lifesaving test · editor, red tail flyer senior airman james croxon co-editor/web administrator...

CCOMBOMBAAT AIRPOT AIRPOWER FOR AMERICA ... RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOWER FOR AMERICA ... RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!W!VVolume 4, Issue 32olume 4, Issue 32

332d 332d Air Expeditionary WAir Expeditionary Wing, Balad ing, Balad Air Base, IraqAir Base, Iraq

Aug. 1Aug. 11, 20061, 2006

RRED TTAIL FFLYER

Lifesaving test

f u e l i n g t h e

f i g h t

C - 11 3 0 s h i t

J A C K P O T

Know what this is?

Uniform dos and don’ts

Chapel schedule

Movie schedule

Cover StoryExercise at home, drill here

In every issue

News and features

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C-130s fly 'Jackpot' A C-130 unit assigned here is carrying

a fairly conventional piece of equipmentthroughout the skies over the CentralCommand area of responsibility in anunconventional way.

1,000th exam for ed centerThe education center staff recentlyadministered its 1,000th test, helping

Airmen achieve academic advancement on itsway to surpassing the last deployment rota-tion's record of 1,406.

Fueling the fightThe punch behind the wing’s airpower

footprint is fed by fuel – nearly 12 milliongallons every four months.

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Front page photo by Senior Airman Kerry Solan-Johnson

4 4 138 138 Airmen here selected for stAirmen here selected for staff sergeantaff sergeant

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Red Tail Flyer Aug. 11, 2006

Weather outlook

Monday Tuesday WednesdaySundaySaturdayToday

115/82

Brig. Gen. Robin Rand332d Air Expeditionary Wing

Commander

Editorial Staff

Lt. Col. Bob ThomponChief, Public Affairs

2nd Lt. Lisa KostellicDeputy chief

Master Sgt. Julie BriggsSuperintendent, Public Affairs

Senior Airman Kerry Solan-JohnsonEditor, Red Tail Flyer

Senior Airman James CroxonCo-editor/web administrator

The Red Tail Flyer is publishedby the 332d Air ExpeditionaryWing Public Affairs Office.

This funded Air Force newsletteris an authorized publication formembers of the U.S. military serv-ices overseas. Contents of theRed Tail Flyer are not necessarilythe official views of, or endorsedby, the U.S. Government, theDepartment of Defense or theDepartment of the Air Force.

The editorial content is edited,prepared and provided by thepublic affairs office of the 332dAEW at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Allphotos are Air Force photos,unless otherwise indicated. Thedeadline for all editorial submis-

sions is noon Friday the weekprior to the date of publication.The public affairs office can becontacted at 443-6005, or by e-mail at: [email protected] or332aew.pa@ blab.centaf.af.mil.

The crimson used throughoutthe publication alludes to the orig-inal Tuskegee Airmen of the 332dFighter Group.

The Tuskegee Airmen were thefirst African Americans to betrained as WWII military pilots inthe U.S. Army Air Corps. Theywere known as the Red Tail Flyersbecause of the crimson paintscheme on their aircraft’s tails.

http://www.balad.afnews.af.mil/library/redtailflyer/index.asp

Red tail Flyer

Thursday

117/84117/84 115/82 117/80 117/80 117/80Dusty

Members of the 727thExpeditionary Air Control Squadrontested their combat lifesaving skillsWednesday through a mass casualtydrill.

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Around Balad


As a service for BaladAirmen, the 332d AirExpeditionary Wingoperates theCommander’s ActionLine.

The line is a way forBalad Air Base membersto get answers to questionsor express concerns about

life on the base. Brig. Gen.Robin Rand, 332d AEWcommander, gives action

line queries his personal attention. TheRed Tail Flyer will publish those itemsthat are of general interest to the BaladAB population.

In addition to using the commander’saction line, Balad Airmen are asked toremember their chain of command whendealing with problems and concerns.

The action line can be reached via e-mail at [email protected] using the action line shouldinclude name, unit and phone number incase additional information is needed andfor a timely response.

Pennsylvania Avenue

Q I'm curious if there are any plansto smooth Pennsylvania Avenue

near the North entry control point. Isaw a crew out there a few weeks agoputting sand bags in the holes but thosehave already been destroyed. That sec-tion of road is the worst I've seen onbase and I wonder if we have the capa-bility here to fill the holes in withasphalt or, at the least, concrete.

AThank you for your query regard-ing the condition of our infrastruc-

ture. We, too, are concerned about thesection of Pennsylvania Avenue towhich you refer.

Here at Logistics Support AreaAnaconda/Balad AB, the Army performsmaintenance, repair and construction onour roadways. The 35th Area SupportGroup is working on a design for thePennsylvania Avenue repair.Unfortunately, at this time they do nothave an estimated completion date.Until a permanent solution is in place,we can expect to see additional tempo-rary measures to ensure the roadwayremains passable.

Thank you again for your question.This kind of active interest in the con-dition of our installation is the first stepto ensuring we're making Balad AB andthe 332d Air Expeditionary Wing bettereach and every day. Keep it up!

Brig. Gen. Robin Rand

332d AirExpeditionary Wing

Commander

S a f e t y a wa r d sCommander’s Action LineFuels Management Flight

447th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron

Senior Airman Joshua McMath447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron

Tech. Sgt. Jon Godwin 506th Expeditionary Medical Support Squadron

Staff Sgt. Gary Phillips and Senior AirmanAntonio Jimenez

332d Expeditionary Operations Support System

Master Sgt. Jeffrey Howard 332d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

Staff Sgt. Joshua Buck 332d EOSS

Tech. Sgts. Carl Crabb, Jason Libman727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron

Staff Sgt. Constance Graham 332d Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron

Staff Sgt. Alan Ebanks and Senior AirmanLorraine Hunter

332d Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron

Staff Sgt. Kenneth Lett 332d EOSS

Maj. Scott Cline 332d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron

Recovery timeA maintainer recovers an F-16

Fighting Falcon after a combatsortie here. The F-16 is a multi-

role fighter used at Balad Air Basefor non-traditional intelligence,

surveillance and reconnaisance inaddition to its close air-support

role. Photo by Senior Airman Kerry Solan-Johnson

Balad News


More than 130 Airmen assignedto Balad Air Base, Iraq, wereselected for promotion to staff ser-geant Wednesday. The Air Forceselection rate was 35.87 percent;13,298 of 37,071 eligible seniorairmen were selected.

332d Air Expeditionary WingMelissa Kee

332d Expeditionary OperationsSupport Squadron

Matthew AgleMatthew Carter

Christopher DuffyJoshua Ellis

Christopher FincherNicole ScharffBryan Stevens

Charles Sowders

64th Expeditionary RescueSquadron

David HobeckChristopher Lund

Jon SotoWendy StombaughMichael Withem

727th Expeditionary AirControl Squadron

Reginald CookAmanda Hoffman

Rory LawrenceWilliam Marcantel

Timothy MarksHeather Puhl

Crystal RiveraStephen Santana

Wylee SmithMatthew Steele

Jacob Traub

332d Expeditionary FighterSquadronWill Hart

332d Expeditionary CivilEngineer Squadron

Michael BarkerShaun Cox

Thomas GerthLorraine HunterCarlos Sandoval

Robert PayneJeffrey Wyatt

332d ExpeditionaryCommunications Squadron

Christopher BuismanChristian Figueroa

Patrick HoganDan Mabie

332d Expeditionary LogisticsReadiness Squadron

Jacob AndersonMatthew Barnoski

James HopperIsaac HudsonJames MainesRobert MinorLarry Ochoa

Amy PolkinghornRobyn Skaggs

Det. 4, 332d ELRSEric Miller

332d Expeditionary SecurityForces Squadron

Beau GrasThomas Hansen

Thomas HunzingerBryan Lewis

Nathaniel McLeodBrandon OlsenSean Reynolds

Dion ScottChristopher Stimson

332d Expeditionary ServicesSquadron

Herbert Dungca

332d Expeditionary MedicalOperations Squadron

Ashley Graham

332d Expeditionary MedicalSupport Squadron

Kelvin BurfordGary Doran

Colton MaddoxReinardo Valentin

332d ExpeditionaryMaintenance Group

Matthew Moore

332d Expeditionary AircraftMaintenance Squadron

Derek BantaJames Crouch

Kaleb GutierrezScott Mezzapelle

332d ExpeditionaryMaintenance Squadron

Jody MannArnie Newton

721st Air Mobility OperationsGroup

Homero Prado

Joint Special Operations AirDetachmentStacia BestJason Burt

Ryan CarterDemetre CraigJerry Dufresne

Dustin FinkChristopher Gunter

Jacob EavesJustin HairstonJason Humes

Adam JohnsonAdam KastnerShawn Lewis

Erin MannScott Pauley

Steven PorschatisJeffrey Porter

Jon PresgravesDerick SheatlerMykesha Sutton

Luke Van Dorston

Combined Joint SpecialOperations Air Component

Devan DixonKara Fish

Kenneth Flores

Eric OwenKevin PhillipsStephen Steppe

Combined Joint SpecialOperations Task Force

Brian Patnode

9th Air Force ElementTraci Rogers

732d Expeditionary MissionSupport GroupRandall AdamsNathaniel AlvisJustin Andres

Christopher BarnesWilliam Bell

Robert BleichnerMichael Bowman

Ashley CadyLeonard Collins

Dorian DavisTracy Dovell

Laura EricksonMatthew EvelandNoah FreehofferSteven Fribley

Melissa HeningerChristopher JohnsonSett Khamphengphet

Tommy KimZachary KnausMatthew LangeSteven Lucero

Aaron LuitwielerMatthew LundgrenArmando MartinezZachary Martinez

Jarrett PabloBryan PhillipsAlex PolyniceRichard Rose

Maurice ShanklesJody SilvaLee Smith

Joseph SpainhowardCameron Swanson

Thee ThorpeAnna Wiese

Alfred WintherBobby Wood

138 Balad Airmen selected for staff sergeant

Around the Air Force


Accident details releasedA bearing assembly failure caused an F-16 Fighting Falcon

to crash March 30 in an unpopulated dry area close toCarrington Island in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, during a train-ing mission, according to an Air Force report released Aug. 7.

The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft, sustaining minorscratches and bruises. The $28 million aircraft, assigned to HillAir Force Base's 388th Fighter Wing, was destroyed on impact.

According to the Air Combat Command AccidentInvestigation Board report, the engine's No. 4 bearing assem-bly failure caused the aircraft to experience a compressor stallaccompanied by vibrations and loss of thrust. The pilot restart-ed the engine but the bearing assembly failure reduced enginethrust to a point where the aircraft would not maintain levelflight.

Because distance to the nearest recovery field was beyondthe aircraft's glide capabilities, the pilot determined the aircraftwas unrecoverable and safely ejected.

Model provides accurate weatherThe Air Force Weather Agency headquartered took the

first steps to use the new Weather Research andForecasting model, known as WRF, for operational fore-casts.

The WRF model, the first worldwide fine-scale com-puter forecasting program in nearly a decade, was createdthrough a collaborative effort involving the NationalCenter for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration, the Air Force, and uni-versities from around the world.

The program's implementation follows a year of evalu-ation and testing, according to Col. Ron Lowther, directorof the air and space science directorate at the Air ForceWeather Agency.

The transition of the WRF model will be seamless towarfighters and will provide a more accurate forecast nowand in the future.

Airmen encouragedto tell Air Force story

In the latest Letter to Airmen,Secretary of the Air ForceMichael W. Wynne recognizesthe importance of every Airmancommunicating the Air Forcestory, especially the contribu-tion the Air Force makes to thenation's security.

The secretary said that suc-cess of an enhanced strategiccommunication program willfocus on every Airman.

As part of the new program, abooklet about "The Air ForceStory" will provide Airmenwith information to discuss withfamily, friends and the public.Deployed Airmen will receivean "Airman's Card" which willprovide guidance on how tocommunicate their story and tobe honest, candid and to staywithin their area of expertise.

In addition, a new advertisingcampaign will feature outstand-ing Airmen describing theircontributions to the nation'sdefense.

The Air Force will add theSelective Re-enlistment andCareer Job Reservation pro-grams to the Virtual MilitaryPersonnel Flight, furtheringPersonnel Services DeliveryTransformation.

Beginning Sept. 1, the auto-mated SRP process will e-mailcommanders a monthly rosternotifying them of their Airmenprojected for re-enlistment.Commanders can choosewhether or not to make Airmenineligible for re-enlistmentbased on quality force stan-dards. Upon processing of thesubsequent month roster, thoseAirmen who meet the require-ments will automatically bemade eligible for re-enlistment.

For more information call theAir Force Contact Center at800-616-3775 (Option 1, 1, 2),(210) 565-5000 or DSN 665-5000.

New vMPF tools available

Photo by Senior Airman Mike Meares

Staff Sgt. Rafael Melendez and Houston patrol the flight-line Aug. 2 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, where theyprovide direct support to prevent the illegal use and trans-port of narcotics through Central America.

Standing guard

Stories and photos compiled from Air Force Print News

Courtesy photo

by Senior Airman James Croxon332d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Members of the 727thExpeditionary Air ControlSquadron tested their combat life-saving skills Wednesday through amass causality drill.

“When we test our combat life-saving skills back home we call itan exercise, here it’s a drill,” saidLt. Col. Fredrick DeFranza, 727thEACS commander.

“Keeping these skills sharp iscritical. I don’t want someone towalk out of his hooch, see aninjured Airman and have that be thefirst time they come across some-thing like that. That’s why we testand evaluate as many scenarios aspossible,” he said.

During Wednesday’s drill, threevictims needed help; one had acompound fracture, another hadarterial bleeding from the arm andone had a laceration to the forehead.More than a dozen Airmen respond-

ed to the mock attack.“We test different units within the

squadron each month,” said MasterSgt. Dennis Hooten, one of twomedics assigned to the squadron.“These are no-notice drills. Theonly ones with any foreknowledgeare the medics, commander and roleplayers.”

According to Sergeant Hooten,the Airmen performed superbly.They worked as teams, executedtheir lifesaving skills and did itwhile remaining aware of threatsfrom a combat environment, hesaid.

The squadron, deployed fromEglin Air Force Base, Fla., conductstraining like this stateside once aquarter. Other recent drills includedcardiac arrest and electric shockvictims.

“We try to train for every possiblescenario,” Sergeant Hooten said.“Hopefully we never see any ofthem real world.”

Exercise at home

drill in combat

Above: Airman 1st Class Kenneth Nance (left) pulls a collapsible stretcher from a bag while Airman 1stClass Zachary Felton performs combat lifesaving techniques on Airman 1st Class Derrick Johnsonwho plays a patient with arterial bleeding from his left arm. Right: Airmen from the 727th EACS carry a wounded Airman to safety Wednesday during a drilldesigned to test their combat lifesaving skills. The squadron has two independent duty medical tech-nicians assigned but all the Airmen assigned to the squadron train and drill for emergencies.

Photo by Senior Airman James Croxon


Photo by Senior Airman Kerry Solan-Johnson

Airman 1st Class Zachary Felton applies a tourniquet to the arm ofAirman 1st Class Derrick Johnson to stop blood flow during a com-bat lifesaving exercise Wednesday.

Senior Airman Ryan McCrae applies a splint to the arm of Senior Master Sgt. James Griffin. Wednesday’sdrill was the third to test the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron’s combat lifesaving skills this rota-tion. Past scenarios included cardiac arrest and electric shock victims.


Red Tail Flyer Page 7 Aug. 11, 2006 Red Tail Flyer Aug. 11, 2006

Red Tail Flyer Page 8 Aug. 11, 2006

Know whatthis is?

If you can identify this object, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Staff Sgt. Robert Neubert,332 Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, was thefirst person to correctly identify last week’s picturebelow, which was the inside of a kevlar helmet.

Around IraqBAGHDAD — U.S. troops and

Iraqi security forces have stepped upoperations in Baghdad to curtaildeadly sectarian violence that’splagued the city in recent months, asenior U.S. military officer toldreporters in Baghdad Thursday.

Of 11 operations targeting deathsquads in Iraq over the past week, 10were centered in or around Baghdad,Army Maj. Gen. William B.Caldwell IV, spokesman for Multi-National Force - Iraq, said at a newsbriefing.

The Baghdad operations wereundertaken “to quell the surge ofextremists seeking to exert controland impose their narrow, divisiveview of the future of Iraq,” GeneralCaldwell said.

Some Shiite and Sunni factionshave used death squads to intimidateothers. Some senior U.S. militaryleaders have warned that the vio-lence could spiral out of control.However, the U. S. government hasvowed not to allow that to happen.

“Iraqi security forces andCoalition forces continue to disruptthe terrorists and set the stage forBaghdadis to live stable lives,”General Caldwell said.

U.S., Iraqi forces tar-get death squads

CAMP HABBANIYAH — JillCarroll’s kidnappers are now lockedup.

Marines captured four membersof an insurgent kidnapping cellresponsible for the kidnapping ofAmerican journalist Jill Carroll ofthe Christian Science Monitor.

Marines of L Company, 3rdBattalion, 5th Marine Regiment cap-tured and detained three membersMay 19, in a small village west ofFallujah. A fourth member of thesame kidnapping cell was detainedlater by Marines of 1st Battalion,25th Marine Regiment.

Marines capture JillCarroll kidnappers

BAGHDAD –Seventy soldiers fromthe 8th Iraqi ArmyDivision graduatedAug. 4 from a courseon maintaining accu-rate and reliable per-sonnel and securityrecords.

The two-week train-ing was conducted byinstructors from Iraqi

Ground ForcesCommand in Baghdadand monitored andsupervised by Multi-National Division –Central-South militarytransition team officers.

The first week wasdevoted to training onh i g h - t e c h n o l o g ydevices for fingerprint-ing as well as voice and

retina checking. Thesecond consisted ofpractice training.

The course wasdesigned to establish aunit-level “one-stop”Unit Transition Pointthat assures personneland equipmentaccountability and thatproper procedures arefollowed for pay and

leave. In addition, itstrengthens controls forsecurity badges andidentification cards.

M u l t i - N a t i o n a lDivision – Central-South, which fallsunder Multi-NationalCorps – Iraq, is run pri-marily by members ofthe Polish military.

Iraqi soldiers graduate personnel course

Bullets, no beans Iraqi soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division discovera weapons cache Aug. 2 during a cordon search at theAl Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock


Balad Feature

by Master Sgt. Julie Briggs332d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

AC-130 unitassigned here iscarrying a fairly

conventional piece ofequipment throughout theskies over the CentralCommand area of responsi-bility in an unconventionalway.

Instead of hauling peo-ple and cargo, the 777thExpeditionary AirliftSquadron is carrying anairborne command andcontrol communicationssuite, helping convoy com-manders communicate onthe ground.

The Joint AirborneCommand and ControlCommand Post, what theunit calls Jackpot, fits nice-ly into the back of aHercules, said Lt. Col.Mark Czelusta, 777th EAScommander.

“It’s a way to use airliftother than from a purelogistics and distributionstandpoint,” the colonel

said. “Using the C-130 inthis way is just anotherpiece of the whole airpow-er umbrella of support the332nd provides to convoyoperators on the ground.”

The squadron’s primarymission is convoy reduc-tion. They fly cargo dropsand movement, distin-guished visitor airlift,detainee transport,aeromedical evacuations,troop transport and nowJackpot.

The people operating theequipment and controllingthe information flow arefrom all branches of themilitary. All elements ofthe armed forces are repre-sented, Colonel Czelustasaid.

The people communicat-ing with the convey opera-tors on the ground are ableto manage information anddiscern problems inadvance, Colonel Czelustasaid.

These messages rangefrom “A-okay” to “we’reengaged,” he said.

“Providing this informa-tion is vital,” ColonelCzelusta said. “Conveymissions are dangerous,fluid situations. Collectinginformation and providingit to decision makers on theground in a timely, efficientmanner saves lives.”

Those operating con-soles serve as a communi-cations relay center. Theyshould not be confusedwith the E-3 Sentry, whichhas a radar system andserves as an airborne warn-ing and control system.

C-130 crews at Baladhave been flying theJackpot missions for sever-al weeks without a gap.

As the first and only for-ward-based C-130

squadron in com-bat, the 777thEAS has reducedthe number oftrucks on theroad by airliftingabout 15,000truckloads ofcargo sinceJanuary. This

has lowered the number ofsoldiers exposed to danger.Now, the new Jackpot mis-sions further increases safe-ty for the soldiers on theground by connecting themwith people who are look-ing out for them, lookingaround corners and who areready to call in support.

“I’m very proud ofeveryone who flies thesemissions from the Army,Navy, Air Force andMarines working the con-soles to the full-up mem-bers of the squadron whofly and maintain the air-craft,” the colonel said.“Everyone is working veryhard to accomplish thismission.”

From concept to execu-tion and now sustainment,everyone has pulled togeth-er to make this happen, hesaid.

“We’ve received strongpraise from ground com-manders,” ColonelCzelusta said. “Thewarfighters are veryhappy.”

JackpotC-130s fly

overBaghdad


Balad Feature

byMaster

Sgt. JulieBriggs

332d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

The education center staffrecently administered its 1,000thtest, helping Airmen achieve aca-demic advancement on its way tosurpassing the last deploymentrotation's record of 1,406.

Tech. Sgts. Tommy Reid andDarryl Diggs, 332d ServicesSquadron Education Center, proc-tored 1,134 tests from May 9 toAug. 4.

"The goal," said Sergeant Reid,noncommissioned officer incharge, "is to beat and exceed lastrotation's record, but, more impor-tantly, to help Airmen completetheir academic goals."

For those going for undergrad-uate credit, 606 exams were giventhrough the Defense Activity forNon-Traditional EducationalSupport Examination Program,the College-Level ExaminationProgram, and the ExcelsiorCollege Examination Program.

Two hundred eighty-one examswere for enlisted and officer pro-fessional military education,Sergeant Reid said. One hundredtwenty three were end-of-courseexams for Airmen completingtheir respective career develop-ment course and 71 were job cer-tification exams. Fifty-two examswere proctored tests for individu-als taking distance learning cours-es and one was a college entranceexam.

Sergeant Reid, who also servesas the job site training point ofcontact, helps Airmen determinewhat they need to complete theiron-the-job certifications. While

he's at it, he also discussesCommunity College of the AirForce and undergraduate degreeprograms. Sergeant Diggs, thewing functional training managerhere, trains unit training managersand also counsels Airmen.

The challenge, they said, is get-ting Airmen to their office. So far,they have assisted 1,323 people,including Soldiers, Sailors andMarines.

"Nine times out of 10, oncethey walk through the door, theywill be back to take an exam,"Sergeant Diggs said.

During counseling sessions,both tell service members theycan complete some degreerequirements through exams.

The exams are worth three-,four-, six - and eight-semesterhours depending on the course.There are more than 80 exams tochoose from, including lower-level courses such as Englishcomposition, human resourcemanagement and public speaking,and upper-level courses like orga-nizational behavior and nursingconcepts.

Airmen wishing to completetheir CCAF degree requirementcan also earn undergraduatedegree credit with the same exam,Sergeant Diggs said. But, he cau-tioned, they must first check withtheir respective college or univer-sity to ensure the institutionaccepts credits by examination.

Universities and colleges alsohave minimum passing scores forthese exams. While the minimumpassing score for English compo-sition is 50, some institutions mayrequire a higher score beforethey'll accept the course for credit.

Another advantage to taking

college exams is money.According to the DANTES andCLEP Web sites, test centers typi-cally charge $60 per exam with anadditional $15 registration fee.These exams are free to militarymembers.

Unlike other base educationoffices, the office here doesn't testcivil service employees becausethey don't have the means toaccept money, Sergeant Diggssaid.

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Coffey, the332d Expeditionary MaintenanceSquadron avionics intermediatestation section chief and theNCOIC of the wing honor guard,is one of the center's more prolifictest takers.

Working on his bachelor'sdegree in professional aeronauticsand one class away from hisCCAF degree, Sergeant Coffeyhas taken 14 tests since his arrivalhere at the end of May.

"A lot of the stuff I've alreadyread or know about," saidSergeant Coffey, adding that hesometimes takes tests just to seehow well he knows the subject.

Sergeant Coffey said he real-izes he will have to take tradition-al in-class courses to finish hisdegree, but that by taking as manyexams as is possible while he'shere, he hopes to accelerate theprocess.

"I have two young kids athome and I want to be able tospend time with them when I getback," Sergeant Coffey said.

And taking exams back-to-back, even if you don't pass, won'thurt Sergeant Coffey's grade pointaverage, Sergeant Diggs said.

But for those who are skittishabout taking a test without study-

ing first, Sergeant Reid andSergeant Diggs said the libraryhas resources and all three nation-al testing programs have Websites in which to obtain studymaterials.

As for the college preparatoryclasses offered here, SergeantDiggs said they can't be involvedin these classes because it's a con-flict of interest. They can't teachclasses in which they will lateradminister the test. Instead, theytell people to contact their firstsergeants who organize the class-es.

Airmen are always welcome todrop in to schedule an exam,order PME courses or receiveeducation counseling, SergeantReid said. The education office islocated in H6 next to the chapeland open daily from 8 a.m. to 8p.m.

"If these times aren't conven-ient, we'll schedule a time beforeor after duty hours," SergeantDiggs said. "Our doors are alwaysopen."

By the numbersExams

Credit by examination 606Officer PME 155Enlisted PME 126CDC 123Certification 71Other tests 52College entrance 1

Resourceswww.dantes.doded.milwww.collegeboard.com/clepwww.excelsior.edu

Education center administers1,000th exam

Balad Feature


Story and photos by Senior Airman Kerry Solan-Johnson

332d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

The punch behind the wing’s airpower foot-print is fed by fuel – nearly 12 million gallonsevery four months.

The 332d Expeditionary LogisticsReadiness Squadron's petroleum, oil and lubri-cants flight provides that fuel to aircraft at thesecond busiest single-runway in the world.

Aircraft siphon the fuel from the flight's 13fuel trucks, lightening the driver's 6,000-gal-lon load until the driver must turn around formore.

“Our objective is make the whole processtransparent,” said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Shirley,332d ELRS fuels manager. “When we do itright, the end user shouldn’t have a secondthought as to the quality of the fuel or whereit’s coming from.”

In addition to liquid oxygen, POL troopshandle diesel, aviation gas and jet propulsionfuel type 8 for generators and Air Force andArmy air assets at Balad Air Base. The flighthas the ability to refuel any model of aircraftthat lands here and authorized to receive fuel.

The demand for fuel – between 100 to 200requests every 24 hours – has driven the flightto utilize a fueling system in place when Baladwas an Iraqi airfield.

Nine of the fuel bunkers here have the

"plumbing" to refuel aircraft from within thehardened aircraft shelters. Currently, only twoof the bunkers are used to refuel the flight’sfuel trucks. The flight is exploring thefeasability of bringing the other sevenbunkers’ refueling ability online.

“Essentially these shelters have a tap rightto the fuel; all we have to do is unleash it,” saidTech. Sgt. Daniel Glore, 332d ELRS fuelsoperator supervisor.

The bunker outlets refuel at a rate of 600gallons a minute, cutting a fuel truck’s 45-minute refueling time at fuel bladders down to10 minutes.

"This won't necessarily mean we'll needless manpower, but it has the potential to makerefueling quicker, especially for the alert F-16s," Sergeant Shirley said. "With an agingtruck fleet, we need other avenues of refuel-ing."

The POL team also installed aviation gaso-line tanks, eliminating the need to fill up from55-gallon drums and significantly reducing thetime it takes to fill a fuel truck. When fueltruck drivers are in the desert heat for fivehours at a time, responding to calls from tran-sient alert and the maintenance operations cen-ter to refuel aircraft, anything to speed up theprocess is appreciated.

"We have our own set of challenges outhere," said Senior Airman MatthewBarnowski, 332d ELRS fuels controller."Sometimes, the only thing routine aroundhere is the shift changes."

f u e l i n g t h e

Staff Sgt. William Ryan, 332d Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, over-sees the eqipment used to fill aviation gas into a fuel truck. Below, Staff Sgt.Anthony Howell checks the tank of a fuel truck from atop the tank.

FIGHT

Desert combat bootsare authorized for wearwith the physical train-ing uniform; however,they must be laced andtied.

Additional guidelinescan be found in 332dAir Expeditionary WingInstruction 36-2903,Dress and PersonalAppearance Standards,section 2.DoDo

Unifor m Tips


DonDon’’tt

Catholic ServicesDaily Mass5 p.m. Monday through Friday Tuskegee ChapelSaturday4:30 p.m. Reconciliation Tuskegee Chapel5 p.m. Mass Tuskegee ChapelSunday9 a.m. Sunday Mass Tuskegee Chapel11 a.m. Sunday Mass AFT Hospital ChapelConfessions available by appointment

Protestant ServicesSaturday7 p.m. Liturgical Service Tuskegee ChapelSunday9:30 a.m. Traditional Service AFT Hospital Chapel11 a.m. Contemporary Service Town Hall2 p.m. Church of Christ Tuskegee Chapel2 p.m. Gospel Service AFT Hospital Chapel5 p.m. Traditional Service Tuskegee Chapel7:30 p.m. Traditional Service AFT Hospital ChapelWednesday8 a.m. Liturgical Morning Prayer Tuskegee Chapel8 p.m. Midweek Contemporary Worship Service Tuskegee Chapel

Other ServicesSunday3:30 p.m. Orthodox Prayer Service Tuskegee Chapel

7 p.m. Latter Day Saints Sacraments Tuskegee Chapel8 p.m. Latter Day Saints Sunday School Tuskegee ChapelFriday7 p.m. Friday Shabbat Service Tuskegee Chapel

Study groupsSunday8 p.m. Parenting Children Tuskegee ChapelMonday8 a.m. Parenting Children Tuskegee Chapel9 a.m. Parenting Adolescents Tuskegee Chapel8 p.m. Parenting Adolescents Tuskegee Chapel8 p.m. Women’s Bible Study - Beth Moore Tuskegee ChapelTuesday7 p.m. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Tuskegee Chapel8 p.m. Song of Solomon Tuskegee Chapel8:30 p.m. Catholic Discussion Forum Tuskegee ChapelThursday4 p.m. 40 Days of Purpose Tuskegee Chapel7 p.m. Marriage Enrichment Tuskegee ChapelFriday10 a.m. Renovation of the Heart (Basic Christianity) Tuskegee Chapel7:15 p.m. Marriage Enrichment Tuskegee Chapel8 p.m. Renovation of the Heart (Basic Christianity) Tuskegee Chapel

For more information on worship opportunities or needs, call 443-7703. For the after-hour duty chaplain, call 443-3320.

Balad Religious Schedule

This & That


Photo by Senior Airman Kerry Solan-Johnson

An MQ-1 Predator sits in a hardened aircraft shelter Monday at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing hereis home to the largest operational Predator squadron in the world, operating about 20 of the aircraft. The shelter still bearsthe pock marks from U.S. attacks at the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Awaiting orders

Talladega NightsWill Ferrell, John C. ReillyRicky Bobby is a NASCAR racing sensation whose"win at all costs" approach has made him a nationalhero. When a flamboyant French Formula One driv-er, Jean Girard, challenges him for the supremacy ofNASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demonsand fight for his place as racing's top driver. RatedPG-13 (crude/sexual humor, language, drug refer-ences, comic violence) 111 min

World Trade CenterNicolas Cage, Michael PenaIn the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster,hope is still alive. Refusing to bow down to terror-ism, rescuers and family of the victims press for-ward. Their mission of rescue and recovery is drivenby the faith that under each piece of rubble, a co-worker, a friend or a family member may be found.This is the true story of John McLoughlin andWilliam J. Jimeno, the last two survivors extractedfrom Ground Zero and the rescuers who never gaveup. Rated PG-13 (intense/emotional content, disturb-ing images, language) 129 min

The OmenSeamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Julia StilesRobert Thorn is a senior American diplomat whosewife, Katherine, endures a difficult delivery wheretheir newborn child has died. The hospital priestpresents Thorn with another child born that night,whose mother died in childbirth. The priest com-pels Thorn to take the infant boy as his own. RatedR (violence, graphic images, language) 105 min

The Break UpVince Vaughn, Jennifer AnistonPushed to the breaking point after their latest, "whycan't you do this one little thing for me?" argument,art dealer Brooke calls it quits with her boyfriend,Gary, who hosts bus tours of Chicago. What followsis a series of remedies and underminings suggestedby friends, confidantes and the occasional totalstranger. When neither ex is willing to move out ofthe condo they used to share, the only solution is tocontinue living as hostile roommates until somebodycaves. Rated PG-13 (sexual content, nudity, lan-guage) 110 min

Sustainer Theater

Today 2 p.m. - The Omen5 p.m. - The Break Up8 p.m. - Talladega Nights

Saturday11 a.m. - The Omen2 p.m. - Talladega Nights5 p.m. - The Break Up8 p.m. - Talladega Nights

Sunday2 p.m. - The Break Up5 p.m. - Talladega Nights 8 p.m. - The Omen

Monday5 p.m. - The Omen8 p.m. - Talladega Nights

Tuesday5 p.m. - Talladega Nights8 p.m. - The Omen

Wednesday5 p.m. - The Break Up8 p.m. - Talladega Nights

Thursday5 p.m. - The Omen8 p.m. - Talladega Nights

Aug. 11 2 p.m. - World Trade Center5 p.m. - The Omen8 p.m. - World Trade Center

Courtesy of 332d Expeditionary Services SquadronSynopsis courtesy of aafes.com

lifesaving test · editor, red tail flyer senior airman james croxon co-editor/web administrator...

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