An Air Force dynamic duo

by Senior Airman Shannon Hall
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

12/12/2014 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas- The shop is full of constant howling, bones and bouncy balls scattered on the floor, a pungent smell and the king of this domain is a four-legged creature that lies on a couch and greets people with a slobbery lick.

It's just another day for Staff Sgt. Andre Hernandez, 7th Security Forces Squadron handler, a quiet and reserved Airman and his black, thick haired German shepherd military working dog, Ivan.

Hernandez has been a handler at the Dyess kennels for three years. He started out as every other defender does, performing normal security forces jobs like checking identification cards at the front gate and conducting routine patrols around base. In 2010, he attended his 7-level training school and then K-9 training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

"In order to become a handler," Hernandez said. "I had to apply for a re-train, ensure I had adequate enlisted performance reports, recommendations from my leadership and a physical exam."

Only a select few get the opportunity to work with canines in the Air Force. Hernandez has always been a fan of man's best friend and is grateful for this opportunity.

"What really made me want to be a handler was how well trained the military working dogs were and the amount of obedience they have," Hernandez said. "I always loved dogs and actually getting paid to work and train them every day is very rewarding."

Most of his days are spent training on their course, working on commands and obedience, providing security and explosive and narcotic deterrence for the base. When tasked to deploy, the pair takes on a different mission.

"While at home station the mission is more focused on security, law enforcement, explosive and narcotic deterrence, locating suspects and educating the public through demonstrations," Hernandez said. "While deployed, my mission is to provide counter improvised explosive device and narcotic protection to the U.S. and coalition forces and we have the capability of locating high value targets or suspected personnel."

Hernandez and Ivan received special training at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Once their training was complete, they deployed to an undisclosed location for the first time together.

"When deploying we go through a specialized training course at a Regional Training Center," Hernandez said. "The training received ultimately depends on the environment we will be operating in."

While deployed, special precautions are taken to ensure Hernandez and Ivan can efficiently accomplish their mission.

"One of the most important things we make sure of is that we have adequate living conditions for the canine," Hernandez said. "They also ensure we have proper heating or air conditioning depending on the environment we are going to."

Although this is his first time deploying with his current dog, Hernandez has been on many other missions throughout his career.

"I went on a USSS mission to Natal, Brazil, Guatemala City in support of the vice president and for the FIFA World Cup," Hernandez said.

When deployed, or on any type of mission, the canine is always with their handler. Ivan is Hernandez's wingman. By being together at all times, the handler and their dog create a remarkable bond.

"Having a good bond with my dog is one of the most important things I want as a handler," Hernandez said. "At the end of the day, we are a team and working together is what makes us an effective threat to our enemies."

Although handlers are taught at the same school, each one has their own way of building a good rapport with their military working dog. Just like people, no dog is the same, and it's important for handlers to know that, as they can have different canines throughout their career.

"I have had five dogs throughout my time as a handler and patience and consistency in my opinion are very important," Hernandez said. "Setting a schedule and sticking to it gives the dog something to look forward to every day. Building that strong rapport also builds trust. Most importantly, I always try to play with him and let him be a dog."

Working outside, getting a little dirty, teaching and training man's best friend every day, Staff Sgt. Andre Hernandez is living the dream.

"Staff Sgt. Hernandez if very knowledgeable when it comes to training and understanding military working dogs," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Castillo, 7th Security Forces Squadron kennel master. "He has already passed many handlers and continues to strive to be the best. In one word, he's suave."

"I work outside, I train dogs who are always forgiving and never talk back, air conditioning is a must wherever we go and there is always something new to teach my canine," Hernandez said. "I plan on making this a career and working with canines for as long as I can."

Face of Defense: Soldier Credits Army Career to Basketball

By Tim Hipps

U.S. Army Installation Management Command

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 15, 2014 – Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Bartley credits military basketball for making him a soldier for life.

The Army's "Soldier for Life" campaign is designed to ensure that soldiers start strong, serve strong and reintegrate strong so they remain "Army Strong" when they leave service or retire and return to their communities.

Bartley already has run youth basketball camps in Colorado Springs while stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, and said he intends to coach throughout the remainder of his military career and beyond.

As a 38-year-old All-Army starting point guard competing with and against some of America's best military basketball players, Bartley has more than met the Army's vision of a balanced, healthy, self-confident soldier whose resilience and total fitness enable him to excel in an era of high operational tempo and persistent conflict.

Contributing to a Championship

As the oldest player on the team, he helped the All-Army men strike silver at the 2014 Armed Forces Basketball Championships in November at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. He led All-Army with 17 points in a 103-88 victory over eventual gold medalist All-Air Force, on Nov. 11. Two days earlier, Bartley tallied 11 points to help All-Army to an 84-71 victory over bronze medalist All-Navy.

In 2004, Bartley helped All-Army win the Armed Forces Championship at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. He returned for the 2005 tournament at Camp Pendleton, but was deployed to Camp Liberty in Iraq throughout 2006 and 2007. He rejoined the All-Army squad for the 2008 Armed Forces Championships at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, where he was named to the All-Armed Forces team.

Bartley returned for the 2009 tourney at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tennessee, and he helped All-Army secure silver at the 2010 Armed Forces Championship, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia. He missed the 2011 tournament while stationed in South Korea, but was back on the court for the black and gold at the 2012 Armed Forces Championships at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Air Force Base, where All-Army failed to reach the title tilt. He announced his retirement as a player that day.

Retirement Announcement That Didn’t Stick

"This is it for me," Bartley said following a 73-67 loss to All-Air Force, which knocked All-Army out of medal contention. "This is my last year. I'm going to try to get into the coaching ranks. I'm going to give my spot to the young guys."

Bartley was 36 then, already an aging player clinging to a young man's game. He sensed that it was time to start giving back. The furthest thing from his mind was another comeback. He did not, however, have it in his heart to walk away. The 2013 Armed Forces Championships were cancelled because of sequestration, but the annual tradition resumed in 2014.

When Bartley, at Fort Gordon, Georgia, learned that longtime basketball friend Army Capt. Carl Little of Fort Benning, Georgia, was named head coach of the All-Army team, he was determined to take one more shot at his elusive second Armed Forces gold medal.

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Bartley played for Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. After two years at Allegheny Community College, he transferred to NCAA Division II Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he played two seasons. He left school without his degree to play two years professionally in Lisbon for Portugal Telecom in the Portugal B League.

After getting cut, he joined the Army in 2003. Had he not discovered All-Army and Armed Forces basketball, Bartley said, he would no longer be in the military.

"Oh, no," Bartley said. "I wouldn't have been aiming for 20 [years of service]. I would have done my four, finished getting my degree, and got out. But because of the basketball, it has allowed me to stay in."

Beyond the Armed Forces Championships, Bartley has represented the Army on Conseil International du Sport Militaire, or CISM, squads at the annual Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe tournament, and in other international military tournaments. He helped Team USA win the 2008 CISM Basketball Championship at Lackland.

"The whole experience, I would never change it for the world, anything,” he said. “It's been great."

Basketball Contributed to Army Career Decision

Along the way, Bartley said, he realized how to better move about the Army system and to better live military life.

"You're networking," he explained. "You're meeting people in higher ranks, and they're giving you insight on different things, military experience and things that help, so definitely, basketball has made me decide to go ahead and do my 20 years."

Bartley and Little played together in the Hampton Roads Pro-Am League, and later waged on-court battles in South Korea while Bartley was stationed at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan and Little, then with the Air Force, was at Osan Air Base. When Bartley was playing for Shaw University, Little was playing in the same conference for Virginia State University.

"Once Ron heard I had received the [All-Army] head coaching job, he said he wanted to give it one more run," Little said. "I told him what I expected of him. I told him, 'I don't expect you to carry the load. I'm going to bring weapons around you so you don't have to do as much. Just bring that veteran leadership.' He was the only one on the team that has won a gold medal with the Army."

Little also knew exactly how to employ Bartley.

"He's been a point guard all his life -- I knew what he needed to be done to get the best out of him," said Little, who monitored Bartley's minutes to around 20 per game. "He had a breakout game against the Air Force, when we won by 15 points."

From the Court to the Bench

Now that Bartley's run is truly done, Little plans to add him to his bench as an assistant coach. "He knows what the guys need to be successful," he said.

Bartley, in turn, believes soldiers need these kinds of programs.

"I appreciate All-Army Sports from a soldier aspect," he said. "This right here makes being in the military, being in the Army, that much better because now you don't just say, 'I'm out here fighting wars and protecting my country.'"

Bartley said he believes the morale boost makes Army sports worthwhile. He also points to team-building and esprit de corps at international competitions as positive aspects of the program when people question why the military provides sports and entertainment opportunities for service members and their families.

"I would tell them they need to come and enjoy," Bartley said. "Come see what's really going on, instead of just reading about it or hearing about it. … No budget cuts. We need this. This right here is what takes us as soldiers to another level. The camaraderie with the other forces, you can't beat it.

"Without this, I would not be going for my 20,” he continued. “I would have been out eight years ago. This has been the best."

317th AG delivers during massive JFE

by Airman 1st Class Autumn Velez
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

12/12/2014 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- On Dec. 6, eleven C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 317th Airlift Group participated in a joint forcible entry exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. That same morning, a combined 24 C-130 H and J models from the 317th AG and multiple Air National Guard Bases from across the United States took off from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

Joint Forcible Entry Exercise 14B is a U.S. Air Force Weapons School large-scale mobility exercise in which participants from various units throughout the Air Force execute a complex air-land operation on a simulated contested battlefield. The exercise tests the ability of the weapons school participants to synchronize aircraft movement from geographically-separated bases, command large formations of dissimilar aircraft in high-threat airspace, and tactically deliver and recover combat forces via airdrops and combat landings on a degraded landing strip.

The 317th AG's role in the event, which featured 100 aircraft, was to inject soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division via airlift.

"The JFE is the final project for the weapons school," Capt. Tyrel Lyon, 317th Operation Support Squadron said. "It is their chance to integrate with different air frames and the Army. By bringing in these aircraft and actual paratroopers, it makes the exercise realistic."

Flying in formation with aircraft and aircrew from other units provided 317th AG pilots with integration opportunities, preparing them for the large-scale event.

"While flying in formation, there is mutual support because the guy in the back is just as invested as the guy in the front," Lyon said. "Rather than only have one crew's set of minds, there are now multiple, working together, allowing the mission to be quicker, more efficient and more effective."


As the formation of J's and legacy aircraft reached their target near Creech Air Force Base, Nev., loadmasters from the 317th AG had their chance to shine.

"We are on the 'get it done' end of things," said Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Patton, 317th Operation Support Squadron loadmaster. "We made sure that whatever was supposed to go out of the aircraft did, in a safe and timely manner."

In this particular exercise, loadmasters were faced with the challenge of ensuring a safe and successful extraction of a combined total of more than 60 paratroopers.

"Dropping anything is always exhilarating," Patton said. "Personnel are intense because the jumpers are depending on us for their safety."

With only two windows to drop their paratroopers, the C-130Js circled over their target. After their second rotation, every jumper was on the ground safely.

"Seeing each jumper leave successfully is a great feeling," Patton said. "Seeing such a vital part of their mission be successful makes it that much better."

The JFE's impact went further than providing a final test for weapon's school attendees; it and similar events provide much-needed opportunities to prepare for real-world operations.

"It's always a blast to be able to participate in large exercises like the JFE," Patton said. "We are able to put what we practice to use while preparing for actual missions we may face in a deployed environment."

For Lyon, the JFE served as a look into his future. He has been selected from amongst his peers to attend the weapons school in 2015.

"Participating in this JFE has set me up to see what I will be doing at the weapons school before I leave Dyess," Lyons said. "There are so many players that go into the actual integration of these aircrafts. Flying is the smallest factor; it comes down to why, when and what way."

Innovation: It's not always obvious

by Airman 1st Class Erin R. Babis
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

12/12/2014 - ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England  -- The obvious solution isn't always the right solution.         

"In the military, we all operate in a similar manner: we see a problem, and we typically try to address it right then and there," explained Capt. Zach Martin, co-facilitator for a recent Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century event. "Sometimes we get lucky, and it works, but most of the time we don't."

Subject matter experts from the scheduling office of each fighter squadron and the 48th Munitions Squadron came together to find a solution to reduce the amount of unscheduled work that has been causing instability and undue stress for the Airmen of the 48th MUNS.

Martin explained that, on day one of the AFSO21 event, members of the group were already trying to offer solutions to a problem that hadn't yet been identified.

"Our job as facilitators was to rope them back in and say, 'Hey, the first part of AFSO21 is to understand the current process how it exists right now,'" Martin said. "'We will get to solutions later.' The reason why that's important is, all the solutions people were saying, when I compared them with our final task list, none of them were on there."

The AFSO21 method lays out a process from beginning to end as it currently exists. Then, a team identifies the redundancies and shortcomings of the process that can be refined or innovated.

Master Sgt. Forrest McCracken, director of AFSO21 for the 48th Fighter Wing, explained that the role of facilitators is, "making sure everyone considers all the aspects, not only in their process, but the effects of their changes that they'd make as well. It's very important that you don't make a quick decision on a change before considering the outcome and the knock-on effects of that change within your unit and within other units."

"I'm asking you to really take a good look at this process," briefed Col. Scottie Zamzow, 48th Operations Group commander, before the team began the event. "Let's see what we can do to make it as efficient as possible and ultimately it's going to help the MUNS team. They don't have the manpower to do all the scheduled work plus 27 percent unscheduled work."

The group discovered that flying schedule deviations created unscheduled work orders, which accounted for 27 percent of all MUNS work orders.The flying schedule process was not created with munitions scheduling timelines in mind.

The team's goal was to reduce the unscheduled workload from 27 to nine percent.

"We used to have 600,000 people in our Air Force and now we have 317,000 people in our Air Force," Zamzow said. "So, a process that used to be pretty smart back when we had twice the amount of people that we have now, maybe is not the most efficient and effective. We are looking for efficiency, but not at the expense of effectiveness. If I can get the same effectiveness and, instead of 27 percent additional work, we are only doing nine percent additional work, that's money. Stability is the key."

"There were some big light bulbs that came on, on both sides, in terms of how each side operates," Martin said. "All the OPS guys in the room, I think they were humbled by the fact that things we took for granted and changed were causing dozens and dozens of Airmen to work significantly longer days and essentially wasting their time."

Both facilitators, Martin and Tech. Sgt. Jason Harlan, explained that a large part of figuring out a solution was having all the different squadrons educate each other on how they operate and what their different requirements are.

"We came to realize that the problem was far more complex than we originally thought," Harlan said. "With complexity comes problems, so we identified more shortcomings in the process and came up with an ideal state."

The team created a new scheduling process that includes 48th MUNS and a new operating instruction will be written on the process of creating a flight schedule. New measures are being taken to ensure that, if a change has to be made, the people making those changes are held accountable for them.

Martin explained, when we immediately address a problem without the process of identifying the root cause we're just putting a Band-Aid on it.

"The AFSO21 process was systematic," Martin said. "It took three full days, but the task list we created here addresses the root cause, not what was on the surface."

"The goal was to get that 27 percent down to nine percent no later than February 2015," said Capt. Brutus White, team lead for the AFSO21 event. "I'm confident that what we have created has the ability to achieve that goal if not exceed it."

Developing Airmen ethos

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

12/11/2014 - LAJES FIELD, Azores, Portugal -- Ethos is a Greek word meaning character. The Air Force has a strong interest instilling ethos into Airmen and helping them develop strong character.  One way Lajes hopes to accomplish this mission is through a new program and website that offers a variety of ethos-building classes.

"The Airmen Ethos Page is a one-stop shop for all professional development," said Master Sgt. Craig Preston, 65th Force Support Squadron career assistance advisor. "Not only does it include classes from the Lajes Professional Development team, but it also includes Airman and Family Readiness Center classes and resiliency training. However, it does not include mandatory training like the First Term Airmen Center, Airman Leadership School and Noncommissioned Officer Professional Enhancement Courses; only optional courses are included."

The idea for this "one-stop shop" came from Chief Master Sgt. David Klink, 65th Air Base Wing command chief.

"Coming from Air Mobility Command, they had something called 'Leadership Pathways,' which is a sharepoint-based system that they were using to consolidate professional development," Klink said. "So as soon as I got here, I realized we didn't have anything like that."

Klink linked up with Tech. Sgt. Lavaughn Hardy, 65th Communications Squadron section chief of knowledge operations, and his team and they created a website following Dover's template and made changes to fit Lajes' demographics and private organizations.

Not only does this provide a place for Airman to find professional development opportunities, but it also gives supervisors a source to direct their Airmen to.

"A lot of people try to build their record and their repertoire for Below-the-Zone," Klink said. "It's one of the most common questions for Airmen holding the rank of Airman 1st Class, ask their supervisors. This program gives them a meter. If there are two A1Cs and one of them attended 10 of these classes and the other attended one, then they themselves, peer to peer, can identify that they may need to do more of what the other Airman is doing."

As the Airman is responsible for their own career, this gives them another outlet to develop themselves and possibly fill out another bullet on their Enlisted Performance Report or their Officer Performance Report.

"One of the things that I noticed is people like the carrot in front of the cart, not everybody, but some people have that checklist mentality," Klink said. "When they look at professional development, they may say, 'I am going to get five courses this quarter' and that is their personal goal. I want a way to reward and reinforce that."

One way to reinforce that mentality is that after attending 10 and then 20 of these classes, Airmen are rewarded certificates from Wing leadership.

When someone thinks of professional development, they may think of things like resiliency or bullet writing; things that are Air Force specific. The idea behind this program was to develop Airmen and their character and that doesn't have to be strictly Air Force material.

"We are open to any topic," Preston said. "We aren't constrained only by the typical Air Force courses, although they are important and we will continue to offer them, but we are also looking for 'personal-skills' type classes. If you want to showcase your flight or section to the Airmen of the Wing we are looking for people willing to do that as well."

One of the features of this program is that it is request-driven. Airmen can log onto the sharepoint site and click the "wanted" button and email the Professional Development team to request what class they want to see taught.

"I believe that there is a class in there for everybody and most importantly, if there's not, they need to get on there and request it," Klink said referring to the Airmen Ethos site. "If they look through this month's list and there's not a single thing on there that doesn't bore them to tears, then they need to get on there and request what interests them."

People come into the Air Force with different backgrounds, some of them very different from their fellow Airmen. Whether these Airmen have skills from a previous job or a hobby, they can teach these skills to others through this Airmen Ethos program. Knowing this, there is probably someone at Lajes who has the knowledge to teach what an Airman wants to learn.

Celebrating the Groundbreaking of a New CDC at Pearl Harbor

By Denise Emsley, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Peltier Child Development Center (CDC), National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration (NOAA) Wing on Oahu, Hawaii, Dec. 11.

"The project will enable childcare for an additional 122 Department of Defense (DoD) children," said NAVFAC Hawaii Commanding Officer Capt. Dean Tufts. "While I am happy that the building is to be designed to LEED Silver standards and will employ energy saving features including a 30-kilowatt photovoltaic system, I really love that it will give our Sailors and airmen another option, and maybe a better option, for their kids."

The new wing will be located on the northwest corner of Peltier Avenue and Nimitz Road next to the current CDC. Funded by NOAA, it is designed to meet the DoD Unified Facilities Criteria. The new structure will provide space for the care of children from the ages of 6 weeks to 5-years old.

"We are committed to our collaboration with the Navy and look forward to the construction and management of the new wing," said NOAA Chief Administrative Officer Ed Horton. "NOAA employees that have recently been consolidated into the new NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center on Ford Island are looking for relief in finding childcare facilities near work or on the way to work. By creating more space within the Navy's CDC system, both the DoD and NOAA personnel will benefit."

The project includes a reception area, staff/break room, storage, restrooms, kitchen, laundry, and janitorial space as well as two outdoor activity areas for four age groups.

Construction is expected to be completed by November 2015.

NOAA funding for the new wing was made possible through the efforts of the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye, whose championship and vision brought the Navy and NOAA together in renovating two historic aircraft hangars and incorporating them into a single, integrated world-class federal facility on Ford Island.

NAVFAC Hawaii awarded an $11.3 million contract Oct. 23, 2013 to RORE-ITSI, JV LLC (small business), San Diego, for a firm-fixed task order to construct a CDC at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.