Volume 3, Number 20 386th Air Expeditionary Wing June 23, 2006

Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen386th AEW/PA

Get ready to rumble!The 386th Expeditionary Services

Squadron is set to host its quarterly FightNight at 6:30 p.m. June 30 at the RockAmphitheater.

The event brings together amateurboxers from across base as well as mili-tary installations around the area.

“Attendees can expect a great show,”said 1st Lt. Elias Guerra, a protocol offi-cer with the 386th Air ExpeditionaryWing, a former amateur fighter that hasbeen helping to train all the hopeful box-ers. “The sparring sessions have beendrawing small crowds and this gets theteam even more excited for the actualFight Night.”

The 386th ESVS started advertisingthe event as soon as AEF 1/2 startedrolling into the theater. They invitedanyone with even a tiny bit of interest inputting on the gloves to come out for atraining session.

“We started off with about 40 folks,”Lieutenant Guerra said. “But right offthe bat, we let every one know that thiswas for real.”

The field was quickly whittled toaround 20 potential boxers through attri-tion and conflicting work schedules.Those who did survive have been goingthrough some hard training in roughconditions.

“It takes a lot of courage to even get inthe ring, but to do it out here, in theseconditions … is commendable,” saidMaster Sgt. Manuel Perez, superinten-dent of the Rock Flex Recreation Centerfor the 386th ESVS, and Fight Nightboxing trainer. “They go through twohours or more each day, at a minimum offour days a week.”

“We focus on learning the basic punch-es, basic defense and offensive combina-tions and strategies,” Lieutenant Guerrasaid. “Then we drill, drill, drill and fin-ish it up with calisthenics, push ups andsit ups, or sprints.”

With so little time to prepare for theevent, no training time is wasted. Everypart of the schedule is done for a reason.

“We try to do as much as possible out-side to get used to actual Fight Nightconditions,” Lieutenant Guerra said.“We also do full-contact sparring two-to-three times per week to apply the les-sons learned and develop conditioning.”

Boxers for the upcoming event haveevery type of background. Some havequite a bit of experience while othershave none.

“We are matching them up as evenly aspossible,” Sergeant Perez said. “Most of

these guys have no experience, so theyare all starting from scratch.”

Female boxing fans will not be disap-pointed either as they will be represent-ed at Fight Night. Two Air Force femaleshave been training for the big event andthe Navy is expected to bring a contin-gent of female boxers to the ring.

“(This is) something they will be ableto tell their children and grandchildren,you can’t take this experience away fromthem ever,” Sergeant Perez said. “Howmany people can say the actually foughtin a real live boxing match in their mili-tary careers? I am honored to be one oftheir trainers, it makes me feel good toknow I am able to teach them a little ofwhat I know.”

“I hope everyone comes out and seeswhat these guys have worked so hardfor,” Lieutenant Guerra said.

Rock boxers ready to put their dukes up

Air Force/Staff Sgt. Jonathan PomeroyAirman 1st Class Jose' Rodriguez, 386th Expeditionary CommunicationsSquadron, takes a cut at Staff Sgt. Raymond Acosta, 386th Expeditionary SecurityForces Squadron, during a sparring session recently.

2 June 23, 2006

386th Air Expeditionary WingEditorial Staff

Col. Timothy L. Hale386th Air Expeditionary Wing

Commander

Capt. Tom Crosson386th Air Expeditionary Wing

Public Affairs Chief

Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen386th Air Expeditionary Wing

Rock Slate Editor

This funded newspaper is an author-ized publication for members of the U.S.military services overseas. Contents of the“Rock Slate” are not necessarily the officialviews, nor endorsed by, the U.S.Government, the Department of Defenseor the Department of the Air Force.

The 386th Air Expeditionary WingPublic Affairs staff prepares all editorialcontent for the “Rock Slate.” The editor willedit or re-write material for clarity, brevityor to conform with the Associated PressStyle Guide, local policy and Air Forcestyle as required by Air Force Instruction35-101.

Unless otherwise noted, all photo-graphs are U.S. Air Force photos. The“Rock Slate” may use news and informa-tion from the American Forces InformationService, Air Force Print News and othersources.

Contributions for the “Rock Slate” canbe made directly to the 386th AEW PublicAffairs Office or through e-mail to:386aew.pa@salem.af.mil.

The editor can be reached at 442-2312. Submit contributions by 4 p.m.Thursday, one week prior to publication.

The “Rock Slate” can be viewed elec-tronically by clicking the “Rock Slate” linkat http://intranet.salem.af.mil.

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Eugene Schnipke386th AEW wing chaplain

Author Anne Bryan Smollin tells thestory of an old African king who gatheredhis people and gave them a short, sturdystick. The king instructed them to breakthe stick. With little effort, they allsnapped their sticks in half. “This is howit is when a soul is alone without anyone.It can be easily broken.”

Next the king gave everyone anotherstick and said, “This is how I would likeyou to live. Put your sticks together inbundles of twos and threes. Now, breakthese bundles in half.”

The people surrounding the king fol-lowed his instructions and tried to breakthe bundles. But they failed.

“No one can break the sticks when thereare two or more in a bundle,” the kingsaid. “We are strong when we stand withanother soul. When we are with others, wecannot be broken.”

In his book Bowling Alone author RobertPutnam says today, more Americans thanever bowl, but instead of bowling inleagues which, just a few years back, werea very popular activity, they now choose tobowl alone. Through extensive sociologi-cal research he shows that significantchanges in work, family life, the shift fromrural communities to suburban neighbor-hoods, roles of women, technology, and soon have contributed to a significant declinein what he calls “social capital.” This hashad a negative affect on both people andcommunities. So today neighbors don’tknow each other, organizations that onceserved the community in a variety of wayshave an aging membership and struggle torecruit new members. Fewer people careabout the political landscape and less thanfifty percent make the effort to vote.Unfortunately, people today report feelingmore isolated and alone despite the factthat we have more ways than ever to beconnected.

The military being a smaller reflection ofthe civilian population tends to experiencesome of the same realities. I think oforganizations like the Air Force SergeantsAssociation, Company Grade Officer’sCouncil, or the Top Three. Even here in adeployed location where some of the usualduties and responsibilities of family life,school, or other activities are curtailed, Iam pretty sure organizations such as theRock Bottom council or the Rock Solid5/6 would welcome additional members.

Why join an organization? Becausewe’re stronger and can do more goodtogether! To cite one example, in 1967 theAir Force Sergeant’s Association foundthat over 50,000 widows of enlisted menwere living in poverty. With the assistanceof former Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen.Michael Ryan and his wife, a group ofactive duty and retired NCO’s set out toaddress this problem. They established theAir Force Enlisted Village, which hasmade a huge difference for widows inneed.

Putnam concluded that the more connec-tions people make the better. Some studiesindicate that those who have lots offriends, relatives, and other social tiesoften have fewer illnesses and tend to livelonger. Being part of groups, organiza-tions, and communities can range fromsuch things as teams to job related groupsto churches as well as service activitiesassociated with them. These connectionsare a contributing factor to stronger, moreresilient, and healthier people. They alsobring improvements to our communities,our Air Force, and our country. MargaretMeade said, “Don’t think that a smallgroup of awakened individuals cannotchange the world. Indeed, it is the onlything that ever has.”

We live in an increasingly fast paced,challenging, and continually changingworld, but you can make a difference.Why not start here!

Stronger Together

June 23, 2006 3

Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen386th AEW/PA

The leader of the 386th AirExpeditionary Wing talked tohis Airmen one final timeduring two commander’scalls June 16 at the RockAuditorium.

Col. Timothy Hale, whorelinquishes command July 4,talked about the base’s histo-ry, its future, the importanceof the unit’s mission and howeveryone here is a strategicAirman and is an importantpart of the overall Air Forcemission.

“We’ve been here since1992 in one form or another,we’re still here and we’ll con-tinue to be here for a verylong time,” he said. “Ourgeneration’s calling is to endthe Global War on Terror, thisbase is a strategic hub for thatand you’re all a key part ofit.”

Colonel Hale talked aboutthe positive changes that havebeen made throughout hisyear-long tour at the facilityand what the future holds.

“The face of the base looks100 percent different rightnow than it did a year agowhen I got here,” he said.“Between the number of peo-ple we’ve moved out of thetents, the amount of asphaltwe’ve laid down and theamount of dust that used tohang over – the physical faceof the base has really changedand we’ll continue to

improve it.”The commander said the

positive changes to the infra-structure could not have beenmade without the help of ourgrateful hosts.

“More than half the peoplein this room were under 10years old in 1990 when thefirst Gulf War broke out,”Colonel Hale said. “TheKuwaitis we work with hereon a daily basis remember itvery well. They understandwhy we’re here because theylived through it and they’restrong supporters of usbecause of it.”

He said another reason forthe improvements and overallmission effectiveness thathe’s seen has been because of

our coalition partners.“The Japanese Self Defense

Force is here doing a tremen-dous job performing a mis-sion for the first time outsideof a self defense mode sinceWorld War II. This is historicand you’re a part of it,” hesaid. “And the (Republic ofKorea) Air Force is here sup-porting the ROK Army inNorth Central Iraq. They con-trol that area, train the Iraqisand their air force is here tosupport them and doing aphenomenal job.”

The colonel then said hewanted to remind attendeesthat the mission of the 386thAEW goes beyond the fenceline of the base. The unit hasAirmen all around the theater

performing incredible mis-sions.

“You need to be aware ofthe folks we have wearing the386th patch that are awayfrom the installation,” hesaid. “We have them atKuwait Naval Base, at CampBucca in Iraq and we havethem driving convoys out ofCamp Arifjan to all parts ofIraq.

“Your brothers and sistersare out there taking care ofbusiness,” he continued.

Finally, Colonel Halereminded everyone that whatthey do right here has aneffect on not only all of thoseAirmen performing thosemissions down range, butalso back home in the states.

“Our aircraft here are inessence performing convoymitigation,” he said. “We’vekept 27,000 busses off theroad by the number of peoplewe’ve flown and we’ve kept12, 000 trucks off the road bythe number of aircraft we’veflown out of here. That’s whyour mission here is so impor-tant, why every missioncounts and that’ why I’m sointo mission effectiveness.”

And he reminded them ofthe cold realities of the job.

“This is very serious busi-ness,” he said. “If we don’t dothings right, if we don’t have100 percent mission effec-tiveness … we’ll lose mem-bers. This is no joke, this is areal world mission.”

CCoolloonneell HHaallee ggiivveess hhiiss ffiinnaall ccoommmmaannddeerr’’ss ccaallll

Air Force/Staff Sgt. Ryan HansenCol. Timothy Hale, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing com-mander, addresses his troops during a commander's callJune 16 at the Rock Auditorium.

VA data theft: Airmen may check status at AFPCRANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas

- All active duty, Guard and ReserveAirmen can check the Air Force PersonnelCenter Web site at http://www.afpc.ran-dolph.af.mil to see if their personal data wascompromised in the VeteransAdministration data theft.

This is an additional effort on behalf ofthe Air Force to ensure affected Airmen areaware their information was compromised.

For the latest information on this issueand for more information on how to protectagainst identity theft, visit http://www.first-gov.gov.

VA Data Theft• For more information please visit the AirForce Personnel Center’s website at:

www.afpc.randolph.af.mil.• And for more info on how to protect your-self, please visit:

www.firstgov.gov.

4 June 23, 2006

Take time to know emergency leave rules

Being away from home for an extendedperiod of time often places considerablestress on Airmen and their families.

That stress is compounded when adeployed Airman faces a family emer-gency back home. In order to take careof Airmen and their families, the AirForce has an emergency leave programwhich permits Airmen, who meet specif-ic criteria, to take chargeable leave inorder to handle family matters during acrisis.

While the emergency leave program issomething that no Airman wants to uti-lize during a deployment, a good under-standing of the process and the specificsituations when emergency leave isauthorized will help mitigate misunder-standing and frustration during a time ofpersonal crisis.

The emergency leave program is gov-erned by Air Force Instruction 36-3003,The Military Leave Program. Section6.5 in AFI 36-3003 specifically statesthat emergency leave is “granted for per-sonal or family emergencies involvingthe immediate family.” Immediate fami-ly is defined by the instruction as theAirman’s spouse and Airman’s (orspouse’s) parents, step-parents, children,stepchildren, siblings, sole survivingblood relative and in-locos-parentis.

For the purpose of granting emergencyleave, in-loco-parentis is defined as aguardian who acted in place of a parentand stood in place of the member’s par-

ent for at least five years before the mem-ber became 21 years of age or enteredmilitary service. In addition, the in-loco-parentis guardian must have provid-ed a home, food, clothing, medical care,and other necessities, and providedmoral, disciplinary guidance, and affec-tion.

In order to be granted emergency leavethat involves an in-loco-parentis, theAirman must sign a statement attesting toa person’s in-loco-parentis status. A per-son is not in-loco-parentis if he or shebaby-sat, provided day care services, orgave financial help such as a home wherethe parent also lived. A grandparent orother person normally is not in-loco-par-entis when the parent also lived at thesame residence.

Airmen approved for emergency leaveare entitled to personal emergency trans-portation from Southwest Asia to theAirmen’s designated leave address. Ifthe Airmen elects to travel to an alternatelocation, the travel cost must not exceedthe cost of travel between here and themember’s designated leave address. Allexcess costs must by be covered by theAirman.

All requests for emergency leaveshould be made through your immediatesupervisor. Supervisors and command-ers develop a staff action package whichis routed through the group commander,the wing Personnel Support forContingency Operations office (PER-SCO), then to the wing commander forfinal approval. Although AFI 36-3003states that unit commanders are theapproval authority for emergency leaverequests, AOR guidance designates the

wing commander as the approval author-ity due to the potential impact each emer-gency leave request has on our missioncapability. The commander has somediscretion in approving emergency leaverequests that fall outside the parametersof AFI 36-3003, however, exception topolicy requests for emergency leave areunlikely to be approved due to the wing’scombat mission and manning situation.

Col. Timothy Hale, 386th AirExpeditionary Wing commander, recent-ly addressed emergency leave, saying, “Iam mindful that a family emergency is adifficult thing and can be a very emotion-al time in a person’s life. I realize thatthis situation is magnified during adeployment away from home and familymembers. While I sympathize with anAirman’s situation during a crisis, it ismy duty to follow the Air Force guidanceregarding emergency leave.”

Colonel Hale added that in circum-stances where the emergency leave pro-gram doesn’t apply to an Airman’s par-ticular situation, there is a large supportnetwork of squadron-mates and the serv-ices of our chaplain team here to assistthe Airman in their time of need.

A family crisis is a difficult event andcan be a very emotional time in a per-son’s life, particularly during a deploy-ment. Familiarity with the Air Force’semergency leave program will assist anAirman in the event they are faced withfamily emergency.

More information about the Air ForceEmergency Leave Program and localemergency leave procedures can befound in AFI 36-3006 and 386th AEWInstruction 24-101

An understanding ofintricacies can savetime, end frustration

June 23, 2006 5

Capt. Thai Le386th EMDG

Troops deployed here fromApril to September will expe-rience heat stress that requiressome management for suc-cessful mission accomplish-ment.

Excessive heat stress willdegrade mental and physicalperformance capabilities andeventually cause heat casual-ties. Leadership is key forsuccessful hot weather mili-tary operations. Troopsshould have confi-dence they canmaster the envi-r o n m e n tthrough theuse of pre-v e n t i v em e a s u r e s .L e a d e r smust learntheir unit’scapabilitiesand manageheat expo-sure relativeto the provid-ed guidance.

To better assessheat stress, the AirForce uses the WetBulb Globe Temperatureindex to mark levels of envi-ronmental stress. The WBGTindex takes into account fourbasic parameters; air tempera-ture; mean radiant tempera-ture, air speed and absolutehumidity. All 4 basic parame-ters mathematically integratedinto a single temperaturecalled WBGT. The WBGTtemperature is used to deter-mine the heat categories andtherefore the work-rest cycles.

Bioenvironmental Engi-neering personnel from the

386th Expeditionary MedicalGroup are responsible for tak-ing daily WBGT measure-ments. During the summermonths when the forecast indi-cates air temperature at least85F as a daily high, the BEEtakes WBGT measurements ata minimum of six times, even-ly spaced, from 7 a.m. to 6p.m. The base intranet web

page has the current WBGTinformation and the commandpost sends messages everytime the WBGT categorychanges.

The following general pre-cautionary measures are to beapplied when working or exer-cising in the heat:

• Clothing should be light-weight, loose fitting andpreferably natural fiber.Dress and equipment increasethe risk of heat illness by

increasing workload and byreducing the body area avail-able for the evaporation ofsweat. In hot environments,loose fitting clothing is to beworn, particularly at the neckand wrists to allow air circula-tion. Furthermore, appropriateheadgear is to be worn, inaddition to the use of sunblock to prevent sunburn.

• During endurance exercisesmall quantities of fluid shouldbe drunk at frequent intervals

and water sprayed on theskin at every oppor-

tunity.• The use ofsweat inhibiting

d e o d o r a n t sshould beavoided.

• Personnelshould notexercise inthe heatimmediatelyafter a glu-

cose or highc a r b o h y d r a t e

meal due to thediversion of blood

from the skin to thegastrointestinal tract.

• Endurance events shouldbe cancelled if the WBGTindex exceeds category 1-2.

Leaders need to ensure theirtroops are acclimated to work-ing in hot weather environ-ments. It takes 10 to 14 days ofrepeated exposure to hot envi-ronments to acclimate. Otherfactors which place a person atrisk are: lack of sleep, poor fit-ness, overweight, minor ill-ness, taking medications, priorhistory of heat illness, skin dis-orders such as heat rash andsunburn which prevent effec-

tive sweating, and age greaterthan 40 years.

When leaders make theeffort to follow heat stresscontrol measures, everybodywins. Troops stay healthy andthe mission gets done.

For any additional questionsor concerns, please contact thebioenvironmental engineeringoffice at 442-2790 or 941-4637.

Precautionary steps can help prevent heat injuriesHeat Stress

Common Signs, Symptoms• Dizziness• Headache• Nausea• Unsteady walk• Weakness or fatigue• Muscle cramps

Serious Signs, Symptoms• Hot body, high temperature• Confusion, agitation• Vomiting• Involuntary bowel movement• Convulsions• Weak or rapid pulse• Unresponsiveness, coma

Immediate Actions• Stop activity• Allow casualty to rest inshade• Loosen clothing• Take sips of water• While doing the above, callfor a medic to evaluate thetroop. Medic will monitor tem-perature and check for mentalconfusion. If no medic is avail-able, call 117 for ambulance.

Immediately call 117 forambulance for emergencytransport while doing thefollowing.• Lay person down in shadewith feet elevated until ambu-lance arrives• Undress as much as possi-ble• Aggressively apply icepacks or ice sheets• Pour cold water over casu-alty and fan• Give sips of water whileawaiting ambulance (if con-scious)• Monitor airway and breath-ing until ambulance arrives

6 June 23, 2006

Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen386th AEW/PA

KUWAIT NAVAL BASE,Kuwait — No where in theworld can you find Airmenperforming their mission inthe same type of atmosphereas you can here withDetachment 1 of the 586thExpeditionary MissionSupport Group.

These 34 Airmen are run-ning an entire military instal-lation for the Army right onthe shores of the PersianGulf. This is the first unit inthe history of the Air Forceto perform such a mission.

“I’m very honored to beleading this group ofAirmen,” said Lt. Col. TimHenke, 586th EMSG Det. 1and camp commander. “Theyhave proven that they are notonly willing, but very capa-ble to perform a combat sup-port mission and operate ajoint base.”

The place they operate andmaintain for the Army isknown as Camp Patriot. It isthe only U.S. camp inKuwait located entirely with-

in the host nation’s installa-tion.

Although Camp Patriot isofficially an Army installa-tion, more than 75 percent ofits permanent party person-nel are from the Navy.

“We’ve really leaned hardon the flexibility of AirForce blue to survive,” saidChief Master Sgt. R. WayneBarron, senior enlisted leaderfor the 586th EMSG Det. 1and Camp Command Chief.“Nothing like this has everbeen done in the Air Forceand it’s really a neat oppor-tunity.”

This is the second rotationof Airmen to perform thismission at Camp Patriot forthe Army. The mission theyare performing is known toSoldiers as a TailoredLogistics Element. Thedetachment includes civilengineer, logistics, missionsupport and services flights.

“Basically we’re like amini-mission support group,”said Capt. Tom Giles, mis-sion support flight com-mander for the 586th EMSG

Det. 1. “We have almost allthe same elements as a tradi-tional mission support groupbut with a lot less people.”

The detachment providescommand and control of theinstallation, manages all thebase infrastructure, plans andexecutes all construction andmaintenance projects, pro-vides billeting and managesall Army contracts that dealwith base support.

“Because the Air Force hasfocused on becoming morelight, lean, and lethal sincethe end of the cold war, weall pride ourselves on livingup to the concept of agilecombat support, or beingable to create, protect, andsustain airpower across thespectrum of operations,”Colonel Henke said. “Thisfocus on being agile is serv-ing us well here at CampPatriot. We’ve adapted to anew organization thataccomplishes a mission noneof us saw coming a fewyears ago – directly support-ing the U.S. Army by operat-ing one of their own bases.

The Air Force culture ofcontinuous improvement isserving our customers herejust as well as it does backhome,” he added.

The first group of Airmento step up for the Army andrun Camp Patriot arrived inAugust 2005. They really setthe groundwork for this teamthrough their “learning onthe job.”

“Our predecessors madesure we knew what we weregetting into as far as man-power needs and things likethat,” Chief Barron said.“They really made sure wehad the right people to do allthe jobs that we have to dohere.”

Camp Patriot is a keystrategic installation forOperation Iraqi Freedom. Itsupports more than 20 differ-ent units from all four serv-ices and the Coast Guard.

“(This is the) most diversemission I’ve seen in mycareer,” Colonel Henke said.“The statement that we’re anAF unit, running an Armycamp, in support of the US

A small mission support detachment is part of Air Force history

June 23, 2006 7

Navy, on a Kuwaiti Navybase has become our bumpersticker.”

This team of Airmen wentthrough one month of pre-deployment combat skillstraining at Fort Sill, Okla.,before they arrived here fortheir six-month rotation. Oneof the goals of the trainingwas for them to becomemore familiar with “Armyspeak” and to make the tran-sition to this unique missioneasier.

“During our time herewe’ve really had to work tounderstand and learn thingsthat are unique to the Army,”Chief Barron said. “We’vereally had to learn basically awhole new language.”

But Airmen at Camp Patriotbelieve they have made a dif-ference even with all the var-ious challenges.

“We’ve done quite a fewthings to improve the base’sinfrastructure to includecamp security and quality-of-life,” said Capt. DrewClewett, civil engineer flightcommander. “One of thelarger projects we’ve accom-plished is to replace the call-ing center, laundry and postoffice tents with trailers. Butyou name it and we’ve doneit.”

“We came in and rightaway went to work on the fit-ness center,” said Capt. DanGiannavola, services flightcommander. “Sure we’ve hadsome growing pains, butwe’ve overcome them and Ithink we have a really nicefacility for troops to enjoy.”

And they’re not done yet.Currently the detachment isworking on what’s known asdowntown KNB. The plan isto relocate quality-of-lifefacilities to make them more

accessible to the living quar-ters.

“It’s going to be really nicewhen it’s all done,” CaptainGiles said. “This placealready has a small town feelto it. Everybody knowseverybody and everyone isalways willing to step up andhelp whatever the challengeis, but that will just add toit.”

Thankfully, their hard workand dedication haven’t goneunnoticed either.

“At the end of the day

we’ve improved the qualityof life here for everyone,”Chief Barron said. “Almostdaily troops come up to mefrom others services andother countries and saythanks.”

So while the Air Force’scontingency makes up lessthan one percent of the basepopulace, their impact istruly felt and seen throughoutthe installation.

“We’ve improved the mis-sion capability of this basedramatically since the Air

Force stepped into the campcommand cell job 10 monthsago,” Colonel Henke said.

“Some people like to asso-ciate the Air Force closelywith quality of life issues,but that’s just a small part ofthe overall picture,” headded. “It’s really a qualityof mission support issue (toinclude) better maintenance,infrastructure, force protec-tion, operating procedures,teamwork and quality of life,which all together, producesbetter combat capability.”

Air Force/Staff Sgt. Ryan HansenA ship from the U.S. Army heavy boat fleet docks for maintenance at the Kuwait NavalBase.

Courtesy photos(Top) Materiels and equipment for use inthe AOR are unloaded at KNB. (Left) ChiefMaster Sgt. R. Wayne Barron, seniorenlisted leader for the 586th EMSG Det. 1,talks to one of his Airmen during their onemonth of pre-deployment combat skillstraining at Fort Sill, Okla., before theyarrived here for their six-month rotation.

8 June 23, 2006

(Top left) Staff Sgt. JasonGlefke, Senior AirmanAdam Millard, and Airman1st Class DonalyvnSmith, firefighters withthe 386th ExpeditionaryCivil Engineer Squadron,arrive at the scene andget their gear on during aC-130 egress trainingexercise here June 14.(Left) Staff Sgt. JasonGlefke, and Airman 1stClass Donalyvn Smith,unravel hoses shortlyafter arriving.

(Right) Staff Sgt.Duane Nicol , pre-pares to enter the C-130 Hercules insearch of survivingaircrew members.(Far right) SergeantNicol, prepares toenter the aircraft.Firefighters from the386th ECES regular-ly go through differ-ent exercises andscenarios to stayproficient and up-to-date in with theirtraining.

(Left) Sergeant Glefke holds the hose as AirmanSmith, assists during the egress training exercise.(Top) Senior Airman Alfonso Soto, helps Airman 1stClass Christopher Dickerson, carry “victim” SeniorAirman Bradley McCroskey out of the aircraft.

June 23, 2006 9

Namsadan-nori is anational art form in Korea.It is one of the most popularplays currently going in thecountry.

On June 14 the Republic ofKorea Air Force brought thisspecial event to base for aone time performance at theRock Auditorium.

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,Marine and other coalitionforces in attendance weretreated to a total artistic per-formance package thatincluded music, physicalactivity, mask dancing andpuppet plays.

Photos by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Pomeroy

10 June 23, 2006

Staff Sgt. Phyllis DuffAir Force Print News

SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- It wasaround 10 p.m. on June 25, 1996, whenStaff Sgt. Alfredo Guerrero went tocheck the security post on the rooftop ofan eight-story Khobar Towers apartmentbuilding at Dhahran Air Base, SaudiArabia. He asked the sentry on watch ifeverything was OK.

Below them, residents in the roomswere settling in for the night. Most werewith the 4404th Wing -- protectors of the“no fly zone” in Southern Iraq in supportof Operation Southern Watch.

Some Airmen were writing letters orcalling home. Some were playing cardsor shooting pool in the recreation room.Others were showering and some werealready asleep. For many, there wereonly a handful of days left on their tourbefore the “Freedom Bird” would flythem back home from their deployment.

As the two security policemen talked,Sergeant Guerrero noticed an olive drabgas truck following a white ChevyCaprice. Winding their way through theparking lot, the car came down the fenceline and parked, flashing its headlights.The truck nudged its way up to theperimeter fence. A two-lane street ranbetween the fence and the building.

Two white-robed men wearing the tra-ditional red and white checkered head-dress got out of the truck and ran to thecar.

Sergeant Guerrero’s heart jolted. Thesedan peeled out and was soon out ofsight.

“At that point I knew that somethingpretty big was about to happen,”Sergeant Guerrero said.

In a split second, he radioed the controlcenter about what was happening. As hecalled for an evacuation of the apartmentbuilding, his sentry was on it, running forthe rooftop door. A second sentry, whohad been guarding the other side of thebuilding, followed suit.

Fists pounding doors and scufflingboots echoed down the corridor of theeighth floor.

“We need to evacuate! Get out now!”the sentries yelled.

The doors crashed open and a growinggroup of Airmen scuttled down the stair-well to the seventh floor.

In the apartment building next door, anAirman lay down to sleep. He pulled ascratchy Army blanket over his head tokeep out the meat-locker cold of his airconditioned room.

“Just two more weeks and I’ll behome,” then Staff Sgt. Bob Oldhamthought to himself, his eyes gettingheavy.

Then there was a massive boom. Theexplosion rocked Sergeant Oldham’sroom and he froze. He thought the floorswere collapsing as the intense soundsreverberated through the apartment com-plex.

The blast blew away the whole face ofBldg. 131. The explosion’s massive forcetwisted Sergeant Guerrero around. Hechecked himself to see if he was stillalive.

“Everything went pitch black -- I could-n’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything,”Sergeant Guerrero said. As the dust set-

tled, “I was looking at the lights ofdowntown Dhahran,” from where sec-onds before a concrete wall had stood.

All around him was wreckage. Thewounds on his face didn’t faze him as hepulled bits of furniture and masonry offan Airman who a minute ago had beenright behind him helping with the evacu-ation. Pulling the Airman to his feet, heput his arm around his shoulder and ledhim down the seven flights of stairs.

Sergeant Oldham sat up in bed andwent to get up.

“Ow!” he said as a shard of glass duginto his barefoot heel. “I decided it wastime to grab some shoes and my dog tagsand get the hell out of there,” said theformer active-duty supply troop.

Outside, those who could helped thewounded and tended to the dead. Thesergeant witnessed the rows upon rowsof seriously wounded and bleeding. Heattributes organization and everyone’swill “to keep it together” as a key factorin minimizing the death toll.

“Self-aid and buddy care, an annual

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Courtesy photoNineteen Airmen died and hundreds were injured in the terrorist attack atKhobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 1996. The front of Bldg.131 was blown off when a fuel truck parked nearby was detonated by terror-ists.

June 23, 2006 11

training, is what saved the victims. It’llsave your life and that’s the bottom line.You’d be surprised what comes back toyou -- how to apply bandages, splint anarm, treating for shock,” said SergeantOldham, now a master sergeant with theArkansas Air National Guard.

After the tragedy, with three hours stillleft on his shift, Sergeant Guerrero wentback to his post and continued his vigi-lant watch.

“People were looking at me like I was aghost or something,” he said.

“As cops, we do this kind of stuff all ofthe time, and 99 percent of the time noth-ing ever comes of it,” Sergeant Guerrerosaid. “Eventually it’s going to count.That’s why motivation and practice --doing what you’re supposed to do -- is soimportant.”

Then on July 3, 1996 -- while stilldeployed in Saudi Arabia -- SergeantGuerrero received the Purple HeartMedal and Airman’s Medal for his heroicactions from then Air Force Chief ofStaff Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman.

Security forces troops who come acrosshim today know the sergeant is the herowho they’ve studied about in their careerdevelopment course books and training.

It has been a decade since the tragic ter-rorist attack on Khobar Towers. The tar-get? Americans. Nineteen Airmen died inthe blast and hundreds of servicemem-bers -- including Saudis and those fromother countries -- were wounded.

The tanker truck, packed with an esti-mated 5,000 pounds of plastic explo-sives, blasted the face off Bldg. 131, rip-ping the concrete face off the buildinghousing America’s troops. It left behindcrater 35 feet by 85 feet.

And it left countless scarred hearts.The attack changed the way the Air

Force viewed force protection. On June21, 2001 -- almost five years to the dayafter the tragedy -- Attorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft announced the indictmentof 14 people on charges of murder andconspiracy in connection with the attack.

Antiterrorism took the forefront in theAir Force.

“The mentality of the Air Force haschanged. Everything has changed,”Sergeant Guerrero said. “I was glad to bea part of that. We’ve gotten so much bet-ter since that incident.”

Because of the attack, the Air Forcedeveloped the Level II Antiterrorismcourse, increased stand-off distances, andimproved communication.

“It’s just sad that 19 people had to diefor us to change our mentality,” the ser-geant said.

So Sergeant Guerrero believes thatforce protection is everybody’s business.

“It doesn’t matter who they are.Everybody’s a sensor now. There aren’tenough cops out there to see everything.It’s everybody’s responsibility to reportwhat’s going on,” said Sergeant

Guerrero, who is from Modesto, Calif.,and is now stationed at Barksdale AirForce Base, La. He teaches antiterrorismthere and abroad.

The main focus of antiterrorism effortsis to make people a harder target toreach, said Tech. Sgt. Bryce VanDevender of the 37th Security ForcesSquadron’s anti-terrorism department atLackland AFB, Texas.

“The Air Force makes people less of atarget by implementing random accessmeasures, doing vulnerability assess-ments, giving awareness training, form-ing force protection and threat workinggroups, and creating structured emer-gency plans,” the sergeant said.

But Sergeant Van Devender said noamount of precaution will eliminate the

threat to American servicemembers, nomatter where they serve.

“There always will be a threat frominternational terrorists, criminal threats,foreign intelligence, domestic terroristsand so on,” he said. “The world isalways changing and terrorism alongwith it. With the United States going towar against terrorism we have to beaware of the threat at all times and makeourselves as unpredictable and uninvitingas possible.”

In a commentary that ran on Air ForcePrint News in January 2006,(www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID123014601), Col. Brad Spacy, Air Forceheadquarters security forces and forceprotection commander, said the AirForce needs to truly embrace the “everyAirman is a warrior” culture. Airmenmust enlist the whole force in defendingan air base.

“All Airmen must be trained andequipped to man ‘battle stations,’ andleaders must be prepared to lead them inthe ground fight,” the colonel wrote.

Colonel Spacy reminds Airmen that thewhole Air Force team will have to ensurethe base remains protected from penetra-tive attacks and insider threats, and beready to respond when called upon.

“This is the reality of the world today,”he said.

Ten years after the fateful attack,Sergeant Oldham, of Shawneetown, Ill.,still thinks of the tragedy in Dhahran assurreal.

“You never expect something like thatto happen to you,” he said. “I wasn’texpecting a terrorist attack, for God'ssake.”

Since the deadly attack, SergeantGuerrero has lived being totally aware ofhis surroundings -- all the things theantiterrorism courses teach. He hasinstilled the practices into his day-to-daylife, even when he books an airplaneflight.

Sergeant Guerrero said people have toopen their eyes and be more aware oftheir surroundings. They no longer havea choice.

“We simply can’t walk around withblinders on,” he said. “You’re a target.Be cautious in what you do. Be obser-vant. Know your threats. Train for theinevitable.”

Courtesy photoA memorial was created at the formerPrince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

12 June 23, 2006

Airman First ClassJonathan Maas

386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Readiness Journeyman

Home unit, base: 20th Civil Engineer Squadron, ShawAir Force Base, S.C.

How do you support the mission here? I providedetection, defense, reconnaissance, warning, reporting,and response of chemical, biological, radiological,nuclear and high yield explosives. I'm a member of thePlans and Operations section of the ECES Readinessflight where I maintain, update and rewrite operatinginstructions and checklists pertaining to the operationalreadiness of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. I am alsoa Computer System Administrator, which keeps me busytoo.

How many times have you deployed and whatmakes this one unique? This is my second deploy-ment, but this is the fourth base I have been deployedto. This base is a safer environment than many otherlocations which provide us some additional liberties andthe facilities are better here than the other locations Ihave been. I have also been able to see some of myfriends here that I haven't seen in a couple years, whichis a nice bonus.

How does your job differ in a deployed environmentversus home base? At Shaw I'm assigned to the train-ing section, where I'm responsible for planning, schedul-ing and conducting CBRNE training as well as HAZ-MATawareness training. Here I'm working in a section that'snew to me. Learning a new part of the job in this envi-ronment is challenging yet rewarding.

386th Air Expeditionary WingRock Solid Warriors

386th Expeditionary Medical GroupAerospace Medical Technician

Home unit, base: 88th Medical Group, Wright-PattersonAir Force Base, Ohio

How do you support the mission here? I help ensurethat the Rock is always "Fit to Fight". EMEDS alsoknown as "Med Rock" is where you'll find me. Some ofthe key tasks that I perform are patient care, ambulanceresponse, administer immunizations, process lab work,and a crowd favorite medical out-processing. Mainly Iserve by keeping you healthy so that everyone's missioncan be accomplished.

How many times have you deployed and what makesthis one unique? This is my first deployment and itcouldn't have come at a better time! I found out that Iwas accepted into the Airman Education CommissioningProgram about two weeks into the deployment. I havethe opportunity to complete my degree by way of a fullscholarship while still receiving my military pay and ben-efits. Upon graduation I will be a commissioned officer.This is one of the many great programs that the AirForce has to offer. I highly recommend looking into theseprograms!

How does your job differ in a deployed environmentversus home base? In my opinion, the deployment set-ting is much different because you have more responsi-bility and a decreased margin for error. Being multi-tasked during this deployment has taught me to appreci-ate the work others do. The greatest learning experiencethat I've gained from this deployment is that overalleveryone's job is crucial to a mission whether it is simpleor complex.

Staff Sgt. Sadithea Vigay