BLUE LINEBOT Class 15-03 Issue 1

“A long blue line [emphasis added] of heroes has defended freedom in the skies above. To all who have climbed sunward and chased the shouting wind, America stops to say your service and sacrifice will be remembered forever and honored in this place by the citizens of a free and grateful nation.” - President George W. Bush, Air Force Memorial dedication

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s Class 15-03, we have made it four weeks through the program. We still have a long way to go, but we aren’t done yet. Keep your heads up, your attitudes in check, and your goals high. If we stick together and watch out for our wingmen, we will all be able to walk away on December 19 as 2nd Lieutenants in the United States Air Force.

The highlight of this week was definitely the Troy football game.

OTs learned a lot from spending a few hours at the football game, and busted or confirmed a few OTS myths.

Myth 1: TSgt Yi eats small children. Result: BUSTED Fact: TSgt Yi actually cuddles, feeds, and kisses small children, prior to teaching them to fly miniature jets.

Myth 2: OTS is made up of only the brightest and most qualified individuals. Result: INCONCLUSIVE Fact: While OTs could quickly decide how to spell “OTS” it took an inordinate amount of time to actually spell it out with OTs.

Myth 3: Major Vanderhoeven is a genetically enhanced cyborg. Result: CONFIRMED Fact: While he does a good job hiding this fact, Major Vanderhoeven did show some hardware when he was smiling next to Troy’s mascot (this additionally confirmed that cyborgs show emotion).

WE arE CLass 15-03

?

After much deliberation and sorting through various survey responses, here is some general information about class 15-03. This information is based on the completed surveys submitted by Class 15-03 participants.

maLE & fEmaLE marrIEd & sINgLE

PrIor & NoN-PrIor

agE

EdUCatIoN LEvEL

88% 12% 42%

32%

85%

12%

3%

Bachelor`s

22 - 2%23 - 10%24 - 8%25 - 17%26 - 17%27 - 10%28 - 15%29 - 5%30 - 5%31 - 0%32 - 2%33 - 3%34 - 3%35 - 2%

Master’s

Doctorate

58%

68%

Photo of thE WEEk

The significance of the guidon is that it represents the unit and its

commanding officer. It is an honor, although sometimes a dubious one, to be the guidon carrier for a unit, known as a “guidon bearer” or “guide”. He or she stands in front of the unit alongside of the commander (or the commander’s representative), and is the rallying point for troops to fall into formation when the order is given. In drill and ceremonies, the guidon and commander are always in front of the formation.

The guidon is a great source of pride for the unit, and several military traditions have developed around it, stemming back from ancient times. Any sort of disgrace toward the guidon is considered a dishonor of the unit as a whole, and punishment is typical. For example, should the guidon bearer drop the guidon, he must fall with it and perform punishment, often in the form of push-ups. Other units may attempt to steal the guidon to demoralize or antagonize the unit.Sources: “Flags and Guidons of the U.S. Army”. ArmyStudyGuide.com. October 10, 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2010. Gregg, Thomas M. (July 28, 2010). “United States Air Force: Organizational Flags & Guidons”. Archive of the Colors. War Flags. Retrieved 19 September 2010.

Photo by: OT Bryan Yale

“Guidon Excellence”

Class 15-03, get your cameras ready and your lenses cleaned, because every week you will have the opportunity to submit your photos for the honor of Photo of the Week. Submit photos to OTLageman1503T@gmail.com by 2000 on the Friday of each week.

OT Alejandro Mora OT Robert Smith OT Kate Morales

OT Katherine Millar OT Geoff Junt

OT Frank Fortunato OT Jordan Isaacs

OT Thomas Yarbrough OT Matthew Overbey

OT Andrew Lee OT Sam Wexhler

OT Thomas Crews OT Michael Brigaman

OT Sam Wexhler AFSC: 92T0 (Pilot) Age: 23 From: San Diego, California Favorite Sport: Basketball (L.A. Lakers) Something nobody knows about me: I once got lost in France and ended up in Spain for less than a minute to make a U-turn back to France. Favorite quote/story from OTS: When a certain Hoya saluted an officer with the left hand (flashlight and all).

OT Kate Morales AFSC: 13S1 (Space Ops) Age: 29 From: San Diego, California Favorite Food: Ethiopian Something nobody knows about me: I used to be an electrician! Favorite story from OTS: When OT Carli called, “Company, halt!”

OT Jordan Isaacs AFSC: 92T3 (RPA) Age: 24 From: Alpena, Michigan Favorite Activity: Snowboarding Something nobody knows about me: I have never learned how to whistle. Favorite quote from OTS: “Strive for excellence, settle for perfection!”

Maxwell AFB, November 7, 2014.

It started off just like any other standard military training (SMT) day. Combatives in the morning

followed by MREs in the dormitory, classes in the flight rooms, and preparing for class 15-03’s first comprehensive written test (CWT).

Doors slammed open, OTs snapped to attention, and then the yelling started.

Chaos.

After weeks of practicing procedures, reciting knowledge, and learning leadership everything fell apart and class 15-03 was left with one thing: failure.

When asked how he felt after learning every squadron had failed, OT Richard Craddock, a Goldhawk from Wilmington, North Carolina, said one word, “Shame. Dirty, dirty shame.” He went on to explain, “We felt like we put in a lot of work and unfortunately it wasn’t enough, and we didn’t pass.”

Many OTs went into the Phase One Evaluation (POE) anxious, but optimistic. OT Bryan Yale, A Tiger from Margate, Florida, said, “I was confident in my procedures,” and when the yelling started he had one thought, ‘This is it.’ When he heard the results of POE OT Yale was disappointed. He said, “We had failed each other.”

I am an American Airman. Wingman, Leader, Warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, And I will not fail.

On November 7, 2014, Class 15-03 failed. Some Airmen passed, but others were left behind.

It is time for change.

Rise up Class 15-03, rise up and become Airmen.

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” - Johnny Cash

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” - Denis Waitley

Why do WE faLL?

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We, as a class, failed our Phase One Eval this week. We felt beat up,

and we were discouraged. Every failure, however, is an opportunity to improve. Failure is also an opportunity to show everyone around us that we will not quit.

Abraham Lincoln lost several elections and nomination attempts, and lost his fiancé, in the thirty years prior to being elected as our sixteenth President. Recent discoveries also indicate he was a prolific vampire killer, but I digress…The American Negro Theater initially wouldn’t let Sidney Portier have an acting part because of his Bahamian accent, but he became the first African American to win an Oscar. Bill Gates’ first company failed after three years of net losses. Steve Jobs was fired by the company he founded, and started another company which eventually failed. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagination. Milton Hershey’s first two confectionery businesses failed. Babe Ruth’s 714 home runs are countered by 1,330 strike-outs.

Refusing to quit is what defines successful people. We got knocked down this week. Let’s get back up, shake of the dirt, and annihilate our challenges this week. We have the CWT, a redo of our POE, Combatives Sparring, and BELPS. Let’s prove that failure is not an option for Class 15-03.

a mEssagE from oUr WINg CommaNdEr- OT Dave Meredith

hoNorINg hIstory15 Nov 1967: Major Michael James Adams was flying his seventh test flight in the X-15. The aircraft began a 15 degree yaw at the peak of its flight and then went into a Mach five spin during its descent. The control room only had pitch and roll data, and was filled with disbelief when Major Adams stated, “I’m in a spin, Pete.” Through some miraculous combination of piloting skill and aerodynamic stability, Major Adams was able to pull the X-15 from the spin, but the MH-96 control system had reached its limit cycle. The aircraft went into a 45 degree inverted dive at Mach 4.7 before pitching violently. The aircraft having exceeded its structural limitations, experiencing 15-G in the vertical and 8-G in the horizontal, broke apart before 11 minutes into the flight. Major Adams, having exceeded five miles in altitude, was awarded Astronaut Wings posthumously.

Major Adams studied aeronautical engineering at Oklahoma University and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He graduated as the best scholar and pilot in his class at Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, in California. Major Adams also graduated with honors from the Aerospace Research Pilot School, and was one of four Edwards aerospace research pilots to be involved with the NASA moon landing practice tests.Source: “X-15 Biographies: Michael J. Adams” NASA History Program Office, http://history.nasa.gov/x15/adams.html

CarrY on 15-03!

For questions, comments, or concerns contact OT Mecham at

OTMecham1503T@gmail.com