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0286. Power pro brings base to life by Master Sgt. Tim Helton 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- The smooth hum of an engine in the silence of night marks the start of warm showers, hot food and electricity in the tents at a deployed location where people are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The driving force behind this power is the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Civil Engineering Squadron power production shop. The shop is made up of people from around the United States. "Power is the lifeblood of the camp infrastructure. Heat, lights, food preparation, communications...all run on power," said Lt. Col. Kevin Rumsey, 376th AEW CES commander. "Without power production folks, power could not be maintained." The main power comes from a single 750-kilowatt generator located in the power plant, with several smaller generators located throughout the base. The Army's 249th Engineer Battalion from Fort Lewis in Washington, and the 376 AEW CES keep the power flowing. "Our job is to install, maintain and replace all the power generators here," said Staff Sgt. Johnny Anderson, 376th AEW CES power production craftsman. "We produce the juice for base personnel to do the mission and enjoy some of the comforts of home." Maintaining the power source while deployed in a foreign country is not always easy, said Anderson. The power production shop must overcome several obstacles while maintaining the generators. "The hardest thing here is getting supplies and replacement parts to keep our power sources running," he said. "It takes the flexibility, experience and expertise of the folks in our shop to ensure the job gets done." The 14 people assigned respond to any and all problems associated with powering the base. "We have a great bunch of guys working here," Anderson said. "All different walks of life; reserves, active-duty airman and NCOs; we are all dedicated to doing what it takes to keep power to this base." 0283. 579 selected for colonel RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The Calendar 2002 central line, chaplain, judge advocate general, medical service corps, biomedical sciences corps, and nurse corps colonel board selected 579 officers for promotion to colonel. Personnel officials announced the promotion list Feb. 21. The entire list will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center's Web site at http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil by Feb. 23. The colonel's board convened here Dec. 3 to 7 to consider 4,717 lieutenant colonels for promotion. The results of the board are: Selection statistics for in-the-promotion zone for colonel: -- Line: 432 officers selected from 927 considered for a 46.6 percent select rate; -- Chaplain: Seven officers selected from 17 considered for a 41.2 percent select rate; -- Judge advocate general: 14 officers selected from 28 considered for a 50 percent select rate; -- Nurse corps: 11 officers selected from 33 considered for 33.3 percent select rate; -- Medical services corps: 17 officers selected from 34 considered for 50 percent select rate; and -- Biomedical sciences corps: 13 officers selected from 26 considered for a 50 percent select rate. Selection statistics for above-the-promotion zone for colonel: -- Line: Two officers selected from 980 considered for a 0.2 percent select rate; -- Chaplain: No officers selected from 35 considered; -- Judge advocate general: One officer selected from 48 considered for a 2.1 percent select rate; -- Nurse corps: Two officers selected from 48 considered for 4.2 percent select rate; -- Medical service corps: One officer selected from 22 considered for 4.5 percent select rate; and -- Biomedical sciences corps: No officers selected from 39 considered. Selection statistics for below-the-promotion zone for colonel: -- Line: 76 officers selected from 2,157 considered for a 3.5 percent select rate; -- Chaplain: No officers selected; -- Judge advocate general: One officer selected from 71 considered for a 1.4 percent select rate; -- Nurse corps: One officer selected from 117 considered for 0.9 percent select rate; -- Medical service corps: One officer selected from 59 considered for 1.7 percent select rate; and -- Biomedical sciences corps: No officers selected from 76 considered. (Courtesy of AFPC News Service) 0287. Ops tempo picks up at Rhein-Main by Master Sgt. Louis A. Arana-Barradas Air Force Print News RHEIN-MAIN AIR BASE, Germany -- The start of Operation Enduring Freedom has turned this once quiet base into the bustling hub of the Air Force airlift into Afghanistan. Since November the base just outside Frankfurt -- due to close in late 2005 -- has had a huge surge in its work and operations tempo. That has forced the base to put some of its closure plans on the back burner. Scores of C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III transports crowd the base's once empty parking ramp. Hundreds of airmen and soldiers -- most in desert uniforms -- and family members pack the passenger terminal. And hundreds of people fill the few billeting and eating facilities. To keep the airlift and passengers flowing, most base agencies have gone to 24-hour operations. It is not a new role for the base. It was also a major airlift hub during operations into Bosnia and Kosovo. But the sudden increase has taxed the small base work force. But most welcome the surge, said Lt. Col. Dave Rodriguez, commander of the 726th Air Mobility Squadron here. "We weren't in the fight at the start of Operation Enduring Freedom," he said. "Many people thought they'd be left out. And that was personal to them." The initial hub of the airlift was Ramstein Air Base, some 90 miles to the west of here. From there, aircrews were flying humanitarian airdrops over Afghanistan and other missions. But airmen here wanted to get into the action, too. They got their chance the day before Thanksgiving. When the aircraft traffic became too much for Ramstein to handle by itself, some of the operation moved here, Rodriguez said. Now most of the airlift flows through the base. Instead of the one or two aircraft that passed through the base each week, the increase was dramatic, he said. Sorties jumped to an average of 175 a week. The base passenger terminal, which processed about 750 passengers a week, saw an increase of about 2,500 passengers a week. The base is once again living up to its old name, the "Gateway to Europe," Rodriguez said. At the passenger terminal, Master Sgt. Doug Ackerman said the work tempo has more than doubled for his troops. The superintendent of passenger services said the biggest challenge was making do with the troops available. "We found ourselves doing a lot of juggling," Ackerman said. "Our guys had to go where they were needed to make things happen, to get the job done. We went from a strictly passenger service operation to a full-blown aerial port in a matter of days." The added workload tasked the base, which has drawn down to 900 people. Many people were working 60-hour weeks with no time off, he said. To ensure the success of the airlift, give base workers a break and manage the flight crews involved, the Air Force stood up the 437th Air Expeditionary Group at the base. It includes the 726th AMS and the 17th Airlift Squadron -- a C-17 unit that deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Reserve and Guard troops are helping, too. Today, there are 405 additional troops supporting the airlift. Of those, 205 are helping the 726th AMS. They are the packers, loaders, maintainers and passenger service troops. The Charleston unit brought 200 air crews and support troops to fly the airlift leg from Germany to Afghanistan. "Without the augmentees, we wouldn't be able to do the job," Ackerman said. The airlift has been a success -- and a classic example of the Air Force's Global Reach concept, said Col. Dave Estep, commander of the 437th Air Expeditionary Group here. C-5s are the strategic arm of the operation, Estep said. They transport troops, equipment and supplies, from the United States, here. C-17s then provide the tactical airlift into Turkey and Afghanistan. "We've been busy -- working on adrenaline," Estep said. "And as long as we're busy, morale is not much of an issue." One of the airmen flying to Afghanistan is 19-year-old Airman 1st Class Sarah Aden, a rookie C-17 loadmaster from McChord AFB, Wash. Aden said she welcomes the chance to join the operation and does not care about the long hours. "It's exciting, what I joined the Air Force to do," she said. "I learn something each day. And what's best is that I'm getting to help, be part of [Operation] Enduring Freedom -- not just watch it on the news." 0282. Combat controller helps liberate Kabul by Tech. Sgt. Ginger Schreitmueller Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- The frontlines between Taliban and Northern Alliance forces had been drawn for nearly three years along the Panjshir Valley, with the Taliban holding areas in and around Kabul. Military planners expected the fight to reclaim the capital would go well into spring. What planners did not predict was the pinpoint accuracy of the close air support called in by an Air Force combat controller. What others thought would take six months, happened in 25 days. Tech. Sgt. Calvin, who does not want to release his last name for operational security reasons, was the sole Air Force member on a U.S. Army special operations team supporting Northern Alliance forces. Calvin was the first Air Force special tactics operator to be embedded with an Army special forces team during this operation. Special tactics operators frequently work with Navy SEALS, Army Rangers and Army special forces teams. "We arrived in country around mid-October and were the only team operating behind enemy lines for the first two weeks," Calvin said. "I have worked with Army special forces in the past and knew several of the special forces team members from previous scuba training, so we came together quickly as a unit." Calvin said there was no question about the team's mission. "We knew what our mission was -- to help the Northern Alliance break through the Taliban lines and liberate the capital," he said. "Being the Air Force guy on an Army team wasn't an issue. We had all been called on to do a mission for America." And called on they were. The first day of the operation would signal the start of what is reported to be the longest sustained CAS operations conducted by an Air Force combat controller. "We set up observation in a mountain ridge overlooking the Taliban," Calvin said. "Working with the Northern Alliance leadership, the target was selected -- a command and control building. I called in the first CAS and a (U.S. military fighter) arrived over the area. He dropped ordnance and hit the building. "I turned to my teammates and said, 'We just made history. We just made the first strike," he said. That strike not only made an impression on the Americans, it made an impact on the Northern Alliance forces working with this special operations forces team. "I wouldn't say they mistrusted us initially. But, there was a certain sense they weren't sure how we could help them," said Calvin, who has been a combat controller for 10 years. "After that first CAS run, the wall was broken and they seemed to realize we were there to help them." The CAS calls continued, virtually nonstop day and night, and used nearly every bomber and fighter in the U.S. military inventory. "The valley was literally filled with enemy tanks, personnel carriers and military compounds," Calvin said. "We probably made hundreds of CAS calls during those 25 days." As Calvin and his team continued the CAS calls, the resistance from the Taliban forces waned and Northern Alliance troops gained ground. Then, as Northern Alliance began its offensive move, the enemy struck back. "We were on top of a two-story building when they began attacking," Calvin said. "The gunfire was intense. Then, they turned the (anti-aircraft) guns on us. It was like large, flaming footballs flying at our position. The buttons on my (uniform) were getting in the way of me getting low enough. All I kept thinking was I need aircraft. I grabbed the radio and called for immediate CAS." As the SOF team got down on the roof for cover, a Northern Alliance officer moved over to the controller's area. The officer pushed in front of Calvin, shielding him from the attack. Later, through an interpreter, he told the controller why he did it. "He said if something happened to him, he knew someone else would step in to take his place in the fight," said the sergeant. "But, if something happened to me, the planes could not come and destroy the targets." The aircraft did come -- U.S. Navy and Air Force fighters and bombers -- and the offensive continued. The next day, 25 days after the first call for ordnance, the Northern Alliance moved into the capital. After ensuring the city was secure, the SOF team headed to the American Embassy that had been evacuated in 1989. Before fleeing the city, the Taliban had used the building as a staging area. "We gained access and one of the first things I saw was an American flag," Calvin said. "It was on top of a pile of straw. Someone had tried to destroy it; the straw was burnt and there were ashes all over the flag. When I picked up the flag, it was untouched -- not a burn mark on it." With help from a teammate, Calvin secured the flag by carefully folding it. After returning to the United States, he presented the flag to his unit. "It was amazing. It was a great feeling knowing we'd made the mission happen, and made it happen in 25 days," Calvin said. "I've trained what seems my whole life for the chance to do a mission like this, one that tests your skills and training. I said it before, we did this mission for America." (Courtesy of Air Force Special Operations Command News Service) 0285. Rumsfeld tells troops to 'expect the unexpected' by Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- "Expect the unexpected" was the message Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld delivered to airmen Feb. 20 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Rumsfeld held a "town hall meeting" with base people in a Nellis hangar. He said current events should teach Americans the peril of the unexpected. When then Defense Secretary Robert McNamara went for his confirmation hearing in 1961, no one mentioned Vietnam, Rumsfeld said. That war consumed McNamara's term as secretary. Similarly, when Vice President Dick Cheney went for his confirmation hearings as defense secretary in 1989, no one mentioned Iraq. A year later that was all anyone spoke about. During Rumsfeld's confirmation hearing in January 2001, "not one senator mentioned the word 'Afghanistan,'" he said. "Not one senator, nor I, mentioned al-Qaeda. And here we are. "We have to recognize that it is not possible to know every conceivable threat that can be posed against our country, friends, allies or deployed forces," he said. "We have to recognize the kinds of capabilities that exist and deal with those capabilities wherever they happen to come from." That is why military transformation is so important, he said. More than just equipment must change. Transformation also includes "the mindset, the way we train, the way we exercise and the way we fight," Rumsfeld said. "I am personally convinced that the Department of Defense and the defense establishment are up to the task." Defense Department officials will release a new Unified Command Plan in March. That plan, he said, would stress the importance of homeland security with a new U.S. Northern Command. The plan would also make "a variety of other adjustments across the globe which will improve our capabilities," he said. DOD is a big bureaucracy, he said, but it has moved surprisingly fast in remaking itself. Changes were brought about by the Quadrennial Defense Review, and changes were made to defense strategy, missile defense and in the way the department assesses risks. "All this while we are fighting a war against terrorism," Rumsfeld said. "For an organization that is supposed to be so resistant to change, what's been accomplished in the last year has been impressive." He assured the airmen that he would continue to work to provide the "pay, housing and benefit improvements that you all need and deserve to do your work." Rumsfeld said that their generation has an opportunity to help shape the world for the better well beyond the war on terrorism. "Will it be a world where freedom is allowed to flourish? Or will it be a world where terror spreads like a creeping evil from country to country until the world is infected with fear and hate?" he asked. "You are the people who stand on the very front line between freedom and fear," he said. "You stand against an evil that cannot be appeased, cannot be ignored and it must certainly not be allowed to win. And you are doing a magnificent job." 0281. "T-Bolts" use new bombs during combat missions by Capt. Kelley Thibodeau 366th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- Aircrews from the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the "T-Bolts," are using inertially aided munitions during Operation Enduring Freedom combat missions from their deployed location. "While our basic suppression-of-enemy-air-defense mission hasn't changed, we have added some weapons to our quiver," said Lt. Col. Tom Lawhead, 389th EFS commander. "We were brought to Operation Enduring Freedom specifically for our ability to drop inertially aided munitions." Instead of using lasers or television cameras, CBU-103 wind-corrected munitions dispensers and GBU-31 joint direct attack munitions use navigation systems to steer to the target. The JDAM uses a special tail kit that reads Global Positioning Satellite coordinates to steer the 1,000- or 2,000-pound bomb to the target through any kind of weather with an accuracy of 13 meters or less. "Adding inertially aided munitions gives us a better probability of hitting enemy air-defense targets," Lawhead said. "This new category of weapons also opens up the use of the F-16 (Fighting Falcon) for interdiction missions and close air support missions such as in this conflict." Training for the use of CBU-103s and GBU-31s started in 2001 at training ranges used by units flying out of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and included "train-as-we-fight" scenarios with different threat aircraft and simulated surface-to-air missiles. "I am incredibly proud of the hard work that my maintainers, weapons specialists and pilots put in to get us to the point where we could drop the new munitions," Lawhead said. "We've been working on the upgrade since last summer and I was very pleased to see all the work come to fruition during such meaningful sorties." Since the F-16 added inertially aided munitions to its inventory, the platform becomes an even more lethal and adaptable weapon for the United States and its allies. "The combination of the F-16 and the WCMD and JDAM weapons now allow Air Force fighters to better support the combined forces air component commander," said Col. Bill Andrews, commander of the 366th Air Expeditionary Group. "During Desert Storm, we had to dive close to our targets to ensure a hit, exposing our pilots to increased threats. Now, we can be extremely accurate from high altitude." Because of the all-weather capabilities of the munitions, pilots say they can drop the new bombs through clouds, fog and snow. "They are almost as precise as laser-guided weapons, but we don't need to have the target in sight," Lawhead said. "We can drop through the weather," he said. "We also have the capability to drop the weapons visually based upon a geographic location or (a) target identification from ground forward air controllers." 0284. Pentagon doesn't plan to 'disinform' public by Army Sgt. 1st Class Kathleen T. Rhem American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Feb. 20 that Pentagon officials have no intention of providing "disinformation" to foreign media. Rumsfeld spoke to the press while in Salt Lake City to visit military Olympic athletes and servicemembers providing security and other support to the 2002 Winter Games. "The United States of America has long had policies with respect to public information, and we have policies where certainly we make a practice of assuring that what we tell the public is accurate and correct," Rumsfeld said. "And if in any event somebody happens to be misinformed and say something that's not correct, they correct that at the earliest opportunity." Rumsfeld was responding to reporters' questions regarding a Feb. 19 article in The New York Times that outlined an alleged plan by the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Influence. The plan purportedly called for Pentagon officials to leak stories -- not necessarily true stories -- to foreign media to sway public opinion in America's favor. He explained how common psychological operations tactics have been used to the benefit of American forces in Afghanistan. Leaflet drops and Commando Solo radio broadcasts, for instance, have been used to reassure the Afghan public that humanitarian rations dropped by U.S. troops are safe and to offer rewards for help in capturing terrorist suspects. The U.S. military makes no bones about practicing deception in the classic military sense. As an example, he said if special forces soldiers wish to enter an area from the west, they might do things to make the enemy think they are coming from the north. "That would be characterized as 'tactical deception,'" Rumsfeld said. The secretary assured reporters they would get only the truth from him and his staff. "Government officials, the Department of Defense, this secretary and the people that work with me tell the American people and the people of the world the truth," he said. 0280. Hands-on: Toddlers learn sign language by Staff Sgt. Francesca Popp 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (AFPN) -- Whining, crying, temper tantrums and screams of frustration can result when a parent does not understand what a child is trying to communicate if the child cannot talk yet. To help parents understand their children better, the child development center here began incorporating sign language into its infant and toddler program two years ago. The program has been paying off. Skyler, daughter of Staff Sgt. Stephanie Cotrell, began learning sign language at 9 months. Now, at 22 months, Skyler tells her mother if she wants more to eat or if she is finished with dinner. "She can ask for 'more cookies please' in complete sign language," Cotrell said. "I believe for small children it's hard to say all of that." Cotrell, who learned sign language to understand her daughter better, said she thinks the CDC's sign-language program is a great thing. "Skyler likes signing. I'm amazed when she does it," Cotrell said. "The teachers always say the word as they are signing, so the children are learning language skills as well as sign language." Maj. Karen Madsen, mother of 2-year-old Shannon and 14-month-old Sean, said she's able to learn with her children. "I love seeing their reaction when I can understand what they want," Madsen said. "Any tool which helps me to communicate better with my children is worth it." The children at the CDC often begin using sign language before parents know what they are saying. "My daughter was a year old when she began signing," Madsen said. "She kept using the sign for 'more' with me at home, but I didn't understand what she was doing. When I asked her caregivers at the CDC what it meant, they told me she was signing. It was such a breakthrough because she could finally tell me what she wanted." Penny Schmutz is one of four caregivers teaching sign language at the CDC. "I really enjoy using the sign language with the children," Schmutz said. "It's fun to see the children finally master a sign that you have been showing them for weeks. It's also very nice to see a child ask for more at the table instead of crying." Schmutz was first introduced to sign language when a parent gave her and other teachers a handout to read. She made copies of some simple signs. "We started using it in the room and found it to be helpful as well as fun," Schmutz said. "I feel it reduces frustration for both the children and the providers." Cotrell said it also helps to increase their vocabulary. "We always say the word with the sign," she said. "It's never used as a replacement for language, we use it to support language skills. It's very beneficial if (Skyler) can sign to let me know what she wants. There isn't that frustration between us." Madsen, who learned sign in junior high school, said she uses signing to reinforce her daughter's manners, and more. "I can sign 'please' and 'thank you' to (Shannon) around other people to remind her of what to say," she said. "It's also a great way to introduce another language to your children. Our hairdresser is deaf and she loves that we can use sign language." Some parents do not like using it, Schmutz said. "There are parents who question the whole program; (they) feel that we are using it to replace verbal language," she said. "For the most part, many of the parents that we introduce to the program are very excited and are eager to share stories from home about their children signing." Madsen and Cotrell said they both recommend other parents use sign language. "It cuts down a lot on tantrums from miscommunication. (Children don't) just point at the counter and get frustrated because you don't know what they want," Cotrell said. "The signs they use are very simple arm signs and common everyday words such as bath, bed, more, cookie, etc. If (parents don't send) their children to a daycare that uses (sign language), anyone can buy a baby sign-language book and teach their child." 4012. Commentary: Reservist discusses deployment by a B-52 Stratofortress weapons loader 917th Wing BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. (AFPN) -- The countries blended together with every fuel stop, but the anticipation of the final landing caused my heart to race. Faces filled the aircraft windows, straining to find loved ones in the waiting crowd. I sat back down to wait my turn, unable to get a peek out the window for myself. As reservists from the 93rd Bomb Squadron returned in late January from a forward operating area in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, family and friends anxiously waited on the ramp for their personal "hero" to step from the plane. One hundred and twenty-two days had passed since leaving here and everything I love. Who could forget the "I can't believe this is happening" looks on everyone's face as we boarded the C-5 Galaxy bound for war? It was much like the look we all had when we walked into our tents hours later to find nothing but a cot waiting for us. Being there was like being a kid back at summer camp for the first time, realizing you didn't like it but knowing you couldn't call Mom to come get you. We were given 30 minutes to pack that September morning, so many of us had forgotten to take pictures and personal items of loved ones left behind. After spending so much time together, sometimes we were friends and sometimes we were enemies but often we were each other's closest confidants. Few people are allowed the experience to accomplish what we did and make history at the same time. To do that, we made the best of the situation by adapting to our new environment. Even walking through the rain and mud to take a shower began to seem normal. We could look at the cots next to us and know our friends were there. It was good to feel that camaraderie so far from home. Being there has changed me in many ways. I no longer enjoy television more than a familiar voice. Snoring sounds are music to my ears compared to the roar of jet engines at the end of the runway ready for launch. Even though I still wake in the middle of the night and look around to see if my friends are safely in their cots, I know that this will pass eventually. My time may be short before returning to the zone but whatever the future holds for my buddies and me, we will prevail. Our futures depend on it. (Courtesy of Air Force Reserve Command News Service) Editor's Note: These are observations by a B-52 weapons loader from Air Force Reserve Command's 917th Wing about his experiences in the war on terrorism and how it feels to be home, for the moment. *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! 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