-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! 0373. Air Force bio techs join in clean up of mercury contamination by Master Sgt. Gene LaDoucer 15th Air Base Wing public affairs HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) -- Air Force bioenvironmental engineering technicians here joined federal and state response teams to contain and clean up mercury contamination at a Honolulu community housing project March 12. After the contamination was discovered, state officials began examining 260 units and surrounding common areas at the complex, where about 1,100 people reside. Mercury can cause burns to the skin and eyes and, if inhaled or ingested, may cause more severe health problems. A Hickam Bioenvironmental Engineering Emergency Response Team reported to the Hawaii Department of Health on-scene coordinator in the afternoon after the situation exceeded the capabilities of the DOH and the Honolulu fire department's hazardous materials team, said Maj. Kurt Lee, chief of the 15th Aeromedical Dental Squadron Bio-enenvironmental Engineering Flight. "Our team has specialized mercury vapor detection equipment and the critical hazardous material emergency response experience needed by the State," Lee said. "Our people were initially tasked with surveying about 25 percent of the potentially contaminated housing units while the Navy Public Works and Pacific Environmental Corporation, a contracted environmental/emergency response firm, were tasked with other areas." The initial Hickam response team members worked late into the evening. A second team was recalled to continue support through early morning the next day in order address the most critical health risk areas, Lee said. The work continued on into the afternoon of March 13. Children reportedly found the mercury over the weekend at an abandoned pumping station in the area of the housing complex. Fascinated by the silver-colored liquid, the youth took the mercury to their homes and shared it with friends. On the following Monday the mercury problem first came to the attention of officials when a student brought a jar of the substance to a local elementary school. The school was closed and as many as 50 people, most of them children, were seen at local hospitals for treatment of mercury exposure, according to Honolulu police. (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News Service) 0376. Burglary lands Schriever airman in jail by 2nd Lt. Jeremy Eggers 50th Space Wing Public Affairs SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- A five-member jury here sentenced Airman 1st Class Louis D. Hall, accused of burglarizing dormitory rooms, to one year of confinement, reduction in grade to E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a bad-conduct discharge. Hall, assigned to the 4th Space Operations Squadron here, pleaded guilty, during a court-martial convened March 8, to one specification of conspiracy, one specification of destruction of government property, four specifications of larceny, and one specification of burglary. The charges stem from an incident of dormitory theft which occurred Nov. 18, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. On that day, Hall and two other airmen broke into the dormitory manager's office using a bolt cutter and stole the master keys from a locked box. With the master keys in their possession, the airmen entered various dormitory rooms and stole items ranging from a video game system to a video cassette recorder. Because the events took place during the night, what would have been a house-breaking charge was upgraded to the charge of burglary. After deliberating for nearly an hour, the jury announced the sentence and the court-martial was adjourned. The other airmen linked to the case will also face court-martial. Hall will serve his sentence at the Kirtland AFB, N.M., military confinement facility. 0371. More vehicle processing centers available to servicemembers ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AFPN) -- The opening of three more vehicle processing centers enhances the quality of servicemember moves managed by the Military Traffic Management Command. In recent months, centers have opened in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, and in Sigonella, Italy. The centers expand the scope of the global privately owned vehicle contract by benefiting more servicemembers. Benefits of the contract include such customer enhancements as conveniently located centers, direct damage settlements up to $1,000 and in-transit vehicle tracking through the special Web site at http://www.whereismypov.com. The original contract was awarded in September 1998 to American Auto Logistics, Inc., of Monroe, N.Y. Since then, the contract's original 32 centers have been expanded to 39, adding thousands of annual vehicle movements to the contract. Prior to the contract, each of MTMC's privately owned vehicle shipments was handled by as many as four, five or six individual contractors. The global privately owned vehicle contract placed the movement of approximately 75,000 vehicles a year in the hands of a single contractor. The new Alaska centers opened Feb. 1 and greatly expand quality-of-life initiatives for all military servicemembers shipping vehicles to or from Alaska. The centers replace two facilities operated under precontract standards by other subcontractors. "The centers will improve customer service," said Greg Wellstead, a spokesman for American Auto Logistics. "They will help us provide customer value." The Alaska centers are expected to process 4,000 vehicles annually while Sigonella will handle 1,000, he said. The new centers streamline the time and effort required for servicemembers to process vehicles. The new centers were developed by Mary Jane Pasha Maxstadt, general manager for AP Logistics in Anchorage. "This is one-stop shopping," Maxstadt said. "Rather than go back-and-forth for paperwork, all the necessary processing is done in one place." The centers include a voluntary appointment system which provides "added value," Maxstadt said. Center staff review orders, registration and documentation before the arrival of servicemembers. This ensures all documentation is correct and necessary paperwork is preprinted. "Basically, all you have to do is add the odometer reading," Maxstadt said. "It cuts the processing time from 15 minutes to five minutes." "The first comment we hear customers make is it is more convenient, comfortable and personalized," said Katie Frey, general manager, of the Anchorage center.. "The quality of customer service is our focus," Frey said. "We provide a quality experience." (Courtesy of MTMC Public Affairs) 0375. AF to begin test phase of logistics review plan by Staff Sgt. A.J. Bosker Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- A test phase for changes derived from the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Logistics Review will begin this June. The implementation plan calls for 18 Air Force bases to evaluate some of the 30 initiatives developed during the review, said Lt. Gen. Michael E. Zettler, deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics at the Pentagon. "The CLR tasked the logistics community to review how its processes have developed through the '90s, to evaluate how they fit with the expeditionary aerospace force concept and to document the best processes to create a foundation of knowledge for training," Zettler said. "The 30 initiatives developed will institutionalize the way we work; improve the way we do logistics business so that we are more expeditionary in nature; and provide concrete policy, procedures and training for our people to rely upon," he said. "Throughout this entire process, we are going to work very hard on minimizing the impact on individuals and the workforce," Zettler said. "In fact, some of the initiatives are proven methods already in use at many of our locations we will just be implementing them Air Force wide. "I understand that there is always some fear associated with change, but we are going to test each one of the initiatives and listen to the feedback from the field to make sure we don't 'break' anything and that these will actually improve upon what we already do," he said. The overall impact on airmen workers will be minimal, but Zettler expects the impact on managers to be greater. "They will have to adapt to new ways of doing business and will be required to give us good feedback on how these new initiatives are working," he said. For example, at a vehicle maintenance facility, the airmen and junior noncommissioned officers that are doing the hands-on work won't see any change for the initiative that combines the supply and transportation squadrons, he said. The more senior NCOs who attend squadron meetings and conduct squadron business will see the changes, but, even for them, the impact will be minimal. However, at the more senior levels, the superintendents, flight commanders and squadron commanders will now be managing both supply and transportation functions, and will have to learn about their new area of responsibility, Zettler said. "I think this is attainable," he said. "We have great people in the Air Force. They are extraordinarily intelligent, flexible and adaptable. They will step right up to these tasks and might even come away feeling more a part of the team since they now have an expanded role in our mission accomplishment." Although military members and government civilians might see immediate changes with the new initiatives, the impact to contract operations will be delayed or there may be none at all, he said. "Eventually, we are going to restructure our contracts to account for the improved way of doing business, but we are not going to try to change or terminate any existing contract," Zettler said. "We will wait until the natural expiration of the contract occurs before implementing any new requirements." While the Air Force may see some monetary savings some time after changing the way the service does business, the CLR initiatives are not aimed at saving money or reducing the number of people, he said. "These initiatives are about making us more expeditionary, aligning logistics policies and procedures with the way we really operate today, and taking all the good things various bases or commands have discovered and institutionalizing them across the entire Air Force," Zettler said. "Our people have done and continue to do superb work, and it is incumbent upon Air Force senior leadership to make sure we document it to ensure it continues well into the 21st century," he said. The test bases are: Barksdale Air Force Base, La.; Charleston AFB, S.C.; Ellsworth AFB, S.D.; Fairchild AFB, Wash.; Gen. Mitchell Int. Airport, Wis.; Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; Hill AFB, Utah; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Kelly AFB, Texas; Langley AFB, Va.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; McConnell AFB, Kan.; McGuire AFB, N.J.; Peterson AFB, Colo.; Pope AFB, N.C.; Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.; Spangdahlem AB, Germany and Travis AFB, Calif. All of the following CLR initiatives will not necessarily be tested at each location: Enlisted technical training and officer development: -- Increasing availability of training managers; -- Defining and standardizing wartime tasks; -- Changing recurring training time to coincide with Aerospace Expeditionary Forces cycles; -- Providing additional maintenance leadership management training for senior noncommissioned officers and officers; -- Improving officer development; and -- Creating a weapons school for logistics officers. Materiel management: -- Developing metrics to drive pipeline requirements to support AEFs; -- Building a standard policy, training, tools and metrics to support regional supply squadrons; -- Merging (where appropriate) supply and transportation squadrons; and -- Developing tools or capabilities required to support combat support command and control. Contingency planning: -- Developing contingency planning metrics, -- Establishing policy for deployments and site surveys; -- Building Joint Operations Planning and Execution System certification policies and tracking those so trained; and -- Standardizing logistics plans under logistics group commanders. Sortie production/fleet management: -- Providing policy and specific metrics required to drive balance between sortie production and fleet health; -- Establishing senior leadership metrics guidance and formal training; -- Validating appropriate maintenance tanker organization; -- Realigning, specifically defining, and renaming the maintenance operations center; and -- Possibly regionalizing intermediate repair facilities. 0374. Tick. Tick. Tick. Lyme disease explosion starts in spring WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Spring is here, and so is tick season across America and in many foreign countries. Being bitten by an infected tick can result in debilitating, sometimes deadly, Lyme disease, military and civilian experts warn. Left untreated, Lyme disease can advance from early flu-like symptoms to painful and permanent damage to the joints, according to the National Centers for Disease Control. The disease can also affect the nervous system, causing numbness, pain, stiff neck and severe headache or muscle weakness in the face or limbs. Occasionally, heart irregularities occur. The first stage of the disease begins three to 31 days after the tick bites. Symptoms can include fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain or swollen lymph nodes. Another mark of Lyme disease, researchers say, is a peculiar expanding circular skin rash in the area where the tick bite occurred. Patch shapes vary depending on location. As the patch enlarges, the center may clear, giving a ring-like appearance. It may be warm, but isn't usually painful. However, researchers say, some people never develop a rash. People can pick up ticks during walks in parks or the woods, or while hiking and camping. Children are especially susceptible because they run around in tall grass, play in wooded areas and roll on the ground, researchers noted. The individual risk of getting Lyme disease is reasonably small. Only about 12 to 15 percent of ticks actually carry the bug. Removing ticks from the body quickly may prevent a person from contracting Lyme disease, experts said. Ticks generally must feed on a person for 24 to 48 hours before the person becomes infected. Named after Lyme, Conn., where it surfaced in 1975, Lyme disease has become one of the fastest-growing vector-borne diseases in the United States. A vector is a host -- the tick, in this case -- that passes the disease germ. The highest incidence occurs in the Northeast from Massachusetts to Maryland and in Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and Oregon. Researchers at the Armed Forces Pest Management Board said that all military recruit training areas are infested with ticks. CDC officials said a number of servicemembers have been infected in Germany over the years. The federal Food and Drug Administration approved a Lyme disease vaccine in December 1998 for persons ages 15 to 70. The vaccine's effectiveness depends on getting three doses in a year. The second dose is given a month after the first, and the third is given 11 months after that and just before the start of tick season. FDA officials emphasize the vaccine is not 100 percent effective and is not a substitute for other standard preventive measures. Servicemembers can use a two-part chemical repellent system consisting of a permethrin-based spray for clothing and DEET-based lotion for exposed skin. The repellents should be coupled with proper wearing of the uniform. Lyme disease experts warn field troops not to wear tick and flea collars meant for pets. Cats and dogs don't sweat, but people do, and harmful chemicals can get into the human body through sweat glands. The best way to avoid Lyme disease is to stay away from places where ticks live -- tall grass and weeds, scrubby areas, woods and leaf litter. It is also a good idea to check children and pets after they have played outside. If people can't avoid tick-infested areas, CDC experts suggest wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. The pant legs should be tucked into socks or boots and the shirt should be tucked into the pants. Tape the area where pants and socks meet to keep ticks out, and wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be seen easily. After being outdoors: -- Promptly remove and wash clothing; -- Inspect your body carefully and remove attached ticks with tweezers, grasping as close to the head as possible and gently tugging the tick free without crushing its body. Squeezing the tick's body may force infected fluid into the wound; -- Place tick in sealed container for examination by a local health department; and -- Wash the wound and apply an antiseptic. The Department of Defense uses education to combat Lyme disease as well as other vector-borne diseases, said officials at the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The center's Web site provides technical information, fact sheets and dozens of links to other pest- and disease-control agencies and activities. The center's address for comments, questions and requests for educational material is: U.S. Army CHPPM ATTN: Entomological Sciences Program Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5403 or call DSN 584-3613 or (410)436-3613. or visit http://chppm- www.apgea.army.mil on the Web. The Armed Forces Pest Management Board Web site at http://www.afpmb.org offers an online version of Technical Information Memorandum 36, "Personal Protection Against Insects and Other Arthropods of Military Importance." The illustrated 113-page handbook is no longer available in print but can be viewed at http://www.afpmb.org/pubs/tims/tim36.pdf. You can obtain information from the Lyme disease electronic mail network called LymeNet. The service is available through the Internet at http://www.lymenet.org. 0372. Now showing: March 19 edition of Air Force Television News SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- The growing problem of ecstasy use in the Air Force is spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News. In a special "Eye on the Air Force" segment, Senior Airman Eric Kerr focuses on the problem, as well as the medical and legal consequences of using the illegal drug popular among young people at so-called rave parties. Senior Airman Marty Rush goes to the Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. correctional facility to talk to a young airman in his jail cell about his use of the drug, and how it has destroyed his military career. Also, Staff Sgt. Noah Berg visits Langley AFB, Va., the first location to use drug dogs to sniff out the drug. In other segments in this edition, Senior Airman Michael Noel details additional benefits soon to be available to military retirees and their spouses beyond the age of 65. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Jim Finch tells a congressional committee the retention of its experienced enlisted corps is a top priority for the Air Force. Berg reports on Air Force development of a military version of the stun gun. Rush takes to the slopes of Washington State for the story of an EA-6B Prowler back seater who spends her spare time on skis. Finally, Staff Sgt. Bill Scherer goes to Dayton, Ohio, for the story of a young Air Force family member pursuing a career playing the violin despite a physical handicap. Air Force Television News is a biweekly production of Air Force News Service. It is distributed on videotape to more than 3,000 military and civilian outlets worldwide, can be seen on more than 700 cable outlets nationwide, and can be accessed on the Air Force home page at www.af.mil. It is offered with closed captioning, the only military production to do so. Viewers can comment on the program by sending e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 0377. Tinker sergeant a bagpiper at heart by Darren Heusel Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) -- While most bases use a trumpeter or various recordings at certain types of official ceremonies, Tinker chooses to use something a bit different. They have a bagpiper. Staff Sgt. Patrick Heston, an airborne radar technician assigned to the 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron here, said he can perform "at just about any ceremony," but bagpipers typically perform at funerals and memorial services. "One of the most popular bagpipe selections at funerals is 'Amazing Grace,'" he said. "But bagpipes can actually be played at weddings, retirements ... It just depends on the individual and the equipment they have." Heston plays his pipes at various Celtic festivals, medieval fairs and, of course, St. Patrick's Day celebrations. He most recently performed at a base memorial service honoring Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. John Levitow. "That day is when I actually graduated the week-long training course for the honor guard here," Heston said. "I ended up offering my services to (Command Chief Master Sgt. Terry Hirons) and asked him if he would like me to play 'Amazing Grace' on the bagpipes after 'TAPS.' "He thought about it for a little while and said it would be a great idea," Heston said. "That's kind of when I got 'discovered' here." Heston's love for the bagpipes started while he was at home on leave during the summer of 1995. That is when his parents introduced him to his Scottish heritage. And he has not been the same since. Intrigued with his heritage, Heston said it was not long before he purchased a kilt and started learning to play the bagpipes. Now, he plays them as a member of the Honor Guard here and as a member of the 23rd Street Pipe Band, and any other time he gets a chance. "I've been playing the pipes a little more than four years now," said Heston, who is of English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish descent. "I've also got some French, Swedish and a little bit of German and Polish in me, kind of like every other modern American whose descendants migrated from Europe." After learning of his Scottish heritage, Heston said he really got into it. He attended a Scottish Festival in Grandfather Mountain, N.C., in 1996, which is where his interest in bagpipes soared. Heston now attends individual piping competitions and festivals all over the country. He said he even went as far as purchasing a personalized license plate, which by his own admission, put him on the map here. A couple weeks after putting the tag on his car, someone put a business card on his windshield calling his attention to a local bagpipe band. "I ended up calling the number on the card and got a hold of an instructor," he said. "We got together about two months later and I've been playing ever since." Not only does Heston enjoy playing the pipes, he also enjoys dressing the part. "It's excellent," he said. "You get a lot of looks. At first, people look at you and say, 'check out the guy in the skirt,' but you get used to it. I tell them to be careful because it's not a dress, it's a kilt and a lot of us are armed." The kilt is traditional wear with the Scottish outfit. At the top of the hose, which come up to the base of the knee, is a small knife called a Sgian dhu, traditionally known as "the black blade." Heston said it was primarily used as an eating utensil, but it can also be used as a last-ditch weapon in battle. "Nowadays, it's more of an ornament," he said. Heston said the first few times he wore his kilt he was a little uncomfortable. "Not due to the fact of what I was wearing, but more so with the attention I was getting," he said. "Over time, though, people come up to you and say, 'that's a really neat outfit.' Most people think the bagpipe originated in Scotland, Ireland, England or Wales. But, Heston said, the instrument can be traced back to the Roman Empire. "The Romans adopted the instrument during their conquest of Southwest Asia," he said. "History (of bagpipes) can be traced back some 5,000 years to modern-day Iraq. But, there is also some evidence they could have originated in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well. "They originated as a reed instrument ... and resembled the flute. (Musicians) would use their cheeks as a reservoir for air and eventually devised a way to take animal hide and construct a bag for a larger air reservoir. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. 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