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Show June 7. 2001 CCM Opening new chapter.,. Continued from Page of the people who can focus on taking care of the mission - producing sorties in peacetime to train is to take care Lt. Col. Donald Boiling addresses the 34th Fighter Squadron shortly : :. r ; i - j ' MM? , I 1:; 2 Watelhimi after taking over as their new commander. Colonel Boiling replaced Lt. Col. Randall Bright as the Rams commander during a ceremony Junel. Colonel Bright is scheduled to retire from the Air Force June 29. Colonel Boiling is looking forward to leading the 34th FS through their many endeavors. "May God Bless and protect the men and women of the world's finest fighter squadron - the 34th Rude change-of-com-ma- nd Rams said Colonel Boiling. "We have . a critically important job to do; one that I can promise will be filled with many challenges and rewards I sincerely look forward to sharing both with each and every one of you!" (Photo by Senior Airman Cindy Huston) the A warriors to kill targets in w ar. 'It can never be stressed enough that we are members of the Profession of Arms ... the noblest of professions," Colonel Weida said. "What we do is important to America and the rest of the free world by preserving the peace by being ready for w ar." One of the big issues Chief Sanders is facing is retention. "We need to get more of our enlisted folks to stay in," he said. "Just getting our numbers higher is not the only focus on retention. Our retention goals should not be measured solely by how many folks reenlisted, but also that the decision to reenlist or to separate was the right decision for them and that they had all the information they needed to make that decision. "AFPC processes 5 to 6 folks everyday back into the Air Force because they were not happy w ith their decithat's more than ,500 per sion to leave the Air Force Sanders explained. year," Chief The Command chief master sergeant will work closely with the newly-create- d position of Career Assistance Advisor in the wing on this issue. "As a matter of fact, the new CAA works directly for the CCM," he explained. "We will have an expert in retention and benefits issues on staff to address these concerns." The career advisor position was recently funded for the wing and will become active July 1. "We have the greatest Air Force in the history of the world and our success is due solely to the sacrifices of our people," Chief Sanders said. "The way I see it... so long as I focus my job on taking care of our folks, I can't go wrong." 1 Combat weather teams storm way into fighter squadrons By Staff Sgt. Brian Bahret 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs By the end of June, each fighter squadron in the 388th Fighter Wing will have a fully functional weather forecaster who will work in the squadrons' operations buildings and will be fully deployable with the unit. Weather forecasters from the 75th Operations Support Squadron are moving in to the 4th, 34th and 42 1 st Fighter Squadrons. Capt. Stephen Piatt, 4th FS weapons officer, said there is a distinct advantage in having a dedicated forecaster work with the pilots. "It's good (the fore- AW&'rtfl' fTi I L sa- V' - one-on-o- ne casters) are here because now they understand what we need on a timely basis," he said. Having someone who works closely with the pilots and deploys with the unit will promote continuity. "Now we can get a lot more fidelity and more time by having them here," Captain Piatt said, explaining that each time the squadron deploys, the pilots won't have to train a new forecaster on the information they require. Staff Sgt. Mike Rosales, 75th forecaster, moved into the 4th FS ops building May 1. Sergeant Rosales is providing the Fuu-jin- s a weather service tailored to the pilot's needs. He briefs the pilots twice daily and helps individual pilots plan their missions by providing localized weather data based on where they're flying and what their mission objectives are. Based on the weather forecaster's predictions, flying operations can be altered or even halted, said Captain Piatt. Weather data the forecaster supplies can help mission planners determine the best time to - a- . - OSS-weath- er Staft Sgt. Brian Bahret . Staff Sgt. Mike Rosales, 75th Operations Support Squadron weather forecaster assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, briefs Capt. Mark Poria, 4th FS flight commander, on current weather conditions. travel, the routes they should take and even what targets to strike on training missions, he added. Prior to the forecaster's arrival at the squadron, the Fuujins obtained weather data from the 75th OSS website. The site pro- - vides most of the data necessary, but by having a dedicated forecaster, the pilots can ask for detailed information specific to each mission, said Captain Piatt. The move is not unique to the 388th FW. Weather forecasters are moving into said operational squadrons Air Force-widTech. Sgt. Lori Pope, 75th OSS assistant NCOIC of the weather station. The move stems from a manning shortage across the weather career fields, plus the Air Force's e, "It's good they're here, because now they understand what we need on a timely basis." Capt. Stephen Piatt 4th Fighter Squadron weapons officer need to have combat weather teams - weather people deployable worldwide, she added. Weather service personnel are moving from base weather stations to one of seven regional hubs across the world or are being assigned to squadrons with flying missions. The hub responsible for forecasting Utah's weather is at Air Force Base, Ariz. Sergeant Rosales has been working with the Fuujins since the first week in May. He said working at the fighter squadron is different than working at the base weather station. At the weather station, forecasters work with people throughout the base. At the squadron, forecasters can focus their attention on the flying mission, said Sergeant Rosales. "So far, we haven't had much bad weather since I've been here," he said. "The few times we have, it's worked out well." Davis-Month- an |