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1711. C-17 aircrews deliver 2 million humanitarian daily rations by Master Sgt. Joe Bela U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) -- C-17 Globemaster III aircrews surpassed the 2 million mark when they delivered their cargo of humanitarian daily rations and returned here Nov. 30. A two-ship formation of C-17 transport planes airdropped the pre-packaged meals, which are stored in a refrigerator-sized cardboard box that disintegrates as it exits the rear of the plane. The yellow packages each contain two meals with the 2,200 calories needed to nutritionally sustain one person for a day. C-17 aircrews and planes from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and McChord AFB, Wash., were sent here to fly humanitarian missions supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The airdrops began Oct. 7. Maj. Leon piloted the plane carrying the 2 millionth packaged meal. "We've hit a milestone," he said. "We probably have a few more milestones to conquer along the way, but we also have a mission to perform. If there are milestones to hit along the way, so be it." Staff Sgt. Rene, the C-17 loadmaster from Charleston who tossed the symbolic 2 millionth HDR, called the event a distinction. "I was asked if I wanted to deliver the 2 millionth HDR, and naturally I jumped at the chance," he said. "Being on the flight was a milestone, but having the opportunity to throw out the HDR was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "[Flying humanitarian airlift] is a mission that the C-17 has done for years -- and it will continue to do in the future," Leon said. "There's the war effort and there's the humanitarian side of any conflict," he said. "One breaks the will of the opposing force. The other builds the spirit of an innocent and displaced populace." (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service) 1706. Air Force ensures security for shuttle CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. (AFPN) -- The Air Force has routinely provided security for space shuttle launches for 20 years. But in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the service is taking unprecedented efforts to protect the Space Shuttle Endeavor and its seven-person crew. This is the first shuttle launch since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that killed about 3,900 people. In what has been described as the highest security to ever accompany a U.S. space launch, the 45th Space Wing at nearby Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., and other Department of Defense agencies supporting this launch have put a security plan into effect that protects a vital national space asset and a symbol of America's greatness, said Col. Sameul Dick, 45th SW vice commander. During a pre-launch press conference at NASA earlier this week, Dick could not elaborate on specific security measures, but gave repeated assurances that the wing, Air Force and other DOD agencies are up to any challenge or potential terrorist threat presented. "The threat is terrorism and the terrorists have already demonstrated a capability and desire to attack national symbols of the United States," he said. "For those reasons, we must take an active approach to our security and we believe we are ready for any and all scenarios. "We have taken unprecedented, but critical steps to ensure all reasonable measures are in place to protect the shuttle and its crew from any security threat whether from land, air or sea," Dick said. F-15 Eagle fighters, Apache helicopter gunships and armed Humvee vehicles have been seen around Cape Canaveral for the past month. The 728th Air Control Squadron from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., recently arrived here to operate their advanced air surveillance radar. The Federal Aviation Administration has also created Temporary Flight Restriction zone around the shuttle launch pad. Working with the U.S. Coast Guard, a mariner security zone was established three miles around both the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. On launch day, boat traffic is also restricted in the launch hazard area that stretches 75 miles out to sea. The launch hazard area has been a precaution taken for years to ensure the safety of the general public. "The point of these restrictions is to ensure we keep the shuttle, its crew and the general public safe, and also secure America's access to space," Dick said. Ron Dittemore, shuttle program manager, said NASA is comfortable with the new security. "We're satisfied that appropriate precautions are in place or we wouldn't launch," he said. Endeavor was set to blast off Nov. 29, but was delayed for 24 hours by NASA to solve a docking station problem on the International Space Station where the shuttle will spend its 11-day mission. Endeavor's flight crew of four will carry a new three-man crew to the orbiting space station and return with the three current crewmembers. Endeavor will also carry more than two tons of provisions and scientific hardware for the crew and station. The $95 billion space station program is a partnership between space agencies in the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan. Endeavor's mission will include a tribute to the victims of the attacks. Going up in space along with the shuttle's thousands of pounds of provisions and hardware are nearly 6,000 postcard-sized U.S. flags and at least two full-sized flags. The small flags will be given to the families of victims after the mission ends. The larger flags were the ones recovered from the ruins of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) 1709. Forensic feat IDs all but five of Pentagon victims by Christopher C. Kelly Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- What some experts have called "the most comprehensive forensic investigation in U.S. history" ended recently with the identification of 184 of the 189 who died in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. A multidisciplinary team of more than 50 forensic specialists, scientists, and support personnel from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, together with experts from the U.S. Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, played a major role in Operation Noble Eagle investigations, officials said. Many of the casualties were badly burned and difficult to identify, an official said. For some of the victims, only pieces of tissue could be found. Of the 189 killed, 125 worked at the Pentagon and 64 were passengers on American Airlines Flight 77. AFIP's team of forensic pathologists, odontologists, a forensic anthropologist, DNA experts, investigators, and support personnel worked for more than two weeks in the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del., and for weeks at the DNA lab in Rockville, Md., to identify the victims of the attack. "Our staff represented every branch of the service," said Navy Capt. Glenn N. Wagner, AFIP director. "We also received tremendous support from the doctors, nurses, and technicians stationed at Dover who participated in the investigation." The investigation mobilized AFIP assets in many ways. In the hours following the crash Sept. 11, the acting armed forces medical examiner, Air Force Col. Abu Bakr Marzouk, worked with FBI and local Virginia law enforcement officials to create a plan for recovering and identifying the victims. At the same time, personnel from the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner positioned and staged equipment to begin operations at Dover. Air Force Maj. Bruce Ensign served as AFIP's team leader at the site. "We immediately called in regional medical examiners from as far away as San Diego to participate," Ensign said. A total of 12 forensic pathologists, assisted by two AFIP staff pathologists, headed the investigation team. Also arriving at Dover during those early critical hours were two other key AFIP groups: forensic scientists from OAFME's Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory and oral pathologists from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. AFDIL scientists ensured that data systems and records were available to make DNA identifications, while the oral pathology group created a triage area to conduct positive dental identifications. Contacts were also made with family services personnel in each branch of the military to obtain ante-mortem information and reference material. Mortuary operations were fully under way by the evening of Sept. 13. AFIP used a well-defined and tested system for conducting the identifications of the Pentagon victims. When remains arrived at the morgue, a scanning device searched for the presence of unexploded ordnance or metallic foreign bodies. A computerized tracking system then assigned numbers to each victim for efficient tracking. FBI experts collected trace evidence to search for chemicals from explosive devices and conducted fingerprint identifications. Forensic dentistry experts then performed dental charting and comparison with ante-mortem dental records. Full-body radiographs followed to document skeletal fractures and assist in the identification process, followed by autopsy inspection. At autopsy, forensic pathologists determined the cause and manner of death, aided by a team of forensic anthropologists under the direction of AFIP's Dr. William C. Rodriguez, in determining the race, sex, and stature of victims when necessary. The team included four forensic anthropologists from CILHI, who deployed to Dover to assist the OAFME investigation. "The mission could not have been accomplished without CILHI's assistance," Rodriguez said. A board-certified epidemiologist managed the tracking system for data collected during the autopsy process, and tissue samples were collected for DNA identification and further toxicology studies. Every one of the lab's 102 DNA analysts, sample processors, logistics staff, and administrative personnel were involved, from collecting, tracking and analyzing DNA samples to preparing DNA reports. For 18 days following the terrorist attacks, AFDIL employees worked on 12-hour shifts, seven days a week to meet the mission requirements. The Dover mortuary sent the samples back to the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Rockville, Md. There, teams of forensic scientists, under the direction of Demris Lee, technical leader of the Nuclear DNA Section, took over the difficult chore of generating a DNA profile of the victims. Their work included not only the Pentagon crash victims, but the victims of the Somerset County, Pa., crash as well. Forensic photographers, essential to any forensic investigation, documented injuries and personal effects. Finally, mortuary specialists then embalmed, dressed, and casketed remains prior to release to next of kin. "This is the largest mass fatality we've dealt with in recent years," Ensign said. "We have modalities today that we didn't have before. Our investigation was much more technology-intensive." Ensign said the entire team worked well together. "Because of the combined effort of all three services and the FBI, we were very pleased with the speed of the identification process," he said. "Essential records and references were submitted to us in a timely way." All but four of those who worked in the Pentagon were identified, and AFIP identified all but one of the passengers on Flight 77. 1707. Base explores energy production through wind farming by Master Sgt. Ty Foster 30th Space Wing Public Affairs VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- When the deregulation of California's utility rate structure took effect in January 2001, the energy costs here nearly doubled. Answering the challenge, base officials took a step outside of the box to explore economical and ecological energy alternatives as a means to conserve taxpayer dollars. With 99,000 acres of windblown, beachfront property, the answer was carried in by the wind. "Wind farms use a renewable, nonpolluting source of energy to produce electricity," said Ken Padilla, 30th Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager and utility engineer. Wind farms consist of some number of wind turbines. A wind turbine is a generator with a propeller attached that sits at the top of a tall pole, where it can easily catch the wind. Called "green power" for its environmentally friendly energy production, Padilla said wind farms do not generate the harmful pollutants -- carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide -- normally associated with electricity generation. On the flip side, he said wind farm technology has its drawbacks. "Electricity is produced when there are winds available," Padilla said. "As the wind decreases, so too does the amount of electricity produced. Hence the need to study the wind characteristics and compare prevalent wind conditions with the electric-demand profile of Vandenberg." Although there is an abundance of weather data for the majority of the sites, wind energy applications require a highly refined measurement of local wind characteristics, Padilla said. On Nov. 27, base workers began installing data-logging stations at four sites on base -- two in the north portion and two in the south. "The data-logging stations provide an accurate measurement in these four geographic areas for the potential development of wind farms," Padilla said. Three of the stations are mounted on top of 30-meter masts. Each station will take measurements of wind speed and direction to calculate instantaneous, average and peak readings, Padilla said. The data will be used to determine long-term and short-term variants over a period of 18 months. "This data will be used in determining whether a site is suitable for wind farm development," he said. "The cost savings that will be achieved through the harvested wind must be sufficient to offset the costs of an operable wind farm over its designed life." If the site is suitable, the data will also be useful for determining the optimum size of the wind turbines and the type of turbine technology best suited for each site, he said. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) 1708. Vandenberg seminar is a blast by Staff Sgt. Andrew Leonhard 30th Space Wing Public Affairs VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Technicians detonated 350 pounds of explosives on the explosive ordnance disposal range here Nov. 27, destroying a two-and-half-ton truck. The explosion was a key part of an FBI post-blast seminar. People from the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron's EOD flight, a team of FBI explosive technicians, and state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the four-and-a-half day course, called the Large Vehicle Bomb Post-Blast Crime Scene School. After the explosion, students comb blast scenes looking for clues to determine what type of explosive devices were used, how they were used and who was responsible for the explosion, said Tech. Sgt. Nelson Almodovar, EOD flight chief. The class helps students become familiar with a crime scene involving explosives, said FBI Special Agent Kevin Miles, a bomb technician assigned to the Los Angeles Task Force on Terrorism. Students from around the country attend the seminars, which are held up to 10 times a year across the western United States. In their daily lives, the students are forensic scientists, lab personnel, or members of civilian and military bomb squads or post-blast crime scene teams. The instructors are active-duty and retired FBI agents and members of bomb units from around Southern California. All instructors have extensive training and experience in the inner workings of large-vehicle bomb crime scenes, such as the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, Oklahoma City, Khobar Towers, the African Embassy bombings and the USS Cole. This class, which started in 1998, is one of a kind, Almodovar said. "Vandenberg was one of the first bases to be the host of the class and their support has been instrumental in the success of the course," he said. This is the seventh time the EOD flight here has sponsored the class. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) 1705. Civil Air Patrol marks diamond anniversary by Charlotte Crowe Civil Air Patrol MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- On Dec. 1, the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the Air Force, marks 60 years of humanitarian service. CAP units in local communities are celebrating this anniversary with activities and proclamations of "Civil Air Patrol Day." The Civil Air Patrol was officially established as a volunteer civilian defense organization Dec. 1, 1941, just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, CAP became famous for coastal patrol, where civilian volunteers used privately owned aircraft to spot enemy submarines along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Recognizing that America's entrance into the war was imminent and general aviation would be needed to succeed, CAP grew rapidly into an army of more than 100,000 civilian volunteers committed to protecting American coastlines. Originally, the organization was composed of men too old for the Army, boys too young for it, women who wanted to serve their nation in a productive capacity and thousands of others who later saw action in every branch of military service. CAP volunteer pilots flew more than 24 million miles over the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in single-engine aircraft to help win the battle against German U-boats that were preying on coastal shipping early in the war. Armed with bombs and depth charges, the CAP coastal patrol found 173 German subs, attacked 57, hit 10 and sank two. After the war, a German commander confirmed during a speech he gave to the Rehoboth Beach Coastal Patrol that U-boat operations were withdrawn from the American coasts "because of those damned little red and yellow airplanes." For more than half a century, CAP has taken an active role in carrying out carried out non-combat missions on behalf of the U.S. Air Force. It performs more than 85 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the continental United States as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to America's youths through CAP cadet programs. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, CAP volunteers across the nation sprang into action, continuing a tradition of homeland defense of this country that began 60 years ago. The first, direct overhead aerial photography of the World Trade Center disaster site was provided by the CAP New York Wing. CAP units throughout the nation are answering the call for transport of blood and blood products, monitoring airports, transporting government officials, manning state emergency operations centers and providing aerial reconnaissance. Even though CAP missions have been modified by the needs of a more complex society today, the spirit of those early aviators is still evident in the enthusiasm displayed by more than 60,000 volunteers in service to their communities. Steeped in the tradition of its wartime service, Civil Air Patrol has matured into a viable humanitarian civilian service organization. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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