-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
1679. Edwards helps NASA capture Leonid data by Leigh Anne Bierstine Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- People from the Global Reach Combined Test Force here stepped up to the plate recently to help NASA researchers capture one-of-a-kind data. The squadron offered 18 U.S. scientists a ride aboard a specially modified aircraft so they could collect data during this year's Leonid meteor shower. The specially modified aircraft, an NKC-135E Stratotanker, is also known as the Flying Infrared Signature Technology Aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with quartz-crystal windows designed to support advanced technology optical data collection. The windows include defrosters and adjacent mountings for cameras, and highly specialized equipment to gather signature data on meteors. The mission left here at 10 p.m., flew throughout the shower, and returned at 6:30 a.m. the following morning. While the shower could be viewed from the ground, the goal for the mission was to get above the clouds and other atmospheric interference to meet NASA's specific viewing needs. With the current operations tempo at the test center, accommodating the flight was challenging but well worth the extra effort, said to Lt. Col. Jeff Smith, director of the Global Reach CTF. The aircraft required extensive reconfiguration for the mission, he said. With the airfield's main runway under construction and closed for the weekend, the project had significant hurdles to overcome to allow for launch and recovery. "Team Edwards came through in a crunch so that the international scientific community would have this data," Smith said. "The team worked round the clock during Veterans Day weekend configuring the aircraft and all the next weekend flying the mission." In the end, the mission went "flawlessly," said Smith. "We were able to get the scientists and their equipment to the right spot on the globe at the right time so they could gather the information," he said. "This data is being used to better characterize the threat that our satellites have to space hazards, so its benefits will touch each of us someday." Meteor storms have historically eluded planned observation. The Leonid storm offered researchers an opportunity to plan viewing based on its predicted appearance. The Leonids are minute dust particles shed by comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet swings around the sun once every 33 years, leaving a trail of dust. Each November, the Earth's orbit takes it through that slowly dissipating trail. 1672. Structural maintenance keeps Liberty Wing airborne by Staff Sgt. J.C. Woodring 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION LAKENHEATH, England (AFPN) -- When the call comes to send people from the 48th Fighter Wing here on an exercise or contingency deployment, many people are involved with deciding who will go and what will go with them. People from the 48th Transportation Squadron must also think about how the entire wing's personnel and support equipment will travel, as well. "We are the primary advisers on the best method of transporting cargo to its final destination," said Capt. Kevin Carrico, 48th TRANS readiness flight commander. Readiness representatives work closely with the 48th Fighter Wing plans office here to ensure all equipment is identified and assigned a priority so they can determine how to send it. Although many people think Air Force units should ship their equipment on aircraft, that is not always the best mode, said Master Sgt. Steve Wollerman, 48th TRANS readiness flight superintendent. "Trucking cargo saves money," he said. It costs about $35,000 to move one C-130 Hercules aircraft load of cargo. It would cost about $9,500 to move the same cargo by surface, such as on trucks. A truck holds about the same amount of cargo as a C-130. Shipping things by surface makes a lot of sense for most deployments and exercises, said Wollerman. "We know where (most deployments are) going months in advance. As long as we have enough notice, our traffic management office can save tons of money by shipping things by truck," he said. For example, an upcoming deployment consists of 21 truckloads or roughly 400,000 pounds of equipment, which costs less than $300,000 to ship by truck. To send the same amount of equipment by air would have cost more than $1 million. "Most of the time, we use a combination of air and surface transportation," Wollerman said. The squadron has five air transporters who construct aircraft load plans for equipment and handle all cargo aircraft transiting here. "When we have 20,000 pounds of equipment on a C-130, our plans have to be very accurate because the center of balance of this aircraft has to be within 20 inches," said Wollerman. When shipping equipment by air or surface, units must ensure the cargo complies with all safety regulations. To help them, the squadron's readiness flight offers cargo preparation and pallet build-up classes. In the class, students learn to palletize cargo -- find the centers of balance, send nonpalletized cargo and complete paperwork needed for processing. When it comes time to deploy, units prepare the cargo and palletize it for shipment. Vehicles deploying need a limited technical inspection conducted by the vehicle maintenance flight, which dispatches and operates tractor-trailers for hauling property to the cargo deployment function, where pallets are processed and put into chalks. At the CDF, the traffic management office inspects the pallets together with the unit representatives who must stay with the equipment until a TMO official verifies it. "The main thing (the TMO inspectors) look for is that the cargo is safe, clean and ready to ship," said Bill Pratt, cargo chief. "They make sure that we don't have any bugs or spiders on it, the fuel levels are correct and any hazardous cargo is certified. We also check that all of the equipment details like weight and center of balance are correct." Once the aircraft arrives, the loadmaster double-checks the cargo and ensures all hazards are identified. While equipment is in transit to a deployed location, transportation officials can check for individual pieces of equipment, down to nuts and bolts, on any mission around the world as part of the global transportation network. "That's really important if a commander is waiting for a critical part to get one of his jets in the air," said Carrico. 1675. Warren NCO replaces vet's stolen flag by Staff Sgt. Melissa Phillips 90th Space Wing Public Affairs F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFPN) -- Thousands of people read a recent letter to the editor printed in a Cheyenne, Wyo., paper titled: "Return a vet's flag; no questions asked." It told the story of John Simons, a local Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, whose flag was stolen from outside his home while he and his family were sleeping. Many were mortified. But one noncommissioned officer here was moved to action. "I saw the article and thought that's just wrong," said Tech. Sgt. Shawn Matzen, 90th Security Forces Squadron. "Nobody should disrespect a veteran like that." When Matzen was told that it was against Air Force policy to donate a base's American flag to private citizens, he persuaded the local American Legion to replace the flag with a new one -- one that was flown over the base the day before. During a small ceremony at the American Legion, Matzen presented Simons with the flag in front of his family, friends and more than 20 base people on behalf of the base and the 90th SFS. "I'm overwhelmed at how heartfelt these guys were to do this," said Simons. "I can't thank the people at Warren enough for thinking of me. It's a good feeling knowing that the camaraderie is still there." The Air Force veteran, who served as an administrative specialist, earned a Purple Heart for his service at Bien Hua Air Base, Vietnam, the night of Nov. 17, 1970. "It was 1 in the morning when we came under attack by rocket mortar," Simons said. "They hadn't attacked us for a month, so they were saving it up. A rocket exploded in back of 14 others (airmen) and me. Three others besides me lost their legs that evening, one died and the rest sustained shrapnel wounds." Simons is normally on the other end of military ceremonies. He plays the bugle for Company 6 at the Cheyenne American Legion. He did not realize he was visiting the Legion to receive a flag, so to be the recipient at a military ceremony was a shock, he said. "It made my day," Simons said. Later, when Matzen expressed his sympathy for the unpatriotic act against the veteran, Simons held his newly acquired flag high and smiled. "It still has the stars and stripes on it," he said. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) 1671. Now showing: Nov. 26 edition of Air Force Television News SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- An Air Force unit tasked with securing enemy airfields is highlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Tech. Sgt. David Pullen profiles the unit, which is training for possible use as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On the domestic front, Tech. Sgt. Paul Firman talks to the Air Force surgeon general about the military's readiness regarding the potential use of the smallpox virus by terrorists. Staff Sgt. Pachari Lutke visits two single parents at Charleston Air Force Base, S. C., to illustrate how the war is affecting family life in the Air Force. Staff Sgt. Eric Kerr reports on the training of NATO pilots at Sheppard AFB, Texas; and Staff Sgt. Joe Wallace examines the replacement of military personnel with civilian maintainers at Altus AFB, Okla., a move that releases airmen into career fields with critical shortages. Staff Sgt. Michael Noel produces a special Eye on the Air Force segment called "Preserving Paradise," which illustrates the work being done at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, to protect the environment. Senior Airman Israel Aviles visits the radiology department at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland AFB, Texas, to show how medical technology is helping military working dogs. And Senior Airman Kevin Dennison profiles the work of a former Women Airforce Service Pilot and her daughter to perpetuate the history of the World War II organization. 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, and is seen on more than 700 cable television outlets nationwide. It is also available on the Internet at www.af.mil, and can be seen daily on The Pentagon Channel, as well as base Commanders' Access Channels. The program is the only military production offered with closed captioning. Viewers can comment on the program by sending e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 4054. Commentary: Ground Zero visit brings mixed feelings by 2nd Lt. Tana R. Hamilton Aeronautical Systems Center WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- I've been to New York City before, but at the end of September I saw a different place. The events of Sept. 11 changed my previously scheduled visit. I spent two days there. I had to see Ground Zero. My feelings were very mixed about why I had to go there, and what my purpose was, but I knew that I would go. Since I already was in Manhattan, I set out on foot for this pilgrimage. I decided that as a military member, I wanted to see the reason we'd engage in another long conflict, this time called "war." I walked south on Broadway and shopped a bit along the way to distract my mind from my final destination. The streets still had traffic, though there was a ban on cars with only one passenger entering the city during peak hours. Things didn't look terribly different, yet. As I got closer to where the towers once stood, I asked a store clerk where the closest place was to view the scene. I felt weird, like I was asking directions to a cemetery that still had ongoing processions. After all, this site still contained the bodies of thousands. I would not need directions. As I walked closer to the towers, a putrid odor, similar to the charred smell of a house razed by fire, permeated the air. Its strength was surprising, since I was still blocks away, and this was two weeks after the attack. Barriers, on either side of the streets, formed pathways so pedestrians could only cross at controlled points. I spoke to a policeman standing in front of cleanup efforts -- cranes, ladders and loud dump trucks -- who proudly told me that he was also a New Jersey Air National Guardsman. I continued down the tunneled path until I stared directly at the remains the World Trade Center North Tower. I didn't expect it to look so sterile. Police buses, rented fences and uniformed military members stood between the building and the closest accessible point. In contrast to its blackened, hollow exterior, a tall white and glass high-rise stood behind it with a large American flag proudly hanging near the top. My nostrils burned from the smell, and my stomach turned. What I tasted was why people I'd seen there on television wore surgical masks. I had enough for one day. The next evening, I went back to where I had left the day before, and circled the scene. At every intersection with a clear view, there were tourists and locals: never enough to block the whole road, never lingering too long, never talking too loudly. Some took videos or snapshots with their cameras. There was a somber feeling as couples put arms around their partners' backs for some sort of comfort. In the chilly night-air, I saw what was left of the South Tower. I was glad I didn't see it the first time. It wasn't black, like the first one. It burned white and ashen, and the steel beams were more mangled. Smoke still rose from the floors underneath it, still burning like the remains of a campfire. I passed a parking garage blocks away from the towers that had a lone car remaining. It must have been a white car, but I couldn't tell through the inch or so of dust that had settled on it. Some had written poetry, or names and dates on the dusty windows of empty stores. Most of the memorial balloons, candles and signs had been moved to Union Square or washed away by the rain of the preceding days. I spoke to every military member I saw along the way. Most of them were guardsmen or reservists. I asked them about their shifts, which most said lasted 12 hours. I asked them about their rotations, and many were willing to work the continuous days. One military member talked of the priest who died when someone who jumped from the tower landed on him. He showed me the priest's business card, and told me of his devotion to victims of fires in the city. A soldier showed me a picture he carried in his pocket that an elementary school child colored and sent to thank the workers. As a former combat camera photographer, I've documented humanitarian efforts, military operations and the effects on the victims in other countries. I've never seen destruction like this in my own country. This time, those affected were my friends, fellow military members and other Americans. I had no desire to go any closer to get more images. I only wanted to offer my encouragement to those there, the heroes that witness our war zone daily and to understand what happened in New York City. I still don't understand. But the hollow, solemn place that I saw, I will never forget. *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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