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Show Hilltop COMMENTARY TIMES 2 March 20, 2014 History of Hill AFB's name and military acronyms T Hilit opm ., .. the-Hill Ogden Air Logistic Complex, but that isn't correct. To answer this question more appropriately, one must look back into the annals of the depot maintenance past. As we peel away the layers, we find they're used by many more Air Force depots — or Air Materiel Areas or Air Logistic Centers, as they used to be called. Some of these included San Antonio, Sacramento, Middletown, and Mobile. This being the case, that means there used to be two depots that began with "S" and two that began with tt m ,, BY AARON CLARK Weekly Since 1948 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Charles Horton Standard-Examiner publisher Mary Lou Gorny Hilltop Times Editor Krista Starker Hilltop Times Correspondent Hilltop Times Sarah Stoll Correspondent Tim Broussard Hilltop Times Correspondent Deadlines: Editorial and news items are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print date. To submit news items e-mail hilltoptimes@standard.net or call 801-625-4273. For Classified Advertising, call 801-625-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 801-625-4388. The Hilltop Times is published by Ogden Publishing Corp., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force Base. The content of the Hilltop Times does not necessarily represent the views of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill Air Force Base (collectively, the Government). The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Government of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Standard-Examiner, 332 Standard Way, Ogden, Utah, 84404. Additional editorial content is provided by various military and civilian wire services and Hill Air Force Base public affairs departments. Call 801-625-4273 with story ideas or comments, or contact the editor, Mary Lou Gorny, at mgorny@standard.net . Call 801-625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 801-6254388 for Retail Advertising. HAWC Nest Fitness Tip from the Health and Wellness Coiner Did you know smokers are most successful in kicking the habit when they have support such as medication therapy, counseling, guidebooks, friends and family member encouragement? QUIT TODAY. For assistance call the HAWC at 777-1215 THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2014 DUIs: 2 Hill's Last DUI: few. Unit Involved: 38ra Anciectit 75th Air Base Wing Historian and Museum Director A s an Air Force historian, one of my duties is to research and answer historical information requests from around the globe. Sometimes these requests can take months to research, and some just a few minutes. Some requests surprise me as well. In the past, people have requested I locate their dads who were stationed at Hill several decades ago (I do not do this); some want me to provide photos of fictional test sites, and more. Out of all the inquires I have received however, there are two that are constants. The first deals with the wonderful world of military acronyms. We all know them, we all use them, they are ingrained into our culture as military and DoD employees whether we like it or not. But there is one that seems to keep everybody guessing: 00ALC. Yeah, that's right, countless people have contacted me just to find out what this acronym stands for, primarily they want to know why there are two "Os" in the Ogden Air logistics Complex's title. This is the most common question I get. To be honest, it's humorous — in a geeky, historian way — to tell them the first "0" stands for "On-the-Hill," making the overall title the On- In order to differentiate one from the other, corresponding two letter identifiers were used at the beginning of their abbreviated titles in order to distinguish between the cities that had the same first letter — and this visually made sense. For example, San Antonio was SA-ALC and Sacramento was SM-ALC. But there was also Oklahoma City, which, coincidently, started with same letter as the city in which Hill Air Force Bases resided. Now, if you look at Oklahoma City's abbreviated title, it relates because it starts with an "OC," kind of like the "SA" for San Antonio. But when we see Ogden's, it just another "0," clearly throwing somewhat of a curveball into the labeling method. So, what does the extra "0" stand for? A lot of folks I have Airmen must T o the Airmen of the United States Air Force: Being an Airman is more than a job. When we voluntarily raised our right hands and took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, we became members of the profession of arms. Underpinning that profession is the sacred trust given to us by the American people. To meet their expectations, we must build our lives and shape our service on the foundation of our core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do. Throughout our history as a service, Airmen with tremendous moral courage have taught us there is no replacement for virtue, character, dignity and respect. Today's Airmen — active, Guard, Reserve and civilian — must con- Clark talked to, as they compare it to the other ALCs — past and present — think it's just another "0" for Ogden, thus making the unabbreviated title the Ogden-Ogden Air Logistics Complex. That answer, although it somewhat makes sense, is wrong. Now, after this long explanation, get ready to be let down: this extra "0" means nothing, it was just included to distinguish it from Oklahoma. Since the 00-ALC question and answer were somewhat anticlimactic, I have to say the second most often inquiry I get is more noteworthy. This question is simply, "What is Hill AFB named after?" Most often people assume that since this installation is, in fact, on a hill, therefore it is called Hill AFB. This reply, no matter how clever it might seem, is wrong. To find the right answer we have to focus on an early pilot whose Army Air Corps friends called Pete, but on paper was Maj. Ployer Hill — the namesake of Hill AFB. Major Hill was an extremely capable pilot, with a noteworthy aviation career wherein he piloted nearly 60 of the Army Air Corps' newest aircraft, testing and evaluating their capabilities for military service. By 1935, he had piloted nearly every aircraft in the Army and held a number of noteworthy positions, the last being chief of the Materiel Division Flying Branch, where he held the rank of major. It was in this position he lost his life on Oct. 30, 1935 at Wright Field, Ohio. While test flying an experimental aircraft called the Model 299, which later became the B-17 "Flying Fortress," Maj. Ployer Hill was involved in a crash with this Boeing prototype — passing away shortly after from his injuries. He is remembered as one of the forefathers in American military flight, whose courageous efforts ensured the safety of his comrades through prototype testing. For his exemplary and heroic efforts, he was honored by the War Department and Gen. "Hap" Arnold when they named the new Rocky Mountain Air Depot after him. live up to Air Force's core values Core Values Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do. tinue this tradition. When Airmen fail to live up to our core values, the reputation of all who serve is tarnished. We must have the strength of character to do and say the right things at the right times, always with diplomacy, tact and respect. Being a wingman does not mean protecting those who lack integrity or fail to uphold the core values; it means not tolerating them. You are accountable James not only for your actions, but also for failing to take action if you see bad behavior. Today we challenge each and every Airman to reaffirm their commitment to our core values by finding new ways to live these values each and every day. This reaffirmation will strengthen the trust between Airmen, and our commitment to one another. It also reassures the American public we are Cody Welsh worthy of their trust. Thank you for representing the Air Force so well and exhibiting pride and courage in our service. If you have questions about our core values, please seek out guidance and assistance from people who can help: commanders, first sergeants, chaplains and inspectors general are available to provide counsel and advice. Because of who we are, and what we do, Integrity, Service and Excellence carry special meaning for all of us. Always remember that it is an honor to be called "Airman." We must earn that honor, every day. Deborah Lee James Secretary of the Air Force Mark A. Welsh III General, USAF Chief of Staff James A. Cody Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force ALOAIt 111Ntrri) , Report suspicious activity via the AFOSI EAGLE EYES program Dial: 777-3056 / 3057/ 3058. 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