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1837. Air Force establishes homeland security directorate by Tech. Sgt. Tim Dougherty Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- In one of the many responses to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, the Air Force will activate the Directorate of Homeland Security on Jan. 2. This directorate will fall under the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, and will focus on crafting policy, guidance and operational expertise for homeland defense and military support to civil authorities, the two pillars underpinning homeland security, officials said. The interim director of the new organization said its conception parallels what is happening all around the Air Force. "As we look around the Air Force there's a lot of activity now in homeland security," said Brig. Gen. Jeffery B. Kohler, who also serves as the director of operational plans for the Air Force deputy chief of staff for air and space operations. "Several major commands have created homeland security points of contact and some have created small offices. The focus of this organization will be to bring this all together with policy and guidance to make sure the Air Force is marching with one vision in homeland security." Kohler said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper felt that, given the events of the last three months, and the new thrust taken by the president and Congress, the Air Force needed to step up as well. This office will be the focal point for the Air Force in matters concerning homeland security, he said. The leadership at the Department of Defense level is very appreciative that they will now have one central place to call, Kohler said. Initially, the office will work on a concept of operations, policy and guidance issues from an air staff perspective, but Kohler said this is a "work in progress." "It will take a little bit of time before we have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, but I think we have a pretty good idea of where we are headed," Kohler said. An average airman at the squadron and unit level will probably not see much change as a result of this new directorate, Kohler said; however it is the expeditionary airman who does the job. "Our expeditionary airmen are equipped today to do the kinds of things we think they're going to have to do under homeland security," Kohler said. "In fact, we're doing that in Operation Noble Eagle." Currently, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard, with some active-duty units, have mobilized to perform increased duties for air defense in support of Operation Noble Eagle. "We've already done a lot of the things that are required in homeland security, and we did (them) in an expeditionary manner," Kohler said. "We folded homeland security duties right into our expeditionary concepts." The definition of homeland defense has not been clearly established, Kohler said. But that has not deterred the Air Force from its very active role in providing security in the skies over the nation today. "Our vision of the future is that this homeland security mission is going to evolve into much more than providing combat air patrols," Kohler said. "It's not just the traditional air-breathing threat like Soviet bombers. We know what we have today, the question is, what are the national requirements for the future?" 1836. Bulgaria hosts U.S. military mission by Maj. Mike Young U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs SOFIA, Bulgaria (AFPN) -- The leaders of Bulgaria recently took direct action to support Operation Enduring Freedom by allowing U.S. military forces to base operations in this former Communist republic for the first time in history. About 200 support and operations airmen deployed to Bulgaria make up the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. The unit, based at Camp Sarafovo on the shores of the Black Sea near the city of Burgas, flies air refueling missions for aircraft providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. "It's of primary importance to us," said Petko Draganov, deputy minister of foreign affairs for Bulgaria. "We are very active in what we call the global coalition against terrorism, and since Day One, we've stood up and made our position known -- a position of not only the government, but of the whole public opinion." The Bulgarians have participated in Partnership for Peace exercises in the past and have regularly played host to people from throughout the U.S. military during brief visits through the military-to-military Joint Contact Team Program. However, this mission is different from anything the United States has ever conducted before in Bulgaria. The U.S. government, through the embassy in Sofia, approached Bulgarian officials about this operation, Draganov said. "The embassy called us and we had a meeting, but we didn't have much time because of the necessity of the operation," he said. "Keeping it under wrap until it became a reality was very important." Since this is the first long-term stay for U.S. forces within Bulgaria, the decision to support the operation had to be approved at the highest level of government. "We had to go through a difficult constitutional procedure as any country would when allowing foreign military to rest on your soil," Draganov said. "But it all went very smooth and I was really satisfied by the fact that when it came to parliament, 100 percent of the members of parliament voted for it." The ordinary citizens are quite ecstatic about the American presence, he said. "Probably not a lot of people in American know this, but we've been looking forward to this for a long time," Draganov said. "We are very satisfied so far and we hope the whole operation runs smoothly, (and) that we are mutually satisfied with the outcome. This is something many of our people have been expecting for a long time, he said, and now it's a reality." (Courtesy of USAFE News Service) 1832. Air Force recognizes Sept. 11 events with aircraft nose art by Tech. Sgt. Tim Dougherty Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- Aircraft nose art with the words "Let's roll!" -- America's two-word marching order in the fight against terrorism -- will be displayed on various aircraft throughout the Air Force as a way of recognizing the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. The words were made famous by Todd Beamer, a passenger on Flight 93. Beamer, a 32-year-old businessman, Sunday school teacher, husband, father and hero, led other passengers in fighting terrorists for control of Flight 93 before it crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania. He was overheard on a cellular phone reciting the Lord's Prayer and saying "Let's roll!" as passengers charged the terrorists. "'Let's roll!' has served as a rallying cry for this nation as we go forward in our war on terrorism," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. "We are proud to display this new nose art on our aircraft." The passengers of Flight 93 won one of the first victories in the fight against terrorism. There has been much speculation about the terrorists' intentions for Flight 93, but it is widely believed that either the White House or the U.S. Capitol building was the intended target. The nose art design depicts an eagle soaring in front of the U.S. flag, with the words "Spirit of 9-11" on the top and "Let's roll!" on the bottom. The design was created by Senior Airman Duane White, a journeyman from Air Combat Command's multimedia center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The Thunderbirds and other Air Force demonstration teams will apply this nose art on all aircraft, while major commands and wings will be authorized to apply the nose art to one aircraft of their choice. For thousands of years, warriors, such as the vikings, Zulus, Native Americans, samurai and many others, have followed a tradition of decorating their instruments of war. These instruments could include the warriors or their weapons. The Air Force has used nose art throughout much of its history, and for a variety of reasons. The "Let's roll!" nose art is being used to continue the remembrance of the events of Sept. 11, spur on the nation's current patriotic spirit and pay tribute to the heroes and victims in the war against terrorism. It is anticipated that the art will start to appear on Air Force aircraft around Jan. 15. 1833. CBS crews spotlight Kadena pilots by Senior Airman Jason Lake 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Two pilots here will soon be on the nation's TV screens as stars of a reality-based drama. Capts. Marcus Gregory and Mike Love were the focus of a CBS film crew who visited the base here Dec. 10 to 18 for the reality drama, "American Fighter Pilot," which is scheduled to air on CBS early next year. While the filming just ended here, the story began more than two years ago when independent producers Jesse Negron and Leon Melas looked at doing a "day-in-the-life" story on American fighter pilots. "I have never worked with the military before," Negron said. "One (stereotype) I thought about military people was that they were all a 'stamped set' with the same personality. But everyone has their own unique personality, and that's one thing I want to show." Negron and Melas found the "unique personalities" they were looking for in a class of pilots who were training at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., two years ago. The student pilots were training for their first assignment at an operational unit. >From the class, the two producers picked Gregory, Love and 1st Lt. Todd Giggy, who is stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. Negron said their selection process was simple. "We picked the pilots with the most compelling stories." In Gregory's case, it was his personal life that was compelling. "Once the producer got to know us, he became very interested in my wife and me because we were going to have our first baby in the middle of F-15 [Eagle] training," Gregory said. "My wife and I became good friends with Jesse Negron. Even though we have very different professions we found a great deal of common interests, and like many friends you meet in the Air Force, we continue to keep in touch." "They took me in as one of their own, and let me see every aspect of their jobs," Negron said. "That's what really caught CBS's attention." Although the two-year filming project was intended to be a small 90-minute feature, Negron said the project's priority and scope ballooned after the terrorist attacks. "After the attacks there was a big push," he said. "Right now, there's a search out there for heroic people, and these guys are 90 percent the guy next door and 10 percent something very unique. They wanted to see what its really like being a fighter pilot. All CBS asked us was how much would it cost (to produce) and how soon could we have it ready to air." Executives at CBS offered Negron and Melas a $5.2 million deal to air eight one-hour segments about a pilot's evolution from trainee to veteran flyer. The deal brought the two creators and five CBS officials here to film the final stages of the production. As he spent time with the CBS crew during the last week, Gregory said he tried to shed light on false stereotypes about being a fighter pilot. "(My first goal) was to dispel some of the myths the public has toward pilots," Gregory said. "Hollywood always displays fighter pilots as loose cannons and mavericks out just to have fun. The real image that I have seen is that we are disciplined. We are always striving to be better and to accomplish our goals, which takes constant study and practice." Some of the questions asked (based on Hollywood stereotypes) were along the lines of "Survivor" or other current television reality shows, which push competition to the limits, Gregory said. "They (wanted to know) if we ever judged each other, or competed against each other in order to make ourselves look better," he said. "I showed (the crew) that although we were striving to do our best, we were always concerned about everyone making it through training. Just like every other military training course, you strive to do your best, but you want every member of your team to make it through." The four-year Air Force veteran also showed the film crew another aspect of military life -- its dedication and sacrifices. "All of us are prepared to not only give our lives if necessary for our nation, but we also give our lives in the form of the long hours that all of us work and the time that we spend away from our families when we deploy," Gregory said. "That's what the CBS crew walked away with -- the sense of service before self and integrity that every military member shares." 1834. Three bases win Excellence in Youth Sports Award by Joyce Tolley Air Combat Command Services LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Three Air Force youth programs were recognized recently for winning the national Excellence in Youth Sports Award at the annual Athletic Business Conference in Orlando, Fla. The winning youth programs are from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Moody AFB, Ga., and the Air Force Academy, Colo. Basketball legend Bill Russell presented the awards along with a check for $5,000 from Youth Sports USA to five winners, including the three from the Air Force. The Excellence in Youth Sports Award was developed by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Athletic Business. The NAYS organization developed guidelines to make programs better by educating coaches and parents with a focus on providing positive and safe experiences for all youth. Any program offering youth sports may apply for the award. This year there were 85 applicants. The programs chosen are exemplary youth sports programs that stress sportsmanship, fitness and fun through their commitment to youth and proper training of parents, volunteer coaches and youth league administrators, officials said. "I was wowed when we heard the news," said Angie Gadomski, Ellsworth's youth sports director. "It was a real privilege to be recognized for such a great award." 1839. Military travelers find oasis at Atlanta airport WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Military people whose holiday travels take them through Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport can grab a bite to eat, watch a movie or simply relax between connections at a military lounge run by volunteers from Delta Air Lines. "The military lounge is a small way to say thank you and show that we appreciate what our military men and women do everyday," said Kristi Tucker, Delta's corporate communications manager at the airline's main office in Atlanta. Delta's military lounge has been a part of the holidays at the Atlanta airport for 31 years. All active-duty military people, reservists on active duty, retirees and family members from any of these groups are welcome at the lounge, located across from gate B-33 on the "B" concourse. The lounge is open from 7 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. However, on days when large numbers of troops are expected, Tucker said that they typically open as early as 4 a.m. Delta will keep the lounge open until Jan. 7. Assistance for military travelers in Atlanta is also available at the Jean R. Amos United Services Organization Center located in the terminal atrium. The USO sponsors a variety of services at other airports in the United States and overseas. For more information, check out the USO Web site at www.uso.org. *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! 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