Remembering 9/11 ... pages 12-14 - Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass

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PATRIOT | NEWSVolume 38No. 9September 2011This funded, Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services.Contents of the PATRIOT are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government,the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force. The content is edited, prepared andprovided by the 439 th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office, Westover Air Reserve Base. All photographs areAir Force photographs unless otherwise indicated.UTA SNAPSHOT |SundayFamily day, Base EllipseSept. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Events will include honoring retiringwing members and food,volleyball, horseshoes, a dunk tankand bounce houses.439Patriot.Editor@westover.af.mil(413) 557-2063Patriot on the web:westover.afrc.af.mil439 th Airlift Wing commanderCol. Steven VautrainChief of Public AffairsLt. Col. James BishopWing Public Affairs Officer2 nd Lt. Andre BowserNCOIC/EditorMSgt. Andrew Biscoegraphics /videoW.C. PopeStaffTSgt. Brian BoyntonTSgt. Troy ThibeaultTSgt. Timothy HuffmanTSgt. Stephen WinnSSgt. George CloutierSSgt. Katie KileySrA. Kelly GallowaySrA. Alexander BrownSrA. Charles Hutchinson IVAdministrationNicole ClarkBriefsBriefs |Change of commandSecond in command |||pg. 3pg. 4Purple Heart|Yellow Ribbon scenery |pg. 5Rodeo winnersBlack History Month |COMM exerciseWhat did you forget? |Patriot PraisesPatriot Praises ||||pg. 8-9pg. 10pg. 15CEREMONY OF TRADITION The ranks of the439th Airlift Wing stand at ease during theAug. 6 change of command ceremony heldin the Base Hangar. For more on the changeof command, and Purple Heart and BronzeStar awards, turn to page 4.ON CAMERA A local television news crew interviews Col. Steven Vautrain near the flight line, just before hetook command of the 439 th Airlift Wing, Aug. 5. For more on the new commander, visit the Westover web pageat westover.afrc.af.mil. Also pictured is Lt. Col. James Bishop, wing chief of public affairs. Turn to page 4 for additionalcoverage of Col. Vautrain. (photo by W.C. Pope)
EDITORIAL | Commander appreciates welcomingCol. VautrainBRIEFS |CFC kickoffKatie and I trulyappreciate thewarm welcomewe have receivedf rom t he me nand women ofthe 439 th . You’vealready made usfeel like part ofthe Westover family.I still find it hard to believe that I havebeen selected to lead such an outstandingteam of professionals. The wing has beenworking hard over the last year to preparefor the Operational Readiness Inspectionand you performed magnificently. Inspectionscan be hard on a unit, but the 439 thcame through this ORI well, and we havea bright future ahead of us.As we mark the tenth anniversary of theattacks on America, the Patriot Wingis still an integral part of our nation’sdefense. The 439 th has provided steadfastsupport to Operation Enduring Freedomfrom the very beginning. You stepped upto the challenges of worldwide combatoperations.Your selfless service made it possible forour three-component Air Force to excelThe Pioneer Valley CombinedFederal Campaign will kick offat 7:30 a.m. Sept. 27 at BarnesAir National Guard Base inWestfield, Mass.The CFC will run throughDec. 15. This fall’s campaigngoal is $50,000. For more information,visit cfc.org.Taking commandCol. Samuel “Bo” Mahaney,439 th Operations Group commander,will soon leave Westoverto become commander ofthe 459 th Air Refueling Wing,Andrews Air Force Base, Md.He will take command of theKC-135 wing Oct. 23.across the globe, regardless of whetheryou served at home or abroad. Whether itwas deploying troops to Afghanistan, supportinghumanitarian missions aroundthe world or redeploying troops fromIraq, you met the nation’s call during atime of crisis.I want to take this opportunity tothank you for your service to our country.Your ability to balance the “ReserveTriad” – the Air Force, family and civilianemployer – allows us to remain a criticalcomponent of our national defense. Iappreciate the sacrifices made by yourfamilies and employers in support of yourservice. Pleasing family, civilian employersand military supervisors at the sametime isn’t an easy task; there are timeswhen the Reserve needs you and timeswhen your civilian employer needs you,but your family always needs you.Many of you have endured lengthy deploymentsaway from loved ones. I thankyou for your sacrifices. It’s very importantthat you pay attention to your family andgive them the support that they give toyou. Cherish your family time.My first goal as your new commander isto get to know the people. Many of youTuskegee Airman to speak at baseCharles Cross, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, will bepart of a formal ceremony Sept. 11 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at theWestover Conference Center.The Putnam Vocational High School Honor Guard and Drillteam, from Springfield, Mass., will present the colors and performa short ceremony. For more information, contact Lt. Col.Donald Gomes at 557-2220.Wing honors quarterly winnersWestover’s quarterly awards board has selected the followingwinners for their outstanding contributions to the 439 thAirlift Wing mission for the third quarter of 2011:Airman: SrA. Thomas Lennon, 439 th Aeromedical StagingSquadron; NCO: SSgt. Nestor Lagares, 439 th MaintenanceSquadron; Senior NCO: MSgt. Douglas Clark, 439 thSecurity Forces Squadron; Company Grade Officer: 2 nd Lt.Andre Bowser, 439 th Airlift Wing; Civilian: Alan Dedinas,439 th Mission Support Group; Civilian Supervisor: JeffreyWhitehead, 439 th Security Forces Squadron.PATRIOT | PAGE 3will see me around the base in the nearfuture. I will start with the senior leadership,but we all know that it is the peoplein the offices, in the maintenance shops,on the flight line and in the field who arethe heart and soul of a unit, especially areserve unit.Many of you have been in the 439 th fora long time. I’d like to get to know youand hear your stories of how the wing hasevolved and discuss ways in which we canmake our wing even better.It took a team effort to be recognizedas the best wing in AFRC. Without thesupport of the entire wing we could nevermaintain this level of excellence; the menand women in operations, maintenance,support and our medical squadronsconsistently work together to exceed AirForce requirements.I thank all of you for your support andlook forward to leading the Westoverteam. Katie and I are proud to be the newestmembers of the Westover family; wewish you all a happy and safe remainderof 2011!by Col. Steven Vautrain439 th Airlift Wing commanderDADT repealC o n g r e s s r e p e a l e d t h e“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” laweffective Sept. 20. On July22, President Barack Obamacertified to Congress thatthe U.S. armed forces wereprepared for repeal of theDADT law.This certification started a60-day waiting period untilthe repeal becomes effective.Airmen can access the DADTrepeal training through theAdvanced Distributed LearningService link on the AirForce Portal.Additional information isavailable at the local judgeadvocate offices.
Page 1: PATRIOT | PAGE 1439 th Airlift Wing
Page 5 and 6: PATRIOT | PAGE 5SF NCOs earn Purple
Page 7 and 8: PATRIOT | PAGE 7EMPLOYERS continued
Page 9 and 10: PATRIOT | PAGE 9
Page 11 and 12: PATRIOT | PAGE 11PTSD expert speaks
Page 13 and 14: | |career,” the aircraft commande
Page 15 and 16: PATRIOT | PAGE 15PATRIOTPRAISES|Pro

Remembering 9/11 ... pages 12-14 - Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass

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