by Senior Airman Colby L. Hardin
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
4/23/2015 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Even at a young age, she knew that she belonged on the court.
Airman 1st Class Abby Neel, 384th Air Refueling Squadron commander's
support staff, has been playing volleyball since she was in the sixth
grade. Following in her sister's footsteps she knew that volleyball was
the perfect way to put her 5'9 height to good use.
Neel, a Colorado Springs, Colorado native, was selected to attend the All-Air Force volleyball camp this upcoming May.
"I expect these tryouts to be very intense," said Neel. "I think they'll
try to tear us down as physically and mentally as they can during the
first couple of weeks."
Neel has always been one of the better players on the court when playing
volleyball. After high school, she received an academic scholarship and
invitation to play at Johnson and Wales University in Denver.
After joining Team McConnell in 2013, Neel has played intramural
volleyball every season here on base. She also donates some of her free
time to playing off base playing recreationally and coaching children's
volleyball.
"I applied for the [Air Force] team last year but I wasn't chosen," Neel
said. "The application form was very descriptive, I needed to provide
statistics, references and tournaments that I've played in to show my
experience. Luckily, this year my application looked a little better,
and I was selected."
Even with the experience of playing most of her life, Neel knows that
she is in for something she has never experienced before. Her soon to be
coach, offered some advice to Neel.
"[She needs to] be physically and mentally prepared upon arrival," said
Lani Kekahuna, Air Force women's volleyball team coach, in an email.
"Leave work and home issues all behind, there is zero tolerance for 'me'
players."
During the tryouts, the players will go through eight hour practices,
five days a week, starting May 4 - 28. Approximately 12 Airmen were
chosen to tryout for the 10 available slots on the team. After being
selected for the team, they will move on to play against other military
branches in Detroit, for the 2015 Armed Forces Women's Volleyball
Championship.
by Senior Airman Trevor Rhynes
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
4/23/2015 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Members
of the 22nd Medical Group, and units from across the U.S., participated
in Ultimate Caduceus 2015, giving them the opportunity to conduct
aeromedical evacuation training, April 16 - 18, at Naval Air Station
Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Louisiana Air National Guard hosted the exercise, which involved
evacuating more than 200 dummies, people and simulated patients via a
C-130 Super Hercules in the event of a hurricane.
"It was a hurricane evacuation exercise, so we practiced evacuating
patients from local hospitals to areas like Arkansas, Oklahoma and other
inland areas," said Tech. Sgt. Monique Roberts, 22nd MDG unit
deployment manager. "They were being brought from local hospitals and
were staged in a disaster area staging facility while they awaited
transportation from an aeromedical evacuation crew on a C-130. We staged
them, tracked all relevant information through our tracking database,
then brought them to safer locations."
Roberts left the training having seen exactly what happens after a request for transport is submitted.
"I haven't seen what happens after I build the request to move a patient
out of a disaster-stricken area," Roberts said. "I know how to request
getting someone evacuated, but now that I've been there, I know how the
mission to evacuate them gets put together."
For one member of the team of eight, it was his first experience performing his job at different location.
"It was the first time I had ever been (on a temporary duty) so it was a
really cool experience for me," said Senior Airman Justin Hilty, 22nd
Aerospace Medicine Squadron aerospace medical technician. "I get a lot
of training here, but I don't always get to put it into practice. I got
to use litter carrying experience and load someone into the back of a
C-130, which I had never done before."
In groups of 20, patients were dropped off in ambulances or busses, then
were processed through a tracking database and, when available, sent
off to a different location.
"My favorite part was being in the middle of everything," Hilty said.
"Having the busses drop off 20 patients at a time and having six to
eight people there, ready to help get the patient where they needed to
go. It felt good figuring everything out. It moved nicely."
Roberts said this exercise was very beneficial and that it will help set up additional training exercise in May.
"It was good to see this exercise because next month we'll be
participating in training where we'll be receiving patients that were
evacuated out of an area," Roberts said. "It was interesting to see what
happens on the front end of an evacuation since we'll be doing the back
end work soon."
by Airman 1st Class Tara Fadenrecht
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
4/23/2015 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- A McConnell Airman recently won the 2014 Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force Leadership Award.
Lt. Col. Stephen Matthews, 22nd Operations Group deputy commander,
received the prestigious award for demonstrating excellence in
leadership during his time as the 349th Air Refueling Squadron
commander.
The award is named after Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Air Force Capt.
Lance P. Sijan, a fighter pilot who evaded the North Vietnamese for six
weeks after being shot down in November 1967. He was later captured and
died as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
The award recognizes the accomplishments of officers and enlisted
members who have demonstrated the highest quality of leadership in the
performance of their duties and personal lives.
"He's a completely selfless leader," said Col. Jennifer Uptmor, 22nd OG
commander. "His attention to the core values that the Air Force
embodies; service before self, excellence in all you do, those were the
things I first noticed about him."
As the 349th ARS commander, Matthews directed 344 overseas contingency
operations, 241 higher headquarters missions and helped lead his team to
numerous wing and group-level award wins.
Matthews credits the leaders he's had in his life for helping him get where he is now.
"Everybody from parents and friends to coworkers and mentors [has
impacted me]," he said. "I think back to a lot of the squadron and
flight commanders I had when I was younger. I can never pay them back
for some of the opportunities they gave me, but I can pay it forward."
It's that very philosophy that keeps him motivated to be the best leader possible every day.
"For me, it's about growing people and helping them become more than
they think they can be," said Matthews. "It's about helping folks
remember that we serve something bigger than ourselves."
by Airman 1st Class Megan Friedl
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
4/23/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Out
of all the bird strikes that occurred at Scott Air Force Base last
year, 24 percent of them involved cliff and barn swallow birds.
The United States Department of Agriculture partnered with the 375th
Safety Office April 15 to cover the bridges on the flightline with
netting to deter birds, specifically cliff swallows, from making the
area underneath the bridges on the flightline their nests.
Kevin Wedemeyer, USDA Wildlife Specialist, said, "The main focus is to
mitigate wildlife hazards to aviation and to protect the airport and the
aircraft from wildlife strike hazards."
A bird strike is an aircraft collision with a bird that can cause some
type of damage. It can cause aircraft to abort a landing or a takeoff,
and in severe cases it can cause an aircraft to crash and harm people.
USDA members along with Airmen from the 375th Safety Office and the Air
Traffic Control Tower assisted in the wildlife exclusion. Netting
covered underneath the entire bridge. During the process more than 20
people held down the net in place while it is was being properly
secured.
Wedemeyer said, "Putting the netting up in that area will keep them from
that area to nest, and hopefully they will relocate somewhere else off
the airfield and reduce the risk that they present."
The strikes from these birds caused a large amount of time and manning to inspect the aircraft for damages and related issues.
The USDA also provides other forms of wildlife exclusion and habitat
modification to eliminate any conflicts between Scott and the wildlife.
USDA is here to keep people, animals, and the Air Force's assets
protected and safe.
Another project the USDA is planning to work on in the future is to
mitigate the thousands of black birds that fly through this area every
fall and spring season. These birds cause aircraft to operate with
restricted schedules. They are working to eliminate the roost that is
located a few miles south of Scott. If that happens successfully then
the risk that they have to the aircraft will be reduced significantly.
by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski
460 Space Wing Public Affairs
4/21/2015 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Adm.
Cecil D. Haney, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, visited Buckley
Air Force Base, Colo., April 20, to view firsthand the missile warning
mission for which the base is recognized.
Haney toured Buckley AFB's facilities and observed their missile warning
operations. He also held an all hands call, where he emphasized the
importance of their role in overcoming current and future strategic
challenges and took questions from Team Buckley members.
"You are a big part of my war fighting mission," said Haney. "You're a
big part of my ability to prevent, detect, and deter a strategic attack
against the United States of America or our Allies."
Col. Michael L. Jackson, 460th Operations Group Commander, saw Admiral
Haney's visit to Buckley as an exceptional opportunity for the base to
showcase its capabilities.
"Admiral Haney is an absolute pro at space capabilities across the
board," stated Jackson. "He's our nation's leader for space
capabilities. For him to come here is an incredible opportunity for him
to see what our wonderful professionals in the space arena are doing.
This mission is one of the most important missions in his entire
portfolio, if not the most important mission."
Jackson also explained how an opportunity to directly interact with the
USSTRATCOM commander is valuable for Airmen and leaders alike.
"We get to directly explain to him the wonderful mission we do, the
manner in which we do it, the challenges we overcome every single day
and the partnerships we rely upon every single day to get this
incredible mission of missile warning done," said Jackson.
by Senior Airman Naomi Griego
50th Space Wing Public Affairs
4/24/2015 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Admiral
Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander, presented the 2014
Omaha Trophy to the 50th Space Wing for their distinct and outstanding
contributions to global operations April 21, at Schriever Air Force
Base, Colorado.
This is the third time in five years the wing has received the award.
Not too shabby of a record to say the least, considering the award's
magnitude.
"You should know and appreciate how important the [Schriever] missions
are to the mission of USSTRATCOM and to the United States of America,"
said Haney. "We depend on space to such a big degree in our ability to
operate all around the globe."
Haney expressed his gratitude towards the wing's ability to provide
assured access to and assured capabilities within the space domain.
"My message to you is keep up the momentum, keeping in mind just how far
we still must go," said Haney. "Know how thankful I am that you are on
the team."
Col. Bill Liquori, 50 SW commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Lavon Coles,
50 SW command chief, received the award on behalf of the wing, and
acknowledged the need to continue being high speed.
"Thank you for coming out here, not only to present us with this trophy,
but to spend the day with us," said Liquori. "On behalf of this team,
we are proud to be honored with this trophy. And we will remember to
keep on running."
The Omaha Trophy, which dates back to 1971, celebrates USSTRATCOM's
premier intercontinental ballistic missile wing, ballistic missile
submarine, strategic airlift wing and global operations (space/
cyberspace) unit. Those who are recognized demonstrated the highest
standards of performance in support of USSTRATCOM's diverse missions.
by Tech. Sgt. George Maddon
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
4/24/2015 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Wolf
Pack members added the final touches to the Wolf Pack Garden with a
grand opening ceremony in front of the Sonlight Inn April 22.
Volunteers have been steadily working on the garden since March 14, with
the official dedication ceremony culminating their efforts with an
official ribbon cutting and planting the garden's first fruits and
vegetables. "We originally planned to open the garden before Earth Day,"
said Lt. Col. Dwayne "Shepherd" Jones, 8th Fighter Wing chaplain. "When
we realized that Earth Day was just around the corner, we decided to
postpone the official opening because it would be more meaningful to do
it that day."
The first Earth Day, held April 22, 1970, saw the participation of 20
million Americans from all walks of life, and is widely credited with
launching the modern environmental movement. Forty-five years later,
more than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each
year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
"I think Earth Day is really symbolic," said Shepherd. "We, as stewards
of the Earth, are planting and giving life and creating great
opportunities for the Wolf Pack."
Before the idea of having a Wolf Pack Garden sprung to life, a small
5-by-5-foot enclosed area containing a few herbs sat in front of the
Sonlight Inn. After the addition of two 13-foot expansions with a base
of gravel and soil, the garden now fits over 150 plants.
"It started just as a small square box in the middle and now we have
something that looks real nice," said Capt. Jordan Kieliszewski, 8th
Medical Operation Squadron mental health element chief. "I'm pleased
with how it looks and the help and support that we have received. A lot
of people over the last month have contributed so much to make this
happen."
Komang Goins, Kunsan's Sonlight Inn director, coordinated volunteers to
start the garden and will also organize helpers to maintain it.
"We need to focus on the next steps," said Goins. "About every two weeks
we'll have to coordinate to have people tend the garden by weeding,
watering and preparing for the harvest in the fall."
Although there is more to be done, the work accomplished so far has caught the eyes of many on base.
"People have passed by the garden and I've been watching and waiting for
it to come to this moment," said Shepherd. "The Wolf Pack can see life
growing and what we, as a community, have done. It's very therapeutic
and it's contagious in promoting healthy living."
Tech. Sgt. Crystal Ballard, 8th FW command chief executive assistant,
agreed that gardening is relaxing, but has even more meaning at Kunsan.
"Events like this are great because it allows the Wolf Pack to come
together and be a part of something bigger than themselves," said
Ballard. "It also fosters teamwork and creativity."
The community garden was spurred by Bill Goins, 8th MDOS health
promotion program coordinator, who proposed it as an initiative to
promote healthy eating at the Wolf Pack.
"It has been a long journey to see this project come to fruition," said
Goins. "It is very satisfying to receive the support that we have seen,
and I just hope it adds another layer of improved resilience for Airmen
at Kunsan."
If you would like to take part in helping build Wolf Pack Garden, contact the 8th FW Chapel at 782-4300.
by Airman 1st Class Megan Friedl
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
4/23/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Scott
Air Force Base Airmen recently worked hand-in-hand with the Royal
Australian Air Force from the 36th Squadron, Brisbane, Australia, to
deliver support equipment for Australian troops operating in the Middle
East.
Prior to the Australians arriving, the 375th Logistics Readiness
Squadron received the tasking from the 618th Air Operations Center
(TACC) a week in advance of their arrival and immediately got to work
manifesting and inspecting the cargo.
RAAF Flight Lt. Nick Tickner, 36th Squadron C-17 pilot, said, "The
equipment that we're taking always makes a big contribution to the
operations out in the Middle East. Whatever equipment that we need is
usually a very high priority."
Staff Sgt. Mark Tully, 375th LRS Air Transportation Journeyman, said,
"This was the smoothest process I've seen. We came together as a joint
force and managed to keep the mission going."
The 375th LRS ensured that the equipment was ready to be used down range
and were able to load the cargo as soon as the Australian C-17 landed.
Corporal Keely McDonald, RAAF 36 Squadron C-17 Flight Attendant, said,
"We work together so often that we seem to work well as a team, which
helps us with other operations as well. I think our bond is pretty
strong."
Tickner also affirms the coalition and said, "We have a close-knit
working relationship with the U.S. and a great interoperability
capability between our two countries."
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