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Show ffTMES CEOs and their families get a taste of Air Force life March 26, 2009 BY LEE ANNE HENSLEY Hilltop Times staff Brad Wilson, chief executive officer of Destination Homes and member of the Young President's Organization Utah Chapter, places a patch on his wife's, Jeni, flight suit March 19 at Hangar 37. T The Young Presidents Organization Utah Chapter, a global organization comprised of chief executive officers of Utah and international businesses, paid a special visit to Hill Air Force Base with their families March 19. The 388th Fighter Wing arranged familyoriented tours of base facilities and helped the families assemble more than 300 individual care packages for deployed Airmen while the CEOs donned flight suits and became pilots for a day. The CEOs are accustomed to being lions in the office, and last Thursday they had a chance to roar in the cockpit of an F-16 Fighting Falcon simulator. The 46 CEOs were placed into flights, and were given a simulated mission to accomplish in the simulator. Each "pilot" on the team was graded on their takeoff, attack and landing by their team's instructor pilot, an F-16 from the 388th. Although the mission was a simplified version of the missions the wing's pilots practice daily, the details and execution of the mission was still daunting for the YPO members. "It is totally overwhelming!" admitted Jim Divver, YPO Utah Chapter member and executive for Zions Bank, regarding the mission briefing his Alpha Flight received before executing in the simulator. "There are so many details to know. It just goes to show what you have to know to fly a jet and What goes into all this." Scott Beck, chief operating officer of CHG Healthcare, found his simulator experience "awkward and nerve-wracking," yet he managed to destroy both his targets; unfortunately, his landing back to home station wasn't as successful "It was very challenging," he said. The teams also received grades on their ejection sequence procedures, which included virtual parachute landing and emergency egress training. In this survival sequence the business executives learned that survival means more than keeping a business out of the red. Paige Pierce, president and CEO of international investment bank RW Smith and Associates and a 388th FW honorary commander, found this tour to be a great asset to both the business executives and the m Air Force. "We are grateful to the 388th and the base for welcoming (us)," she said. "We know this takes an extraordinary amount of time and effort, but it is great exposure for us and the base. We all have businesses in different parts of the state and for these 40 CEOs to have exposure to this is a worthwhile investment of resources." Sarah Lehman and her husband, Paul, are YPO members who helped organize the event. Paul is a Falcon who served as the 388th Operations Group commander's honorary commander from fall 2006 until fall 2008. Sarah organized the event "to help our colleagues understand all the incredibly difficult tasks the Air TODD CROMAR U.S. Air Force Spouses of deployed 388th FW Airmen spoke to the YPO families about the ups and downs of maintaining the homefront during deployments. Also, Capt. Bobby Flammia, a pilot with the 421st Fighter Squadron, reinforced the importance of education by sharing his background with the listening children. . The families then saw a military working dog demonstration by the 75th Security Forces Squadron and an unmanned/robotics systems demonstration by the 75th Civil Engineering Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team. They also got a chance ^^ Capt. Roberto Flammia, 421st Fighter Squadron F-16 pilot, talks to Julia, ^ Hangar/SZ^jhere 14 tables Jfcfc Caleb (rigWa Isaac Yape (left), who are decorating gift bags that will be *were sefupror the families filled with supplies and sent to the 314 deployed Airmen from Hill Air Force to assemble care packages Base. The Yapes found the yellow bag with their deployed father's name on for the deployed Airmen. it, Maj. Eric Yape, and wrote personalized notes on the bag to their father. The YPO Utah Chapter Force accomplishes on a daily basis, and you will have a chance to truly appreciate how valuable a resource the Utah Test and Training Range is to our national defense." While the business executives gained an appreciation for the business of the Air Force, their spouses and children learned of the sacrifices that the deployed family members make back home. purchased the contents of the care packages they helped to assemble. The combined tour allowed the Utah business executives and their families a chance to deepen their appreciation for the efforts of the Airmen at Hill AFB. Alisa Fullmer and her family live in Sandy and do not have much exposure to the Air Force base and its daily activities. "It was interesting to find out what goes on here and to support the troops for all they do," she said. Entertainers join Elmo to help military families discuss serious topic with their children BY SAMANTHA L. QUIGLEY American Forces Press Service W ASHINGTON — Sesame Workshop will air a PBS special April 1 aimed at helping military families cope with changes. Actor/singer Queen Latifah and singer John Mayer will join Elmo to present, "Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change." The special carries a message for children whose parents suffered a physical or psychological wound in combat. "Rosita's father is in a wheelchair and (she) talks to Elmo about her feelings," Barbara Thompson, director of the Defense Department's Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth, said. "Elmo very graciously says, 'You need to talk to your dad about that."' Rosita does talk with her dad and learns that even though they can't do all the things they used to, they can do other things. "It gives this sense of relief that I can talk about the change. That my dad is still my dad (and) my parent is still my parent," Thompson said. "It's very powerful for ... parents to see ... what it's like from a child's perspective, what they're feeling and experiencing." Having celebrities participate also adds value, beyond the "cool" factor, SPECIAL AIRING IN HILL AFB BASE THEATER See a special showing at Hill Air Force Base on March 28 before the PBS special airs April 1. Parents are strongly advised to attend with their children due to the topic matter. Come early for a limited number of childfriendly items and hand-outs. Facilitators will be on hand for possible questions as will some of the PBS faciltators. Military Family Life consultants will also be available. Children,are very likely to have some questions and so the showing is being set up so that parents will have help in answering those questions. Thompson said. "I think it... draws a larger (portion) of the population to the issues that military families (face)," she said. "It shows, I think, people's interest." The half-hour special, which will air at the beginning of the "Month of the Military Child," is a part of Sesame Workshop's "Talk, Listen, Connect" initiative, which began two years ago. The first phase of the TLC program addressed the issues of multiple deployments and their impact on young children. It included the half-hour TV special, "When Parents Are Deployed," hosted by Cuba Gooding Jr. The second phase, which includes the upcoming TV special, addresses the issues of changes, both physical and psychological, and the impact those changes can have on a family. It does this, in part, by telling the stories of servicemembers with challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder, and the struggles these families face in finding the "new normal," Thompson said. To help parents communicate better with their children on these topics, the Sesame Workshop has created an informative kit in both English and Spanish. Defense Department employees served as subject matter experts for the Sesame Workshop kit, which contains two DVDs and printed materials. "Of course (the Sesame Workshop is) the creative force behind it," Thompson said. "They know how to craft those messages so that children really benefit from the comfort of the Sesame characters." See SPECIAL I page 10 REMARKS Week of Sexual Assault Awareness activities BY CAPT. JOSE MILAN Sexual Assault Response coordinator A week of activities is scheduled in the month of April for Sexual Assault Awareness Week: Activities include: April 6: Sex Signals, 7:30 a.m.-9 ajn., 10 a.nx-ll:30 am., or 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. at the Base Theater April 7: Managing Conflict in the Workplace, 9 a.m.-lO am. or 2 p.m.-3 p.m. at the Base Theater April 7: Military OneSource presentation, 11 am.-noon at the Base Theater April 8: Assertiveness Training, 10 a.m.11 a.m., at the Base Theater April 8: Finances and Health, noon1 p.m., at the Base Theater April 8: Sexual Assault Victims and the Justice System, 1 pm.-2 p.m., at the Base Theater April 9: SARC video and Question and Answer session, 7:30 a.m. -830 am., 10 am.-ll a.m., or 2 p.m.-3 p.m. at the Base Theater April 9: Military OneSource presentation, 11 am.-noon, at the Base Theater April 10: Communication Skills, 11:30 am.-1230 p.m., at the Base Theater April 10: Airman and Family Readiness Services, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., at the Base Theater. |