Iron Man - 440th Airlift Wing

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FEATUREPreserving a LegacyOne Picture at a TimeWing aims to capture “everything 440th” by creating a one-stopshopresource on the life and times of GMIAPby Capt. Keith LeistekowGeneral Mitchell Air ReserveStation will be closed. Colonel MerleHart, wing commander, recently chal-lenged the team responsible for the2004 Electronic Yearbook (nowavailable, see below) to take its effortsbeyond capturing one yearsworth of accomplishments and insteadcollect and produce everything440th - in a product currently entitled,the “Archive Project”.The current team, along withanyone interested in volunteering,will be soliciting, collecting, archivingand eventually producing a digitallibrary of anything and everything440th, a one-stop-shop resourceavailable to all wing members.In theory, the archive will eventuallyinclude every issue of the FlyingBadger in searchable .pdf format,all history reports, and thethousands of images, audio and videorecordings that show-and-tell thewing’s rich history since the beginning.Once compiled, the archive willserve our members as an electronicresource that can be used in a varietyof applications.The limits to what can be doneonce the data has been collected andarchived is endless, however the successor failure of this project reliesheavily on the actual materials thatcan be obtained.“While the name and a few ofthe folks from the 440 th will continueon at Ft. Bragg, a great deal ofthe shared history, alumni, retireememorabilia, corporate memory willundoubtedly be lost in the move,”said Maj. Tony Polashek, project’steam leader. “We have a lot of goodideas for potential products but fornow, our focus is simply to buildthe archive with everyone’s help.”Members interested in providingmaterials of interest (unit memorabilia,photos, video, negatives,slides, film), or who have additionalquestions or are interested in gettinginvolved can contact Major Polashekat (414) 482-5967, or via e-mail atanthony.polashek@generalmitchell.af.mil.Major Polashek’s office is locatedin building. 102, room 224, directlyacross from the Command Post. APmaterials can also be dropped off inthe wing’s Public Affairs Office,building 102, room 111.All materials provided bymembers will be cataloged and returnedas soon as possible. Membersare asked to provide as muchinformation including dates, subjectmatter, names and places upon delivery.Volunteers will primarily assistin the identification, renamingof materials provided and saving offiles to a shared drive accessible fromany base computer.Page 4 The Flying Badger February 2006
Airlifting the MostPrecious of CargoDespite recently completed two-yeartour, 440th aircrews return to the skiesto airlift wounded soldiers homeby Senior Airman Erica NeubauerThe 440th Airlift Wing answereda call for service to soldiersthat have been wounded overseas.Despite just coming off of atwo year deployment, five air crewsvolunteered to work 139 continuousman days in order to transportwounded soldiers back to their homebases from Andrews AFB, Md. Twoof the crews flew missions over theChristmas weekend.“This is the most rewardingwork we’ve done in a long time,”said Lt. Col. Dennis Beatty, 95 th AirliftSquadron commander. “We arehelping our brothers and sisters whoare making sacrifices while servingoverseas.”The Tanker Airlift Control Centerflights are missions that will continue over the next several months.Airplanes and their crews leave on a weekly basis.“We’re contributing to this important mission,” said Maj. Jeff Paulus,95 th Airlift Squadron pilot. “We have two airplanes and two crews on theroad at any one time.”A backlog of wounded soldiers waiting at Andrews AFB to returnFEATUREhome prompted the 95 th Airlift Squadron and the 440 th MaintenanceSquadron to volunteer. Their goal is to return these soldiers to theirhome bases within 72 hours of returning to the states. The 440 th startedflying these medical airlifts at the beginning of December.“By the 16 th [of December] we had basically stifled the backlog,” saidLt. Col. Robert Oates, 95 th Airlift Squadron operations officer. He estimatedthat they flew more than 100 patients by the end of 2005, and willsoon be transporting patients out of Scott AFB, Ill.The injuries of the wounded soldiers varies. Some suffer from severecombat injuries, while others sustained less serious injuries on base. Manyare not able to stand or walk.“We have flown as few as two patients, and as many as 14,” saidOates. He explained that the numberof soldiers they transport dependson the severity of their injuries.Some of the patients are immobileand have to be transportedon litters, limiting the amount ofspace.“All of the soldiers felt reallyguilty about leaving their bases andtheir fellow troops,” said Maj. AndrewKrafft, aircraft commander.“Anyone who was able to walkwanted to go back to the field.” Themajor was impressed by the soldiers’attitudes, and described themission as “very satisfying.”Colonel Oates also stressed theimportance of the role the 440th aircraftmaintenance team has playedin this mission.“Without them [maintenance],of course, there’s no mission at all,”IN GOOD HANDS: C-130 aircrews fly wounded soldiers home.he said. “They keep our planes flying.”The maintenance squadron itself has 22 people on orders to work the139 man-days. Maintenance personnel fly with the air crews, ensuring thatmechanical problems do not keep the planes from completing their mission.“No matter where they go, it ensures that they have C-130 expertisewith them,” said Lt. Col. Larry Gamble, 440 th Maintenance Squadron commander.“In this case, it means we’re playing a role in getting them home.”Prepare your family how to notify you when emergencies occurby Airman 1st Class Amanda HillGreen, black and brown are the colors thatreflect the uniform worn by servicemembers.Along with those colors, comes the likelihoodof being called away from home for major militaryoperations, AEF rotations, training schools,or other types of duty. Having personal, financial,and business affairs in order enables thereservist to focus on the job, and gives him orher the confidence that things are being takencare of back home.The 440 th Airlift Wing Family SupportCenter is a great resource for various programsdealing with member and family readiness. Thecenter gives annual briefings that cover preparingfor deployment, what happens during deployment,and reunion issues. The center also has awide variety of brochures and checklists that canhelp the member get their affairs in order.Unfortunately, even with diligent preparation,things can wrong during deployment.For serious situations, such as illness ordeath in a service member’s immediate family,The American Red Cross is the primary point ofcontact. They can be reached at (414) 342-8680or 1-800-236-8680. Red Cross personnel areequipped to verify the situation and will relaythe information and an emergency leave requestto the appropriate military authorities where themember is located.In addition to notifying the Red Cross, thefamily member must also notify personnel atthe 440 th . This will speed up the process ofnotification and help get other forms of neededassistance in place more quickly. Family memberscan notify the Family Support Center at(414) 482-5424 or 1-800-224-2744, themember’s home station commander or first sergeant,or the 440 th Command Post at (414) 482-5001.When notifying the Red Cross or 440 th thecaller should have the following information:service member’s full name, rank, branch of service,social security number, deployed militaryunit and address, and home station unit and address.The Flying Badger February 2006 Page 5
Page 1 and 2: Maintenance’s ownIron Man
Page 6 and 7: The 440 th Medical Squadron is one
Page 8 and 9: DIVERSITYIt’s a good feeling to l
Page 10 and 11: NEWS ‘N NOTESPromotions The 440th
Page 12: BRAC web siterelocates reservistsby

Iron Man - 440th Airlift Wing

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