COMBAT AIRLIFTER - 440th Airlift Wing

Combat AirliftersVolume 3, No.4September 2009Wing CommanderCol. Merle D. HartChief, Public AffairsDennis J. MehringReserve Chief,Public AffairsCapt. Lauri TurpinPublic Affairs StaffCapt. Jeff SchoenMaster Sgt. Kevin BrodyMaster Sgt. Steve StaedlerSenior Airman Peter MillerSenior Airman Jacqueline PenderChief Master Sgt. (retired) Gerald GreenOffice of Public Affairs440th Airlift Wing374 Maynard Street, Suite 301Pope AFB, NC, 28308-2409Phone: 910.394.5455FAX: 910.394.5459http://440aw.afrc.af.miThis funded Air Forcenewspaper is anauthorized publicationfor members of the U.S.military and their families.Content of the CombatAirlifter is notnecessarily the officialview of, or endorsed by,the U.S. government,Department of Defenseor Department of theAir Force. Content iscompiled, originated anddeveloped by the PublicAffairs staff of the 440thAirlift Wing, Air ForceReserve Command. Allphotos are Air Forcephotos unless otherwiseindicated in the photocaption.On the cover:440th AW dedicatesaircraft #86-0418complete with nose artto the XVIII AirborneCorps.Illustration created bySenior AirmenJacqueline PenderFellow Combat Airliftersand friends,Command PerspectiveCol. Merle HartCommander 440th AWThanks to all of you who made 2009 a greatyear for the 440 th Airlift Wing!We thank our Active Associate brothers inarms, the 2nd Airlift Squadron and the 43rdAeromedical Evacuation Squadron, our trueteam members. We thank all of the Pope warfighting partners who contributed to our success.We give thanks to our Army warriorswho give us the opportunity to put the “Air inAirborne.”This year we placed many new mile markersalong our road which we continue to build.Our journey continues as we look forward toanother very productive new year. Our wingwill always strive hard to improve and modernize.The current task of establishing thefirst ever AFRC-AMC Active Association willcontinue to be challenging and rewarding. Ithank each of you who gave and continue togive in our quest.This past year we have met all tasking as weprepared and send active duty and volunteerforces to the far corners of the world. Ournumbers have increased and our training remainsin high gear. There are challenges thatremain as we continue to establish ground. Theculture of our wing is steadily being created.Ten years from now the current challenges willbe long forgotten; those of us who establishedthe wings framework will be forever gratefulfor today’s opportunities.This year marked the 65th anniversary ofboth D-Day and the creation of the XVIIIAirborne Corps. Each event gave our unit anexceptional opportunity to honor our past aswell as strengthen our bonds with our Airbornetroopers. On Aug. 25, we dedicatedAircraft No. 418 to the “Sky Dragons” of theXVIII Airborne Corps. The pride of servingalong side of “Americas Contingency Corps”and “Americas Guard of Honor,” our 82ndAirborne Division, is beyond words. AircraftNo. 282, which was dedicated to the 82ndAirborne Division, is currently deployed tothe AOR and is serving our brothers in arms.Both aircraft Nos. 418 and 282 display the respectand admiration we have for our Airbornetroopers.Our outreach into the great state of NorthCarolina increased as we continued to hiremany of our neighbors — Citizen Airmenfrom the state now make up the majority ofour wing. We will continue to grow this year asthe wing takes on more duties and responsibilitiesfor running the airfield and tower operations.Other growth opportunities are in theworks as well. Our recruiters are phenomenaland continue to fill our ranks. Each of us needsto become an avid recruiter with the “GetOne” program; 2010 will be the 440ths “GetOne” year. We are pleased and grateful for thesupport of our local civilian organizations thattakecare of our Airman. Their support helpsour families deal with difficulties encounteredduring deployments and family separation.We are knee-deep in ORI preparation. TheORTP exercises will prepare us for an “excellent”grade while updating required wartimeskills. The efforts of those who prepare theORTP’s are noteworthy and most appreciated.The ORTP training is for everyone in the wingand not for the few who will participate in theinspection. Many hours of planning and hardwork go into each exercise, and I urge you totake full advantage of the training so you willbe prepared if ever called into action. Trainhard and we will prevail.From a safety standpoint we were blessedwith a fairly uneventful year. The holidayseason is in full gear and we need to remainvigilant as safety is an individual responsibility.Take the time to do things right, as very fewtimes does haste not make waste. Maintaininga clean and safe work environment is vital tounit morale and personal pride. During yourholiday travels, take plenty of time getting toyour destinations. We need everyone back safeand sound so we can welcome another grandyear.Where the wing has come in two years isimpressive. The development in the next three,five and 10 years will be even more so. Set personaland professional goals before the NewYear. Always strive for excellence in all we do.Our efforts are noted by many, your work is requiredand you are part of an exceptional teamthat grows stronger every day. Thank you forall you do for our wing and our nation.It is an extreme honor to be yourwing commander.Welcome to “COMM 101” for the ORIThe first in a series of “info-mercials” aimed at dispellingrumors, enlightening the un-enlightened and highlightingthe “hot-spots” as we identify them. We are here to fine tuneskill sets and focus our team on the objective. So if you havequestions, ASK – and we will find the answer!Please take the time to review this information carefully – itis absolutely essential that everyone have a thorough understandingof the following topics for one simple reason…Communication will determineour successDuring the exercises--and most importantly during our ORI--we need to have the ability to pass accurate information in atimely manner. This involves coordination, common terminology,clarity, and an understanding of the overall communicationflow.Everything we discuss in these messages can be found in yourairman’s manual, but we will include some of the “basics” inour articles as simple examples. Here is the basic deployedstructure from the wing commander to the personnel in thefield. In the deployed environment you will report to your applicablesquadron or workplace. At your workplace, identifyyour facility manager and your unit control center (UCC) rep.They will be an important focal point, and you should channelimportant information through them to leadership (refer tonext page).ICC (Wing Commander and Group Commanders)1. EOC (Emergency Operations Center)2. UCC (Unit Control Center)3. Facility Manager4. Entry ControlPAR TeamSABC TeamLitter Team5. Individual in the fieldIn a “perfect world”, the wing commander will disseminate themajority of the information you receive (i.e. Alarm Conditions,MOPP Levels, Force Protection Conditions…) via giant voice,the base-wide public address system. There are other processesfor communication (such as base siren, bugle call, land mobileradios - LMRs, phones, flags or lights).Every individual inthe field must thinkof themself as a “sensor”and recognizethe importance ofpassing on good information.The moreaccurate the information,the shorterthe time requiredto make decisionsthat may shorten thetime in MOPP gearor even save lives.The format is listedin AFMAN 10-100according to theSALUTE acronym(refer to page eight).Combat AirliftersCol. William Edwards440th Vice CommanderEach of you must be intimately familiar with how to reach acontact at every level in the chain to pass on the info. It is appropriateto skip levels if there is a communication breakdownand the information is important. Go until you’ve passed it onand don’t sit on critical info! Work centers must have the mostaccurate/relevant information if they are to make the best possibledecisions for you – the personnel in the field (…countingthe minutes in MOPP 4!) and time is critical!A few of the more common “critical communication items” area DIMC (dead, injured, missing, contaminated) count, numberof vehicles “slimed”, buildings evacuated, incursions into theplay area, etc. Now is the time to get with your work centersand personnel for coordination. Plan your plan, review terminologyand begin the process of anticipating the needs of otherfunctional areas. We are all intertwined in this operation andwe have to function as a single unit—despite the fact that weperform hundreds of uniquely essential, individual tasks.Congratulations, you have survived COMM 101! Be sure tolook for the soon-to-be-released sequel, “ATSO 101 - Ability toSurvive and Operate ” where we will reveal the deeply covetedsecrets of how to easily and painlessly go from MOPP 0 toMOPP 4 in six minutes – or less! Look for it in the next editionof Combat Airlifter.Everyone has a leadership role. Take the initiative to seek outand clarify information.COMMUNICATE…COOPERATE…GRADUATE!!Page 2, The Combat Airlifter November 2009 440th Airlift Wing, Pope AFB, Page 3