Virginia Air National Guard Airmen join with Civil Air Patrol in severe weather training exercise

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Meaghan E. M. Selki

192nd Fighter Wing

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Airmen with the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Intelligence Squadron based in Langley Air Force Base worked with the Civil Air Patrol at Newport News—Williamsburg International Airport during Commonwealth Guardian, a training exercise that used geospatial information technology to provide incident awareness and assessment during a simulated severe weather event.

During the exercise, the 192nd IS and CAP were tasked to provide damage assessments at six locations along Interstate 81.

CAP Maj. Jim E. Byrd, CAP mission pilot, and CAP 2nd Lt. Sanae S. Kenner, CAP mission observer, together with 192nd IS domestic operations planners, took off toward Bristol, Va., with geospatial information equipment aboard the aircraft. While Byrd and Kenner focused on piloting and navigating the aircraft, a 192nd IS observer deployed the image and video capturing capability at specific locations, transmitting the information to analysts on the ground.

“CAP aircraft are specially equipped for communications, visual search and rescue, and are relatively slow-moving, which is conducive to clarity in imaging operations,” said Byrd.

Meanwhile, back at the airport, 192nd IS domestic operations planners received near real-time footage and communicated with the airborne team via Internet chat to pass on additional needs.

The ability to provide that coverage in an inclement weather event, or other natural disasters and emergency events, is an invaluable resource to senior leaders to assist in making decisions about where personnel and resources should be allocated.

“This inter-agency partnership is a force multiplier that provides situational awareness to incident commanders so they can allocate resources appropriately and help ease the suffering of Virginia’s citizens during times of a disaster or loss of property,” said Col. Steven R. Swetnam, Virginia National Guard director of intelligence.

The 192nd IS typically performs missions delivering real-time, high-confidence intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products and services to joint and coalition forces and other government agencies.

Working with the CAP gave squadron members the opportunity to work in a different capacity.

“The Civil Air Patrol, as the non-combatant auxiliary of the United States Air Force, provides additional force multipliers for mission planners by utilizing CAP aircraft for geo-spatial imaging missions. CAP civilian crews are well-trained, non-paid volunteers, thus decreasing the cost of missions and utilizing local talent,” said Byrd.

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Prepares For Tropical Storm Isaac

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Justin Ailes Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- Base officials at Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay, Cuba set Condition of Readiness (COR) level 3 in preparation for tropical storm Isaac, Aug. 23.

COR conditions 5-1 notify base residents and EOC personnel on proper preparatory actions required to properly secure the installation.

COR 3 is set when destructive winds sustain greater than 50 knots and are anticipated to reach the installation within 48 hours.

According to NS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Commanding Officer Capt. J.R. Nettleton, as the storm pushes rain and heavy winds toward the installation, preparations on the island include closing the hangars, securing buildings, moving people who are at risk into sturdier buildings, and hauling boats out of the water.

"Making the choice to be prepared is one I'm always going to make, because it's about lives," said Nettleton.

During COR 3, community members are encouraged to organize essential supplies including a three-day meal supply including non-perishable food and water. Base residents are also advised to ensure their personal vehicles are fueled. All recreational swimming, diving, and boating is suspended.

Some weather models are forecasting that the storm's winds and rain could make landfall Aug. 25, affecting Cuba's southeast corner.

COR 4 was initiated base-wide Aug. 22, and all weather patterns were tracked and prioritized in order to advise residents of proper preparatory actions.

Emergency and essential personnel from NS Guantanamo Bay's Emergency Operations Center continue to evaluate and disseminate information as the storm progresses.

'Joining Forces' Exceeds Hiring Goals for Vets, Spouses

By Lisa Daniel, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The White House initiative to hire veterans and military spouses has surpassed its goals, having led to the hiring or training of more than 125,000 veterans and spouses in the past year, First Lady Michelle Obama announced Aug 22.

Speaking to sailors and their families at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., the first lady said 2,000 companies have hired 125,000 employees through their pledges to the "Joining Forces" campaign, and, of those, 140 employers have hired 28,000 military spouses.

"That's 125,000 people who are providing for their families, contributing to our economy and serving the country they love," Obama said.

The first lady said she has a clear message to troops, spouses and veterans: "When you finish your service to your nation, you've got 2,000 great companies waiting to bring you on board. These companies are not just making these commitments because it's the right thing to do, which it is, but because it's the right thing for their bottom line."

Obama said she had heard "a thousand times over" from heads of companies who say veterans and military spouses are their best employees.

Unemployment still is too high for veterans and military spouses, but Joining Forces has helped to push the national veteran unemployment rate down nearly 20 percent from a year ago, Obama said. The veteran unemployment rate in July was 6.9 percent, compared to 8.6 percent in July 2011, Joining Forces officials said during a call with reporters Aug. 21.

Though the initiative has exceeded its goals, Obama said, the participating companies have pledged to hire another 250,000 veterans and spouses, with at least 50,000 of that total being spouses. "It would be understandable if these companies just stopped now and patted themselves on the back and called it a day," the first lady said. "But these companies are doing just the opposite."

The first lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, started Joining Forces in April 2011 to rally Americans to actively support service members and their families in areas of employment, education and wellness. A year ago, President Barack Obama asked Joining Forces to challenge the private sector to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013.

"I thought this challenge was pretty ambitious," the first lady, said, noting that the effort was launched with just two partner companies. "Before long, companies all over this country had started stepping up." By April, they had hired 60,000 veterans and spouses, and by May, the number was 80,000. The federal government has made the same commitment, and veterans and spouses made up 28 percent of all federal hiring last year, a White House official told reporters.

Also at the event, Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, chief of naval personnel, said he supports Joining Forces because it has had "a huge impact" on Sailors, their spouses and veterans. "They've shined a spotlight on the unique needs and strengths of military families and veterans," he said.

The Joining Forces initiative to make professional licenses portable from state to state for military spouses is "near and dear to my heart," Van Buskirk said. His wife is a speech pathologist who has had to recertify multiple times, he explained.

"With constant transfers, our spouses face challenges that can be daunting," he added.

Face of Defense: Apache Pilot Fulfills Lifelong Dream

By Mollie Miller

1st Infantry Division

FORT RILEY, Kan. – Although Chief Warrant Officer 2 Laura Tanski first “slipped the surly bonds of Earth” as an Army aviator two years ago, she has been living in the clouds for most of her life.

“For as long as I can remember, my room was filled with airplanes and helicopters,” Tanski, an Apache helicopter pilot with the 1st Infantry Division’s 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, said recently. “I have always loved aviation, and I knew since I was a kid that I was going to fly.”

Tanski’s route to the skies began in her hometown of Dearborn Heights, Mich., long before she was even old enough to ride a bike, much less fly a helicopter.

“We were always attending air shows or visiting the air museum,” said Patricia Tanski, the Apache pilot’s mother. “Her passion for flying just grew and grew.”

While in high school, Tanski got her first taste of flight during flying lessons at a local airport. That quick taste, which included a rather harrowing solo flight in a snowstorm, left the young pilot hooked.

“I am fascinated by the fact that a huge machine like a plane or a helicopter can actually fly,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of that.”

After a short tour with the Air Force and a deployment to Iraq with the 25th Infantry Division as an Army air traffic controller, Tanski decided that it was time that she stopped managing aircraft from the ground. She put in her paperwork to attend flight school and was selected in early 2008.

“The day I got selected for flight school was the best day of my life,” she said. “I just kept looking at that selection list on the computer – I had to double and triple check it to make sure I was seeing things right.”

Tanski spent two years learning how to fly at Fort Rucker, Ala. The young aviator said the flying part came easy in the early days of flight school – she was, in fact, one of the first students in her class to fly solo. When the time came to select her advanced aircraft, she said, she had her heart set on one, and only one, airframe: the AH-64 Apache, one of the Army’s most lethal pieces of equipment.

“My intent has always been to get as close into the battle as possible, and I knew that the Apache was always right there in every mission.”

Her mother was not surprised that Tanski selected the Apache; she said she would have been more surprised if her daughter hadn’t selected the high-tech aircraft.

“Laura has always welcomed a challenge, so it was no surprise that she would choose the most challenging and complex helicopter,” she said.

When she began the Apache helicopter block of instruction, Tanski was the only woman in her class. Today, she is one of just four Apache pilots in her battalion, and one of fewer than 20 female helicopter pilots who call the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade home.

Being a member of such a small group has never made much of a difference to her, Tanski said. There is no difference between the soldiers to her left and right and the big brother who tore up and down the roads of Dearborn playing street hockey with his little sister, she explained.

“Having an older brother really prepared me for life in this unit and in the Army,” she said. “All the soldiers here are just like brothers to me. We play jokes on each other and have a good time, but we work hard, too. Our company is very close. It really is like a family down here.”

Now edging toward 300 total flight hours, including 80 combat hours, Tanski said she is looking forward to her future in Army aviation.

“I want to become an instructor pilot I had some fantastic instructors while I was at Fort Rucker, and I want to be able to teach others just like those great IPs taught me.”

She also has a few things to teach women who are blazing their own Army paths in fields typically dominated by men.

“Never give up, no matter who says you can’t do it,” she said. “If you want it, if this is your dream, go for it.”

Her daughter’s dedication to excellence and never ending pursuit of her dream has made the pilot’s mother quite proud of a little girl who used to save her allowance so she could buy rocket kits and host launch parties in the backyard.

“I feel my daughter is not only a role model for her family, especially her nieces, but for every woman who has a goal that she is working to accomplish,” she said. “Even I continue to be inspired by my daughter every day.”

New Suicide Prevention Therapy Tackles Psychological Trauma

By Jeffrey Soares, USAMRMC Public Affairs

The protection and treatment of warfighters was a primary focus of the 2012 Military Health System Research Symposium held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Aug. 12-16, and the prevention of suicide among military personnel both during active duty and upon their return was of paramount importance to both researchers and attendees.

In a breakout session dealing with advances in military suicide and psychological health research Aug. 15, Dr. Laura Neeley of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., offered insight regarding her study of Post Admission Cognitive Therapy, or PACT, for the prevention of suicide in military personnel with histories of trauma. 

Working with Dr. Marjan Holloway, Neeley’s research supports a link between psychological trauma and suicide-related behaviors.  Neely said PACT may help patients to cope effectively with suicidal thoughts and actions.

“The goal of our research,” Neeley explained, “is to develop and empirically evaluate a brief inpatient cognitive behavioral treatment for individuals with psychological trauma who have attempted suicide.”

The PACT program has three phases.  Phase I begins with an analysis of the patient’s current suicide attempt, and this leads into a cognitive conceptualization of the events leading up to the attempted suicide.  This involves retracing the thoughts of the individual to determine a mood set and behavior.  Phase II moves into cognitive restructuring, to review the negative automatic thoughts of the individual while looking for ways to modify these negative thoughts. 

Neeley said that when someone is in a highly emotional state, it is sometimes difficult to generate alternative ways of thinking, so she suggests the use of coping cards.  These cards contain positive statements that provide support to the person who may be in jeopardy of self-destruction.

“Patients can carry these cards in their pocket,” Neeley said, “and every time that they have an [event] that leads to an emotional reaction, they can take [one] out and read it to themselves, to start working on changing their thinking patterns, and working on emotional regulation.”

This second phase also includes the implementation of a hope kit, in which patients keep positive reminders inside of a box that they can pull out to remind themselves of the good things in life -- things worth living for.  These items can include photos, coping cards, journals, gifts or other things associated with good memories for the patient.

Finally, sessions in Phase III focus on relapse prevention and safety planning.

“In the final stage, we go through the suicide story again, but this time we rewrite it so the patient can incorporate her newly learned skills,” Neeley said.

In this stage, the patient must look for ways to challenge thoughts of negativity and suicide, and in doing so, should realize their own self-worth as well as the worthiness of people and things around them.

“We also have them create a safety plan for when they’re discharged,” Neeley said, “so that they know exactly what to do when they’re in crisis.”

Created by the patient, this safety plan not only contains certain scenarios of negative actions that the patient should watch for, but more importantly, it contains a list of positive reactions to use in order to squelch negative thoughts, as well as a list of contact persons who may help to calm down and reassure the patient.

Neeley said the patient’s own readiness to change may often provide a roadblock which is difficult to overcome. In the case of her clinical study patient, “We focused on changing her negative automatic thoughts, which related to a sense of poor self-efficacy, coping with trauma and other life domains.”

Neeley believes the results of this study support the need for evidence-based psychotherapy research for traumatized suicidal individuals.  Currently, her group is working on an inpatient cognitive behavioral treatment protocol for the treatment of trauma and suicide behavior.