by Senior Airman Marcy Glass
460th Space Wing Public Affairs
6/28/2013 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- With
Buckley's change of command coming to a close, the 460th Space Wing
decided to bring back a tradition and prepared for its own pass in
review.
As the wing said farewell to Col. Dan Dant and welcomed Col. Daniel
Wright III as the new commander, the military tradition of pass in
review gave the commanders a chance to show how impressive the Airmen
are to the reviewing official.
"I think it is appropriate that Col. Dant wanted to do this. It doesn't
hurt to remember your roots, to remember that we do have traditions that
we fall back on," said Barbara Atwell, 460th SW chief of protocol.
The tradition of pass in review has roots that date back to Alexander
the Great. He would walk the lines inspecting his troops before going
into battle. The traditional ceremony of pass in review evolved at
Valley Forge, Pa. during the Revolutionary War. Baron Friedrich Von
Steuben volunteered his services to the Continental Congress and was
assigned to serve under Gen. George Washington at Valley Forge.
Washington appointed Steuben as the inspector general, and he oversaw
the training and discipline of the Continental Army.
With 100 men selected as a test group, Steuben instructed and trained
the men in drill, maneuver and a simplified manual of arms. All training
was done in full military dress uniform. He introduced a system of
progressive training including the school of the Soldier, with and
without arms, and the school of the regiment. These schools taught the
basics of soldiering such as marching, drill, firing and bayonet
procedures, discipline, and charges of each rank.
After Steuben's remodeling of the test group was completed, the 100 men
went to each brigade teaching other Soldiers. Company commanders were
responsible for the training of new men at first, but selected sergeants
were appointed to instruct and train while the officer oversaw the
training. Eventually this training spread like wildfire, and the results
of the new Continental Army's training showed at Barren Hill, Pa.
Over the next 236 years, the traditions created by Steuben have been
practiced by all the military branches and has become more ceremonial.
Troops have the opportunity to show their discipline and the training
that makes them the best during a pass in review.
"It is a nod to our heritage. It is one of those traditions that
everyone can relate too," said Shawn Riem, 460th SW historian. "It gives
people that sense of continuity."
Not commonly practiced in the Air Force, pass in reviews offer a display
of discipline, camaraderie and a sense of pride of Air Force heritage.
by Bekah Clark
12th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- "Four
hundred and eighty-five days ago, I was a squadron commander in the
greatest flying squadron in the Air Force - the 435th Fighter Training
Squadron."
"I was on the top of my game and on top of the world. I was flying a
great mission with great officers," said Col. David Drichta, 12th
Operations Group deputy commander. "The only thing that wasn't quite
right was I was tired."
"Now, all squadron commanders by their second year are tired. They either will or won't admit it, but they're getting tired."
Two of his daughters had been treated for strep throat prior to
Christmas so, "we were treating me for strep throat, thinking you've got
two girls who have strep throat - you probably have strep throat."
When medications didn't help, his doctors put in a consult for an Ear,
Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist at Wilford Hall. He never made it to
that consult.
"Three days later I started coughing up blood," said Drichta. "I went to
the ER, they said 'we've got a serious problem here. We can't even get
the scope down your throat because your airway is less than a soda straw
right now.'"
They put in a tracheostomy tube, and they biopsied what turned out to be a stage IV cancerous tumor.
'Let's focus on the 100 percent'
After diagnosis, "you can't believe this is happening to you. You've got
a hole in your throat to help you breathe, you can't talk, and they
tell you have this cancer. You try not to let your mind go there, but
you find yourself thinking, I have to tell my family I love them and
that I will always love them, even if I'm not here."
It soon became obvious that this was going to be a long-term situation.
By March, as soon as he was able to get out of the hospital, he gave up
command of the squadron and his Air War College assignment.
Hesitating to even ask survival rates for his type of cancer, the lead
ENT surgeon, Dr. (Lt. Col.) Cecelia Schmalbach sensed his concern,
according to Drichta.
"She told me 'I could tell you the percentage of the patients who live
through this but really when it comes down to it, you don't care about
that. It's either 100 percent or it's zero percent for you. You're
either going to live or you're going to die. So let's focus on the 100
percent.' And that set the tone."
Because of the size and location of the tumor, doctors couldn't operate
on it without taking away Drichta's ability to talk or swallow for the
remainder of his life.
Instead, doctors treated Drichta with an aggressive course of chemo and
concurrent radiation. He received daily radiation with three rounds of
chemotherapy of weeks one, four and seven. Because of some health
complications, treatment lasted for more than seven weeks.
'They said it was going to be hell'
"They said it was going to be hell. And it was," he said. "I wouldn't
wish this on my worst enemy. You shouldn't have to go through that. But
that was the means to the end. I needed to be a father and a husband, so
we hit it with everything the doctors had, hoping for the best."
The daily doses of radiation soon gave Drichta second-degree burns
inside and outside of his throat and mouth. With skin and gums bleeding
then falling away and no ability to swallow, Drichta relied on a stomach
feeding tube for 3 months.
When Drichta finished treatment, doctors told him it would get worse before it got better, which he confirmed.
"There were points where I was so drained that I literally would lay in
my bed and think 'I don't know if I can move my legs or arms right now.'
It took me five minutes to sit up. I'd go to take a shower and that
would be all I could do for the entire day - the entire day."
After one more hospitalization for a complication of the treatment, Drichta began the slow ascent of recovery.
In early September, doctors did their first PET CT scan after treatment and with great news.
"We couldn't see the tumor anymore and we couldn't see any cancerous
stuff going on with the lymph nodes either," but, his lymph nodes were
larger than the doctor liked and soon Drichta was under the knife to
remove the lymph nodes and check for more cancer.
"Scarring from radiation and previously cancerous lymph nodes had
wrapped around my jugular vein and the nerve bundle that controls my
left arm. If [the doctor] missed at all, I may not be able to use that
arm."
Three and a half hours later, he emerged from surgery with full movement
in his arm and best of all, the pathology came back negative for more
cancer.
Later that month Drichta was promoted to colonel.
"That was pretty amazing. Then we went to Disney World," he said. "In
the middle of chemo and radiation, I was pretty down and I needed
something to look forward to, so I planned a vacation as a goal to meet
after the treatments."
'Caring for your fellow human being'
"We talk a lot about being good wingmen in the Air Force, but I
saw it in action," said Drichta of his fellow Airmen who rallied around
him and his family.
"From the Wing Commander, Vice Commander, and Operations Group Commander
in my room when I was finally able to sit up, telling me everything was
going to be ok and they'd take it from there, to the bros in squadrons
far and wide sending e-mails."
"The Operations Group Commander's wife drove 50 miles to pick up my wife
from the airport as she was out of town when I went to the ER. My best
friend dropped everything and drove from Laughlin AFB to be at my
bedside. More friends drove me to the daily radiation treatments. They
even set up a pseudo Family Liaison Officer to marshal all the help
being offered."
"Everybody was taking care of my wife, my kids and me because I couldn't."
"The 'Wingman Concept.' Caring for your fellow human being; that's what
it is," he said. "We spend so much time trying to institutionalize
caring for somebody else, when sometimes we should get out of the way
and let amazing people in this Air Force get it done. This is a part of
who we are - this is what we do."
The medical care complemented the love and support he and his family were receiving, according to Drichta.
"I cannot overstate the level of expertise and the compassionate care," said Drichta of his expansive medical team.
From the flight doc at JBSA-Randolph to the staff at San Antonio
Military Medical Center, the ENT department, oral surgery,
endocrinology, intervention radiology, radiation oncology, hematology
oncology - doctors, nurses, techs, and staff - "these people are
incredible."
Can he fly?
After more than a year from diagnosis through recovery, the question of Drichta's ability to return to flight status remained.
The doctors got to work, once again, evaluating his health and after a
visit to the Aeromedical Consult Service at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio, they recommended a return to flight status - but not in high
performance aircraft.
Because there's very little data on pilots with heavy radiation to the
neck and damage to tissues, doctors couldn't clear him to go directly
back to the T-38, let alone back into the F-15E he grew up in. They gave
him the option to test in a centrifuge.
"I went to the centrifuge and was medically monitored. We did the
standard T-38 profile - up to 7 ½ Gs - we did everything just like
anyone going through that profile. And my body worked great."
And so on June 19, surrounded by family and friends, Drichta marked his
return to flight status with his first T-38 flight since his diagnosis.
"This flight was 484 days after my last flight, my 3,000th hour of
flight time in an Air Force aircraft, and a flight that cancer tried to
steal from me last Spring," said Drichta.
As for what's next for the Drichta family, "the Air Force reset last
year's plans and generously placed me in the upcoming Air War College
class," which begins this summer.
"I don't know where I'll end up in the next couple of assignments, but I
absolutely have a story to share and a duty to use the perspective I've
gained to help others around me. My resilience is a direct result of so
many individuals carrying me though. They are phenomenal Wingmen and
Flight Leads in every sense."
by Maj. Jon Quinlan
507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
6/28/2013 - TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Twenty
nine reservists from the 507th Civil Engineer Squadron honed their bare
base skills during a recent deployment to Silver Flag at Tyndall Air
Force Base, Fla.
Civil engineers were tasked with establishing and running a fully
operational base in a contingency environment during the week-long field
exercise.
Civil engineers are often the first boots on the ground setting up the
initial layers for a contingency base. Silver Flag tests and trains CE
teams in this vital mission and does it away from home station in
austere conditions just like in a real deployment.
This training was established so there in not a gap in training or
knowledge of Airmen when they go down range according to CE Prime Base
Engineer Emergency Force managers.
"CE Airmen assigned to Prime BEEF teams have to attend Silver Flag every
45 months," said Lt. Col. Patricia Pettine, 507th CES commander "We've
all been doing this our whole career and always look forward to the
training opportunity."
The mission for the 507th reservists was to join forces with around 130
other active duty, Guard and Reserve engineers and establish a simulated
base for over 1,200 personnel, multiple F-16C's and C-130J aircraft
missions and to do so as quickly as possible.
Set up and maintenance is a huge undertaking and took the entire team
according to Pettine. The engineers first conducted the bed down
planning, force protection security and then started work on the
construction. They established a unit control center and then erected
shelters, established power, electrical, water and wastewater
operations. Then they provided airfield damage assessment teams, crash,
fire and rescue operations, and led convoy operations.
The training is all about preparing the Airmen and establishing an
example of what to expect when deploying. If it's a chemical,
biological, radiological and nuclear event occurring while setting up a
tent or showing Airmen how to react post attack, the training will help
them and could save their life, according to Prime BEEF instructors.
Airman 1st Class Talisa Edmundson, 507th CES was named an outstanding performer in the exercise.
by Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez
621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The
621st Contingency Response Wing welcomed foreign military students for a
closer look at its air mobility support operations here, June 26 to 27.
Lieutenant Gen. Francois Hendrickx, Belgian director of military
education, and 34 students from the advanced staff course at the Royal
Military Academy in Brussels, Belgium, toured the CRW's Global Reach
Deployment Center here to learn about contingency response operations as
part of their advanced year-long leadership course.
According to Capt. Sean Hook, 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron
air advisor and CRW tour organizer, everything they learn in this course
prepares them as future leaders of their respective countries.
"Just like us, they attend advanced professional military education,"
Hook said. "This is Belgium's version of our Air War College."
The 621st is the U.S. Air Force's sole contingency response wing and
specializes in rapidly establishing air mobility operations around the
globe in remote or dangerous environments. Airmen in the CRW have
responded to many of the world's largest humanitarian disasters and
contingency operations, making them valuable sources of information for
students.
The tour included an in-depth mission orientation and a hands-on
capabilities demonstration, along with a static display of a 305th Air
Mobility Wing C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender, an aerial port
squadron brief and a stop at the Air Advisor Memorial before concluding
their tour at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center.
According to Lt. Col. Nico Claessens, a Belgian Air Component aviator,
this visit allowed him and his classmates to gain valuable experience.
"You get to look at what actually happens out there in the real world,"
Claessen said. "In Belgium, we put a lot of focus on joint, combined
war-fighting and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst focuses on that
concept as well. It gives us a great example of what we can do on a
smaller level in Belgium."
by Pascual Flores
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Joint
Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Deputy Commander and Naval Support Activity
Lakehurst Commander Navy Capt. William Bulis relinquished command to
Navy Capt. Christopher Fletcher June 20, 2013, here.
The change-of-command ceremony took place inside the Westfield Hangar,
in front of an audience comprising senior leaders, civilians, families,
friends and service members of NSA-Lakehurst.
The ceremony commenced as Chief Petty Officer Michael Zgoda, Honor
Boatswain's Mate from Philadelphia, piped aboard the official party
consisting of the outgoing and incoming commanders and Col. John Wood,
JB MDL commander, through a formation of six chief petty officers who
were lined up as Side Boys for the ceremony.
"One year ago, 364 days ago, Capt. Bulis said, 'I sure hope to be here
for two years,'" said Wood. "It wasn't a promise, so we are letting him
off the hook because of the great command opportunity he has."
Wood commented on Bulis' promises that he would focus on the community,
Sailors and Airmen and learn the joint base and be a quick study.
"Capt. Bulis delivered on all those promises," said Wood.
A "dual-hatted" command, Bulis served as commander of NSA-Lakehurst and deputy commander of JB MDL.
"He focused on heritage, standards and especially processes," said Wood.
"He made sure he had a fit, flexible and capable command. And he
delivered in every single one of those areas."
Wood also said, Bulis never failed in his joint role, never failed as
the senior Sailor, representing his service and the Department of the
Navy.
"During Hurricane Sandy, for 28 straight days, 24 hours, he was the
focal point for the Crisis Action Team, for all services, Federal
Emergency Management Agency and Title 10 services," said Wood. "He was
the voice of our forces to help the community."
Addressing the crowd, Bulis thanked his friends and peers and commended
the Sailors of NSA-Lakehurst for the great work and effort during
Hurricane Sandy.
"To all the NSA-Lakehurst Sailors, thank you very much. You make things happen," said Bulis.
Bulis moves on to serve as the installation commander at the Great Lakes
Naval Training Center, Ill., the largest Navy installation in the Navy.
Fletcher thanked the Sailors and civilians of NSA-Lakehurst for welcoming him and his family to the joint base.
"It is hard to believe that a week ago we were sitting in Italy eating,"
said Fletcher. "We spent eight years overseas and I think my family
will agree that we are happy to be here in the United States, the land
of plenty."
A native of Ithaca, N.Y., Fletcher was commissioned in January 1989, through the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps program.
Fletcher resided in Naples, Italy, prior to his assignment here, where
he served as the Deputy Director of Operations for Commander Naval
Forces Europe, Commander Naval Forces Africa, Commander Sixth Fleet
staff.
"We are excited to be here and looking forward the opportunity to meet
the Sailors of NSA-Lakehurst" said Fletcher. "I'm looking forward to
being a part of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the only
tri-service joint base."
by Airman 1st Class Ashlin Federick
436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del -- Air
mobility teams joined forces to develop essential skills that can be
used to extend the global reach of the U.S. Air Force in times of
crisis.
The 3rd Airlift Squadron from Dover Air Force Base paired up with the
621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to
conduct semi-prepared runway operations June 17 to 21 at Fort A.P.
Hill, Va.
SPRO is conducted on any runway which is not paved, such as dirt or
crushed stone. SPRO training validates the 621st Contingency Responses
Wing's capability to open, secure and operate airfields in austere
environments. The more prepared the CR forces and aircrews are to
execute the mission, the quicker the user benefits.
"Most of the time a lot of the forward operating bases don't have the
capability to pave everything," Staff Sgt. Ryan Thompson, 3rd AS
evaluator loadmaster said. "This training makes it so we can get our
bigger aircraft and take equipment or personnel closer to the fight."
There are a lot of limitations with SPRO training, such as the dust and
distance. In the aircraft all of the limitations change because it has
to carry less. Taking off is also an issue because normally the SPROs
are conducted on extremely narrow and short runways. The minimum
requirement for landing and taking off for a C-17 is 3500 feet. This
also happens to be the same distance as the assault strip at Fort A.P.
Hill.
"As both a pilot and a landing zone safety officer for this exercise,
every Airman involved had to be at the top of their game," said Maj.
Dave Gaulin, chief of tactics, training and readiness for the 818
Contingency Response Group. "Safely operating a 400,000-pound
Globemaster in the dead of night on a dirt road leaves zero margin for
error."
While conditions like this are everyday business for the 'Mobility
Masters" of the 621st, the exercise offered a welcome change of pace for
the Dover-based Airmen.
"It was a great opportunity to improve our skill sets," said Capt. Dan
Morgan, 436th Airlift Wing Safety Office chief of flight safety. "We get
to do air refueling and normal tactical arrivals a lot. To actually go
into the environment and land on a runway that is so short can add some
stress to the job."
Many contingency operations are conducted under the cover of darkness,
so proficiency with night vision goggles was a key aspect of the SPRO
training.
"The night time training is probably more realistic," said Capt. Zach
Walrond, 3rd AS chief of tactics. "You are going into a field that is
totally blacked out but they are using covert lighting so they can only
see the panels with their goggles on."
In the past, both the CRG and the 3rd AS had to go to California to do
the SPRO training. Doing the training at A.P. Hill saves the CRG about
$80,000 in costs for traveling fees; it also saves Dover AFB about
$500,000 in fuel costs.
by Staff Sgt. Brandon Shapiro
6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The
catch phrase "man's best friend" takes a whole new meaning when it's
applied to one dog in particular: MacDill Air Force Base military
working dog Eddie.
Recently, MWD Eddie and his handler at the time, Staff Sgt. Shannon
Hutto, 6th Security Forces Squadron K-9 trainer, have been getting
national recognition for their heroic acts while deployed to Afghanistan
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Hutto described Eddie as "a loyal dog that he owes his life to." Hutto means it literally.
While conducting a foot patrol in a hostile village in Afghanistan, MWD
Eddie sniffed out a pressure plate explosive just inches from where
Hutto was about to place his next step. In doing so Eddie likely saved
the lives of all 13 members of his troop battalion and a few innocent
bystanders nearby.
Shortly after, without skipping a beat, Eddie continued searching for
other explosives on the highly traveled footbridge used by coalition
forces and local villagers, uncovering another explosive device. Eddie's
valiant efforts likely saved many lives.
by Pascual Flores
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The
Friday-morning rush hour traffic moved smoothly through the McGuire
Gate, as members of the 87th Security Forces Squadron and Army Reserve
Military Police checked the ID cards of the service members and
civilians reporting for work June 14, 2013, here.
Approximately 45 reserve Soldiers performing annual training from the
313th Military Police Detachment from Las Vegas augmented the joint base
security forces uniformed and civilian personnel that comprise Airmen,
Sailors and Department of the Air Force police. The opportunity to
observe and compare job skills and best practices could prove
instrumental in the field of law-and-order for base security with
Soldiers and 87th SFS service members working side by side.
"We are working with the 1st Battalion, 307th Regiment, 174th Infantry
Brigade, which is responsible for training Soldiers for mobilization and
the 78th Training Division that is responsible for training service
members of the Guards and Reserve," said Senior Master Sgt. Steven
Thompson, 87th SFS operations superintendent. "We have an agreement with
the 78th T.D. and the 1-307th to help provide hands-on training."
Additional training support for service members of the Military Police is scheduled for January, 2014.
"We are here at the joint base for our annual training," said Sgt.
Curtis Johnson, Military Policeman and native of Pico Rivera, Calif.,
currently assigned to the Las Vegas unit. "The job is mostly the same.
It's pretty close across the board working with other law enforcement
members."
The 313th MP Detachment is a law-and-order unit, with specialized skills in criminal, traffic and accidents investigations.
Airmen wanting to enter the security career field begin at Joint Base
San Antonio-Lackland, in San Antonio. Air Force applicants undergo
training at the Air Force Security Forces Academy which hosts a 65-day
course that teaches security forces students basic military police
functions including: missile security, convoy actions, capture and
recovery of nuclear weapons, law enforcement and traffic direction.
"Gate duty is only a part of what we do here at the joint base," said
Airman 1st Class Joshua Cruz, 87th SFS, a native from Hialeah, Fla. "We
also respond to domestic disputes, minor and major accidents, alcohol
incidents as well as other functions."
Security forces were formerly known as military police, air police and
security police. On Oct.13, 1956, Air Police training transferred to
then Lackland Air Force Base, Texas where it evolved into Security
Police training and eventually became the U.S. Air Force Security Forces
Academy. In 1966, the Air Police career field name was changed to
Security Police and in April 1997, the career field name was changed
again to its current name of Security Forces.
JBSA-Lackland is also the home of the Naval Technical Training Center
for Sailors desiring to serve as Navy master-at-arms. Sailors there
attend an intense seven-week course of instructions for training in
areas of anti-terrorism, security forces fundamentals, weapons
proficiency, basic law enforcement and more.
"I have been attached to the 87th SFS and have worked with Airmen,
police officers from the Department of the Air Force as well as other
MAs," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Randolph Oden, 87th SFS MA, a native
from Metropolis, Ill.
The MAs rating was one of the original Navy ratings when it was first
established in 1797 and later disestablished in 1921. Established in
1942, the Specialists Shore Patrol and Security worked shore patrol
teams and ensured basic ship and shore station security. Its name was
changed in 1948 to Shore Patrolman and it took on some of the official
functions of the current MAs, only to be re-disestablished in 1953.
Re-established in 1973, the MAs rating drew its members from Sailors
cross-rating from other ratings at the Petty Officer 2nd Class level and
above. The Navy Recruiting Command made available the MA rating a new
contract mission for entry level applicants in 2003.
For Soldiers attending the U.S. Army Military Police School at Fort
Leonard Wood, Mo., the 10-week course covers five weeks of law-and-order
training and five weeks of combat-support topics. Upon graduation, MP
Soldiers will be technically proficient in policing activities,
corrections and detentions operations, police and criminal intelligence
operations as well as tactically proficient in combat support
operations, area security, stability and civil support operations.
Congress authorized the Military Police Corps on May 27, 1778. It traces
its beginning to the formation of a provost unit, the Marechaussee
Corps, in the Continental Army, with a French term for provost troops.
Today, the military police, or MP corps, plays an important role in
combat operations, providing escort for high visibility military assets
and visitors, training and protection for local national security forces
and assisting in the arrest of enemy combatants.
"We are here in a dual capacity," said Army Capt. Monty McCoy, 313th MP
Det., commander. "We are actually providing law-and-order support to the
host nation police force. The 87th SFS is acting as the host nation and
fulfilling a United States Army Reserve Command training requirement
because we are up for deployment and prior to deployment you have to go
through a Combat Support Training Exercise."
Supporting commanders beyond the successful resolution of battle
involves the law-and-order mission. The mission focuses on suppressing
the chance for criminal behavior, thereby supporting commanders by
ensuring a lawful and orderly environment, which units need to maintain
discipline and combat readiness.
"We are conducting real-world training, performing garrison duty,
investigations and patrols while working on our law-and-order
certification," said McCoy.
Department of the Air Force police officers work closely with the 87th
SFS service members. DAF police officers, who are former civilian police
officers, typically attend the Department of Defense Police Academy in
Little Rock, Ark.
First Army has tasked the 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Training Support
Regiment, 174th Infantry Brigade to conduct military police
law-and-order prior to mobilizing and deploying Army reserve and
National Guard Soldiers here. The most recent training was the first
iteration, but the U.S. Army has identified numerous units to train over
the next year. This new task establishes a training partnership between
instructors from the Army military police community and the 87th SFS.
"The law-and-order mission has introduced both branches to
considerations and training on a joint forces level. The training was an
exceptional working experience which we have no doubt will continue to
build stronger military bonds," said 1st Lt. John Cone, 1-307th TSB,
assistant training and operations officer.
The training cycles for each unit are between two and three weeks,
including a 'ride along' with 87th SFS law enforcement personnel as a
culminating training event during the last phase. The last phase
encompasses working with Air Force police on patrol, manning the entry
points and gates and performing other logistical police positions and
duties.
by Staff Sgt.Russ Scalf
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
7/1/2013 - LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Lugging
his bags to the curb, contemplating innumerable what ifs, Tech. Sgt.
Aaron Drain pauses for a moment and reassures his wife Heather that
everything will be all right. Holding back her tears, she whispers
softly that she loves him.
As midnight approaches, one of the military's oldest rituals is renewed
as Drain kisses his wife and their two sons goodbye and leaves for war.
"Saying goodbye is a hard emotion to capture," said Drain, "especially
because there is always the chance that it could be your last one. That
goodbye hurts for at least a month. The first time I deployed, once
Heather was gone, I cried for at least 15 minutes. I hid that emotion
from her, I guess to try to be the strong one, but I think it might have
hurt more than anything."
For this rotation Drain widened his outlook on preparation, making a
concerted effort to provide every resource available to his recently
expanded family.
Just three weeks prior to his departure, the couple celebrated the arrival of their second child, Everett.
"She just had a baby; she's still healing," said Drain. "If I put myself
in her shoes, I'm basically abandoning her. I'm still here financially,
but what good is that sometimes?"
Situations like Drain's present a clear illustration of the resiliency
that Airmen exhibit every day in service to the nation. Regardless of
length or location, the men and women fulfilling these deployment
obligations have given up some measure of normalcy to do so.
"The hardest part about deploying is most definitely leaving your family," said Drain.
"Everett, my newest son, is 3 weeks old; he'll never remember this, but
leaving her with that responsibility, by herself, should not be like
that. I'm going to potentially miss his first smile, probably, him
sitting up, things like that. Possibly crawling, those are big
milestones in a young child's life, and I'm going to miss probably all
of them. Ayden, he's 4, so he gets that I'm leaving, but he doesn't get
exactly what's going on or where I'm going. We try to explain it to him,
war. It might be a little much for him at 4 years old, but what else do
you tell him, work? You just do the best you can to explain it to him."
For Drain, a flight engineer with the 53rd Airlift Squadron, this
deployment represented an opportunity to improve on several missteps
made during his first deployment.
Early in the life of his eldest son, Ayden, Drain was tapped for a deployment to Iraq.
"The first time I went, I had maybe a month's notice," said Drain. "I
said 'hey honey, I've got to deploy.' It was good for my career, but I
failed to see where it was good for my family, or make it good for my
family by discussing it with her. I failed big time. That was one thing I
knew I would not let happen this time."
He attributes undue stress on the relationship during the deployment to a lack of communication.
"One of the biggest things is communication," said Drain. "The first
time, in Iraq, we just didn't talk about anything. I went over there,
and it all just blew up because we never talked about it. We got it
solved, we figured it out, but some couples don't and they never
recover. Communication is number one; everything will fall apart
otherwise."
Another focal point for Drain was the comfort of his family during his absence.
"During this deployment my preparations started much earlier," said
Drain. "It really started at the first hint of the possibility of
deploying. The first step was talking with Heather. We knew the baby was
coming, so making sure she could handle it was important. After that,
we started looking around the house to see what needed to be fixed or
could potentially go bad. We replaced some appliances, made some repairs
and took care of finances. I wanted her to be happy. The last thing you
want on the road is to worry about their comfort."
As dawn approached, the Airmen sat quietly. Crammed into the darkest
corners of the base passenger terminal, the fatigue of preparation had
set in. Some made small talk, however, most spent their final moments on
station in muted meditation. Some had embraced the expedition at hand;
while others were adrift, transfixed by familiar reflections.
For Drain it was both.
"There are so many things that could go wrong," said Drain. "All I could
think about is how I could have prepared my wife and family better.
There comes a point, though, where you have to focus energy on what is
in front of you and what you are doing. For me it was that point. I was
sad for leaving my family. They are the most important thing to me, but
if you can't or don't shift gears to the task in front of you, you could
really get people hurt, or worse."
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