OCR Text |
Show HILLTOP TIMES W ASHINGTON 4 President Barack Obama released a statement July 2 calling the Airmen battling wildfires in the Rocky Mountain region "heroes who deserve the appreciation of a grateful nation." The statement comes following a crash July 1 of a North Carolina Air National Guard C-130 as its crew was battling a wildfire in South Dakota. Here is the president's statement: Yesterday (Sunday), a military C-130 from the North Carolina Air National Guard crashed while supporting firefighting efforts in South Dakota. The full details are still under investigation, but the crew of this flight 4 along with their families and loved ones 4 are in our thoughts and prayers. The men and women battling these terrible fires across the West put their lives on the line every day for their fellow Americans. The Airmen who attack these fires from above repeatedly confront dangerous conditions in an effort to give firefighters on the ground a chance to contain these wildfires 4 to save homes, businesses, schools, and entire communities. They are heroes who deserve the appreciation of a grateful nation. I know Americans across the country share my concern for the well-being of the surviving members of the crew and my deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. And I know that Americans join me in expressing my deepest gratitude for the selfless determination they and thousands of men and women involved in this fight in states across the country demonstrate every day. July 5, 2012 STAGING AREA President Obama calls firefighting Airmen heroes American Forces Press Service thus 9 DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/Associated Press A helicopter takes off with the stadium in the background from a pad on the Air Force Academy as a wildfire rolls through housing subdivisions in the mountains north and west of Colorado Springs, Colo., June 27. At that point the fire had forced the evacuation of more than 32,000 residents of the communities in Colorado Springs and west of the community. MAFFS- equipped C-130s resume their operations U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs P MASTER SGT. JEREMY LOCK/U.S. Air Force Marissa Halbeisen helps cut and clear a fire line in the Mount Saint Francois area of Colorado Springs, Colo., June 28. At that point, more than 90 firefighters from the U.S. Air Force Academy, along with assets from Air Force Space Command; F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; Fort Carson, Colo.; and the local community continued to fight the Waldo Canyon fire. Halbeisen is a firefighter with Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Hot Shots. ETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. 4 The commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command announced that the C-130 Modular Airborne Fire-Fighting System fleet would resume operations July 3 in support of the National Interagency Fire Center and its firefighters on the front lines in several states. Operational flying was suspended for one day to review flying and safety procedures, in the context of what is known so far about the crash of a MAFFS C-130 while fighting South Dakota's White Draw Fire. An official accident investigation into the crash is ongoing, with the support of everyone concerned. Next-of-kin of the casualties have been notified. USNORTHCOM and its Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard aircrews and support personnel are fully committed to their critical joint mission of helping to protect lives and property in our homeland. In support of NIFC teammates, crews are resuming MAFFS C-130 launches and firefighting. Hill AFB ceremony honors military working dogs 'truly man's best friend' BY MITCH SHAW Standard-Examiner staff T hey might have walked on four legs, but they were Airmen nonethe- less. Military Working Dogs Arek, Allen, Liska and Bandy were all officially retired from duty June 29 afternoon at a special ceremony at Hill Air Force Base's Memorial Park. A memorial was also held for a military dog named Marco, STARBASE From page 7 continuously advocating for this program, Hill Air Force Base received approval May 2011. It took the diligent efforts of Maughan and her staff, members of the Ogden Air Logistics Contracting, and the 75th Air Base Wing to bring us where we are today." As a mentor to the Hill AFB program, Ronda Cole, of the Kirtland AFB, N.M., Starbase program explained: "It's a great program because it gives students the opportunity to apply science, technology and math so that when they go back to their school, they can say, `Oh, yes, I remember how this worked on my CO2 car or my robot or in manufacturing a piece that I designed on the computer.' And now, it's more relevant for (the student) to study those things in school, too." The Starbase Academy incorporates hands-on, project-driven learning. A who recently died. All of the dogs were members of the 75th Security Forces Squadron's MWD Group at Hill. The group trains and deploys military working dogs to assist military operations in all areas, from sniffing out improvised explosive devices to finding illegal drugs. Tech. Sgt. Matt Wilson, a trainer with the MWD group, said the ceremony was held because all four dogs retired at the same time and another for- mer member of the group had recently died. "This is the first ceremony we've had of this magnitude," he said. "It's a unique situation with the whole timing of everything, so we thought this was fitting." The five dogs honored Friday all served several tours of duty in places like Iraq and Afghanistan 4 and even in El Paso, Texas, as members of the border patrol. Maj. Timothy McCarty, corn- few of the activities that they do are design objects that a 3-D printer can construct from composite materials, work on robots, learn geo caching, and design ways to protect "Eggbert" from being hurt in a crash landing of a model space shuttle. Judith Maughan, school liaison and education coordinator, said, "I think it is the hands-on, project-based learning that makes it so exciting for the students." She is excited about the project's completion after having overcome challenges in getting the academy up and running. Maughan wondered at times, if Starbase would get there, but the excitement of everyone involved was contagious. Frances Bradshaw, Starbase director said, "The contractors and base engineers were thrilled and they kept saying, `Can we come back and look at it when you're up and running?'" Bradshaw explained how this curriculum makes it easier for students to learn when the math, science and engineering mander of the 75th SFS, said the dogs played a direct role in saving countless lives and finding thousands of pounds of illegal drugs. "Because of what they've done, we think it's necessary to recognize them as the heroes they are," he said. The most common breed for MWDs are the German shepherd and the Belgian Malinois. The dogs that operate in military roles, whether Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines, are all interrelated. "It's actually targeted at students that wouldn't consider science, technology, engineering and mathematics as even something that they would want to pursue in junior high or high school," she said. As most teachers understand intuitively it's when the spark of interest and understanding gets lit, then the drive for curiosity and creativity really unleashes students' own learning. The Hill AFB Starbase Academy has four teachers who teach 6th-grade students who attend with their teachers. They are: Kim Miller, Alison Sturgeon, Timeka Holmes and Rusty Custer. Most students will attend five Mondays, five Tuesdays, five Wednesdays or five Thursdays in a row. However yearround students come in a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday format in a one-week schedule staying a little longer on each day. Starbase Academies are very popular, said another of the mentors for the program, Kathy Brandon, of Barksdale are all trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, the only United States facility that currently trains dogs for military use. The Department of Defense retires more than 400 military working dogs each year. All MWDs in use today are paired with an individual, called the dog's handler, following their training. A handler usually won't stay See DOGS I page 11 AFB, Shreveport, Louisiana: "It is not something that is just for the person who is going to be a scientist or for those of us who are destined to be engineers. We all use engineering every day. Math affects everything in our life in everything we do. We use the tools of technology. We all have to understand the concepts of science and so this is for everyone." Brandon added: "If you are going to become a hairdresser you are going to have to understand chemical processes just like a person who works in a research laboratory. The understanding and the skillset that you get from STEM studies is critical for everyone." Both mentors say that in surveys conducted with the students in attendance they typically answer that "Today was my favorite day," and "Make it longer," in response to what can be done to make the program or experience better. The Starbase Academy is in Building 460 near Runway Ruby's. For more information about the program contact Frances Bradshaw at 801-586-7494. |