Andrews 042415

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, APRIL 24 2015 | VOL. 4 NO. 16

BASE NEWSTMO changes office hours for PCS season, Page 3

AIR FORCE NEWSAir Force Surgeon General visits

79 MDW, Page 5

SPORTSGuardsmen bears big weight,

Page 3

BY SENIOR AIRMANMARIAH HADDENHAM

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Albert Garih, a holo-caust survivor, spoke inhonor of Holocaust Re-membrance Day, at theChapel 1 Annex on JointBase Andrews, April 13.

Approximately 50 peo-ple were in attendanceand as Garih focused onhis account of the Germanoccupation of Paris and theliberation that followed.

“My parents, Benjaminand Claire, both movedto France in 1923, that’swhere they met,” saidGarih. “They were bothnatives of Constantino-ple, now Istanbul. Theyboth spoke French so itseemed the natural placeto go, and that’s wheremy twin brother and Iwere later born.” We bothgot sick as infants, andinfant mortality rateswere much higher then,than they are now, and

I was the one who sur-vived, said Garih.

Garih’s father workedtwo jobs to provide fortheir family, and in Sep-tember 1943 his fatherwas deported to a forcedlabor camp.

The family was theninvited to stay with aMadame Galop and herhusband after Claire hadexpressed her fear of be-ing taken away with herchildren.

“My mother met Ma-

dame Galop at the mar-ket,” said Garih. “Mymother, sisters and I hidwith her for six monthsuntil her neighborthreatened to alert Ger-man authorities.”

Garih and his sis-ters were then placedin Catholic boardingschools in Montfermeil,with no means of com-munication with theirmother. Garih says he

Albert Garih is honored speakerfor Holocaust Remembrance Day

see GARIH, page 4

BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

At the towering heightof 6-foot-5 inches, Vir-ginia-born Kwame Alex-ander’s imposing frameseemed minuscule to thelarge group of elementarystudents he greeted in sixdifferent languages at theHyattsville Branch Li-brary April 16 during Na-tional Library Week.

Alexander, an accom-plished writer with 18books to his credit, was in-vited to share his newestedition to children’s liter-ature entitled, The Cross-over, published by Hough-ton Mifflin Harcourt.

The book garnered himthe coveted NewberryMedal, considered thehighest award for chil-dren’s literature – namedfor John Newberry, aneighteenth-century Brit-ish bookseller. He waschosen by a 15-membercommittee.

Students meet localNewberry Medal winner

PHOTOS BY BOBBY JONES

Award-winning children’s poet, Kwame Alexander, mesmerizes a group of youngstudents during one of his animated story telling sessions.see KWAME, page 6

BY SECRETARY OFTHE AIR FORCEPUBLIC AFFAIRS

COMMAND INFORMATION

This month, the AirForce will begin con-ducting the physicalevaluations required toexplore opening the lastsix career fields cur-rently closed to women.

When the law prohib-iting women in groundcombat roles was re-scinded, 99 percent ofthe positions within theAir Force were alreadyinclusive of women. Thecurrent study is work-ing to open the last 1percent, which amountsto a little more than4,300 special operationspositions.

“Ultimately, the ini-tiative to eliminate anyremaining gender-basedassignment restrictionswill improve our readi-ness and the Air Force’s

ability to recruit andretain the most effec-tive and qualified force,”said Secretary of theAir Force Deborah LeeJames.

The Air Force hasconducted focus groups,assessments, and oper-ational observations aspart of the review andimplementation plandirected by Secretaryof Defense Chuck Hagelin June 2013. The thor-ough review required tomeet the directive byHagel, allowed the AirForce to review stan-dards for all Airmen inthe career fields previ-ously restricted to wom-en.

“The Air Force is us-ing a scientific approachto directly tie and vali-date standards to mis-sion requirements,”said Brig. Gen. Brian

AF starts testing phase forwomen in combat roles

see WOMEN, page 4

DRILL TEAM SHOWCASESNEW ROUTINE

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS RYAN J. SONNIER

The United States Air Force Honor Guard tossestheir rifles through the air during the Joint ServiceDrill Exhibition Aprill 11 in Washington, D.C. TheOld Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard andNaval Academyís drill team also performed duringthe event.

Andrews Gazette2 Friday, April 24, 2015

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint MilitaryPublications, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,Md., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S.Air Force or any branch of the United States military.The appearance of advertising in these publications,

including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsementby the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force orthe products and services advertised.

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COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

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around townApril 24-May 17

‘Little Shop of Horrors’Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St., LaurelLittle Shop of Horrors is a comedy horror rock

musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer How-ard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop workerwho raises a plant that feeds on human blood andflesh. The music features the style of early 1960srock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown. Perfor-mances are weekends through May 17. ($) Call 301-617-9906, www.laurelmillplayhouse.org

April 25Montpelier Festival of Herbs, Tea and the Arts10 a.m.-4 p.m.Montpelier Mansion, 9650 Muirkirk Road,

LaurelHear live music, stroll among vendors of fine

arts, handmade items and more, and see a varietyof art exhibits. Festival is free; tea is $13/person.Call 301-377-7817 or visit www.history.pgparks.com

April 25Shearing and Fiber Day10 a.m.-1 p.m.Old Maryland Farm, 301 Watkins Park Drive,

Upper MarlboroJoin the workers at the Old Maryland Farm for

their annual shearing of the sheep and llama. Free.Call 301-218-6770, or visit www.pgparks.com

April 25Nature Fair10 a.m.-4 p.m.Clearwater Nature Center, 11000 Thrift Road,

ClintonExplore wildlife and nature at the open-house

style annual event. Enjoy games, crafts a magicshow and much more. Free. Call 301-297-4575 orvisit www.pgparks.com

Hot TicketsBY HOLOCAUST DAYS

OF REMEMBRANCECOMMITTEE

8TH FIGHTER WING

This year, April 12-19marked the observance ofthe Holocaust Days of Re-membrance, with the offi-cial Day of Remembrancetaking place April 16.

The Days of Remem-brance were establishedby the U.S. Congress in1980 to memorialize the6 million Jews, as wellas millions of non-Jewishvictims, who were mur-dered in the Holocaustand suffered Nazi perse-cution. Each year sincethen, the U.S. HolocaustMemorial Museum hasled the nation in com-memorating the Daysof Remembrance. Thisyear’s theme is “Learn-ing from the Holocaust:Choosing to act.”

During World WarII, millions of ordinarypeople witnessed the

crimes of the Holocaust- in the countryside andcity squares, in storesand schools, in homesand workplaces. AcrossEurope, the Nazis foundcountless helpers whowillingly collaborated orwere complicit in theircrimes, while far fewerquestioned their actions.

The victims had nochoice in their fates. Theirsupporters and rescuers,by contrast, were able tomake choices. They choseto risk not only theirs, buttheir families’ lives in anattempt to intervene andhelp rescue those beingpersecuted.

By choosing to act,these individuals not onlysaved the lives of others,but demonstrated whatit means to treat one an-other as human beings.These lessons apply notonly to the past, but howto treat each other now.

The Holocaust is notthe only genocide to take

place in this world. TheNative American geno-cide in the early 19thcentury, the Rwandangenocide of 1994 and theIndonesian killings from1965 to 1966 are justa few examples. Morerecently, Islamic Stateof Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) is attacking Jew-ish and Christian peopleacross the world. The hor-rors of the way these peo-ple died have left scarson the hearts and mindsof those who loved andknew them; those theyshared a bond with.

Those same bonds ex-tend outside of our ownlocal communities, andacross the globe. Geno-cide and discriminationshould not sit well withany person of any na-tion. No matter what ourjob or station in life, weare all unique and at thesame time we are all tiedtogether.

We may look at each

other differently becausewe have different colorskin, religions, socioeco-nomic backgrounds, andso on, but do we have topersecute each other forit? Would it not be betterto get to know someonefirst before we decide whothey are as a person? Dowe have a right to judgeothers and put them in acategory which requiresdiscrimination or vio-lence against them?

Our hope is that theHolocaust Days of Re-membrance will remindall that even though weare different and comefrom different places inthis world, we all havecontributions to make toit, no matter how great orsmall they may be. Ratherthan play the role of by-stander, we must activelypursue a world where wecoexist and choose to actagainst those who wouldfoster hatred and repeatthe mistakes of the past.

CommentaryLearning from the Holocaust: Choosing to act’

ScholarshipDeadline

Deadline for theAirForceClub Scholarship Programis May 1. The program—inits 17th year—has providedalmost $400,000 in collegetuition assistance to some400 club members and theirfamilies. This year, 40 schol-arships will total $25,000.The program is open to AirForce club members andeligible family members.Entrants must be attendingan accredited college or uni-versity, working toward anfirst associate or bachelor’sdegree, or a graduating high

school senior registeredat an accredited college oruniversity. Applicants mustcomplete an online entryform and answer an essayquestion. Essays must be450-500 words and will begraded on relevance to topicquestion, content and gram-mar. Visit myairforcelife.com.

Flyover MarksV-E Day

More than 20 vintageaircraft of WorldWar II willfly over the nation’s capitalMay8,marking the 70th an-niversary of Victory in Eu-rope Day. Fifteen flying for-

mationswill formnearLees-burg,Virgina, and follow thePotomac River to Washing-ton.They will bank over theLincoln Memorial, overfly-ing the National World WarII Memorial, head east pastthe Washington Monumentalong IndependenceAvenue,turning south over the U.S.Capitol. The first formationis expected to pass over theLincoln Memorial at about12:10 p.m. Aircraft will in-clude the P-38 Lightning,P-40 Warhawk, P-51 Mus-tang, B-25 Mitchell andB-17 Flying Fortress. OnMay 9, many of the aircraft

will be on display at the Na-tional Air and Space Muse-um’s Steven F. Udvar-HazyCenter, near Dulles Airport,from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Admission to themuseum isfree, but there is a $15 park-ing fee.

The Retiree Activities Of-fice is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,Monday throughFriday.Vis-it the office in Building 1604at California and ColoradoAvenues or call 301 981-2726. Call before your visitto ensure a volunteer is onduty.The RAOhas awebsiteat www.andrews.af.mil.

Retiree Corner

The Mid Atlantic Branch of the Second IndianHead Division Association will host its annual re-union in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from May 1-3 atthe Continental Inn. All veterans of the Army’s 2ndInfantry Division are invited—in particular thosein the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela-ware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, West Virginia,and Washington, D.C. For more information, callHarry Roye at 804-526-0828 or send an email [email protected].

Attention 2nd Infantry Division Veterans

Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Wash-ington, Maryland (JBA)announces the availabilityof and invites public com-ments on the Draft En-vironmental Assessment(EA) and Finding of NoSignificant Impact/Find-ing of No Practical Alter-native (FONSI/FONPA)for repair of the airfieldstorm drainage system atJBA. The Draft EA andFONSI/FONPA have beenprepared pursuant to NE-PA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq,and CEQ regulations at 40CFR Parts 1500-1508.

The purpose of the Pro-

posed Action is to restoreand improve the conditionand effectiveness of theexisting airfield stormwa-ter drainage system byrepairing, replacing andupgrading stormwater in-frastructure. Implement-ing the Proposed Actionwould meet JBA’s needto improve water quality,comply with various waterquality regulations, andsupport the flying missionat JBA.

This EA has been pre-pared to evaluate theProposed Action and NoAction alternatives. Re-sources addressed in the

EA include aircraft opera-tions, geology, topography,soils, water resources, airquality, biological resourc-es, noise, infrastructure,transportation, hazardousmaterials and hazardouswaste management, safety,socioeconomic resources,and cumulative effects.

The EA shows that theProposed Action wouldnot significantly impactthe environment and sup-ports a FONSI. Pursuantto Air Force regulations, aFONPA has also been pre-pared for wetland impacts.An Environmental ImpactStatement is not needed to

implement the ProposedAction.

Copies of the Draft EAand FONSI/FONPA areavailable for review untilMay 23, 2015 at the UpperMarlboro Branch Library,14730 Main St., UpperMarlboro, MD 20772, atthe Joint Base AndrewsLibrary at 1642 Brook-ley Ave and D Street andonline atandrews.af.mil/library/environmental/in-dex.asp. Please send writ-ten comments to Ms. AnneHodges, 11 CES/CEIE,3466 North Carolina Ave-nue, JBA,MD 20762-4803.

Notice of availability for draft EA, FONSI/FONPA

Andrews GazetteFriday, April 24, 2015 3

BY SENIOR AIRMANNESHA HUMES


She steps up to thebar, her back bracedand supported; her headband catches any trace ofsweat.

Her team is cheering,while her coach power-fully slaps her back, yell-ing, “Lead from the front!Show me what you’re allabout, April!”

At 165 pounds, shegrips the metal bar-bell with her callused,chalked hands and pre-pares to dead-lift a per-sonal record.

“It was single handed-ly the most intense mo-ment of my life. I didn’thold back for one secondand the weight came up.I just pulled 340 pounds.”

For Staff Sgt. AprilSpilde, United States AirForce Honor Guard for-mal training instructor,lifting 340 pounds was atestament to her physi-cal and mental journey.Competing at the wom-en’s largest exclusivepowerlifting event, the2015 Cincinnati Women’sProfessional and Ama-teur Powerlifting Meet,April 11, 2015, was noeasy accomplishment.

“I had been competingfor eight hours and mybody was shot,” Spildesaid as she reflects on theweekend’s meet. “When Ifinally got to my last at-

tempt, I knew everythinghad to be perfect for meto pull this weight. Izoned out all the noiseand only listened to mycoach, Gracie Vanasse.She knew exactly whatto say. It was almostlike she needed to pullthis weight as much as Ineeded to.”

Spilde has been pow-erlifting for two yearsand has placed in allthree competitions prior.

The then 181-poundSpilde captured first inboth the 2014 100% RAWPowerlifting Federation

Potomac Open and theEastern Open, in ad-dition to the 2015 JBAAndrews Push/Pull MeetWomen Champion.

Before transitioningto powerlifting in 2012,Spilde also broke twoAlaska state records inOlympic weight liftingwhile stationed at Eiel-son AFB.

Powerlifting camenaturally said the moti-vated sergeant, since allthe main movements inpall-bearing were consis-tent with the sport.

“I was hooked on the

sport of strength,” Spildesaid.

“Every time I ap-proach the bar therecan’t be a single shredof doubt. I have to men-tally gear myself up andtell myself this is goingto happen, come hell orhigh water. Even thoughthe set up for each liftwas different, my men-tal state was the same -fearless.”

The 29-year-old Min-nesota native powerliftsto continually improve

Guardsman bares big weight

COURTESY PHOTO/ PETER SPILDE

Staff Sgt. April Spilde, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard formal training instructor,deadlifts 340 pounds during the 2015 Cincinnati Women’s Professional and Ama-teur Powerlifting Meet in Cincinnati, Ohio. Spilde is an award-winning amateurpowerlifter and has been lifting for two years.

see WEIGHT, page 5

BY SENIOR AIRMANPRESTON WEBB


The 11th LogisticsReadiness Squadron’sTraffic ManagementOffice is scheduled tochange its operatinghours starting April 16,2015, through the end ofSeptember.

During the summermonths each year, thereis a significant increaseof service members whoPCS.

“Usually, peak PCSseason is from mid-Aprilto the very end of Sep-tember,” Reynolds said.“The main reason yousee this is because mostservice members waituntil their children areout of school or whenSquadron Commandersturn over command torelocate.”

The office hopes to op-timize customer serviceduring this season, andis dedicating each Thurs-day to appointments andbriefings.

“We changed hoursbecause we wanted toturn our training daysinto days we can delivermass Personally Pro-cured Move briefings,as these moves take upa lot of our traffic flow,”said Master Sgt. YolandaReynolds, 11th LRS TMOsuperintendent. “We alsohave a lot of separatees,retirees and first-timemovers who want to sitdown with a counselor,so we dedicated one daya week to help those cus-tomers.”

Each Thursday, ap-pointments are available

between 8 a.m. and 1p.m., and two-hour PPMbriefings are delivered at11:30 a.m.

Members expecting toPCS during the peak pe-riod should contact TMOas quickly as possibleto ensure they file theirmove on time.

“Don’t sit on your or-ders. As soon as you getyour orders, log onto thewww.move.mil websiteand begin setting upyour household goodsshipments. Our office isalways available to assistthe member throughoutthe whole process,” Reyn-olds said. “As a backup,always have a power ofattorney in place, be-cause the Joint PersonalProperty Shipping Officeon Fort Belvoir actuallyschedules and confirmsthe pack out dates andsometimes the membermay have to depart priorto that date.”

The 11th WG TMO fa-cilitates the entire NCR,and provides service tomany customers whoprefer to come to JointBase Andrews, but aren’tassigned here.

“We won’t turn any-one away, but duringpeak season, our custom-er service section can getvery congested,” Reyn-olds said. “Customersneed to check with theirservicing installationsbefore coming to JointBase Andrews to allevi-ate congestion.”

For more informa-tion, contact the 11thWG TMO office at (301)981-7520 or the Passen-ger Travel Office at (301)981-7526.

TMO changes officehours for PCS season

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SENIOR AIRMAN PRESTON WEBB

Airman1stClass JamesAsilevi, 11th LogisticsReadi-nessSquadronTrafficManagement journeyman,assists Lt. Col RodChandler, 150thSpecialOperationsSquadrondetachment commander, ashesigns in atthe 11th LRSTrafficManagementOfficeonJoint BaseAndrews.

BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASSJ.D. MAIDENS


The sun has reachedits zenith on a hot springday. Camouflage trucksback up in-line with theramp of a C-17 Globe-master III sitting onthe Joint Base Andrewsflightline; oil and sweatbring a faint tang tothe breeze blowing east-ward across the asphaltbathed in sunlight un-filtered by overcast orclouds. The truck is pull-ing cargo: generators go-ing to Romania - recentlyinspected by the 89thAerial Port Squadron forflight-worthiness andsafety.

The trucks lurch into

Port Dawgs off the chain

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS PHILIP BRYANT

Staff Sgt. Preston Harris and Staff Sgt. Travis Thomas, 89th Aerial Port Squadronaircraft specialists, chain down a generator to the floor of a C-17 Globemaster IIIat Joint Base Andrews, Md., April 15, 2015. Aircraft specialists crisscross chainswith hooks to secure cargo and ensure flight safety.see DAWGS, page 6


Kelly, director of Mili-tary Force ManagementPolicy. “This testing andevaluation phase willdevelop the final physi-cal test components thatbest predict operationalsuccess for these specificcareer fields.”

The testing is slatedto take place at JointBase San Antonio-Lack-land, Texas. Approxi-mately 200 male and fe-male volunteers will berecruited for the testing.Local Airmen from theLackland area who areinterested in participat-ing will be the first se-lected to participate.

“This effort marksthe most stringent pro-cess yet by which we aredeveloping occupation-ally specific physicalstandards, scientificallymeasured against op-erational requirementsto match mission needs,”Kelly said. “All the ser-vices and United StatesSpecial Operations Com-mand are working withvarious scientific andresearch agencies to re-view occupational stan-dards to ensure they are

specific and current, op-erationally relevant andare gender neutral.”

“This is not aboutraising or lowering oc-cupational standards,”said Kelly. “The key isto ensure we have setthe right standards forthe occupation based onmission requirements.The effort is built uponscience and experience,to ensure we continue tomaintain our readinessand preserve the qualityand capability of our AllVolunteer Force.”

“This process is aboutscientifically measur-ing operational require-ments with a focus ontraining and standardswhich correlate to thedemands of combat,”said Brig. Gen. Giovan-ni K. Tuck, director ofoperations. “We owe itto our Airmen we senddownrange to makesure they’ve got the besttraining and equipmentto be successful, no mat-ter where they serve.”

After the Air Forcereviews and validatesthe scientifically basedstandards, James willcoordinate her recom-mendation on currentlyclosed career fields and

positions with SOCOMand the other services.

“The science behindthese standards willinform and further re-fine the measures usedto find the right peoplefor these career fields.This validation will helpensure our Air Forceremains ready and ca-pable, as our battlefieldAirmen employs in com-bat,” Tuck said.

The secretary of De-fense is expected to an-nounce final decisionsregarding integration ofcurrently closed careerfields/positions, as wellas, any exceptions to pol-icy on or about January1, 2016. The assignmentof women into newly in-tegrated positions andoccupations will followeach service’s naturaltimeline for recruitment,accession and training.

Further informationfor Lackland-area Air-men interested in par-ticipating in the physicalstudies will be releasedfrom Air Force Educationand Training Command.

WOMEN, from page 1

For more news from other bases

around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.

believes he was protect-ed by the Headmistress,who he believes knew hewas Jewish.

The Allied Powersliberated Paris andMontfermeil in 1944,and Claire collected herchildren and returnedto Paris where theyhopefully awaited thereturn of Benjamin.

Benjamin was beingtransported to a con-centration camp, whenmembers of the Belgianresistance stopped thetrain and liberated theremaining prisoners, in-cluding Benjamin.

“My father walkedhome from Dixmude,Belgium to Paris,” saidGarih. “This took himabout three months andhe arrived on the morn-ing of Rosh Hashanah.”

Rosh Hashanah is theJewish New Year andBenjamin had made it agoal to spend it with hisfamily.

“It is becoming veryrare to meet a holocaustsurvivor, and rarer tomeet a survivor whohad a family make itthrough the war,” saidMaj. Raphael Burdu-go, 11th Deputy WingChaplin.

After the war, Garihreceived a degree inEnglish and Spanish toFrench translation fromthe School of Advanced

Translation and Inter-pretation Studies. Heworked as a translatorat several major organi-zations such as a Unit-ed Nations agency inMontreal and the WorldBank, which led himto Washington, D.C. in1976. He now serves asa volunteer at the Unit-ed States Holocaust Me-morial Museum.

Capt. Steve Ben-nett, 811th Opera-tions Squadronpilot, runs inthe rain duringa 24-hour Holo-caust Remem-brance Vigil Runon Joint BaseAndrews, April14. Approximate-ly 80 people par-ticipated in therun, with open-ing ceremoniesofficiated by Col.Daniel Waters,11th Wing vicecommander, andclosing ceremo-nies officiated byCol. Bradley Hoa-gland, 11th Wingcommander.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SENIOR AIRMAN PRESTON WEBB

Col. Brad Hogland, 11th Wing commander, Col. Dan Waters, 11th WG vice commander, Chief Master Sgt. VanceKondon, 11th WG command chief, and other Joint Base Andrews members cheer on Valerie Lewis, Air ForceDistrict of Washington Military Personnel Appropriations program manager, as she finishes a Holocaust remem-brance vigil run April 14, on Joint Base Andrews, Md. Fifty-nine JBA members volunteered to run in shifts through-out the 24-hour vigil in honor of those who lost their lives during the Holocaust.

GARIH, from page 1

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SENIOR AIRMAN MARIAH HADDENHAM

Albert Garih, shares a picture of his family at an eventin honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Vigil run honorsHolocaust victims

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SENIOR AIRMANMARIAH HADDENHAM

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physically and mentally.“It’s a great tool that

I use not only in the gymbut at my job,” Spildesaid.

As a formal traininginstructor, Spilde travelswith the USAF HonorGuard mobile trainingteam 8-15 times a yearto various bases to fa-cilitate base honor guardprograms.

Spilde was originallyrecruited in the honorguard as a pall-bearerthree years ago. Uponhearing she was select-ed, she hired a coach andbegan practicing dead-lifts, squats and benchpress in order to meetthe physical require-ments of the job.

Some of the re-quirements include a70-pound barbell carryfor 40 yards, six pull-ups;three sets of 275-pounddeadlifts and squats.

“I wanted to do some-thing bigger than my-self,” she said, eyesnarrowing. “I had otheropportunities, but theHonor Guard just cap-tivated me; I realized Icould actually give backhere. I get to carry thepeople that I saw leavingAfghanistan during fall-en comrade ceremonies.Instead of saluting andwatching them leave, Iget to carry them home.”

USAF Honor GuardPall-bearers carry a sig-

nificant role by trans-porting deceased servicemembers, their depen-dents and senior lead-ers to their grave sitesin Arlington NationalCemetery. The casket’sweight varies from 400-800 pounds.

“Being accepted intothe pall bearing elementwas one of the happiestmoments of my career,”Spilde said.

Spilde is only thefifth female USAF Hon-or Guard pall-bearer inhistory.

“She surpassed amonumental task in theHonor Guard,” Master

Sgt. Sherwin Severin,USAF Honor Guard Pall-bearer Flight Superin-tendent said. “I hate tohighlight the fact thatshe is a female becauseit doesn’t matter whatgender you are. How-ever, for a female pall-bearer it is tough, be-cause they are expectedto carry the same weightas a male on the casket.Some airmen may havedoubted her, but I sawSpilde take that headon. She worked hard tobe able to complete thebody bearers’ physicalfitness test; putting inthe extra work at the

gym and proving herself.I think it stems fromsheer determination asa competitor and beingan athlete.”

Spilde intends onmaking the Air Force acareer and pursuing herdream of making the AirForce powerlifting team.

Yet, Spilde remainshumble in her endeav-ors and lets her resultsspeak for themselves.

“You can’t have self-doubt, or it will mani-fest. Whether it is miss-ing a lift or executing adrill movement incor-rectly,” Spilde explained,“Lifting helps build my

confidence and focus.”To Spilde the physi-

cal part is just an addedbonus.

“ I t ’ s s ome th i ng

unique God’s blessed mewith the ability to do.The only limitation wasthe physical limitation,and I overcame it.”

WEIGHT, from page 3

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ SENIOR AIRMAN NESHA HUMES

Staff Sgt. April Spilde, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard formal training instructor,exercises using the pull down machine at the West Fitness Center on Joint BaseAndrews.

AIR FORCE SURGEON GENERAL VISITS 79 MDW

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS RYAN J. SONNIER

Lt. Gen. Thomas Travis, United States Air Force SurgeonGeneral, talks to Airmenduring an all call April 7 at Joint Base Andrews. In this capacity, Travis advisesthe Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary ofDefense for Health Affairs on aspects pertaining to the health of Air Forcemembers.

COURTESY PHOTO/ PETER SPILDE

Gracie Vanasse, Decide.Commit.Succeed. Pack(DCS Pack) head coach and professional powerlifter,left, and DCS Pack powerlifters, U.S. Air Force StaffSgt. April Spilde and Mayra Armijo, right, pose for aphoto at the 2015 Cincinnati Women’s Professionaland Amateur Powerlifting Meet.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ SENIOR AIRMAN NESHA HUMES

Staff Sgt. April Spilde, U.S. Air ForceHonorGuard formaltraining instructor, board bench presseswith resistancebands atWest FitnessCenter at Joint BaseAndrews.

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reverse towards the openmaw of the aircraft, upthe ramp and into thecargo bay.

Once the cargo is inposition, APS jumps intoaction. The porters, or“Port Dawgs,” quicklyunhitch the truck fromthe massive generators,and set to work securingthe camouflage cargo,dragging heavy chainsrattling across the steelfloor of the plane. Thechains are run crisscrossfrom hooks attached toloops in the floor andconnected to the chassis.The Dawgs slide on theirbacks under the cargo,using their momentumto slingshot from hookto hook like some Broad-way-choreographed, In-dy-car pit crew.

“If we aren’t quick,the plane will be de-layed,” says Tech. Sgt.Nick Yee, 89th APS NCOin-charge of aircraftservices, he smiles withpride in his work and inthe men and women hesupervises.

The first generatoris finished, locked downtightly in the cargo bay.The second one is donewith the same speed,same work ethic.

Next come the palletsof cargo. Porters pushcrates across wheels inthe ramp into the cargo

bay and secure them forthe flight.

This is the work Aeri-al Porters do: the manuallabor and safety checksrequired to keep the AirForce the greatest mili-tary and humanitarianpresence in the world. Itmight not be pretty, butto say it’s important tothe Air Force mission isan understatement, ac-cording to Yee.

“We take cargo, trackit in our system, do safe-ty checks and ship it,”Yee said. “If you needsomething sent throughmilitary airlift, we do it.”

Porters make surecargo is accounted for,safe to fly and loaded ontime. The job can be ex-hausting.

“If you’re talkingabout a Port Dawg,you’re talking about ahard worker,” Yee said.“Missions are constant,the breaks are short,we’re out there 24/7.”

Being mission essen-tial may not be a basketof roses, but it epitomiz-es service before self.

“We can’t guaranteeholidays or snow-daysoff,” Yee said. “Our jobis a huge responsibility.

It’s rewarding to knowthat our hard work real-ly makes a difference tothe effectiveness of theAir Force as a militaryforce.”

But for as hard asthey work, the portersare still behind-the-scenes getting theirhands dirty, not exactlya glamorous, high-pro-file position.

“When a distin-guished visitor gets ona plane, they know stuffis going on in the back-ground, but they don’tknow it’s us,” Yee said.“We dump latrines, we

drive the stairs; we getthe plane in the air.”

Yee says one of thebest parts of the job isbeing able to support thecommander-in-chief.

“Being able to supportthe president is reallycool,” Yee said. “The mis-sion on JBA is really dif-ferent in comparison tothe rest of the Air Force.”

Aerial Porters sup-port more than just AirForce and presidentialmissions.

“Without the com-bined efforts betweenthese Army and AirForce personnel, thismission would not havebeen accomplished,” said1st Sgt. Edward Weihl,

Charlie Company, 249thEngineer Battalion firstsergeant, regardingthe elements of CharlieCompany, the portersand the rest of the flightline personnel loadingthe plane.

The fast-paced, hardwork of the Port Dawgsleads to a lifestyle thatembodies what the AirForce is all about.

“Work, work, workharder,” said Senior Air-man Justin Tell Ryan,89th APS aircraft servic-es specialist. “We are thehardest working AFSCin the Air Force. Nothinggets done in the Depart-ment of Defense air liftsystem without us.”

DAWGS, from page 3

The Crossover is awork written in verse andtold from the perspectiveof 12-year-old twin boysnamed Josh and JB whoplay basketball.

Awarded annually themedal is bestowed on theauthor with the most dis-tinguished contributionto American literature forchildren by the Associa-tion for Library Service toChildren, a division of theAmerican Library Asso-ciation.

“To win an award ofthis prestige means theworld and you’ve donesomething really sig-nificant,” said Alexander,a Reston resident. “Itchanges your life and itfeels really good, becauseyou want to write a goodbook that hopefully is go-ing to impact young peo-ple. So when you’re ableto do that you’re happy,”added Alexander, a win-ner of numerous literaryawards.

Each year, Alexander

visits hundreds of schoolssharing poetry, conduct-ing workshops, and read-ing his books.

Alexander is currentlyon a book tour sharingThe Crossover novel formiddle school students.“While I’m traveling toschools and librariesaround the country, andevery now and then I en-counter a younger grouplike I did today, where Ican’t read a book to fifth-graders, so I pull out oneof my picture books, likeAcoustic Rooster and hisBarnyard Band,” saidAlexander, a VirginiaPolytechnic Institute andState University gradu-ate.

The NAACP ImageAward Nominated book isabout a jazz-loving roost-er who sets his sights onwinning a barn yard tal-ent show, but realizes hecan’t do it as a solo act.He’s up against the tal-ents of Mules Davis’s coolduo and Ella Finchger-ald’s singing group withmany other well-known

jazz musicians from thepast. “I’m a big jazz lover.In fact, I listen mainlyto jazz while writing mybooks.”

More than a 250 chil-dren and teachers inter-acted with Alexander dur-ing his book reading.

Using his talents tocapture the interest ofthe younger audience,through voice inflectionand animated facial ex-pressions he appearedmore like the pied piper,as the children hung onhis every word whilehe presented the ani-mal characters personaswhich were merged withpast jazz legends. Alexan-der used the book to in-troduce children to poetryand jazz.

He noted how he en-joyed teaching poetry tothe middle school andolder children. “I try toshow them the power ofpoetry. I’m a big believerin poetry as a bridge toteaching kids about lan-guage and literature,”said Alexander, children’s

book author, poet, play-wright, producer, publicspeaker and performer.“So whether I’m workingwith young children orolder kids, it’s all aboutshowing them how cooland powerful poetry is.”

Alexander who cur-rently resides in Restonsaid he’s been writingsince he was a teenager.“My first book was pub-lished in 1995 and I’vebeen writing ever since,”said the noted author.

He has read and per-formed his work at morethan 1000 schools acrossthe U.S., Canada, the Ca-ribbean, South America,and Africa.

Alexander regularlyconducts workshops andpresentations at areaschools. He is well knownfor his “Book-in- a-Day”program that has helpedcreate several young writ-ers at schools nationwide.

For more informationvisit him KwameAlexan-der.com or visit his web-site at www.bookinaday.org.

KWAME, from page 1

PHOTO/BOBBY JONE

Alexander introduces Mule Davis aka Miles Davis,legendary jazz trumpeter to a group of PrinceGeorge’s County students.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS PHILIP BRYANT

Senior Airman Tom Chamberlain III, 6th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, guides aTunner 60K loader to the back of a C-17 Globemaster III April 15 at Joint BaseAndrews. Loadmasters and aircraft specialists work together to ensure account-ability, safety and efficient load times.

Staff Sgt. Preston Harris, 89th Aerial Port Squadronaircraft specialist, directs the loading of a U.S. Armytruck into a C-17 Globemaster III. Two generators andfive pallets of cargo were loaded by 89 APS in supportof a joint-military airlift operation to Romania.


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