our schedules include deployments, temporary duty assignments, maintenance, as well as current operations for each tail number (aircraft). Schedules are created for each week, but they are also planned monthly, quarterly and annually to provide leadership an idea of how each aircraft is performing. See SCHEDULERS, Page 10 6 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, November 30, 2017 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT
NEWS/FEATURES JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) Jacob Dodson understands the dedication and commitment that it takes to defend our nation s interests. After all, his grandfather and father are Navy veterans, his two brothers are active-duty Marines, and his brotherin-law is an Air Force C-130 Hercules pilot. In continuing the family s tradition of service, the 33-year-old research mechanical engineer is leading a range of research programs that are developing next-generation technology for sensing the environments for high-speed weapons, courtesy of the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Scholarship for Service Program. The SMART Scholarship Program provides opportunities for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, disciplines to receive full scholarships and serve the Defense Department after they complete their degree. Congress authorized the program in 2006 to strengthen the technical capacity of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and other DoD agencies. Dodson was awarded SMART scholarships for his undergraduate, master s and doctorate degrees. This scholarship has given me an amazing opportunity to use my technical skills to provide the next generation of technology for our military, said Dodson, who works in the munitions directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It gives me a great sense of pride knowing that my work has a direct impact on the Air Force and the DoD s ability to carry out their missions. See SMART, Page 11 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Thursday, November 30, 2017 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM 7
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We know schedules are never set in stone, so deviations from the schedule can happen, said Staff Sgt. Myra Walker, the NCO in charge of aircraft maintenance unit scheduling. However, we keep track of the deviations, to make sure whatever maintenance was previously scheduled, gets done as soon as possible. Acting as the middleman between operations and maintenance, schedulers help keep the more than 60-year-old aircraft healthy, by ensuring they receive required maintenance when needed. We ll receive word from Air Mobility Command that we need to perform maintenance on a certain aircraft on a specific day, so we have to consider the needs of operations, said Alicea. Efficiency is key, so when we schedule an aircraft to stay grounded and receive mandatory maintenance, we try to make it on a day that the pilots and aircrew can receive their training while the plane is being worked on. Not only do these Airmen handle the schedule for any local maintenance needs on MacDill, they also receive notices called time compliance technical orders, or TCTOs. TCTOs act like a recall on a car; they re given because another base might suspect an issue in all of the aircraft with a specific part, said Alicea. So we have to incorporate these inspections into our schedule, while still considering current operations and our own maintenance at MacDill. In 2018, MacDill expects eight additional KC- 135s to join its inventory, but for scheduling, they see it as an opportunity to help pilots. With more aircraft and resources, we can better fit the needs of the pilots and aircrew and their required training, said Walker. We do our best to keep the scheduling process as efficient as possible so that the flyers and the maintainers don t become overwhelmed. Although the job is busy and requires a keen attention to detail, the Airmen in the scheduling office consistently ensure that MacDill s aircraft are healthy and ready to support operations around the world. Scheduling is all about creating a good balance between downtime for the aircraft, and keeping it flying, said Alicea. These aircraft are approaching 70 years of service, so keeping them up-to-date on maintenance is our priority. 10 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, November 30, 2017 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT
As part of the program, applicants must pursue a technical degree in one of the 19 STEM disciplines that include engineering, information science, mathematics, bioscience, physics and more. The DoD recognizes the need to support the education of its future scientists and engineers, said Ed Bujan, SMART Scholarship Program execution lead at the Air Force s Personnel Center. The Air Force in particular is a great choice for seeking rewarding scientific and engineering careers. In 2017, the Air Force garnered 108 of the 343 total DoD SMART scholarship selections. Most of those selectees were sent to the Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command. Our goal is to build a SMART community within the Air Force and DoD that enhances career development and technical collaboration, Bujan said. The SMART Scholarship Program represents an important investment in attracting the top technical talent needed to support the DoD. Once accepted into the program, SMART scholars receive $25,000 to $38,000 a year depending on the level of degree being pursued. Program benefits also include full tuition and related educational expenses, health insurance, book allowances, summer internships for multi-year participants and post-graduation career opportunities. Scholarship participants are required to commit to one year of civilian employment with the DoD for each academic year of the scholarship award. The scholarship application deadline for the 2018 class is Dec. 8. The next submission window runs from Aug. 1 to Dec. 1, for the 2019 class. For application instructions and other information, visit https://smart.asee.org/. Visit mypers for more information about Air Force personnel programs. Individuals who do not have a mypers account can request one by following these instructions. MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Thursday, November 30, 2017 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM 11
That s what you see in the bronze stars, is Airmen who are ready to lead wherever they re called to go because they re putting the mission above themselves. Baker deployed to Qayyarah Airfield in Iraq as the Contingency Response Element commander, along with Champagne, Becker, and Smith. They were all part of the 79-person team of 621st CRW Airmen. According to Baker, the base had been overrun by IS in 2014 and had destroyed the runways. All of the structures across the base had been blown up and destroyed by IS in their rampage, Baker said. The Air Force Expeditionary Civil Engineering group came in, did some heavy repairs. Once those repairs were complete, literally within 24 hours of the cement drying on the runway, we established airfield operations and brought in the first (aircraft). While the CRE in Iraq had its hands full opening an airfield, Rayner, Schnell, and Wright were working in a CRE of their own along with 49 other 621st CRW Airmen in Northern Syria. We were there to degrade and deny IS the ability to continue to operate in the region, said Schnell, 321st Contingency Response Squadron force protection flight commander stationed here and the CRE s landing zone airfield manager at the time. According to Schnell, they accomplished their mission by increasing the throughput of cargo to the airfield and brought the equipment in that was needed there to the fight. We were the most forward airfield that U.S. Central Command had at that time, said Schnell. The parallels between the CREs in Iraq and Northern Syria were evident in the threats they faced during their deployments. At one point (active combat) was within 20 kilometers from us, Schnell said. Every night when I would go out to run the landing zone, I could watch through my night vision goggles of things exploding, Baker stated that the days on deployment in Iraq could be summed up as intense. We were very well aware that the base was a key logistics platform and fire-base, Baker said. In fact, the very first shipment that we got had rocket replenishment for the actual platforms that were firing out of [the airbase] and into Mosul. Another common theme between the CREs was the success they experienced down-range. We were able to establish a robust process (and) hand that off to air expeditionary forces, said Schnell about Northern Syria. They ended up standing up the 386th Air Expeditionary Squadron and it was all on us to train them to make sure they don t fail once we leave. According to Baker, although there is still work to be done in eliminating IS in Iraq, the mission was a key victory. About 1.3 million people in Mosul were liberated from the clutches of IS, Baker said. It was definitely a successful mission. 12 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, November 30, 2017 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT
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COMMUNITY Surf s Edge Club Membership Breakfast from 6:30-9 a.m. Club members free; non-members: $8.45 MacWonderland Winter Festival 5-9 p.m. at the Surf s Edge Club and parking lot. Face Painting, snowflakes, skating rink, visits/ photographs with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, free holiday snacks and beverages (outside) DJ kids crafting and fames, Vincent Jackson with Jackson in Action 83 tent with kid s holiday trinkets, holiday dinner buffet (inside): $11.99 and kids buffet: $8.99. MacDill Lanes & Family Fun Center UFC 218 Fight Night: Holloway vs. Edgar. Watch the fight for free. Doors open at 9 p.m. Fights begin 10 p.m. Smack Down Chow Down food specials. Base Theater Free movie: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (PG). Doors open at 1:15 p.m. Movie starts at 2 p.m. Overflow parking available in the SO- COM parking garage. Military & Family Readiness Center Hassle-Free Shopping from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Bldg 18. A 2-hour discussion group to help parents create a plan to make shopping with their child less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone. For all other faith groups or for any questions, please contact the Chapel by visiting http://www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel or calling 828-3621 Base Theater Free movie: Stronger (R). Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Movie starts at 7 p.m. Mark your calendars Dec. 8 Trees for Troops: Free fresh-cut trees for troops at Bldg. 72 parking lot (across street from Golf Clubhouse) 11 a.m.-1 p.m. active duty. Everyone else with base access 1-3 p.m. 14 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, November 30, 2017 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT
We worked with the fuels back shop and mimicked the identical setup in our shop and then performed an operational check to ensure it held the correct pounds per square inch. Metals technology Airmen consider themselves the middlemen between flight line maintainers and engineers. We get involved when there isn t an easy answer to a problem, said Griese. We get called out, do an evaluation, and then we come up with a recommendation and get permission from the engineers to follow through. Griese emphasized that communication was vital to the success of their mission because they work with every other back shop in maintenance. Communication is the difference between two to three days worth of work and a couple of hours, said Griese. We have to know exactly what in his family going all the way back to the American Revolution. All of the U.S. indigenous tribes have a warrior culture, Trueblood said. The reason for that call to serve goes back to that. This tradition of service is still very strong and when we choose to join the military, it is held in very high regards. Today, Trueblood s call to serve consists of military crime prosecutions, wetland issues and legal assistance. He works along with Capt. Brian Critz, 11th WG JA reserve coordinator. His desire to serve is displayed through his work because he shows a is required of us so we can come up with a plan of action and then pitch it to the engineers. Because these Airmen work with so many other shops, they can see directly how they impact the overall mission at MacDill. Since we work with every other shop in maintenance it s almost like we are the glue to the back shops, we are the one-stop-shop when it comes to modifying just about anything under the sun, said Griese. Sometimes we are the last hope for some of these shops when they are getting ready to buy an expensive component. That s the best feeling, knowing my job impacts so many different parts of the mission, said Griese. When we succeed as a small team, the wing s mission as a whole succeeds. clear interest in his job, stays connected with the unit, and wants to be as supportive as he can be by volunteering for additional projects, Critz said. He s been a very productive and valued member. The Air Force s productivity depends upon our nation s greatest strength our remarkably diverse people. Diversity in the Air Force strengthens the community, Trueblood said. It aids in accomplishing the mission to respond, honor, defend, support and care not only for Native Americans, but for all Americans of different backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures and lifestyles. MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Thursday, November 30, 2017 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM 15
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