Carter Praises USS Theodore Roosevelt’s Crew Members

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, November 6, 2015 — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter praised the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its 3,000-member crew during a troop talk while aboard the Navy aircraft carrier in the South China Sea yesterday.

Carter also provided an update on the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The defense secretary is on an eight-day trip in the Asia-Pacific region to get a personal view of the U.S. military’s rebalance efforts.

“ISIL is an evil thing and it will be defeated, because we are the good and they are the evil,” Carter said. “We're the many and they are the few. I don't have any doubt that we are going to beat ISIL.”

Defeating ISIL

Achieving victory over ISIL will take time, Carter said.

He added, “If it were just a matter of us beating them, it would be over quickly. ... As we learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, [the point] isn't just getting them beaten; it's keeping them beaten [to] have this victory stick.”

ISIL and Iran each present challenges to U.S. security interests in the Middle East, Carter said.

Turning to the Asia-Pacific, Carter said the U.S. military has helped to maintain peace and stability in the region for 70 years. The USS Theodore Roosevelt and its crew greatly contribute to that endeavor, he added.

Secretary Salutes USS Theodore Roosevelt’s Crew

Carter told the crew members to tell their families of his and the nation’s pride in them.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt’s crew members “do the noblest thing a person can do, which is to be part of securing our country and allowing all other Americans to live in peace, live their lives, and dream their dreams,” he said.

Carter also told the crew they should also let their families know that their service aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt is at “the hinge of everything happening in the strategic history in this era through this cruise. You have seen it all; you have been part of it all.”

Stingers Prove Lethal at Combat Archer

by Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker
180th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

11/3/2015 - Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. -- More than 120 members of the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, deployed 38 short tons of cargo and eight F-16 fighter Aircraft to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida in September to participate in Combat Archer.

The two week exercise is part of the Air Combat Command Air to Air Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, which assesses a units overall operational effectiveness, weapons systems performance and reliability.

"Combat Archer is not just a training event," said Maj. Gregory Barasch, 112th Fighter Squadron director of operations. "It is a formal evaluation of the total weapon system; man, machine and missile, as well as the squadron's ability to conduct air-to-air missions."

With over 30 Combat Archer exercises conducted annually, the primary purpose of WSEP is to evaluate the effectiveness of the total air to air weapons system including aircraft, weapon delivery systems, munitions, aircrew, support equipment, technical data and overall maintenance operations. The secondary objective of Combat Archer is live-fire missile training for pilots before ever deploying to a combat environment.

"Exercises like Combat Archer provide a rare opportunity to load and employ live missiles with threat-realistic targets, maximizing the live-fire opportunities," said Barasch.

"Over the course of the two-week exercise," said Senior Master Sgt. Roger Newsome, 180th FW Weapons Supervisor, "Our eight jets logged 129 flight hours, flew 122 sorties and fired 10 live missiles, meeting all requirements with zero discrepancies."

"The experience of shooting an air-to-air missile for the first time takes away any questions," said Capt. Roy Poor, an F-16 pilot with the 180th Fighter Wing. "Now we can employ in combat with confidence."

Along with the rare chance to fire live missiles, Combat Archer also provided the opportunity to conduct Force Integration sorties, training with dissimilar aircraft, fourth and fifth generation fighters like the F-15 Strike Eagle and F-22 Raptor, as well as the Navy's F-18 Hornet.

Training with dissimilar aircraft allows sister services and coalition partners to work together on mastering combat tactics and operational-level campaigns in a controlled, strategic, advanced and realistic environment.

"It's been great working alongside some of the other forces," said Master Sgt. Stacie Dice, an F-16 mechanic with the 180th Fighter Wing. "We're out here with the Navy and the Active Duty Air Force, flying alongside other aircraft from those units."

Though the F-16 pilots and maintenance personnel from the 180th Fighter Wing train maintaining their currency and efficiency to provide effective combat power at home and abroad, sorties are conducted utilizing training munitions. These training munitions are built and weighted the same as live munitions, giving pilots a realistic feel of flying fully loaded jets.

Flying with training missiles affords pilots opportunities to familiarize themselves with the feel of the jet loaded with various munitions configurations during simulated combat training missions similar to what might be experienced in a real-world combat environment. The pilots train on the step-by-step process of firing a missile without actually employing one.

Not only that, this training provides the strategic agility needed to fight against a formidable and aggressive adversary in a continually strained fiscal environment.

"We were able to learn the strengths and weakness of each airframe," said Poor. "While also learning how best to maneuver together allowing for maximum lethality in a combat situation."

"Our mission here at the 180th Fighter Wing is to be the most lethal, innovative and efficient fighter wing in the Total Force," said Dice. "Nothing says lethality like putting missile on target."

With more than 500 personnel from five units, 30 fighter aircraft and over 45 live missiles shot, this exercise was the largest in Combat Archer history.

Doolittle Raider honored with shadow box

By Senior Airman Hailey Haux, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Command Information / Published November 06, 2015

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- People began trickling into the Hall of Heroes in the Pentagon. Roughly 15 minutes before go-time, it is filled to the brim. Everyone came there to see one person and hear his story; a story so historical and significant it could make anyone swell with pride.

Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, one of two surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders, just turned 100 years old in September. He is as lively as ever and received a shadow box during his visit, Nov. 5.

“(It is) very nifty and appropriate,” Cole said. “I accept it in honor and on behalf of the rest of the guys, with sadness, that are not here to (receive it.)”

Incased in the wooden box were several patches to show the history of the bomb squadrons, two clips from bombs and a flag that was flown on Sep. 7, 2015 over Southwest Asia in honor of Cole’s 100th birthday.

“To be up here on stage with (Lt. Col. Cole) is honestly dizzyingly wonderful,” said Col. John Martin, the 28th Operations Group commander. “Sir, you are beyond just a World War II hero, you are an American icon, a patriotic legend, and a big part of Air Force history … at Ellsworth Air Force Base, inspiration is not very far away when we think about the cornerstone of our legacy and the Doolittle Raid. It motivates us (and) it inspires us to this very day.”

Cole answered several questions from the anxious crowd, not skipping a beat when asked what was on his mind during the raid.

“There were several things on my mind,” Cole said. “We had to deal with the fact that you are scared all the time, you have to learn to put that aside and think positively. You just don’t dwell on things being bad.”

In the end, it took 80 brave men, 16 aircraft and a huge risk to change everything about the war in the Pacific. Their actions inspired a nation and continue to inspire today’s Airmen.

Face of Defense: Army Helicopter Pilot on Third ‘Career’

By Army Sgt. Neil Gussman, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade DoD News Features, Defense Media Activity

ANNVILLE, Pa., November 5, 2015 — In 1985, when President Ronald Reagan was just beginning his second term, the Soviet Union was fighting in Afghanistan during the Cold War, Sara Christensen enlisted in the Army Reserve. She lived in California, had just graduated from high school and wanted to be a dental technician.

The following year she went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, for basic and advanced individual training. While there, she met her future husband Kelvin Christensen. He was a sergeant on his way to Officer Candidate School in California with the Army National Guard. A private at the time, Sara also was accepted for OCS and they went through the course together and were commissioned as second lieutenants.

The Christensen’s chose aviation as their branch and they eventually went to helicopter flight school. By 1991, they both had transferred to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, serving as aviation officers.

A Growing Family

Four years later, in 1995, the Christensens decided to go from no kids to three kids all at once by adopting three children from the Pennsylvania foster care system.

By 2001, the family grown to include seven children and then-Capt. Sara Christensen left the Army National Guard for the Individual Ready Reserve. She kept her commission and was promoted to major while on inactive status.

Kelvin continued with the Army National Guard and is now a lieutenant colonel and the cargo battalion commander for the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.

After a thirteen-year break in service, Sara decided to return to Army aviation. The timing was critical because the maximum age to return to aviation service is 46. She made the deadline, and is now a warrant officer in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard with Detachment 1, Charlie Company, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade.

She could have come back as a commissioned officer and been eligible for promotion to lieutenant colonel, but she wanted to fly and would have more opportunities to be in the cockpit as a warrant officer.

In addition to beginning Army service for a third time, she has now held rank as an enlisted member, a commissioned officer, and a warrant officer.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sara Christensen is currently training in Texas for her first combat deployment -- to Southwest Asia -- later this year.

185th Awarded 8th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

by Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot
185th ARW Wing Public Affairs

11/5/2015 - Sioux City, Iowa  -- The National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. announced the 185th Air Refueling Wing, here, has been awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for exceptionally meritorious service from November 1, 2013 to October 31, 2015.

The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is given to units that have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement that clearly sets the unit above and apart from other Air National Guard units.

According to Col. Larry Christensen, commander of the 185th ARW this award is a reflection of the hard work members of the 185th do every day.

"We have the privilege of living in a great community where our members have a strong work ethic. We know we have an outstanding unit, but it is nice to have that validated by the National Guard Bureau," said Christensen.

According to the Outstanding Unit Award citation, the 185th has continued to regularly provide mission capable aircraft and Airmen for deployments around the world, for both operational and mission support contingency operations.

This marks the 8th time the 185th Air Refueling Wing has received the award.

The wing, comprised of 956 part time and full time members, flies nine KC-135R air refueling aircraft and is comprised of numerous support elements.

The wing's main mission is to provide mid-air refueling and mobility sustainment in support of the global mission of the Air Force.

The wing is also tasked to support the state of Iowa in the event of a state emergency, while providing humanitarian, and national disaster response.

"We would not be able to do this without the support of our employers. I take great pride in serving Siouxland and cannot thank the community enough for their support," said Christensen.