Military Medical Leaders Express Concerns Over Health Care Reform

By Terri Moon Cronk

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2015 – Senior Defense Department medical leaders addressed health care reform on Capitol Hill yesterday, expressing concern over potential impacts on military medical readiness and overall readiness.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee’s military personnel subcommittee were Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, and top medical officials from the services: Army Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, Air Force Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Mark A. Ediger and Navy deputy surgeon general Rear Adm. (Dr.) C. Forrest Faison III.

Military health care reform was examined as part of the overall Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission, which sent its recommendations to President Barack Obama in January.

“We agree with [the commission’s] findings of overarching challenges facing military medicine and concur with many recommendations,” Woodson said, adding that some of its recommendations are now in place.

Strategies Now in Place

Woodson described strategies that are now in place to make the military health care system “better, stronger and more relevant for the future,” and stressed the critical nature of military readiness, ensuring quality health care and using money wisely in the Military Health System.

“We’ve undertaken a comprehensive review of our medical infrastructure and resources,” he said, “and [we’ve] presented a modernization plan that proposes to place our most-skilled professionals in the military communities where they are likely to keep those skills sharpest.”

The Military Health System has reformed governance and stood up the Defense Health Agency to enhance collaborative work affordably among the three medical services, Woodson told the panel. “We’re making it easier to access care in the system by focusing on quality, safety and making performance data more transparent,” he said.

Woodson said he agrees with commission’s recommendation to reform the TERICARE military health plan, and told the panel that work is already underway.

Surgeons General Share Concerns

The surgeons general said that while they support the objectives of the commission’s findings, they have concerns about elements that threaten readiness and military medical skills.

“[Fewer than] one of five service members evacuated from Iraq and were injured in battle,” Horoho noted. “During Operation United Assistance, the major threat to soldiers was endemic infectious diseases. The Army already uses joint infrastructures … [for] medical readiness. The Army does not support establishing a four-star readiness command,” a commission recommendation and a point echoed by Ediger and Faison.

Though the surgeons general support affordable health care and increased choices for patients, “to establish TRICARE choice would negatively impact the readiness of our entire health care team and present financial challenges for active-duty families and retirees” Horoho said.

“To put [military treatment facilities] in competition with the private sector would drive up administrative costs and significantly detract from the operational mission of our medical facilities,” Ediger agreed.

The Air Force surgeon general said requiring airmen and their families to “navigate a complex system of insurance marketplace on a recurring basis” could increase their stress.

“[The Military Health System] is working hard to recapture its [patient] workload into the direct-care system,” Faison said, adding that offering commercial insurance to military patients would compete with that goal.

“Nonactive-duty beneficiaries comprise 67 percent of our total beneficiary population, 83 percent of our inpatient care and 79 percent of our high-acuity workload,” Horoho emphasized.

Military Medical Training Would Be Affected

“These patients are vital to sustain our graduate medical and health professionals’ education programs,” she said. “The loss of these inpatients from our direct health-care system would pose tremendous risk to our training and negatively impact our medical forces readiness posture.”

Ediger and Faison agreed that the lack of military patients would harm medical training and affect overall readiness.

“We believe resilient families with excellent health care support greatly enhances the resilience of all of our airmen,” Ediger said. “Significant progress in the [Military Health System], as Dr. Woodson pointed out, has occurred. And we are a progressive system of health and readiness as a result.”

“We need to recognize what sets us apart from civilian medicine: that we are a rapidly deployable, fully integrated medical system,” Faison said. “This allows us to support combat casualty care with unprecedented battlefield survival rates.”

“The Army needs a medically ready force,” Horoho said, with Ediger and Faison in agreement. “Commanders need to know … soldiers will be ready to deploy,” she added.

“When wounded soldiers hear the rotor blades of a medevac helicopter, they need to continue to have confidence that our providers are trained and ready,” Horoho said. “Any radical departure presents significant risk to a system that has produced record levels of both combat casualty survival and readiness.”

Nepal final report: AF support for Operation Sahayogi Haat

by Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez
Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

6/12/2015 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Since the May 26 deactivation of the Nepal earthquake response task force, Joint Task Force-505, the scope of the U.S. Air Force's contribution to Operation Sahayogi Haat reveal the magnitude of Pacific Air Force's role in the response.

During the operation, Airmen, equipment, supplies and aircraft from Air Force bases in Japan, Guam, Hawaii and Alaska contributed to the joint-service response, providing the airlift capabilities needed to get in and out of mountainous Nepal.

Brig. Gen. Michael Minihan, JTF-505 Joint Air Component Coordination Element commander, discussed the importance of the Air Force capabilities that supported the operation.

"The Air Force's role was extremely important to the JTF mission because of the challenges associated with this operation," Minihan explained. "The location of Nepal and the distances required for getting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief into the country required the need for our aircraft to set up an air bridge from U-Tapao, Thailand, into Nepal. This allowed us to provide the unique air capabilities the JTF needed and to bring in much needed aid and supplies to help the people of Nepal."

On the ground in Nepal, the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, worked at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. They assisted the Nepalese to accelerate airfield operations and increased the capacity to bring in aid via airlift ensuring aid was distributed faster, and ultimately downloaded 4,271,825 pounds of cargo from 94 aircraft. Following a second, powerful earthquake May 12, 36th CRG personnel also provided medical assistance for 58 aeromedical evacuation patients.

"Simply put, we downloaded aircraft quickly and safely to get cargo where it needed to go," said Capt. Brint Ingersoll, 36th CRG Operations Officer. "Our diverse team kept aircraft ground times to a minimum which allowed a larger and faster flow of aircraft and humanitarian aid. Once downloaded, humanitarian aid was sent out to villages or to the distribution center the same day it arrived in Nepal, avoiding any congestion at the airfield."

Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and Kadena Air Base, Japan, made up the Air Force support piece of the JTF-505 JACCE at U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield, Thailand. There, an intermediate staging base was established to support aircraft flying in and out of Nepal. Additionally, U.S. and Thai forces worked together to support Nepal at the Thai-U.S. HADR Combined Coordination Center for Nepal.

With air operations humming throughout the Pacific, much of the Nepal coordination, monitoring and planning occurred at the 613th Air Operations Center in Hawaii, which serves as the nerve center of air operations during any Pacific campaign.

"It doesn't matter if it's an earthquake in Nepal or a typhoon in the Philippines, the team assembled here [at PACAF] has all the relationships, abilities, and the situational awareness needed to anticipate what would be required of us, to prepare those requirements, and to get into the 'fight' as quickly as possible," Minihan said.

In total, the U.S. Air Force flew 171 sorties and spent over 730 hours in the sky, collectively airlifting 800 short tons of cargo and 863 passengers in and out of Nepal on C-17 Globemasters and C-130 Hercules aircraft in support of Operation Sahayogi Haat.

About 900 U.S. military and civilian personnel from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps contributed to the Nepal relief efforts as part of JTF-505.

Game changer: Airman gives back, grows as mentor to high school football team

by Senior Airman Alexander W. Riedel
36th Wing Public Affairs

6/11/2015 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam  -- As the sun hangs in a warm glow over the Pacific island, a group of Guam High School football players eagerly reach for a chilled bottle of water as they take a break from football drills at Andersen Air Force Base.

A few moments later, they are summoned back to the field and queue up to run several yards before reaching for a wide pass from across the field.
"Good catch!" compliments their coach with a high-five as he readies for the next throw.

For almost a month now, Senior Airman Presley Griffith, 36th Mobility Response Squadron executive assistant, spends three evenings per week coaching free spring football training sessions he created in tandem with Guam High School's head coach, Jacob Dowdell.

"I've played football since third grade and I realized how important practicing in the spring is to prepare and get ready (for the fall season)," Griffith said. "When I learned that students here did not have a training camp yet, I decided to help out. Now, students get to throw the ball on an actual football field and run through drills and movements together as a team in preparation for the upcoming season."

Growing up in Fouke, Arkansas, football was at the center of life for the former quarterback and continues to be a lifelong passion for the Airman. During his senior year, Griffith's commitment on the field earned him the chance to attend Football University's Top Gun High School Camp, an intense training event reserved for top players. He received pointers and mentorship from experienced coaches, former NFL players and was also scouted by Southern Arkansas University, which later offered him an opportunity to join their team after graduation.

The offer, however, placed Griffith in a bind. A battery of injuries suffered during the competitive high school season had taken a toll on the young student, making his decision to advance into an even more demanding level of the sport a difficult one.

If he continued his studies to play at the collegiate level, Griffith recalled, he and his family feared he'd risk his health and professional future.

"I remember first hearing that teams were interested in me. I was ecstatic and excited about being able to play at the next level," Griffith said. "But when it came time to decide, my mind was in the game, but my body wasn't. I knew I couldn't go to college and get beat up like I was in high school."

Another long-time childhood dream, joining the Air Force, quickly started to come into renewed focus for the athlete.

"I wanted to be in the military ever since I was a little kid," he recalled. "I realized that I could join the military and still pursue a coaching degree and the necessary certifications, all while serving my country."

His passion to assist young athletes is more than just game strategy and technical instruction, Griffith said. The students often look for role models and answers about life after high school - turning coaching into mentoring.

"Being a young volunteer coach allows me to work on a very personal level with the players," he said. "I was just in their shoes a few years ago. I get to tell them about how important and valuable their time is right now, to give 100 percent effort and to also enjoy it every step of the way, because they are going to miss it later."

Unexpectedly, Griffith said Air force life offers an excellent opportunity to advance his coaching experience at different schools and pursue his education, on his way to meet his ultimate goal of becoming a high school history teacher and football coach.

"I realized how much coaches have helped me grow as a person," he said. "You learn a lot about discipline, values and mentorship. That is my goal in life, to be a high school football coach and to mentor young athletes.

"The students are the long-term goal," Griffith continued. "It's not about winning every game, but about getting better, fine-tuning your skill and getting the opportunity to keep playing at the next level. And we try to make this possible for the athletes here."

His assistance is also appreciated by GHS's coach, who leads the extracurricular training sessions with Griffith and volunteers additional time with his team.

"Having Senior Airman Griffith out here, bringing his experience to the team, is something we're very happy to have," Dowdell said. "It's all about keeping kids active and healthy. And it's a community effort. With Griffith leading this training, you can tell the students respond to him. They anxiously await his arrival and are ready to work. It's a real pleasure having him here."

To be able to meet with the student athletes after work, Griffith manages a balancing act between work, taking distance education college classes and his wife, who is also expecting their first child.

During duty hours, Griffith currently assists the 36th MRS commander with any and all administrative needs. Whether it's processing performance reports, decorations or handling correspondence and appointments, he manages the organizational needs for his office.

While spending several hours conducting weekly coaching sessions requires careful planning, Griffith's leaders have been supportive of his efforts whenever possible, he said.

"Senior Airman Griffith has always expressed an interest in coaching football,"  said Tech. Sgt. Cheryl Turonis, 36th Wing NCO in charge of the wing support staff and Griffith's former supervisor. "I am glad to see that he is pursuing his goal through volunteering with the Guam High School Football team."

In the near future, Griffith hopes to complete his volunteer coaching package, which would allow him to officially join the local Defense Department Education Activity's high school coaching team as an assistant.

"There are plenty of opportunities to help in the community," Griffith said. "You just have to go out and try. It's important to give 100 percent of your heart. It's going to take some time, but you're going to help and benefit kids in the future. Just know that they are going to look up to you and it's paramount to be an appropriate role model for them."

Until his next permanent change of station, Griffith plans to continue coaching, improving as a mentor and attending the local high school games.

However, he said there is one downside to being a football fan on a remote island in the Pacific: Watching live football broadcasts may turn into an unexpected challenge as games air with a 14 hour time difference from the East Coast. Griffith's joy for the game thus often keeps him up and in front of the TV at odd hours of the night, as he catches the latest developments in stadiums half a world away.

"My wife fully understands my love for the game," Griffith said. "She gets up with me at 4 a.m. on Sunday mornings to watch the games and understands how much it means to me."

ARPC first sergeant serves with pride

by Airman 1st Class Emily E. Amyotte
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

6/12/2015 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- When the Air Force repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, many gay Airmen felt like they could finally be open about who they were.

Thomas Metcalf was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1982. He grew up in a lower-class family that was no stranger to food stamps, he said. He spent the first nine years of his life living on a farm with his two siblings.

Metcalf's mother joined the Army when he was eight years old. It changed the course of his family's entire life, he said. It was an equalizer for the Metcalfs. It was his first introduction to the military lifestyle.

Later on after a failed attempt at college, he decided that he would also join the military like his mother.

"My mother was a huge influence on why I wanted to join the military," Metcalf said. "I saw how it turned my family's life around and I knew that I never wanted to worry about money again."

He initially wanted to join the Marines because that's what he thought the definition of a "man" was, but he wasn't yet a legal adult and his mom wouldn't give her consent.

Metcalf didn't know how to swim, so he said the Navy was out. He didn't want to go through what his mother did, so the Army was out. He figured that if he didn't want to be in the Army, he didn't think that the Marines Corps would be any easier. So after some more thought, he decided that the Air Force was the branch for him.

His first base was Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. Within his first two or three months of being on station, he had heard that he was under investigation for being gay.

"A friend of mine told me that he had heard I was under investigation," Metcalf said. "It was weird because I didn't even do anything. I'm not sure how they got the idea. It taught me that I should not be open about being gay and I should be cautious about the people who know and be careful with my mannerisms and actions."

Not long after his investigation began, 9/11 happened and his command had bigger and better things to focus on, he said. He said that his first base taught him to be cautious and never admit to being gay.

"I never told anyone that I was gay, their assumptions can be their assumptions," he said. "But as long as I never told anyone I was gay, I knew I'd be somewhat okay."

Metcalf was then sent to Ramstein AFB, Germany. There he was able to be open around his Airmen. He was able to talk openly about his boyfriend at the time because of his support group and the European lifestyle being more accepting of gays.

But for people he wasn't close with, he still had his secrets. He learned to get in the habit of saying "Danielle" when speaking about his boyfriend, "Darnell" and changing all his "he's" to "she's." Because of Don't Ask Don't Tell, Metcalf still had to remember to keep his stories together. Leading a separate life was now his normal.

After his time in Germany, he returned back to the United States which meant he also had to return to hiding who he was.

It was a smart move at the time, he said. But after six and a half years of active duty service, he transitioned into the reserves so that he could peruse school and learn how to survive outside the military. It gave him the chance to live a civilian life and be around people who were more accepting of his sexual orientation, he said.

On September 20, 2011 the Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal happened and it changed Metcalf's life. He was now able to be open about who he was. He was now able to be himself and not worry about possibly losing his job over his sexual orientation.

"I heard it over the radio," he said. "I was leaving Buckley AFB one day and I heard the president speaking. And I did not realize how much of an effect it'd have on me. I was driving and I heard him say the words in the speech and I started crying. In one swift move, he just validated my entire military career."

His twelve years, multiple deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar, being stationed in multiple countries, doing his best for the Air Force, was all validated in one presentation, he said.

"It still makes me excited to think about," he said.

Regardless of the repeal, nothing was different the next day at work, he said. Metcalf didn't open up to his coworkers for another two years, but after a while he didn't feel like it was fair to keep his partner a secret.

"It was freeing," he said about coming out. "You don't realize how much stress you carry about an issue until it's removed and you can feel the weight removed."

During last year's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Month, Metcalf told his heart-felt story. His words filled the crowd with tears, smiles and applause.

Master Sgt. Metcalf is now the first sergeant for the Air Reserve Personnel Center on Buckley AFB. Part of his inspiration for becoming a first sergeant was to help Airmen through tough times like he experienced, he said.

"I do this to be there for people in this time and this transition in the Air Force and giving them the support they need and some guidance they need sometimes," he said. "Realizing that they too can succeed, and they will promote and they will continue their career and they can meet all aspirations they have."

Metcalf hopes to see in the future of the Air Force and America an equal workplace for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight Airmen.

"My hope going forward is that LGBT members serving in the military and have served in the military are able to take part in the freedoms that we have served to protect."

Metcalf wants everyone to know that no matter what someone's sexual orientation is, background or story, if they decided to serve, that is all that matters, he said.

"I am African American, I am a son, I am a man, I am in the Air Force and I am gay," he said. "But none of those make me a single identifier. And it's important to me that I am seen as I want to be seen, and that is as an Airman in the Air Force."

Airman trains Turkish firefighters during Anatolian Eagle

by Tech. Sgt. Eric Burks
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

6/12/2015 - KONYA, Turkey -- When Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Hill, 48th Civil Engineer Squadron station chief, responds to an in-flight emergency at his home station, he's never the only U.S. Air Force firefighter on duty.

But during temporary duty assignments at forward operating bases with no permanent Air Force presence, such a scenario could feasibly happen.

For this reason, Hill said, it's important to ensure host-nation counterparts have a basic understanding of our aircraft recovery procedures, to protect equipment and keep both pilots and responders as safe as possible.

At Anatolian Eagle 15, hosted at the 3rd Main Jet Base here, Hill is one of about 250 personnel from the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, participating in the training exercise ... and the only firefighter.

"After I arrived last week, I met with several Turkish Air Force firefighters my second day here," Hill said. "We did some training to cover the basics of our aircraft recovery procedures, things they would need to look for following an in-flight emergency."

The basic procedures are similar, he said, but some details vary from one airframe to the next.

"They have F-16s, F-4s, and choppers," Hill said. "During Anatolian Eagle, there are a lot of aircraft on the ramp they don't otherwise see on a daily basis."

To supplement the training session, Hill facilitated a proficiency exercise with four Turkish Air Force firefighters June 11.

"They did really great, and performed exactly the way I taught them," Hill said. "It provides self-assurance that if they needed to come out and respond, they know how to recover the aircraft as safely as possible."

Lt. Col. John Stratton, 493rd Fighter Squadron commander, said exercises like Anatolian Eagle ensure his squadron --- the Grim Reapers -- can remain forward, ready, now.

"It's important for the U.S. to participate so that we can really get a better understanding of the capabilities and the operations of our partner nations," he said, "so that we know what they can contribute and how we can come together as a team to execute the mission that we're asked to do."

Hill said it was a very positive experience working with his Turkish Air Force counterparts.

"They have good vehicles, facilities, and training here," he said. "They really mirror a lot of what we do."

Pentagon Releases Guidelines to Legal Warfare Principles

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2015 – Pentagon officials today released the Defense Department's first law of war manual, culminating a multiyear, combined effort to compile legal principles governing warfare.

“DoD’s new manual provides a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the law of war for the practical use of operational lawyers and others at headquarters and in the field,” said DoD General Counsel Stephen W. Preston.

“It reflects the U.S. military’s longstanding commitment to the rule of law and represents an important milestone in our ongoing implementation of the law of war,” he said.

Multiyear Effort

According to officials, the law of war manual is the product of a multiyear effort by military and civilian lawyers across the DoD who sought to develop a departmentwide resource for military commanders, legal practitioners, and other military and civilian personnel on the international law principles governing armed conflict.

The United States has a long tradition of leadership in the law of war, officials said, including the promulgation of instructions on the law of war for its armed forces dating back to President Abraham Lincoln’s approval of the “Instructions for the Government of the Armies of the United States in the Field” during the Civil War.

Additionally, the United States is a party to treaties that require the dissemination of information regarding the law of war, officials said.

Although each of the military services have previously published respected works on the law of war that have served as valuable resources for their personnel, officials noted the DoD Law of War manual will be the first resource of this type to be issued departmentwide.

Diversity: The Policy, the patriot and the fight

by Staff Sgt. Rachelle Blake
55th Wing Public Affairs

6/12/2015 - OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Diversity comes in all forms and effects everyone differently. For one 49th Intelligence Squadron reservist, it was his sexuality.

"While I wouldn't identify as bisexual, I never really made a distinction between genders, colors, races...anything," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Velander. "I always knew connections instead of genders were important for friendship and romance alike."

In 2008, he began his journey in the military, which at that time still fell under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. But, this did not deter Velander.

"It's not something I thought about in the least bit. I knew I was fit, intelligent, patriotic and motivated, the exact things the military looks for in an Airman," he said. "There was never a time pre or post Don't Ask, Don't Tell that I felt I was at risk for harassment, discharge or unfair treatment.  People accepted me for me, and didn't care about frivolous things such as the person I was dating at the time."

In April 2010, Velander said an Air Force friend, who was openly gay, committed suicide.

"Admittedly, we had some 'romantic' history, which was illegal at the time," he said. "Four months later I was called to my commander's office to receive my discharge.  I immediately started out-processing with my unit and my security clearance was revoked.  My command fought for me and delayed my discharge.  This was at the time where the law was in contention at the Senate."

The discharge came as a complete shock to everybody he knew, but it didn't change the relationships he had forged in the least bit. It was those relationships that kept his leadership fighting.

"Having a lieutenant colonel and a senior master sergeant on your team is a great feeling, especially when those gentlemen could make my life easier," Velander said. "I felt very much part of the unit and the family we built together.  Beyond that, my flight chief and supervisor gave me ample time to speak with the Area Defense Counsel, look for jobs on the outside and get enrolled into college."

When he told his parents the situation they were also 100 percent supportive.

"I told my parents immediately what happened, unabridged," said Velander. "They asked me when I'd be home and told me my room would be ready for me.  It was a humbling moment, and I'm proud to say they are my parents."

But, that day never came.

"The day my orders were completed the law was overturned in the 10th circuit of appeals in California, and my life was put on hold," Velander said. "I did end up staying in, making staff sergeant and becoming the world's best boss, or so my coffee cup says.  Now I'm a reservist, a full-time education student and a sign maker."

Velander just recently separated from active duty and returned home to the Omaha-area where he was raised. He likes to look back on his experience in a positive light.

"I truly believe without the pending discharge I would never have been the man I am today," Velander said.  "It forced me to reflect upon my weaknesses and shortcomings as well as my strengths.  I know now exactly how much pressure I can take.  Most importantly, I became a more empathetic and socially conscious person.  All of a sudden, I was thrust into the LGBT rights movement, and I heard so many stories from civilians as well as military members, and it made me want to do anything I could.  So I fought."

He said his journey has also helped him as a supervisor.

"The Airmen in my charge knew I wouldn't judge them for anything, be it alcoholism, problems with work and training or more personal matters such as seeking advice on sexual assault issues or relationship woes," Velander said. "These are some things people never run into as NCOs, and in my short time as an active duty sergeant, I checked all of those boxes and more.  I believe my experiences helped me tremendously, and I believe I thrived as a front-line supervisor."

In his short time at Offutt, he has already made an impression on his fellow Airmen.

"He is one of the most professional Airmen I've met since being assigned to Offutt," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Lawrence Taber, 97th IS. "He has an extremely positive attitude toward his fellow Airmen, always willing to provide support, even to the most menial tasks, and he does it cheerfully. He's one of the reasons that coming to work is the antithesis to dread."

Taber said the unit and the Air Force are better off for having Velander as an Airman.

Throughout the past few years, Velander has been forced to meet his diversity head-on and admits the military wouldn't be the same without it.

"Diversity is the absolute cornerstone of the military," Velander said. "I think now more than ever, the Air Force is a cohesive team where race, sex, color, sexual identity or religion makes no difference.  I love that fact that my 'solutions' to problems immediately have holes blown in them because of the different perspectives and experiences people have.  I do believe these types of observations go directly to the top, so diversity should be encouraged and celebrated in an organic way throughout every organization."

He said he will never forget his experience and he makes it a point to encourage others to stand up for what they believe in and make a difference.

"Rhetoric without action is just noise," Velander said. "If you feel discriminated against, write a letter, knock on a door, make a few friends who feel the same and change it!"

Air Forces Northern Salutes Veterans for their Service

by Tech. Sgt. Ed Staton
AFNORTH Public Affairs

6/12/2015 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A group of military veterans who answered our nation's call decades ago serving in World War II and the Korean war were honored at the 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern) "Salute to Vets 2015" May 29 at the Heritage Club here.  The annual event focused on thanking the group of nine for their dedicated service that helped form the strong foundation that military has today.

"We were very privileged to meet with this group and we said 'thank you' for the significant impact they had on world events that happened 70 and 64 years ago," said Lt. Gen. William Etter, Continental U.S. Aerospace Defense Region -1st AF (AFNORTH) Commander.  "It's because of their service that there is freedom in Europe and the Pacific region."

Along with Tyndall Air Force Base leadership, Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki and Parker Mayor Rich Musgrave attended the function. An Air Force honor guard honored the arriving veterans with a saber cordon.  The evening included food, fellowship and great stories exchanged between past and present military members.

The extensive years of military service completed by the group's members provided participants ample ammunition for many great war stories.  They shared history and personal stories from famous sites and battles such as Iwo Jima and Pork Chop Hill.  The honored group included former fighter pilots, infantrymen, fire fighters, weapon experts to name a few.

"I talked with him about his service to our nation in both the European and Pacific theaters in World War II," said Col. Al Wimmer, 1AF (AFNORTH) Director of Operations, regarding his guest, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert Williams.  "We talked about how cool it is to fly airplanes and it was an honor and a pleasure to be with him tonight."

An escort hosted each veteran.  Escorts helped share each individual's military experiences and to shed light on their post-war careers and family life. Brudnicki had the honor of hosting his father, Cpl. (ret.) Adam Brudnicki who served with the Marines during the WWII Pacific campaign.

"He was with a replacement group that went over to Iwo Jima and Guam," Brudnicki said.  "I believe that there were 228 in his group and only 26 came back who weren't shot up or paid the ultimate sacrifice."

Much like many veterans who returned from combat, Brudniki said his dad hasn't said much about his experiences from that part of his life.

"He's pretty tough and he doesn't talk about it a lot," said Brudniki in the emotion-filled room.  "I am so proud of his legacy and I just hope everyone appreciates the sacrifices they made and the things that they did."

While the night's focus was on saluting the assembled veterans, there was also a sense of gratitude displayed by the guests. Maxie Mann, a member of U.S. Navy Reserve's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) in WWII, expressed great appreciation.

"I think it's a wonderful event," Mann said who served as a lab and X-ray technician.  "These people have given so much and they really deserve this."

WWII Vet Looking for Lost Shipmates

If you have information regarding fellow shipmates, email editor@police-writers.com