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Show November 10,1 999 etera sis Pay a fime loB9 remembepng raras ' by Paul Johnson I hadn't been born yet when they celebrated that first Armistice Day the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918. But I learned about it and the sacrifices of our brave Doughboys in World War I. .' .. WAVES. - oialMftlii. A' World War I came to an end. Six hours earlier, an armistice had been signed. For manv vears, this event was commemorated during Armistice Day, a national holiday. Armistice Day has evolved into Veterans Day, also celebrated on Nov. 1 1 , which honors those who have served America in all wars. Vietnam. He now lives in Ogden: B-1- . i nil coming arms. Most of us remember wars in terms of those we sent to fight in those wars. Our private, personal memories recall our loved ones that were part of the thousands defending our country. Of those who returned, some will never heal from their experiences while others want only to forget. Since Valley Forge, 42 million men and women have served this country in uniform. Are young people taught how and why we remember them? Dare we risk forgetting the importance of the military in our nation's history? Have we become so taken with ourselves, so. consumed by the moment that we let them cry alone, forgetting the meaning of their patriotism and the price of vigilance? Will these heroes be ignored? Never, I hope. Thursday is Veterans Day. Take just one hour of one living day out of the year to remember our veterans of moment and share a private and dead gratitude. two tours in served retired a colonel, Army Johnson, . p III!!! ' . r-- m pm Most returned to our neighborhood at the end of the war as veterans and heroes. We welcomed them off the ships and with parades. They were not alone. A grateful country saluted its warriors with open, wel- first-han- by I. had been killed. Hal McAbee, just finished with college, became a Marine Corps officer and saw action in the Pacific. The Reverend Suver from our church became a Marine chaplain and later conducted services atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima within days of the landing. My, three uncles saw combat with the Army and Navy. And the girl across the street joined the flags were waving from front porches, and the neighbors made a point to visit and chat with the vets. It was their day and this measure of respect was how they were remembered. In our neighborhood, there were men and women who knew d the reality of that war. Several of us kids visited Mr. Nolan, a quiet man who served as a Navy corpsman in the Great War. When we asked him what he did in the war, he replied, "I helped people stay alive. I just did my job." I asked him about the medal on his mantle. "If s the Navy Cross," he replied. "A lot of guys deserved it, but they gave it to me." He never said any more about it. Miss Grace and Miss Cora were two elderly ladies who lived down the street. They had both served as nurses in World War I and always seemed to carry a shadow of the horror in their eyes. These people were heroes in the neighborhood. They had served proudly and fought bravely, and when they came home, were treated with the respect and honor j they had earned. A month later, we were at war. Before long, all the young men in our neighborhood were gone, serving our country in its hour of need. The sadness of their departure was overwhelmed by their sense of duty and pride in this time of great peril. Bob Miller enlisted in the Army Air Corps and in 1945 was decorated for bringing in a 7 after the pilot and F. ...... co-pil- ot It was Armistice Day 1941 EAF is COMMENTARY a journey, not just one event More important, we demonstrated that we could also turn sorties quickly, Whitten Peters within hours to a few days. And, ultimately, Secretary of the Air Force Last sumWASHINGTON (AFPN) Michael Gen. Staff of Chief Air Force mer, E. Ryan and I announced the beginning of our Expeditionary Aerospace Force journey, Now, pur first two Aerospace Expeditionary Forces have assembled deployed in part to Southwest Asia. It has not been easy to get to this point. It has been a learning experience, but it is the first step in trying to create a stable and predictable lifestyle for all of our men and women. EAF is a journey, and we have many more steps to take along this path as we transform the Air Force from a forward-baseCold War force to an expeditionary force able to respond to crises around the globe. EAF is not just one event. It is a completely different way of looking at how we do our business. It is also a fundamental change in the way we operate, as evidenced by the establishment of completely new training courses for both enlisted airmen d, Warrior Week during Basic Military Training at Lack- and young officers land Air Force Base, Texas, and the Aerospace Basic Course at Maxwell AFB, Ala. We are moving into the EAF for two reasons. First, to make sure that the nation has the trained aerospace forces it needs. Second, to make sure that our people have relieffrom operations tempo, or OPTEMPO, in a turbulent world. This is really what EAF is about. EAF won't be pretty at first, or provide instant rti succeed. For proof, look at Kosovo: Air Force Secretary E Whitten Peters Making life better for everyone in the Air Force is my No. 1 priority for 2000, and I know that the frequency and unpredictability of deployments remains everyone's No. 1 concern. The EAF will lay the groundwork for resolving this concern by spreading the effects of an apparently never-endin- g high OPTEMPO across more of the force. By using our Total Force and by our active forces to add to those eligible to deploy, we can spread the high OPTEMPO burdens and ultimately reduce personnel tempo. The EAF will also lessen the high work levels at home stations by putting enough manning on our bases to do the work, even when units are deployed. Improving our OPTEMPO and is something that we cannot compromise. We will never fix our retention rates unless we can guarantee people PER-STEMP- O that in peacetime they will have a personal life. With EAF as our vision, the AEFs are the tools that will transform it into a real- Quality Systems for America's Air Force Hilltop Times Published by MorMedia, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with Hill AFB. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of the Hilltop Times are long-lastin- ity. Our AEFs will be responsive, tailored and trained for the area into which we expect them to deploy. Dedicated airlift, intelligence and space assets will enable the AEFs to provide the right force at the right time, whether the mission is humanitarian relief or combat operations. This will be increasingly important in the rapidly changing 21st Century. EAF won't be pretty at first, or provide instant relief, but it will ultimately succeed. For proof, look at Kosovo. There, we demonstrated we could deploy to some 20 bases with seeming effortlessness, and on short notice, transform a base with no U.S. facilities into a fully operational base within hours to a few days. "Air Force people building the world's most respected Air and Space Force when the fighting stopped, our national command authorities allowed us to come home quickly, showing the confidence we in our ability to move ; are already building out rapidly from home base to get the v job done overseas. While Kosovo operations showed EAF works, it also demanded a tremendous amount from our forces, and that effort did not come without a cost. We are reconstituting the force, and we have adapted the EAF schedule accordingly. Even so, the initial AEFs include many men and women who have been involved in Kosovo and other operations this year. It is not ideal to ask these men and women to leave again so quickly, but g it is essential if we are to find a solution for OPTEMPO and PER-STEMP- I need the help of all Air Force members to get the word out about EAF I need them to take time to understand the vision and our goals. Also, to take time to listen to feedback and pass it to me through the chain of command. We cannot change the mindset of the Air Force without feedback and the support and hard work of everyone in the organization. EAF is a journey, not an end state. Today we are without a doubt the most capable aerospace force the world has ever seen. Thanks to your hard work, sacrifices and commitment, the EAF reorganization will help us stay that way." Global Power and Reach for America. " not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The appearance of advertisements in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or MorMedTa, Inc., 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 Ogden Air Logistics Center Public Affairs Office staff in Bldg. 1 102, second with story ideas or comments, or send floor. Call Ext. to "hilltop.pahill.af.mil". 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