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Show HILLTOP TIMES From page 9 SKILLS August 13, 2009 Retiree Appreciation.. Day set for Aug. 28' PHOTO they managed to find one of the original learners — Dee R. Forbes, 87, of Layton. As it turns out, Forbes has been attending the Hill AFB Maintenance Employees Reunions almost every year since the reunions began more than 17 years ago. "It is nice to get together and reminisce with the people I have worked with," Forbes said. Forbes joined the first Civilian Mechanic Learners class with about 20 other civilian mechanics June 16, 1941. Utah's original classes were held in Ogden, Salt Lake City and Logan. The program was to provide skilled mechanics for Hill Field in its establishment as "... A depot essential to the maintenance of the General Headquarters Air Force and to afford, in addition, training in operations from fields of high altitude." That is how Hill Field's 1935 enabling legislation had described the installation's original mission, Kendziora reported. The first Civilian Mechanic Learners program consisted of classroom work in the mornings and on-the-job training in the afternoons. Kendziora said that Hill Field's largest civilian workforce during World War II, approximately 15,000 people, stemmed from these pre-war civilian mechanic learner classes. From 1941 to 1943, Forbes worked as an aircraft mechanic, first at Salt Lake City Army Air Base and then Hill Field, maintaining and repairing various aircraft, including the B-17 Flying Fortress, the A-20 Havoc and the P-39 Airacobra. Here Forbes' maintenance crew became expert at installing de-icer boots on various aircraft for flight in cold weather, as the so-called boots, which were actually inflatable rubber parts, would expand with engine exhaust air pressure to break off ice that formed on wings and tail surfaces in flight. Forbes joined the Army Air Forces in 1943 and repaired C-46 Commandos and C-54 Skymasters at Casablanca, Africa, until six months after the end of the war. Forbes separated from the service as a staff sergeant in the spring of 1946 and returned to Hill Field as a civilian airplane mechanic. This time, Forbes worked on the B-29 Superfortress "pickle line," which involved preparing the Superfortress for long-term storage and maintaining the aircraft while in storage. In August 1948, shortly after Hill Field was renamed Hill Air Force Base, Forbes transferred to the Maintenance Division's Base and Transient Maintenance Branch where he helped to launch and recover all sorts of U.S. Air Force and other aircraft —"from props to jets." In the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, he became a workload scheduler for the Minuteman and Titan intercontinental ballistic missiles. From 1967 to 1980, Forbes worked as a production management specialist for manned aircraft maintenance, applying the depot's resources to primarily F-lOls andF-4s. On June 16,1980, exactly 39 years to the day since entering the first TIMES R etirees from the local area, as well as * those from the southern portions of Idaho, Wyoming, and eastern Nevada,' '^ are invited to come out to Hill Air Force Base on Aug. 28 for their annual appreciation event. "Retiree Appreciation Day has been a longstanding tradition at Hill and we want to see 11 it continue," said Constance Delamater, chair- ~. woman for the Retiree Appreciation Day Committee. "This day is set aside for Team Hill to express our appreciation to retirees." Currently, there are approximately 18,000 military retirees residing in the area surround: ing the base. The primary mission of the Retiree Activity Office at Hill is to ensure military, retirees of all services receive their entitle- . ments and benefits. "They have worked hard , and sacrificed much in the pursuit of freedom. Consequently, the Department of Defense has^ , set forth a Retiree Activities Program that pro;, vides an infrastructure of offices and councils to support our military retirees," said Dela- u > mater. .'; All retirees and their spouses are encouraged to take advantage of the services that will be offered this year at Club Hill. Many representatives from base organizations will be on hand as well as exhibits by health care profes-'' sionals from the community. Registration begins at 7 a.m. on Aug. 28. The RAO is located in the Customer Support Center, Building 430. Contact them at (801) 7775735. Checkout the Web site for more information, Hill AFB is Area IV at: http^/www.retiree.' af.mil and the e-mail is: repact@hill.af.mil. * Triathlon to hit ; base pool and streets Aug. 15. BY SENIOR AIRMAN BRANDON CRAIG \^ 75th Public Affairs Office ;»;j LEE ANNE HENSLEY/Hilltop Times Dee Forbes, a retired aircraft mechanic from Hill Air Force Base, stands next a photo of the Salt Lake City Army Air Base that hangs in the Hill Aerospace Museum. Forbes worked on B-17 Flying Fortresses at the air base from 1941-1943, which the air base has since been closed down. Civilian Mechanic Learners class, Forbes retired from Hill AFB. A year later he earned a pilot license and in 1990 joined the Confederate Air Force, then headquartered at Harlingen, Texas. Today Forbes is one of about 40 members of what's now called the Commemorative Air Force, headquartered at Midland, Texas, whose ranks number about 9,000 nationwide. Forbes may be one of the last surviving members of the 1941 Civilian Mechanic Learner class, and attributes his good health to swimming two to three times a week, tending his large garden and 'thinking about airplanes a lot." The Hill AFB Maintenance Employees Reunion will be Aug. 27 at the Hill Aerospace Museum from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. This will be the first year the reunion will be hosted at the aircraft museum. "It just clicked when we thought of hosting this reunion at the museum," Hohman said, as many of the civilian mechanics in attendance will get a reward", or "don't do it and be punished," offer a third option where ; From page 9 the child owns their choice and there•: employ the next truth. fore also owns the possible conseTruth No. 3: Kids need their space; quence. they also need to know their place. Thith No. 4: Let the consequences Kids need guidance on their space, do the screaming. or what they control, even when We don't want to watch our chilthey're young, Runkel said. Basically, dren suffer, Runkel admitted. But ' space tells children how well you re- we need to give them back the power spect them and their ability to make a over their own choices so that they choice, he added. can become strong adults. : Space is both physical and emoRunkel also emphasized that par: tional, and it grows with age. Parents ents must show their children that \ must be sure to let their children they are strong enough to escort them know where their space ends, Runkel into the consequences, even when . added. Once the space ends, place they are unintended. However, he begins and so do consequences if chil- continued, parents can come up with \ dren overstep their place. creative solutions when unintended • Tb give children a sense of space, consequences come into play. ; parents should employ a third option, Truth No. S: Put on your own oxy! Runkel said. Instead of having fwo gen mask first. '. choices, or "do what you're told and Though it may sound like an air- reminisce about working on the retired fleet on display. "This will also be a great way to get the 'old timers' in to the museum and become familiar with all of its programs, like the plane talk program." Hohman would also like to extend the call for others to contact Jensen or her if they know of other surviving civilian maintenance technicians of Hill AFB who would like to attend the reunion. "We would also like to know if there are any other survivors from the first Civilian Mechanic Learner class and to contact us if there are," she adds. No special pass is required to visit the museum and donations only will be accepted for the reunion at the door. Donations will be used to fund next year's reunion. Hohman can be reached by telephone at (801) 985-7756 and Jensen can be reached at (801) 825-2837. They, as well as Joe Sapp, at telephone number (801) 544-4508, may also be contacted for more information about the reunion. plane safety brochure, truth No. 5 is key to becoming a ScreamFree parent, Runkel said. In, order to take care of our kids, he continued, we must take care of ourselves first. "Kids need parents who do not need them," Runkel said. "We can want and love them, but we shouldn't need our kids to take care of ourselves/' he clarified. "We should employ the fourth level of love, where we love ourselves for our children's benefit," Runkel stated. In other words, he added, we should love and take care of ourselves so our children don't have to. The last and perhaps most important key to becoming a ScreamFree parent, according to Runkel, is to initiate the changes in yourself first. "If you're waiting for someone else to change, you're going to be waiting for a long time," Runkel said. T he Warrior Health and Fitness Center is inviting all interested athletes to compete in their annual triathlon here ; Saturday, AugrlS: " • " • : The popular fitness event was expected to have 70-80 participants but already has more than 100 competitors signed up and is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. at the indoor pool in Building 520. A triathlon is a long distance sporting event with three parts, consisting of a swim, a bike ., race and a foot race. "It's like three sports put, into one," said Ashley Mitchell, a fitness specialist with the 75th Force Support Squadron.,: There are two different categories for those competing, said Mitchell, a category for begirt ? ner or intermediate athletes and one more ad-; <•, vanced for those ready for more of a challenge; For beginners and intermediate challengers there will be a 400 meter swim, followed by a 20 kilometer bike race, and finally a 5 kilometer run. Advanced athletes double the swim to 800 meters and the run to 10 kilometers. The swim will be done in heats, followed . ; by the 20 kilometer bike ride to the perimeter road and back, and finish with the run on the . duck pond trail. "We've had to change the route several times this year because of construe- ; tion," said Mitchell. Preparation for long distance sporting , j events is key. "You want to be able to sustain exercise for several hours. You want to start a few months in advance," she said. }, "Nutrition also plays a huge role," she con- ; turned. "Try and get all your vitamins; it's re- ; ally important. Also, eat enough carbohydrates!; Your muscles are really going to need those ; carbs. Carbs are the fastest form of energy for; your body." [ Preparation can be simpler than it sounds, i "Training doesn't take very much time out of 3 my day," said Mel Graff, 519th Combat Sus- | tainment Squadron, and long-time supporter 2 of the base triathlon. "I ride my bike to work $t and back, I run at lunch time with some frienda and swim at the pool in the evening on the way . home from work." „. Graff reports that another veteran triathlet$ who will participate Saturday is Cassie OwensS a lifeguard at the pool here. "I think she's got; $ me on the swim," he said. <(We're both excited1:! to see who wins." *} Safety and medical personnel will be on ^ standby during the competition, along with a $ number of volunteers. "We always have para- S medics on standby when we do an event like '4 this," Mitchell said. There will also be a truck driving the bike route to make sure no one has fallen out and water and food will be available for those who g need it, she said. jj |