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Show Hilltop TIMES Weekly Since 1948 Shuffle Night vision Hill repairs goggle kits for deployed Army warriors Ogden ALC reorgs from directorates to wings 'A volunteer of the highest caliber.1 r3y6 o Hill AFB, Utah 84056-5824 www.hilltoptimes.com hilltop.pa@hill.af.mil Vol. 64 No. 8, February 24, 2005 IN THE KNOW Wing ceremony broadcast via Internet Through the wire Maintainers surpass goal for Minuteman production Although accommodations are limited in Bldg. 680 during today's wing activation ceremony, it will be broadcast via Hillnet's Internet Protocol television.The ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. and is expected to last about one hour. The 367th Training Support Squadron will have a camera in the new hangar to capture all of the ceremony's events. On Monday, the communication squadron updated the IP/TV viewer software and some employees may need to update their IP/TV link. "If the IP/TV software is not updated, certain channels may notfunction," said 2nd Lt. Lewis Taylor. "The current version is 3.5.5.1, you can see what version you are running by clicking Help, then clicking About IP/TV. Uninstall software older than that version by using the add/remove tool in your control panel, and follow the link to install the new version at Photo by Senior Airman Mike Meares https://hillnet.hilt.af.mil/ Airman 1st Class James Blum, from Hill's 75th Security Forces Squadron, emerges from red smoke on the high crawl obstacle during a recent iptv/IPTVINSTALLhtm. ConBrave Defender course at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Airman Blum was one of 128 Airmen to graduate from the two-week course that teaches base tact the Helpdesk or your local defense skills. Graduating Airmen were from Hill; Eglin; Edwards AFB, Calif.; Hanscom AFB, Mass.; Robins AFB, Ga.; and Tinker AFB, Okla. computer staff for assistance. Power plant uses methane to power base Veterans donate history to museum BY BETH YOUNG Hilltop Times staff couldn't, because we just don't have the budget to do things that way," said Tom Hill, museum curator. Luckily, the museum has many history supporters, who have made it possible for the museum to be filled with intriguing displays. "If it wasn't for the interest of local people, this museum wouldn't be here," Mr. Hill said. From uniforms to souvenirs brought home for waiting loved ones, almost all of the items in the museum's collection once belonged to and were used by someone who lived the history behind it. "Some people have the most wonderful stones that are associated with the items they donate," said Mary Hill, museum curatorial assistant. "It's something that you are not going to read in a history book or see on television. I think history becomes more real to people when they can see thes.e things." Nate Mazer, a World War II veteran and charter member of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah, which The Hill Aerospace Museum tells the story of Hill AFB and its people. This Local and state officials, would not be possible withincluding Lt. Gov. Gary Her- out the many artifacts bert, joined Maj. Gen. Kevin donated by the people who Sullivan, Ogden Air Logistics are a part of that history. Center commander, and other Although the aircraft — Hill Air Force Base officials what the museum is mostly Feb. 17 for a ribbon-cutting known for — are seldom ceremony unveiling the first donated, because they are landfill-gas-to-energy power usually Air Force property, Photo by Beth Young Mary Hill, museum curatorial plantprojectinUtah. most of the 3,000 other artiassistant, holds up a dress made "This is a classic case of tak- facts are. during World War II from paraing lemons and turning them "If I had to search on the chute silk. The dress Is Just one into lemonade," Lieutenant internet for something I of many items donated to the Governor Herbert said. "By museum for proper preservation. needed for an exhibit, I See Museum, 5 UI,LU^U IUI an cumuli, x OWtJ iviuacuili, O museum lur uiuuer pro&efvmiuii. i oce iviioolcs taking methane gas that's created by decaying garbage and creating energy, which we can use to make lives better and save taxpayers' money." The mostly methane landfill gas is produced from nearly 3 million tons of decomposing garbage at the Davis Landfill. The gas is collected, cleaned and shipped through 10,000 nation," Ms. Smith said. "We feet of pipe to Hill, where it BY BARBARA FISHER Environmental Management have learned much from this fuels two large generators. Hill AFB environmental engisampling and would like to The cooperative effort between neers will begin testing the again test the air in base housWasatch Integrated Waste indoor air next week in 20 ing homes to ensure there is Management District and Hill homes in the Patriot Hills housno problem with exposure to is the first in the nation completed under the Department ing area to learn if vapors could chemical vapors." be entering the homes because Sampling is limited to those of Energy's Biomass Alterof their location near a plume homes directly above the native Methane Fuels Proof underground jet fuel. groundwater contamination gram. "As we collaborate and coop- This testing is a follow-up and residents affected by the sampling have been contacted. erate together, we can do bet- to a study done in the early The groundwater contamiter things," Lieutenant Governor1990s, said Shannon Smith, an environmental engineernation in Patriot Hills origiHerbert said. "I think this is an example that we can build with the 75th Civil Engineer nates from the base's Group's Environmental Man- Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant upon." agement Division who is over- Bulk Storage Tank Farm, adjaThis is clearly a team effort seeing cleanup of the fuel cent to the housing area. Base and a great partnership," Gencontamination. environmental officials diseral Sullivan said. "This is Courtesy graphic "Over the last few years we covered jet fuel contaminaindicative of the kind of supin Hill housing starts near Bldg. 870. An underground fuel plume in the soil and groundwater have been air sampling in sevtion port that we enjoy in this comin the tank farm area in 1991. with the fuel beneath the mil- mination resulted from j-et munity and in this state, not eral hundred homes in offThis led to finding the plume itary family housing area. The fuel leaking from pipes carjust for this project but 24 hours base areas also affected by of groundwater contaminated engineers believe the conta- rying the fuel to storage tanks See Methane, 6 Hill's groundwater contamiBY BETH YOUNG _ Hilltop Times staff BYISTLT CAROLINE WE_LLMAN___ Ogden ALC Public Affairs For the first time ever, the 309th Missile Maintenance Group here recently produced the booster stages for 10 Minuteman missiles in one month. The group, formerly the Maintenance Directorate's ICBM Division, used down time in the maintenance process to rewrite technical data and revamp facilities in the second half of last year. "We have a 'contract1 through the (526th) ICBM Systems Wing with Space Command to produce eight missiles per month," said Col. Michael Altom, commander of the 309th Missile Maintenance Group. "But we had never met that number." "In January, we exceeded that production rate, and right now, we're on track to produce nine missiles in February, " Colonel Altom said. "It's exciting because we're meeting the 'contract' for the first time." On average, the group had been produceding six missiles per month, Colonel Altom said. But that changed following an explosion at two solid rocket propellant production facilities in California in 2OO3.The prime contractor shut down missile propellant production until the cause of the explosions could be determined. In the interim, propellant operations were moved from the Pratt & Whitney facility in San Jose, Calif., to AlliantTechsystem's Bacchus facility in Magna, Utah, The then ICBM Division decided to take advantage of the nine-month lull in Minuteman III maintenance — limited to rocket boosters that were already in production — to improve the See Missies, 4 Engineers testing base housing for fuel vapors Tank farm leakage may K A ' \mM I '^S seep into some homes Friday High 45° Low 26° Sunny Saturday High 43° Low 27° Rain/Snow showers Sunday High 44° Low 26° Partly cloudy in the tank farm. The contamination runs southwest from the farm at least 20 feet underground in the shallow groundwater beneath the homes. This contamination does not affect the base's drinking water, Ms. Smith said, because the drinking water comes from deeper aquifers hundreds of feet below ground. The base's drinking water is monitored and tested to ensure it is safe to drink. Chemical vapors from the jet fuel contamination could migrate through the soil, however, and enter homes through cracks and gaps in the foundation, which is why the air testing is planned. The testing requires placing a canister in the home for a 24-hour period. The air sample is then sent to a laboratory for analysis. In the previous testing done in the '90s, very small amounts of the chemicals that See Vapors, 4 At the movies - Pg. 10 Friday, 7 p.m. "The Incredibles" - PG Saturday, noon "Shrek" - PG Saturday, 7 p.m. "Paparazzi" - PG-13 |