Cape Ray Conducts Final Sea Trials for Syria Mission

By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2014 – The Military Sealift Command container ship MV Cape Ray left Portsmouth, Va., Jan. 10, to conduct its final sea trials in preparation for its upcoming mission to destroy Syrian chemical weapons, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said today.

During the sea trials, the crew and the Field-Deployable Hydrolysis System operators are evaluating the ship and the system at various sea states, Warren said.

“The crew conducted several training drills and assessed all systems aboard,” he said.

The ship is expected to return tomorrow for final outfitting before deploying to an as-yet undisclosed location in the Mediterranean Sea sometime late this week or early next week, Warren said.

The Cape Ray -- crewed by a mix of 35 civilian mariners, about 64 chemical specialists from the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland, a security team and representatives from U.S. European Command -- is expected to be underway for about two weeks before arriving at its destination, Warren said. Destruction of the chemical weapons is expected to take about 90 days.

The Field-Deployable Hydrolysis System was developed in response to a December 2012 request for U.S. assistance in destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile. It achieves a 99.9 percent destruction efficiency and converts bulk amounts of chemical warfare agents into compounds not usable as weapons.

Hagel Calls Israeli Counterpart to Express Condolences

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Israeli Defense Minister Moshe "Boogie" Yaalon this morning to offer his deepest condolences on the death of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

Sharon, 85, died Jan. 11. The former general and political leader had been in a coma since suffering a debilitating stroke in January 2006.

“Secretary Hagel praised Prime Minister Sharon as a leader who dedicated his life to defending Israel's security,” Kirby said in a statement summarizing the call. “The secretary shared with Minister Yaalon that he greatly admired the former prime minister and appreciated the strong relationship that they had formed during the secretary's time in the Senate.”

The two defense leaders reaffirmed the strength of the U.S-Israeli defense relationship, Kirby added, and pledged to continue to work closely together on the shared challenges that the United States and Israel face.

New SecAF to Airmen: With change comes opportunity

1/13/2014 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force's most senior leader gave insight into her life and shared career advice with Airmen across the Air Force during her first town hall Jan. 9.

Speaking from the Pentagon auditorium, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James spoke about her 32 years of defense experience, passing on lessons she's learned, and encouraging Airmen to view challenges as opportunities.

James, who grew up along the New Jersey shore, originally came to Washington D.C. with her lifelong dream of becoming a diplomat for the State Department.

But that dream job never happened.

"I prepared all these years, and now the dream was busted," James said. "... boy, was it devastating."

With a signed lease, James had to stay in the city and figure out a way to move on with her career.

"You have to pull up your socks and get on with it," James said. "That was when my dream shifted. I had to zig-zag in life."

In 1981, James began her career in the field of defense.

"Now, more than three decades later, that is where I have spent my professional life," James said of her experience, which includes everything from working for the Department of Defense to a related private sector industry.

James said her swearing in as the Air Force's 23rd secretary is "the culmination of that period," noting that not receiving what she thought was her dream job may have been a blessing in disguise.

James offered her story as an opportunity to talk to Airmen about how they approach their own career challenges today, particularly in the face of significant personnel cuts, forcing many to reconsider career opportunities.

"The projections are up to 25,000 reductions in personnel and hundreds of aircraft will come down as well," James said.

With these cuts, James encourages commanders and supervisors to go make the first move, and help their Airmen.

"Reach out to them, go on the offense, and give them some advice," said James, who encouraged mentorship throughout her address.

A theme in James' short tenure as secretary has been opportunity. Opportunity is what set James on the path of working for the Department of Defense.

"One door closes, another door opens," James said.

For Airmen who are looking to retire early or separate, or are worried they may be selected for involuntary separation, James encourages them to be proactive in their career, and to "own it."

"If you don't have enough information about your specialty and what is likely to happen in your career field, go on the offensive and ask questions until you get answers," James said.

Although budget uncertainty means the numbers remain fluid right now, James pledged that senior leaders will strive to be as open with information as possible. Her goal is to disclose as much information as possible, as quickly as possible.

"We're going to be transparent," James said. "That's our job. And get you as much information as possible so you can make those career decisions."

James, who was formally sworn in Dec. 20, 2013, implores Airmen to own their careers, whether that's as a member of the Air Force, or outside of the service.

"Manage your own career and take the reins so you can make a good judgment and proceed in your career," James said. "Seize the opportunity. Don't be afraid of the opportunity. You'll be better off for it."

Tinker's Mowles receives Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award

by Mike W. Ray
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

1/10/2014 - TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla.  -- The deputy director of the 76th Commodities Maintenance Group in the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex was named the outstanding Aircraft Maintenance Civilian Manager of 2012.

Mike Mowles received the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award on Jan. 7, 2014, from Lt. Gen. Judith Fedder, deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support at U.S. Air Force Headquarters. The presentation occurred in the Tinker Club Ballroom.

Marquez is a retired deputy chief of staff for logistics and engineering for the Air Force. The eponymous award is intended to recognize officials in the Air Force who excel in technological maintenance. The award recognizes base-level military and civil service aircraft, munitions and missile maintenance personnel who perform hands-on maintenance or manage a maintenance function.

Mowles was "pivotal" in the development of a honeycomb cutting and recore capability that helped extend the KC-135 Ruddervator life by more than 15 years, his citation reads. This capability also reduced labor standards by half, from 135 hours to 67, and "ultimately achieved $1.2 million in annual cost savings." Mowles also drove the execution of more than 30 improvement events across 30 shops, "as well as deploying nine point-of-use autocribs."

In addition, he pushed KC-135 boom production to new heights by implementing modular flow, overcoming contractor shortfalls, eliminating mission-incapable backorders, "and in the process smashed previous monthly records," the citation reads.

"This is an incredible honor for a country boy from western Oklahoma," Mowles said to the more than 100 military and civilian personnel who gathered for a Mentoring Lunch. "All I have ever tried to do here is the very best I could ... to try to make Tinker more cost-effective than it was when I got here."

As deputy director of the 76 CMXG, Mowles is responsible for approximately 2,000 personnel and 20 major production facilities that manufacture, repair, overhaul and test more than 175,000 aircraft and missile components each year. CMXG is the Air Force technology repair center for all air accessories, constant speed drives, fuel controls and oxygen-related items.

Mowles has risen through the ranks. He began his civil service career in 1985 as a welder. He joined the Commodities Maintenance Group in 1992 as a sheet metal mechanic and was promoted in 1996 to sheet metal supervisor over the B-1 Horizontal Stabilizer Shop. Three years later he was promoted to sheet metal supervisor over Manufacturing, and in 2004 he was promoted to a Section Chief.

In 2011 he was named director of the 551st Commodities Maintenance Squadron, and was elevated to deputy director of the 76 CMXG last May.

Besides his associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration, Mowles received 6 Sigma Executive training in 2006, Lean for Supervisors training in 2007, and 6 Sigma Green Belt training in 2010.

728th AMS supports German arrival at Incirlik

by 1st Lt. David Liapis
39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

1/13/2014 - INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- The 728th Air Mobility Squadron provided aircraft and personnel reception for more than 100 German soldiers who arrived at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey Jan. 9, 2014.

The German personnel who arrived will continue to Kahramanmaras, Turkey where they will assume responsibility for manning two Patriot missile batteries. This latest iteration of soliders continues more than a year of German support to the NATO mission to increase Turkey's air defense capabilities against Syrian ballistic missile threats.

The 728th AMS and 39th Air Base Wing have provided a variety of support to U.S., Dutch and German NATO forces such as aircraft and personnel processing, transportation, lodging and morale and welfare services since the Patriot batteries and associated personnel first arrived in Turkey in January, 2013.

Hurricane Hunters transition from tropical gales to arctic blasts

by Master Sgt. Brian Lamar
403rd Public Affairs

1/10/2014 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Maintaining constant awareness of what storm systems are doing is a concerted effort between the National Weather Service and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the Hurricane Hunters.

Each year, to combat the persistent threat of Jack Frost, the 53rd WRS, fly out over the icy waters of the U.S. East and West coasts as well as the Gulf of Mexico in order to collect, with dropsondes, barometric pressure, temperature and precipitation data.

The official Winter-Storm season for the Hurricane Hunters begins in January and lasts through March. Typically, the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico winter-storm missions are launched from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

To gather data from the Pacific storms, the 53rd forward deploys to Hickam Air Force Base, in Hawaii. This year, as an experiment, the U.S. National Weather Service will not task the Hurricane Hunters to fly into the Pacific.

"I believe that they are trying to do a cost effectiveness analysis by seeing if the predictions would still be accurate enough without the weather recon flights," said Maj. Jon Brady, 53rd WRS weather officer.

"Unlike the Gulf and East Coast storms, which only give us a few days' notice before they hit land, the Pacific storms begin to develop further away from land, which gives meteorologists more time to correct the storm models and give a more accurate prediction of the storms intensity," said Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, the squadron's chief meteorologist. "They are trying to determine how much value is in having a plane fly into a storm's path versus how much can be saved if it determined that a flight is not necessary," said Talbot.

During weather reconnaissance missions, the 53rd, provide the National Weather Service with additional observations in areas of uncertainty on storm-tracking models. Areas of uncertainty occur in the tracking models due to the lack of weather data collection devices in the middle of the ocean.

"The data stream is low out over the ocean; there are not any data points to collect from like we have on land. You can use satellite data, but it will usually only give you so much information," said Talbot.

Watching the news each night during a winter storm shows the deadliness of the storm and also the costs associated. Winter storms can last for weeks and dump a lot of expenses on the American population that ranges from snow plowing, destroyed crops and livestock to infrastructure damage.

"Winter storms, on average, kill more Americans each year than hurricanes do," said Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, the squadron's Chief Meteorologist. "On average, an inch of snow removal for a city like New York City, can cost one million dollars. If the data we collect provides the national weather service with a more accurate prediction, cities can be better prepared lives and property can be saved," said Talbot.

Top Admiral for SAPR Talks Leadership, Accountability, and CSADD

By Lt. Stephanie Homick, Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The director of the 21st Century Sailor Office began his weeklong fleet engagement visit in San Diego Jan. 13.

Rear Adm. Sean Buck, the Navy's sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) officer, kicked off the week by officially opening the SAPR Forum hosted by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The SAPR Forum includes a variety of Sailors, enlisted and officers, who have volunteered to be part of a collaborative research and analysis project with NPS to develop Fleet communication strategies and messages that will help accomplish the Navy's SAPR vision.

"Be honest with me here," Buck said. "Who feels as if they've been super-saturated with SAPR training?

A majority of the Sailors raised their hands.

"Before I came into this job, I felt that I had received a lot of SAPR training too," Buck continued. "Then I learned that training has a half-life of only 90 days. Therefore we need to continue coming up with new ways to train and keep the material fresh. I want to hear from the Fleet what you like and what you don't like about our training, how we should move forward with our training. What works? What do you want to hear and how do you want to hear it?"

This request for feedback from volunteers in the SAPR Forum was only the first of many requests for ideas from the Fleet.

Buck met with local Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) chapters to hear what the Sailors were planning for the coming year. Each chapter runs its own program to help Sailors choose alternative activities to drinking on their off-duty time in hopes of steering Sailors away from destructive decisions and actions.

Buck praised the Sailors for how they were helping their fellow shipmates make good and asked for their thoughts on how the Navy can do even more to help Sailors avoid destructive decisions.

"CSADD is a game-changer," Buck said. "Fleet Sailors are going to solve our sexual assault problem through peer pressure that can help change the culture of our society. CSADD Sailors can influence their fellow shipmates and that's what's going to help Sailors make the right choices in difficult situations."

After a question and answer session with the CSADD chapter members, Buck toured Pacific Beacon, an enlisted housing area aboard Naval Base San Diego.

"Sailors get to enjoy a quiet and friendly living environment here," said Terry Copeland, the community director of Pacific Beacon. "We provide amenities and activities that keep the Sailors happy and busy after their work day is over. We're all on a first name basis here at Pacific Beacon."

A new sexual assault prevention effort first went into effect at Pacific Beacon in the form of roving patrols. These patrols are designed to look after shipmates who may be in trouble. Since patrols began in early 2012, Pacific Beacon has seen liberty incidents decrease.

In the afternoon, Buck met with local commanding officers, executive officers and command master chiefs from all over the Southwest Region. Holding a command triad call, Buck stressed the importance of their leadership in creating an environment of dignity and respect in their units.

"This is the year of accountability," said Buck. "Commanding officers, executive officers, command master chiefs - you are responsible for your commands and the environment in which your Sailors work."

Later this week, Buck will meet with local Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) and Victim Advocates (VAs). He also plans to engage with Operational Stress Control Mobile Training Teams (OSC MTTs) which were recently established to provide training on managing stress and being resilient to deploying units, a new mandatory requirement instituted in 2013.

Buck will also hold E-6 and below, E-7 to O-6 and chaplains calls where he will talk about the importance of being an active bystander and ask for feedback from the fleet on how the Navy can work to make Sailors more resilient. Even on day one, Buck has solicited feedback from the Fleet and he says he's getting it.

Buck is the director, 21st Century Sailor Office, which is responsible for total Sailor fitness, resilience and readiness. The office is also the Navy lead on suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention and response, hazing prevention, fitness and nutrition, personal and family readiness, and the "Keep What You've Earned" campaign.

Hagel Honors Johnstone for Work on U.S.-Japan Issues

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

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato presented the ambassador’s namesake prize to Pentagon Asia policy expert Christopher Johnstone in honor of his contributions toward strengthening U.S.-Japanese relations.

“We’re here to honor Chris Johnstone … for his dedication to strengthening U.S.-Japanese relations, in particular, the U.S.-Japan Alliance,” Hagel said.

Hagel was joined by the current Japanese ambassador to Washington Kenichiro Sasae as Johnstone, accompanied by his wife, Mikiko, was recognized for his dedication to the two nations.

“Everyone in this room has done an awful lot to strengthen that alliance over your careers and your lives,” Hagel said. This group understands this recognition as well as anyone, he said.

The Kato Prize was created in 2008 to honor the career and spirit of Ambassador Kato when he retired as Japan’s U.S. ambassador.  Kato was recognized for inspiring a generation of Japanese and American officials with his persistent and patriotic commitment to building a stronger alliance.

Johnstone’s award credited him with playing a central role in launching the bilateral defense guidelines review, navigating the tensions in the East China Sea, and achieving new progress on bilateral plans to realign U.S. forces on Okinawa and in the Western Pacific.

During the ceremony, Hagel noted Kato’s affinity for quoting former Secretary of State George Schultz.

“Shultz once said that working with allies is a lot like gardening,” Hagel said. “It requires constant attention, constant effort.”

“Chris Johnstone has proven himself to be an exceptional gardener all his career, and especially here at DOD since he arrived in 2010,” Hagel said.

“Everyone who works on Asia policy at DOD -- and some are here -- know that Chris has played a critical role in helping this alliance grow, and this alliance strengthen and deepen,” Hagel said.

The defense secretary said when the outside policy community recognizes someone that is making a difference “that’s something very special.”

“It represents the real-world impact of Chris’s quiet determination to strengthen our alliance since he first visited Japan more than 20 years ago.” “Over the last four months, Chris’ efforts have yielded significant and tangible progress,” he added.

Hagel pointed to the first 2+2 meeting between U.S. and Japanese ministers and secretaries of state and defense which were held in Japan as part of that progress.

“We announced that for the first time since 1997, we’ll be revising the guidelines for U.S.-Japan defense cooperation.” The most significant milestone achieved so far, Hagel said, is in the realignment of U.S. forces on Okinawa which happened when the landfill permit for the Futenma Replacement Facility was approved.

“All of this serves as a very clear demonstration that the U.S.-Japan Alliance can handle complex and difficult problems that might otherwise prevent us from effectively dealing with 21st century security challenges,” Hagel said.

“And it would not have been possible without Chris's leadership, his persistence, his hard work, and his gardening,” he added.

The defense secretary also highlighted a note he received from the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Carline Kennedy “extending her congratulations” to Johnstone.

“‘We appreciate Chris’s dedication to the U.S.-Japan Alliance, including his steadfast work on the 2013 2+2 joint statement,’” Hagel quoted. “‘Chris, your commitment and example is an inspiration to all ‘alliance managers,’ and we look forward to continuing to work alongside you in the future.’”

Hagel expressed his gratitude to Johnstone for his “indispensable role in helping take the U.S.-Japan relationship to the next level.”

“We are all grateful for your service, and we are all very proud of your accomplishments,” he said. “And I appreciate the support you have provided me, as you have other leaders of this institution over the years.”

“We all wish you much continued success, and to Mikiko,” Hagel said. “And we thank you.”

920th Rescue Wing recalls 'Lone Survivor' mission

by 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs

1/11/2014 - KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- For this week's edition of Flashback Friday, we travel to the Hindu Kush mountain range in northeastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, where a group of 920th Rescue Wing reservists made history.

It was there, in June of 2005, that 25 reservists from the 920th Rescue Wing rescued Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL on the run from the Taliban after all the other members of his SEAL team had been killed in an ambush during a covert operation.

Luttrell documented his ordeal in the bestselling novel "Lone Survivor," the Hollywood movie adaptation of which opened in theaters around the country this week.

Wing members also conducted the recovery operation to retrieve the remains of Luttrell's fallen SEAL team, including Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the operation.

Many of the reservists involved with the rescue and recovery missions are still members of the 920th, including wing commander Col. Jeffrey Macrander, who piloted one of the HH-60G Pave Hawks used to rescue Luttrell.

For the colonel, a command pilot with more than 4,500 hours in five aircraft (including four different helicopters), saving the lives of servicemembers caught behind enemy lines is more than just a job.

"My life goal was to be a combat rescue pilot," said Macrander, who began his career in rescue in 1988 as a C/HH-3E mission pilot at the 38th Rescue Squadron, Osan Air Base, Korea.
In addition to Macrander, seven members of the rescue/recovery team are assigned to the 920th RQW at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. They are:

HH-60G Pave Hawk pilots Lt. Col. Paul Nevius and Lt. Col. John Lowe; assistant director of operations Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Schwarz; special missions aviation support Senior Master Sgt. Randolph Wells; and pararescuemen Senior Master Sgt. Michael Ziegler, Master Sgt. Chris Seinkner and Master Sgt. Daniel Murray.

The book and movie versions of Lone Survivor are not the only media adaptations of Luttrell's story. The 920th Rescue Wing was featured in the Smithsonian Channel television series "Helicopter Wars," in which an entire episode, called "The Taliban Gambit,' was devoted specifically to the wing's role in the rescue mission.

Since 1956, the 920th Rescue Wing has saved more than 3,800 lives, including 850 combat rescues and 3,000 peacetime rescues, such as the 1,043 lives the wing saved during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

For more information on the 920th RQW, log onto: Facebook/920th Rescue Wing (Government Organization) or visit their web site at www.920rqw.afrc.af.mil.

914th Airlift Wing Airmen deploy

1/10/2014 - NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. -- More than 100 operations and maintenance Airmen from the 914th Airlift Wing deployed Jan. 9 to Southwest Asia in support of contingency operations.

The reservists will provide aircraft maintenance, medical evacuations and deliver combat cargo such as food, water, ammunition and medical supplies critically necessary to service members fighting in remote areas in that part of the world.

"Our western New York reservists are trained to the same readiness levels as active-duty Airmen," said Col. Walter Gordon, 914th Airlift Wing commander. "They leave fully prepared to maintain and employ our C-130 aircraft in support of USCENTCOM objectives across its broad spectrum of warfighter roles."

Dyess Bowling Program recognized as ACC's best of the year

by Senior Airman Kia Atkins
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

1/13/2014 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- On Dec. 5, the 7th Force Support Squadron's Bowling Program was announced as the best in Air Combat Command and will go on to compete at Air Force Level.

"The award validates that we are providing a good service to our customers," said Stephen Bush, 7th FSS bowling program manager. "It also validates all my employees' hard work to make Dyess Lanes a customer-oriented facility for Team Dyess, so we feel great about it."

One of the reasons Bush attributes Dyess Lanes winning the best bowling program of the year is due to its financial management.

"We try to give our customers what they want and by doing that we have made money ten months in a row," Bush said. "When we make money here at the bowling alley, the money goes back into the overall fund for the base, which goes back to the Airman and Family Readiness Center."

Special events are held at the bowling alley at least once or twice a month and specials on food are presented daily.

"We offer single Airmen bowling, both for enlisted and officers, where they can come in from 9 p.m. until midnight on Friday and bowl for free," Bush said.

For single Airmen living in the dorms, the location of the bowling alley gives them a place to go where they can have an enjoyable time with friends.

"I think Dyess Lanes is great because they offer free bowling on a regular basis," said Airman 1st Class Raphael Gibbs, 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion apprentice. "The food is good and reasonably priced. Besides the fact that it's close, I choose to bowl so I can hang out with my friends and co-workers."

Dyess Lanes is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Saturday from 4 p.m. until midnight. A variety of bowling programs are offered at the bowling alley to include: birthday parties, squadron events, Saturday Thunder Alley, bowling leagues, specialty tournaments and many other programs.

3rd Wing chief shares journey from L.A. gang to Air Force blue

by Randy Roughton
Airman Magazine

1/13/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- As a young teenager, the Los Angeles gang member who would one day become an Air Force command chief was already realizing the inconsistencies in his life. His grandmother confronted him with the differences between his attire and behavior when he visited her compared to how he appeared and acted on the streets.

"You're Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," she told him. "Because when you come see me, you're in your polo shirts and look all clean. But then you go on the street, and you're wearing your Dickies and white T-shirts."

Chief Master Sgt. Jose A. Barraza knew she was right.

"I was an absolute contradiction," he said. "But that's just the way it was."

The contradictions are still quite prevalent in Barraza's life, although they have changed somewhat, along with the shifting of his priorities during his evolution from a street thug into an ultra-energetic and positive Air Force leader. From the moment he arrives at the 3rd Wing headquarters at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where he serves as command chief, Barraza takes a personal interest in each person he meets. Each one gets a smile, an occasional hug and his characteristic "hooah."

"I have those naysayers who think, 'Oh, brother, here he comes. I don't want your sunshine today, Chief Barraza,'" he said. "'I want it to rain on me today. Just take your sunshine somewhere else.'

"To this day, people still say, 'You're weird. You're crazy.' I had someone tell me, 'You need to turn it down.' I said, 'No, man. You need to turn it up.'"

Every item in Barraza's office is there to teach important values to visitors. He has a lesson for everything, from the poem about the difference between being an eagle or a wolf in life on his wall to the orange reflective vest he wore while cutting grass at the base's Heritage Park. But usually the first thing visitors see is a chessboard with a pawn in the center. To Barraza, the pawn symbolizes the individual Airman, who he strongly believes is the Air Force's most valuable asset.

Most Airmen who know Barraza's story are warmed by his presence, particularly those in the air traffic control tower who remember how he played taps at a memorial service after tragedy struck one of their own. He stood outside in the rain greeting and encouraging mourners as they entered and exited the base chapel.

"Chief Barraza is bottled lightning and infectious energy," said Air Force Master Sgt. Joseph Sollers, the 3rd Wing air traffic control assistant chief controller. "He comes in, and everyone is all smiles, and everybody takes a little break to make sure they get a chance to talk to him and hear his message."

Young Airmen, in particular, find their command chief's personality as infectious as they find his background incredible. He never lets them down, because his story is important to him, partly because it's how he landed in the position he's in today but also because of the influence it has on the Airmen who will one day become the service's leaders.

"We all have a story," he said. "Everybody has a story, and it doesn't matter if you haven't been shot or stabbed. What matters is that you know you have a story and how to share it. The importance of sharing your story is somebody is going to learn from it."

SOUTHCENTRAL L.A.

Barraza's story began when he was born to two rival gang members in south central Los Angeles in 1971. His home was the host for many large family celebrations, and the young child admired his father and other family members and noticed the respect they had and wanted it for himself.

"What I noticed over time was the influence of respect," he said. "I didn't know what anybody did. All I knew was when somebody came around, they treated my uncles and father a certain way, and I wanted that same respect."

A huge void was left in Barraza's life when a succession of men failed to become positive male role models for him. Eventually, the "homeboys" the 11-year-old Barraza respected began noticing him. One day, a couple of older gang members confronted him.

"I thought this was an opportunity because, as I assessed them and their influence, I saw that people respected them just like I respected my father, aunts and uncles," he said. "So I wanted to be the same thing. I didn't know what it was going to take, I just knew I wanted it."

One day, near the Vincent Thomas Bridge connecting San Pedro with Long Beach, Barraza thought he was just hanging out with the "homeboys and homegirls" he admired. Cars were parked to block the roads in both directions, and suddenly he was pushed into the center of the crowd and surrounded by three boys, each at least four years older than he. They began whaling on him, and as he tried to hit one of them back, another hit him on the back of the head. As the beating continued, he fell to the ground until he heard someone yell "Stop!"

But soon the fight resumed, and he was on the ground again, with blood streaming down his face and his white shirt now covered with dirt. After several rounds of similar combat, he heard the word "stop" for the final time, followed by the sound of cheering. As they helped him up, they congratulated him. "Stand up, homey," a 22-year-old gang member told him. "You're a man now."

As his eyes began to focus again, the first thing Barraza saw was the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

"That bridge became the symbol of my life," he said. "Because that day, I knew I was now part of something big. After that night, my life changed. At 11 years old, I was never going to be that little boy walking around again."

When he reached home, Barraza didn't have to tell his mother what he'd experienced. From her own gang background, she already knew and just cleaned his face.
"I wanted to cry, but that man couldn't cry," Barraza said. "My mom wanted to cry, but she didn't cry."

About a year after his initiation, Barraza, then 12, got shot for the first time. His new friends wrapped his leg, and he walked home, where his mother took him to the hospital.

A CONFLICTED WORLD

Another of the contradictions Barraza remembers from that period of his life was he didn't engage in many of the behaviors his gang brothers and sisters did, such as alcohol and drugs. But he quickly discovered he loved to fight. He was willing to use his fists virtually at any sign of disrespect toward him or his brothers and sisters and soon became known simply as "The Fighter," much like his mother when she was an active gang member.
"When I would kick back with the homeboys on the street, they would be doing their thing," he said. "But any time someone would talk trash about me, I had one result. 'Let's go, homie. Talk trash, throw down.'"

Now, though, his mother tried to get her son away from that life and put him in boxing, where he was just as successful as he was on the streets. Other adults also began planting seeds of hope in the youngster, taking advantages of opportunities the men in his life missed during his childhood. Two teachers, now both deceased, tried to give him more positive outlets than fighting and life on the streets.

"I was conflicted in my own world," Barraza said. "Somebody was trying to educate me to be more, but I still wanted to go back to that world that I've always known. I was a contradiction every day. So I started learning how to shift between the homeboys and the classroom. I had to find ways to control that guy in my new environment."

But then came the day when another fight changed his life yet again. In the middle of a gang fight at a pizza parlor, Barraza was stabbed in his leg, and he responded with a punch that almost killed a rival gang member, resulting in an arrest and his life in the hands of a judge. The judge gave Barraza the option of a felony assault conviction with 2,500 hours of community service and no jail time or rehabilitation time without a felony on his record. However, no matter which option he chose, more charges could be added if the victim didn't recover. As the judge demanded an immediate decision, Barraza turned to look at his mother.

"'Jose, you've got to go away,'" she told him. "'If you come back, you won't have a life.'"
Barraza said he knew his mother was right, and he had to trust her.

"So with hate in my eyes, I took the second option to go away," he said.

AIR FORCE BLUE

Three months before graduating from high school, Barraza got shot for the fifth and final time. As he saw the faces of his mother and sisters at his bedside, he knew his life had to change for their safety.

"If I end up dead, who will take care of my mom?" he asked himself. "It was a defining moment that I could not stay."

The blue dominating the Air Force recruiting office grabbed his attention because blue was a favored color of his gang affiliation, and the recruiter cinched the deal. To this day, Barraza calls that day his Air Force birthday, "the day when I changed my life."

"He told me, 'It's for all our Airmen,'" Barraza said. "I thought he was joking, and I even challenged him on his beliefs of leadership. He reminded me to follow.

"None of this: my motivation, my willingness to change, my hooah, none of it would've ever been known without Tech. Sgt. Tony R. DeMarini," he said. "I credit my change in belief through his leadership. It was he who saw my potential and kept telling me to follow. He taught me to believe in myself and to believe in a positive future. After that day, I followed and learned. So even though I appreciate and honor the stories told by the tattoos on my body, I learned to believe why it was important to cover up."

That is why he wears long sleeves, even when running in 103-degree temperatures in Montgomery, Ala., while there for the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy in 2006. Since processing for basic training, Barraza learned to keep his tattoos and background hidden. He has certain tattoos that he wants to keep because they help to tell the story of his life.

In fact, he kept his story to himself until the police officer who arrested him in 1986 came to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to speak about the gang problem. After the officer's talk, the police officer told the wing commander Barraza could connect to young Airmen better than any police officer or other authority figure could.

It took some convincing from the commander and his first sergeant, Barraza said, but he eventually shared his story. Soon after, Barraza said Airmen were calling for one-on-one counseling and mentorship at his house. He later shared his story at the Air Force Senior NCO Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., and again when he returned as an instructor.

The three most influential people in his early life, his former teachers and his mother, are gone now. His mother died of cancer about eight years ago, and Barraza has kept his head shaven to honor her memory and to support anyone who's fighting the disease. The days of fighting for respect in Los Angeles seem like a lifetime ago.

Still, there are still times when the chief admits his grandmother's Dr. Jekyll comparison still bubbles to the surface, mostly when he feels strongly about an issue and makes his point clearly and directly. But for the most part, he's happy spreading his brand of "hooah" sunshine and using his own story to encourage others to share theirs.

"The chance to infect others with positive energy and lift their spirits surrounds us every day," Barraza said. "Chief DeMarini took advantage of that when he was a technical sergeant and I was an Airman. It doesn't matter how many or how few stripes we have on our arms, although our voice gets a little bit louder with each new stripe. There's no contradiction inside me on that - I know I have an opportunity to help them, and I don't ever want to miss it."