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Show COMMENTARY I IiIltop 2 TIMES May 19, 2011 Overcoming obstacles part of Asian/Pacific Islander American heritage BY MASTER SGT. FRED REYES Hilltop TIMES R Equal Opportunity Counselor, 419 Fighter Wing Weekly Since 1948 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Lee Carter ... Standard-Examiner publisher Hilltop Times Editor Mary Lou Gorny Anne Morrison Hilltop Times Writer Krista Starker Hilltop Times Correspondent Ryan Larsen 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. ecently, I had an opportunity to meet David Yei, who works in the 419th Fighter Wing. Yei is a technical sergeant in the Civil Engineering Squadron and has worked as a firefighter for about three years. He was born at the Dugway Proving Grounds and grew up in Tooele. It was in grade school when he first felt and became aware that his physical appearance led to a difference in how he was treated by others. He quickly learned some people had biases and prejudices. He heard words that Air Force professionalism frowns upon. In junior high school he was exposed to various attitudes regarding his heritage. Some were very positive and others that were somewhat negative. Yei attributed the positive feedback to the diverse high school he attended. Yei commented that "in high school it was a completely different world." He said life at Tooele High was more diverse with obvious pockets of cliques — groups of people with both similar in- terests and mindsets. After graduation Yei decided to work for a grocery store for about a year. He then decided to join the Army Reserves to "Be All You Can Be!" After completing eight years as an aero-medical technician, he went back Master Sgt. Reyes to the civilian side of the house. Missing the strong bond of camaraderie, he decided to tackle another challenge. He joined the Air Force Reserve. Yei joined the 466th CLSS as an energized E-5 and ready to tackle anything, even the haunting "Course 6" (as it was called) — the prerequisite for becoming a reserve technical cergeant. Yei's first annual tour was home station to attend ABDR School. ABDR stands for Aircraft Battle Damage Repair. He got orders to Germany (Spandahlem) a year later. Yei's next assignment was to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. AIRMAN 'AIRMAN Senior Airman Curtis Andrist 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron integrated avionics specialist on the F-16 Fighting Falcon HAWC Nest Fitness Tip from the Health and Wellness Center The Freshstart program to quit tobacco is a four-part series that meets weekly for one month. All active duty, dependents, retirees, Department of Defense federal employees and contractors are eligible to attend. Call Pat Cerone Health and Wellness Center at (801) 777-1215 for more information. I THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2011 DUIs: 17 Hill's Last DUI: View Unit Involved: 729 /4e,t ecue/tat SpetAapt Airmen Against Drinking and Driving provide rides when designated drivers are unavailable. Call 777-1111 to request a ride anytime. Hours of operation: Fridays-Saturdays 10 p.m.- 6 a.m. Sundays 9 p.m.-midnight. What do you do as an integrated avionics specialist? I maintain and repair just about every advanced electrical system on the aircraft including communications, radar, targeting systems, weapons systems and instrumentation. Yei always strived to serve as a model Airman. He was driven to become a viable asset to his unit, community and the United States Air Force Reserve. In looking at some of Yei's family history, this is considered a significant change from what his uncles went through as they grew up in Topaz, a city in Southern Utah. From approximately 1942-1945, Topaz was the site of a an internment camp. It was like a concentration camp in that it housed JapaneseAmerican citizens — 8,000 AmericanJapanese members were kept under watchful eyes at Topaz. Yei had an uncle who was placed at Topaz, who still to date does not desire to reminisce that part of his history as well as our past. In addition, he has another uncle who joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was able to leave that same camp. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was composed solely of American-Japanese citizens and became the U.S. Army's most decorated combat group of WWII. I encourage everyone to celebrate Asian/Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May 1-31) . PTU/IPTU directives issued BY MARY Also, proper attire for PTU was addressed in a separate issuance of Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Figure 2.6, to be incorporated within AFI 36-2903 currently under rewrite. The advisory was signed by Lt. Gen. Richard Newton III, DCS, Manpower and Personnel. Among some of the items not discussed above include: Commanders determine the proper PTU/IPTU configuration during organized PT events. Reflective belts, armbands are required during low light conditions when wearing the optional running shorts as part of the PTU/ IPTU. The reflective items are considered optional when wearing PTU/IPTU items that contain reflective materials on the top and bottom of the garments. Footwear is to be conservative, plain with no excessive ornamentation. Socks are to be white and may have small trademark logos. The PTU/IPTU jackets will be zipped at least halfway between the waistband and collar. Sleeves are to be within 1 inch of the wrist. PTU/IPTU running pants: Waistband will rest at or within two inches of natural waistline. Both pant legs will extend below the ankles and zipped to within one inch of Lou GORNY Hilltop Times editor A policy letter adjustment has been issued by Col. Patrick Higby, installation commander, on the topic of saluting a superior officer while wearing Physical Training Uniforms and improved Physical Training Uniforms. "Proper military customs and courtesies honoring the flag during reveille/retreat will apply (this means coming to full attention and rendering the proper military salute when outdoors)," according to the letter dated May 10. "Saluting due to rank recognition is not required when wearing the PTU/ IPTU," the policy letter concludes. An earlier policy had asked for those not actively involved in exercise to salute. It is noted that the policy for reveille/retreat has been reiterated in this policy letter. Parade rest during the first song ("Reveille" during reveille; "To the Colors" during retreat) and standing at the position of attention and saluting during the second song was mentioned in a commentary by Master Sgt. Walter J. Anderson, First Sergeant, 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron, published last week in the Hilltop Times edition, May 19. See ADVISORY I page 13 What do you enjoy most about your job? Getting deep into fault isolation and being able to locate the exact problem. I also enjoy seeing a faulty system fully functional again. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. What brought you to the Air Force Reserve? I want to be a pilot. I'm here maintaining aircraft for now, seeking a pilot slot so I can fly with the Air Force. Do you have a degree or are you working on one? Yes, I'm going to school for aviation science, professional aeronautics and aviation administration. I'm also working on an associate degree in aviation maintenance. After tech school, your seasoning training was terminated early when you volunteered to go to Afghanistan. How did it work out for you? It was interesting. I deployed for five months in January 2010. Being deployed provided me with an opportunity to really work on the jets. Here we do a lot of training, but repairs were much faster paced in Afghanistan. I learned a lot more there than I expected. I'm actually trying to go back. What was your workload like over there? I worked 12-hour days. There was enough work to keep you busy, but I didn't feel overloaded. What is one interesting thing about you that most people might not know? Most people do not know that I hold a test driver's license for BMW and have driven and tested prototype cars before they were available on the market. ILTNA r\ir'" 777-7000 action.line.pa@hill.atmil When you call or send an e-mail, your comments will be recorded and staffed through the agency responsible for action. Please give your supervisor and chain of command the opportunity to work with you in answering questions and solving problems before calling the Action Line. This will help me better serve your interests. Items of basewide interest will be published in the Hilltop Times. Report suspicious activity via the AFOSI EAGLE EYES program Dial: 7773056 / 3057/ 3058. watch - Report Protect Force Protection is Our Business - Everyone is a Sensor Phone numbers The base agencies listed can be contacted directly if you have a complaint or a problem with their services: 4 Security Forces 777-3056 24-hr. Crisis Information 777-3056 777- 4134 Force Support Squadron Base Restaurants 777-2043 Retirement/Compensation 777-6142 (civilian) Equal Opportunity Office 777-5455 777-7129 Employer Relations Military Pay 777-1851 Civilian Pay 777-6246 777-6901 Air Force Suggestion Program Hill Straight Talk 777-9696 IG Complaints 777-5305 (for appointment) IG Complaints 777-5361 (after hours) Fraud, Waste or Abuse 777-5361 (recording) Loud Noise 1-877-885-9595 (complaints) 777-4918 75th Medical Group Civil Engineering 777-1856 Hill Pride Hotline 777-7433 Public Affairs 777-5333 Military Housing 825-9392 Maintenance Safety Office 777-3333 SUICIDE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE Mental Health Clinic 777-7909 Chaplain 777-2106 Military OneSource (800) 342-9647 (800) 273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Line TriWest Crisis Line (866) 284-3743 TriWest Behavioral (866) 651-4970 Health Contact Center EAP (800) 222-0364 Occupational Medicine 777-1163 Services 777-2255 Wingman Advocates 586-9300 Safety Office Hotline Sexual Assault Response 777-1985 Coordinator (or) 777 1964 Union 777-3257 AFOSI Narcotics Hotline 777-1852 Family Assistance Center 777-3090 - (when activated) |