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Show Page2A April 4, 1996 Fighter Country Buddy Care pays off Briefly NCO Academy Grads Senior airman uses skills learned in class to aid accident victim Self-aibuddy care class; who needs it? A senior airman from the 4th Fighter Squadron recently found out he d, did. While traveling in North Ogden at approximately II p.m. March 27, SrA. Daniel Sherfy witnessed a car flipping into the air and landing on its top. Once he pulled over, he saw another car crunched in the middle of the road. He immediately used his cellular phone to call 911. "I ran over to the car in the road, and that guy was all right," said Sherfy. It was the driver and passenger in the other vehicle that needed his help. "The kid in the car looked about 13 or 14; we got him out and it was obvious that his arm was broken in several places," he said. Although the sight of the arm made Sherfy a "little queasy," the boy's next words made him forget about his stomach. "My brother, where's my brother?" His brother, who had been driving, was half under the car. "We managed to get him out but he wasn't breathing," Sherfy said. "I checked and he did have a pulse." Sherfy's annual buddy care training taught him to respond calmly in an emergency situation. "It was obvious he had extensive abdominal and chest injuries," said Sherfy. Sherfy then attempted to clear the victim's airway. He rolled the driver on his side, moved his tongue out of the The following technical sergeants are scheduled to graduate from the Air Education and Training Command's NCO Academy, JCirtland AFB, ' KM, today: way, and gave him a couple of "good hard slaps on the back." The victim responded by coughing up blood and other body fluids and started to breath. Sherfy then began to treat for shock, using his jacket to keep the victim warm. "It seemed like it took forever for paramedics to arrive, although I know it was only minutes," Sherfy said. Paramedic Dave Shurtz responded to the accident and . took over from Sherfy. "His training paid off," said Shurtz. "He had the patients wrapped up and the bleeding stopped. He also had some vital signs for us; those are the things that are important for us to get the patients transported." A visit to the hospital the following day put Sherfy's mind at rest both boys were in stable condition. Utah has a Good Samaritan Law, which protects people who stop to help at accidents from legal action by the accident victims or their families, according to Shurtz. "As long as people who stop to help perform within By TSgt Darla J. Ernst 388th FW Public Affairs 4th Fighter Squadron Billy I ' 388th Loolatlct Support Squadron Donald S. Walker 388th Maintenance Squadron Eric L Covington 388th Flahter Wing Mark M. Townsend 729th Air Control Squadron John T. Hooker Speakers needed . The 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office is looking for pilots to volunteer to speak during tours or at local schools, Anyone interested can contact SrA, Aimee Groben at - reasonable standards and don't do anything blatantly wrong, they are covered under the Good Samaritan Law," said Shurtz. And while Sherfy has no doubt he would have stopped to help at the accident, he's also sure he wouldn't have known what to do if he had not attended self-aibuddy care training every year. "Without that class, I wouldn't have had a clue," he said. His buddy care training comes due again next month. This time, he said, it will mean a little more. 777-320- 0. . d. ' D. Hopkins wire David A. Johnston Story ideas The 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office is always looking for story ideas related to the s 388th FW. Call to pass on your idea.777-32- - Sometimes it's better to leave home without Lt Col. John Davis AETC Chief, Financial Services Division By RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AETCNS) A wise man once said, "Ignorance is not an excuse." That wise man didn't have the American Express Government Travel Charge Card in mind, but he still hit the nail on the head. When it comes to using the AMEX card, ignorance is not an excuse. However, the most commonly heard excuses regarding misuse of the card are, "I didn't know" or "I didn't understand." These excuses will not keep you out of hot water if you are delinquent on payment or guilty of card abuse. Both are serious matters and not taken lightly by the Air Force. You can avoid problems by simply exercising common sense Third, don't use the card to solve other financial difficulties. Many people think they can use the card for cash advances as short term loans. This is a sure road to trouble. Take for example, an airman at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., whose spouse lost his job and they couldn't pay their bills. They lost a car to creditors, and subsequently wrecked a second car. In desperation, she used the AMEX card to get money for a down payment on another car. She mistakenly believed if she paid the AMEX bill quickly, the Air Force would never know she used the card illegally. She was wrong. When the bill arrived, she paid it, but she still needed more cash to pay other bills. She used her AMEX card again, and just got into deeper trouble. Never use your AMEX card as a source of emergency cash. Places that can help and restraint Know the rules First, use the card only if you are performing official travel. Changing duty stations and official TDY expenses are chargeable to the card. As a general rule, if the expense isn't reimbursable on a travel voucher, do net use the AMEX card. Leave and permissive TDY are two examples of travel when you shouldn't use the card. Contact your unit or base coordinator if you have questions regarding card use. Second, do not be fooled by thinking if the bill is paid on time you won't have a problem. Unit and base coordinators receive an activity report each month. This report lists each transaction made by active accounts. The transaction report shows the name, account number, establishment name, location and dollar amount of every charge. If you use the card for unauthorized charges, they will show up. Fighter Country JvT I Published for people like... Lt Col. John Watkins .J55r. : 34th Fighter Squadron If you find yourself in a financial bind, there arc numerous agencies on- - and that can help before you get in over your head. Agencies include the Air Force Aid Society, the Red Cross, First Sergeant's Association, Top Three, and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIQ Program, to name a few. First sergeants and commanders are familiar with these agencies and will help you make conoff-ba- tact There are several sources of information regarding the AMEX card and its use. Every base has an agency program coordinator who oversees the entire program for that location and each unit has a coordinator. They can answer questions you have concerning the card's use. AMEX also Serprovides 24 hour customer service at vices include a tost or stolen card hotline, balance and payment information, as well as others. Does it sound like I'm trying to scare you or paint the Fighter Country Is a supplement to the HilRop Times, published by MorMedia, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with the Ogden ALC Public Affairs Office. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. miitary services. Contents of Fighter Country are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are U.S. Air Force photos. Fighter Country is edited, prepared and provided by the 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office. Submit editorial copy to: 388 FWPA (Bldg. 120, Suite 113). For more information, call the public affairs office at 777-320- 0. it AMEX program as the end of civilization as we know it? I'm not The program has many benefits for you and the Air Force. AMEX Advantages ' 1 For example, the AMEX card offers convenience. The card can be used to charge meals, lodging, parking, gas and other travel expenses at thousand of locations worldwide. Cash advances are available at more than 69,000 Automated Teller Machines nationwide. No more going to finance, filling out an advance form, waiting for someone to determine the advance authorized, waiting while it was stamped, dated, initialed, carried to the cashier's cage, and waiting in line to be paid. It was even worse ifyou were tasked with a short iwtice TDY after duty hours or on a weekend. Those days are long gone because of the AMEX card. The Air Force saves money with the AMEX program 'in several ways. First, when finance was paying cash advances, a large amount of cash had to be kept on hand. Every dollar had to be borrowed by the U. S. Treasury. By reducing this cash on hand at finance offices, the Treasury borrowed less, therefore paying less interest A second savings is in man hours spent by finance members and TDY persormdw processing achrarK This time is better utilized by processing your settlement vouchers and by travelers present in their duty sections. Finally, the Air Force gets money back from AMEX That's right, there's a rebate based on card usage. AETC receive an $81,000 retetem FY '94 and another $110,000 inFY95. Utilized properly, the AMEX card makes traveling and supporting the mission much easier. It saves time, money and you from absorbing out of pocket expenses. But use your card properly. Igriorance may be bliss, but it's not anexcuse. Fighter Country Editorial Staff Col Ben Hey Raybum . 1st LI John 0. Smith. TSgt Darla J. Ernst. SSgt James A. Rush . SrA J.C. Wood ring SrA Almee Groben Wynne Rasnussen . Commander, 388th FW Chief. Public Affairs .StalT writer -- WCOC. PubBc Attain . Editor, Fighter Country Community Relations InternStaff writer |