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Vol. 42, No. 37 Thursday, September 18, 2014

News/Features: page 3Career management

Week in photos: page 4Images from MacDill

News/Features: page 8White House recruiting

White House Communications Agency (WHCA) is committed to recruiting the best and the brightest. WHCA members come from all Services, with varied levels of experience and

multiple specialties. Members assigned to WHCA will provide direct service to our mission in Washington, DC or on a travel team in support of the President, Vice President, First Lady,

and others as directed.Military Job Opportunity for Servicemembers in the following skills:

Army Enlisted: 12H, 12W, 12Y, 25B, 25C, 25E, 25L, 25M, 25N, 25P, 25Q, 25R, 25S, 25T, 25U, 25V, 25W, 25X, 35L, 35P(RU), 35Y, 36B, 42A, 88M, 91B, 91D, 91E, 92A, 92Y, 94E, 94F, 94L, 94W, 94Z

Navy Enlisted: BU, CE, CTI(RU), CTM, EM, ET, IC, C, PS, SWAir Force Enlisted

When: , 201 at hrs

This Could Be Your Future!Military Assignment Opportunity

White House Lawn Photograph by Daniel Schwen

Community: page 20Events, Chapel, more...

Photo by Senior Airman Jenay Randolph

Master Sgt. Marcin Dziurawiec, U.S. Central Command physical security NCO, talks to his daughter after returning from deployment Sept. 9, at MacDill Air Force Base.

News/Features: page 3Healthcare to Health

Home again - page 12

MacDill ThunderboltPublisher: Brian BurnsEditor: 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: [email protected].

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 [email protected].

Website: www.macdill.af.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

MacDillAirForceBase

Instagram: macdill_afb

Twitter: @macdill_afb

MacDill on the web

COMMAND CORNER“The supreme quality for leadership is un-

questionably integrity. Without it, no real suc-cess is possible...”—Dwight D. Eisenhower

Mobility Airmen,The men and women of 18th Air Force, Air

Mobility Command and the Air Force serve our nation on the foundation of our core val-ues; integrity, service and excellence.

Those who have come before us have taught us there is no replacement for virtue, char-acter, dignity and respect. This holds true for today’s Airmen as well, and if we choose to ac-cept a lesser standard, we do so at the risk of tarnishing our image in the face of the nation. If we fail, the reputation of all who serve is tarnished.

LeadWe have the most professional and combat-

ready force successfully performing the mis-sion on a global scale. I ask you to lead boldly and accept nothing less than impeccable moral courage. Have the strength of character to step up and do the right things even in the

most difficult situations. Ultimately you are accountable not only for your actions, but also for failing to take action when necessary. Our legacy of excellence is built on an adherence to exacting standards and we will not accept anything less.

ChallengeIntegrity, Service and Excellence carry spe-

cial meaning for all of us and we share these values with the great warriors and public servants of the past. I challenge each of you to reaffirm your commitment to our core val-ues by finding new ways to live these values each and every day. This reaffirmation will strengthen the trust between Airmen, and our commitment to one another.

Thank you for what you do to move this en-terprise in the right direction and remember that it is an honor to be called an “Airman.”

Carlton D. Everhart IIlieutenant general, USAF

commander

18th Air Force: commander’s intent

Lt. Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II

Be sure to visit the MacDill Air Force Base web site at www.macdill.af.mil

NEWS/FEATURES

by Kimberly HuffHealth Promotion educator

The Air Force is striving to keep military depen-dents and retirees as healthy as possible with an exciting new initiative called Healthcare to Health or H2H.

The H2H program has been implemented at Scott, Mountain Home, Peterson, Shaw, Tinker and Mac-Dill Air Force Bases. The bases were chosen based on the number of dependents, the types of programs currently offered, and the reported health concerns of the non-active duty population. The H2H team at MacDill is associated with the Family Health Clinic and will service the on-base community as well as the Brandon community. The team includes Maria Benedict and Kim Huff, both health promotion edu-cators, and Julie Schwartz, a registered dietitian

The Healthcare to Health team will be launching two new initiatives designed to encourage people to

make healthier choices. The 5,210 Healthy Military Children educational campaign is aimed at creat-ing healthy eating and physical activity habits in children, and The Group Lifestyle Balance Program focuses on the development of healthy living and weight management techniques for adults.

The 5,210 Healthy Military Children campaign encourages the adoption of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, limiting the amount of “screen time” to two hours daily, engaging in at least one hour of physical activity daily and hav-ing zero sugary drinks each day. The target of this initiative is to provide parents and other members of the community with the necessary resources to create the 5,210 habits in children in the MacDill community.

The Group Lifestyle Balance Program is a series of classes that will provide adults with the tools nec-essary to develop and maintain healthy eating and active living habits to decrease the risk of diabetes and other conditions, reverse pre-diabetes, and pro-mote better health and improved quality of life.

The Healthcare to Health team is working with several clinics in the 6th Medical Group at Mac-Dill and the Brandon clinic, as well as the Child Development Centers, the Youth Center, Tinker El-ementary School, The Airmen & Family Readiness Centers and many other organizations on base to launch both programs this fall. For more informa-tion about either program, call 827-9405.

Healthcare to Health: Helping military dependents and retirees stay healthy

by Senior Airman Vernon L. Fowler Jr.6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

“You have to manage your own career,” said Senior Master Sgt. Melissa Walters, 6th Force Support Squadron career assistance advisor.

This was one of Walters’ comments during the Career Management Options professional enhancement course, Sept. 5.

Airmen were informed about their enlisted career options, to include retraining, special du-ties and force management programs for Fis-cal Year 2014. To ensure they were fully knowl-edgeable, the Airmen were also instructed on what applications to access on the Air Force portal and how to navigate them.

“I didn’t learn a lot of this stuff until later into my career,” said Walters.

Information was divided into categories con-cerning first-term Airmen and non-commis-sioned officers.

Walters provided an informal setting en-abling those attending to freely ask questions and receive all their desired information.

As an extra benefit, Walters touched on addi-tional topics, such as the recent revising of the Enlisted Performance Report, before conclud-ing the course.

The Career Management Options course plays an important role in ensuring that Air-men remain informed about all the options available to them concerning their careers.

However, it’s solely up to each individual Air-man to take their respective career into their own hands and make use of this information.

“Nobody is more interested in your career than you,” said Walters.

The Air Force Career: It’s in your hands

The Group Lifestyle Balance Program will provide adults with the tools necessary to develop and maintain healthy eating and active living habits for better

Courtesy graphic

Courtesy graphic

WEEK IN PHOTOS

Photo by Senior Airman Vernon L. Fowler Jr.

Col. Andre Briere, 6th Air Mobility Wing vice commander, talks to Bobbie O’brien, WUSF 89.7 News reporter, during an interview at the University of South Florida Sept. 10.

Photo by Senior Airman Vernon L. Fowler Jr.

The 6th Civil Engi-neer Squadron hosts Col. Daniel Tulley, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Lusson, 6th AMW command chief, at the Crash Fire Station on Mac-Dill Air Force Base, Sept. 10. Tulley and Lusson also visited the emergency op-erations center and the military working dogs kennel for the new commander’s immersion.


Col. Daniel Tulley, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, sits down with Rick Kriseman, mayor of St. Petersburg, Sept. 10, in St. Petersburg. This is the first time the current mayor has met with the 6th AMW commander.

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — The Air Force will deploy Agile Combat Support Airmen under its redesigned air expeditionary force construct Oct. 1.

The primary purpose of the redesign was to look at ways to deploy more ACS Airmen with their units and standardize dwell times across the Air Force as much as possible to present a consistent Air Force ca-pacity to the warfighter.

While the construct was approved in April 2013 by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the first deployments under this construct will be October 2014. Under the revised AEF construct, installations will deploy larger numbers of Airmen from the same unit under a 1:2 deploy-to-dwell ratio for active component, ACS Airmen. The revised construct establishes an 18-month battle rhythm where an Airman may deploy for six months and be home for 12. This will allow wings to more effectively posture their forces to meet global mission requirements as well as con-tinue home station training.

In the past, Airmen deployed as individuals or small elements via “tempo bands” based on their Air Force specialty codes. Those Airmen met downrange from bases across the Air Force.

“Our Airmen have performed superbly in their individual deployments under the current AEF structure for the last 11 years,” Welsh said. “This new construct will facilitate even better teamwork and unit performance

during deployed operations. I visited a deployed squadron last year that was manned by 81 Airmen from 41 different bases! While we’ve proven we can be successful with that approach, we believe the new AEF model is a more efficient way to get the job done.”

While there are some other subtle changes, the most noticeable change to ACS Airmen will be a stabilized battle rhythm at 1:2 deploy-to-dwell ratio. Some Airmen will see this battle rhythm as an increase in their deployment vulnerability. Requirements for most skill sets have remained constant. However, those who deployed less frequently may be more vulnerable. Not all Airmen will be selected for deployment in their vulnerability window.

Air Force leadership has worked very hard to secure 1:2 as the stan-dard battle rhythm therefore reducing the number of Airmen who will deploy at rates greater than 1:2. While this is the goal, there may still be some high-demand specialties that may deploy under a different sched-uling construct.

“Previously, Air Force specialty codes played a large role in determin-ing an Airman’s battle rhythm and deployment location; the redesign focuses on aligning Airmen to deploy with their unit,” said Col. Stephen Hart, the Chief of War Planning and Policy Division. “Deploying with members of their own unit increases continuity of work, allows our junior Airmen to deploy with their supervisor, trainers, and enhances the skills

Air Force revamps AEFNEWS/FEATURES

See AEF, Page 16

Special to the Thunderbolt

White House Communications Agency (WHCA) is committed to re-cruiting the best and the brightest. WHCA members come from all Ser-vices, with varied levels of experience and multiple specialties. Members assigned to WHCA will provide direct service to our mission in Washing-ton, DC or on a travel team in support of the president, vice president, first Lady, and others as directed.

There are military job opportunities for service members in the follow-ing skills:Army enlisted: 12H, 12W, 12Y, 25B, 25C, 25E, 25L, 25M, 25N, 25P, 25Q, 25R, 25T, 25U, 25V, 25W, 35L, 35P(RU), 35Y, 36B, 42A, 88M, 91B, 91D, 92A, 92Y, 94E, 94F, 94L, 94W, 94Z.Navy enlisted: BU, CE, CTI (RU), CTM, CTN, EM, ET, IC, IT, MC, PS, SW, YN.Air Force enlisted: A3Xi, IB4X1, 1N3X1(RU), 1S0X1, 2S0X1, 3A1X1, 3D0X0, 3D0X1, 3D0X2, 3D0X3, 3D0X4, 3D100, 3D1X1, 3D1X2, 3D1X3, 3D1X7, 3E6X1, 3N0X2, 3N0X5, 3S0X1, 3S2X1, 6C0X1, 6F0X1.Where: Base Theater, 2420 Florida Keys Ave., MacDill Air Force Base.When: Tuesday, Sept. at 9 a.m.

For more information, contact Senior Master Sgt. Melissa Walters at 828-1229 or Master Sgt.Jason Olivencia at 828-1310.

White House Communications Agency recruiting military members

White House Communications Agency (WHCA) is committed to recruiting the best and the brightest. WHCA members come from all Services, with varied levels of experience and

multiple specialties. Members assigned to WHCA will provide direct service to our mission in Washington, DC or on a travel team in support of the President, Vice President, First Lady,




When: , 201 at hrs



Courtesy graphicWhite House Communications Agency (WHCA) is committed to recruiting the best and the

brightest. WHCA members come from all Services, with varied levels of experience and multiple specialties. Members assigned to WHCA will provide direct service to our mission in Washington, DC or on a travel team in support of the President, Vice President, First Lady,




When: , 201 at hrs



by Senior Airman Melanie Bulow-Gonterman6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

MacDill Air Force Base’s 6th Operations Support Squadron air traffic

control tower and Tampa International Air Traffic Control recently imple-mented a controller mentor program to provide MacDill controllers with a better understanding of how the two missions intermingle.

The Tampa MacDill Mentor Program allots 6th OSS air traffic control-lers to spend an entire shift with a Federal Aviation Agency volunteer counterpart, most of whom are prior military controllers.

“The program is designed to show MacDill controllers the overlying approach control’s operation,” said Greg Mathes, TIA ATC staff special-ist. “However, the benefits are even greater as the program enhances an already outstanding relationship.”

Controllers follow their assigned FAA counterparts throughout the day, shadowing them as they work various radar and tower positions. The Air-men directly observe how the Tampa airspace traffic is controlled.

“The mentor program with Tampa International affords MacDill’s air traffic controllers an immense opportunity to liaise with a FAA facility,” said Master Sgt. Tyrone Wilson, 6th OSS tower chief controller. “This not only provides a unique mentorship, it gives an insider’s look at adjacent

Putting a face to the voice; MacDill controllers shadow at TIANEWS/FEATURES

Photo by Senior Airman Melanie Bulow-Gonterman

Senior Airman Dylan Laurenson, 6th Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, listens as Jill Carr, Tampa International Airport ATC specialist, explains how flight operations work at Tampa International Airport control tower, Sept. 10. See TOWER, Page 16

by Bill Polson6th Air Mobility Wing historian

The 6th Air Mobility Wing and family members at MacDill Air Force Base received an early Air Force birthday present Sept. 9. Six flight crew members

of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron and three mainte-nance personnel safely returned to MacDill after spend-ing the past three months serving in the U.S. effort to combat the latest international crisis in Southwest Asia.

While deployed, they flew and maintained the KC-135 Stratotankers jointly responsible for providing aerial re-fueling for U.S. aircraft involved in the operations. Some of these refueled aircraft dropped pallets of supplies as part of a humanitarian aid effort in northern Iraq, while others performed airs trikes on military targets of the extremist forces known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

“We are very proud to have done this,” said Capt. Don-nie Hart shortly after landing and receiving hugs from his girlfriend and family, including from his 86-year-old grandfather, a World War II veteran. “As a result of us being over there, we were saving lives and helping peo-ple from getting attacked needlessly by these ruthless people.”

Two other 91st ARS crew members, Capt. Ryan Chris-tie and 1st Lt. Kaylyn Leibrand, also contributed to these operations, despite having departed MacDill earlier in the year on a routine deployment.

“It’s important to do what we can to help and protect the citizens who can’t protect themselves and the assets we have in the country,” said Leibrand. “We are fueling assets in the air who are able to assist with the situation for Iraqi troops and civilians on the ground.”

Members of the returning crew, including Capt. Matt Swee and Capt. Joseph Brzozowske, will receive approxi-mately two weeks to spend with their families before they return to active duty.

As the Air Force prepares to celebrate its 67th birth-day Sept. 18, these returning crew members know they may have to go back to Southwest Asia in the not-too-distant future–depending on the president’s new strat-egy for dealing with the insurgent group. Regardless of the new directives for the region, Lt. Col. Gene Jacobus, the commander of the 91st ARS, said his squadron is prepared.

“We are always ready for an uptick in operations,” said Jacobus. “We maintain a hundred percent deploy-ment readiness every day, so that we don’t have to wait for the call; we’re leaning forward ready to put crews on the road at any time.”

MacDill gets early present for Air Force birthday


Capt. Donnie Hart, 91st Air Refueling Squadron pilot, poses for a photo with his family, which was there to welcome him back from his deployment Sept. 9, at MacDill Air Force Base.


Members of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron hug their loved ones after returning from deployment Sept. 9, at MacDill Air Force Base.


(From Left) Col. Daniel Tulley, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Lusson, 6th AMW command chief, and Col. Brian Smith, 6th Operations Support Squadron commander, are among the first to welcome members of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron back from deployment Sept. 9 at MacDill Air Force Base.

A KC-135 Stratotanker with redeploy-ers from the 91st Air Refueling Squadron taxis on the flight line Sept. 9, at MacDill Air Force Base.



Capt. Donnie Hart, 91st Air Refueling Squadron pilot, poses for a photo with his family, which was there to welcome him back from his deployment Sept. 9, at MacDill Air Force Base.


Members of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron hug their loved ones after returning from deployment Sept. 9, at MacDill Air Force Base.

by Staff Sgt. Adam Borgman927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

The Air Force Reserve is a volunteer force comprised of Airmen with different goals and aspirations. Some are drawn to continue their service after several years on active duty, while others want to take advantage of education benefits. Some members want the chance to give back to their community.

For U.S. Air Force Capt. Roxanne Buffano, 927th Aerospace Medical Squadron optometrist, her motivation to join the U.S. Air Force Reserve came from her desire to give back to those in need, specifically hoping to volunteer on humanitarian missions.

In June Buffano received her chance, along with two optometry tech-nicians assigned to her squadron. The members volunteered to support Tropicare 14, a 10-day joint service humanitarian mission providing free health care for populations throughout the Hawaiian Islands. While de-ployed, Buffano examined approximately 600 patients in a matter of days, but during her time there, it was one patient who stood out more

927th ARW NewsOptometrist finds fulfillment through humanitarian service

Photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Borgman

Capt. Roxanne Buffano, 927th Aerospace Medicine Squadron optom-etrist, took time away from her civilian practice to participate in TROPI-CARE 2014. While deployed she performed approximately 600 eye ex-ams for the under-served population in Kauai, Hawaii. See EYES, Page 21

and management of wing missions.”

According to Hart, there are benefits to the Airmen and to the service, as it allows

the Air Force to better understand its avail-able capacity and it allows Airmen to have a better idea of when they will be deploying within the given year.

For Airmen main-taining expeditionary readiness, it’s “busi-

ness as usual.” Air-men should continue preparing themselves and their families for deployment, and en-sure they are ready to go when called.

For more informa-tion on AEF battle rhythm and individ-

ual base dwell times, Airmen should contact their local unit deploy-ment manager or base deployment manager.

(Senior Airman Ja-son J. Brown, 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this article.)

AEFFrom Page 6

facility operations.” The Airmen return to MacDill AFB with a

better understanding on how their operation fits into the Tampa approach operation and the con-straints their FAA counterparts work under on a daily basis.

“With aircraft operations decreasing across the Air Force, partnerships like these allow our controllers an opportunity to observe the Crew Resource Management practices of sister facili-ties that have a much larger traffic volume,” said Wilson. “On top of facility observations, 80 per-cent of MacDill controllers will get a first-time immersion into a RADAR environment.”

This program not only benefits the Airmen,

but also the Tampa controllers, because it allows them to visit MacDill’s control tower.

“In the arena of air traffic control, controllers throughout the world speak to their counterparts at adjacent facilities daily; rarely having the op-portunity to meet face to face,” said Mathes.

The program expects to continue into the fu-ture to accommodate the future generation of controllers in both the Air Force and FAA.

“We sincerely appreciate the men and women at MacDill who have voluntarily signed up with the Air Force to serve and protect our country and our freedoms,” said Laurie Zugay. TIA Air Traffic Manager. The Tampa MacDill Mentor Program is also our way of saying, ‘thank you.’ ”

TOWERFrom Page 10

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.

EVENTSSaturdayBoys & Girls Day for Kids

Must be a registered member of the Youth Program or School-Age Program, 9-18 years old. Free event will be held at one of the lo-cal BGCA; transportation to and from the event will be provided.

Famarama BowlingFun starts at 5 p.m. Kids bowl

for $1.50 a game from 5-8 p.m. Food Specials! Call 828-4005 to re-serve your lane.

SundayBay Palms Golf Complex

Club Member Appreciation – free golf and cart to AF Club card members. Call 840-6904 to make your tee time today. Must show valid Club card when checking in at the Pro Shop.

MacDill LanesNFL Sunday Ticket & Football

Frenzy Program – Watch allL the games. Open 12-9 p.m. Food and& drink specials, bowling specials, billiards, darts and corn hole. For more information call 828-4005.

ThursdayBase Theater

Free movie: “Captain America – The Winter Soldier” at 5:30 p.m. Everyone welcome and feel free to bring your own food and drink.

Diner’s Reef closed for workWhere to eat? For more infor-

mation, menus and hours of opera-tion, log on to: tinyurl.com/macdil-leats

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

RememberingVeterans salute as the colors are presented during the Patriots Day Remembrance ceremony at Vet-erans Memorial Park and Rear Admiral Leroy Collins Jr. museum in Tampa, Sept. 11. Col. Daniel Tul-ley, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Lusson, 6th AMW command chief, attended the ceremony on behalf of MacDill Air Force Base.

CHAPEL SCHEDULE

Photo by 2nd Lt. Patrick Gargan

than the rest.“I had an American military veteran come in for a glaucoma screen-

ing, he was unaware that he could go to the Veterans Administration to receive treatment,” she said. “I talked with his daughter and when they coordinate transportation for him he will be able to get the treatment he needs.

“I found that a lot of people don’t get treated because they just don’t know their options.”

Not only were veterans affected with health issues, small children were impacted as well. Due to their lack of knowledge about health risks and symptoms, poor eyesight became normal.

“There were so many little kids whose parents didn’t know their chil-dren weren’t seeing well, until they came in,” said Buffano. “We put a pair of glasses on them and it just changed their world; they can now see that there are individual leaves on a tree rather than just green blobs.”

When not fulfilling her Air Force Reserve commitment, Buffano runs a private optometry practice in Plant City, Florida, where she sees about 30 patients per week.

Buffano loves what she does and is very passionate about leaving a mark in her profession. The skills she has gained from the Air Force Reserve and her private practice led to her be recognized as the Young

Optometrist of the Year by the Florida Optometry Association.Buffano’s aspiration to leave a mark is not fulfilled by civilian acco-

lades. That can only be accomplished through seeking out opportunities where she can provide her skills to the many people in need.

“It is so powerful and rewarding to have the opportunity to help change even one life,” she said. “When you can help those kids see clearly for the first time, or to help a veteran receive the care he or she earned, it makes it all worth it..

“Just think about it. If someone has gone their entire life not being able to see properly, and you get them the right treatment, they change into a newer, happier person.”

The grueling 12-hour work days, with heart-wrenching stories and little sleep while deployed, led Buffano to admit the work was physically exhausting and mentally challenging.

“I wish I was mentally prepared for how draining it was due to the long days,” she said. “It was definitely one of the hardest things I have done in my life, but also one of the most rewarding.”

She said that if she were to give advice to anyone interested in partici-pating in a similar humanitarian mission, she would without hesitation tell them to do it.

“It’s worth it, I would encourage anyone and everyone to do it at least

EyESFrom Page 14

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