OCR Text |
Show Weekly Since 1948 Hill Air Force Base, Utah 84056-5824 www.hilltoptimes.com hilltop.times@hill.af.mil Vol. 67 No. 24, June 14, 2007 In the Know Ogden ALC change of command Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan will relinquish command oi the Ogden Air Logistics Center to Brig. Gen. Kathleen Close during a change-of-command ceremony Tuesday, 10 a.m., at Hangar 204. General Sullivan leaves the Ogden ALC to become the Deputy Chief of Staff, Installations, Logistics and Mission Support at Headquarters USAF, Pentagon. General Sullivan has been confirmed by the Senate for his third star, and the promotion ceremony will follow the change of command. Chapel services The Hill Air Force Base Chapel will not be holding any Protestant or Catholic services on Hill Air Force Base June 24. Instead, everyone is invited to attend a 12:15 p.m. Catholic Mass and 1 p.m. Protestant service at Wolf Mountain during the Air Expeditionary Force Retreat Program. Nation's defenders A Salute to our Nation's Defenders picnic is scheduled for June 29, 3 p.m., at Centennial Park. Organized by the Top of Utah Military Affairs Committee, the picnic will demonstrate the community's recognition and appreciation of the sacrifices made by military members and their families. This picnic is free, and all Hill Air Force Base Airmen and their families are encouraged to attend. To volunteer to work at the picnic e-mail Tech. Sgt. Delbert Schoonover at delbert.sdicoiover@hiE.af.mil. Hill Airman killed in Iraq BYJSTj-T.GENIEVEDAVID 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Tech. Sgt. (Special Agent) Ryan A. Balmer, from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 113 at Hill Air Force Base, was killed June 5 in Kirkuk, Iraq, by an improvised explosive device that detonated near his convoy. Staff Sgt. (Special Agent) Matthew Kuglics, from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, was also killed. Agent Balmer is the fourth casualty from Hill AFB since Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom began. According to the AFOSI, the deaths of agents Balmer and Kuglics brings the total number of AFOSI agents lost since the operations began to four. ' "This is a tragedy that affects our entire Air Force family and we Pholo by Msx Lloyd are all saddened because we have Danielle Balmer (Special Agent Ryan A. Balmer's widow) accepts a Purple Heart from Brig. Gen lost another hero," said Col. Scott Dana A. Simmons, Air Force Office of Special Investigations commander, during a memorial tribute Chambers, 75th Air Base Wing for Tech. Sgt. (Special Agent) Ryan A. Balmer, from the AFOSI Detachment 113 at Hill Air Force commander. "Special Agent Base, Utah. Hundreds attended a 1 p.m. memorial tribute at Hangar 37 Friday. Balmer will be truly missed and his sacrifice and service to our na- criminal terrorists and intelligence Mishawaka, Ind., and is survived ence held June 6. "I have no doubt tion will not be forgotten." that we will rally around the famithreats to the Air Force, Depart- by his wife and three children. lies in their time of sorrow." "Our primary focus is on the Agent Balmer's duties included ment of Defense and U.S. governHundreds attended a memorial working outside the borders of family members," Colonel Chamment. Iraq to identify and neutralize tribute Friday at Hangar 37. Agent Balmer is originally from bers said during a press confer- Exit Interview for Ogden Air Logistics Center commander Q) The Ogden ALC has achieved many successes during your term as commander. Because of the application of LEAN principles, the ALC has improved the delivery of many wartighter systems. Are there one or two LEAN success stories that you are most proud of and why? A) There are three success stories that come to mind. The Common Configuration Implementation Program, where we took the most successful F-16 modification program we'd ever had and reinvented the program using LEAN processes and made it even better. That took a lot of courage from the 309th Maintenance Wing to risk breaking a highly successful program, but they were able to make it better than ever. They cut 20 days out of flow time for the CCIP modification and have never had a late aircraft delivery. Secondly, the F-16 radar antenna shop reinvented their processes because they weren't meeting warfighter expectations. Before they implemented LEAN, they had hundreds of backorders and many F-16's Bouncy castle Outdoor Recreation has a bouncy castle and gator available to rent for use at Centennial Park. The cost is $75 per day for one bouncy castle. There is no cost to rent the park pavilion, but a deposit is required which will be returned if the area is properly cleaned. A smaller bouncy castle that can be used on- or offbase is also available for $40 per day. For'more information call 777-2225. Air Force ptioto Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, Ogden Air Logistics Center commander, congratulates Airmen Leadership School graduates. General Sullivan's outgoing change-of-command ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday. Base Theater free movies Friday, 7 p.m. - "Epic Movie" (PG-13) Saturday, noon "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (PG) Saturday, 7 p.m. "Norbit" (PG-13) O O Flag day today Maj. Gen. Sullivan says 'goodbye'to Hill AFB grounded for lack of radar antennas. Since their LEAN initiative, MICAPs have been virtually eliminated, backorders are down to a handful, they've reduced the cost to the customer and improved component reliability - all I can say is WOW! Lastly, the 75th Air Base Wing chose to eliminate installation vehicle decals. That took a lot of courage for the 75 ABW commander to step out and do that as he was the first commander in the Air Force to take this on. Ultimately, it has eliminated much wasted time and effort for the people issuing and getting the decals. More importantly, this process has been adopted for implementation Air Force wide. These are only a couple of examples of the hundreds of improve^ ments due to the application of LEAN techniques. Q) The Ogden Air Logistics Center stood up five wings and is the home to many operational and support missions including worldwide engineering and logistics management for several airframes as well as intercontinental ballistics missile. How do you think the wing structure is functioning and how is this better for Ogden ALC customers? BY MITCH SHAW 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs While July 4 is traditionally celebrated as our nation's birthday, June 14 is the day to celebrate its most cherished and recognizable symbol - the American Flag. Today, America recognizes what is believed to be the 122nd Flag Day. According to The Flag of the United States of America Web site, an annual day dedicated to celebrating the flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. The Web site, www.usflag.org, lists BJ. Cigrand, a school teacher, as the first person to hold a Flag Day celebration by having his students honor the 108th anniversary of the Stars and Stripes. Many other schools, organizations and states followed the lead of Mr. Cigrand, and Flag Day quickly became an unofficial holiday. On Aug. 3, 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating each June 14 as National Flag Day. "The flag is one of the rrTost important symbols of our nation," said Staff Sgt. Harry McClure, a fuels journeyman with the 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron and an Honor Guard Member. "It stands for the beliefs and principals our great nation was founded upon," In addition to Old Glory flying on Flag Day, Congress passed a bill in 1998 that Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag will fly each year on "Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day on the grounds SEE GENERAL continued on page 3 SEE FLAG continued on page 8 Look inside this week's Hilltop Times for... 309TH MXW DEALING WITH CHANGE Commentary from 419th FW Command Chief Page 2 HOLDS CAR SHOW COMBAT MEDICS 75th MDG deployers save lives in Iraq Page 5 More than 75 cars on display Page 3 o O0 O o•o |