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Show Hilltop COMMENTARY It's important to keep your perspective TIMES 2 April 3, 2014 T 4.,J* Hillt opm :i BY LT. COL. DARIN HUMISTON ES 948 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Charles Horton Standard-Examiner publisher Mitch Shaw Hilltop Times Writer Sarah Stoll Hilltop Times Correspondent Dana Rimington 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 email 75abw.pa@us.af.mil or call 801-777-1902. 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 Base. The content of the Hilltop 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 801-777-1902 with story ideas or comments, or email 75abw.pa@us.af.mil . Call 801-625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 801-6254388 for Retail Advertising. 729th Air Control Squadron commander I t's been a tough year, in the last twelve months we've struggled with sequestration, our retirement was reduced by Congress in November, and fourteen force shaping programs continue to evolve to posture our service for the future. To say the last twelve months have been difficult is an understatement, and this stress and uncertainty has affected all of us. We will always have stress as we serve our great nation, but there are many ways we can manage it. The goal is to keep a healthy perspective. Our Air Force Chief of Staff General Welsh is making the hard calls to ensure we stay lethal as a force into the future. F-35 fighters arriving to Hill Air Force Base next year is an important part of this important fifth generation Humiston strategy. Additionally, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody recently visited Hill AFB and shared this vision to remind us that our senior leadership absolutely gets it. We will weather this storm like we have so many others in our proud history. Recently I attended the chapel-led family retreat at Wolf Mountain Resort in mid-March. Chief Cody was among the outstanding speakers at this unique event. The 729th Air Control Squadron had the majority of families attending this event and their positive feedback confirmed that this was a great chance for everyone to recharge their batteries. This retreat gave us a great opportunity for each of us: Airmen, spouses, and kids to get a fresh perspective on our military service and lifestyle. As Airmen we understand our responsibilities, make that most of our training opportunities, and prepare for deployment. But it's sometimes difficult for us to truly understand the perspective of our spouses and kids. It's a lot more than just missing us, keeping up with school, sports, and managing the household. Dr. Matt Townsend, a communication and relationship expert, and I think, parttime stand-up comic, gave us a great ... Spouses learn new coping mechanisms when we deploy and that ourselves as people, our spouses, and our kids will all grow and change somewhat during our deployment. Often when we return, we are surprised that our loved ones have changed a little since we left. presentation full of examples of how couples easily misunderstand each other. It was very entertaining because as men and women we knew he hit very close to home. Again, this great retreat gave us a "couples' perspective" that I thought was very unique. But whether you are getting ready to deploy for the first time or you've had five or six deployments like many of us, his insights are very important. Bottom line, daily communication is key, say what you really mean, and do your best to forget about expectations (societies and your own). Just tell your spouse what's important to you and listen closely to make sure you really understand what you need to do to fully support your spouse. Mr. Brad Barton, a seasoned and entertaining public speaker, helped us realize that spouses learn new coping mechanisms when we deploy and that ourselves as people, our spouses, and our kids will all grow and change somewhat during our deployment. Often when we return, we are surprised that our loved ones have changed a little since we left. Mr. Barton's advice ... essentially, "go easy" the first month you're home and settle into a new routine vice trying to force things back in to the way things were before you left. Most routines and coping mechanisms developed in our families while we were gone are good, some may not be, but taking this first month slow when we return is good advice. Adjusting routines and entering back into your role as a husband or wife or parent are better received slowly than trying to make abrupt changes. After all, the "new normal" worked while you were gone, giving our families time to adjust to our return is much easier accepted by everyone. I know when I returned from seven months away last July my three year old asked, "are you my Daddy?" and in 20 minutes he was ready for me to be back. My daughters, seven and 10 years old, were happy I was back, but needed a few weeks to get used to me being home again. It sounds simple, but really what Mr. Barton taught us is to keep a healthy perspective. Put yourself in your families' shoes and understand first, things have changed and second, if you think about your deployment from their perspective you'll adjust more quickly to being home. Finally, if you've been in the military a while you would agree that technology really has changed the way we keep in touch with our families. In the mid-90s it was waiting in line for a once a week 15 minute morale call. After a while, everyone had email, and now it's easy to Skype or Facetime with loved ones daily if you choose. I've found I know now who my kids' close friends are when I'm deployed and what school activities are going on. It takes me much less time to catch up when I return home, but even with neardaily contact you won't be able to keep up with everything. Our retreat speakers stressed daily, meaningful communication is important. I agree, but remember every deployment requires some adjustment at the beginning and the end when you return home. So, are we going to have less stress or a slower operations tempo anytime soon? Not likely, but we do have the pride of serving in an Air Force that still dominates the globe. With a healthy perspective, and the tools we learned from this retreat, we will communicate with and connect with our families better and manage the stressors we cannot avoid in a healthy way. We will also stay better connected with our families as we serve around the world. On behalf of the squadron, I would like to thank the Hill Chapel corps, CDC (Child Development Center) care-givers, and volunteers for a terrific family weekend that I know a lot of us needed. A message from the AFSC commander — Budget 2015 HAWC Nest Fite/Fs:Tip from the Health and Wellness Center It is never too late to quit tobacco products. Smoking causes serious health hazards. It's bad for your heart, lungs, brain and appearances. QUIT TODAY. You can afford to quit smoking. Call 7771215 for assistance. TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla — The President's proposed Defense Budget for Fiscal 2015 was released recently, and as predicted, the Air Force Sustainment Center will experience some of the effects. While the budget we're currently operating under has brought more stability and new workloads to AFSC, the newest budget was forced to make some difficult choices, which will require adjustments to workload and manpower. Limited resources have forced Air Force senior leaders to make challenging decisions to balance readiness, capability and capacity to remain ready to meet all challenges both present and future. We've been asked to transition to a leaner Litchfield Air Force and to do that, we plan to restructure ourselves to include the removal of almost 500 aircraft from the operational inventory during the next five years. As we transform, AFSC will focus on delivering more capability at less cost so our Air Force will remain ready to fly, fight and win during the next conflict. We knew this was coming and started our journey toward CostEffective Readiness more than a year ago. We will continue on the path in order to provide the readiness our warfighter's need at a lower cost. How we perform as a Center will determine our value and competitiveness as the best value for sustaining readiness. Our ability to drive down cost, deliver a quality product, in a safe environment will go a long way toward determining future workloads. The tenants of "Art of the Possible" are what we must focus on. We need to look beyond our current abilities and strive to meet new goals that the Air Force never imagined before — and we will do this together. Thank you for all you do and for weathering these fiscal challenges as true professionals. Keep 'em flying it's what we do! Bruce BRUCE A. LITCHFIELD Lieutenant General, USAF Commander, AFSC THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2014 DUls: 2 Hill's Last DUI: pot. Unit Involved: 3S7t4 ,4eiciteijt Report suspicious activity via the AFOSI EAGLE EYES program Dial: 777-3056 / 3057/ 3058. Watch — Report — Protect Force Protection is Our Business — Everyone is a Sensor Vaiatatetwe 59coarteut 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. 777-3056 Air Force Suggestion 777-6901 (complaints) Security Forces 777-4918 75th Vedical Group 24-hr. Crisis Information__ 777-3056 Program 777-1856 777-9696 Civil Engineering 777-4134 Hill Straight Talk Force Support Squadron 777-5305 Public Affairs 777-5333 777-2043 IG Complaints Base Restaurants Military Housing 825-9392 RetirementlCompensation........ ...... 777-6142 (for appointment) (civilian) 777-5361 Maintenance IG Complaints 777-5455 (after hours) Equal Opportunity Office Safety Office 777-3333 586-9300 Employer Relations 777-7129 Fraud, Waste or Abuse ................777-5361 Safety Office Hotline Military Pay Sexual Assault Response ........ 777-1851 (recording) Civilian Pay Coordinator (or) 777-1964 777-6246 Loud Noise 1-877-885-9595 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 777-1163 Occupational Medicine Services Wingman Advocates 777-2255 |