OCR Text |
Show AWARD SUPPLEMENT TO THE HILLTOP TIMES THURSDAY, FEB. AFCEA Scholarships awarded to Utah college students BY EDWARD DROLLETTE AFCEA Wasatch Chapter Vice president of Programs and Scholarships J an. 24 was no ordinary day along the Wasatch Front. Although Utah is known for the "Greatest Snow on Earth," new ice — sheets of it — blanketed the area. Traffic was snarled as a rare winter rain combined with an inversion creating an icky commute, with Interstate-15 a slow moving crawl from Nephi to Logan. Driving conditions weren't the only thing on the agenda for a select few Utah universities that day. Students had earned nearly $9,000 dollars in scholarship funds from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association — the AFCEA Educational Foundation and the local AFCEA Wasatch Chapter had presentations scheduled with the scholars on that day. Tim Martin, AFCEA Wasatch Chapter president, and Ed Drollette, chapter vice president of Programs and Scholarships, made a trip of almost 300 miles which took more than eight hours to place scholarship checks into the hands of students at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University and Utah State University. Two categories of scholarships were presented. The AFCEA Intelligence Scholarship is awarded to students enrolled full-time in degree-granting programs in fields directly related to the support of U.S. intelligence or homeland security enterprises, and/or foreign languages. The winner of the AFCEA Educational Foundation, Fall 2013 Intelligence Graduate Scholarship of $5,000 was U.S. Army Capt. Brent R. Taylor, a University of Utah doctorate student. The objective of the local AFCEA Wasatch Chapter ROTC Scholarship Program is to award scholarships to Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets or midshipmen who desire to major in AFCEA defined technical disciplines, and whose Capt. Taylor records and performance indicate intrinsic interest and strong potential for succeeding in the chosen technical discipline. The intent of the selection process is to award scholarships to those students whose scholarship, leadership positions, service, activities and awards demonstrate the core AFCEA Cadet Singleton disciplines throughout their entire ROTC experience. Five winners of the AFCEA Wasatch Chapter, ROTC Scholarship Program, were each awarded $750 scholarships: At Utah Valley University, U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Marcos Heaton. At Brigham Young University, U.S. Air Force ROTC Det. 855, Cadet Charles Connors. At Utah State University, U.S. Air Force ROTC Det. 860, Cadets Jacob Singleton, Samuel Von Niederhausern, and Jordan Woods. 7, 2013 419th FW promotions T he following individuals will receive the rank listed in the month of February: 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: Cadet Heaton Cadet Connors Senior Airman Aften Garcia 419th Civil Engineer Squadron: Master Sgt. Christopher Huff, Tech. Sgt. Ryan Garff, Tech. Sgt. Steven Hyer 419th Force Support Squadron: Staff Sgt. Toni Sanford, Staff Sgt. Susana Maria Cadet Von Niederhausern Cadet Woods AFCEA is an international organization that serves its members by providing a forum for the ethical exchange of information. AFCEA is dedicated to increasing knowledge through the exploration of issues relevant to its members in information technology, communications, and electronics for the defense, homeland security and intelligence communities. Education is an AFCEA "Core Value" of the AFCEA Educational Foundation. See AFCEA I page 10 419th Medical Squadron: Staff Sgt. Frederick Danneman, Senior Airman Taylor Hansen 419th Maintenance Squadron: Senior Airman David Berger 419th Security Force Squadron Senior Airman Omar Abuhudra Need for awareness of risks 6• easy• steps to protect your posed by domestic extremists identity, that of your faily BY ERIC ALLEN BY STEPHEN NUTT Hill AFB Terrorism Officer A lthough transnational terrorist groups and homegrown covert attacks against Western interests in the Homeland and abroad tend to dominate the landscape of American conversation when it comes to terrorism, the number of domestic extremist groups has once again quietly seen resurgence within the U.S. to alarming numbers over the last decade. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center the number of hate groups operating across the country has grown by sixty-nine percent since 2000, to numbers well over one thousand seen to date — and their numbers continue to grow. Hate groups include such groups as white supremacists, neo-Nazis and confederates, black separatists, border vigilantes and others. Typically, these groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics. The recent surge of these groups has predominantly been fueled by anger and fear over the nation's ailing economy, an influx of non-white immigrants, and the diminishing white majority, as symbolized by the election and re-election of the nation's first African-American president. Additionally, the law center relates these factors have also contributed to a powerful resurgence of the antigovernment "Patriot" movement, which in the 1990s led to a string of domestic terrorist plots, including the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, including 19 children. In general, Patriot groups often define themselves as opposed to the "New World Order," engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme antigovernment doctrines. In the first three years of President Barack Obama's first term in office (2008-2011), the law center reports the number of these Patriot groups, including armed militias, grew by 755 percent; from one hundred forty-eight in 2008 to well over twelve hundred in 2011. Utah has not been immune to this resurgence; according to the law center there are four known active hate groups within the state and sixty-eight located in surrounding states. In addition, there are currently thirty-eight known militia, patriot or citizen extremist groups or publication centers located within Utah, and an additional one hundred sixtyseven located in its surrounding states. In the last year alone the U.S. has seen a number of plots emerge involving domestic extremists including the following: • Nov. 1, 2011: Four members of an unnamed North Georgia militia were arrested in an alleged plot to bomb federal buildings, attack cities including Atlanta with deadly ricin, and murder law enforcement officials. The men — allegedly discussed dispersing ricin powder in a series of cities, "taking out" a list of officials to "make the country right again," and scouting buildings in Atlanta to bomb. • April 17, 2012: Two men from Mendota Heights, Minn., were indicted on federal weapons and drug charges following an investigation into their See AWARE I page 9 Chief of Legal Assistance, Hill AFB Legal Office I dentity theft is a form of fraud, the stealing of another person's identity in which someone pretends to be another person by assuming that person's identity. This is typically done in order to access financial resources, obtain credit or access other benefits in that person's name. Identity theft is one of the faster growing crimes in America. Victims of identity theft can be any age and come from any income level. Many victims do not even know that they've become victims. The most common forms of identity theft involve a perpetrator obtaining a victim's Social Security number and other personal information and using it to open credit accounts in the victim's name. Identity thieves may know their victims or they may have never met their victims. Most victims of identity theft never know how their personal information was obtained. However, taking some of the simple steps in this article can reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. 1. Guard your Social Security number (SSN). Your SSN is a prime target for identity thieves; with it they can access your bank and credit card accounts and apply for credit in your name. You should never give out your SSN unless absolutely necessary. Many companies request your SSN as an identification number even though they have no reason to have it. Don't be afraid to refuse to give it. If the company isn't accessing your credit report, they won't need it. Anything that contains your SSN should be shredded before being thrown away. Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse, because if your wallet is stolen, the thief will have your identification cards and your Social Secu- 7 rity card. The DoD has recognized the importance of protecting your SSN and newly issued ID cards do not contain your SSN. 2. Monitor your credit report. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each credit reporting agency per year. Your credit report results in a score that can influence your interest rate on a car or home loan, your insurance rates and even job prospects. If there are any errors on your credit report, you need to report them immediately. You should go to http://www.annualcreditreport.com and request a copy from each agency at least once per year for every member of your famSee IDENTITY I page 9 |