Face of Defense: Son Follows Father’s Path to the Air Force

By Air Force Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II, 377th Air Base Wing

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Air Force Airman 1st Class David Mapel is following in the footsteps of his father, Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Mark Mapel, as a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft special mission aviator.

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The senior Mapel is currently the chief enlisted manager for standards and evaluations with the 1st Special Operations Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla., while David is assigned here to the 58th Training Squadron as a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft special mission aviator student.

Special Mission Aviators

Special mission aviators cover everything from preflight inspections of aircraft systems to the placement and delivery of the aircraft’s cargo.

They have multiple integral roles, monitoring all functions for the aircraft while providing weapon defense-including the former duties of flight engineers, loadmasters and gunners.

David said he went to college and found that it wasn’t for him. He decided to join the Air Force.

“Being with the family, I saw the job, the community, everyone in it and how close everyone was in the squadron, that’s why I wanted to go for special operations,” he said.

Mark said he wanted his son to attend college, get his bachelor’s degree, and then join the Air Force as a commissioned officer. Mark earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while remaining enlisted.

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“One of the main reasons I joined [the Air Force] and chose to do special operations was to try to make a difference in the world. … Hopefully I was able to make a little bit of difference,” Mark said.

Family History of Military Service

Mark said his father was an Army infantryman and his older brother was an Army Ranger. He also had several uncles that served in the Army and Marine Corps.

“Their service definitely impacted my decision to join and carry forward the heritage, pride in our military and pride in our country,” he said.

Mark said he is happy that his son is following in his footsteps.

“I am very proud of him … It’s easy to say it’s the proudest thing [he’s] done to date,” Mark said of his son. “I’m seriously trying to consider if there is anything else [he’s] done that’s more worthy than serving [his] country as special operations in the United States Air Force, and, honestly, in my opinion, I don’t think there is.”

New York, Pennsylvania Guardsmen Assist Flood Response Efforts

By Eric Durr, New York National Guard

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Two hundred New York National Guard soldiers and airmen were placed on state active duty yesterday after nearly seven inches of rain fell on parts of the state’s Finger Lakes region Aug. 14.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the guard response as the state declared a disaster area in 14 counties in the Finger Lakes area and counties in New York’s Southern Tier region, where heavy rains caused streams and lakes to rise. The declaration allows the state to move assets -- including National Guard members -- to assist local governments.

On Aug. 14, 30 airmen from the 174th Attack Wing, based at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, were deployed to Ovid, New York, to assist local governments there in clearing debris. A priority was to clear roads and keep drainage ditches and culverts from clogging and overflowing.

Flood Response

The 204th Engineer Battalion in Binghamton mobilized 25 soldiers with high-axle vehicles for immediate storm response. The Susquehanna River flows past Binghamton, and the river’s water level was 4 feet over flood stage at one point before it subsided later on Aug. 14.

Yesterday, an additional 150 soldiers and vehicles were placed on duty in Auburn, Binghamton, Walton and Horseheads, New York. All elements were equipped with military vehicles capable of negotiating flooded areas. The soldiers came from additional companies of the 204th Engineer Battalion and the 102nd Military Police Battalion in Auburn.

The New York National Guard also placed an additional 50 members of the 369th Sustainment Brigade on standby at Camp Smith Training Area in the Hudson Valley near Peekskill, New York. The New York Army National Guard also has two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with hoist capability standing by at the Rochester International Airport Army Aviation Support Facility.

The Finger Lakes region of New York stretches through the middle of the state and includes 11 lakes, the longest of which is 38 miles long. The region is a major tourism destination and wine industry center.

In Pennsylvania, where National Guard assets have been mobilized for several days because of flooding, aerial rescues took place Aug. 14 in the Benton area north of Bloomsburg, where three helicopters with a group run by the National Guard and the state Fish and Boat Commission performed about 10 rescues, including people plucked from the roofs of their homes, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Face of Defense: Transportation Specialist Enjoys Job, Furthers Education

By Army Sgt. Claire Charles, 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- Army Sgt. Siaka Diambou was born in Mali and immigrated to the United States eight years ago to seek an education and provide a better life for his wife and daughter.

Now a motor transport operator for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 1067th Composite Truck Company, 213th Regional Support Group, Diambou played a key role in his unit’s sustainment mission at the National Training Center here.

The Fort Irwin National Training Center is the Army’s premier training center. Soldiers train here to conduct counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations in desert environments. Complex scenarios test every aspect of unit readiness, including solving social, ethical and moral dilemmas presented by operating in civilian areas while facing near-peer opposing forces and insurgent forces.

Ready to Train

To ensure the units assigned to the 213th Regional Support group were properly equipped and ready to train, Diambou and his soldiers received equipment from Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow’s Yermo Annex, located 35 miles south of Fort Irwin, and convoyed trucks and unloaded supplies.

“I find my job very exciting and satisfying because I transport key supplies, such as food, clothing, fuel and equipment, to the units I am assigned,” he said.

Diambou said he not only enjoys his job, but has taken advantage of the educational opportunities available to National Guardsmen.

He qualified for the National Guard’s Commercial Driver’s License Program and enrolled at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

He plans to continue his military service and use his certification as an aircraft technician in the aviation field.

“As a soldier,” Diambou said, “I get to meet interesting people from all over the world, serve my country and make my education and career dreams come true.”