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0238. Technology enhances mail security WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force postal system officials are combining state-of-the-art technology with the age-old practice of sorting military mail to provide an enhanced level of service for its customers worldwide. The changes, first implemented in October, are a response to a series of world terrorist attacks, and are designed to improve the ability to deter and detect threats presented by explosive devices. At a cost of nearly $7 million, officials began fielding ion mobility spectroscopy instruments in October. These field instruments, often called chemical sniffers, are adaptations of a laboratory instrument. The IMS detection of explosives is not really a chemical method, but a physical comparison method. The instruments work by vaporizing a sample, converting the molecules to ions and analyzing the molecules by electronically comparing them with data preprogrammed into the system by the manufacturer. "These systems can detect both narcotics and explosives," said Robert Eichholz, Air Force postal policy chief. "But, because of U.S. laws against unauthorized search and seizure, our use will focus solely and specifically on explosives." Eventually, all air post offices, aerial mail terminals and selected stateside official mail centers will operate the equipment. These systems will also be included in Air Force postal deployment kits used during contingencies. "After a thorough review of existing research, it was clear that no single technology is effective in identifying all potential vulnerabilities," said Eichholz. "But, the widespread use of this type of system, in such areas as airport and diplomatic security checkpoints, as well as the Pentagon's remote distribution facility, convinced us it was the right approach." Unlike the deployment of the systems, which takes several months to complete, the approval to acquire these systems came quickly. "Because of the pressing need to protect the mail, our people and Air Force facilities, we were able to use the rapid response process to expedite the request for these systems," said Chief Master Sgt. Todd Small, Air Force postal career field manager. The Air Force's rapid response process uses a combat-mission needs statement to expedite the documenting and staffing of urgent, time-sensitive requirements. "We were able to move out quickly, with the approval for the purchase coming just a few weeks after we began the research phase," Small said. "The speed with which we are able to identify, acquire and field these systems was aided by the fact that it is commercial, off-the-shelf equipment." The training to support the systems was worked in parallel with the acquisition process, Small said. Unlike training for X-ray or other types of explosive detection equipment, training to support this system is less costly and complex. "Many of the other systems we researched required substantially longer and more in-depth training," Small said. "Our goal is to provide a system that affords greater security during times of increased force protection conditions or directed threats, but also enables (postal workers) to focus on their core mission of moving the mail. "This equipment will enable postal specialists to be just that, postal specialists, and not experts at deciphering things, like X-ray images, because the system performs the analysis and issues a warning," he said. In a typical year, the Air Force's postal specialists serve nearly 1 million patrons -- 200,000 of whom are deployed -- and receive, process and dispatch more than 200 million pounds of mail. 0235. Air Force announces OTS selections RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The Air Force is giving 261 enlisted people the chance to trade in their stripes for gold bars after being chosen to attend Officer Training School. Air Force Recruiting Service headquarters officials conducted an OTS selection board, which met here Jan. 8 to Jan. 11. The board considered 493 total applications, selecting 261 for a 53-percent selection rate. OTS is only one of the avenues the service uses to find new officers, recruiting officials said. The Air Force will also send more than 1,000 of the nation's best to its service academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and award more than $60 million in ROTC scholarships. As part of the selection process, board members review both objective and subjective factors. Objectively, the board considers each applicant's academic discipline, grade point average, and Air Force Officer Qualifying Test scores. Subjectively, board members evaluate work experience, accomplishments, adaptability, character, leadership ability, potential for future growth and other recommendations. For active-duty enlisted people, performance reports and commander's recommendations are also evaluated. A minimum of three Air Force colonels review every application. The selection process is similar to an Air Force officer promotion board. Key to the entire process is that no single factor leads to a person's selection or nonselection, OTS selection officials said. The average grade point average for those selected is 3.15. The average Air Force Officer Qualification Test score in the area of pilot is 57.2; for navigator, 57.6; for academic aptitude, 56.4; for verbal, 59.8; and for quantitative, 51.5. People selected for OTS can expect class assignment information about eight weeks after their physical is certified for commissioning. OTS boards meet about every six weeks at Air Force Recruiting Service headquarters here. For more information concerning OTS and the application process, active-duty people should contact their local education services office, and civilians should contact their nearest Air Force recruiter. A full listing of people selected for OTS is available at www.rs.af.mil/OTS_selections/releases.htm. (Courtesy of AFRS News Service) 0236. Medical team conducts life-saving mission by Dewey Mitchell Wilford Hall Medical Center Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- People from a highly-specialized team at Wilford Hall Medical Center here flew to Okinawa, Japan, on Feb. 9 and brought back a 3-day-old boy who likely would not have survived without their help. The child of a Marine, stationed on Okinawa, was born Feb. 8 without a left diaphragm. Without the diaphragm, some of his intestines were putting pressure on his lungs and other organs in his chest. The baby's lungs were slowly failing. If this continued, medical officials said the baby would likely die in less than two days unless he was put on heart-lung bypass, which is called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. The ECMO machine does the work for the infant's heart and lungs. This helps stabilize the baby's condition and allows his lungs to heal so he can have surgery later to correct the defect. The surgery to repair the diaphragm gives the baby a 60 percent chance of survival with a good quality of life, doctors said. There is no ECMO capability on the island of Okinawa. The only long-range transport heart-lung bypass capability in the world is at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Air Force doctors at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Okinawa asked specialists at Wilford Hall's specialized Neonatal Intensive Care Center for help Feb. 8, and within 12 hours, a transport team was launched on a series of U.S. Air Force aircraft to Okinawa. The 16-member neonatal critical care air transport team loaded their equipment on a C-130 Hercules, and with the help of people from the 433rd Airlift Wing, flew out of Kelly Field here just before dawn Feb. 9, and arrived in Okinawa 25 hours later. Within three hours after arriving on Okinawa, the ECMO team put the infant on the portable heart-lung bypass system to stabilize the baby until surgery could be performed. "What our team did gave the baby a much greater chance of survival," said Army Col. (Dr.) Howard Heiman, the neonatologist who headed up the team. "The baby went from a 5 percent to a 60 percent chance of survival with the help from our team." The team then transported the infant on a portable ECMO unit by ambulance to a C-141 Starlifter that flew them back to the United States. They arrived here Feb. 11 at 11:45 a.m. CST, marking the end of the 56-hour rescue mission. The baby was transported by ambulance to the neonatal unit at Wilford Hall, where he continues to recover. Surgeons expect to perform surgery within a week, when the lungs are better able to withstand the challenge of an operation. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service) 0234. Air Force redoubles efforts to attract and keep nurses by G. W. Pomeroy Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. (AFPN) -- A shortage of registered nurses across the United States -- including the Air Force -- is considered a major problem or a crisis by more than 65 percent of Americans, according to a national poll recently released by Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Although the study showed that 97 percent of Americans view the nursing profession favorably and 93 percent believe the shortage jeopardizes the quality of health care in the United States, the situation is not expected to turn around anytime soon. There are 126,000 vacant full-time nursing positions in the United States and that figure should surpass 400,000 by 2020, said officials from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 3,790 Air Force nurses on active duty at the end of fiscal 2001, Air Force Nursing Service officials said. Despite policy changes, recruiting and retention efforts, this is 215 short of the number authorized. Air Force officials project a shortage of 400 by Oct. 1. Six specialties within the Air Force nursing career field are considered "critical," which means they are staffed at 90 percent or below, or are anticipated to fall below 90 percent staffing within the next six months. These areas are clinical nursing (medical, surgical), certified registered nurse anesthetists, mental health nursing, neonatal nursing, obstetrical nursing and women's health nurse practitioners. "Nursing is fighting its own war on the home front, a war to provide enough nursing support to care for all the patients in our country," said Brig. Gen. Barbara Brannon, the Air Force's assistant surgeon general for nursing services. "It's a war to improve working conditions, to polish the image of nursing, to attract more people into our wonderful profession." "The nationwide nursing shortage shows no signs of abating, and it is impacting the ability of healthcare institutions to provide the best quality patient care," she said. The national nursing shortage is being driven by many factors, most importantly, a growing need for nurses as baby boomers age and require increasing medical care. By 2030, 20 percent of Americans will be over 65, up from 12.4 percent in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other key factors related to current trends with the nursing profession are: -- Nurses are aging. The average age among employed registered nurses in 2000 was 44. Nurses under 30 accounted for less than 10 percent of the work force, said officials from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. -- Nursing school enrollments and graduation rates have dropped. Since 1995, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in nursing has dropped 23 percent and associate's degrees in nursing have dipped 30 percent, said officials from the National League for Nursing. -- Fewer nurses are teaching. In 1999, 2.5 percent of graduates from nursing master's degree programs entered nursing education, down from 9.5 percent in 1995, NLN officials said. -- Nursing schools are turning away students due to faculty shortages. Roughly 39 percent of qualified nursing candidates cannot be admitted to nursing programs due to a lack of faculty, said officials from the American Hospital Association. These negative trends have had an adverse affect on nurse recruiting. The Air Force did not meet its nurse-recruiting goal for the third consecutive year in fiscal 2001. In the first four months of fiscal 2002, only 134 nurses joined the Air Force through direct commissioning, with a goal of 379 for the year, nursing officials said. "Despite these challenges, we have worked hard to balance our shortfall across our facilities to minimize the impact on the mission," Brannon said. "We have also identified new strategies to boost recruiting success and made unprecedented policy changes to enable more nurses to qualify for a nurse corps commission." These include lifting the requirement for new nurses to have a bachelor's degree in science in nursing. Candidates can now have an associate's degree in nursing with a bachelor's degree in a health-related specialty, plus one year of nursing experience. In August, the Air Force began commissioning nurses in critical wartime specialties -- nurse anesthetists, medical-surgical nurses, mental health and critical care nurses -- up to age 47, as opposed to age 40, nursing officials said. Other initiatives include increasing the number of nursing scholarships available through ROTC, awarding constructive credit toward promotion for civilian experience and offering bonuses for signing on. In fiscal 2001, 44 nurses entered the Air Force through ROTC. That target was recently raised to 70 graduates because of increased training capacity for new graduates at larger Air Force hospitals. "ROTC is an excellent 'grow-our-own' initiative, and these dynamic graduates bring great talent to our corps, and their retention is traditionally high," Brannon said. Constructive credit toward promotion also has a positive affect on recruiting. The Air Force has identified obstetrics, neonatal intensive care, midwifery, women's health and pediatric nurse practitioners as understaffed, and added a year of constructive credit toward promotion for nurses joining with two years of experience in these specialties. A $5,000 sign-on bonus, effective early on, lost its appeal in large part because of the four-year service commitment that came with it, nursing officials said. In fiscal 2000, 125 of 205 eligible nurses accepted the sign-on bonus. In fiscal 2002, 66 of 228 eligible nurses opted for it. Most new nurses opt for no bonus and a three-year commitment. Nursing retention rates are also a concern, Brannon said. At the four-year point, the retention rate is 70 percent; at eight years, 40 percent; and at 10 years, 31 percent. Last year, Brannon directed chief nurses and senior corps officers to interview every nurse who was voluntarily separating. Analysis of these standardized interviews revealed that one of the significant factors influencing decisions to leave was a classic Catch-22: lack of staffing. Anticipating a severe shortage of critical registered nurse anesthetists, Air Force officials instituted an unprecedented loan repayment program in fiscal 2001 that grants reimbursement of education costs up to $24,000. Though originally intended as a recruiting tool, it is now also a retention tool and will soon be available to critical registered nurse anesthetists already serving, nursing officials said. This incentive has sparked interest. Two months ago, nursing services requested 50 additional loan repayment benefits for obstetrical and medical-surgical nurses. 0231. Junior ROTC needs instructors by Jessica Russell Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- The Air Force needs more retirees to take on teaching roles in high school classrooms as the service expands its Junior ROTC program, officials said. The new instructors will work at the 57 new units JROTC will add in high schools during fiscal 2002, said Jo Alice Talley, JROTC instructor management chief at Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools headquarters. "The expansion provides increased opportunities for rewarding community service positions for retired servicemembers interested in becoming high school teachers," she said. People from all career fields are needed, said Col. Brian King, JROTC director. "It doesn't matter what profession the person had in the Air Force," he said. "The leadership skills, customs and courtesies, academic background and professional military education are all excellent preparation for taking a role as a leader in the (Air Force) JROTC classroom." Instructors should be retired active-duty officer or enlisted people who have served a minimum of 20 years, or retired under the temporary early retirement authority with at least 15 years of active-duty service, Talley said. Active duty applicants must be within six months of their retirement date. Instructors wear their uniforms, need to meet current weight requirements and receive a salary equal to the difference between their retired pay and their active-duty pay and allowances, excluding incentive pay, that they would receive if on active duty. "The minimum pay to the instructor is split between the Air Force and the school district, although most school districts pay an amount that is even higher than the minimum payment," Talley said. Many retirees find serving as a JROTC instructor is a rewarding second career. Retired Maj. Stephen Whitehead works as the senior instructor at Prattville High School in Alabama after serving 23 years in the Air Force. He developed an interest in education after teaching ROTC and professional military education classes while on active duty. "I had a teaching background and I enjoy working with young people," Whitehead said. Whitehead said the best part of his job is interacting with students. "I like working with the kids, instilling confidence and self-discipline and teaching them how to set and achieve goals," he said. "More than anything, I enjoy just teaching them life skills." Retired Senior Master Sgt. Larry Jones, an instructor at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala., also spent 23 years on active duty. Jones, whose last active-duty assignment was at the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, said he was looking to continue his career in education, and JROTC fit the bill. "I love working with the kids," he said. "It's great. There's something different every day." One of the challenges Jones has faced is that he has had to adjust his teaching methods. "I've had to adapt my teaching techniques from the military way to the high school way," he said. Although there has been some adjustment on his part, Jones said he has enjoyed every one of his 17 years as a JROTC instructor. "You try to help them in any way you can," he said. "I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world." For more information, call the Air Force JROTC Division at (800) 522-0033, extension 5275 or 5300, DSN 493-5275 or 493-5300; write to: HQ AFOATS/JRI, 551 E. Maxwell Blvd, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6106; or visit the Air Force JROTC Web site at www.afoats.af.mil/afjrotc.htm. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service) 0232. Field-training course opens to personnel troops by Senior Airman Russell Crowe 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Personnel airmen were officially welcomed into Silver Flag training in a ceremony held here recently. The Silver Flag course, taught here, is an Air Combat Command program that teaches airmen from various career fields, including civil engineers and services, how to build and run a bare-base operation at a forward-deployed location. Maj. Gen. Michael McMahan, commander of the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, cut the ribbon that officially marked the entry of the career field into the field-training program. "We've learned a lot since Sept. 11, 2001," McMahan said, "but we've especially learned the importance of having a combat ready Air Force. Never before have we had troops at so many bases utilizing the training they received here. The variety and number of bases we're at, and the speed and precision we're using in fighting this war on terrorism is truly utilizing all the skills and training of all our folks." The importance of this step is monumental, said Tech. Sgt. Farrell Thomas, Air Force Personnel Readiness Programs chief at Randolph. "This is a huge step for this career field," he said. "This training is something personnel troops can't do at home. This is an opportunity for our folks to fine-tune deployment skills so when they are sent to a forward-operating location they are truly warriors." The course is one week long, and teams from several bases attend the training together, integrate as a team and build the base as a team -- just like they would in a real-world deployment. "We bring in (personnel support for contingency operations) teams that are lined up together in air expeditionary force buckets and give them the classroom training and field training they're going to need to be able to deploy and function as a cohesive, viable team that will hit the ground running," said Tech. Sgt. James Patterson, one of two Silver Flag PERSCO instructors. When the teams arrive they spend their first three days of instruction in the classroom, and then spend the next two days in a simulated forward-deployed location. Teams often face problems they did not expect, and that is when the real learning takes place, Patterson said. "A big problem for personnel is always getting connectivity," he said. "They need to be able to pass strength accountability and get reach-back capability. That's key. Without it, military planners have no accurate picture of forces in place or forces that are needed to sustain an operation." (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service) 0233. New invention pays off for Edwards mechanic by Master Sgt. Anne Ward Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- An invention to prevent wear of aircraft landing gear tires earned a mechanic here a U.S. patent and a cash award. Mike Almen, a 795th Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning work leader mechanic, learned last month that his invention received approval from the U. S. Patent Office. He also received a $300 cash award from the Innovative Development Through Employee Awareness Program here. To solve the tire wear problem, wheels would have to rotate as close to ground speed as possible before landing, Almen said. "I came up with several plans, but in the long run, the design I settled on was a metal plate that could be bolted to the inside of the wheel rim," Almen said. "The plate would have several curved vanes, or fins, equally spaced to capture the natural airflow and would provide tire rotation before landing." Almen's invention was designed to be a wind-driven, self-rotating device he hoped would extend tire and landing gear life while providing a more controlled and smoother landing. Although several inventions of this type relating to self-rotating airplane tires have been done before, none are exactly like Almen's, according to U.S. Patent Office records. Almen's idea was born in February 2001, while he was doing an HVAC job in the logistics hangar. He said he noticed large numbers of unevenly worn T-38 Talon main landing gear tires stacked outside the wheel shop. Using his more than 18 years of aircraft maintenance experience with Boeing Co., and Rockwell, he developed a plan to prevent premature tire wear. Almen said he talked to other mechanics, took measurements on a T-38 tire rim and drew diagrams before submitting them through channels here in March 2001. "If we can extend the life of a tire for any aircraft, whether it's from two to five days or 30 to 120 days, that would be a substantial savings," Almen said. "Tires aren't cheap. This device may not work on all aircraft, but even if it only works on one, we've saved money." While researching and talking to mechanics at the tire shop, Almen discovered that aircraft tire changes here were frequent because of safety issues and the rigorous demands of the flight-test mission here. The cost and replacement schedule of a main landing gear tire varies from aircraft to aircraft. It is about $400 for a T-38 tire, and $1,400 for a KC-135 Stratotanker, said Tech. Sgt. John Lostumbo, 412th Maintenance Squadron tow tire shop noncommissioned officer in charge. Replacement depends on weather, frequency of usage and the type of aircraft, he said. A tire for a fighter may be replaced every two to three flights, and on a bomber, such as the B-52 Stratofortress, every 30 to 40 flights, depending on flight hours. Almen's invention idea was forwarded through Air Force channels to Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., where there is a patent office. Almen's biggest hope in all this is to see his plan in action and to know that he contributed in some small way to the Air Force and the mission here. "I want to see it work, to see it implemented," Almen said. "It's one thing to have an idea patented, but I would love to see it actually work on an Air Force aircraft, as many planes as possible. 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