Vol. 42, No. 30 Thursday, July 24, 2014

News/Features: page 2927th ARW commander

News/Features: page 4French medals awarded

News/Features: page 3‘There I was...’

News/Features: page 8Fitness through food

Community: page 16Events, Chapel, more...

Photo by Senior Airman Jenay Randolph

Crew chiefs from the 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare to board a KC-135 Stratotanker to perform services to the latrine July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base. The crew chiefs service the latrine on the aircraft after every landing.

Cleanest latrines in the air - page 10

by Senior Airman Adam Borgman927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Col. Randal L. Bright assumed command of Florida’s only air refueling wing during an official ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base, July 13. Bright replaces Col. Douglas Schwartz, who is currently the wing commander at the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind.

In attendance at the ceremony were members of Bright’s family, leadership from the 6th Air Mo-bility Wing, honorary command-ers of the 927th Air Refueling Wing, and former Air Force Re-serve Command vice commander, retired Maj. Gen. Martin Mazick.

Bright has amassed over 4,000 flying hours and served in seven overseas operations during his 30-year Air Force Reserve ca-reer. He has been around heavy airframes his entire career: as an AC-130A navigator, pilot, and instructor, and aircraft com-mander of the MC-130E, C-130H, and C-17A. He also served as an operations group commander and wing commander of the 911th

Airlift Wing at Pittsburgh In-ternational Airport Air Reserve Station, Coraopolis, Pa., and the 512th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Most recently, Bright served two years as the chief of the Pla ns Division at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Rob-bins Air Force Base, Ga. prior to joining the 927th ARW.

“Randal Bright brings with him a ton of experience and will do great things for the 927th,” said Brig. Gen. John Flournoy, 4th Air Force commander. “He is very mission-focused and family focused, and we can’t accomplish our mission without the great support of our friends and family.”

The ceremony concluded with remarks from Bright, where he communicated his vision and pri-orities for the wing.

“So you know a little bit about me and what I am about, I will leave you with these five keys to success, Safety, Training, Atti-tude, Readiness, and Standards,” Bright said.

“Safety, we are going to be safe. We will mitigate risks every

chance we get and be as safe as we can while accomplishing the mission.

Training, my job is to make sure you have the resources you need to be properly trained and if you don’t have what you need, come see me and I’ll get it.

Attitude, we all must have a positive attitude in everything we do. If you keep a positive attitude in your civilian life and in your reserve career we will do great things together.

Readiness, whatever your ca-reer field is make sure you are ready to do your job. This means shots, professional military edu-cation, and fitness. Make sure all of these items are taken care of because you never know when the nation will call on us to do what we train to do.

Standards, as Airmen we are held to a high standard. We will continue to meet the standards set by the Air Force instruction and do our best to exceed them where ever possible.”

As commander of the 927th ARW, Bright is responsible for the organization, training, equip-

ping, and world-wide readiness of a combined reserve and civilian wing of approximately 900 people.

The 927th ARW flies the KC-135 Stratotanker whose missions consist of in-flight air refueling, cargo and passenger airlift, aero-medical evacuation, and support-ing contingencies and humanitar-ian operations around the world.

MacDill ThunderboltPublisher: Bill BarkerEditor: Nick Stubbs

The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by Sunbelt Newspa-pers, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an authorized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. military services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S.

government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or the 6th Air Mobility Wing.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, includ-ing inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, 6th Air Mobility Wing or Sunbelt Newspapers, Inc., of the products or service advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.

Display advertising or classified advertising information

may be obtained by calling (813) 259-7455. News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submitted

to the 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs office, 8208 Hangar Loop Dr., suite 14, MacDill AFB, FL 33621, or call the MacDill Thunderbolt staff at 828-2215. Email: thunder.bolt@us.af.mil.

Deadline for article submissions is noon, Wednesdays to appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received after deadline may be considered for future use. All submissions are considered for publication based on news value and time-liness.

Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clarity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101.

COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE

The Action Line provides two-way communication between the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. A 24-hour record-ing service is provided so personnel may submit questions, concerns or comments. Email macdillwingcommander@us.af.mil.

Website: www.macdill.af.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MacDillAirForceBase

MacDill on the web

Meet the 927th ARW commander: Col. Randal L. BrightCOMMANDER’S CORNER

Col. Randal L. Bright, commander of the 927th Air Refueling Wing.

NEWS/FEATURES

Courtesy of the 6th Contracting Squadron

As we finish another month in 2014 it is important to remember that our fiscal year started 1 October 2013. Near the halfway point it is crucial to plan for upcoming requirements and coordinate those requirements through the 6th Contracting Squadron as early as possible. Our mission is to purchase contracting requirements for the 6th AMW, 927th ARW, and our mission partners as needed to accomplish their mission. Contracting works for you and we will do our best to acquire the items you request. However, by law there are certain regulations that contracting officers must abide by when making purchases. Therefore, sole source and brand name justifications should only be used on a very limited basis. Please keep that in mind when prioritizing requirements for fiscal year 2014.

GPC holders can make purchases up to $3,000 for commodities, $2,500 for services, and $2,000 for construction projects. Certain circumstances will allow for up to a $25,000 purchase, please discuss this potential op-tion with the GPC program coordinator. To allow 6 CONS to process your contracting requirement in a timely manner please start planning your requirements now and avoid the mad dash scramble July through Sep-tember.

For FY14 requirements, coordination with 6 CONS is absolutely critical

before the following dates:

April 1:All Construction projects regardless of cost Services over $2,000,000

June 3:Services between $150,000 and $2,000,000Commodities/Supplies (Including GSA) over $2,000,000

July 1:Service recurring rentals and Preventive Maintenance Agreements

(PMA)Commodities/Supplies (including GSA) $150,000 to $2,000,000

August 1:One time services up to $150,000

August 15:Commodities/Supplies (including GSA) up to $150,000

*As a result of the Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System (DEAMS) migration on 1 June 14 we ask that units not submit their unfunded/planning documents in the legacy system. However, please

6th Contracting Squadron guide to FY14 purchases

by Master Sgt. Dennis Santiago6th Medical Support Squadron

There I was, stunned as I received my deployment selection briefing from my commander. I thought this day would never come; I finally got my chance to support our operations in Southwest Asia.

My excitement grew as I was told that I would be performing the CEN-TCOM customs mission in the area of responsibility. As I walked out of the commander’s office, I was immediately greeted by our unit deploy-ment manager and handed four pages of training which needed to be completed in just two weeks.

“Hurry up and wait” is an all too familiar phrase used in the military, but it definitely exemplified our reality upon arriving at our deployed location. After a long17 hours of flying and airports, we arrived at our destination and were immediately struck by the chill of the night desert air. This is where the fun began…as we’re rushed off the plane and told to get on a bus which sat at the terminal for 45 minutes, and then trans-ported us to our inprocessing center. We’re ushered into the inprocessing center and we waited another hour before getting our initial briefing done. Once completed, we went to the back of the building, found our bags that were thrown out the back of a semi and reported to the place that we would be calling home for the next six months.

Being part of the first Air Force customs squadron in history was an exciting challenge to me, but it also came with a lot of pressure, because we were relieving the Navy who had led the customs operation for 10

‘There I was...’

See ‘THERE I WAS, Page 17

It’s cold in the desert

See PURCHASES, Page 17

NEWS/FEATURES

by Airman 1st Class Ned T. Johnston6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Seventy years ago on June 6, 1944, U.S. and French forces led an invasion on German-occupied Western Europe in the invasion of Nor-mandy, which led to the restoration of the French Republic and contrib-uted to the victory of the Allies in the war.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy opened eligibility to all U.S. veterans who fought on French territory in any of four major cam-paigns during World War II to be awarded the Legion D’Honneur, the highest decoration in France.

In commemoration of the actions of four Florida World War II vet-erans, French nationals assigned to the U.S. Central Command on MacDill Air Force Base awarded each veteran with the French Legion D’Honneur during a French National Day celebration July 14.

In attendance were more than 200 military members from U.S., French and coalition forces, World War II veterans and their family members.

Key note speaker for the event was French army Brig. Gen. Bernard Commins, CENTCOM French senior national representative.

“It is my honor to award these gentlemen who came to help our coun-try when it was under duress,” said Commins. “The fact that 70 years later we can celebrate these men is proof of the long lasting friendship between our countries.”

Along with the French medal, the World War II veterans received a letter of congratulations from the French Consul in Miami, Florida, a medallion filled with sand from Omaha Beach, and a French detach-

ment coin.Army Pfc. Philip Melici was a pipeline patrolman and served for

23 months in England, France, Belgium and Holland. He landed on

Four WWII Vets awarded the French Legion D’Honneur

Photo by Airman 1st Class Ned T. Johnston

Brig. Gen. Bernard Commins, U.S. Central Command French senior na-tional representative, pins the Legion D’Honneur to the lapel of for-mer Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Vincent Dematteo, French Legion D’Honneur recipient, at a French National Day celebration in Tampa, July 14. Dematteo served as a radioman assigned to the USS Maloy and served in Normandy and Omaha Beach.

See FRENCH, Page 8

by Airman 1st Class Tori Schultz6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Swimming is a great recreational sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Whether you are swimming in a pool, lake, ocean, or wa-ter park there are safety measures that should be taken.

While swimming in the ocean or a lake, rip currents, sand bars and water creatures are po-tential safety concerns.

A rip current happens when water that has built up on the shore returns to the ocean. Rip currents are often found near fixed objects, like piers and reefs, which are often no swimming areas. If you swim into a rip current and are being pulled out to sea, don’t panic, swim paral-lel to the shore until you feel the pulling stop and then swim back to shore.

Sandbars are long masses or low ridges of submerged or partially exposed sand built up in the water along a shore or beach by the ac-tion of waves or currents. Swimmers, surfers and divers can be knocked unconscious if they are not aware of the location of a sandbar.

Jellyfish, sharks, and sting rays are some water creatures that you can come across while swimming. To avoid getting stung by a sting ray, do the “stingray shuffle” and shuffle your feet along the ground instead of walking. If stung by a jellyfish, seek medical attention and look for any allergic reactions. The chances of a shark attack are slim, but if you see a shark get out of the water and notify other swimmers.

Children of all ages need to be closely super-vised by an adult at all times while swimming,

Photo by Staff Sgt. Brittany Liddon

MacBones, 6th Air Mobility Wing safety skel-eton, floats in the water at MacDill Air Force Base, June 26. Children and inexperienced swimmers should wear approved life jackets when in or near water.

Do the ‘stingray shuffle’ and more swimming safety tips

See SWIMMING, Page 6

whether it is in a pool, lake, ocean, or water park.Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a

child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water. If a child is missing, check the water first. Children and inex-perienced swimmers should wear an approved life jacket around water.

Simply following the rules and practicing risk management can de-crease accidents and improve safety. Summer is a great time for fam-ily and friends to come together and create lasting memories. Utilizing simple safety tips can help keep everyone safe and out of harm’s way.

SWIMMINGFrom Page 4

beaches at Normandy and constructed gasoline storage tanks while un-der fire and pumped gasoline from ship tanks to the constructed stor-age tanks. Melici laid four and six-inch pipes up to the front lines and pumped fuel to gasoline depots. Melici was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four service stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Vincent Dematteo was a radioman assigned to USS Maloy and served in Normandy and Omaha Beach. His actions contributed to the shooting down of a German bomber. De-matteo was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two service stars.

Army Sgt. Orman Feltz was a cook assigned to the 3rd Army Head-quarters. He took part in the Battle of France, Normandy, the Battle for Brittany, and the push across France. Feltz was awarded the Good Con-duct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.

Army Capt. Robert Staib was assigned to the 524th Signal Battal-ion and the Tactical Air Command. He served in Normandy, Ardennes, Central Europe, Northern Europe and Rhineland. Staib was wounded in action in Belgium on Dec. 28, 1944. Staib was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, a Purple Heart, the European-African-Middle Eastern with six service stars, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

FRENCHFrom Page 4

(Left and right) Airman 1st Class Malik Williams, 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, removes the toilet from the latrine of a KC-135 Stratotanker July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base. Servicing the latrine is one of the first tasks as a crew chief.

Airmen 1st Class Malik Williams, Tomorian Montgomery, and Tyler Deane, 6th Aircraft Mainte-nance Squadron crew chiefs, empty the urinals and toilet from the KC-135 Stratotanker July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base.

Airman 1st Class Malik Williams, 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, rins-es out the toilet from the latrine of a KC-135 Stratotanker, July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base. Servicing the latrine is a short procedure that includes removing the urinal and toilet from the latrine of the aircraft, transporting it to the cleaning facility, and then cleaning and rinsing them out.

Photos by Senior Airman Jenay RandolphClean latrines

(Left and right) Airman 1st Class Malik Williams, 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, removes the toilet from the latrine of a KC-135 Stratotanker July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base. Servicing the latrine is one of the first tasks as a crew chief.

Airmen 1st Class Malik Williams, Tomorian Montgomery, and Tyler Deane, 6th Aircraft Mainte-nance Squadron crew chiefs, empty the urinals and toilet from the KC-135 Stratotanker July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base.

(Above) Airman 1st Class Tyler Deane, 6th Aircraft Main-tenance Squadron crew chief, rinses out the urinal from the latrine of a KC-135 Stratotanker, July 11, at Mac-Dill Air Force Base. (Left) Airman 1st Class Tyler Deane, 6th Aircraft Main-tenance Squadron crew chief, removes the urinal from the latrine of a KC-135 Stratotanker, July 11, at MacDill Air Force Base.

by Senior Airman Jenay Randolph6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Susan Haley, 6th Areospace Medicine Squad-ron health promotion dietitian, has been a dieti-tian and nutritionist for more than 30 years, and has been helping members of Team MacDill stay fit for the last seven years.

“We believe that fit fighters plus healthy families equal a resilient and healthy Air Force,” said Haley. “Health Promotion has always been about maintaining health and preventing dis-ease and injury as a way to get a handle on ris-ing healthcare costs.”

Haley has always wanted to help people stay healthy by starting with the basics—real food. She helps to improve the installation nutrition environment by reaching out to units, leadership training courses, the Commissary and Exchange with resources and interventions via classes,

briefings, health-fitness expos, websites, social media and assessments.

“One of the most challenging parts of my job is convincing people that eating healthy can be tasty and satisfying,” explains Haley. “On the other hand, it is rewarding to help our beneficia-ries maintain a high quality of life and sense of well-being by providing coaching, guidance and resources for high quality food, healthy weight, physical activity and tobacco cessation.”

Haley assists in promoting responsible and informed dietary supplement use, providing per-formance and sports nutrition guidance, along with providing medical nutrition therapy as part of a balanced portfolio that includes community engagement as well.

As part of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, Haley helps support the physical, mental, spiri-tual and social health of all Airmen, either di-rectly with programs and outreach or indirectly by supporting other base agencies.

“I am a nutrition expert for a healthy nutri-tion environment, supplement safety, sports/per-formance nutrition, healthy weight, and disease prevention,” expressed Haley. “It’s the best job in the world!”

Photo by Senior Airman Jenay Randolph

Susan Haley, 6th Areospace Medicine Squad-ron health promotion dietitian, instructs a Bet-ter Body, Better Life class offered by Health Promotion Services, July 10, at MacDill Air Force Base.

Keeping Team MacDill fit: ‘best job in world’

Job Title: Maintenance scheduler

Hometown: Weaver, Ala.

Short-term goals: Finish my degree

Long-term goals: Retire and travel

Advice to others: Take the time to do some-thing for yourself whether it is family.

Role model and why: Tech. Sgt. Malcolm Samuel. He was always supportive in the work center and encouraged me to complete my pro-fessional and personal goals.

Why did you join the Air Force: I joined the Air Force to see the world and gain a career.

Staff Sgt. Katherine E Platt6th MXG/MXOS

DIAMOND SHARP

Pirate’s Log: 24 July 1997

Tales from Air Force History: On this date in 1997, the Air Force released yet anotherreport on the Roswell Incident, barely a week before the extravagant 50th anniversary.“The Roswell Report, Case Closed,” stated definitively there was no Pentagon evidenceof any life form found in the Roswell, New Mexico area in connection with the reportedUFO sightings in 1947. The “bodies” recovered were not aliens but dummies used inparachute tests conducted in the region. Any hopes this would end the cover up debatefell on deaf ears. Adamant UFO fans claimed inconsistencies in the report.

MACDILL COMMUNITY

Protestant serviceSunday - 11 a.m. - Contemporary Service Sunday - 9:30 a.m. - FAMCAMP Service

Islamic serviceFriday - 1:30 p.m. - Muslim Prayer Service

Catholic servicesSaturday - 5:30 p.m. - Mass

Sunday - 9:30 a.m. - Mass

Monday-Thursday - 12:10 p.m. Mass

Call the chapel at 828-3621 for more information or visit the chapel web siteat http://www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel.

EVENTSFridaySeaScapes Beach House

Crab Night! 3-8 p.m. The every-day bar menu is also available from 4 p.m. until close. Buckets of... •1lb. snow crab legs, 1lb. shrimp $17.50 • 1lb. snow crab legs, 1/2lb. shrimp $13.65 • 1lb. snow crab legs $9.75 • 1lb. shrimp $9.50 • 1/2lb. shrimp $6.50 *All portions are served with Old Bay potatoes and corn, melted butter • Pitchers of beer $4.

SaturdayBack to School Fair

MacDill Medical Clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Back to School Fair is a combined partnership ini-tiative between the PASS and IDS teams and 6th Medical Group to offer program information, back-packs, school supplies, school and sports physicals, and much more! To schedule physicals, call 828-CARE Option 1,1,2,2. For ques-tions or additional information call: Nelly Richards, school liaison officer, 828-0146; Venetia Waters, Exceptional Family Member Pro-gram manager, 828-0122; or Angie Fields, Community Readiness con-sultant, 828-0142.

Monday-SundayMacDill Lanes & Family Fun Center

Kids Special daily till 6 p.m. $1.50 per game; $1 shoes.

WednesdaySeaScapes Beach House

Boomers Wednesday Bash moved due to maintenance at the Surf ’s Edge Club. 4-8 p.m. Freebar snacks; drink specials; bar bingo ($2 a card/cash). Trivia; DJ; guar-anteed $100 Weekly Club Card winner.

Find out what’s going on Mac-Dill log onto www.macdillfss.com

Sic ‘em!Staff Sgts. George Holmes and Alex Lazala, 6th Security Forces Squadron military working dog han-dlers, ensures the safety of an Air Force recruit, from the St. Petersburg delayed entry program, while being bit by MWD Jimmy July 18, at MacDill Air Force Base. More than 30 recruits received an inside look to daily military operations.

Photo by Senior Airman Melanie Bulow-Gonterman

CHAPEL SCHEDULE

years and had amassed a great track record. The first three months of the deployment flew by as we were constantly improving or converting processes into the Air Force way of operating and thinking. We were also receiving a steady flow of retrograde equipment to inspect and clear from returning units along with their personnel. Everything was going smoothly until the night of the flood.

For three days, it constantly rained and our base drainage system became overwhelmed. At 1 a.m. on the third day, we were awakened by the giant voice with a flash flood warning, but it was already too late. Our dorm building immediately became flooded with an inch of water and it was quickly rising. After about four hours, we were finally able to divert the water around and out of our building. In the end our unit lost the female dorm and we had to find a new home for about 13 displaced individuals, but our fast action lessened the damage from the flood and

no lives were lost. After a week of clean-up, the base was back to full operations and construction was started to mitigate future damage from potential flooding.

My last three months were a blur, the drawdown pace was increas-ing and more units were returning home from the AOR. During our last month of deployment, we welcomed the Marines who were going to inherit the customs mission from us. Throughout our time in the AOR, we were all reminded about the stigmas associated with the Air Force that are sometimes held by our sister services, but in the end we had set the standard and we set it high. At our final wing commander’s call, we were notified by U.S. Customs that after inspecting 10,000 battle rolling stock, 52,000 pieces of equipment, 2,000 containers and over 10,000 per-sonnel, the unit had zero discrepancies throughout our tour. Truly a fine “Air Power” moment!

‘THERE I WAS’From Page 3

contact your contract administrator or one of our POCs listed below to ad-vise you on your FY 15 intentions.

Fiscal year 2014 close-out for ALL base activities supported by 6 CONS will be 26 September 2014. The last day we will take purchase requests is 20 September 2014, with the exception of verified emergencies.

Questions may be directed to the appropriate Contracting Squadron Points of Contact:

u Mr. Edward “Jerry” Simmons, 828-4783, Specialized Flight, SCENT-

COM/USSOCOM/JCSE/SOCCENTu Douglas Willard, 828-7454,Performance Management Flight, Civil

Engineers and Avon Parku Calvin Daniels, 828-4784, Base Support Flight, 6th AMW units and

other tenant units u Melissa Biggar, 828-3110, Government Purchase Card Program holdersu James “Kirk” Krempasky, 828-7482, Closeout Monitor, general in-

quiries

PURCHASESFrom Page 3