-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
1696. Oregon Guard quietly flying northwest patrols by Master Sgt. Louis A. Arana-Barradas Air Force Print News PORTLAND, Ore. -- Flying the F-15 Eagle has not turned out to be exactly what "Tupac" expected, but the 27-year-old pilot is not complaining. Last December, he finished upgrade training in the F-15, the jet of his dreams. Then he joined the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing in this city, located at the point where the Willamette and Columbia rivers meet. As the wing's newest and youngest pilot, he thought he would go through a gradual training process. One that, in time, would give him the "seasoning" he would need to end his rookie status. That was the case until the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, he and the pilots of the wing's 123rd Fighter Squadron have also flown homeland defense missions. They fly combat air patrols to help keep secure the big cities and airports from California to Canada. "That sure has accelerated my learning curve," said Tupac, of Ashland, Ore. The former enlisted munitions troop-turned pilot has flown 10 combat air patrols. Flying "CAP" missions feels strange, he said, but they also give him a sense of pride. "I wanted to fly jets close to home," Tupac said. "But I never thought I'd be flying missions to protect my own state -- my own country. Still, it feels good to know we're the '911' for the northwest." Combat air patrols can be long and boring, Tupac said, but pilots stay alert. They know what is at stake, he said. So they are ready to identify, challenge, divert, escort, force to land or -- as a last resort -- shoot down any aircraft that does not follow Federal Aviation Administration rules. Guard, Reserve and some active-duty units are flying the same kind of mission nationwide. But while units protecting the skies over big East Coast cities grab the headlines, Oregon's airmen have done the same over the Pacific Northwest with little or no fanfare. No matter, said Master Sgt. Ken Argo, an F-15 crew chief. Though the unit might be a study in understatement, it always gets the job done, he said. "We put all we have into what we do," he said. "It's a matter of pride." But then, air defense is nothing new to the "Redhawk" squadron. That has been its mission since World War II. And from their home at Portland Air National Guard Base, airmen can see why that mission has gained a new importance. The base shares the runway with Portland International Airport. It is a sober reminder the unit has not deployed to a far-off area of operation to ply its trade, said Col. Bradley Applegate, the wing vice commander. The unit's focus has changed, he said. Instead of just being on the lookout for threats that may come from outside the U.S. border, pilots now must also focus on threats that originate within the nation's borders. But the Oregon airmen, he said, "have adapted well to their new mission. They stood up to their new role without any hesitation." It is no wonder. As an air defense F-15 squadron, the unit's focus is on defensive and counter-air tactics against other aircraft. So flying combat air patrols is nothing new. "We've trained every day for years to do this mission anywhere in the world," Applegate said. "So we're fully prepared to do it at home." After standing alert and flying combat air patrols, Tupac said he and his fellow pilots are ready to do their duty. He hopes that is just to provide a visible presence, a deterrence -- to let the bad guys know "we're watching, available." Tupac stretched out in one of the huge recliners in the unit's alert "barn." He was on another 48-hour alert and was getting some rest. He watched a sports news show on a big-screen television, in his flight suit. Through the huge window behind the television, he could see commercial airliners landing and taking off. The young pilot said he had never fired a live missile. His only shots have been in a simulator, so he hopes his first shot will not be at a civilian airliner. That possibility gnaws at him, he said, and all the unit's pilots. Tupac said he will be hesitant to shoot at an airliner, but only while he goes through the authentication process. Once he is sure of the order, he will not hesitate to shoot, he said. "I just pray I'll never be in that situation," he said. 1691. Air Force secretary shares views on space road map by Hap Parker Space and Missile Systems Center Public Affairs LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Air Force Secretary Dr. James G. Roche has spelled out what he sees as the new space road map -- the integration of air and space. Roche was in Los Angeles recently and addressed military and industry partners at the Air Force Association National Symposium. "Since I became secretary of the Air Force almost six months ago, I've spent a lot of time on the road, meeting many people across the Air Force, industry and our communities," he said. "But wherever I go, I've engaged with folks about how we intend to shape our Air Force so it is poised for the current century." Roche briefly commented on the situation in Afghanistan and said that America is united in a war for liberty and "for all of the same freedoms and values that mark our manner of life." He said that in the months ahead he will continue the enormously important work to make changes that are necessary to adapt and strengthen the air and space contributions to national defense. "It seems to me, as we look at space and the future of the Air Force, our performance in the space arena will prove to be a key indicator of how well the Air Force as a whole will fulfill our responsibilities for the 21st century," he said. With that in mind, Roche singled out four general categories he will focus on: strategy, people, efficiency and the industrial base. He said his first priority is to work with his colleagues to adjust strategic parameters to fit the challenges and opportunities of a new security environment. Then, as part of the overall imperative to attract and retain the best people in a high-technology world, he will accelerate efforts to develop a space cadre for the Air Force. "And this includes developing a career progression, educational opportunities and other tangible measures of affirmation that capitalize on the brilliance and expertise of our airmen and civilians," he said. Roche said his third priority is to recognize how the Air Force must be efficient and cost-effective, in part by looking to best business practices and processes in acquisition programs and operations. "We simply must find ways to get more out of our space assets -- through horizontal integration of systems, best practices and smarter management of the information we obtain from space systems," Roche said. He said that employing space assets seamlessly with air and ground will enhance the conduct of global operations. "Finally," Roche said, "there is the critical need our nation faces to provide more incentive in industry for innovation. Over the past several years, the number of suppliers to the Air Force missions in space has dwindled from the double digits to only a handful. "If we can begin to solve these issues in the space domain, we will be well on our way to completing the transformation of the Air Force we began years ago, and which our president and (Defense) Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld have envisioned for the future," he said. Roche said he will stay the course with these efforts, even as the Air Force continues to patrol the skies over Iraq for Northern and Southern Watch, protects the airspace above America, conducts combat operations over Afghanistan and provides humanitarian support to people all over the world. "It is a great day to be an American, with many of the dividing lines and distinctions between us all fading away," Roche said. "It is a great day to be an airman in today's Air Force, with an incredible sense of purpose and knowledge of our place in history. It is also a great day to be a part of the Air Force family." (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) 1695. DOD announces alternative to holiday mail programs WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Department of Defense officials announced an alternative to the "Any Servicemember" and "Operation Dear Abby" programs, which were suspended indefinitely in the wake of anthrax mail attacks. The Navy has developed a Web-based alternative to benefit members of all services. The program can be reached at the Navy LIFELines Services Network at http://www.LIFELines2000.org or http://AnyServiceMember.Navy.mil . Those who want to send a message of support or holiday greeting to military servicemembers will find a simple process for delivering messages at these Web sites. The "Any Servicemember" program allows participants to select from one or all branches of the military. To receive a message of support, servicemembers log onto one of the Web sites and choose messages for their branch of service and home state. Those sending a message who wish to receive a response may include a return e-mail address. Since all messages are viewed on the Web, the military's regular e-mail service is not affected. "Operation Dear Abby" was founded by the newspaper advice columnist and has delivered mail to servicemembers overseas during the holiday season for more than 17 years. The "Any Servicemember" mail program began during Operation Desert Storm in 1990, and continued to grow during operations in Bosnia, starting in 1995. 1693. Air Force parents get extended child-care SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- A new Air Force child-care program is helping people who are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The Extended Duty Child-Care Program is for Air Force parents needing care beyond their typical 50-hour requirement or when they have child-care emergencies. They may use extended care for mission-related duty, extended workdays, temporary shift changes, problems with regular child-care arrangements, and rapid mobilization or deployment. The program, however, is not intended to be a family's regular source of child- care. Parents needing extended service must be enrolled in the program, in which family child-care coordinators arrange for children to stay in licensed family child-care homes on base. Extended-duty providers are part of the Air Force Family Child-Care Program. They have been specifically selected by base family child-care panels to provide such services. As licensed providers, they have completed all required screenings, trainings and inspections. Under normal circumstances, parents using this program pay no more than $2 per hour for additional care; however, Air Force Services, which manages this program Air Force-wide, has waived the parent co-payment until Jan. 5. Parents will continue to pay for regular child-care but will not be required to do so when using extended-duty care. The program started as a retention initiative but has come into its own after Sept 11, with 71 bases currently offering the program The amount of care provided in September was three times higher than in August, said Beverly Houston, an Air Force child development specialist for Air Force Services in Washington. More than half of it was used on weekends. She added that Air Force Services is seeking funds to expand the program to serve Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve people supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, along with support parents needing care for mildly ill children and parents assigned to missile bases. 1692. WW II glider vets preserving memories by 2nd Lt. Matthew Bates 90th Space Wing Public Affairs F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFPN) -- It is always fitting to remember the sacrifices of America's veterans, but for World War II vets, it has never been more appropriate to remember them than now. World War II vets are in their twilight years. Many fear their sacrifices will be forgotten unless others perpetuate their memories for them. For the National World War II Glider Pilots Association, that purpose has gained a heightened sense of urgency in recent years. It is becoming harder for the veterans of his organization to make it to the annual reunion, much less the various regional reunions they hold across the United States, said George Theis, treasurer of the association. "So many have passed on, or their spouses aren't in the best of health to do it anymore," he said. "Every week I find out another glider pilot has passed away." Faced with the reality that fewer veteran glider pilots will be around to tell their story, the Glider Pilot Association is doing all it can to establish a Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock, Texas, to capture their memories. "We flew in airplanes made of plywood and canvas, we had no engines, so it was a one-way ticket into combat," said veteran glider pilot Thaddaus Wagner of Cheyenne, Wyo. "I flew across the Rhine during Operation Varsity. I landed in an orchard with one wing gone and my tail shot off. "We pioneered what they now call special operations," he said. "In Normandy, if you jumped (with the paratroopers), you'd land a couple of blocks away from the other members of your unit, that is unless you held hands on your way down. Because of the gliders, units didn't have to wait for hours to regroup." Curtis Cameron, a veteran now living in Fort Collins, Colo., made his way across Europe as a glider mechanic. He still has a picture of himself posing proudly in front of a CG-4A glider he maintained. "Hittler's Revenge" is painted on the nose. "I didn't get the spelling right," he said. "But that glider was only supposed to make it 15 minutes in combat, instead, it made six missions." Because of the danger involved, many people considered glider missions to be suicidal. But ask any glider pilot, and he would probably disagree. "We were better pilots than the others because we had less to work with -- no engines, hardly no instruments, no way to turn back around. We had to be the best," said Wagner. "We were well trained and got our jobs done." Even so, glider pilots are quick to point out that the "G" on their wings did not just stand for "Glider," it also stood for "Guts." *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! Write to same address to be off lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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