8 The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XVIII, No. 3 • March 2, 2002

123rd Airlift WingPublic Affairs OfficeKentucky Air National Guard1101 Grade LaneLouisville, KY 40213-2678

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Have all of the risks been identified, mitigated or accepted atthe proper level of approval? Fly your plan if at all possible,and if not possible, replan and rebrief so that everyone has achance to give it a sanity check.

Use your checklists religiously, refer to other publicationsfor guidance when the need arises, and always maintainaircraft control, analyze the situation and take the properaction. Good judgment and CRM are essential for success.

For maintainers, safety means concentrating on the task athand until it is finished. Use tech data on every job.

Realize that when you sign your name, you are saying ajob is completed or that you have inspected someone else’swork and are certifying that it was done by the book, the rightway.

You are asked to work in all kinds of weather, at all timesof the day and night, and under all kinds of conditions.

No matter what the conditions, you must concentrate onalways doing it right.

Leadership must also establish and maintain an atmo-sphere where communications are open and honest.

Our folks must be able to identify problem areas and feelthat they can communicate the problem to their leaderswithout fear of ridicule or retribution.

Leaders must live up to their responsibility to identifysubstandard performance or unsafe acts and determinecorrective action.

In almost every aircraft accident caused by crew ormaintenance error you can find a history of substandard ormarginal performance by the individual or individualsinvolved.

In almost every ground incident you will find evidence ofunsafe practices or conditions that could or should have beencorrected.

Leaders must know their people. That means knowing theircapabilities and making sure we do not ask them to dosomething they are unqualified or unequipped to do.

It also means making sure they have the training andopportunity to become qualified.

I ask for your help in this important initiative.No matter how motivated, trained and combat-ready our

airmen are, they’re useless if they’re laid up because of aninjury caused by inattention to safety.

This is something we must work hard on everyday.Most accidents don’t just happen—they occur because

someone did something, or a series of something’s, that led tothe event.

Let’s all work together for a safe and efficient future.

Thanks Loads!

SafetyContinued from Page 2

COMMANDER’S CALL

WMD team receivesfederal certification

Photos by Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG

TOP: Army Sgt. Jeron Verrett of the 41st participates in anexercise recon mission at the local Buechel Armory Feb. 21.

BOTTOM: During the exercise, Sgt. 1st Class Sean Brownand Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Smith find a simulated lab in whichgerm warfare agents are being made.

By Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

The Kentucky National Guard’s 41st Weapons of Mass Destruc-tion Civil Support Team received federal certification in January af-ter successfully completing an evaluation at Fort Leonardwood, Mo.,in December.

The unit, based here, is composed of 13 soldiers and eight airmen,all of whom are full-time troops.

Team members began preparing for the evaluation in May 2000,said Lt. Col. Neil Mullaney, team commander.

The certification means team members now are authorized to re-spond to a chemical or biological incident occurring within 250 milesof the base.

Prior to the evaluation, each participant was required to completemore than 1,000 hours of training.

“The training is broad,” Mullaney said. “Members have to gothrough everything from chemical and fire training to evidence pres-ervation and crime scene awareness.”

What’s most unique about the team, Mullaney said, is the way itworks.

“We’re a military organization but by design we fall into the inci-dent command system,” he explained.

According to Mullaney, the team uses techniques employed bycivilian emergency crews rather than typical military operation meth-ods.

In addition, about 70 percent of the equipment used by the troopsis commercial or civilian because no military equivalents exist. Theteam is made up of five elements—command, communications, lo-gistics, medical and a survey team.

The idea behind these new homeland defense units arose becauselocal communities often lack the resources to deal with a chemical orbiological attack.

The problem, Mullaney said, was that training and equipmentcouldn’t be supported by local funding. As a result, federal officialsdecided to develop regional teams.

The National Guard then stepped up to provide both personneland gear, spending more than $10 million in equipment alone. Therenow are 27 such teams located across the country.

In addition to technical training, WMD troops must maintain highphysical fitness standards to ensure their safety while wearing pro-tective suits that can restrict movement and trap body heat.

All team members must pass physical fitness standards that sur-pass those normally set for Army soldiers, Mullaney said.

2 7The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS

Col. Michael Harden123rd Airlift Wing Commander

Wing Commander..............................Col. Michael HardenWing Public Affairs Officer...................1st Lt. Dale GreerEditor................................................Tech. Sgt. Amy Ziegler

This funded Air Force newspaper is published for mem-bers of the military services. Contents of The Cargo Cou-rier are not necessarily the views of the U.S. Government,the Department of Defense or the Air Force.

The editorial content is edited and prepared by the pub-lic affairs office of the 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air Na-tional Guard, Louisville International Airport, Louisville,Ky. 40213-2678.

If you have a story idea, photo or article to submit, stopby the public affairs office, room 2117 of the Wing Head-quarters Building. Deadline for the next issue is April 1.

How to contact us:

Phone: (502) 364-9431E-mail: amy.ziegler@kyloui.ang.af.mil

An electronic version of the Cargo Courier is available at the Kentucky Air Guard’s Web site — www.kyang.ang.af.mil

By Tech. Sgt. Tim DoughertyAir Force Print News

WASHINGTON—The combination ofAmerica’s war on terrorism andsteady state commitments world-wide has put increased strain onthe Air Force’s aerospace expe-ditionary forces. However, ex-cept for a few stressed careerfields, officials at the Pentagonsay normal rotations should beback soon.

“Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.John P. Jumper is committed tothe AEF construct—a three-month deployment with a 12-month period at home,” said Maj.Gen. Jeffrey B. Kohler, directorof operational plans, deputy chiefof staff for air and space opera-tions.

“Given the war on terrorism,we had to go through a momen-tary blip in our rotation sched-ule,” he said.

“However, it looks like we’regoing to be on time in bringing home about90 percent of the people who are currentlydeployed. We will rotate the forces deployedfor operations Enduring Freedom, NorthernWatch and Southern Watch so that those who

USAF remains committed to AEF rotation cyclesdeployed first will be allowed to rotate homefirst to the maximum extent possible.”

There are some exceptions, Kohler said.While Air Force leaders are working hard

to come up with a solution, a very smallnumber of career fields may not be able torotate as scheduled, he said.

“We know that there are some stressedcareer fields, such as security forces, com-

Master Sgt. Randy Kelzenberg/USAF

FlyingFriendly

SkiesOPERATION NOBLEEAGLE—Two F-16Fighting Falcons from the388th Fighter Wing at HillAir Force Base, Utah, fly acombat air patrol missionover the 2002 WinterOlympic Games Feb. 15.

The wing is the primaryunit tasked by the NorthAmerican AerospaceDefense Command toprovide air security duringthe Olympics.

think everyone will agreethat the tempo of our op-erations has never beenhigher.

I think you will alsoagree that what we are

doing has never been more important.I could not be more pleased about the re-

sponse of our folks or our level of perfor-mance—it has been nothing but outstand-ing, and I want to keep each and every oneof you doing what you do.

In order to ensure this in our future, weneed to make sure we maintain a safe work-place and a strong, safety-oriented culture.

You folks are too valuable to our countryto have someone needlessly injured becausewe weren’t paying attention to what we weredoing, either on the ground or in the air.

In order to emphasize the importance ofour strong safety culture, we will have aSafety Down Day on March 14.

We will suspend normal operations asmuch as possible and do nothing but think,talk and try to come up with ways to ensurethat safety and risk management is ingrainedin everything we do.

I have asked the commanders to inviteeveryone to come to the base that day andtake part in this important event, so if youcan break free from your civilian employerthat day please come and join us.

Ground safety, both on and off duty, issomething that is often taken for granted butis just as important as flying safety and in-volves an awful lot more people.

Not all of us fly—but all of us drive cars,

boats, RV’s and whatever other gadget is outthere.

We are all involved in sporting and otherphysical activities, and we work with ma-chinery and tools everyday.

All of these things can reach out and grabus if we lose our concentration, and they canruin our day in a heartbeat.

Ground safety is everyone’s responsibil-ity, and we owe it to ourselves, our familiesand our unit to do the little things that addup to a positive safety culture.

Little things like wearing a seat belt allthe time. Little things like keeping clutter outof the workplace. Little things like using the

proper tool and ensuring that safety guardsand devices are in place and workable.

When things don’t look right or feel right,stop and figure out why and then correct theproblem. Don’t get caught up in the urgencyof the task and do something that you knowis not right.

Flying safety depends upon many things.It requires skill in physically flying and fix-ing the aircraft.

It requires good training, guidance anddirection of those folks who fly and fix. Andit requires good judgment, focused attentionand concentration to the task by those whofly and fix.

If you lump all of these requirements to-gether you realize that you have to be apretty special individual in order to fill thebill.

You also must come to the conclusion thatyou must be on top of your game every dayin order to ensure safety.

For aircrews that means concentration onthe task of flying from the time they walkin the door of operations to go fly until theywalk out the door of operations to go home.

Plan every phase of the flight even if youhave flown the route or landed at that fielda hundred times.

Brief your plan so that everyone on thecrew knows what is supposed to happen.Pay attention to the details—weather,NOTAMS, FLIP and Foreign ClearanceGuides.

Really think about risk management.

With high operations tempo,safety has never been so important

the

I

See SAFETY on Back Page

An Air Force B-1B Lancer crew from the 28th Air Expedition-ary Wing discuss the maintenance log before leaving on anOperation Enduring Freedom combat mission.

Staff Sgt. Shane Cuomo/USAF

bat communications and fire fighters, thatmight have to stay a little longer,” Kohlersaid.

“But that’s not to say that absolutely ev-eryone in those career fields willbe staying longer.”

The tremendous performanceof the AEF in Operation Endur-ing Freedom is what caused thestress on certain career fields inthe first place, Kohler said.

“The Air Force is sort of a vic-tim of its own success,” Kohlersaid.

“The reason we are stressedis simple—we do such a greatjob. We went out and set up thesebases and started generating sor-ties as soon as we were asked. Ithink the results speak for them-selves in the war on terrorism inAfghanistan. The (U.S.) CentralCommand commander in chiefcould not have done what he didwithout the superb work of allthe airmen who went out and setit up.”

To ease the problems the Air Force hasin stressed career fields under current re-quirements, about 10 percent of the peoplewill stay deployed a little longer—some upto 135 days; others, up to 179 days, he said.

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002 3The Cargo Courier

March 2, 20026

KyANG NEWS

Promotions & separations Kentucky Air National Guard

The following individuals have beenpromoted to the rank indicated

as members of theKentucky Air Guard and reservists

of the United States Air Force:

AIRMAN 1ST CLASS (E-3)

•Adam Barker,123rd Communications Flt.

•Donald Glasser Jr.,123rd Student Flt.

SENIOR AIRMAN (E-4)

STAFF SERGEANT (E-5)

TECHNICAL SERGEANT (E-6)

The following individualshave separated from

the Kentucky Air National Guard:

•Cory Barker,123rd Security Forces Sq.

•Andy Bingaman,123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Shelly Famularo,

123rd Aerial Port Sq.•James Ketterer,123rd Airlift Wing

•Anthony Walker,123rd Logistics Sq.

•David Chester,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Joshua Devine,123rd Security Forces Sq.

•David Bridges,123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Kenneth Edwards,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Gary Lanzone,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Timothy Nash,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Ryan Novakovsky,

123rd Special Tactics Sq.•Bret Schlansky,

123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Sean Swanson,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Jason Vardeman,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Jonathan Wilson,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Airman 1st Class Daniel Bocook,123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Airman 1st Class Scott Broshears,165th Airlift Sq.

•Staff Sgt. Nathan Fetz,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Master Sgt. William Hall,123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Airman Jennifer Lowe,123rd Medical Sq.

•Airman Michelle McCawley,123rd Student Flt.

•Senior Airman Tony Menges,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Airman 1st Class Ryan Oldham,123rd Student Flt.

•Airman 1st Class April Stuck,123rd Medical Sq.

•Airman Keith Williams Jr.,123rd Airlift Wing

KyANG NEWS

•Amy Ziegler,123rd Airlift Wing

By Senior Airman Mark FlenerCargo Courier Staff Writer

The use of Ecstasy and other so-called“club drugs” are on the rise across the coun-try, causing increased potential for abuse bymembers of the armed services.

Members of the Kentucky Air Guard needto know that any drug abuse, including theuse of club drugs, can result in expulsionfrom the Air Guard, said Maj. Nate Mellman,wing staff judge advocate.

“If one spoke in the wheel is bent, it canaffect the entire operation,” Mellman ex-plained. “Drug abuse is incompatible withcontinued service in the military.

Regardless of the drug used, detectionmeans the end of a military career—period,Mellman said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time or100th time (to try a drug), a positive test ispositive—and the consequences are still bethe same.”

Punishments range from an administrativedischarge under less than honorable condi-

Drug abuse, including club drugs, ends careerstions and loss of veterans’ and retirementbenefits to a military court martial leadingto a dishonorable discharge and jail time.

More than that, Mellman said, a discharge

due to drug abuse can affect a person’s abil-ity to obtain employment—especially withthe government—and is a black mark onanyone’s record.

“More and more companies are doingbackground and security checks,” Mellmansaid. “This can follow you years down theroad.”

Currently, the wing educates KyANGmembers about the hazards and conse-quences of drug use at the beginning of theircareers, during Right Start training.

In addition, flight commanders recentlywere given information about club drugs topass on to unit members, Mellman said.

“The vast majority of members of themilitary lead drug free lives,” he said.“There’s always going to be an element outthere that will use. In general, people whoare attracted to military service do notchoose to do drugs.”

The base drug-testing program alsoserves as a deterrent, said Maj. MarshaBeecham of the wing’s military equal op-portunity office.

Each month, 35 percent of the base popu-lation is tested randomly, she said, althoughindividuals can be tested with cause at thedirection of their commanders.

KyANG photo byMaster Sgt. Charles Simpson

PresidentialWELCOMEVice PresidentDick Cheney is greetedby the Vice WingCommander,Col. Cora Jackson,and the AdjutantGeneral of Kentucky,Brig. Gen. AllenYoungman, upon hisarrival at the baseFeb. 6 .

Cheney was in townto attend a localpolitical function.

By 1st Lt. Kristin SoldnerOIC, Customer Support123rd Mission Support Flight

Staying in good physical condition is keyto being a member of the KyANG but it’salso important to remember the safe way toget there.

Currently about 25 percent of all base ac-cident reports are filed for sports-related in-juries, said Master Sgt. Barry Wright, thewing’s Ground Safety Manager.

The remainder, he said, are job-related—but most of those injuries are due to militarymembers straining muscles from pulling,twisting or overextending.

“This becomes quite a problem becausenot only does the unit member sufferpain and discomfort, but the member’s co-workers suffer due to missed work hours,”Wright said.

There are, however, a few simple steps in-dividuals can follow to prevent exercise- andjob-related injuries.

—Warm-up before exercise or exertionalwork. Practicing low-intensity move-ments, such as moderate-speed walking

or moderate cycling, gradually increasesblood flow to the working muscles. Thisincreases the intramuscular temperatureand joint fluid viscosity, which add to in-creased flexibility and decreased risk ofinjury. Weight lifters should consider aset of lower-weight repetitions of the liftthey are about to perform. The heavierthe lift, the more important the warm-upis.

—Stretching. Stretching after warm-upcan improve joint flexibility and rangeof motion. This can improve perfor-mance and prevent injury during the ex-ercise/performance session. Stretchingafter exercise decreases muscle sorenessand discomfort, and increases restingrange of motion.

—Cool-down. A low-intensity exerciseafter a higher intensity one allows theflow of blood in the body to returnclose to its normal flow rate. Allowingthis to happen is better for the heart andother muscles. Stopping abruptly can bechallenging to the heart and other bodysystems.

—Use a spotter. A spotter is an individualwho assists another in a weight-liftingmovement, and helps to prevent an in-jury. A spotter should be used for free-weight exercises performed over the headand/or face, and for those performed withthe bar racked in front of or behind theshoulders. As a reminder—you can al-ways progress up in a lift, but if you lifttoo much during an early lift, you couldend up with severely torn muscle and/orconnective tissue.

—Weight lifting belts should be used dur-ing exercises that stress the lower backduring sets of maximal or near-maximalloads. Lighter loads do not require a belt,and could actually prevent an increase instrength, leading to an injury out of theweight room.

Above all else, listen to your body—if ithurts, quit. Pain is an indicator that there issomething wrong.

Soldner holds a master’s degree in exer-cise physiology and is a certified strength andconditioning specialist.

Exercising safely ensures mission readiness

Illegal drug abuse, including use of Ec-stasy (shown above) and other “clubdrugs,” ends military careers.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002 54

KyANG NEWS

A b o v eBEYOND

AAAAA NNNNN DDDDD

LEFT: Senior Airman Philip Guptill,Master Sgt. Jeffrey Moore andSenior Master Sgt. Terry Lutzwere honored Feb. 2 as the“best of the best” in the KentuckyAir Guard during a banquet at theWoodhaven Country Club.

RIGHT: Senior Airman Stephanie Hilbertof the base finance office joins

more than 300 at the banquet to honorthe Airmen of the Year winners.

Hilbert also sang the national anthem.

Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG

Senior Airman Valerie Gholston/KyANG

Master Sgt. Charles Simpson/KyANG

ABOVE: Retired Maj. Gen. Carl Black,a former KyANG commander,

delivers the event’s keynote speech.

2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET

By Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

Col. Robert Yaple was named the new123rd Operations Group commander hereJan. 12.

Yaple has served as a navigator and pilotin the KyANG for more than 20 years.

He was commissioned through ArmyROTC in 1980 but took notice of F-4 Phan-toms flying overhead while attending theArmor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox,Ky.

After developing an interest in the aircraft,he made his way to the Kentucky Air Na-tional Guard and decided he’d rather spendhis military career flying planes than work-ing in a tank.

In the spring of 1981 Yaple joined theKyANG, beginning his Air Guard career asan RF-4C weapons system operator.

In 1985 he became a pilot, and four yearslater Yaple began serving as the commandpost officer, helping supervise command andcontrol, classified information and emer-gency operations.

Then in 1995 Yaple was selected as aflight commander for the 165th Airlift

Yaple named new ops group commander

Col. Robert Yaple123rd Operations Group Commander

Tricare informationbriefing

to be held March 7A Tricare briefing will be held

for eligible Kentucky Air Guardmembers and their family onMarch 7 at 9 a.m. in the basedining hall.

According to Staff Sgt. JohnCarey of the base personneloffice, any troop who is on ordersfor 31 days or more is eligible forTricare, the military’s health-careplan.

With hundreds of KyANGmembers now activated, questionsabout Tricare are on the rise,Carey said.

Sheila Odom of the Fort KnoxTricare Service Center will holdthe meeting.

For more information, contactCarey at ext. 4745.

TOP RIGHT: Master Sgt. Mark Ferrisof the 123rd Aircraft Generation Squadron

is awarded first sergeant of the yearby Wing Commander Col. Mike Harden.

Von Almen leaves unit for active duty

Tech. Sgt. Mark Rines/KyANG

Maj. Michael Cooney, Capt. John Von Almen and Lt. Col. Tom Curry—all basechaplains at the 123rd Airlift Wing—say farewell Feb. 3.

Squadron.In this position, he served as a frontline

supervisor for 10 KyANG pilots.In 1998 Yaple was named the operations

officer for the unit. As second in command

of the 165th Airlift Squadron, his responsi-bilities shifted to the details of running drillweekends.

The following year, Yaple was namedcommander of the 123rd Operations SupportFlight.

In this position, he worked closely withbase operations and was in charge of baseintel, tactics and mission planning.

In his next post, Yaple was named direc-tor of operations for state headquarters,KyANG.

In this position, Yaple was responsible foroverseeing base operations.

During his KyANG career, Yaple has par-ticipated in operations Restore Hope, JointEndeavor and Noble Eagle.

In his civilian career, Yaple is a aviationsafety inspector for the Federal AviationAdministration.

Prior to his current civilian post, he wasan air traffic controller and has worked forthe FAA for more than 15 years.

Yaple holds a bachelor’s degree in busi-ness administration from the University ofVermont.

He replaces Col. Frank Sharpe, who re-tired from KyANG last year.

Von Almen left the Kentucky Air Guard after three years to accept an active-duty position at Kirkland Air Force Base, N.M.

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002 54

KyANG NEWS

A b o v eBEYOND

AAAAA NNNNN DDDDD

LEFT: Senior Airman Philip Guptill,Master Sgt. Jeffrey Moore andSenior Master Sgt. Terry Lutzwere honored Feb. 2 as the“best of the best” in the KentuckyAir Guard during a banquet at theWoodhaven Country Club.

RIGHT: Senior Airman Stephanie Hilbertof the base finance office joins

more than 300 at the banquet to honorthe Airmen of the Year winners.

Hilbert also sang the national anthem.

Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG

Senior Airman Valerie Gholston/KyANG

Master Sgt. Charles Simpson/KyANG

ABOVE: Retired Maj. Gen. Carl Black,a former KyANG commander,

delivers the event’s keynote speech.

2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET2001 AIRMEN OF THE YEAR BANQUET

By Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

Col. Robert Yaple was named the new123rd Operations Group commander hereJan. 12.

Yaple has served as a navigator and pilotin the KyANG for more than 20 years.

He was commissioned through ArmyROTC in 1980 but took notice of F-4 Phan-toms flying overhead while attending theArmor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox,Ky.

After developing an interest in the aircraft,he made his way to the Kentucky Air Na-tional Guard and decided he’d rather spendhis military career flying planes than work-ing in a tank.

In the spring of 1981 Yaple joined theKyANG, beginning his Air Guard career asan RF-4C weapons system operator.

In 1985 he became a pilot, and four yearslater Yaple began serving as the commandpost officer, helping supervise command andcontrol, classified information and emer-gency operations.

Then in 1995 Yaple was selected as aflight commander for the 165th Airlift

Yaple named new ops group commander

Col. Robert Yaple123rd Operations Group Commander

Tricare informationbriefing

to be held March 7A Tricare briefing will be held

for eligible Kentucky Air Guardmembers and their family onMarch 7 at 9 a.m. in the basedining hall.

According to Staff Sgt. JohnCarey of the base personneloffice, any troop who is on ordersfor 31 days or more is eligible forTricare, the military’s health-careplan.

With hundreds of KyANGmembers now activated, questionsabout Tricare are on the rise,Carey said.

Sheila Odom of the Fort KnoxTricare Service Center will holdthe meeting.

For more information, contactCarey at ext. 4745.

TOP RIGHT: Master Sgt. Mark Ferrisof the 123rd Aircraft Generation Squadron

is awarded first sergeant of the yearby Wing Commander Col. Mike Harden.

Von Almen leaves unit for active duty

Tech. Sgt. Mark Rines/KyANG

Maj. Michael Cooney, Capt. John Von Almen and Lt. Col. Tom Curry—all basechaplains at the 123rd Airlift Wing—say farewell Feb. 3.

Squadron.In this position, he served as a frontline

supervisor for 10 KyANG pilots.In 1998 Yaple was named the operations

officer for the unit. As second in command

of the 165th Airlift Squadron, his responsi-bilities shifted to the details of running drillweekends.

The following year, Yaple was namedcommander of the 123rd Operations SupportFlight.

In this position, he worked closely withbase operations and was in charge of baseintel, tactics and mission planning.

In his next post, Yaple was named direc-tor of operations for state headquarters,KyANG.

In this position, Yaple was responsible foroverseeing base operations.

During his KyANG career, Yaple has par-ticipated in operations Restore Hope, JointEndeavor and Noble Eagle.

In his civilian career, Yaple is a aviationsafety inspector for the Federal AviationAdministration.

Prior to his current civilian post, he wasan air traffic controller and has worked forthe FAA for more than 15 years.

Yaple holds a bachelor’s degree in busi-ness administration from the University ofVermont.

He replaces Col. Frank Sharpe, who re-tired from KyANG last year.

Von Almen left the Kentucky Air Guard after three years to accept an active-duty position at Kirkland Air Force Base, N.M.

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002 3The Cargo Courier

March 2, 20026

KyANG NEWS

Promotions & separations Kentucky Air National Guard

The following individuals have beenpromoted to the rank indicated

as members of theKentucky Air Guard and reservists

of the United States Air Force:

AIRMAN 1ST CLASS (E-3)

•Adam Barker,123rd Communications Flt.

•Donald Glasser Jr.,123rd Student Flt.

SENIOR AIRMAN (E-4)

STAFF SERGEANT (E-5)

TECHNICAL SERGEANT (E-6)

The following individualshave separated from

the Kentucky Air National Guard:

•Cory Barker,123rd Security Forces Sq.

•Andy Bingaman,123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Shelly Famularo,

123rd Aerial Port Sq.•James Ketterer,123rd Airlift Wing

•Anthony Walker,123rd Logistics Sq.

•David Chester,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Joshua Devine,123rd Security Forces Sq.

•David Bridges,123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Kenneth Edwards,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Gary Lanzone,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Timothy Nash,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Ryan Novakovsky,

123rd Special Tactics Sq.•Bret Schlansky,

123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Sean Swanson,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Jason Vardeman,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Jonathan Wilson,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Airman 1st Class Daniel Bocook,123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Airman 1st Class Scott Broshears,165th Airlift Sq.

•Staff Sgt. Nathan Fetz,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Master Sgt. William Hall,123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Airman Jennifer Lowe,123rd Medical Sq.

•Airman Michelle McCawley,123rd Student Flt.

•Senior Airman Tony Menges,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Airman 1st Class Ryan Oldham,123rd Student Flt.

•Airman 1st Class April Stuck,123rd Medical Sq.

•Airman Keith Williams Jr.,123rd Airlift Wing

KyANG NEWS

•Amy Ziegler,123rd Airlift Wing

By Senior Airman Mark FlenerCargo Courier Staff Writer

The use of Ecstasy and other so-called“club drugs” are on the rise across the coun-try, causing increased potential for abuse bymembers of the armed services.

Members of the Kentucky Air Guard needto know that any drug abuse, including theuse of club drugs, can result in expulsionfrom the Air Guard, said Maj. Nate Mellman,wing staff judge advocate.

“If one spoke in the wheel is bent, it canaffect the entire operation,” Mellman ex-plained. “Drug abuse is incompatible withcontinued service in the military.

Regardless of the drug used, detectionmeans the end of a military career—period,Mellman said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time or100th time (to try a drug), a positive test ispositive—and the consequences are still bethe same.”

Punishments range from an administrativedischarge under less than honorable condi-

Drug abuse, including club drugs, ends careerstions and loss of veterans’ and retirementbenefits to a military court martial leadingto a dishonorable discharge and jail time.

More than that, Mellman said, a discharge

due to drug abuse can affect a person’s abil-ity to obtain employment—especially withthe government—and is a black mark onanyone’s record.

“More and more companies are doingbackground and security checks,” Mellmansaid. “This can follow you years down theroad.”

Currently, the wing educates KyANGmembers about the hazards and conse-quences of drug use at the beginning of theircareers, during Right Start training.

In addition, flight commanders recentlywere given information about club drugs topass on to unit members, Mellman said.

“The vast majority of members of themilitary lead drug free lives,” he said.“There’s always going to be an element outthere that will use. In general, people whoare attracted to military service do notchoose to do drugs.”

The base drug-testing program alsoserves as a deterrent, said Maj. MarshaBeecham of the wing’s military equal op-portunity office.

Each month, 35 percent of the base popu-lation is tested randomly, she said, althoughindividuals can be tested with cause at thedirection of their commanders.

KyANG photo byMaster Sgt. Charles Simpson

PresidentialWELCOMEVice PresidentDick Cheney is greetedby the Vice WingCommander,Col. Cora Jackson,and the AdjutantGeneral of Kentucky,Brig. Gen. AllenYoungman, upon hisarrival at the baseFeb. 6 .

Cheney was in townto attend a localpolitical function.

By 1st Lt. Kristin SoldnerOIC, Customer Support123rd Mission Support Flight

Staying in good physical condition is keyto being a member of the KyANG but it’salso important to remember the safe way toget there.

Currently about 25 percent of all base ac-cident reports are filed for sports-related in-juries, said Master Sgt. Barry Wright, thewing’s Ground Safety Manager.

The remainder, he said, are job-related—but most of those injuries are due to militarymembers straining muscles from pulling,twisting or overextending.

“This becomes quite a problem becausenot only does the unit member sufferpain and discomfort, but the member’s co-workers suffer due to missed work hours,”Wright said.

There are, however, a few simple steps in-dividuals can follow to prevent exercise- andjob-related injuries.

—Warm-up before exercise or exertionalwork. Practicing low-intensity move-ments, such as moderate-speed walking

or moderate cycling, gradually increasesblood flow to the working muscles. Thisincreases the intramuscular temperatureand joint fluid viscosity, which add to in-creased flexibility and decreased risk ofinjury. Weight lifters should consider aset of lower-weight repetitions of the liftthey are about to perform. The heavierthe lift, the more important the warm-upis.

—Stretching. Stretching after warm-upcan improve joint flexibility and rangeof motion. This can improve perfor-mance and prevent injury during the ex-ercise/performance session. Stretchingafter exercise decreases muscle sorenessand discomfort, and increases restingrange of motion.

—Cool-down. A low-intensity exerciseafter a higher intensity one allows theflow of blood in the body to returnclose to its normal flow rate. Allowingthis to happen is better for the heart andother muscles. Stopping abruptly can bechallenging to the heart and other bodysystems.

—Use a spotter. A spotter is an individualwho assists another in a weight-liftingmovement, and helps to prevent an in-jury. A spotter should be used for free-weight exercises performed over the headand/or face, and for those performed withthe bar racked in front of or behind theshoulders. As a reminder—you can al-ways progress up in a lift, but if you lifttoo much during an early lift, you couldend up with severely torn muscle and/orconnective tissue.

—Weight lifting belts should be used dur-ing exercises that stress the lower backduring sets of maximal or near-maximalloads. Lighter loads do not require a belt,and could actually prevent an increase instrength, leading to an injury out of theweight room.

Above all else, listen to your body—if ithurts, quit. Pain is an indicator that there issomething wrong.

Soldner holds a master’s degree in exer-cise physiology and is a certified strength andconditioning specialist.

Exercising safely ensures mission readiness

Illegal drug abuse, including use of Ec-stasy (shown above) and other “clubdrugs,” ends military careers.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs

2 7The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS

Col. Michael Harden123rd Airlift Wing Commander

Wing Commander..............................Col. Michael HardenWing Public Affairs Officer...................1st Lt. Dale GreerEditor................................................Tech. Sgt. Amy Ziegler

This funded Air Force newspaper is published for mem-bers of the military services. Contents of The Cargo Cou-rier are not necessarily the views of the U.S. Government,the Department of Defense or the Air Force.

The editorial content is edited and prepared by the pub-lic affairs office of the 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air Na-tional Guard, Louisville International Airport, Louisville,Ky. 40213-2678.

If you have a story idea, photo or article to submit, stopby the public affairs office, room 2117 of the Wing Head-quarters Building. Deadline for the next issue is April 1.

How to contact us:

Phone: (502) 364-9431E-mail: amy.ziegler@kyloui.ang.af.mil

An electronic version of the Cargo Courier is available at the Kentucky Air Guard’s Web site — www.kyang.ang.af.mil

By Tech. Sgt. Tim DoughertyAir Force Print News

WASHINGTON—The combination ofAmerica’s war on terrorism andsteady state commitments world-wide has put increased strain onthe Air Force’s aerospace expe-ditionary forces. However, ex-cept for a few stressed careerfields, officials at the Pentagonsay normal rotations should beback soon.

“Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.John P. Jumper is committed tothe AEF construct—a three-month deployment with a 12-month period at home,” said Maj.Gen. Jeffrey B. Kohler, directorof operational plans, deputy chiefof staff for air and space opera-tions.

“Given the war on terrorism,we had to go through a momen-tary blip in our rotation sched-ule,” he said.

“However, it looks like we’regoing to be on time in bringing home about90 percent of the people who are currentlydeployed. We will rotate the forces deployedfor operations Enduring Freedom, NorthernWatch and Southern Watch so that those who

USAF remains committed to AEF rotation cyclesdeployed first will be allowed to rotate homefirst to the maximum extent possible.”

There are some exceptions, Kohler said.While Air Force leaders are working hard

to come up with a solution, a very smallnumber of career fields may not be able torotate as scheduled, he said.

“We know that there are some stressedcareer fields, such as security forces, com-

Master Sgt. Randy Kelzenberg/USAF

FlyingFriendly

SkiesOPERATION NOBLEEAGLE—Two F-16Fighting Falcons from the388th Fighter Wing at HillAir Force Base, Utah, fly acombat air patrol missionover the 2002 WinterOlympic Games Feb. 15.

The wing is the primaryunit tasked by the NorthAmerican AerospaceDefense Command toprovide air security duringthe Olympics.

think everyone will agreethat the tempo of our op-erations has never beenhigher.

I think you will alsoagree that what we are

doing has never been more important.I could not be more pleased about the re-

sponse of our folks or our level of perfor-mance—it has been nothing but outstand-ing, and I want to keep each and every oneof you doing what you do.

In order to ensure this in our future, weneed to make sure we maintain a safe work-place and a strong, safety-oriented culture.

You folks are too valuable to our countryto have someone needlessly injured becausewe weren’t paying attention to what we weredoing, either on the ground or in the air.

In order to emphasize the importance ofour strong safety culture, we will have aSafety Down Day on March 14.

We will suspend normal operations asmuch as possible and do nothing but think,talk and try to come up with ways to ensurethat safety and risk management is ingrainedin everything we do.

I have asked the commanders to inviteeveryone to come to the base that day andtake part in this important event, so if youcan break free from your civilian employerthat day please come and join us.

Ground safety, both on and off duty, issomething that is often taken for granted butis just as important as flying safety and in-volves an awful lot more people.

Not all of us fly—but all of us drive cars,

boats, RV’s and whatever other gadget is outthere.

We are all involved in sporting and otherphysical activities, and we work with ma-chinery and tools everyday.

All of these things can reach out and grabus if we lose our concentration, and they canruin our day in a heartbeat.

Ground safety is everyone’s responsibil-ity, and we owe it to ourselves, our familiesand our unit to do the little things that addup to a positive safety culture.

Little things like wearing a seat belt allthe time. Little things like keeping clutter outof the workplace. Little things like using the

proper tool and ensuring that safety guardsand devices are in place and workable.

When things don’t look right or feel right,stop and figure out why and then correct theproblem. Don’t get caught up in the urgencyof the task and do something that you knowis not right.

Flying safety depends upon many things.It requires skill in physically flying and fix-ing the aircraft.

It requires good training, guidance anddirection of those folks who fly and fix. Andit requires good judgment, focused attentionand concentration to the task by those whofly and fix.

If you lump all of these requirements to-gether you realize that you have to be apretty special individual in order to fill thebill.

You also must come to the conclusion thatyou must be on top of your game every dayin order to ensure safety.

For aircrews that means concentration onthe task of flying from the time they walkin the door of operations to go fly until theywalk out the door of operations to go home.

Plan every phase of the flight even if youhave flown the route or landed at that fielda hundred times.

Brief your plan so that everyone on thecrew knows what is supposed to happen.Pay attention to the details—weather,NOTAMS, FLIP and Foreign ClearanceGuides.

Really think about risk management.

With high operations tempo,safety has never been so important

the

I

See SAFETY on Back Page

An Air Force B-1B Lancer crew from the 28th Air Expedition-ary Wing discuss the maintenance log before leaving on anOperation Enduring Freedom combat mission.

Staff Sgt. Shane Cuomo/USAF

bat communications and fire fighters, thatmight have to stay a little longer,” Kohlersaid.

“But that’s not to say that absolutely ev-eryone in those career fields willbe staying longer.”

The tremendous performanceof the AEF in Operation Endur-ing Freedom is what caused thestress on certain career fields inthe first place, Kohler said.

“The Air Force is sort of a vic-tim of its own success,” Kohlersaid.

“The reason we are stressedis simple—we do such a greatjob. We went out and set up thesebases and started generating sor-ties as soon as we were asked. Ithink the results speak for them-selves in the war on terrorism inAfghanistan. The (U.S.) CentralCommand commander in chiefcould not have done what he didwithout the superb work of allthe airmen who went out and setit up.”

To ease the problems the Air Force hasin stressed career fields under current re-quirements, about 10 percent of the peoplewill stay deployed a little longer—some upto 135 days; others, up to 179 days, he said.

8 The Cargo CourierMarch 2, 2002

123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XVIII, No. 3 • March 2, 2002

123rd Airlift WingPublic Affairs OfficeKentucky Air National Guard1101 Grade LaneLouisville, KY 40213-2678

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Have all of the risks been identified, mitigated or accepted atthe proper level of approval? Fly your plan if at all possible,and if not possible, replan and rebrief so that everyone has achance to give it a sanity check.

Use your checklists religiously, refer to other publicationsfor guidance when the need arises, and always maintainaircraft control, analyze the situation and take the properaction. Good judgment and CRM are essential for success.

For maintainers, safety means concentrating on the task athand until it is finished. Use tech data on every job.

Realize that when you sign your name, you are saying ajob is completed or that you have inspected someone else’swork and are certifying that it was done by the book, the rightway.

You are asked to work in all kinds of weather, at all timesof the day and night, and under all kinds of conditions.

No matter what the conditions, you must concentrate onalways doing it right.

Leadership must also establish and maintain an atmo-sphere where communications are open and honest.

Our folks must be able to identify problem areas and feelthat they can communicate the problem to their leaderswithout fear of ridicule or retribution.

Leaders must live up to their responsibility to identifysubstandard performance or unsafe acts and determinecorrective action.

In almost every aircraft accident caused by crew ormaintenance error you can find a history of substandard ormarginal performance by the individual or individualsinvolved.

In almost every ground incident you will find evidence ofunsafe practices or conditions that could or should have beencorrected.

Leaders must know their people. That means knowing theircapabilities and making sure we do not ask them to dosomething they are unqualified or unequipped to do.

It also means making sure they have the training andopportunity to become qualified.

I ask for your help in this important initiative.No matter how motivated, trained and combat-ready our

airmen are, they’re useless if they’re laid up because of aninjury caused by inattention to safety.

This is something we must work hard on everyday.Most accidents don’t just happen—they occur because

someone did something, or a series of something’s, that led tothe event.

Let’s all work together for a safe and efficient future.

Thanks Loads!

SafetyContinued from Page 2

COMMANDER’S CALL

WMD team receivesfederal certification

Photos by Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG

TOP: Army Sgt. Jeron Verrett of the 41st participates in anexercise recon mission at the local Buechel Armory Feb. 21.

BOTTOM: During the exercise, Sgt. 1st Class Sean Brownand Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Smith find a simulated lab in whichgerm warfare agents are being made.

By Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

The Kentucky National Guard’s 41st Weapons of Mass Destruc-tion Civil Support Team received federal certification in January af-ter successfully completing an evaluation at Fort Leonardwood, Mo.,in December.

The unit, based here, is composed of 13 soldiers and eight airmen,all of whom are full-time troops.

Team members began preparing for the evaluation in May 2000,said Lt. Col. Neil Mullaney, team commander.

The certification means team members now are authorized to re-spond to a chemical or biological incident occurring within 250 milesof the base.

Prior to the evaluation, each participant was required to completemore than 1,000 hours of training.

“The training is broad,” Mullaney said. “Members have to gothrough everything from chemical and fire training to evidence pres-ervation and crime scene awareness.”

What’s most unique about the team, Mullaney said, is the way itworks.

“We’re a military organization but by design we fall into the inci-dent command system,” he explained.

According to Mullaney, the team uses techniques employed bycivilian emergency crews rather than typical military operation meth-ods.

In addition, about 70 percent of the equipment used by the troopsis commercial or civilian because no military equivalents exist. Theteam is made up of five elements—command, communications, lo-gistics, medical and a survey team.

The idea behind these new homeland defense units arose becauselocal communities often lack the resources to deal with a chemical orbiological attack.

The problem, Mullaney said, was that training and equipmentcouldn’t be supported by local funding. As a result, federal officialsdecided to develop regional teams.

The National Guard then stepped up to provide both personneland gear, spending more than $10 million in equipment alone. Therenow are 27 such teams located across the country.

In addition to technical training, WMD troops must maintain highphysical fitness standards to ensure their safety while wearing pro-tective suits that can restrict movement and trap body heat.

All team members must pass physical fitness standards that sur-pass those normally set for Army soldiers, Mullaney said.