andrews 040315

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 | VOL. 4 NO. 13

AIR FORCE NEWSAir Force Home Makeover: JBA Edition, Page 3

COMMUNITYNew Horizons Supported Servicesbegins legacy of recycling, Page 6

BASE NEWSAll-female flight crew flies for

Women’s History Month, Page 2

SECRETARY OF THE AIRFORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Air Force officials an-nounced Joint Base Andrews,Maryland as the 2015 AirForce Installation ExcellenceAward winner March 25.

Andrews was named as oneof two finalists in November2014, and competed at theAir Force level against RoyalAir Force Lakenheath, UnitedKingdom. A selection boardconsisting of four colonelsvisited both bases in Janu-ary 2015, before making theirfinal recommendation to theSecretary of the Air Force andChief of Staff of the Air Force.

In addition to being namedthe Air Force’s best instal-lation, Andrews will receive$700,000 to invest in quality-of-life projects on base.

Col. Brad Hoagland, thecommander of the 11th Wing,said it is an honor for JointBase Andrews to be recognizedfor this prestigious award.

“We want to make surethat we are providing the bestquality of life for our installa-tions’ 17,000 members while

maintaining a cost-consciousculture,” Hoagland said. “Thisaward is a testament to theseamless integration of oursix mission partners and morethan 80 tenant units here on(Joint Base Andrews). We’rethankful for their partner-ship and the support of thelocal community. We will con-tinue to collaborate in orderto ensure America’s Airfieldexecutes its multiple no-failmissions with the higheststandard of excellence.”

Established by the Presi-dent of the United States in1984, the Commander-in-Chief ’s Annual Award forInstallation Excellence is torecognize the outstanding ef-forts of people who operateand maintain Department ofDefense installations and ef-fectively use their resourcesto support the mission. Thisaward encourages command-ers to create an environmentpromoting innovative and cre-ative ways of enhancing base-level services, facilities andquality of life.

Andrews named AirForce InstallationExcellence Award winner

BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASSPHILIP BRYANT

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

You can plan a picnic withother’s forecasts, but you can’tdo flight operations, accordingto Capt. Kurtis Schubeck, 89thOperational Support Squadron/Operational Weather Squadronflight commander.

Flight operations are hardlya picnic, but the 89 OSS/OSWensured mission readiness bycorrectly forecasting eight-out-of-eight winter weathersystems that came through the

Telling the future with100 percent accuracy

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

The 89th Operational Support Squadron/Operational WeatherSquadron poses for a photo after being recognized and coinedby the Col. Brad Hoagland, JBA/11th Wing commander, at theweather flight.see WEATHER, page 7

see AWARD, page 4

BY BOBBY JONES

STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

On a bitterly cold springmorning, more than 100 PrinceGeorge’s County concerned

citizens gathered for the ThirdAnnual Teen Dating ViolenceAwareness Walk at TuckerRoad Community Center in Ft.Washington March 28.

Hosted by Alpha Kappa Al-

pha Sorority Inc., Upsilon TauOmega Chapter, the purposeof the event was to bring aheightened awareness to teendating violence.

AKAs say no to teendating violence

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Sheriff Melvin C. High, Sheriff, Prince George’s County, center, joins participants during the 3rdAnnual Teen Dating Violence Awareness Walk near the Tucker Road Community Center in Ft.Washington March 28.

see DATING, page 4

On April 9, from 9 am to1 p.m., the Center for Healthand Homeland Security is ask-ing for volunteers for a full-scale exercise for the PrinceGeorge’s County Health De-partment Cities ReadinessInitiative. This exercise willsimulate a public health emer-gency; the volunteers will beasked to go through a massdispensing site and pick upmock medication.

The event will be held atLargo High School in UpperMarlboro. No experience orspecial skills are required; andall ages are welcome. Middleand high school students canearn service learning hours.Lunch also will be provided.

You are asked to registerby April 7. For more informa-tion, visit http://www.mdchhs.

com/volunteer-registration-april-9-2015-pg-county-open-pod-full-scale/; or email [email protected]

On April 19, the Washing-ton Metropolitan Area TransitAuthority (WMATA) is askingfor volunteers as it conducts aseries of exercises designed toaddress critical components ofthe National Capital RegionTransportation network atthe Greenbelt Metro Stationin Greenbelt from 8 a.m. to 3p.m.

Registration for this ex-ercise will close on April 13.For more information, visithttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/wmata-ncr-full-scale-exercise-registration-16216817939.

Two chances to volunteer to aidin emergency preparedness

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

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

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,sex, national origin, age,martial status, physical handicap, political af-filiation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, [email protected]

John Rives, [email protected]

Deirdre Parry, page [email protected]

Leslie Smith, [email protected]

Bobby Jones, [email protected]

Andrews Gazette2 Friday, April 3, 2015

April 3US Navy Concert Band7:30 -9 p.m.Bowie Center for the Performing Arts,15200 An-

napolis Road, BowieThe Navy Concert Band will perform in the main

hall. Traditional standards, patriot & sea songs aswell as a salute to veterans will be featured. FREE301-805-6887 or visitwww.bowiecenter.org.

Through April 12Six Flags America Opening Day & Spring Break13710 Central Ave., BowieGet ready to zoom into spring on the most heart-

racing, thrill-inducing speed coasters in the world,like the ROAR and Apocalypse. Then take a wildtwirl through the warm breeze on the BATWINGor Mind Eraser. Soar high on the Flying Carouselor test your endurance on Zydeco Zinger. Treat thelittle ones to the time of their lives on all of theirfavorite kids’ rides. Visit www.sixflags.com/america

April 4Aqua Egg Hunt at Theresa Banks Aquatic Center11 a.m.-Noon8615 McClain Ave., GlenardenFun egg hunt, where children will hunt and dive

for eggs in the water! A mesh bag will be providedto collect eggs in, however you may bring your ownbag or waterproof plastic basket, preferably withholes. Admission includes: themed-craft/activity,a goodie treat bag, and general swim for the day-Children (5 & under) in the water must be withinarm’s reach and directly supervised by a respon-sible adult in appropriate swim attire. Children (11& under) must be accompanied by an adult, who isresponsible for their supervision at poolside.

April 4Jelly Bean Jam1-4 p.m.Upper Marlboro Community Center, 5400 Marl-

boro Race Track Road, Upper MarlboroGet ready for the Jelly Bean Jam, where children

will enjoy a day filled with games, egg hunts, prizesand DJ. Call 301-627-2828 for more information.

April 6Hip-Pity Hop Bunny BashNoon-3 p.m.Cosca Regional Park,11000 Thrift Road,ClintonCelebrate Easter with games, entertainment

and more fun. Prizes will be awarded to winnerof the golden egg and the person who collects themost eggs. Ages 12 and under. Call 301-749-4160 orvisitwww.pgparks.com.

Hot ticketsaround town

Doolittle Raiders HonoredThe Doolittle Tokyo Raiders will

be awarded a Congressional GoldMedal on April 15, by leaders ofthe House of Representatives andSenate. The highest civilian honorthat Congress can bestow will bepresented to the National Museumof the U.S. Air Force by retired Lt.Col. Richard E. Cole on the 73rdanniversary of the raid, April 18.Three of the original 80 Raiderssurvive: Colonel Cole, SSgt. Da-vid J. Thatcher and retired Lt.Col. Robert L. Hite. On April 18,1942, 16 B-25s took off from theUSS Hornet carrier to bomb Ja-pan. The crew members, led by Lt.Col. James H. Doolittle, came to beknown as the Doolittle Tokyo Raid-ers. While the attack itself causedlittle damage to Japanese industry,the psychological impact on theJapanese military and the Ameri-can public was immense. It forcedthe Japanese military to increaseprotection of the home islands and

showed Americans that the warcould be won.

Same Sex BenefitsVeterans Affairs is providing

guidance to same-sex married cou-ples on the benefits and services towhich they are entitled under cur-rent laws and regulations. The Su-preme Court overturned that sec-tion of the Defense of Marriage Actwhich governed the definitions of“marriage” and “spouse” for federalagencies. VA is processing claimsinvolving same-sex marriages. Anew website provides informationto help veterans and beneficiariesunderstand the eligibility require-ments. For more information, go towww.va.gov/opa/marriage or call 1800-827-1000.

Medal eligibility extendedThe Pentagon has extended the

Afghanistan Campaign Medal formilitary members currently serv-ing there, despite the official end of

the 13-year war. The current phaseof the Afghanistan War is a qualify-ing operation for the award. Opera-tion Enduring Freedom technicallyended on December 31. The newmission does not involve U.S. troopsin direct combat operations and in-stead limits their mission to advis-ing and assisting the Afghan forcesand potentially targeted counter-terrorism missions. About 10,000U.S. troops are in Afghanistan.The military mission is scheduledto end by December 2016. Servicemembers should contact their mili-tary departments for additional in-formation on the medal.

The Retiree Activities Office isopen 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday. Visit the office inBuilding 1604 at California andColorado Avenues or call 301 981-2726. Call before your visit to ensurea volunteer is on duty. The RAO hasa website at www.andrews.af.mil.

Retiree corner

ALL-FEMALE FLIGHT CREW FLIES FOR

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

Lt. Col. Anne-MarieContreras, 1st Heli-copter Squadronpilot, pulls her doorclosed on a UH-1NHuey helicopterin preparation fora training flight.There are approxi-mately 100 pilotsin the squadronwith seven or fewerbeing female.

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

1st Lt. Brittny Barney, 1st Helicopter Squadron pilot, straps into a UH-1N Huey helicopter for a training exer-cise. The squadron is responsible for distinguished visitor airlifts throughout the National Capital Region. Theflight consisted of low-altitude training, with one helicopter crew made up of all females in honor of Women’sHistory Month.

Lt. Col. Anne-Marie Contre-ras, 1st Helicop-ter Squadronpilot, displaysa “Rosie theRiveter” patchon her helmetMarch 31 dur-ing a trainingexercise onJoint BaseAndrews.

Andrews GazetteFriday, April 3, 2015 3

BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASSRYAN J. SONNIER

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Recently, more than 45Joint Base Andrews vol-unteers came togetherto help an 89th Commu-nications Squadron Air-man renovate his fami-ly’s house to meet Ameri-cans with Disabilities Actstandards.

Tech. Sgt. Melvin Ma-teo, 89 CS GovernmentNetwork OperationsCenter crew chief, saidhe was extremely grate-ful people were so willingto help him during a dif-ficult time for his family.

After 13 years of mar-riage, while stationed atRamstein Air Base, Ger-many, Mateo and his wifefound out they were preg-nant.

“At 21 weeks, dur-ing the ultrasound, sev-eral abnormalities werefound,” he said. “The doc-tor gave us an option toterminate the pregnan-cy, but it is against ourCatholic-Christian be-liefs. If the baby wantedto fight for a chance atlife, we would allow it.”

Due to the complica-tions of Mildred’s preg-nancy, in January 2012,the couple was medicallyevacuated to Walter ReedNational Military Medi-cal Center in Bethesda,Maryland.

“Rebekah neededsurgical procedures butLandstuhl Regional Med-ical Center [in Germany]didn’t have the pediatricsurgical capabilities,”Mildred said.

Upon arrival to theU.S., the family stayedat the Fisher House in

Bethesda.At birth, Rebekah was

admitted to the neonatalintensive care unit whereshe stayed for one-and-a-half months.

Two weeks after hisdaughter’s birth, Mateohad to return to Ger-many to work on Excep-tional Family MemberProgram reassignmentand out processing. Mil-dred stayed at the FisherHouse stateside.

Once Rebekah wasreleased from the hospi-tal, they moved to JointBase Andrews FisherHouse until Mateo wasreunited with his family.The staff of JBA FisherHouse allowed them toextend their stay untilthey could move into basehousing.

“We didn’t have fam-ily in the area. We had afamily friend that we metin our church in Germanywho became like our im-mediate family,” Mildredsaid. “My sister lives inNew York but would visiton the weekends.”

Mildred also said thatstaying at the FisherHouse, both on Bethesdaand JBA, was a bless-ing to her family. Thefamilies there providedeach other moral supportthrough difficult times.

“My husband’s gain-ing-unit leadership metRebekah and I beforethey met him. His com-mander’s family met meand help me move fromBethesda to Andrews,”Mildred said. “Rebekahhad a lot of doctor’s ap-pointments and someonefrom the squadron woulddrive us to and from thehospital.”

Two and a half yearslater, in October 2014,Mateo and his familypurchased a home closerto Johns Hopkins Hospi-tal in Baltimore, Mary-land, where Rebekah re-ceives her medical care.

“We were looking fora very specific house, forRebekah’s situation. Weneeded a one-story housewith an attached garagethat had direct accessto the interior,” he said.“The holidays were com-ing up and she was aboutto have a major surgery,so I decided to start reno-vating.”

Space, he said, was thebiggest concern. Every-thing, Rebekah neededa bigger bedroom, closet,an ADA bathroom andwider hallways. Theyneed to be able to moveRebekah around thehouse with her mobilityequipment without dif-ficulty.

“My commander andFirst Sergeant men-tioned my situation toa Chaplain, who thenhelped organize volun-teers to assist me withmy project,” he said. “Themoney I have saved inlabor alone is more than

$20,000, and I can’t beginto put an amount on thetime saved.”

Lt. Col. Vincent Lau,89 CS commander, statedthat the term “Air ForceFamily” is often used, butit is instances like thesethat remind us of thetruth behind that motto.

“I think it is absolute-ly fantastic that the AirForce is full of people likethose who have come outto help the family,” Lausaid.

Mateo is no strangerto volunteer work him-self, he has volunteeredfor the Fisher House,

Habitat for Humanityand other organizations.

“It has been an amaz-ing, great blessing to beon the receiving end ofthis volunteer work, anda humbling experience,”Mateo said as he foughtback tears. “I think Godknew my wife and I had

what it takes to care forour daughter.”

They both rely ontheir faith to guide themon their journey.

“I believe God is withus; his grace sustains usand he sends his peoplealong the way to help usout,” Mildred added.

Air Force Home Makeover: JBA Edition

Volunteers hang dry wallat a home.

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

Senior Airman Tyler Ketelhut, an 89th Communica-tions Squadron Power Pro technician, scrapes theceiling of a home Jan. 29 in Bowie. Members gath-ered to help fix Tech. Sgt. Melvin Mateo’s home forhis special-needs daughter. Mateo is an 89th Commu-nications Squadron Government Network OperationsCenter crew chief.

Joint Base Andrews volunteers gather equipment inpreparation for home renovations.

Davies Concert SeriesBrian Quenton Thorne, tenor & Francis Conlon, piano

presents

Sunday, April 12 at 6:30 PMDavies Memorial Unitarian

Universalist Church,Camp Springs, Maryland

Performing standard and contemporary popclassics from Gershwin to Billy Joel as well as

musical theater classics and modern songs

Pre-concert performance by student artists Abigail Gertsman, violin and Lydia Kivrak, piano:

The Swan by Saint Saens

Tickets are $15 for adults $5 for 0-18.For information call 301.638.2236 or visit www.dmuuc.org

1050893

1042266A


“This is an important event for usto support today. Yes, it’s cold; butwhat you’re doing is lighting a fire un-der something that must be changedin our community – and that’s datingviolence,” said Dr. Tricia Bent-Goodley,Aspiring Leader Committee MemberProgram Facilitator.

Daneaka Spear, President UpsilonTau Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Al-pha Sorority Inc., thanked the partici-pants for supporting the annual event.“We need to make sure our that ourcommunity and our young childrenknow that it’s not okay for somebody tosexually, mentally or physically harmyou, no matter what their relationshipis to them,” said Spear.

Among the guest speakers wereSheriff Melvin C. High, Prince George’sCounty; and Cheri Gardner, PrincipalDeputy State’s Attorney.

“I have a passion for the generalsafety of our community, specificallyour most vulnerable citizens. We findthat women, our teens and youngerpeople are very vulnerable,” said Sher-iff High, during his keynote address tothe participants.

“So this event is good work to en-sure our whole community collabo-rates about making this a safe placefor our young people to grow up to bethe real future of our community; andto say that we won’t tolerate domesticviolence,” said High.

“Our goal and the goal of AKA, aswell as agencies throughout our coun-ty are to get to zero incidents in do-mestic violence.”

Cheri Gardner, Principal DeputyState’s Attorney, addressed the par-ticipants on behalf of Angela D. Also-

brooks, State’s Attorney.“As many of the constituents know,

Ms. Alsobrooks was one of the first do-mestic violence attorneys in the State’sAttorney’s office. It’s always been oneof her passions and in a month she’stentatively going to be announcing thecreation of a new unit, called the Fam-ily Violence Unit,” said Gardner.

“The FVU is currently one of theAssistant State’s Attorney’s units thatare involved in the investigation ofsexual assault and child abuse cases.We’re also going to be merging withthe domestic violence unit, as well, tobetter service the needs of the citizensof Prince George’s county,” Gardnersaid.

High noted the statics are climbing.“But that’s a good thing, because thatmeans that people are no longer silentabout it. They are willing to reportthese incidents, so that we and theycan do something about it,” said High.“The way we’ll get to zero toleranceis when we get to full reporting andthey’re not ashamed to report it andthat they need help.”

“This is our third year hosting thisevent,” said Tia Belton, Vice Presidentand program chairman, Upsilon TauOmega Chapter Alpha Kappa AlphaSorority Inc.

“The two years we did it under theprogram Emerging Young Leaders,which is geared toward middle schoolyoung ladies, and helping them growand develop in their social, leadershipand motivational skills. We continuedthis program and renamed it Aspir-ing Young Leaders, geared toward thesame mission.

“This walk is now becoming a tradi-tion for our chapter,” said Belton.

DATING, from page 1

In a March 4 letter, Secretary ofthe Air Force Deborah Lee James andChief of Staff of the Air Force GeneralMark Welsh congratulated Joint BaseAndrews and all Air Force bases for thehard work Airmen around the serviceaccomplish every day.

“It is our privilege to recognize the out-standing accomplishments of themen andwomen who operate and maintain our AirForce installations,” the letter read. “Wethank them for a job very well done.”

As the Air Force’s top installation, An-drews will compete for the Departmentof Defense’s 2015 Commander in Chief ’sInstallation Excellence Award.

The Air Force Installation Excel-lence Award team also named the 2015Air Force Special Recognition nominees.The special recognition category is asecretary of defense award, recognizingunits, teams and individuals for exem-plary achievement in support of instal-lation excellence.

The Air Force nominees are:11th Civil Engineering Squadron11th Force Support Squadron11th Security Forces Squadron11th Wing Command Post11th Wing Inspector General Office113th Aircraft Maintenance Team811th Operations Support Squadron89th Aircraft Maintenance TeamAir Force Legal Operations Agency

(AFLOA) Claims and Tort LitigationDivision (JACC)

Senior Airman Victor J. Abreu, 811thSecurity Forces Squadron

Senior Airman Joshua S. Burch, 11thCES

Staff Sgt. Journey E.L. Henderson,11th SFS

Senior Master Sgt. David J. Austin,11th CES

Capt. David W. Nugent, 811th SFSCindy A. Kahahawai, 11th CESMichael E. Thomas, 11th FSSAnne T. Young, 11th FSS(The 11th Wing Public Affairs Office

contributed to this story.)

AWARD, from page 1

The Security Forces Blotter is intendedto keep members of the Joint Base An-drews Community informed and awareof the crimes and offenses that occurthroughout the base each week. Ifyou haveany information that may help SecurityForces solve a crime or prevent a crimi-nal act, please contact BDOC (Base De-fense Operations Center) at 301-981-2001,CRIME STOP LINE 981-2677 (COPS,or the investigations section at 301-981-5656).

March 25 at 3:54 p.m.: Security Forc-es responded to a shoplifting at the MainExchange. An individual attempted towalk out of the Main Exchange withoutrendering payment for nail polish andbrown eyeliner. The individual was de-tained and charged accordingly.

March 25 at 3:54 p.m.: Security Forcesresponded to a shoplifting at the MainExchange. An individual attempted towalk out of the Main Exchange withoutrendering payment for one Blue Ray DVDand four video games.The individual wasdetained and charged accordingly.

March 26 at 12:47 a.m.: At the MainGate, Security Forces stopped an indi-vidual attempting to bring an illegal sub-stance on base. The individual was de-tained, charged accordingly and bannedfrom the installation.

March 28 at 12:18 p.m.: Secu-

rity Forces received an anonymous tipthrough the “LiveSafe” app reporting adead rabbit on the side of the road. Pa-trols responded along with entomologyand removed the animal from the road.

March 30 at 1:50 a.m.: Security Forc-es responded to a minor vehicle accidentinvolving a GOV. The operator was driv-ing on South Perimeter when a deer ranin front of the vehicle, causing the opera-tor to strike the deer. Damages consistedof minor dents to the driver’s side quarterpanel. No injuries were sustained.

As A ReminderThere has been an increase in at-

tempts to enter the installation with acontrolled dangerous substance in thevehicle. All vehicles entering the Instal-lation are subject to be searched, anyonecaught attempting to bring controlleddangerous substances on the Installationwill be charged and may lose their baseprivileges.

To prevent a deer accident, be awareof your surroundings and watch for pe-destrians and wildlife crossing the street.Each year it has been estimated that deercause 1.5 million car accidents.

For reporting any emergencies or non-emergencies please feel free to utilize the“LiveSafe” app. “LiveSafe” is an anony-mous reporting app that can be down-loaded for free on your smart device.

Security Forces Police Blotter

The 11th Civil Engineer Squadron willinitiate an installation-wide “No Heat/No Cool” period to assist us in switchingheating, ventilation and air condition-ing (HVAC) units from heating to cool-ing modes. The start date for this periodwill be Apr 15, 2015 with an anticipatedcompletion date of May 16, 2015. Dur-ing this “No Heat/No Cool” period, HVACtechnicians will complete all equipmentservicing and startup preparations; ad-ditionally, based on last year’s data,Team Andrews will be able to conservean estimated 900,000 KWH in electricalusage resulting in a savings of $72,000

and 2,000 Dekatherm in natural gasusage resulting in a savings of $12,000for a combined electric and natural gastotal savings of $84,000 which could po-tentially be re-invested into base opera-tions. During the downtime, only MissionCritical Facilities, Child DevelopmentCenters, Critical Server Rooms and BaseHousing will be exempt. Patience andunderstanding from base residents whilethis is being accomplished will be greatlyappreciated.

If you have any questions, please con-tact 11 CES Customer Service at 301-981-5151.

No Heat/No Cool - HVAC Changeover

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.

1034338

W E A P O N S D O N O T J A M

WELCOMEHOME!

We Are Still Here For You!

NSN# 9150-01-415-9112

MILITEC, INC. WALDORF, MDWWW.MILITEC.COM • 301-893-3910

1042270

Editorial Reporter/PhotojournalistComprint Military Publications has an immediate opening for afull-time Reporter/Photojournalist in its Dahlgren, Virginia office. News writingbackground, interviewing individuals for stories, AP style knowledge, anddigital camera familiarity important. College degree in journalism preferred.Familiarity with military a plus. E-mail resume, 3 writing samples that havenot been edited and salary requirements to: [email protected].

We offer a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits packageincluding medical, dental, 401(k) and tuition reimbursement. EOE.


BY MASTER SGT.BECKY VANSHUR

124TH FIGHTER WINGPUBLIC AFFAIRS

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thisarticle is the first of a two-part series on the D.C. AirNational Guard’s Aero-space Control Alert mis-sion.

The 113th Wing’s Aero-space Control Alert (ACA)Detachment reached amilestone of respondingto 5,000 alert events, ahistoric first in the nation,March 21.

“We have had ‘Capi-tal Guardians’ on point,vigilant and ready to dowhat is necessary to de-fend the nation and theNational Capital Region,”said Lt. Col. John Vargas,commander of the 113thWing’s ACA, which wascreated on Sept. 11, 2001in response to the 9/11terrorist attacks on theUnited States. “As we ap-proached this milestone of5,000 events and with theregion we protect here, ouroperational tempo is morethan any other alert cen-ter in the country.”

The 113th Wing’s ACAmission includes aerospacecontrol forces as part ofthe federal government’sefforts to protect U.S. air-space and respond to alertcalls with around-the-clock alert teams readyto launch F-16 FightingFalcons and other aircraftat a moment’s notice for arapid response to airbornethreats and air emergen-cies. The D.C. Air NationalGuard’s F-16s and readytrained personnel are partof a multi-layered air de-fense system for the na-tion’s capital.

Here, the D.C. Air Na-tional Guard has four com-ponents to the immediate

local ACA team. Commandpost controllers listen foralerts and regularly com-municate with higherheadquarters. Secondly,the active duty componentof the 11th Wing SecurityForces provides security tothe D.C. ANG’s ACA loca-tion and compound area.The remaining two com-ponents of the ACA teamare comprised of pilots andmaintainers.

“To be able to stand outand stand alone in num-bers comparatively, thatis a testament to the in-dividuals here - our com-mander, our pilots, ourteam,” said Master Sgt.Curtis Hills, maintenancealert team supervisor.“That milestone is a firstand you really cannot putit into words the impactthat it does for the indi-viduals here to achievethat. It is phenomenal tohit that milestone and foreveryone here to be a partof that because it really isa team effort.”

Although the 113thWing’s pilots, maintain-ers, and controllers drivethe ACA mission 24/7, theentire D.C. Air NationalGuard works alongsidetheir active duty counter-parts in the 11th Wing toform a cohesive team thatoversees operations, main-tenance, mission and med-ical support.

“This truly is a totalforce effort,” said Brig.Gen. George Degnon,113th Wing commander.“We are enabled by thehard work and efforts ofmany airmen workingbehind the scenes. A tre-mendous amount of co-ordination is continuallybeing conducted betweenmultiple agencies prior tous getting the call. Our pi-lots are highly trained andready to go at a moment’s

notice.”When the alarm sounds,

there are no questions, nohesitation, and no debate.Pilots and maintainersdash through the hallwayand literally run to theaircraft bay and generateaircraft - all in a matter ofminutes.

“Every day that wecome down here to thealert facilities, we don’tcome with the mindsetthat this is another dayat the office,” said Var-gas. “We arrive with themindset that today is theday, the day that my ac-tions are going to preventan attack on our nation’scapital. Every second thatwe are able to save in ourresponse is a second thatwe know could be the dif-ference in mission suc-cess.”

The D.C. ANG’s ACAhas been the most activealert detachment in thehistory of the Departmentof Defense, according toCol. W. Mark Valentine,113th Operations Groupcommander. To under-stand the significance ofthe achievement, he ex-plained the differencebetween the numbers ofalert calls of the D.C. unitwith those of other unitsfrom around the country.

“There are approxi-mately 15 units total,” Val-entine said. “If you add upall of their alert calls and

double that, that doesn’tcome close to the amountof activity we have had.This is a welcomed resultof being next to the na-tion’s capital.”

After the ACA detach-ment was created on Sept.11, 2001, specific flightrules were also estab-lished, including specialrestrictions around D.C.and regional icons. Air-craft and airmen weresoon placed on a 24/7status and ready to takewhatever tactical actionsnecessary to defend theNational Capital Regionfrom any threat from thatday forward.

“We have members whohave been here since 9/11who work and live in theD.C. area, and are able toleverage our experienceand familiarity with thelocal public,” Degnon said.

Valentine remembersthat day clearly. For him,this milestone is personalas Sept. 11, 2001 was hisfirst day in the Air Na-tional Guard here at JointBase Andrews. He wasreceiving a tour of hisnew work station whenan intelligence officer an-nounced that an aircrafthad hit the World TradeCenter.

“I will never forget themoment looking at thatTV screen. The hair on theback of my neck stood upwhen I realized that it was

a beautiful day out withnot a cloud in the sky andI knew that was not anaccident,” Valentine said.“After the second planehit, it felt like we staredat the screen for hours,but in reality it was only afew seconds. Everyone im-mediately began executingtheir part in getting theaircraft airborne.”

“That was the day thatthe ACAmission was born.I was here when the firstsortie took off for thisemergency and I am herenow almost 15 years laterto witness us pass 5,000alarm events.”

Similar to Valentine’sunforgettable alert experi-ence in 2001, the 5,000thalert also marked a specialevent for 1st Lt. Jacob Zu-beri, who joined Vargas to

respond to the alarm. Zu-beri, the youngest mission-ready pilot in the unit,happened to be serving onhis first alert shift.

“Having Lt. Zuberi onshift for the 5,000th marksends a message thatwe will remain vigilantand ever ready,” Vargassaid. “To date, the ‘Capi-tal Guardians’ have hada great deal of success inthe defense of the Nation-al Capital Region. We willtreat our 5,001st eventwith the same intensitythat we did for every eventin the last 14 years and foryears to come.”

For more coverage ofthis historic event, go tohttps://www.dvidshub.net/video/395620/113th-wing-aca-detachment-reaches-milestone.

“Capital Guardians” protecting the nation’s skiesD.C. Air Guard reacheshistoric milestone of5,000 alert calls

COURTESY PHOTO

A 113th Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon flies over the skiesof D.C. during a routine training mission at Joint BaseAndrews.

AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO/MASTER SGT. BECKY VANSHUR

Pilot Maj. Wyck Furcron, with the 121st FighterSquadron, sprints to the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft,quickly donning his flight equipment in response toa real-world red alarm scramble March 14. The 113thWing’s Aerospace Control Alert Detachment reacheda milestone of responding to 5,000 alert events onMarch 21. The alert unit was created in response tothe 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States onSept. 11, 2001.

1050891

1050825


BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

New Horizons Support-ed Services Inc. (NHSSI),a Maryland-based non-profit organization, helda ribbon cutting cer-emony to commemoratethe grand opening of thenewly renovated facilitiesin Cheverly, Mar. 27.

Formerly the CheverlyFire Station, the repur-posed 110-square-foot fa-cility was transformed in-to a community businessenterprise. It will providejobs and employment forapproximately 60 indi-viduals with intellectualand developmental dis-abilities who participatein NHSSI’s supportedemployment program andR3 Services at the social-services agency.

The employees arescheduled to start theirnew jobs in the mid tolate April time frame.

Among the invitedguests were CheverlyMayor Michael Callahan;Prince George’s CountyExecutive Rushern L.Baker III; Betty HagerFrancis, Deputy County

Manager, Prince George’sCounty; Donna Hobbs,President of the Boardof Directors; Charles R.Hall, Vice President; andPeter F. Holden, NHSSIexecutive director, whokicked off the openingceremony.

Holden labeled theevent as “The celebrationof the possibilities,” refer-ring to the possibilitiesthat exist for every per-

son that they will supportand serve throughout thebuilding.

“It’s a green day, be-cause what’s going to begoing on in this buildingwill create jobs, it’ll helpthe environment, it’s go-ing to work with localbusinesses, industry andnational companies,” saidHolden.

“We’re going to beworking with everybody

from the Library of Con-gress to the FBI, to allkinds of organizations.We’re going to bring lifeback into this vital build-ing which served the com-munity for so many yearsas a fire station, will nowserve as a community sen-sor, a community-basedenterprise,” said Holden.

County ExecutiveRushern L. Baker IIIpraised the new facility.

“Having New Horizonscome into this place hasbeen a tremendous ben-efit to the county and toCheverly and we’re re-ally pleased with it,” saidBaker. “I was here whenit was just beginning andnow it’s ready to open.We’re not only going to beproviding jobs, but we’realso going to be doing re-cycling, and I understandthat we’re also going to

be able to hire folks righthere in the county.”

County Fire ChiefMarc S. Bashoor remi-nisced about how thefire station served theCheverly community wellfor several years.

“It (the fire station)was at one time the hubof activity, but as thecommunity grew and thefire service grew, stationswere repositioned, frank-ly it became obsolete,”said Bashoor.

“We struggled for awhile to find a suitableuse for the facility and Iappreciate County Execu-tive Baker for bringingthis option to the table forus and the opportunity torepurpose a fire station tostill be of community ser-vice, and still be part ofthe community. It’s some-thing that I’m very proudof.”

Holden explained theribbon cutting ceremonywas purposely plannedto coincide with NationalDevelopmental Aware-ness Month’s observanceacross the nation. “We

New Horizons Supported Services begins legacy of recycling

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

The official party cuts the ribbon to officially open the newly renovated facility in Cheverly March 27.

see RECYCLING, page 7

01050756 1050894


National Capital Region.“We couldn’t have done it

without the crew that we have,”said Tech. Sgt. Robert Prato, 89OSS/OSW weather flight chief.“Everybody clicks. It’s like a fam-ily.”

The small weather flight, ofapproximately 12 Airmen, is aclose-knit group of weather en-thusiasts.

“A lot of them come in earlyand stay late,” said Tech. Sgt.Alfred Brooks, 89 OSS/OSW air-field services NCO In-Charge.“There are times where I’ve re-ceived phone calls from peoplehere when they are off saying,‘Hey, the winds are such andsuch down in Alexandria rightnow’ or ‘this is what’s happeningin La Plata.’ It’s something thateverybody here enjoys and theyenjoy it to a level where it’s notwork anymore.”

These weather forecasters, inturn, were rewarded with a visitby Col. Brad Hoagland, 11thWing commander, and each re-ceived a coin for their forecastingexcellence.

“We had several weathersystems come through, some ofwhich produced freezing rainand snow, and we were able toforecast an accurate beginning,ending and accumulation totals,”Brooks said.

With accuracy, the 89thweather family plays a vitalrole in the base’s overall mis-

sion by briefing 89 OSS and 11WG leadership.

“There are two weather briefsgiven, one to the 89th and oneto the 11th Wing, and with thatinformation, closures, delays anddecisions to stay open are made,”Schubeck said.

“If something happens and weget hail or freezing rain that canruin anything on that airfield, wehave to be ready,” Prato said. “Wehave to take everything seriouslyon a micro scale.”

Using technology, they readdetailed micro scales of weatherpatterns and changes happen-ing in the surrounding areas togive base leadership detailedinformation down to the minute.While other weather servicesuse models that generalize whata weather system might do overthe course of a day.

“One hundred years ago, wewould probably be burnt at thestake because they would havebeen like, ‘How are you able totell the future?’ but now it’s ex-pected of us,” Schubeck said.“We have to be a lot more pre-cise than any model, website orgroundhog is.”

Clear, concise and consistentforecasting is their mantra.

“It’s not common for a weatherflight to go eight-for-eight in cor-rect weather forecasts,” Brookssaid. “We did a lot of trainingbefore the season started withhands on scenarios, so when thewinter season started, we feltprepared.”

WEATHER, from page 1

wanted to time it so we couldtalk about local disabilityawareness. People with dis-abilities have all the samerights and wishes as thosethat don’t have disabilities.Such as jobs, education, hous-ing, civil and legal rights andlife style rights. We’re not justproviding jobs, we’re advocat-ing so that folks with disabili-ties are enabled with thoserights and have opportunitiesthat they didn’t have before.”

Holden spoke about theirfuture plans of adding otheremployment opportunities forWounded Warriors and veter-ans to work alongside the staff.“They could help produce andkeep up with the quantity ofmaterial than we plan to dealwith, like the electronic re-cycling, secure document de-struction and shredders. Wehave about 12 contracts withcommunity businesses wherewe go and pick up their con-fidential documents, which weshred under very confidentialsituations,” Holden said.

The facility is also has acontract with the U.S. Geo-logical Survey doing an en-tomology service, “We paintthese little containers called‘Bee Bowls,’ for the USGS andsend them out all over the U.S.to help increase the bumble

bee population, pollinationof plants, help improve cropsand farming in the U.S. andoversea as well,” said Holden.“The paint attracts bees andit helps with the survey. Wehave many more things inthe pipeline coming down theroad,” added Holden.

At conclusion of the rib-

bon cutting ceremony thenew employees and audiencemembers were led on a walk-through tour.

To find out about servicesprovided by New HorizonsSupported Services Inc., con-tact Ron Vaughn, NHSSI dep-uty director at 240-882-2680or visit www.nhssi.org.

RECYCLING, from page 6

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

A group of NHSSI employees take a photo inside one of thecomputer room work stations.

1050892


1050890

andrews 040315

Documents