-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
> > 0065. C-141 crew airlifts detainees to Guantanamo Bay > > WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- An Air Force Reserve > Command aircrew from the 445th Airlift Wing here delivered the first > Taliban and al-Qaida detainees to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan. 11. > > The all-volunteer aircrew transported 20 detainees to Cuba aboard a C-141 > Starlifter aircraft, a long-range troop and cargo plane. The crew > returned home Jan. 13. > > Besides reservists from here, C-141 aircrews and aircraft maintainers from > the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.; and the 459th > AW, Andrews Air Force Base, Md., took part in the operation. Other > reservists participating were from the 440th AW's airlift control element, > from Gen. Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station, Wis., and > security forces from around the command. > > For security reasons, the names of the airmen are not releasable, but > crewmembers shared their impressions of the first flight of its kind for > Operation Enduring Freedom. > > "It was nothing like any normal mission, but the same rules apply as with > any flight" said one of the loadmasters, a senior master sergeant. "You > do what you do as safely as possible." > > The mission demanded teamwork, not only among the aircrew but also among > Air Force security forces, including several airmen from the 445th > Security Forces Squadron assigned to the flight to manage the movement of > the detainees. > > "The main difference was the cargo," said the pilot, a lieutenant colonel > with nearly 20 years' experience in C-141s. "Nobody relaxed, but I had no > concerns on the airplane. Security measures were rock solid." > > This crew's flight, which took place four months to the day after the > Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was the first of many. Facilities for up to > 2,000 detainees are being built at Guantanamo Bay. > > The Guantanamo Bay detention facility will house hard-core terrorists, > those who have demonstrated a willingness to escape, take their own lives > or kill others, said Defense Department sources. Locking up the > terrorists supports the global war on terrorism. > > Guantanamo Bay was judged to be the "least worst option," providing a safe > environment to secure the detainees, said Secretary of Defense Donald > Rumsfeld. > > While not officially prisoners of war, the detainees are being accorded > the same treatment. Consequently, access to or observation of them might > be considered an indignity. > > Because of security concerns, details about specific movements of the > detainees, as well as security measures, are not being released publicly. > (Courtesy of AFRC News Service) > > > > 0068. CSAF: Air Force, Navy working relationship 'never better' > > by Tech. Sgt. Tim Dougherty > Air Force Print News > > WASHINGTON -- Some of the greatest rivalries are between athletic teams > from the service academies. However, during the current battle against > terrorism, cooperation between the Air Force and Navy has never been > better, said Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff. > > "The component relationships in this war, especially between the Air Force > and the Navy, are better than I have ever seen," Jumper said. He would > know, since he has been "up close and personal for the last 10 years in > some senior positions, and very close to the battle." > > Since Oct. 7, the bombs that have been raining down on Afghanistan -- > dropped by Navy and Air Force aircraft -- all have one thing in common: > they have brought an end to the Taliban control of Afghanistan. > > "We're putting together [our] nation's [warfighting] capabilities exactly > the way we bought them," Jumper said. "You use the capabilities you need." > > Navy and Air Force airplanes are being used in ways that have never been > used before. > > "We are inventing these tactics more or less in the course of battle so we > can get this job done for (U.S. Central Command Commander) General Tommy > Franks and his team," Jumper said. "We're using carrier-based naval air, > and the Air Force is coming across long, vast stretches of airspace to put > bombers in there. The B-52 (Stratofortresses) take off and don't know what > their targets are going to be until they arrive." > > Adm. Vern Clark, the chief of naval operations, agrees with Jumper and > said they both are big believers in the joint efforts of the Air Force and > Navy. The two leaders have been working together for many years. Clark > recalls a specific discussion in 1994 during Operation Vigilant Eagle in > Southeast Asia, when Jumper was the Joint Force Air Component Commander > with Clark as his deputy. > > "John looked at me and told me to make sure the carrier knows we're not > counting sorties. We're not in competition here," Clark said. > > "We have been and are working together to create the best warfighting > capability and the best warfighting response," he said. > > > > 0067. Survey focuses on organizational climate > > by Tech. Sgt. Mark Kinkade > Air Force Print News > > SAN ANTONIO -- For the first time since its launch in 1997, the Air Force > chief of staff survey will focus solely on organizational climate issues. > > The survey will be available online Jan. 22 to March 8 and has been > redesigned to gauge what Air Force people think about management and > work-related topics. The 1997and 1999 versions of the survey also asked > respondents about quality-of-life issues in the service. > > "Based on previous feedback, we've significantly improved this year's > survey," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. "The size of > the survey has been cut in half, focusing entirely on issues such as > leadership and supervision, job characteristics, resources, values, > communication, training, teamwork, and recognition." > > The survey will help define the Air Force of the future, and has adopted > the motto "Speak Today, Shape Tomorrow" to encourage as many people as > possible to take the 45-minute survey, officials said. > > Quality-of-life issues are addressed in a separate survey, said officials > with the survey development team at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. > > Previous surveys resulted in a series of changes at all levels of the Air > Force. > > For example, following the 1999 survey, Electronic Systems Command > officials decided to drop an initiative that would have converted 54 > military positions at Hanscom AFB, Mass., to civilian jobs after military > people at the base raised concerns about extensive additional duties. The > survey was also the catalyst for increasing Hanscom's military presence by > 10 percent. > > Also, a host of bases improved or added recognition programs after survey > results were sent to commanders. Many bases developed additional > leadership programs for both officers and enlisted people, and commanders > worldwide launched several organization streamlining programs to reduce > inefficiencies in their commands. > > Officials said the survey is useless unless people participate and > commanders follow up on results. > > "At this time, we need the vector check on the health of our organizations > and leadership our people can provide," Jumper said. "To achieve valid > results, we absolutely need maximum participation." > > The survey Web site is available at http://csafsurvey.af.mil > > > > 0066. Government travelers can keep perks for personal use > > RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- People who travel at government > expense can now keep the perks they earn for personal use. > > A change to Section 1116 of the Fiscal 2002 National Defense Authorization > Act allows travelers to keep benefits, said S. W. Westbrook, director of > the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee. The benefits > include points or miles, upgrades, access to carrier clubs or facilities, > or other promotional items > > The act was signed into law by President Bush on Dec. 28, and the change > went into effect Dec. 31. > > The policy applies to promotional items received before, on or after Dec. > 31, Westbrook said. The material must be obtained under the same terms as > those offered to the general public and must be at no additional > government cost. > > One example is the voluntary relinquishing of a seat on an airliner. > Under the policy change, a traveler may keep payments from a carrier for > vacating a seat; however, no additional expenses, such as per diem, may be > paid as a result of the traveler's delay. > > "Additional travel expenses incurred as a result of voluntarily giving up > a seat are the traveler's financial responsibility," Westbrook said. > > When a traveler is involuntarily denied a seat, the traveler enters > "awaiting transportation" travel status for per diem and miscellaneous > expense reimbursement. In that case, any monetary compensation, including > meal and lodging vouchers, belongs to the government. (Courtesy of Air > Force Personnel Center News Service) > > > > 0064. Officers asked to provide input into assignment process > > RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Air Force Personnel Center > officials here are asking officers to provide online feedback about the > officer assignment process through a survey being e-mailed Jan. 15 to more > than 15,000 people. > > The survey is the second opportunity for officers to give formal feedback > to the personnel center since the assignment system's inception in 1998. > > Those who receive the e-mail will be asked to click on a Web link and > answer 29 general questions and give insight about the effectiveness of > the Air Force assignment system and its associated technology. The survey, > planned for every two years, gives personnel officials a way to monitor > officers' attitudes about the assignments process. > > There is also a separate portion of the survey only for commanders. It > includes 23 questions about the effectiveness of the AFAS from a > commander's viewpoint. The commander's questions will help determine if > the AFAS is placing the right officer in the right job, personnel > officials said. > > More than two-thirds of the current officer force has already been > assigned through AFAS, said Capt. Patricia Rodriguez-Rey, chief of > assignment procedures here. "We are interested in making AFAS the best > possible assignments system. Any feedback given by those participating > will be valuable into making this happen." > > An AFAS review group will convene here March 4 to 8 to discuss the > findings, compare the feedback with previous survey results and make > suggestions to policy-makers at the Pentagon. > > Questions about the survey can be directed to AFPC at (210) 565-4098, or > DSN 665-4098. (Courtesy of AFPC News Service) > > > > 0061. World War II hero tells his 'war story' > > by 2nd Lt. Justin Giovannettone > 11th Wing Public Affairs > > BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. (AFPN) -- On June 28, 1942, U.S. Army Lt. > Thomas Griffin received the Distinguished Flying Cross in front of Hangar > One here for his participation in the legendary Doolittle Raid against > Japan. > > Almost 60 years later, Griffin returned here recently to appear on the Fox > Network television program "War Stories with Oliver North" and recount the > story of the United States' first offensive action against the Japanese > homeland in World War II. > > The 85-year-old Griffin said the base looks a lot different from how he > remembers it. Back in 1942, Bolling still had an operational airfield and > was the general headquarters of the Army Air Forces. > > Griffin, who retired at the end of the war as a major, belonged to the > 17th Bomb Group, based at Pendleton, Ore., in early 1942. When the call > came asking for volunteers for an unspecified secret mission, almost the > entire group volunteered. The next few months were spent training for the > unheard of task of flying B-25 Mitchell bombers off an aircraft carrier > for a one-way trip into history. > > The plan was for 16 B-25 bombers, led by Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle, > to be transported aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet to within 400 > miles of the Japanese coast. The bombers would than take off and bomb > major Japanese industrial cities including its capital, Tokyo. Though the > raids were not expected to cause significant damage, the fact that the > mission would hit mainland Japan less than five months after Pearl Harbor > was to be a major psychological victory for the Americans. > > But there were major risks involved. > > Before the Hornet could get within the planned range of the Japanese > coast, it came in contact with several Japanese picket ships. Fearing the > ships would transmit their location to the Japanese fleet, Vice Admiral > William F. Halsey, commander of the task force escorting the Hornet, > ordered Doolittle and his raiders into the air immediately. They were > about 250 miles farther than their planned takeoff range. > > Another concern was the aircraft itself. > > "No one had ever taken a fully loaded B-25B off a carrier until we did it > that day," recalled Griffin. "We were 1,500 pounds over what the book said > [the B-25] could carry." > > Nonetheless, all 16 B-25s, including Griffin's No. 9 plane, made it off > the carrier successfully. > > As the navigator for his crew, Griffin remembers guiding the plane on its > four-hour flight to Tokyo and flying so low he could see the rooftops of > houses as they reached the city. > > "The Japanese planes shooting at us were not accurate because they were > not used to shooting at bombers that low," he said. > > He also remembers flying right over the Japanese emperor's palace and that > the crews were given explicit instructions not to hit the palace because > the emperor was considered divine by the Japanese people and U.S. leaders > did not think it wise to target him. > > Griffin's B-25 was supposed to drop its bombs on a tank factory in Tokyo. > After directing the plane over the target, Griffin was sure they had hit > it. It was not until several years later that he learned they had > actually missed the tank factory and instead hit an electricity generation > plant -- temporarily turning out the lights in parts of Tokyo. > > The mission was a success, but the danger was not over for Griffin's plane > or for the other 15 B-25s that had flown over Japan that day. > > Though the B-25s were able to take off from the Hornet, trying to land all > 16 back on the carrier was not an option, even if they did have enough > fuel to make it back. So the plan was to keep on flying into allied > Chinese territory and land at friendly airfields. > > But because they were forced to take off early, none of the planes were > able to make it to the airfields. Most flew as far as they could into > China and then bailed out. > > "It didn't take any bravery to jump out of the airplane . . . because if > you stayed in, you were dead," Griffin said. The crews were never > formally trained in parachuting, they were just told, "When you bail out, > count to eight and pull the cord." > > Griffin and his crew were eventually recovered by friendly Chinese > soldiers and returned to U.S. forces. But some of the Doolittle raiders > were not so lucky. Though none were shot down over Japan, three died in > accidents and eight were captured by the Japanese. Three of the captured > men were eventually executed, one died in captivity and the others > returned home after the end of the war. > > The war was not over for Griffin though. > > After receiving his DFC at Bolling Field here, he returned to battle -- > this time in the Mediterranean theater. In July 1943, he was shot down > over Sicily and captured by the German army. He spent the rest of the war > as a prisoner and says the Germans treated him surprisingly well. > > "In two years of being a prisoner, not one German ever laid a hand on me," > Griffin said. > > When asked about the similarities between the World War II and America's > current war, Griffin said that the war against terrorism, like World War > II, is a clear struggle between good and evil. He also said that the > American public's outrage since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 is > similar to the public's attitude after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. > 7, 1941. *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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