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Show s~*\ Country Airmen Defending our Nation at Home and Abroad... Liberty or Death! 388th Fighter Wing supplement to the Hilltop Times Thursday, March 24, 2005 Twice Monthly A new day emerges Operation 'Sole Train' benefits Iraqi children The 388th Fighter Wing Association is participating in a collection drive called Operation Sole Train to provide new shoes, socks and school supplies to Iraqi children 12 years and younger. More than 4,000 new shoes and school supplies have already been delivered. Collections will be accepted until March 29. Squadron representatives should contact Tech. Sgt. Carrie Bolin at 586-1095. Operation Red Flag to improve joint training NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- More than 10,000 servicemembers from all military branches, along with coalition forces, kicked off Joint Red Flag March 14. It is scheduled to end April 2. The goal is to develop improved joint training. "It allows us to prepare for real-world situations in a safe environment," said Lt. Col. Jim Murray, 12th Air Force project officer. (Courtesy Joint Red Flag Joint Information Bureau) High scores for 388th Airmen These Airmen scored 90 or higher on their career development course tests: High scores: 90-94 388 CMS Airman 1st Class Roy Hudson 388 AMXS Airman 1 st Class Louis Manogue Airman 1st Class Francisco Martinez 34 FS Airman 1st Class Rebekah Albert 729 ACS Airman 1st Class Dustin Blocker High scores: 95 or higher 388 AMXS Airman 1st Class Matthew Duncan Staff Sgt. Brian Freeman Staff Sgt. Eric Reid Courtesy pholo An F-16 from the 34th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron sits ready to launch in the early morning light at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The 34th EFS Is deployed from the 388th Fighter Wing as part of Air and Space Expeditionary Force 3. They are scheduled to return home in mid-May. Air Force Assistance Fund Thousands helped through donations to Air Force charities November, Sergeant Maiiley and his wife Dayla, who is also a staff sergeant assigned to the 649th Munitions Squadron, needed some quick cash so Thousands of people are helped each they,could fly home for the funeral. year with money raised through the Air After contacting his unit first Force Assistance Fund campaign. sergeant. Sergeant Manley said he went in to the Air Force Aid Society office on The charities benefit active-duty. Reserve, Guard, retired Air Force people, base, filled out some paperwork and "within two hours had tickets in hand. surviving spouses, and families. Beneficiaries of the annual Air Force "It was very quick and painless," he fund-raising campaign span the globe said. and can also be as close as next door. The Manley's received a loan from Some Airmen even end up helping the Air Force Aid Society that they paid themselves. back through monthly installments of "I've given through the Air Force $58 for one year. Assistance Fund myself through the "My family was very grateful we years," said Staff Sgt. Ben A. Manley III, could be there," Sergeant Manley said. assigned to the 649th Munitions "There was no way we could have gone Squadron here. "I've known quite a few (without that loan.)" people who have had to use it for various Four charities benefiting the Air Force reasons." community are affiliated with the camBut he didn't think he would ever paign and receive 100 percent of designeed the program. nated contributions. When a family member died last People can contribute through cash, By Master Sgt. Sonja Whittington 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs check, money order or payroll deduction to: •The Air Force Aid Society, which provides Airmen and their families with worldwide emergency financial assistance, education assistance and an array of base level community-enhancement programs. Base family support centers have full details on programs and eligibility requirements. Information is also available online at http://www.afas.org. •The Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widow's Fund in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., near Eglin Air Force Base which provides rent subsidy and other support to indigent widows and widowers of retired enlisted people 55 and older. More information is available at http://www.afenlistedwidows.org. •The Air Force Village Indigent Widow's Fund in San Antonio, a lifecare community for retired officers, spouses, widows or widowers and family members. The Air Force Village Web site is http://www.airforcevillagcs.com. •The General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation, which provides rent and financial assistance to indigent widows and widowers of officers and enlisted people in their own homes and communities. The LeMay Foundation Web site is http://www.info@lemayfoundation.org. Contributions to the AFAF are tax deductible. For more information, visit http://afassistancefund.org or the Air Force Personnel Center's Voting and Fundraising Web site at http://www.afpc.randolph.af. mil/votefund. The 2005 AFAF campaign continues until May 6. To donate to one of the charities through the Air Force Assistance Fund, contact your unit representative. (Sortie information taken from an Air Force Personnel Center news release.) MOC tracks all aircraft maintenance Airmen strive to .,, keep commanders informed on all flightline details and accurate information about everything that goes on out on the flight line," he said. That's no exaggeration, according to Master Sgt. Bill Butler, MOC superintendent. "We're expected to know everything, which can be very daunting at times," he said. That includes emergency situations. "When a situation occurs and information is flailing like an octopus, our job is to get cohesive data for the commanders." said Sergeant Butler. "And we have to make the data make sense.'* By 1st Lt. Vernon Thompson That's what Staff Sgt. Scott West calls "getting 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs the full story." Sergeant West is a MOC senior controller, and it's his job to ensure that the data collectAmid radio communications chatter and under three ed and logged is accurate. Information can come large plasma TV screens, five Airmen work in a fast, as it sometimes docs on the radios. secluded room in the operations and maintenance "While we're in here, the radios are our priority," group headquarters building. It's the Maintenance said Sergeant West. Operations Center, where all information about the "Everyone understands that, no matter what their flight line is gathered and processed. rank; they know the radios are our deal. We have to The MOC logs and provides data for command-and- keep our ears open for any type of situation - anycontrol to commanders, said 1st Lt. Jared Young, com- thing can happen at any time." mander of the maintenance operations flight, under Pholo by Airman Siofame Torres That's just what happened during the Phase which the MOC falls within the 388th Maintenance Staff Sgt. Scott Love, a controller at the Maintenance Operations Center, asks another Operations Squadron. "Colonel Schmidt (Maintenance II of the operational readiness exercise Feb. 9, controller, Staff Sgt. Joel Uribe, to verify Information In a maintenance report by calling a production superintendent. See MOC Page C Group commander) relies on the MOC to get specific |