-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! 0085. Air Force members assist in Inauguration by Senior Airman Sara Banda Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- Air Force members shared a part in President George W. Bush's presidential inauguration Jan. 20, both on national television and behind the scenes. Eight units marched in the parade, which represented not only active duty, but the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. They joined several other units from their sister services who marched the parade route from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. Captain Ken Marentette, commander of the support flight for the Air Force Honor Guard, led the nine-by-nine formation representing the active duty. As he marched, Marentette even made eye contact with the president. "I could actually see Gen. (Michael E.) Ryan (Air Force chief of staff) introducing the active-duty, and (President Bush) turned around and looked right at me and so did the vice president," Marentette said. "We do ceremonies for the president every time there's an arrival, and that's pretty good, but to actually do the first job for this president is a little bit better for me." Other units marching in the inaugural parade included the U.S. Air Force Academy, Air Force Band, Air Force Marching Squadron, the Air Force Reserve's 459th Airlift Wing, District of Columbia Air National Guard Marching Squadron, and Air Force Color Guard. There were also airmen supporting the day's events who were not necessarily captured by the major television networks. Senior Airman Ronicle D. Ellison, a personnel manager from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., worked as a merge control officer. His job was to help get the parade onto Pennsylvania Avenue through a merge area between Madison and Third Street. Ellison, who volunteered a year ago, was ecstatic when describing his involvement on Inauguration Day. "I just thank God that I was able to be a part of this and to be a part of history," he said. "Just the fact that I am here in itself is special to me." "As I stood out here it was kind of heartwarming to see someone come out here and brave the elements for one thing, and come across so eloquently to deliver a speech to the people," Ellison also said of the president. Before that speech was even written, a group of military members had been in place for quite some time to begin planning the inaugural event. The Armed Forces Inaugural Committee is a joint-service organization that coordinated military participation and support of the inauguration. The AFIC also built the foundation for all inaugural events until the selection of the Presidential Inaugural Committee in December. "I got here last January," said Chief Master Sgt. Robert Lewis, Capitol Hill Division noncommissioned officer in charge. He was joined by approximately 200 members from all branches of the military that made up the AFIC. That number grew to approximately 700 as the inauguration approached. Lewis' division was responsible for getting the president-elect and his party from the White House after meeting with President Bill Clinton, to the Capitol. This also included, among other things, overseeing and coordinating the swearing-in ceremony and the military bands and the gun salutes. "I think the biggest challenge for the AFIC team when we first come on board is that it's a new environment for everyone, done only every four years," the chief said. They had to depend on documentation, video clips and after-action reports to see what was done previously. Another airman who has been working on the AFIC for several months is Staff Sgt. Donna Holton, from Randolph AFB, Texas, serving here as an administrative noncommissioned officer. Besides helping with administration duties in the ceremony division during the time leading up to the inauguration, she also worked at the command post the day of the event as a dispatcher, assisting with any questions that arose. The Arkansas native was thrilled to have worked the event on her first trip to the Washington, D.C., area and to be part of such a historic event that garnered worldwide attention. By the time the parade and the inaugural balls ended, some military members had completed a 16-hour workday, while a few others had worked almost a full day. 0086. Rumsfeld sworn in as 21st secretary of defense WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Donald H. Rumsfeld was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense during a ceremony Jan. 20 at 6:10 p.m. EST, in the Old Executive Office Building here. "I am grateful to the president for the opportunity to serve again as secretary of defense," Rumsfeld said during remarks following the ceremony. "I look forward to working with the dedicated and talented men and women who serve in the armed forces and in the civilian ranks of the department." Until being sworn in, Rumsfeld was in private business. He served as non-executive chairman of the board of directors of Gilead Sciences, Inc. and on the board of directors of Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. He was the chairman of the Salomon Smith Barney International Advisory Board and served as an adviser to a number of companies. Married in 1954, he and his wife, Joyce, have three children and five grandchildren. His wife was the founding Chairman of the Chicago Foundation for Education. Rumsfeld was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1932. He attended Princeton University on scholarship, served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957 as a naval aviator, and was an all-Navy wrestling champion. He was previously the 13th secretary of defense -- the youngest in our country's history -- from 1975 to 1977. 0089. Counterspace technology unit enacted at Peterson PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- Concepts of futuristic offensive and defensive counterspace weapon systems will soon be taken out of the lab and put to the test because of the activation of the 76th Space Control Squadron here. The new squadron became part of the 21st Space Wing Jan. 22. The control squadron, Air Force Space Command's first counterspace technology unit, will explore future space control technologies by testing models and prototypes of counterspace systems for rapid achievement of space superiority. "The freedom to operate in space is widely acknowledged as an American vital interest," said Brig. Gen. Gary R. Dylewski, Air Force Space Command's director of operations. "We must plan to both protect our access to space and deny access to those adversaries who want to use their own space systems against the United States and our allies. Investigating today's technologies better postures us for tomorrow." The squadron will concentrate on working through the challenges associated with future operations, according to Brig. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, 21st Space Wing commander. "Assessing the technological feasibility of an idea is only one piece of the puzzle," Kehler said. "You also have to consider how each concept might be deployed and employed in harsh combat environments. That's the job of the 76th Space Control Squadron -- to think through operational issues with an eye on improving potential designs." 0088. Decorated pilot gets dream job by Senior Airman Bryan Bouchard 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) -- All the planets fell in line Jan. 16 for an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot from Pope Air Force Base, N.C. Lt. Col. Paul Johnson of the 23rd Fighter Group here assumed command of the 75th Fighter Squadron from Lt. Col. Jack Allison on the 10th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm -- an operation where Johnson earned one of the two Air Force Crosses awarded during the conflict. "In a career already filled with big moments, today is another big moment for P.J.," said Col. Joseph Wood, 23rd Fighter Group commander, during the change-of-command ceremony. Those moments began 10 years ago for Johnson, during Operation Desert Storm. At the beginning of the Gulf War, Johnson was a flight lead assigned to the 353d Tactical Fighter Squadron from Myrtle Beach AFB, S.C. The then 32-year-old pilot was deployed with his unit to King Fahd Royal Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There wasn't much confidence then in the A-10 abilities or in the abilities of those who flew it, Johnson said, but that was soon to change. Capt. Johnson, as he was then, was flying sorties like hundreds of other American and allied aviators in the region. But on Jan. 21, 1991, he and wingman Capt. Randy Goff flew a mission that took them about 120 miles west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad to find the aircrew of a downed Navy F-14 Tomcat. According to records at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, the combat-search-and-rescue mission took the two deeper into enemy airspace than any A-10 before them. As the mission progressed, Johnson ran into unknown enemy air defenses, bad weather and some confusion regarding the location of the downed naval aviators. Finally, Johnson said, after nine hours of flying they found the pilot's location on the ground, but never actually saw him until the MH-53 Pave Low helicopter swooped down to pick up the pilot. Johnson was awarded the Air Force Cross for his efforts in helping coordinate a daylight rescue way behind enemy lines, the first mission of its kind for the A-10. But this was not the only "big moment" during Johnson's tour in the desert. A few days after the rescue mission, Johnson was flying through the thick black smoke from Iraqi-initiated oil fires on a ground-attack mission when he found himself on the receiving end of a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile. "It was a bad day," he said. "The leading edge of the right wing was damaged and a lot of debris flew into the engine." At that moment, Johnson was not sure he would be returning to Myrtle Beach. "I thought I was going to have to punch out; my first thought was, 'I'm not going home,'" he said. The damage was so extensive he could see his landing gear through the hole in the wing. Fortunately, the right engine recovered somewhat and he was able to make it back into Saudi airspace. Johnson pulled off a no-flap approach to King Fahd Airport and landed, despite a blown tire which shredded on touchdown. After 30 days in the battle-damage repair shop the "Warthog" was up and running again, and just as the jet had rescued him from danger and brought him back to Saudi airspace, it brought him back to the United States and his wife of 10 years, Tricia. "I have a special bond with that aircraft," Johnson said of tail No. 664, "and my wife does, too." That special bond was strong enough to change an old tradition in the 75th FS. The squadron's flagship, which had traditionally been aircraft 175, was changed to Johnson's old friend, 664. Ten years after the war, Johnson said it is overwhelming to take the helm of a fighter squadron, which he calls his "dream job." "I am carrying on the proud tradition of the 75th Fighter Squadron," he said. Johnson added that the squadron would continue to be mission-ready at all times to go after the next Saddam Hussein, whoever "he" may be. "There will be another enemy," he said. And when that happens, "we'll pack our bags, generate our airplanes and we'll fly away." He said that the 20-year-old A-10s "may no longer be cutting-edge technology, but they still are cutting-edge airpower." He'll always have a special place in his heart for one of those A-10s. "There are two women in my life," Johnson announced to guests at his ceremony, "my wife and aircraft 664." (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service) 0087. Gulf War vets living, serving together again by Staff Sgt. Cindy Maier 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- These days, there are dorms with nice dayrooms, cable TV and computers. Senior noncommissioned officers have their own rooms and share a bathroom with one other person. These days, Master Sgt. James Wells doesn't dare complain about the living conditions he has in Southwest Asia, considering the conditions 10 years ago. Lately, Wells, the first sergeant for the 363d Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron here, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control Systems unit, has done quite a bit of recollecting about his time here during the Gulf War. After talking with a couple of people from his dorm and squadron, he realized the three of them could share more about their time than most. It was August 1990 when then-Staff Sgt. Wells was told there was not enough room for him to stay with the rest of the Americans in Dhahran. He and about 300 other Air Force people were taken to a Saudi schoolhouse where they lived until school resumed. Most of the time, Wells slept in a small classroom on a cot with his sleeping bag. There were a few mattresses lying around -- when one person got up from one, another person took his place. What Wells found out recently is two people in his squadron now also lived in that same schoolhouse at the same time. None of the three were associated with the AWACS at the time and they did not know each other at all. Once school resumed, the three moved into different tent cities on base. Ten years later, Wells, Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Brackeen and Staff Sgt. John Prieto are back in the desert, this time working together, as well as living together. Brackeen, 363rd EAACS maintenance superintendent, was an aerospace ground equipment technician deployed from Hurlburt Field, Fla. He said he was surprised to meet someone from back then. "I never thought I would see anyone who lived in that school," Brackeen said. "It's very surprising to meet two people on this trip who are now in the same squadron as me." Prieto, then in the Air Force for just two years and a ground radio technician, thinks the meeting here is "pretty cool." He said, "It's one of those 'small world after all' things." Though the three doubt they will start hanging out together back at Tinker AFB, Okla., comparing differences between then and now certainly brings back memories. Today, they can take a shower or a bath if they choose. Ten years ago, they tried to find the most secluded spot in a courtyard to clean up with a garden hose. These days, they can choose from a smorgasbord of food at one of three dining halls at any hour of the day, or go to one of several fast-food restaurants. Then, with no eating establishments at the school, they dined on Meals, Ready to Eat. Now, people here are entitled to make two 15-minute morale calls home a week. Then, Brackeen does not remember making one single call, and the only call Wells made was from a satellite phone on Air Force One while it was in the country. One thing Brackeen does remember is the big junk yard they had. "There weren't enough vehicles to get everyone to and from work," Brakeen said. "We were told that we could go out to the junk yard and if we could find a car and get it running, we could have it. We found an old Caprice Classic and got it running. It had air conditioning and it was so nice. We drove it to and from work everyday." Brackeen said these days he drives a little truck and he insists "I want the Caprice back!" Prieto, who is now an air surveillance technician on the AWACS, said although the facility differences are vast, more noticeable is how different the mission is. He knows the danger is still here, but, during the war it was more obvious. "We're keeping the peace now," Prieto said. "Then, we were worried because if Saddam got in a car and drove the speed limit, he could get to where we were in three hours." Brackeen said even with the much nicer living conditions, this trip will not stand out like the one from 10 years ago. "After this trip, I'll probably forget most of the people who were here," Brakeen said. "I will not ever forget the people from back then." Wells said if he had to choose which era to be here, he would choose that of 10 years ago. "The living conditions are nicer here, but there are other things that make a deployment good or bad," Wells said. "Back then I was working harder, traveling and fixing C-141 Starlifters. We didn't have a huge gym, but we didn't have time anyway -- and living in the tents made people more social." With the nicer amenities, Prieto said he would probably choose now, but it really doesn't matter. "Sand is sand." (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service) *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? 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