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Show HillAFB weather outlook 5-d- ay r.alrtleld-op- s. hlll.al.milomweaUier Family friends visit "Home on 1 i 4 ) ,, , )l y J j, I I it 7 f the Range" 86' High 62' Low 7 by Gary Boyle Sunny Hilltop Times staff it s - A 12 I - 64 Low 88- High Partly cloudy 91" High 63" Low Fiery clouds lit the skies as a series of explosions shook the ground dur11 and Utah Test the Range Training ing Family Day June 13. Two busses and a caravan of vans and cars took friends and family memhour ride bers on the into the Utah desert. A barren landscape and cool temperatures greeted the crowd as rain peppered throughfl out the day. The turn out of families has been n fantastic." said Col. David Beecroft, i ccv who visited the UTTR for the first time as 75th Air Base Wing command. The day belonged to families who embraced and exchanged whispered thoughts and feelings in the cool desert The frequent absences the UTTR mission brings disappeared for the day as many families received personalized tours of their loved ones' "home away from home." Normally a business only facility, on Photos by Gary Boyle that day the UTTR became a play- There's a new UTTR range driver, top. Fiery blasts punctuated Hill's EOD demonstrations, above. Range a ground as children and adults romped equipment gets the once over as young explorers, below, climb aboard and check out the runs. ' aircraft camera tracks that and the during bombing facility's buildings through equipment. Hill's 75th Civil Engineer Group of the range to view the finale of the day Explosive Ordnance Disposal team n with of a the series destruction of a Trident missile spectacular the day began with a motor. simple blasting explosions, starting A The burn created a visible shock wave that cap and progressing through a gasoline explosion, a simulated letter bomb and ending in could be felt by the awestruck crowd and a quarter mile-lon- g strafing detonation that chewed a deep crater into the hard created a wall of flames. desert ground turning it into a powder like The crowd was wowed as the stage one of substance. A tower of dirt and smoke rose a Minuteman missile was fired for 60 seconds. into the air after the burn as people rushed A plum of smoke and steam trailed out after to get a close-u- p look at the result of the and flame. reddish The a white-ho-t missile section destruction. orange sound shook the air and muffled the spectaThe burn is part of America's compliance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. tors' amazement. The 300 or so attendees were treated to a The UTTR is the only place in the country lunch of hamburgers and barbecue chicken. where this type of open-ai- r burn can take place. About 150 people work at the range of which "What a great day it's been," Beecroft a third are military, according to 75th Range said. The final fast burn was absolutely specSupport Squadron commander, Maj. Christo- - tacular. The detonations throughout the dav pher bmith. 1 he range is tne largest ot its kind have been exhilarating and just a lot of fun." in the continental United States. Beecroft was impressed with the high qual "We have a few people doing a lot of ity of facilities and people on the range. The said like small We're a town," jobs. people assigned to the range are doing great of Operations 2nd Lt. Neal VanHouten. things for the Air Force under somewhat ausl...Mi It wj&'S!ft Excited spectators rode out to a remote part tere conditions." two-and-a-h- JP I cine-sextan- Partly cloudy t, fast-bur- - . 7 20-fo- 91" High 62 Low Sunny ot hi 9 90 High 63 Low Sunny Hill AFB DUIDWI Report Inaugural message from Air Force Secretary Roche the realm and of To the men women the was recently sworn in as your 20th Secretary of the Air Days since last day, a proud member of a mag- Congratulations to the 388th LSS, 388th RANS, 84th RADES, 75th CEG, 729th ACS, 388 OSS, 75th LG and 75th SFS for being DUI-fre- e for more than twelve months. Current as of June Airmen Against Drinking and Driving 18, 2001 536-AAD- D (586-223- 3) of aerospace power, you fly the best, train the best, and maintain the best. As you put it: "No One Comes Close." We must now turn our focus U.S. Air Force Date of last DUI: June 16 DUI: 5 B & I Force and became, on that to the journey ahead, and be responsive to this new century's emerging security environment. I look forward to piloting that journey with you. My focus is on developing new strategies for military aerospace power in this new millennium; improving Air Force retention, professional nificent team of active duty airmen, guardsmen, reservists, and civilian employees. You have earned the admiration of our nation, the respect of the world, and the promise of a bright future. I already can tell you that you should be enormously proud of your achievements, from combat operations over Iraq and the Balkans to your recent validation of the Expeditionary Aerospace Force Concept. In education, and leadership . development; eliminating the inefficiencies in how.we do our business; and developing our acquisition policies and processes to ensure innova- tion and competitive vibrancy within our defense industrial base over the long haul. My vision is an aerospace future just as remarkable as your admired past: undeniable and global reconnaissance and strike superiority. My pledge to you is that I will serve the way you do every day, world- wide with integrity, self- lessness, and in earnest pursuit of excellence. In 1963, President Kennedy said of military service: "lean imagine no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worth while, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 1 served in the United States Navy.'" That sentiment rings very true for me. As you know, I am deeply proud of my Navy career. But, today we are in a new century, with new opportunitiesnew challenges, new capabilities, and vastly different threats to the security of our great nation. In this century, men and women can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: "I serve in the United States Air Force." And now, I am proud to be able to say that too. , --James G. Roche Secretary of the Air Force |