NORAD Prepares to Track Santa’s Flight

From a North American Aerospace Defense Command News Release

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Dec. 1, 2014 – The North American Aerospace Defense Command’s NORAD Tracks Santa website, http://www.noradsanta.org/ , launched today featuring a mobile version, a holiday countdown, new games and daily activities and more.

The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese.

Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores, so parents and children can countdown the days until Santa’s launch on their smart phones and tablets. Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+. Santa followers just need to type “@noradsanta” into each search engine to get started.

North Pole Elves

Also new this year, the website features Santa’s elves in the North Pole Village. NORAD Tracks Santa is introducing the newest elf and asking the public to help choose the perfect name for him. Details can be found via NORAD Tracks Santa social media or in the “Name the Elf” video in Santa’s North Pole Movie Theater at www.noradsanta.org.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations.

Then, at 4 a.m. MST (6 a.m. EST), trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD [Call: 1-877-Hi-NORAD] (1-877-446-6723 [Call: 1-877-446-6723] ) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Any time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa’s location, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to find Santa.

Santa-tracking is Global Experience

NORAD Tracks Santa is a global experience, delighting generations of families everywhere. This is due, in large part, to the efforts and services of numerous program contributors.

This year’s contributors include: the 21st Space Wing, Acuity Scheduling, Alaska NORAD Region, America Forces Network (AFN), Analytical Graphics, Inc., Avaya, BeMerry! Santa/Noerr Program, Bing®, Canadian NORAD Region, The Citadel Mall, Colorado Springs Business Alliance, Continental NORAD Region, CradlePoint, Defense Video & Imagery Distributions Systems, DoD News, Federal Aviation Administration, Globelink Foreign Language Center, Harris, Hewlett Packard (HP), iLink-Systems, Kids.gov, Level 3 Communications, Marine Toys for Tots, Foundation, Meshbox, Microsoft®, Microsoft® Azure, Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific, National Tree Lighting Ceremony, Naturally Santa’s Inc., Newseum, OnStar, PCI Broadband, Portable North Pole/ Ugroup Media, Pueblo Riverwalk, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Colorado, Space Foundation, Spil Games, SriiusXM®, Strategic Air & Space Museum, Unity, U.S. Allegiance, U.S. Air Force Academy Band, U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty, U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West, U.S. Air Force Band of the West, U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, U.S. Army Ground Forces Band, U.S. Coast Guard Band, U.S. Department of State Family Liaison Office, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Band of MidAmerica, Verizon, Visionbox, West Point Band, and Xtomic.

NORAD Tracks Santa started in 1955 when a local media advertisement directed children to call Santa direct -- only the number was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Thus, began the tradition, which NORAD has carried on since it was created in 1958.

Missing World War II Airmen Accounted For

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2014 – The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of missing World War II servicemen have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors, according to a DoD news release issued today.

Army Air Forces 1st Lts. William D. Bernier of Augusta, Montana; Bryant E. Poulsen of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Herbert V. Young Jr. of Clarkdale, Arizona; Tech Sgts. Charles L. Johnston of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Hugh F. Moore of Elkton, Maryland; Staff Sgts. John E. Copeland of Dearing, Kansas and Charles J. Jones of Athens, Georgia; and Sgt. Charles A. Gardner of San Francisco, California, have been accounted for and will be buried with full military honors. Gardner will be buried Dec. 4, 2014, in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

On April 10, 1944, Gardner, along with 11 other B-24D Liberator crew members, took off from Texter Strip, Nazdab Air Field, New Guinea, on a mission to attack an anti-aircraft site at Hansa Bay. The aircraft was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire over the Madang Province, New Guinea. Four of the crewmen were able to parachute from the aircraft, but were reported to have died in captivity.

Following World War II, the Army Graves Registration Service conducted investigations and recovered the remains of three of the missing airmen. In May 1949, AGRS concluded the remaining nine crew members were unrecoverable.

In 2001, a U.S.-led team located wreckage of a B-24D that bore the tail number of this aircraft. After several surveys, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command teams excavated the site and recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence.

To identify Gardner’s remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including mitochondrial DNA, which matched Gardner’s maternal niece and nephew.

Lackland Medical Wing geared to recapture patient services

by Christopher Carwile
59th Medical Wing Public Affairs

12/1/2014 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- While comment and feedback cards are always available for patients in every clinic of the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, the 59th Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron is taken an active, "re-construction" approach to gaining feedback.

"It's all about enhancing the patient care experience," said Byron Nichols, 59th Medical Support Group process improvement advisor.

"The 59th MDTS is working to make us the pharmacy, the lab, and nutritional medicine clinic of choice for our number one customer, the patient," said Nichols.

During the six-week project, squadron members, wearing hard hats and reflective vests, collected 1,500 responses from visitors to questions about their customer service experiences.

Responses to two questions have been primarily positive with a 98 percent satisfaction rating.

"However, we have identified several areas for improvement such as service hours, communication, and other internal processes we can adjust to better meet the needs of our patients," said Nichols.

Now it's the squadron's turn to provide feedback to the customer.

"The answers that our patients provided were taken and categorized," he said. "We are creating a display for our patients so they can know that we acknowledge what they told us and are addressing their concerns.

"This is a unique step because many times if a suggestion is made, the patient never hears a response from the clinic," he added. "The 59th MDTS Reconstruction Program is committed to improving communication and providing feedback so our patients know we listen and we care.

Lajes Airmen experience unique deployment

by Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf
65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

11/26/2014 - LAJES FIELD, Azores, Portugal -- Even though personnel at Lajes are ready to deploy at a moment's notice, it is not something that happens regularly. Currently, seven members of the 65th Security Forces Squadron are deployed to Kosovo tasked to protect an intelligence hub.
According to Maj. Carlos Hernandez, 65th SFS commander, this is a unique opportunity and mission for the defenders from Lajes.

"With the many years of operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kosovo is a nice change of pace. The ability to safeguard such a critical infrastructure node in the Balkans, allows for uninterrupted support of operations in the U.S. European Command Area of Operation. It is special, because our Airmen were able to adapt to the mission seamlessly and stepped up to the challenge in short notice," said Hernandez.  "It is not every day that my personnel do this type of mission, not to say that it's out of their comfort zone, but it shows the versatility of our Security Forces and their dedication to the mission.  We at the 65th SFS are proud for the accomplishments of our Defenders during this deployment and we look forward to the day we have them home safe and sound."

While deployments are nothing new to the Air Force, it can be to the Airmen. Many of the Airmen in the 65th SFS are first term airmen who have not had experience deploying before. However, this unique deployment is giving some of those airmen the experience.

Tech. Sgt. Andrew Williams, 65th Air Base Wing Inspector General wing self assessment program manager and team lead for this deployment, said that this is the first deployment for five of the seven members and they are handling it very well. Not only is it the first deployment for some, but it is also the first time away from family and friends during the holidays.

"This is my first deployment, but not my first time away during the holidays," said Senior Airman Kaleigh Kennard, 65th SFS patrolman. "After spending the past two Christmas' away from my family, it is just another day at work. Most of us are used to working holidays since we're Security Forces; it really doesn't bother me anymore."

There are different ways service members cope during deployments, especially during the holiday season. Some play video games while others hang out with friends to help the time pass.

"The gym time is a big one," Williams said about ways they cope with the deployment. "All seven of us are having a great time; we have meshed together to become one big family. That helps because you have people that you are close to, people you can talk to and people you can relate to."

Working in security forces, the defense of the base or infrastructure never stops and that means someone will be working on the holidays. It doesn't matter whether it is in a deployed location or at a home station, security forces defenders are on the job 24/7.

While these seven Defenders may know what it is like to be working during the holidays, that won't stop them from having plans while they are away.

"We all just want to relax and enjoy each other's presence, whether we are attempting to cook a meal with the scraps we have here, or just hanging out," Williams said. "We have some Christmas trees and decorations, so those will be going up the moment Thanksgiving is over. We plan on watching Senior Airman Kennard's favorite movie, 'A Christmas Story,' all day on Christmas."

As the holidays approach, the Defenders have a message to share to everyone at Lajes, "Have a happy holidays, have fun, keep your nose clean and take life's little things and enjoy them."

Communicator leads in fight against Ebola

by Master Sgt. Timm Huffman
HQ RIO Public Affairs

11/26/2014 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- A team led by a reservist is providing command and control capabilities in Monrovia, Liberia, for the fight against the Ebola virus.

Maj. Kyle Johnson commands the Joint Communications Support Element at the Barclay Training Center. His detachment of more than 30 civilian and military command-and-control specialists supports communications at the nerve center for Operation United Assistance.

The JCSE is a tactical communications outfit supporting regional combatant commands, Special Operations Command and other agencies.

"When I heard we were deploying in support of OUA, I was very excited to make a difference in the lives of people who are suffering," said Johnson, an individual mobilization augmentee assigned to Headquarters Readiness & Integration Organization Detachment 3, Peterson AFB, Colorado.

Johnson learned in early September his unit would be needed as the Department of Defense began scaling up operations to fight the deadly outbreak in West Africa, One week after receiving the call, his first team was on the ground at Barclay Training Center, providing communications support to the Joint Forces Command.

Johnson and the rest of the team arrived Oct. 19 aboard three C-17 transport aircaft laden with 185 tons of communications equipment. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Defense Department civilians, and contractors from his detachment in Italy and another detachment in Tampa, Florida, had the core command and control elements operational in 44 hours; four hours under their 48-hour deadline.

"My team worked around the clock in searing heat, humidity and heavy rain to make the operational timeline," Johnson said.

The gear they delivered had everything needed to set up communications for a tactical JFC headquarters, including tents, generators, air conditioning units, computers, communications infrastructure, tables and chairs. The team brought the most sophisticated communications equipment available, including classified and unclassified communications, computers, phones, technical support and video teleconferencing capability.

Johnson's team also deployed four rapid response kits to locations around Liberia and Senegal to support command and control and logistics hubs.

He said the Barclay Training Center's beauty is juxtaposed with evidence of the civil wars that have racked Liberia in recent years. The center is surrounded by makeshift homes, poverty is rampant, and everything is dirty. Despite these hardships and the threat of deadly disease, Johnson said the locals seem to work hard, and he sees children out playing.

His team is only a few kilometers from a treatment facility, making everyone a little apprehensive. However, they have no contact with those suffering from Ebola and strict precautionary measures are in place, such as bleach hand-washing stations, hand sanitizer and twice-daily temperature checks to ensure the disease is not spread.

"I feel confident that my team is safe," he said.

With the initial command and control elements in place, Johnson and his team continue to operate and maintain the equipment. The skilled communications specialists also provide network and administrator support, help desk functions and generator mechanics to the JFC.

"[I] have the best professional communicators and maintainers in the Department of Defense, and I'm extremely proud to serve with them," Johnson said.

414th FG maintainer stays on target on and off flightline

by Senior Airman Ashley J. Thum
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

12/1/2014 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C.  -- As a young boy on a north Georgia farm, Stuart Brown showed an interest in hunting birds that continued into his teenage years.

Brown later enlisted in the Air Force as an 18-year-old, newly graduated high school student, never dreaming his childhood interest would develop into a passion that would last more than two decades and take him across the country.

Now a master sergeant and 414th Fighter Group F-15E Strike Eagle tactical aircraft maintenance section flight chief, Brown's skill with a shotgun has garnered him countless awards on the fields of American skeet, to include a recent win, claiming the high all-around average at the 2014 World Skeet Championship in San Antonio, Texas. Brown took the top spot by destroying 548 out of 550 targets.

In American skeet, shooters must cycle through eight stations and hit clay targets launched from two fixed positions, a "high" house and a "low" house, using 25 shots. It may seem like plenty of ammunition, but the shooter must destroy double the amount of targets at stations one, two, six and seven, and use the 25th to either re-shoot their first miss or shoot an additional target launched from station eight's "low" house if they have hit all the previous targets.

"American is the oldest and most traditional form of skeet," Brown said. "It was developed by hunters to sharpen skills on a variety of moving targets. You have to strive for perfection. It requires a mastery of hand-eye coordination to strike targets flying at more than 50 miles per hour with a shotgun. Your chance is over in three or four tenths of a second."

For professionals like Brown, the prestige that is gained among peers for performing at a high level is significant, but for Brown, prestige comes second to other, less tangible benefits.

"I don't need awards or recognition," Brown said. "I don't need to be reminded. What takes place in those moments is enough for me."

Mutual respect among his fellow shooters and a fierce level of competition also help keep Brown's interest in the sport at its peak.

"There's so much integrity in the sport," Brown said. "You can't cheat when you, God, and John Wayne are all watching."

The skeet field isn't the only place Brown has had to exercise mental fortitude. He retired from active duty with more than 20 years of service, but wasn't quite ready to hang up his uniform just yet. Joining the Air Force Reserve after retirement is a complex and lengthy process, but Brown dug his heels in, put himself through the necessary paces, and has now been a full-time air reserve technician for more than two years.

"The same determination to stay in the Air Force is what carries me out on the field," Brown said. "You've got to have it in your heart and want it more than everybody else."

Whether it's the precise way he describes re-packing his own spent shell casings instead of buying new factory-made ammunition, the admiration in his voice when he shares lessons from his shooting mentors, or the look in his eye when he recounts especially memorable shots, it's not hard to see that Brown puts his heart into his sport.

Although there may be a few targets that have escaped his aim, Brown has learned to conquer whatever obstacles he encounters, and that's a score no referee can tally.

"When things go wrong, I look at it as a challenge and I look for the positive side," Brown said. "If you have a negative attitude during a shoot it reflects in your scores. It's the same as when I cross the flightline fence - I turn it off and leave it all behind me."

Hill's fighter wings celebrate Thanksgiving together

by Bryan Magaña
419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

11/26/2014 - HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Airmen from the 419th and 388th Fighter Wings celebrated Thanksgiving a little early this year.

The airplane hangar normally used to maintain the base's fleet of F-16s was transformed into a banquet hall, decked with autumn décor. Tables were hauled into the hangar and topped with handmade thank-you letters from students at Lakeside Elementary in Clearfield.

The Reserve and active-duty members enjoyed a complete meal thanks in part to donors and business leaders from the communities surrounding Hill AFB, some of whom showed up to personally serve food to the troops. The joint Thanksgiving feast has become a yearly tradition for Hill's two fighter wings.

The 419th FW currently has about 80 reservists deployed around the world who will celebrate Thanksgiving with comrades at their deployed locations around the world.

Face of Defense: Native American Navy Veteran Paved Way for Women Sailors

By Shannon Collins

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

SOUTH GATE, Calif., Nov. 28, 2014 – The head woman dancer at a recent Native American Veterans Association pow-wow is a retired sailor who helped blaze the path for women in the Navy.

Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Old Horn-Purdy, from the Crow tribe, took part in the annual Veterans Appreciation and Heritage Day here on Nov. 8-9, 2014. She was one of the first females in the Navy to serve on a combatant ship.

Long before she ever set out to sea, however, Horn-Purdy’s journey began on the Crow Agency reservation in Montana.

“I grew up around very traditional grandparents, and my father would pass down stories. We had oral history,” she said. “They would teach us from our ancestors. Nothing was written down. I grew up knowing some of my language, but my first language was English. I went to school off the reservation, so I lived in both worlds.”

She said it was a culture shock when she went to the school off the reservation, but she had to adapt.

Military Benefits

Horn-Purdy said she joined the military for the benefits, such as education, training and travel.

“I needed a place to sleep, something to eat and, for me, that was good enough,” she said, adding that she wanted to “learn, that was the main reason.”  She said she can relate to other military people coming from other countries who are just glad to have some place to sleep, eat and work.

When she got to her ship in 1985, she found out she was among the first group of women on her deployed ship. Then, in 1999, she found out that she was to be among the first group of women on a combatant ship.

“It was hard, but we had to adapt if we wanted to continue and learn and do our job,” she said. She was in engineering but wasn’t allowed to call herself a machinist at that time. She said that, at her three-year mark in service, the career field opened up to women.

One of the First

“I ended up becoming a machinist, one of the first women in there,” she said. “I ended up advancing quickly through that because not too many people wanted to be in there. I don’t know if it was because I was naïve or young, but I used to think, ‘I’m going to be tough. I’m Indian. I’m going to make it.’ It was hard to learn the theories and engineering principles. I’m thankful for the co-workers who helped me through it. It was hard, but I got through it.

“I’m appreciative of those particular men who would look beyond my race and gender and would try to teach me and help me to think the way I should think so I have a lot to be thankful for. They helped me learn,” she said.

Serving in the military is also a Native American tradition. Her paternal grandfather, Allen Old Horn served in the Army in World War II and her maternal grandfather, George Thompson, was in the Navy in World War II. Her great uncles Barney and Henry Old Coyote were code talkers in World War II, and great-grandfather James Red Fox was also one in World War I.

Old Horn-Purdy said her father, Sarge Old Horn Sr., encouraged her throughout her time in the military and is proud of her time in the uniform.

Since the Beginning

She said Native Americans have defended America since the beginning.

“Native Americans weren’t given medals or accolades that we get now for defending America,” she said. “But we still have to protect America, no matter what. It’s in our blood.”

She encourages people to attend pow wows in their communities to learn more about Native American culture.

“You don’t have to be Indian to be at a pow-wow,” she said. “Many people don’t know anything about Indians so it’s great to educate them about us, because Indians have a different viewpoint and different stories. It’s good for people to learn and see what we’re all about.”