"It's been an honor leading the Mustangs, I'm gonna ... - Osan Air Base

Vol. 51, No. 33 Oct. 3, 2008 Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea"It's been an honorleading the Mustangs,I'm gonna miss youall....‖— Col. Jon NormanPhoto’s by Senior Airman Chris Boitz

2MiG Alley FlyerOct. 3, 2008Have you heard …By: Staff Sgt. Larry Gee and Staff Sgt. Derek Levesque51st Civil Engineering SquadronTeam Osan, your home shouldbe a safe haven, but do you regularlycheck for home fire hazards?If not, there is potential for danger.To better assist you in honingthese essential skills, the FireEmergency Services Flight hasjoined with the National Fire ProtectionAssociation to promote the83rd annual Fire Prevention Week.From Oct. 5-11, fire safety advocateswill spread the word thatwith a little extra caution, preventingthe leading causes of homefires – cooking, heating, electricaland smoking-materials – is wellwithin your power.Fire Prevention week will befull of ―Prevent Home Fires‖ educationalinformation starting withour junior firefighters outthere….your children.To better deliver the message tothe junior firefighters, we haveenlisted the services of Sparky theFire Dog and Pluggy the Fire Hydrant.Sparky and Pluggy can be seenat multiple locations over thecourse of the week ranging fromthe child development center, familyhousing, base exchange, and thecommissary.On Thursday, we would like towelcome everyone to the Fire DepartmentOpen House from at 9a.m.- 4 p.m.Finally, to close the week with abang, your Fire Department willteam up with 51st Services Squadronto host the first ever Commander’sFirefighter Challenge.This premier event will be heldat the fitness center on Oct. 10starting at 8 a.m.Junior firefighters can visit thefollowing web sites for more educationalinfo: www.nfpa4kids/orgwww.firepreventionweek.orgwww.sparky.orgIf you would like to submit a brief,e-mail MigAlleyFlyer@osan.af.mil.For a complete list of volunteer opportunities, visithttp://www.osan.af.mil/library/volunteeropportunities.aspCourtesy of US Air Force NewsAir Force officials introduced anew Web site for Airmen and theirfamilies Wednesday to provide a24/7 resource for information ontopics like relocation, military childeducation and finances.The new site phases out the "AFCrossroads" Web site while assuringmost of the same services arestill available to all users. Programssuch as "Plan My Move," spouseemployment job sites and scholarshipinformation can be foundthere, as well as new features likevideos and podcasts of Air Forcenews and events from around theworld."The Web site was created withour Airmen and families in mind,"said Maj. Karen Terry from thePentagon Airman and Family ServicesDivision."We wanted to be able to offerthem helpful information on topicsthat affect their daily lives, andgive them the ability to access itwhenever and wherever theywanted. This site allows us to dothat."The site's appearance is streamlinedto make it easier for users tofind what they are looking forwithin a few clicks of the mouse.Although the Web site is now a"dot mil" site in order to complywith security requirements, it willstill be accessible by all Airmenand their families from any computer.Visitors interested in joiningchat rooms and discussion boardsto communicate with other AirForce family members can do so at:www.militaryonesource.com orwww.militaryhomefront.com.Also beginning Sept. 30, GIMail will no longer be available.The new Air Force CommunityWeb site will be located atwww.afcommunity.af.mil.For more information, contactthe local Airman and FamilyReadiness Center or visit the newsite.Fire Prevention weekOct. 6th-10thBy Staff Sgt. Jeremy LarleeUSFK Public AffairsParticipants in this year’s CourageousChannel 08-02 noncombatantevacuation operation exercise canregister from the comfort of theirown living room.Family members can registerfrom any computer with ―Dot Mil‖access. The online registration siteis at https://neo.korea.army.mil. Afterregistering, family membersshould print off the forms and placethem in their NEO packets.―This fall’s focus is to validate100 percent NEO packets, conductan on-line registration process Oct. 1-24 and train NEO wardens,‖ saidCol. Bradley Booth, Eighth U.S.Army Chief of Operations.―Courageous Channel this fall doesnot include setting up emergencyevacuation centers.‖Participation is mandatory for allfamily members, nonessential DoDcivilians and contractors.Participants will not have to gothrough a processing line for thisfall’s exercise and only need to registerand ensure their NEO packetsare up-to-date and ready for inspectionby their unit’s NEO representative.―Online registration for a possibleNEO is a convenient, secure andefficient way for DoD affiliated andCommand Sponsored Civilians toconfirm and or provide the requiredinformation for their NEO Packets,‖said Colonel Booth.The U.S. Forces Korea exerciseis conducted semi-annually, normallyin the fall and spring, and isdesigned to train NEO assembly andevacuation control center proceduresfor the processing of DoD noncombatants.―NEO exercises are important forour DoD civilians in order to ensurethey are prepared and familiar withthe process in the case of an emergency,‖said Colonel Booth.―Courageous Channel is also an opportunityfor USFK and EUSA torevalidate the NEO plan, train NEOwardens, and improve the overallNEO process.‖NEO exercises are an integralpart of the mission at Korea, saidColonel Booth.―Ensuring our families and DDaffiliated civilians are prepared forcontingencies are a critical part ofour mission,‖ said Colonel Booth.―This increased readiness is accomplishedwith their participation in biannualCourageous Channel Exercises.‖Contact your unit’s NEO representativefor more information.Editorial staff: Col. Jon A. Norman, 51st Fighter Wing commander; 1st Lt. Malinda Singleton, Public Affairs chief; Senior Master Sgt. Joan Young, Public Affairssuperintendent; Master. Sgt. Matt Summers, Base Public Affairs manager; Staff Sgt. Scottie T. McCord NCOIC, photography/editorSubmissions and contact information: The MiG Alley Flyer staff reserves the right to edit all material submitted for publication. To submit bulletins, commentaries, news, sports or feature articles, e-mail MigAlleyFlyer@osan.af.mil.Deadline is 1 p.m., the Monday prior to the desired publication date. For weekend activities, notify the PA staff at least one week prior to the event. Submission does not guarantee publication. Correspondence may be sent to 51st FW/PA, UNIT 2067, APO AP 96278-2067. For editorial, call public affairs at 784-4044; fax at 784-8434. This Air Force newsletter is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services overseas. Content of the MiG AlleyFlyer is not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Departme nt of the Air Force. The editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the public affairs office of the51st Fighter Wing, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. All photographs are Air Force photographs unless otherwise indicated.

MiG Alley FlyerOct. 3, 2008 3Domestic Violence Awareness:Good RelationshipsBy Carl Neighbors, LCSWFamily Advocacy Intervention SpecialistWhat makes for a good relationship?If you asked this question to 20people, I would guess that you wouldget 20 different answers. But, if youdistilled the answers down, I wouldalso guess that you would come upwith several key concepts which Iwould like to present in this article:The first concept is that of mutual respect.The second would be goodcommunication. And, the third wouldbe a feeling of freedom to be oneselfand to grow.Now, let’s look at each of themindividually. If I feel respected by theperson whom I am with, I can feelliberated and validated. I can feel likeI have self-worth and I feel loved.If I feel disrespected by the personwhom I am with, I can feel a distinctlack of self-worth and confusion. If Ican communicate with the personwhom I am with, I can feel heard andvalidated.But, if I can’t communicate withhim or her, I can feel alone, unheard,frustrated and angry. If I can be myselfwith the other person I can growand, once again, I can feel free andvalidated. So, I believe that everyonecan agree that we should be in a relationshipwith someone with whom wefeel mutual respect, have excellentcommunication and feel the freedomto be ourselves and to grow as individuals.Because, if we don’t have thesekey components in our relationships,we have a tendency to become frustrated,angry and depressed.So, what should we do if we findourselves in a relationship where wedon’t get our needs fulfilled? Well, ifwe were in a relationship where wefelt mutual respect, where the communicationwas good and where we felt afeeling of freedom to be ourselves andto grow, we would be fine, correct?But, since we aren’t and don’t, weneed to get some help. Now, a lot ofpeople don’t want to do this becauseof a variety of reasons, but the bottomline is, without some expert help, thefrustration, the anger and the depressionare likely to build.Seeking expert help does not implyweakness; it implies strength. Youmay not realize it, but you belong in arelationship where mutual respect,good communication and the freedomto be yourself and to grow are hallmarksof the relationship.So, if you are in a relationshipwhere you feel that something ismissing, give Family Advocacy acall at 784-5010. We can help improveyour current relationship orhelp you end the relationship if ittruly is toxic for you. Life is short.Create a little happiness for yourself.Take care.By Master Sgt. Patrick Stansbury51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron first sergeantRecently there has been a rise inthe numbers of families calling Osantheir home. This is not necessarily abad thing; it helps to bring a sort ofnormal feel to our base making itseem less like a remote.Having your family here commandsponsored can be a rewardingexperience for you and them, butthere are pitfalls for those who decideto bring their families here noncommandsponsored.Speaking from experience, bringingmy family to Korea without beingcommand sponsored during mylast tour meant I had to pay for theirplane tickets and with a family offour it wasn’t cheap.Then there was the fact that I hadto procure housing off base sinceonly those who are command sponsoredqualify for on-base housing.Depending on where you live andthe size of your family, the rent andutilities could be more than you werepaying in the states.Transportation could also presenta significant challenge, as those belowE-7 are not permitted to have acar registered on base.This proves particularly difficultDiamond TalkCommand Sponsorshipin transporting young children onand off base. Probably the most importantthing that you will have tocontend with is access to many basefacilities.The hospital, dental clinic,schools and child care are all on aspace available basis with prioritygiven to active duty personnel andcommand sponsored families.Each squadron has a certain numberof command sponsored billetsauthorized. If you think your familywould enjoy being here, do yourhome work, discuss it with yourfamily and then talk to your supervisor,first sergeant, chief or commanderabout command sponsorshipto see if you can fill one of the billets.If planned out and done right, Koreacan be a great assignment for youand your family.The Air Force Aid Society is here for YOU!Air Force Aid is available to Air Force members and their families.Every year the Air Force Aid Society updates and adapts their programsto serve the needs of the base and major command.While not all of the programs have changed, this is an ideal time tohighlight the programs that most affect Osan . They are Emergency Assistance,Falcon Loans, Give Parents A Break, Child Care for PCS, andBundles for Babies.The most common uses of Air Force Aid are for Emergency Assistanceand Falcon Loans. This past fiscal year Osan AB has received over$106,829 in assistance from the Society.Financial assistance is given when a qualifying individual cannot otherwisepay for specific basic needs essential to continued personal effectivenessas an Air Force member.Emergency Assistance can be given as an interest free loan, a grant, ora combination of both. However, most assistance is provided as interestfree loans with repayment set according to budget surplus.Grant or combination loan/grant is given when repayment would causea genuine hardship, but should not be given to reward financial irresponsibility.Falcon Loans are given to assist with specific emergency needs upto $500.00. The areas must relate to: ―Basic Living‖, ―Vehicle‖,―Emergency Travel‖ and ―Medical/Dental‖ expenses.AFAS recognizes that Air Force families are subject to unique stressesdue to the nature of military life -- having a child with special needs, anemergency situation, such as illness of a family member, the family recentlymoving to the base, unique circumstances or hardships, etc. Familiesare often separated from spouses as well as from extended familymembers who might otherwise offer support. In an effort to help thesefamilies, the AFAS, in cooperation with the Air Force child care community,has agreed to provide funding for child care under our "Give Parentsa Break" program.The purpose of this program is to offer eligible parents a few hoursbreak from the stresses of parenting on a specific day. Active duty AirForce families may use this time to suit their personal needs. As of 1 October2008 the Give Parents a Break form has changed. All previous versionsof the form will not be accepted.The Child Care for PCS Program is intended to help relieve some ofthe stress felt by families in the process of a PCS move. AFAS will pay upto 20 hours of child care (per child).Families with Command Sponsored PCS orders can obtain a ChildCare for PCS Certificate at the Airman & Family Readiness Center. Thefamilies can utilize the program at both the departing and new base. Certificatesare good only at the base at which they are issued. This programis open to all ranks unless there is a shortage of child care providers at thebase in which case priority would be given to junior ranking personnel.Bundles for Babies is for an active duty member or spouse of an activeduty member is expecting a baby or is a new parent. This parenting classoffers a free "bundle" from the AFAS at its conclusion. Classes are opento all ranks and are not limited to a first pregnancy. The program is offeredto both command and non-command sponsored families.OSAN WATERCurrent as of Oct. 1, 2008The 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office is here to tell the Air Forcestory, but we can’t do it without the rest of Team Osan. If you or yourunit has done or is doing something interesting, whether it be volunteeringor creating a new ―Best Practice,‖ let us know! Also, if you enjoywriting or photography, the public affairs office is always willing to takesubmissions ... and you just might get published on both

4MiG Alley FlyerOct. 3, 2008Photos by Staff Sgt. Scottie T. McCordAbove - Leadership of 7th AF, 51st FW and ROKAF participatedin the opening ceremony of the Korean AmericanFriendship Festival.Members of Team Osan marched in theparade, along with Korean performers, inthe kickoff event of the Korean AmericanFriendship Festival. The festival wasSept. 27-28.Clowns on stilts were a big hit duringthe festival for young and old patrons.(Above) Team Osan members along with our KoreanHost enjoy a wide variety of traditional cultural foodsduring the festival.The festival had various forms of entertainment from (Left)street performers, to dance groups that performed on the mainstage (above).Members of the Osan Air Base HispanicHeritage Committee performedfive different styles of Latin dancingon the main stage during the KoreanAmerican Friendship Festival.

MiG Alley FlyerOct. 3, 2008 5Photo’s by Staff Sgt. Raymond WinsteadROKAF leadership presents a commemorativeplaque to U.S. Air Force leadership representativeCol. Richard Forster.Senior Airman Wayne Burke, 51st Medical Dental Group, dribbles theball down the field.American and Korean fans both enjoy the gameSenior Airman Daniel Acosta, 51st Maintenance Group, takes the ballhard in as he attempts to score a goal for Team Osan.Team Osan Mustang Soccer ClubMaster Sgt. Royal Jones, 607th AirIntelligence Squadron, stops a goalduring pre-game warm-ups.For more information,visit www.osan.af.mil/library/airpowerday2008/index.asp

MiG Alley Flyer6 Oct. 3, 2008Good luck. Write a caption for photo #17.The captions that get the most laughs or is the mostamusing will be published in a future issue of the MiG Alley Flyer.The rules:1. Write a hilarious and entertaining caption for all photos.2. Caption must be military-related.3. Captions cannot contain offensive or derogatory comments.4. The winning caption will be published in a future issue.5. Deadline for submissions is Monday at 1 p.m.E-mail submissions to MigAlleyFlyer@osan.af.mil.―I don't think so! I got money on this game ya'll can only win by three.‖Wining Caption was submitted by Senior Airman Kenawayne Bracely,51st Logistic Readiness Squadron.Reminder: New GTC cards arrivingNew Government Travel Charge Cards are now being issued by Citi throughthe end of September. Members are reminded to ensure their mailing addressis correct. Cards sent to an incorrect address will be returned to Citi. APCswill not have the option to forward the cards to new addresses. If cardholdersdo not receive a new travel card by Oct. 31, they are instructed to notify theirAPC. New cards will have a new look and a new account number.Cardholders should verify receipt of new cards immediately.Cardholders should not to discard their old GTC cards until Nov. 30.For more information, call ITT at 784-4254.The deadline for MiG Alley Flyer submissions is 1 p.m., the Mondayprior to the desired publication date. Submission does notguarantee publication. To submit briefs, commentaries, news,sports, photos or feature articles,e-mail MigAlleyFlyer@osan.af.mil.