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TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD HEADQUARTERS HEADLINES

Headquarters HeadlinesHeadquarters Headlines

January 2010

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TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD 2 HEADQUARTERS HEADLINES

Texas Air National Guard, Camp Mabry

Headquarters Headlines is a funded newsletter published by the Texas Air Na-tional Guard Headquarters Public Affairs, Camp Mabry, Building 9, 2210 W. 35th Street, Austin, Texas 78703-1222. Contents of Headquarters Headlines are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U. S. Govern-ment, the Defense Department, or the Department of the Air Force. Direct questions to the public affairs chief at (512) 782-5050 or DSN 954-5050.

Texas Air National Guard Commander

Brig. Gen. John F. Nichols Public Affairs Chief

Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada Newsletter Editor

Chief Master Sgt. Norm King

Vol. 10, Issue No. 1 Texas Air National Guard, Camp Mabry January 2010


Airmen begin exercise by providing children ‘trip of a lifetime’

By: Capt. Nathan D. Broshear, Twelfth Air Force Public Affairs 10/16/2009 - 10/15/2009 - SANTIAGO, Chile -- For members of Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern), a trip to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility typically begins with a long aircraft ride (often more than 10 hours), followed by a day of rest prior to beginning their mission of building partner nation capacity, relationships and expertise. Members of the AFSOUTH Cooperation Team -- One, instead of resting, took the first hours of their mission to organize and fund a trip to an interactive museum for chil-dren of the Centro Comunitario Angels, or 'Angels Community Center', a school for at-risk children in Santiago, Chile. "After a quick nap, we put on our uniforms and jumped on a bus to the school," said Capt. Randy Saldi-var, a public affairs officer with the Texas Air National Guard -- an organization with strong ties to Chile as part of the Texas-Chile State Partnership Program. "It's important to capitalize on every moment of our mission in Latin America to build relationships with our friends -- whether that's Airmen in the Fuerza Aerea Chile (Chilean Air Force) or with charitable organiza-tions, it's all worth it," said Capt. Saldivar. For the 14 children and four "tias" ('aunt' in Spanish -- a term of affection used for caretakers), the event was a historic opportunity to visit a world-renowned science museum built especially to educate children through interactive displays; the Museo Interactivo Mirador. Pilar Paredes, the primary caretaker at the school, accompanied the group to the museum. "(Quotes translated from Spanish by AFSOUTH staff)...I've worked here for five years, and this is the first time we've had any sort of outing with the children," she said. "We managed to keep this a secret until just be-fore the Airmen arrived....once we announced the trip, the children were very excited -- this is a trip of a lifetime for them." Organizing the day's outing required a team effort between US and Chilean organizations. AFSOUTH Operations and Public Affairs staff arranged transportation while members of the U.S. Embassy-Chile worked with Chilean executives at the Museo Interactivo Mirador for a special group admission rate and other arrangements. Spouses of local FACh officers accompanied the group, providing valuable transla-tion skills and motherly patience. The AFSOUTH CT-1 Airmen brought candy and gifts for the entire school, and then each sponsored three or four of the eager children's admission to the museum. "The museum staff really treated the children...and us, like VIPs," said Capt. Saldivar. "The displays here are perfect for anyone -- children and adults were able to learn about the world in a fun and educational environment; and best of all was that every lesson is hands-on and interactive." Airmen spent hours chasing their guests through mirrored halls, testing electrical circuits, navigating opti-cal illusions, levitating objects with air currents, playing giant pianos in their socks, and lifting their friends on chairs rigged to various pulleys. After an afternoon of learning, the team headed back to the school, thankful for the experience...yet sad at the impending parting. Several of the children clung to Airmen, insisting on a few more moments of attention, photographs and memories. "Thank you for visiting us," said Ms. Paredes as she kissed each Airman. As the visit drew to a close, the children presented Airmen with hand-made cards they had colored themselves. "We'll be back," exclaimed the Airmen as they opened the cards. The children stood by as the team read the inscriptions inside the cards. "En cada niño una sonrisa y en cada sonrisa una gestitud" (translation: "In every child a smile, in every smile is gratitude.")

Continued on page 5


SANTIAGO, Chile — Maj. Jana Nyerges, a member of Air Forces Southern Command participating in a subject matter exchange with the Chilean Air Force in Santiago, Chile, waits with children from the Centro Comunitario Angels, or “Angels Community Center,” outside the Museo Interactivo Mira-dor prior to sponsoring the children’s admission to the science exhibits. Air-men decided to use their first day in Chile to sponsor a group of at-risk chil-dren during a visit to the museum (Courtesy photo)

Continued from page 4


By: Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada, TXANG HQ Public Affairs Chief

Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas – During a change of command here Friday, Col. Tony L. West, relinquished command of the Texas Military Forces Joint Counterdrug Task Force to Col. Randall E. Davis, the incoming commander. The Change of Command ceremony is a tradition which formally symbolizes the transfer of command from one individual to another. The ceremony was performed in front of family, friends, Jefferson County Sherrif’s De-partment officials and Camp Mabry military personnel. The Taskforce Guidon moved from Col. West to Brig. Gen. Joyce Stevens’ waiting hands who in turn handed it to Col. Davis in a symbolic gesture and time-honored tradition signifying that the new commander will always accompany the Colors into battle. Traditionally during time of trouble the Soldier or Airman would always look for the Colors and rally around the flagpost. This may no longer be true during modern warfare but the tradition remains. Colonel West was accompanied by his wife Rachel, and Colonel Davis’ daughter Claire was in the audience. They both received Yellow Roses, a long-time tradition of showing appreciation for their “out-of-uniform” service to their country. Mrs. West also received a key charm symbolizing the “key to success” during Mrs. West Family Readiness Group leadership. Brig. Gen. Joyce Stevens, Commander lauded among others the Drug Demand Reduction Program, the Texas Challenge Academy and Operation Crackdown. “The accomplishments of the entire 215-member Counterdrug Taskforce although relatively small in numbers make a big impact, she said, and continued: “I will not take much of your time but it is important that I highlight some statistics, not only to highlight Colonel West accomplishments, but those of the entire Counterdrug team. In 2009 the Taskforce celebrated it’s 20-year anniversary, the same year that the Special Operations Detach-ment conducted 21 missions, trained over 250 law enforcement officers, seized $ 2 million dollars in cash, nearly 11,000 lbs of narcotics and helped in the apprehension of two murder suspects. They have helped dis-rupt numerous drug trafficking incidents along the Texas border. In the first quarter of this year alone, 6,000 lbs of Marihuana were seized. Our RC26 crew and plane are back from participation in OEF and OIF and flew dur-ing Hurricane Ike. Their damage assessment provided invaluable information to Texas leadership.” She then changed gears and spoke about the Texas Challenge Acad-emy and its many successes even under extreme conditions when the entire student body had to evacuate three times for impending storms. “In 2009,” she said, “160 cadets graduated and received their GED or High School diploma. That is 160 kids who probably would have never graduated had they not been able to go through the Challenge Program.” General Stevens also praised the Drug Demand Reduction Program, a small team that year after year admonishes kids to stay away from drugs and finish school during more than 200 presentations. Last but certainly not least she lauded the accomplishments of the crackdown team that demolished 124 structures known to harbor drug traffickers in four communities just this year. She said: “In total this team has been responsible for the destruction of 1,077 structures during 34 mis-sions in 24 communities. You can see the impact that these folks have on our communities.

Outgoing Commander leaves Taskforce in great shape

Col Davis Randall E. Davis, Incoming Com-mander Joint Counterdrug Task Force, ad-dresses the audience and his daughter during the change of command ceremony

Continued on page 6


Since its inception the Counterdrug Taskforce conducted 303 missions with 118 law enforcement agencies. The value of drugs removed off the streets is $1 billion dollars, $ 52 million in cash seized with more than 8,116 ar-rests made and 1,648 weapons seized and taken out of the hands of bad people, to include the confiscation of 1,883 vehicles. I am so impressed with that. They deserve a round of applause. And, by the way, “she continued,” Don’t just take my words for it. The program evaluation done by an inspection team from the National Guard Bureau last week thought so too and gave them a 100 percent on 10 of the 12 ar-eas they looked at and gave them a commendable rating. That is amazing! One person obviously cannot ac-complish all those things and he had a great team behind him but, she said: “Colonel West you made a significant impact in the last several years. Texas is safer, America is safer and we appreciate what you did – Thank you very much!” She concluded by addressing Colonel Davis when she said: “Randy, you have big shoes to fill but we know you are ready for the challenge and we look forward to good things from you. We welcome you!” When it was time to say the traditional goodbyes by the outgoing commander, Colonel West had a slightly differ-ent spin. After thanking family and friends, Mr. Brent Weaver and Chief Hobbs from Jefferson County Law En-forcement, he thanked Col Malesky, the Texas Air National Guard Director of Staff, for allowing him the opportu-nity to have the best job in the world. “But,” he said: “Now it is time to pass it on to another great officer, Colonel Randy Davis. Randy served in the Counterdrug Task Force with Russ Malesky and they put in a lot of processes and procedures that made us the premier program in the United States. We have a great team that did great work and we have been recognized as such but General Stevens already gave you all those statistics. We are looking into adding a second Challenge program. What some of you may not know is that the Challenge Program now offers High School diplomas, one of the few States to do so. On the 19th of this month we are graduating another 91 students and off that number 29 have earned high school diplo-mas already. Those are kids who did not have hope and now do. During Hurricane Ike that whole summer was really difficult. They were hurricane evacuated three times during a five-and-a-half month class. During a period of three weeks we picked up the whole program, hired a new staff and moved it 500 miles to the middle of the desert in Sheffield Texas. That graduation was an extremely proud moment for us.” Other programs Colonel West is really proud of are the *1033 and 1122 Federal Surplus Programs that allows equipment once used by the Texas Military Forces to be loaned or sold to law enforcement. “We were in-spected last September and found to be one of the top three programs in the United States,” he said. To my Counterdrug Family I say thank you for your tremendous support to Rachel and me. In closing, I never say goodbye to those I care for. I got that from my grandfather. He would always sense when it was time for us to leave and we could never find him. He disappeared and when I asked him one time why he was never around to say goodbye, he said that he did not want to say goodbye to the people he cared for. So, I will not deviate from that tradition, but simply say: “thank you!” After this none-goodbye speech by the outgoing commander, Colonel Davis, spoke directly to his daughter and thanked her for the many years she had been supporting her. He said: “I am not married because I am basically married to the Texas Army National Guard, but my daughter has been my rock and support and I thank her for that. I know I have huge shoes to fill, but my predecessor has left this taskforce in excellent shape and I look forward to the task.

Continued from page 5


By Chief Master Sergeant Norm King, Texas State Guard

Texas Military Forces Public Affairs

Austin, TX – The Commanding General of The Texas State Guard, Maj. Gen. Raymond Peters, has named Tech Sgt. Richard Barringer of Denton as the Guard’s 2009 Non Commissioned Officer of The Year. Barringer is assigned to the 4th Air Wing Honor Guard. Sergeant Barringer normally drills 16 hours each month with the 301st Base Honor Guard as a Training In-structor. In addition, he participates in an additional 40 to 65 hours of drill time each month throughout the DFW Metroplex. During 2009 alone he conducted over 600 hours of volunteer service to the community as a member of the Joint Honor Guard team at the USAF Reserves 301st Fighter Wing at NAS/JRB Fort Worth. These duties included Community Color Guard presentations, Body Bearer for Active Duty/Veteran full mili-tary funeral honors detail at the Dallas National Cemetery and local cemeteries in North Texas and as a Fir-ing Party for Active Duty/Veteran full military funeral honors. His stellar performance, leadership and dedication to community service exceeded all expectations of a vol-unteer citizen Airman/Soldier of the Texas State Guard. He participated as a key shift NCO in both Hurricane Gustav and Ike deployments in 2008, not missing a shift and driving from Denton to Dallas every day to the Dallas Mega-shelter. Lieutenant Colonel Leon Flowers, the 4th Air Wing Vice Commander stated “I have known Sergenat Bar-ringer for over two years and am very impressed with the depth of his U. S. Air Force Honor Guard experi-ence. He has been a valuable team member to the 4th Air Wing Honor Guard and USAFR 301st Fighter Wing Joint Honor Guard team and I have seen him consistently exhibit no less than first-class professionalism”. Sergeant Barringer was formally recognized for his accomplishments at the recent Texas State Guard Holi-day Dining Out in Austin. He received a meritorious spot promotion to the rank of Master Sergeant during the ceremony.

TEXAS STATE GUARD AIR DIVISION SERGEANT RECOGNIZED

AS THE NCO OF THE YEAR


Upcoming

Air Guard Participation Community Events

WBCA Stars & Stripes Air Show Spectacular in Laredo, Texas

Sunday, February 14, 2010 11:00 a.m.

Laredo International Airport (Maher entrance)


Texas Division of Emergency Management 2010 Texas Homeland Security Conference

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

FEBRUARY 15-18

The 2010 Texas Homeland Security Conference will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio February 15-18. The conference is sponsored by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety.

Attendees include more than 5,000 representatives of law enforce-ment, border security and port security, transportation and cyber se-curity, as well as firefighters, emergency medical personnel, Texas Military Forces, voluntary organizations and private sector partners. Attendees also include officials from higher education, public educa-tion, health and medical care and public officials from the local, state and national governments. Representatives of more than 30 state agencies on the Governor’s Emergency Management Council and federal officials also will attend.

For additional information:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/conference/Tx2010Conference.htm


Radney Foster Honors Fallen Soldiers' Final Flight

Posted: December 30th, 2009 | By: Chris Parton Radney Foster's new video for "Angel Flight" is his solemn way of honoring the brave men and women of America's armed services, especially those making their final journey home. Featuring backing vocals by Darius Rucker, the song is narrated by a pilot whose job it is to fly home soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Filmed at a Texas Air National Guard base, we get a rare look at one of the actual ceremonies for these returning heroes. All royalties from the song will benefit the Texas National Guard Family Support Founda-tion.

The Angel Flight song is based on the 136th Airlift Wing C-130 Angel Flights from Dover to bring fallen service members home to their families. Some comments on CMT Blog state:

“This video is very touching, makes me cry”

“I love this video. When you watch this it makes anyone cry. It is so true and it comes from the heart. God bless them all”

A 136th Airlift wing C-130 arrives with the remains of a Texas National Guard Hero.


Help us Celebrate 51 Years of the

National Guard Association of Texas

26-28 March 2010

http://ngat.org/51st%20NGAT%20Conf%20Home%20Page.htm


Local Honor Guards Dedicate USAF Honor Guard Memorial The Texas State Guard’s 4th Air Wing Honor Guard along with the 301st Fighter Wing's Honor Guard, (USAFR) from NAS JRB FTW posted and retrieved the colors for the dedication of the USAF Honor Guard Memorial at Alliance Airport, Ft. Worth, TX.

Additional ROTC instructor positions available to air reserve component officers ROTC instructor positions are available for Reserve component captains, majors and lieutenant colonels only. In-formation on detachments available under the AFROTC Limited Period Recall Program as well as application pro-cedures can be found at http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil.

Air Force officials launch updated Key Spouse program The Key Spouse program has been revised and standardized. Key Spouse is an official communication network to enhance readiness and establish a sense of community among unit leaders, Airmen and their families. Staff mem-bers from the installation Airmen and Family Readiness Center provide initial and update training and serve as a referral resource.

VA to provide emergency checks to students awaiting benefits Checks for up to $3,000 are available to students who have applied for Veterans Affairs educational benefits and who have not yet received their government payment. The checks will be distributed to eligible students at VA re-gional benefits offices across the country. A list of VA regional offices is available at http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/offices.asp.


New "TRICARE Pharmacy" Contract

The TRICARE Management Activity is introducing significant new enhancements to beneficiaries as it com-bines its mail-order and retail pharmacy contracts into one new contract called TRICARE Pharmacy. The improvements to the TRICARE Pharmacy program include the Specialty Medication Care Management pro-gram in the mail-order pharmacy; expansion of the Member Choice Center providing assistance to help bene-ficiaries to switch their military treatment facility prescriptions to mail-order; and one call center phone num-ber: 1-877-363-1303.

Scholarships for Military Children Program

Run by the Defense Commissary Agency, the Scholarships for Military Children Program was created to rec-ognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. The 2010 program is now open for applications. For details, visit http://www.militaryscholar.org/apply/apply.shtml

Officials launch new Air Force community Web site

Air Force officials have launched a new Web site to meet social and informational needs of Airmen, civilians, retirees and their families. The entire Air Force family is invited to log on to http://www.usafservices.com, the official community Web site of the Air Force. The Web site enables users to add friends, send messages and update their personal profiles to notify family and friends about themselves.

Respite child care expands to all 50 states

The Armed Services YMCA Respite Child Care program provides up to 16 hours of child care for families of deployed Guard and Reserve personnel at their local YMCA.

Texas State Guard Air Wing Command Chief Recognized For Service

The Commanding General of The Texas State Guard, Major General Raymond Peters, has recognized Chief Master Sergeant Penny K. Brady of Waco for her service as the Command Chief of the 5th Air Wing, Texas State Guard from November 2006 to August 2009. Chief Brady was awarded the Texas Outstanding Service Medal and the U. S Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in a recent ceremony held in Waco. The awards were presented by Brigadier General Robert Cheeseman, the State Guard Deputy Commanding General for Air, Colonel Robert Fiore the 5th Air Wing Commander, and Col Ed Brown the previous 5th Wing Commander. Chief Brady had to resign from the Guard due to ci-vilian employment responsibilities.

L-R, Brig. Gen. Robert Cheeseman, Col Ed Brown, Ms. Penny Brady, Col Robert Fiore


L-R Col. Russell Malesky, TXANG Director of Staff, Congressman Sam Johnson of the Texas 3rd District , and Col Kenneth

Wisian , 147th Reconnaissance Wing Commander, attended the 100th Year Celebration of Military Aviation at Ellington Field, Houston Texas. Congressman Johnson was the keynote speaker at the event.


Promotion to E-8 to require resident Senior NCO Academy by Daniel Elkins Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Completion of the resident Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy or a sister service equivalent becomes a requirement for promotion to senior master sergeant effective Jan. 1, Air Force officials announced Dec. 9 as part of a policy change. The change in the professional military education requirement will supersede the current policy that requires Air Force SNCOA com-pletion for promotion to chief master sergeant. "The goal is to provide enlisted (professional military education) at correctly targeted career points," Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy said. "By providing PME earlier and more evenly spaced over an enlisted Airman's career, we ensure enlisted leaders have the tools they need to be successful sooner and at more relevant periods of their career." The idea for the policy change originated from the 2008 Enlisted Professional Military Education Triennial Review that examined enlisted PME attendance across an Airman's career. A proposal from the review called for earlier attendance to produce more capable NCOs. By requiring SNCOA completion for promotion to senior master sergeant, master sergeants will acquire increased knowledge and leadership skills as they sew on their next stripe and take on increasing roles of responsibility, said Chief Master Sgt. Mark Long, the Air Force's enlisted promotions, evaluations and physical fitness chief. This pol-icy change will also align the Air Force with its sister services enlisted PME requirements, reduce the time span between NCO academy and SNCOA attendance by approximately two years, and increase the return on the in-vestment for attending advanced PME, he said. Airmen selected for promotion to senior master sergeant but unable to attend or complete resident SNCOA before their line number increment will require a promotion waiver for PME attendance. The Air Force Personnel Center Enlisted Promotion and Military Testing Branch will provide a list of E-8 selects to base military personnel sections so they can notify commanders that a waiver may be necessary. Airmen with approved waivers must attend the SNCOA within 179 days of their effective promotion date. Those with approved waivers who are unable to attend due to deployment must complete their PME within 90 days of their return. Master sergeants who are time-in-grade eligible are still required to complete the SNCOA either by correspon-dence or in residence to be eligible for senior rater endorsement, Chief Long said. Master sergeants without a line number for promotion will continue to have the opportunity to attend the academy in residence using existing selection criteria. "This change in policy supports a key goal by Air Force leadership to develop our Airmen," Chief Long said. "Better preparing our senior NCOs in these challenging times underscores the importance of properly caring for the pri-mary weapon in the Air Force arsenal - our Airmen."


December 1 Golden Anniversary of Chief Master Sergeant Rank

by Bryan D. Carnes Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Chief master sergeants weren't a part of the Air Force's enlisted structure when the service was formed in 1947. In fact, it took 11 years after the fact until the rank even existed. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment by Air Force officials of the rank of chief master sergeant, adding another important chapter to the Air Force's enlisted heritage. The need to create the chief master sergeant rank was forged from the technology that World War II produced. In the attempt to end the war as quickly as possible, officials in the U.S., along with those of other countries, dedicated teams of scien-tist and engineers to create the most advanced war-winning capabilities possible. While the U.S. military was fighting the war in Africa, Europe and Asia, U.S. researchers were producing the most advanced technology ever seen. The emergence of faster aircraft, bombers, advanced elec-tronics, radar systems and missiles were on the rise. With the growth of aviation during the war, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 creating the U.S. Air Force. It was on Sept. 18, 1947, that the Air Force became a separate entity which "shall include aviation forces both combat and service not otherwise assigned." It was not until after the Korean War, however, that Air Force officials realized that the enlisted corps suf-fered from stagnation in rank. Master sergeant (E-7) was the highest enlisted rank a person could achieve. It was then that Congress enacted the Career Compensation Act of 1958. The act allowed Air Force officials to create two new ranks, senior master sergeant (E-8) and chief mas-ter sergeant (E-9). Air Force personnel officials conducted an in-depth study of all Air Force specialty codes and organized the career fields into highly technical, technical and non-technical fields. It was decided that 1 percent of the master sergeants from the highly technical fields would be promoted to chief master sergeant. This is still true today, as only 1 percent of the enlisted force at any given time reach the rank of chief master sergeant. There were 58,000 master sergeants which qualified for promotion to either of the two grades. A promo-tion board was held to review records and look for demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills, evaluations and commander recommendations. Six hundred and twenty-five Airmen were selected to the rank chief master sergeant. Since there were no line numbers at the time, they all were promoted on the same day, Dec. 1, 1959, becoming the Air Force's charter chiefs. The rank has flourished since 1959, earning the respect of all other services and ranks. During the 1970s, Air Staff officials made "chief" the official term of address for an E-9. One of the original charter chiefs, retired Chief Master Sgt. James J. Flaschenriem, wrote, "The chief does not manage by fear or intimidation as the old first sergeant, did but by knowledge, training and great leadership ability."


Head Start – www.saheadstart.org or call 210-207-7851 Summer Reading – www.mysapal.org H1N1 Swine Flu information – www.sanantonio.gov/health or hotline 210-207-5779 Movie in the Park – 210-207-3000 Emergency Flood Hurricane Safe – www.safloodsafe.com Adopt a Park – 210-207-8480

Good Information & Summer Programs for Youths & Families

hq headlines january 10 - texas state guardtxsgair.ipower.com/pr/news/hq.headlines.january10.pdf ·...

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