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Show Hilltop U.S. AIR FORC-fft=1 : Hill AFB, Utah 84056-5824 M S Weekly Since 1948 www.hilltoptimes.com hilltoptimes@standard.net Vol. 73 No. 1, January 29, 2015 419th civil engineers come home Author misidentified in Ployer Hill profile The Hilltop Times incorrectly listed Aaron Clark, Hill AFB historian, as the author of last week's page 2 article on Hill Air Force Base's namesake, Ployer "Pete" Hill. The author was Dr. Lia Winfield, the Hill Aerospace Museum's exhibit research and design chief. Her commentary can be found with the correct byline at www.hill.af.mil . Base tax center The base tax center, located in the Poe Conference Center (Building 1295), will be open Jan 26-April 17. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. This is a free, walk-in service for activeduty, Reserve and Guard members on Title 10 orders, military family members and military retirees. For more information, call 801-7771040. By BRYAN MAGANA 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs H ILL AIR FORCE BASE — A group of reservists from the 419th Civil Engineer Squadron returned home last week after a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia. While overseas, about 20 Airmen from the CES performed base maintenance and ensured the troops had quality living and work areas. "We responded to service calls for broken air conditioning units, doors, locks, clogged pipes, and broken lift stations," said Senior Master Sgt. James Thomas, oper- I ations manager for the deployed Airmen. Larger projects included routing utility lines to newly constructed buildings, setting up portable bathrooms and showers, repairing runways and surveying the area to ensure maps were up to date. When they weren't working, Airmen could be found near the Wi-Fi hotspots. 'We worked eight- to 10-hour days, but when the work day was done, we spent a lot of time Skyping or calling back home to talk to our families," Thomas said The last group of CES personnel returned this week. COURTESY PHOTO Staff Sgt. Wesley Espinoza, 419th Civil Engineer Squadron, hugs his children upon returning home Jan. 20 from a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia. Joint Base San Antonio to host AFIMSC headquarters Eyes in the sky in Afghanistan 75th ABW Annual Awards Ceremony Tickets for the 75th Air Base Wing Annual Awards Ceremony are available for leadership and nominees through Jan. 30. Other attendees should purchase their tickets by Feb. 4. Ticket pricing is as follows: $47 (off-base guest/O-4 and above/E-9/GS-13 and above/ WS-14 and above); $42 (0-1 to 0-3/E-7 to E-8/GS-10 to GS-12/WT-15); $32 (E-6/GS-7 to GS-9/ WS-8 to WS-11/ WL-8 to WL-14/WG-12 to WG15); and $22 (E-5 and below/ GS-6 and below/WS-7 and below/WL-5 and below/WG11 and below). Cash or check can be submitted to: 75th MSG, 2nd Lt. Amy Polaneczky, Bldg. 180, 801-777-7584; 75th CEG, Tech. Sgt. Wesley Kory, Bldg. 1781, 801-777-5501; Wing Staff Agencies, Master Sgt. Parkinson, Bldg. 1, 801777-3519; 75th MDG, 1st Lt. James Caviness, Bldg. 570, 801-586-0987; and 75th SC, Master Sgt. Charles Brezial, Bldg. 850, 801-586-1111. For more information, call Tech. Sgt. Patrick Gallagher at 801-777-5567. By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Command Information STAFF SGT. WHITNEY AMSTUTZ/U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Capt. Shayne Carroll, 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-16 pilot, prepares for takeoff while U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Shinkle, 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alec Cruz, 455 EAMXS, perform final preflight inspections on an F-16 Fighting Falcon in advance of a mission Jan. 9 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Hill Airmen continue with F-16 support in "Operation Freedom's Sentinel" Team Hill Ski Day Feb. 13 at Snowbasin A Team Hill Ski Day will be held at Snowbasin on Feb. 13. Stop by Outdoor Recreation to purchase ticket reservations for $56 per ticket. Ticket reservations are available for purchase now through 4 p.m. Feb. 12. Tickets will be issued at Earl's Lodge starting at 8 a.m. Feb. 13. A number of ski packages that include skis, boots and poles are also available. Costs vary and supplies are limited, so reserve early. For more information, call Outdoor Recreation at 801-777-9666. See KNOW I Page 15 By MITCH SHAW Hilltop Times correspondent B U AGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Members of the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group here prepared F-16 Fighting Falcons and secured the skies of Afghanistan during a mission on Jan. 9. The F-16 is a multi-role fighter aircraft that provides air superiority, enabling freedom of movement for troops on the ground as well as close air support for troops engaged in combat. After nearly a decade and a half, United States combat operations are over in Afghanistan, but forces from Hill Air Force Base continue to be deployed there. The Department of Defense officially concluded Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan that began in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in late 2014. But 2015 brings a brand-new follow-on mission, called Operation Freedom's Sentinel, which aims to help secure and build on the past 13 years of U.S. involvement in the country. Nathan Simmons, a spokesman with Hill's 388th Fighter Wing, said the wing has F-16 jets and personnel stationed with the U.S. Central Command participating in the new operation and another NATO-led non-combat mission called Resolute Support, which corresponds with Freedom's Sentinel. Simmons said that with Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. is pursuing two missions — securing the ASHINGTON, D.C. — Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, was selected as the host base for the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Headquarters. Air Force officials chose the installation after analyzing operational considerations, installation attributes, and economic and environmental factors at four candidate locations. "Following site surveys at the four candidate locations, we ultimately selected Joint Base San Antonio because almost 50 percent of AFIMSC's subordinate unit personnel currently reside at the installation," said Timothy Bridges, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations. "In fact, two of AFIMSC's primary subordinate units will share the same building with the headquarters. We believe co-locating AFIMSC with a large percentage of its subordinate staff will allow the Air Force to harness operational synergy as the headquarters matures into full operational capability." The Air Force expects the first personnel assigned to AFIMSC will begin reporting this summer, with most of the staff expected to be in place by fall of 2016. The decision culminates a deliberate process that included a review of environmental impacts. During detailed on-the-ground-site surveys of each candidate base, a site survey team led by Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command evaluated the bases against operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, housing, See EYES I Page 3 See SAN ANTONIO I Page 15 Look inside this week's Hilltop Times for " " " STAY INFORMED... JOIN THE CONVERSATION www.Facebook.com/ Hill AirForceBase Bomb Testing "Art of the Possible" Biking to Work Northern range won't hurt UTTR 572nd AMXS shatters record Clinton native pedals for 20 years See page 3 See page 5 See page 7 |