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Jet48Health&FitnessLiberty Longstriders triumph in FranceCaitlin Tyree48th Public Affairs InternWhile most runners remained indoors this winter to avoid the bittercold and wet weather, a group of vibrant and dedicated womenput their heads together and quickly came up with a substitute forovercrowded gyms and treadmills. This ensemble of runners andnon-runners alike joined ranks in the gloomy winter months andbegan what is known today as the Liberty Longstriders.What started as an attempt to create neighborhood running-partnershipsbetween friends evolved into something much more. Wordof mouth and a commitment to exercise spurred on the formulationof this club, an assortment of women seeking camaraderie and goodhealth. These dedicated Longstriders have already participatedin many of their own “spirit runs” and most recently, a 10 kilometerrace and a half-marathon in Nice, France.Patricia Castelain, wife of Lt. Col. Henri Castelain of the492nd Fighter Squadron and member of the LibertyLongstriders, has loved her involvement with the group.“I don’t know what I would’ve done without myLongstriders this winter.” said Mrs. Castelain.Because the Longstriders run inpairs or small groups,Mrs.Castelain has found it easier to run on the cold, wet mornings thatare so common in England.“We had someone else we were accountable to, so those morningswhen it was freezing and raining, you would go because anotherwoman was waiting for you and willing to endure it. Now wehave many great memories of awful runs with rain dripping off ournoses and laughing in spite of ourselves.”The Liberty Longstriders enjoyed their latest adventure in aresort area in Nice, France, where five women completed a 10 kilometerrace and eight completed the Nice Semi-Marathon, thirteenmiles. The races were a raging success to every member that attended.All returned to England with medals and fond memories of timespent running, shopping, dining, and even swimming in theMediterranean Sea.The Longstriders weren’t the only ones amazed at the beautifulscenery of the French Riviera; 8,000 runners raced through the cityApril 23 along a strip of perfect aquamarine blue.“It was heaven. The area is breathtaking,” said Mrs. Castelain.Mrs. Donna Balutski, wife of Chief Master Sgt. Kenui “Bull”Balutski of the 48th Communication Squadron, is another proudmember of the Liberty Longstriders.“Our trip to Nice was wonderful. The race itself was crowded forthe first 6 miles, so this wasn’t a race to get a personal record on.When I realized that I wasn’t going to make my personal goal timeof 1:50, I relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful sites along the FrenchRiviera.”“It was so incredible to have the other Longstriders cheering uson at the finish line. It gave me the adrenaline that I needed to finishthe race,” said Mrs. Balutski.Apart from training for the marathon, planning the trip to Francebecame a group activity. Efforts were made by many of the teammembers to procure transportation, lodging, and personallydesigned T-shirts with a special Liberty Longstriders logo.“Each one in this group brings something to the table as far asteaching and training one another.”“Together we make a great running club. We don’t competeagainst each other; we actually want the others right there along sideof us or even in front of us,” said Mrs. Balutski.Mrs. Castelain sums up her feelings about the group, stating,“We are a cross section of America. We are tall, short and inbetween. Some are curvy, some are straight, and oneof us is even pregnant. We range in agefrom under 30 to way over 40. But mainlywe are women with a common interest –sharing a moment of our lives together.”After returning to England from anamazing and successful trip to France,these extraordinary women arealready planning more races andevents to participate in. If youwould like more information abouthow to join or get involved withthe fascinating and remarkableLiberty Longstriders, emailLongstriders@btinternet.com.courtesy graphicPAGE 18 JET 48 MAGAZINEMAY 12, 2006
Jet48PerspectiveThe challenging troopBy James Robb48th Mission Support Group Deputy CommanderOne of the leadership challenges many managers encounter throughouttheir careers is dealing with under-performers. As a leader, havingto be prepared to motivate and utilize “the hand you are dealt.”Sometimes that hand isn’t necessarily the best of the best.In this time of leaner management, Air Force Smart Operations21 and manpower reductions, the first inclination a leader may haveis to pull a Donald Trump with under-performers: “You’re fired!”While that may be the easiest course of action, it doesn’t deal withthe issue; it just moves it elsewhere. And, even worse, a replacementmight not be any better. Good leaders look under the roughpersona and find out what makes their people tick, leveraging positivequalities to better accomplish the mission. I have worked withmany “cast-offs” in my career and have come to realize often all aperson needs to succeedis a little redirectionand support.Tech. Sgt. “Paul,”for example, was anythingbut a superstar.He was an extremelyintelligent engineeringassistant draftsman, butwas apparently lazy orbored all the time. Hehad 18 years in the AFand was on profilebecause he was 30pounds overweight. Hehad been “fired” fromthree previous positionsin the squadron. Onewas because he made amistake in accounting.Another was becausehe was never at hisdesk and the third one was because he “couldn’t avoid” visitinginappropriate Web sites, he liked to spend hours at gaming sitesinstead of working. By all accounts, Paul was on a quick route outof the military.At this time, I needed someone to provide high quality renderingsof projects and three-dimensional pictures. Paul certainly wasgood as a two-dimensional draftsman, so I had nothing to lose bygiving him this task. I figured if I could capitalize on his draftingtalent and combine this with his love of gaming, I could get somereasonable 3-D drawings from him. I set him up in a workstation nottoo far from mine with new state-of-the-art equipment and top-ofthe-line software and got him the training to use it. Although all thisran about $7,500, it cost much less than an outside contractor wouldhave charged.At first, Paul started out okay, but after a couple weeks, he wasnever at his desk. Rather than working, he was usually leaningagainst the wall, shooting the breeze and wasting someone else’s“As leaders, our”JETjobs are to developour people’sstrengths and givethem the tools theyneed to succeed.time as well as his own. Rather than reprimand him, I would refocushis attention back to the task at hand, asking him where he was onthe project he was working. Then later that day, I would add anotherrequirement to his task list. After a couple weeks of this, Paul knewthat I was depending on him for results and not just giving him busywork as others had done in the past. I gave him a sense of purpose. Ialso took personal interest in what he was doing.Soon he was producing preliminary drawings that began to anticipatemy needs. As he worked, his skills increased and his reputationfor doing innovative and interesting work spread. Soon, people werecoming around and looking over his shoulder, watching what he wasdoing and asking for instruction. Others in his specialty started tocome to him for answers. He was no longer the laughing stock, butsomeone with talent. Rather than feeling worthless, he began tounderstand his value to the project, office and mission.I continued to counsel and encourage his interest in this field,because I knew he would have an uphill battle to re-enlist given hishistory and physical condition.Furthermore, I urged himto think of a future outsidethe military and the fee hisskills could claim in the privatesector. He soon learnedhow to do animation andother advanced skills on hisown, with no prodding fromme. The products he createdwere shown to the wingcommander, who loved themand demanded more.Inspiration, encouragementand success all had thedesired effect and prettysoon Paul was always at hisdesk working and pullinglonger hours than anyoneelse in the section, just to getit right. The under-performerhad evolved into the overachiever and a valuable asset to the office,wing and AF.Paul was with me for a year before he moved to another base.The flight chief at his new base praised him, relating back to methat he continued to develop his skills and produce the sameextraordinary results to their wing that he’d provided to ours. At theend of that tour, Paul retired and took a challenging job doing thesame work for an architect and engineer firm, setting himself up fora very comfortable second career.Some leaders deal with weaker elements by getting rid of thosethey feel don’t fit the mold. However, sometimes it just takes knowingyour people better, especially their talents and needs, and givingthem the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.As leaders, our jobs are to develop our people’s strengths andgive them the tools they need to succeed. If we succeed in accomplishingthat goal as leaders, we will always end up with a betterorganization because of our efforts.MAY 12, 200648 MAGAZINE PAGE 21
Page 1 and 2: Vol. 33 No. 18 FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2006
Page 3 and 4: Jet48CommandersForumBy Brig Gen Rob
Page 5 and 6: Jet48NewsLocalMotorcyclists take to
Page 7 and 8: Jet48NewsAround the Air ForceChief
Page 9 and 10: Jet48FeatureStaff Report48th Fighte
Page 11: Jet48NewsCapt. Robert Gable, 48th F
Page 15 and 16: BULLETINBOARDBriefsMayfair bazaarTh

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