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Show Fighter o u n try Airmen Defending our Nation at Home and Abroad... Liberty or Death! 388th Fighter Wing supplement to the Hilltop Times Thursday, October 7, 2004 Twice Monthly 729th ACS returns home after 4 months : Commander's - call A 388th Fighter Wing commander's call and quarterly awards ceremony will start at 3 p.m. at Oct. 15 in Hangar 37. Postal service offers free ; packing materials The United States Postal Service is offering free packing materials for anyone wanting to mail a care package to a military member who is deployed overseas. To take advantage of this service call 1-800-610-8734 and press 1 (for English and then 3 for an operator) and they will send you free boxes, tape and mailing labels to be used to mail care packages to service members. Photo by Staff Sgt. Nakiti Carlisle Left: Tech. Sgt. Brian Zwerdling grabs his daughter Alexie as she jumps into his arms. Some Airmen can carry over 'use or lose' leave RANDOLPH AFB, Texas Active-duty Airmen who were unable to take annual leave this past year because they supported contingency ; operations will be allowed to ; accumulate more than the •'• normal 60 days after the fis• cal year ends. r Members unable to use • leave due to their support of ; contingency operations may • be eligible for special leave ; accrual. Those affected can '; retain up to 120 days of leave •i until the end of fiscal year .2005, according to personnel ; officials. "This program is meant to ' enable people to take leave : they've earned," said Senior Master Sgt. Don Taylor. ; superintendent of customer • support operations at the Air '. Force Personnel Center. "In • order for the program to work ; as planned, though, those ; affected need to take not only '. the leave they are carrying • over now, but also the leave ; they will earn during the next ; fiscal year, or they may lose '.• leave next year." Here's how to apply for : Special Leave Accrual: - • Military members review their September 2004 , Leave & Earnings Statement . to identify how many days of ' leave has been lost. • Member then ' requests SLA consideration via memo to their unit com• mander describing their situl ation in detai! including the ';. information below as attach• ments: ; 1. Copy of September : 2004 LES verifying number -, of days of lost leave. 2. A copy of deployment ; orders and/or any other sup; porting documents. • 3. Documents showing . how members managed their ; leave during the year. '• G Commander's \ indorse memo confirming ; member's inability to take leave due to mission requirements and approves/disapproves SLA. Those who meet the crite' ria for having excess leave should contact the military . personnel flight, customer 'service, for additional infor-tnation. US Air Force Photo Top; Airmen from the 729th Air Control Squadron are welcomed home by family, friends and co-workers when they returned Sunday from a 4-month deployment in Iraq. Top/Right: While the squadron was deployed, Lt. Col. Steve Robinson, 729th ACS commander, explains to Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith, U.S. Central Command deputy commander, the Intricate role the squadron plays in securing and maintaining air and ground control in theater. Bottom/Right: Senior Airman Matt Kennedy, 729th ACS, briefs General Smith on the communication capability of the squadron. Photo by StJff Sgt- Nahtn Carlisle U S Air Force Photo Fit to Fight: Airmen brace for new fitness test By Master Sgt. Chuck Roberts Airman Magazine SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Air Force chief of staff fired a shot across the bow in July 2003 that got the attention of Airmen everywhere. Gen. John P. Jumper forewarned that a new fit-to-fight program would replace the cycle ergometry test and encouraged everyone to get ready. Staff Sgt. Kurt Hartmann did not, and he paid the price. After narrowly squeaking by on the bike test in years past at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., he finally peddled into the penalty zone. Then he left for a remote tour in South Korea. He arrived just in time for a head-on collision with the demanding new fitness test, which includes running, abdominalcircumference measurement, push-ups and sit-ups. He wiped out with a failing score of 56 that included 14 sit-ups, 25 push-ups and a 15-minute, 20-second time on his one-and-a-half-mile run. And he was not awarded any bonus points for sporting a 37-inch waist. The total number of points earned on the fitness test places Airmen into one of four categories based on age and gender: Ninety or greater is excellent. 15 to 89.9 is good, 70 to 74.9 is marginal and less than 70 is poor. However, Sergeant Hartmann's poor marks served as a wake-up call for the 25-year-old who had not worked out in earnest since high school. "I thought it was time to change something, literally, big time," said the maintenance training instructor assigned to the 8th Maintenance Operations Squadron at Kunsan Air Base. He did, and joined thousands of Airmen across the Air Force competing for space at fitness centers and running tracks. He bought a bike, received mandatory fitness counseling and quit hibernating in his dorm room feeling depressed about being separated from his wife, Staff Sgt. Kimberly Hartmann, back at Luke. He became an enthusiastic partici- pant at the 6 a.m. office workout three days a week, lost 20 pounds and saw his waistline decrease by almost 3 inches. In July, he retested and is now among $5 percent of Airmen who have marginal or better on the test. His 75.35 score included 28 sit-ups. 37 push-ups and a running time of 11:55. Air Force scores, as of July, were 14-percent excellent, 63percent good, 8-percent marginal, 5-percent poor and 9-percent other (exempt or because of retest). Points are awarded in different categories based on age. To gauge your score, check out the fitness charts at www.af.mil/news/USAF_ Fitness_Charts.pdf. Sergeant Hartmann not only passed the test, but he also made fitness a part of his life. "I love the way I feel after I workout," Sergeant Hartmann said. He took to heart the intent of General Jumper, who said his focus is "not on passing a fitness test once a year. More important, we are changing the culture See Fit page C Exercise, Exercise, Exercise The Air Force released the newest lieutenant colonel and captain promotion lists recently. The following majors from the 388th Fighter Wing were selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel: 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: Helen Brasher 388th Fighter Wing staff: Donald Butler 4th Fighter Squadron: Timothy Ketterer 388th Operations Support Squadron: Dean Ostovich Preparing Airmen to be combat-ready A combined 388th Fighter Wing and 75th Air Base Wing operational readiness exercise kicked off Sept. 27. Trie ORE tests the base's ability to deploy Airmen, generate aircraft and employ combat skills on short notice. During the Phase I, selected individuals and units processed through the base's deployment center and simulated the deploy- Air Force announces promotions to captain, lieutenant colonel The following lieutenants from the wing were selected for promotion to captain: ment process including briefings and aircraft generation. Phase II, which began Monday, tests the wing's ability to complete its mission in a hostile environment. Included in the Phase II is the ability to survive and operate under the threat of chemical or biological weapons. Participants perform their wartime duties while wearing their chemical defense suits. 4th Fighter Squadron: Michael Daigh Paul Jelinek Eric Music Daniel Sanders 34th Fighter Squadron: Steven Atkinson Kevin Berck 421 st Fighter Squadron: William Barron Christopher Wilson Photos By Staff Sgt NahJta Carlisle Top: Airmen board a bus to go to their work areas after processing through the "toxic-free area" Monday during the operational readiness exercise. The TFA staff advises Airmen on the current threat conditions and briefs them on the latest duress words. Bottom Left: Airman 1st Class Michael Koles, 4th Fighter Squadron life support specialist, wipes down a pilot from the 4th FS as he stops at the first point of a decontamination line. 388th Range Squadron: Jason Connell Carolyn Simpson 729th Air Control Squadron: Kenneth Maire 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: John O'Connor David Sweet |