-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! 0223. Eugene Jacques Bullard makes mark as world's first black fighter pilot by 2nd Lt. Paul Oakes 321st Missile Squadron F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFPN) -- If asked who the first black fighter pilot was, many of us would venture to say it was one of the original "Tuskegee Airmen" during World War II. That would be true if we were strictly talking about the U.S. Army Air Corps. The truth is the first black fighter pilot flew some 25 years previously, during World War I for the French Flying Corps. His name is Eugene Jacques Bullard. Bullard, born in 1894 in Columbus, Ga., saw his mother pass away when he was only 6 years old. After her death he lived with his father. While growing up, Bullard would listen to his father and his grandfather -- a former slave -- talk about France. His father told him that in France, blacks and whites were treated equally. After listening to these stories for years, Bullard began to dream of living in such a place. When he turned 18, Bullard moved to France. Bullard hitchhiked from Georgia to Virginia, where he stowed away on a ship bound for Europe. After arriving in Scotland, Bullard eventually made his way France. Two years later, after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Bullard joined the French Foreign Legion. It was there that Bullard first distinguished himself as a brave and extraordinary soldier. As the war progressed, Bullard was transferred to a regular unit in the French army. While assigned to that unit, Bullard participated in the Battle of Verdun, in which he received several serious, life-threatening wounds. After returning to combat, Bullard was wounded again and declared disabled. Still feeling a call to duty, Bullard took advantage of his distinguished war record and requested a transfer to the French Flying Corps. Bullard's request was approved on the grounds of combat heroism. While Bullard was only one of 200 Americans serving in the French Flying Corps at the time, he did have the distinction of being the first and only black pilot to serve during the war. After the United States entered the war in 1917, American pilots in the French Flying Corps were given the opportunity to transfer into the U.S. Army Air Corps and become commissioned pilots. Bullard applied but his application was denied because, at the time, blacks were barred from flying in the Army Air Corps. Bullard continued to serve in the French Flying Corps, as well as distinguishing himself in battle. During his flying career, Bullard flew more than 20 missions against the Germans, fought in numerous dogfights and shot down at least five enemy aircraft -- certifying him as an "ace." Bullard continued to serve even after having to land once behind enemy lines and being wounded two more times. He transferred to the 170th French Infantry Regiment in January of 1918, where he continued to serve until the armistice. By the end of the war, Bullard had distinguished himself both in the air and on the ground. He had shot down more than five aircraft, been wounded five times and had been decorated more than 10 times, to include the Croix de Guerre, and the Legion d'Honneur -- France's highest honor, which is the equivalent of the United States' Medal of Honor. After the war, Bullard stayed in France and worked as a bandleader and later married a countess. He then opened and ran several nightclubs and a health club in France. When World War II broke out, Bullard once again answered the call to duty and fought for the French underground until the Nazis occupied Paris in 1940. With the fall of France imminent, Bullard was forced to leave the country because of his earlier activities with the underground and as a spy against the German forces. He returned to the United States and lived in New York until his death in 1961. Bullard was buried in the French War Veteran's Cemetery in Flushing, N.Y. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) 0226. Prosthesis helps child make music by Mike Wallace Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- When Jaclyn Barker played violin during a recital recital recently, it was not so amazing that she had only been playing violin since September. It was amazing that September was also the time she began wearing a prosthesis on her right arm. The 8-year-old daughter of Lt. Col. Kenneth W. Barker, of Aeronautical Systems Division's training systems office, was born missing most of her right forearm and hand. "We prayed God would give her a tenacious spirit," Barker said. "We are always concerned about other kids, they can be very cruel. But there's nothing Jaclyn can't do. She's a go-getter." Her father recalled how the prosthesis and music came together to challenge Jaclyn. "She has a big sister who plays the piano, so she wanted to play too," Barker said. "Jaclyn played by ear with her left hand, but she reached her limit pretty fast. My wife and I looked for something else she could play." Meanwhile, Barker attended Defense Systems Management College at Fort Belvoir, Va., last year. While there, he met a fellow student, Air Force Maj. Jim Brandt, and told him of his thoughts about getting a prosthetic arm for Jaclyn. Brandt told him that his brother, John, worked for a company in Dayton that fitted prostheses. Back from school, Barker met John Brandt of LaForsch orthopedics and discussed prosthetic devices and what kind of instrument Jaclyn might be able to play. The Barkers decided upon stringed instruments and, finally, the violin "although," said Barker, "maybe she could have found something easier to learn." Jaclyn could continue in her musical quest by means of a prosthetic arm and hand. The next step was to contact TRICARE. "You think of TRICARE as some big, impersonal entity, (but) we are ecstatic about it," Barker said. "They bent over backward to help us. They have a program for people with disabilities. We have four kids and without this program, we couldn't have done this for Jaclyn. They assigned a caseworker to us who was very personal and instrumental in helping get the prosthesis." According to a TRICARE pamphlet, "the Program for Persons With Disabilities is a TRICARE program that offers financial assistance to active-duty family members with serious physical or moderate to severe mental disabilities. For both physical and mental disabilities, TRICARE has strict guidelines the beneficiaries must meet to qualify for any benefits paid for by this program." Wright-Patterson Medical Center's pediatric case manager for Jaclyn was Kathy Maguire. She explained that her duty is to "work with the family and the physicians to get the paperwork completed. I explained the Persons With Disabilities program (to the Barkers) and let them know what community resources were available. "The PWD is a special program for active-duty families," Maguire said. "I verify the qualifying condition and get the paperwork together. Then the family gets in touch with the provider. TRICARE has a maximum price (it will) pay, up to $1,000 a month. The more responsive a family is in terms of completing the proper paperwork, the smoother the transaction." TRICARE paid for the prosthetic arm and LaForsch Orthopedics built it. "Barker called me, and we talked about options," said Brandt. "He thought a stringed instrument might be realistic for his daughter to play. We decided that the violin made the most sense." Brandt made a cast of Jaclyn's arm. After it was set, the negative cast was removed and taken to a lab where Brandt then made a positive cast of plaster that was an exact replica of Jaclyn's forearm. The prosthetic device that fits over a person's arm is called a socket and, using the plaster replica, Brandt made a test socket of clear plastic to enable him to better evaluate its fit on Jaclyn's arm. "We did one or two (test sockets) until we were satisfied with the size and fit," Brandt said. The next step was to fabricate the final socket out of laminated plastic that contained pigment resembling the color of Jaclyn's skin. "We fabricate the prosthesis, the socket part," said Brandt. "It's made with a silicone sleeve and pin to lock it in place. A company in Colorado specializes in upper extremity adaptations. They made a 'hand' component, or terminal device, known as a violin adapter. This adapter holds a violin bow and Jaclyn can screw it into the socket. "The prosthesis has no moving parts, but the wearer can bend her elbow (in order to play the instrument)," Brandt said. "She also has another prosthetic hand that looks more like a natural hand. It has a cable that is attached to a spring within the hand. When she extends her arm the hand opens." Barker said his daughter seldom wears the prosthesis except when she plays the violin. Told this, Brandt said, "I bet that 75 to 80 percent of the people who are born without limbs don't wear their prostheses regularly. They've learned to get around without an arm or a hand, and they're used to it." The prosthesis is one factor in Jaclyn's musical development; the second was Deb Dempsey, a senior music therapy student. In half-hour lessons, one per week, Dempsey has taught Jaclyn to read music and to play the violin. Dempsey said: "Jaclyn is in a unique situation. Her prosthesis bridges (over) her limitation and enables her to play like anyone else. "Since the bow is fixed, it doesn't stay perpendicular to the strings. It arcs and (Jaclyn) must use her arm more (since) she doesn't have any wrist motion. But she's made great progress, and she really has learned a lot on her own. She's a great learner and a good student." Jaclyn practices three to four times each week. Although the prosthesis -- Jaclyn simply calls it 'her arm' -- allows her to play the violin, she wanted nothing to do with it at first. "I thought it would have clamps," she said, envisioning metal clamps or even a hook. She's adjusted to it to some degree: wearing the prosthesis while playing the violin in half-hour sessions, but her father said: "She's like any other kid. She'd rather watch TV or play video games." Jaclyn said she "rides her bike, plays with friends and acts weird." Barker said that whether or not she becomes a great musician, at least "it's one more thing she can do." He added: "We never could have done this -- gotten the arm -- without the help of TRICARE." 0229. Reservist renders aid to auto accident victim by Maj. Ken E. Warren 920th Rescue Group Public Affairs PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- The self-aid and buddy care training Tech. Sgt. Tom Renna received in the Air Force helped him care for an auto accident victim here recently, and possibly saved the woman's life. As noncommissioned officer in charge of the 920th Rescue Group's military equal opportunity office, Renna spends a lot of time providing sensitivity training. He's sort of a counselor on living and working by the "Golden Rule", but he never thought he would put that concept to the ultimate test: rescuing someone. Renna, a reservist, was on his way to a grocery store near his home, when he saw a violent collision between two vehicles. "The sport utility vehicle was going pretty fast and T-boned (broadsided) the other car," Renna said. "The impact completely spun the other vehicle around a couple of times. I was shocked, but then my instincts took over." Renna pulled over and ran to the scene. It didn't appear that the two people in the SUV were in any immediate danger, so he went to the other vehicle, where he found its driver conscious but in an apparent state of hysteria. "She was screaming and asking what happened," he said. "She kept yelling, 'Kristen! Kristen!' I assumed that was the passenger in her car." Renna got the driver out of the car and calmed her down. Then, he went to the other side of the car where he found an unconscious woman in the passenger's seat. "I immediately checked her pulse and her breathing. Fortunately, she was still with us," Renna said. "I yelled at a passerby to call 911." At that point Renna returned his attention to the unconscious accident victim. "She was breathing, but it didn't sound right," he said. "So, I repositioned her head. That cleared her airway and also stabilized her neck. Everything was happening so quickly." A police officer arrived about that time and helped Renna continue stabilizing the victim until paramedics arrived minutes later. "I'd done all I could, so I left," Renna said. The seriously injured passenger was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. The others were treated at the scene of the accident. Renna did not even know the name of the woman whose life he may have saved that night. "I called the hospital to check on her," he said, "but they wouldn't tell me anything because I wasn't a family member. Not knowing her name didn't help either." Still concerned, a week after the mishap Renna visited the police station and talked to the officer who responded to the accident. "He told me she sustained some very serious injuries and was lucky to be alive. He also thanked me for being a good citizen and providing initial aid as the first person on the scene," Renna said. "It was nice just knowing her name and that she was OK. I'm glad I've had Air Force training in self-aid and buddy care. It really helped." "Tom is a heady and compassionate NCO," said Maj. Caryn Long, 920th RQG's military equal opportunity office chief. "When others may have passed by without helping, he stopped and did the right thing. His actions boost my confidence in his ability to stay calm and focused under pressure and deliver equally well for the Air Force." (Courtesy of Air Force Reserve Command News Service) 0228. Now showing: Feb. 20 edition of Air Force Television News SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- In the latest edition of Air Force TV News reporter, Tech. Sgt. Dean Padgett, traveled aboard the first Air Force cargo aircraft, provides humanitarian assistance to victims of the earthquake in India. Padgett followed a load of emergency supplies from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to the area of India hit by a massive earthquake. Tech. Sgt. David Pullen worked with Tech. Sgt. Paul Firman at the Air Force News Service Pentagon Bureau and the Regional News Center in Europe, to examine "The State of USAFE," the story takes an in-depth look at the role of Air Force men and women in Europe. Military physician Paul Little reports on the Department of Defense position on use of depleted uranium in armament. Senior Airman Israel Aviles traveled to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., for a close-up look at how the A-10 Thunderbolt uses its weaponry, and whether it has had an effect on troops involved with it. Senior Airman Eric Kerr introduces veiwers to a group of maintainers at Edwards AFB, Calif., learned about the two Joint Strike Fighter candidates from the inside out, and Senior Airman Michael Noel went inside Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., to talk to the men and woman behind the scenes who keep the North American Aerospace Defense Command facility operating. *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. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
