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Show HIhop 2 TIMES Dec. 8, 2011 COMMENTARY How will you handle winds of change if they approach F6? BY ANDY FLOWERS TIM Hill AFB installation director of Manpower, Personnel and Training Veekly Since 1948 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Lee Carter ... Standard-Examiner publisher Mary Lou Gorny Hilltop Times Editor Anne Morrison Hilltop Times Writer Krista Starker Hilltop Times Correspondent Ryan Larsen Hilltop Times Correspondent Deadlines: Editorial and news items are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print date. To submit news items e-mail hilltoptimes@standard.net or call 801-625-4273. For Classified Advertising, call 801-625-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 801-625-4388. The Hilltop Times is published by Ogden Publishing Corp., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force HillBase. The content of the top Times does not necessarily represent the views of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill Air Force Base (collectively, the Government). The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Government of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Standard-Examiner, 332 Standard Way, Ogden, Utah, 84404. Additional editorial content is provided by various military and civilian wire services and Hill Air Force Base public affairs departments. Call 801-625-4273 with story ideas or comments, or contact the editor, Mary Lou Gorny, at mgorny@standard.net . Call 801-625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 801-6254388 for Retail Advertising. 0 n the Fujita Scale (also known as the F-Scale), which measures the severity of tornados, there are typically five ratings from FO to F5, with residual damage rated as light to incredible. Sometimes, an F6 category, the "inconceivable tornado," is included in the scale. The F6 has never been recorded and is difficult to measure. However, Mr. Fujita never considered using his scale to measure re-organizations within the Air Force. Who would have thought the changes that we face today in our Air Force, specifically in our command (Air Force Materiel Command), would have been conceivable two years ago? The DoD contribution to our nation's debt this year and over the next several years promises to result in an Air Force that veterans of the '60s and '70s might not recognize. The Navy will probably buy fewer ships; the Air Force will probably buy fewer planes. On a local level, Hill Air Force Base will not escape these winds of change. Having been designated an Air Logistics Center for many years, we now face losing our commander and executive director who have guided us the past few years. The maintenance wing will have a new name, the Air Logistics Complex. The Aerospace Sustainment Directorate will be part of a newly created center, and the Air Base Wing remains the anchor of base operations. Many of us will have new jobs, and some will decide to retire ahead of the bow wave of change that promises to consolidate and centralize our current way of doing business. And that can be a refreshing change. Although change doesn't necessarily mean improvement, we need to have change in order to improve. I truly be- lieve the senior personnel in the Air Force and the command are making these changes because they believe these changes are necessary for us to survive and thrive in the future. Personally, I've always liked change. It Flowers has always proven to be an adventure. I've moved eight times in my Air Force career. I've been stationed at nine different bases in five different commands on two continents. And I never served in the active duty Air Force. I've been an Air Force Civilian my entire career. Some lessons I've learned I think are worth sharing. Not all are my original words, but are appropriate just the same. Here are some things to keep in mind as you make important decisions in navigating the turbulent times ahead. Remain calm and be kind Most of us lead quiet, unheralded lives for which there will not be any ticker-tape parades in our honor. But that doesn't lessen the impact we can have. People appreciate compassion and encouragement. We often underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a calm presence when others are in disarray. Consider being calm and kind as our course of action. Avoid having your ego so close to your job that when your job falls, your ego falls with it Our jobs aren't necessarily who we are but rather what we do. If we don't like what we do, we have control over that. We can't control others' reactions, but we can control our actions. AIRMAN TO AIRMAN Where are you from? Broward County, Fla. What is your favorite quote or movie quote? "Say hello Fitness Tip from the Health and Wellness Canter The Freshstart program to quit tobacco is a four-part series that meets weekly for one month. All active duty, dependents, retirees, Department of Defense federal employees and contractors are eligible to attend. Call Pat Cerone Health and Wellness Center at 801-777-1215 for more information. THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2011 DUIs: 35 Senior Airman Carlos Armstrong 75th Mission Support Group history. If you were not in the Air Force, what would you want to be? I would What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends? Going to malls pursue a career as a CIA agent. and looking for sales at Macy's and Dillard's, a habit I picked up from my mom. What is your favorite type of music? Reggae and dancehall. What are your future goals? To What are your hobbies? Boxing, reading, history channel, and Chinese food. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Vatican City. Rio for Carnival and Vatican City because of its art retire from the Air Force and immediately start at least a GS-12 position or be picked up on a contractor slot. What is your favorite childhood memory? Having snowball fights with my dad and neighbors on Sembach Air Base, Germany. Hill's Last DUI: 777-7000 action.line.pa@hill.af.mil Oct. 22 tk ,10412.ace 7164eate Squetd,topt Airmen Against Drinking and Driving provide rides when designated drivers are unavailable. Call 777-1111 to request a ride anytime. Hours of operation: Fridays-Saturdays 10 p.m.- 6 a.m. Sundays 9 p.m.-midnight. SUICIDE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE Mental Health Clinic 777-7909 Chaplain ............ 777-2106 Military OneSource (800) 342-9647 National Suicide (800) 273-8255 Prevention Line TriWest Crisis Line (866) 284.3743 TriWest Behavioral (866) 651-4970 Health Contact Center EAP (800) 222-0364 Occupational Medicine 777-1163 Services Wingman Advocates 777 2255 - Rarely will those who oppose you give you sound counsel. Seek support and mentorship from someone who cares. Take time to be fit You need to do something for your health, whether it's losing weight (it takes the loss of 3,500 calories to lose one pound), training for a marathon (give yourself six months of consistent training), quitting smoking, or just feeling more comfortable about yourself and your self image. A positive self image and improved health yields exponential benefits at work, play and in your relationships. Sweat the small details The big things usually take care of themselves. When many of us are faced with the decision to retire or to continue working, consider all factors involved in the outcome. Crunch numbers; then make a rational decision as to what's best for you. 'Damned if you do' and 'damned if you don't' are never equal Choose a course of action which you believe is right for you. But, after a decision is made, let it go. You'll be happier and so will everyone else around you. Remember that surviving the difficult circumstances of radical change in life isn't accomplished by making quick decisions ... and there is more to life than increasing its speed. 70 years later, Pearl Harbor response inspires remembrance W Having the opportunity to meet a lot of different people and visit various countries. 75e Don't take counsel with your naysayers American Forces Press Service What is your favorite part about being in the Air Force? Unit Involved: Sometimes, facts portray the situation as hopeless. It's rarely that way. Situations are most often more threatening at the start. The situation usually looks better in time. BY DONNA MILES to my l'il friend!" 4 Al Pacino in "Scarface." HAWC Nest Don't let negative facts keep you from making a sound decision Security Forces 24-hr. Crisis Information Force Support Squadron Base Restaurants Retirement/Compensation (civilian) Equal Opportunity Office Employer Relations Military Pay Civilian Pay Air Force Suggestion Program Hill Straight Talk IG Complaints (for appointment) IG Complaints (after hours) 777-5361 777-3056 Fraud, Waste or Abuse 777-3056 (recording) 777-4134 Loud Noise 1-877-885-9595 777-2043 (complaints) 777-6142 75th Medical Group 777-4918 Civil Engineering 777-1856 777-5455 Hill Pride Hotline 777-7433 777-7129 Public Affairs 777-5333 777-1851 Military Housing 825-9392 777-6246 Maintenance 777-6901 777-3333 Safety Office Safety Office Hotline 586-9300 777-9696 Sexual Assault Response 777-1985 777-5305 Coordinator (or) 777-1964 Union 777-3257 777-1852 777 5361 AFOSI Narcotics Hotline Family Assistance Center 777-3090 (when activated) - ASHINGTON 4 Commemorations are under way at Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam, Hawaii, and in Washington, where Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta placed a wreath at the Navy Memorial in memory of those killed 70 years ago Wednesday during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Until Sept. 11, 2001, the surprise early-morning attack on Dec. 7, 1941, stood as the most devastating enemy attack on U.S. soil. Within hours, more than 2,400 Americans were dead. Five of the eight battleships at the U.S. Fleet's Pearl Harbor base were sunk or sinking, and the other battleships, as well as ships and Hawaii-based combat planes, were heavily damaged. By crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Japan hoped to eliminate it as a threat to the Japanese Empire's expansion south. What the enemy hadn't counted on was that the Pearl Harbor attack would become a defining moment in U.S. history, rallying the American people against their attackers. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Dec. 7, 1941, "a day which will live in infamy" and signed the Declaration of War against Japan the following day. It was the start of a long, difficult war against tyranny. Nazi Germany, which already controlled a vast empire, declared war on the United States four days later. President Barack Obama, in his National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2011 proclamation, heralded the resilience the military demonstrated in the face of the aggressive attack. "As explosions sounded and battleships burned, brave service members fought back fiercely with everything they could find," he said. Panetta, speaking last week at a gala commemorating a centennial of naval aviation, called the response to the attack 4 the beginning of the Pacific campaign of World War II 4 one of the finest chapters of American military history. "It was a time for bold offensive action, for daring in the face of grave risk and for innovation when it mattered most," he said, praising the force that "fought back from that terrible attack and reclaimed the Pacific, one bloody battle after another." The secretary recalled how Navy Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet during the war, vowed at Midway to "greet our expected visitors with the kind of reception they deserve." See ATTACK I page 3 |