Face of Defense: Airman Earns Spot on AF Pistol Team Alongside Brother

By Air Force Airman 1st Class William Johnson 436th Airlift Wing

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del., October 19, 2015 — Tucker Sears grew up with his three older brothers in Graham, Texas, all of them learning how to shoot BB guns and eventually moving up to .22-caliber rifles.

This love of guns led to plenty of hunting trips with his brothers and grandfather, but when Tucker was 12, his oldest brother, Terrence, enlisted in the Air Force after graduating high school.

Fast-forward 10 years, and Tucker is now a newly minted second lieutenant after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He said he found opportunities to keep his firearms skills sharp.

"I was really fortunate and they had a range out there, and I was able to be a range safety officer," Tucker said.

In his junior and senior years, he practiced frequently at the range with his own firearms, including a Smith & Wesson M&P 9, a Sig Sauer P938 and an AR-15.

Brothers, Teammates in Arms

In 2012, while Tucker was attending the academy, his brother Terrence, a soon-to-be technical sergeant, earned a spot on the Air Force National Pistol Team. Terrence became the NCO in charge of the team this year.

In March, Tucker was invited to attend a team training camp. The camp serves as an opportunity for potential team members to showcase their skills and see if they have what it takes to make the team. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Tucker’s knowledge and ability earned him a much-coveted spot on the pistol team.

"A lot of it is your dedication to the team and to the sport," he said. "We are limited in numbers, but for the most part if you show decent aptitude with shooting, the team will keep working with you and help you out in any way they can until you improve."

Since members of the team are stationed across the country and still have their Air Force jobs to perform, practicing and training falls primarily on the shooters themselves. Weapons, parts, range fees and ammunition are paid for out of pocket by the competitors.

Staying Sharp

"Practice time is essentially all on our own so I try to get to the range for an hour or two after work when I can." Tucker said. "The whole sport itself is about consistency so I try to lay out my magazines in the same spot every time, set up my gear the same way and go through the shot plan, even when I'm practicing."

Although the competitors are responsible for a majority of the training cost associated with shooting, there are also other forms of training that keep the shooters a step above the rest.

"Strength training is a big part of training for the competitions," Tucker said. "If you're holding a three- or four-pound pistol straight out one-handed for a day, strength becomes a factor. The slightest bit of movement of your pistol while shooting at a target 50 yards away can send your bullet two to three inches off target."

Teamwork, Success

Since making the team, Tucker has competed in two matches; the Annual Interservice Pistol Championships at Fort Benning, Georgia, where they took fifth place out of 13 teams, and at the NRA National Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio, where he competed on the Air Force’s Silver Team and took first place in the Sharpshooter Class.

Although Tucker found early success in his first two matches, he said just being on the team is enough.

"Before I got on the team, I would only get to see my brother maybe once or twice a year," he said. "But this past summer I got to spend three weeks with him while we competed. It's one of my favorite parts about being on the team."

There is no question about who the better shooter is, Tucker added.

"I would certainly say my brother is better at this than me, for now," Sears said. "We all want to beat each other, but at the same time we're going to help each other because of the team aspect of the sport. It's all about the friendly competition to make us all better."

Kicking down the door: The future of the bomber enterprise

by Airman 1st Class Curt Beach
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

10/16/2015 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Airmen from the 77th and 340th Weapons Squadrons joined forces to implement the integration of standoff munitions during an exercise at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 6-9.

Aided by a host of integration experts from various squadrons, the exercise aimed to achieve two specific objectives. The first was to educate weapons school students on cruise missile employment considerations and existing processes for planning and integrating cruise missiles. The second was to advance the development of those planning processes in an attempt to make cruise missile attacks more effective and more efficient against a modern adversary. It was also critical to the two squadrons that they develop their solutions as a single bomber team.

"The desired result was to send all participants away with a greater understanding of and appreciation for the processes that will lead to successful employment of standoff munitions," said Lt. Col. Erik Johnson, 340th WPS commander. "Participants will also have a working relationship with other individuals and agencies who seek to enhance cruise missile employment."

This exercise embodied the partnership between B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress personnel.

"The integration between the platforms was great, especially when you consider that they are now united under one command," said 1st Lt. Nicholas Proulx, Standoff Munitions Application Center planner. "They spent a week working together, analyzing the threat, figuring out which tactics would work, planning which missiles were going on which jets, everything from the ground up. This is something the students of each platform have done before but not necessarily together as a team in the same room. Now we can have a bigger, better conversation on how to go about tomorrow's threat, how to tackle it as a bomber enterprise."

Following two days of mission planning, the students briefed their plan to Col. Patrick Matthews, 8th Air Force vice commander, who said, "This is very important for the Air Force," and highlighted the challenging real-world problem sets this scenario prepares these warfighters to plan and execute.

"They were essentially learning how to take down a modern Integrated Air Defense System, which is a challenge our Air Force faces every day," said Proulx. "These students are going to be subject matter experts when they go back to their squadrons and share this knowledge. Having these skills, learning them here, it's the way of the future for the bomber enterprise."

On Oct. 8, the weapons school students conducted a live-fly event to validate tactics, demonstrate execution timelines and experience a sample of potential adversary responses to their attack.

"Each weapons school class has a capstone project. This exercise was a part of that," said Proulx. "How do you take out the IADS to achieve air superiority? It's this air superiority that provides freedom of movement to our armed forces and the ability to conduct follow-on attacks uncontested by enemy air defenses."

During the exercise, aircrew from the 7th Bomb Wing ferried a B-1 Lancer here for 77th WPS students and instructors to fly in the live-fly portion of the cruise missile integration exercise. The ferry crews then returned the jets to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, after the 77th WPS completed their misison.

Two additional aspects of this exercise served to increase its effectiveness even further.

Following high-fidelity modeling and simulation, the results of this exercise fed the scenario for a future exercise, known as a vul, which focuses on advanced tactics to defeat a modern air defense network.

"The iterative learning process this creates is where we expect to see the greatest advancements in the cruise missile enterprise," said Johnson.

The coming vul historically kicks off with a standoff munitions attack, but it has never had the level of fidelity in analysis to drive realistic expectations of what an integrated cruise missile attack can accomplish. The modeling and simulation SMAC compiles will provide that fidelity for the first time. As a result of the new format, the lessons learned in this exercise will be shared with a much larger audience of weapons officers at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in December.

The final aspect of this integration of standoff munitions exercise that will significantly advance cruise missile integration processes will occur in about six months, when the next weapons school class performs this event. They will begin their exercise with all the plans and analysis this week produced.  Rather than starting from scratch, as this class did, they will have the opportunity to improve on a plan that has already demonstrated its strengths and weaknesses.

"The better the bomber force is with these standoff tactics, the more effective the rest of the Air Force can be," said Proulx. "So it's crucial that the bomber force learns to do this well because we're going to be facing this for decades to come."

Airmen of New York's 109th Airlift Wing begin Antarctic mission

by Tech. Sgt. Catharine Schmidt
New York National Guard

10/19/2015 - STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SCOTIA, N.Y. -- The takeoff of the New York Air National Guard's LC-130 ski-equipped aircraft here Oct. 16 marks the official start of the 109th Airlift Wing's 28th season of support to science research at the South Pole.

By the end of the month, Airmen and aircraft with the 109th Airlift Wing are expected to be in place at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, participating in Operation Deep Freeze, the military component of the U.S. Antarctic Program, managed by the National Science Foundation.

New York Air National Guard Lt. Col. Seth Barrows was part of the first aircrew to leave and will be the 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron deployed commander upon arrival. Barrows said as the deployed commander he must ensure planes, people and weather are all good to ensure a safe, successful mission.

"The weather is the biggest challenge so you watch that weather very closely, and from there you do your mission," said Lt. Col. Christian Sander, 109th Operations Group commander.

Throughout the season, which runs through February, a total of seven LC-130 ski-equipped aircraft and about 500 Airmen are expected to deploy, with 330 missions planned. About 120 Airmen will be deployed on the ice at any one time.

The unique capabilities of the ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft make it the only one of its kind in the U.S. military, able to land on snow and ice. The primary mission of the 109th AW is to provide airlift within Antarctica, flying to various remote locations from McMurdo Station. Crews will transport scientists, support, fuel, supplies, medical supplies and more throughout the season.

This year, the IcePod missions are expected to increase from the previous season. The IcePod is an externally mounted electronics pod that provides an integrated ice imaging system that measures in detail both the ice surface and the ice bed.

"This season is seeing the maturation of the Common Science Support Pod with 18 IcePod missions planned compared to three missions last season," said Lt. Col. Blair Herdrick, 139th Airlift Squadron's Antarctic Operations chief. "IcePod is a project by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) at Columbia University in New York. The IcePod project utilizes the Common Science Support Pod to house a variety of instruments to measure changes in the Antarctic ice sheet."

The IcePod missions were flown for the first time in Antarctica last season, and were deemed one of the biggest successes of the year.

The 109th AW has been supporting the NSF's South Pole research since 1988. Since 1999, the unit has been the sole provider of this type of airlift to the NSF and U.S. Antarctic research efforts.

Air Force chief of staff visits with Hill Airmen

By Micah Garbarino, 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published October 19, 2015

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFNS) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III wrapped up a visit here by holding a town hall-style meeting where he opened up to the base's Airmen.

"I love you. I love who you are. I love what you do. I love how you stand up for each other," Welsh said. "Thanks for making me proud."

Welsh, speaking to a group of active-duty and civilian Airmen, acknowledged that the furloughs of two years ago and the budget uncertainty of today was a "breach of faith" with the civil service employees who make up a large part of Hill's workforce.

"I'm astonished that our government can't come up with a better solution. ... If you walk into a depot you're not going to get much done without our civilian Airmen. Civilians are part of the fabric of our mission," Welsh said. "I'm sorry for what's happened and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Recognizing the pride, contributions and sacrifices of Airmen were themes Welsh stressed as he shared his priorities and addressed a wide range of topics.

Common sense

Any large organization must look at its processes to enable success. Welsh said common sense is the first standard to apply to policy, practices, guidance and even law. If something doesn't pass the common sense test, it must be changed.

If change is required, he said that commanders and supervisors need to listen to their Airmen's ideas.

Of the 17,000 suggestions the Air Force received during a recent cost-savings campaign, Welsh said 90 percent of them could have been dealt with at the unit level or lower, proof that all Airmen don't feel empowered to affect positive change.

"There are a lot of people out there who feel like their voices aren't heard, that their opinions don't matter,” he said. “It's our job to convince them that they're wrong about that," he said.

Communication

"We just don't communicate well enough across commands, components and services," Welsh said.

Those problems extend down to the unit level.

Airmen must feel like they can go to their chain of command to get the answers they need, he said. If they don't, they turn to blogs, social media and news outlets for their answers and often miss the facts.

The fact is that it is the job of commanders and supervisors to communicate with their Airmen and get them the answers they need with open, honest, accountable communication, Welsh said.

Care a little more

Welsh said he believes the solution to problems like sexual assaults and suicides lie within Airmen caring for each other.

"I know you care a lot, but I'm asking you to care a little more,” he said. “You all do this job for your families and for your teammates, other Airmen. But, there are people in the Air Force who don't feel valued. They don't feel included. That's unacceptable. That's not an Air Force I want to be a part of."

It is critical for Airmen to know each other and be able to determine if a fellow Airmen is struggling. Being busy or distracted cannot be an excuse for letting someone, who may be struggling through the most difficult time in their life, slip through the cracks, he said.

"The solution is not a 'big Air Force' solution. The solution is caring a little bit more -- taking the time to get to know your fellow Airmen," Welsh said. "Some of the stories are unbelievable. Some are uplifting. Some are sad. But, every Airman has a story."

And every Airman is important to the vital defense mission of the Air Force.

"It's our job to go out and fight and win our nation's wars,” he said. “It's really an ugly business, but somebody better be good at if you want to live in a land like this one. There is no second place. It's win or die. We have to get better every day"

After sharing his priorities Welsh took questions on a number of topics, including:

A-10

The future of the Hill-maintained A-10 Thunderbolt II has been a recent issue of contention between the Air Force and Congress but Welsh, a former A-10 pilot, said it's time to move on. By the end of the next budget cycle, the A-10 will be one of five Air Force airframes that are at least 50 years old.

"The A-10 will not be used in a high threat environment. Seventy percent of the A-10s we used during the first Gulf War suffered battle damage. It's a rugged airplane, but it's not hard to hit," Welsh said.

The Air Force doesn't need an aircraft that was a great close air support platform 50 years ago, Welsh said, it needs one for 50 years into the future.

"The capability gap between our Air Force and the air forces chasing us is closing and it's closing dramatically," Welsh said.

Looking to the future, Welsh said the F-35 Lightning II will be able to operate in a high-threat environment, locate and destroy enemy air defenses and secure the airspace for other CAS aircraft. The next CAS platform must be much cheaper to buy and operate than the A-10, must carry more rounds and have a more diverse weapons suite.

"Let's change the game on how we provide close air support,” Welsh said. “We can do it in 5 years. We just need the money. Holding on to old stuff is not going to make us better. We have to modernize."

ISIL

Combating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from the air can be a frustrating business and the air war is only one prong in the strategy of the 65-nation coalition battling the Islamic State, Welsh said.

The Air Force is currently charged with eliminating ISIL leadership and preventing the enemy from moving troops and supplies -- a difficult task while avoiding civilian casualties and unnecessary destruction of infrastructure.

Because of the strict mission parameters, there are only 15-20 sorties per day on a "good day" and some of them return to base without having dropped a single bomb, since precision is a key part of the strategy, he said.

"I believe when this is over, it will go down as the most precise bombing campaign in history," Welsh added.

Manpower

With the recent announcement that the United States will delay a drawdown of service members deployed in Afghanistan, Welsh addressed Airmen's concerns about the effect this may have on highly-stressed career fields.

The Air Force has nearly completed a two and a half year review to transfer certain mission sets to the Guard and Reserve units to provide some deployment relief to active-duty units and capture cost savings, Welsh said. This has been successful in areas like airlift and refueling, but other mission sets are not as flexible and deployment requirements have not decreased.

In the short term, Welsh said Airmen will continue to deploy to Afghanistan at the same rate they are today. It will be a longer drain on forces and will not allow the Air Force to relieve the pressure currently on Airmen in highly tasked career fields.

"We've cut 40 percent of our Airmen since the first Gulf War," Welsh said. "We don't have flexibility anymore. ... And, there's not a magic fix coming any time soon."

Housing allowance

A recent proposal by Congress to change to the housing allowance rates for military-to-military marriages, along with Airmen who choose to room together, would strip the junior member in the relationship of a significant portion of their allowance.

While the proposal did not make it into this year's defense authorization, Welsh said that doesn't mean it won't return as an option in future budgets.

Welsh said he, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, and the joint services senior enlisted advisors are "dead-set against this," and will continue to fight. Every military member is entitled to all of their allowances as part of their individual compensation for their service, he said.

Performance reports

Welsh said that comprehensive assessment forms that will now accompany performance reports are not meant to divulge confidential information between a rater and an Airman, but rather promote transparency in the evaluation and promotion processes within the chain of command, doing away with the "good ol' boy" network.

"There should be no secrets about job performance. If you're an officer, NCO or civilian, you ought to know what your supervisor thinks," Welsh said. "You can't think you're No. 1 of 10, when you're really (No.) 10."

Prior to the implementation of the new system, a Rand Corporation study of the Air Force promotion system revealed that performance only affected worthiness for promotion by 1.3 percent. Whereas time in service and time in grade had a disproportionate effect.

"The most average technical sergeant in the Air Force" should not get promoted at the same time as the "most outstanding technical sergeant in the Air Force," Welsh said. "Every senior enlisted leader in our Air Force thinks this is a good idea."

Welsh acknowledged that this is a new system and that there is going to have to be some "tweaks along the way" with processes, forms and software. But they will be worked out, he said.

Firefighters: Training to protect

by Airman Shawna L. Keyes
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

10/13/2015 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Airmen jump to their feet as sirens blast throughout the building and proceed to their assigned trucks while a voice over head can be heard ...

"Alarm medical emergency"

Whether it's a real-world in-flight, medical, fire emergency or training for an emergency, this is the routine for the firefighters of the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department.

At their trucks, the airmen put on their boots, suits, gloves, and helmet in less than two minutes. Every second counts.

To ensure they're prepared for any type of situation, the roughly 70 firefighters conduct a daily, dynamic training regimen to protect the 13,000 personnel and more than 100 aircraft assigned.

"We prepare for any emergency on any given day," said Staff Sgt. Justin Fellure, 4th CES fire department crew chief.  "We switch up the type of training to meet our certifications and stay sharp, because one false move and we could end up hurting ourselves, a fellow firefighter, or the person we're trying to rescue."

Airmen conduct various types of training by using smoke machines in different buildings or rooms and placing obstacles to simulate real-world scenarios. They also practice with live fire drills, aircraft drills, and repelling. Repelling into a location may be needed when all exits are blocked and the only way out of a building is a window.

"We train, literally train every day," Fellure said. "As firefighters, we are required to maintain our certifications, so every day we're doing something, whether it's to do with firefighting, either structural or aircraft, medical emergencies, or technical rescues, like repelling to a victim."

Firefighters are on shift for 24 hours starting and ending at 7:30 a.m. The morning starts with firefighters checking their vehicles and equipment to make sure everything is good to go.

Once their equipment is inspected, the firefighters start their scheduled training.  Training is conducted in between emergency calls.

With two different wings at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the 4th Fighter Wing and 916th Air Refueling Wing, the 4th CES fire department host active duty and reserve firefighters.

The firefighters are trained to handle flight emergencies with both the F-15E Strike Eagle and KC-135R Stratotanker.

"We're kind of unique in that we deal with (two) commands, two wings, two separate missions, and only one fire department to handle it all," said Sean Quinby, 4th CES fire chief. "If it's on this base, we're responsible for it; the buildings, the aircraft, and the people."

With all the assets they protect and the long shifts, airmen in this career come to see their co-workers as a second family and develop what Fellure calls a "fiery bond."

"I love this job more than anything, I love training and bettering myself, along with training the younger airmen and helping make them better firefighters and airmen," Fellure said. "We're a family here, I see these guys as much as I see my own family, so we have to have a really tight bond."

Fellure and the rest of his team keep that family mentality with them when they respond to emergencies and even treat the victims like one of their own to make them feel more at ease.

"I have a huge passion for this job," Fellure said. "I love being there for the community, I go to them on their worst day and I want to be there to help them and make it a little better.

Reactivating the 489th Bomb Group

by Airman Quay Drawdy
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

10/19/2015 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 489th Bomb Group was reactivated as an Air Force Reserve unit during a ceremony here Oct. 17.

The 307th Bomb Wing's newly reactivated 489th BG, which encompasses more than 250 Airmen across the 345th Bomb Squadron, 489th Maintenance Squadron and the 489th Aerospace Medical Flight, will be working closely with the 7th Bomb Wing, providing a formal training mission and combat support operations as the first-ever B-1B Lancer-occupied Air Force Reserve unit. The unit will be furthering Total Force Integration, which aims to integrate active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard components by using the B-1B Lancers at Dyess for their mission.

"We are fairly small and have been trying to get integrated and be a part of this team, and we are pleased with the 7th Bomb Wing's reception," said Maj. Stephanie Treadaway, 489th BG executive officer. "Everyone from leadership level to Airmen has been extremely helpful. We want to be here, and we are very excited for this new transition."

The influx of Airmen and their families that will be a part of the 489th BG will add several hundred people to the Abilene community.

"I'd say the community is excited about having more Airmen," said Bob Christopher, honorary commander for the 7th BW vice commander. "People are the driving machines for us. The Airmen spend their money on Abilene, Abilene spends its money on Dyess and vice versa. It all flows together and does us good."

Establishing an Air Force Reserve unit helps retain Airmen already trained in their fields when they choose to leave active duty, allowing reservists to collaborate with active duty members in a local environment. Working so closely creates better working relationships, benefitting both parties when deployed while also providing the Air Force with a larger force when needed.

"Now, more than ever, our nation demands dominance from our Air Force," said Col. Bruce Cox, 307th BW commander. "As the Air Force Reserve Command's only bomber wing, it is my great honor to partner with the 7th Bomb Wing in the B-1 mission area. The citizen-Airmen of the 489th are incredibly excited to join the professional Airmen of the 7th Bomb Wing in their quest to fly, fight and win with the mighty BONE."

The 489th Bombardment Group was first activated on Oct. 1, 1943, at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah. The newly-formed group trained with the B-24 Liberator before entering combat for the first time on May 30, 1944. The 489th BG supported the landings in Normandy and flew missions into Germany, bombing strategic targets and was part of food drops for Allied Forces in France.

"We were all just proud to be there," said Edmund Myles, a retired armored gunner from the former 489th Bombardment Group. "There was a job to do, and I did it to the best of my abilities. We all did."

The group was inactivated on Oct. 17, 1945, nearly two months after the end of World War II, and was reactivated exactly 70 years later.

Golden Gate Guardian talks suicide

by Staff Sgt. Rachelle Blake
55th Wing Public Affairs

10/15/2015 - OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb.  -- Retired California Highway Patrol Officer Sergeant Kevin R. Briggs recently spoke to members of Team Offutt in the 557th Weather Wing Auditorium on his experiences with preventing suicide.

During his 23 years as an officer, Briggs talked to hundreds of people attempting to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, two ended in fatalities.

Now he spends his time touring and speaking to audiences on signs of suicidal risk and what to do when confronted with someone who is ready to take their life.

Some of the more obvious signs are suicide threats, previous attempts and feelings of being a burden.

"There are almost always signs," said Briggs. "I can only remember, of my years on the bridge, one case that I saw that there wasn't. A woman was driving across the bridge, stopped her car and jumped. She had just come from grocery store...and was driving home. Something had to have happened, but we never did figure it out."

He also spoke about the myths associated with suicide such as bringing the idea up will make someone more likely to go through with it.

"This is 100 percent false," Briggs said. "Usually, if you bring it up that person has probably already been thinking about it for a while."

During his presentation, Briggs spoke about people suffering from depression needing someone they are comfortable talking to who will listen.

In cases where the individual had already been diagnosed, often times they have stopped taking their medications. They are then faced with emotions such as denial, shame and avoidance.

"High emotions equal low rational thought," Briggs said. "Always keep that in mind."

Talking to them where they are comfortable, normalizing their feelings and not making any promises are some helpful tactics.

On the other side of the fence, for those having the emotions, Briggs designed a quality of life triad: self-care, professional-care and support.

He openly shared a series of life events that brought on his own depression and how he uses the triad.

At 20, he was discharged from the Army for having testicular cancer, at 26 his mom passed, at 38 he was in an on-duty collision that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, at 45 he underwent several heart surgeries and at 46 he went through a divorce.

Briggs practices transcendental meditation and Aikido for self and professional care. He also surrounds himself with family and friends for support.

"If I could leave you with anything, it's this, take care of yourself and take care of your family," Briggs said. "I hope you have a very happy and healthy life."

Briggs' presentation ended with a standing ovation.

"Officer Briggs shared a unique perspective on crisis management," said Master Sgt. Michelle Verica, 55th Comptroller Squadron first sergeant. "His story was interesting and the lessons he learned and shared are beneficial to everyone."