Rewarding valor

by Airman 1st Class Saphfire Cook
355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

12/30/2013 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz.  -- Special Agent Nicolo Solarino earned a Bronze Star Medal with Valor for saving an Airman's life following a rocket attack on a base in Southwest Asia in 2004.

Solarino, currently assigned to Air Force Office of Special Investigations Det. 217, received the medal during a ceremony held at the Mirage Club here, Nov. 26.

At the timeof the rocket attack, Solarino was a senior airman assigned to the 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in Southwest Asia.

"When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to do one of two things: join the military or become a cop," Solarino said. "Security Forces afforded me the opportunity to have both sides of the coin."

On Sept. 11, 2004, he was performing customs inspections on personnel and equipment when his post came under attack.

A 107 millimeter rocket detonated nearby and Solarino was thrown approximately 10 feet. Once he recovered, he assessed his surroundings and noticed a fellow Airman down and suffering from life-threatening injuries.

"I could see the fear in Nic [Solarino's] eyes and I know he could see it in mine," said retired Senior Airman Brian Koflage, wounded warrior. "I was laying there, legs and hand gone, but I was still conscious. I just remember Nic [Solarino] telling me that everything was going to be okay while he worked to save my life."

While still under enemy fire, Solarino made his way back to his tent and retrieved Self-Aid Buddy Care supplies, personal protective equipment and Koflage's identification. Once Solarino returned, he and another Airman continued to perform emergency medical care on Koflage, all while using their bodies to shield him from subsequent rocket attacks.

"One of the things I've noticed about Solarino is his ability to think 10 steps ahead while staying in the present," said Special Agent Emily Gebo, AFOSI Det. 217 commander and the ceremony's presiding official. "That skill is what helped him save a fellow Airman's life that day."

Solarino stayed with Koflage until emergency medical personnel arrived and transported him to a field hospital.

"After what we went through together that day, our paths are forever intertwined," Solarino said.

As a boy, Solarino collected Gulf War and Desert Storm trading cards. To commemorate his heroics, Koflage went to a card company and had a trading card made in Solarino's honor.

"My actions that day are forever memorialized on this card," Solarino said. "As someone who collected these types of cards, this is a huge honor."

Family members, base leadership and Congressman Ron Barber, second district of Arizona representative, attended the ceremony. 

"Solarino is a quiet and humble professional," Gebo said. "If it wasn't for the efforts of Senior Airman Koflage to get him recognized, we may never have even known about his actions."

The Bronze Star is awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement of service and is the eighth highest award that can be received. It is one of four medals presented for heroism.

"A lot of credit goes to the doctors who worked on me after the attack and, yes, ultimately they saved my life," Koflage said. "But I think about it like this: if not for Nic [Solarino] and what he did, they wouldn't have even had the chance."

Airlift Operations Complete in Central African Republic

By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2013 – Initial airlift operations are complete in the Central African Republic, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said here today.

A small U.S. Air Force support team and two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft began airlift operations Dec. 12 in response to a French request for airlift support. The U.S. airmen conducted 16 flights from Burundi to the Central African Republic, Warren said, transporting 857 Burundi troops, 73 pallets of equipment and 18 Burundian military vehicles.

The Burundi troops -- a light infantry battalion -- are part of an African Union-led international support mission intended to help prevent the further spread of sectarian violence, Assistant Pentagon Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a Dec. 9 statement.

Fewer than 10 Americans remain on the ground serving as liaisons with the French military, Warren said.

Also, three of the four U.S. service members wounded Dec. 21 in South Sudan have returned to the United States for treatment, Warren said. The fourth remains in a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

All four service members are in stable condition, a Defense Department spokesman said.

The service members were wounded when they attempted to evacuate Americans from the town of Bor, South Sudan, according to a U.S. Africa Command statement. They were hit by small-arms fire from unknown forces when their three CV-22 Osprey aircraft attempted to land in Bor. Africom is reviewing the incident, Warren said.

To date, more than 870 people have been evacuated from South Sudan on a mix of military and charter aircraft, he said. The Defense Department has flown three airlift missions with C-130 Hercules aircraft and one mission with a C-12 Huron.

Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, Africom’s commander, ordered a platoon-sized element of Marines and a Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft to Entebbe, Uganda, on Dec. 24 to serve as a contingency force, Warren said. The Marines are part of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, based at Moron Air Base, Spain, and were initially sent to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, before being moved to Uganda.

Rodriguez had earlier ordered elements of the East Africa Response Force to be positioned in Juba, South Sudan, to augment security at the embassy.

“This is all exactly what you’d expect [given the security situation],” Warren said. “It’s a combatant commander positioning forces in such a way that he’s got options.”

Into the Storm: A U.S. Marine in the Persian Gulf War

The February 22, 2014, episode of American Heroes Radio features a conversation with former United States Marine Phillip Thompson, the author of Into the Storm: A U.S. Marine in the Persian Gulf War.

Program Date:  February 22, 2014

Program Time: 1500 hours, PACIFIC

Topic: Into the Storm: A U.S. Marine in the Persian Gulf War

Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lawenforcement/2014/02/22/into-the-storm-a-us-marine-in-the-persian-gulf-war

About the Guest

Phillip Thompson “was born in Columbus, Mississippi. Writing from an early age, he graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in journalism, then was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps. He served on active duty for 12 years as an artillery officer in California, Hawaii and aboard the USS Missouri and participated in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Since leaving the Marine Corps, he has worked as: a reporter and editor in Mississippi and Virginia; the managing editor of Marine Corps Times; a defense analyst; U.S. Senate aide; speechwriter for the Secretary of the Army, and communications consultant. The author of Enemy Within and Into the Storm: A U.S. Marine in the Persian Gulf War, his writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines across the Deep South and East Coast, including The Washington Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Civil War magazine.”  Phillip Thompson is the author of Into the Storm: A U.S. Marine in the Persian Gulf War, Deep Blood and A Simple Murder.

About the Watering Hole

The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life.  Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

           

About the Host

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years.  He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant.  He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University.  He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership.  Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One.  He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen from the Archive: http://www.hitechcj.com/americanheroesradio/into_the_storm.html

Program Contact Information

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA

editor@police-writers.com

909.599.7530

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/224846117698376

Inside the Air Force Office of Special Investigations

The February 15, 2014, episode of American Heroes Radio features a conversation with Colonel Bob Doerr, USAF (ret.), the author of Loose Ends Kill, Dead Men Can Kill, Cold Winter’s Kill and Another Colorado Kill.

Program Date:  February 15, 2014

Program Time: 1500 hours, PACIFIC

Topic: Inside the Air Force Office of Special Investigations

Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lawenforcement/2014/02/15/inside-the-air-force-office-of-special-investigations

About the Guest

Colonel Bob Doerr, USAF (ret.), “grew up in a military family, graduated from the Air Force Academy, and had a career of his own in the Air Force.  Bob specialized in criminal investigations and counterintelligence gaining significant insight to the worlds of crime, espionage and terrorism. His work brought him into close coordination with the security agencies of many different countries and filled his mind with the fascinating plots and characters found in his books today. His education credits include a Masters in International Relations from Creighton University. 

A full time author, he has published five mystery/thrillers and was selected by the Military Writers Society of America as its Author of the Year for 2013. The Eric Hoffer Awards awarded No One Else to Kill it first runner up to the grand prize in the category of commercial fiction for 2013. Two of his other books were selected as finalists for the Eric Hoffer Award in earlier contests. Loose Ends Kill was awarded the 2011 Silver medal for Fiction/mystery by the Military Writers Society of America. Another Colorado Kill received the same Silver medal in 2012 and the silver medal for general fiction at the Branson Stars and Flags national book contest in 2012.  A novella titled The Enchanted Coin which he wrote with his granddaughter for middle grade readers was released in September 2013.  Bob lives in Garden Ridge, Texas, with Leigh, his wife of 40 years, and Cinco, their ornery cat.”

About the Watering Hole

The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life.  Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

           

About the Host

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years.  He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant.  He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University.  He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership.  Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One.  He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen from the Archive: http://www.hitechcj.com/americanheroesradio/inside_air_force_office_of_special_investigations.html

Program Contact Information

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA

editor@police-writers.com

909.599.7530

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/758700900824213

New York Guard to render final honors for 10,000 veterans by end of 2013

By Eric Durr

HUDSON, N.Y. (12/27/13) - The New York Military Forces Honor Guard expects to have provided funeral services for just over 10,000 families in 2013 by the time 2014 arrives at midnight Dec. 31.

For the New York Army National Guard team, this is slightly less than the 10,175 funerals the New York Military Forces Honor Guard conducted in 2012, and well below the peak of 10,752 military funerals conducted in 2011.

This decline is not unexpected as the World War II generation, with its millions of service members, ages and passes, said Chief Warrant Officer Ryan Comstock, the honor guard officer-in-charge.

The Honor Guard anticipates performing about 265 funerals before 2013 ends, said Staff Sgt. Erwin Dominguez, the operations sergeant for the Honor Guard. As of Dec. 23, 2013, the New York Military Forces Honor Guard has provided services for 9,735 ceremonies.

During 2013, the Honor Guard also performed its 100,000th funeral since it first organized in 1999, Comstock added.

Since 2000, federal law has mandated that any military veteran who did not receive a dishonorable discharge from the armed forces is eligible for military honors at his or her funeral. The ceremony must include the folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to the veteran's survivors and the playing of Taps.

The New York Army National Guard Honor Guard employs 35 Soldiers on a full-time basis to man the funeral details and calls upon 135 other Soldiers on an as-needed basis to help, Comstock said. They operate from eight regional offices. About a third of the Honor Guard Soldiers are women.

Doing the job is incredibly rewarding, said Pvt. Shelbi Vanderbogart, a member of the 206th Military Police Company who lives in Averill Park, N.Y.

"This is a great privilege," said Vanderbogart, who has provided services at more than 150 funerals since he joined the Honor Guard in May, 2013.

At least two members of the armed forces must be present for the ceremony. The New York Honor Guard normally sends two Soldiers to fold the flag and play Taps, Dominguez said.

The federal law requires that at least one of the service members at a veteran's funeral must be from the deceased veteran's service.

Veterans who served for 20 years or more and retired from the military, those who received certain medals for heroism for their service, general officers and Soldiers who have died in combat receive more elaborate services.

A veteran in this category of "full military honors" can receive a nine-member detail which provides pall bearers who can also serve as the firing party for a final three-volley salute with rifles loaded with blanks, a bugler and Soldiers to fold the flag and present it to the next of kin, according to Army regulations.

More members can be added to the funeral detail, which includes a military chaplain and separate pall-bearers and firing party if available. This is normally done for the funeral of a service member killed in action.

The New York Honor Guard has been performing more than 10,000 funerals annually since the federal law in 2000 mandating military funerals for veterans.

New York is home to 943,000 veterans, according to the most recent Department of Veterans Affairs statistics from late 2012. Of those veterans, more than 300,000 are age 65 and older.

Originally the bulk of the veterans being buried by the Honor Guard were from the World War II generation, Comstock said. Now that is starting to shift to those who served in The Korean War (1950 to 1953) and the families of more and more Vietnam Era veterans are now asking for services from the Honor Guard, he said.

The busiest Honor Guard office is on Long Island, Comstock said, which handled 3,518 military funerals as of Dec. 23. The office based in Horseheads, N.Y., handled the fewest military funerals at 607 during 2013.

The large population in the New York City/Long Island region and the presence of the Long Island National Cemetery and Calverton National Cemetery accounts for the larger number, Comstock said.
The New York Army National Guard Military Forces Honor Guard was launched in 1999 as a state-funded effort. Since 2000, the federal government has funded the program, with some state financial support in the past.

Currently, the federal government covers the cost of the Honor Guard: $2.3 million in fiscal year 2013, with $1.95 million budgeted for fiscal year 2014, which began Oct. 1.

All Honor Guard members must go through a week-long training program in drill and ceremonies to qualify as Honor Guard members, Comstock said.

The New York Honor Guard normally provides services at the funeral of Army veterans, historically the largest of the services, but can provide services for any veteran if the veteran's service cannot provide a detail.

Funeral home directors are responsible for contacting one of the Honor Guard's local offices when a deceased veteran's family requests military funeral honors. Families are asked to provide proof of the deceased service, normally the Department of Defense Form 214, known as a DD214, which service members receive when they leave the military, or an honorable or general discharge certificate.

One of the most critical moments at any military funeral is the playing of Taps, the Civil War-era bugle call which has signified a dignified end to a service member's life since then.

Taps at more than 90 percent of the funerals the New York Military Forces conduct each year is played on a ceremonial or electronic bugle, Comstock said. This is a bugle with an electronic device inside which plays the tune.

More than 16,000 are in use across the country, although live human buglers are used when appropriate.

Prior to this innovation, Taps at most Honor Guard funerals was provided as a recording with a boom box or other music device.

Military Funeral services provided by New York Military Forces Honor Guard regional Offices for 2013 as of Dec. 23:

• New York City-1,404
• Long Island-3,518
• Hudson Valley-764
• Capital Region -779
• Southern Tier-607
• Western New York-1,211
• Rochester Area-739
• Central New York-713

VAFB firefighters, leaders gather to remember 36th anniversary of Honda Ridge Fire

by Staff Sgt. Erica Picariello

12/27/2013 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.  -- Members of the Vandenberg Fire Department and senior base officials met on South Base Dec. 20th to honor the memory of Team V personnel who perished in the Honda Ridge Fire 36 years ago.

"Fires on this base usually burn low-frequency but high-intensity," said Jesse Hendricks, Vandenberg Hot Shots superintendent. "So when we do have fires on this base, they burn hot. About 51,000 acres of 91,000 acres of this installation is brush and wildlife."
This held true on the morning of Dec. 20, 1977, when high winds caused a power pole to snap, allegedly igniting the dense chaparral that covered a canyon on the southern portion of Vandenberg.

According to historical documentation, throughout the duration of the incident firefighting resources attempted numerous tactics attempting to suppress the fire. Many of these tactics may have proved to be effective on an average brush fire, but the volatile conditions faced on this fire were anything but average.

"The winds gusted to exceed 100 miles per hour," Hendricks said. "The fire was pushed through drought-stricken chaparral at abnormally high speeds. Fire rapidly moved down through Honda Canyon to the west before taking a path towards the north along Vandenberg's coast. Firefighters continued to alter suppression efforts in order to meet the dynamic challenges brought on by the raging fire."

The fire not only claimed 9,040 acres but also the lives of Vandenberg Installation Commander Colonel Joseph Turner, Vandenberg Fire Chief Billy Bell, Vandenberg Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Cooper and Heavy Equipment Operator Clarence McCauley.

"We don't know where and when the next base wildfire will be," said Col. Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander. "It likely will not be on this spot, in this canyon, or with that kind of fire, but a positive take-away from this tragic fire is all the lives that have been saved and will be saved since 1977. The Hot Shot program was birthed from this tragedy, policies and procedures changed... we also adapted our training programs and resources to prepare in case of future incidents."

The group paused for a moment of silence at 9:36 a.m. in remembrance of those who had died that day, the same time the late Vandenberg Fire Chief Bell sent his last transmission to say that he was trapped.

Base leaders and firemen alike have a mutual message when talking about the 1977 Honda Canyon Fire: Never forget the fallen or the lessons learned that day.

"The lessons that were learned were hard paid," said Clem Marrero, a Vandenberg Fire Department chief. "The atmosphere that we have now with an emphasis on training and top-notch equipment is due in part to that fire. The take away is to not forget what happened before us and carry those lessons forward."

Officials Praise Decision on Futenma Facility

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2013 – Senior defense officials praised the governor of Okinawa, Japan, today for his approval of construction of a long-postponed air base to replace Marine Corps Air Station Futenma-Camp Schwab in Henoko Bay.

During a media conference call, Pentagon spokesmen hailed the governor’s green light of the landfill permit allowing a new runway to be built as a significant milestone in both the project’s progress and the United States’ partnership with Japan.

“We view this as a very important, critical milestone on our posture in Japan and Northeast Asia at large,” a DOD official said. “It keeps our presence forward in Okinawa … [and] it moves our presence … to the least populated part of the island and reduces our footprint there.”

The base houses U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and other aviation assets as the United States continues its relocation of Marines to Guam and elsewhere in the Pacific region.

In addition to Okinawa, the official explained, the decision complements the United States’ overall strategy of rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific region.

“We view the U.S.-Japan alliance and our posture there … as one of the key pieces of the rebalance,” he said. “If you get the Northeast Asia posture -- Japan and Korea -- right, it is a tremendous foundation from which to continue the rebalance and the momentum and course it’s on.”

Officials noted the project will also enable the alliance to address other strategic issues in the region.

“It will free up a lot of senior-level attention and allow [focus on] bigger and broader security issues in Northeast Asia,” an official said.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is not only in negotiations to develop an environmental plan, but has engaged with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and the chairman and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to build a strong, sustainable U.S. military presence with less impact on the people of Okinawa.

“The secretary made a commitment on this issue to try and make progress with our very good allies in Tokyo,” a DOD spokesman said. “This was a landmark step forward that was good for the alliance and good for the agenda moving forward.”