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News Briefs

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PLACE FLAGS TO HONOR VETS

If you are interested in helping place flags on the graves of Veterans prior to Veteran’s Day, please join us. We plan to meet at Riverside Evergreen Historical Cemetery (4414 14th St., Riverside, 92501) on Saturday morning, Nov. 7, 8 a.m. to place American flags on the graves of more than 1,000 Veterans (to include the gravesite of Col. Cornelius Cole Smith, United States Army, the cemetery’s only Congressional Medal of Honor recipient) in honor of Veteran’s Day, which is Nov. 11. All American flags are provided. Any and all volunteers are welcomed to participate. The flags will remain in place through Veteran’s Day. Make it a family day and hike to the top of Mount Rubidoux after you are done placing flags. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. John Morris at 951-655-3622 or 951-746-0416.

MANDATORY FLU VACCINATIONS

The 452 AMW Flu Vaccination Campaign has begun, and will continue through the December’s UTAs. The Flu vaccination is mandatory for all Airmen unless exempted by medical staff. Airmen not current with their Flu vaccination after the December UTAs will potentially be placed in a no-point, no-pay status.

Please remind your fellow Airmen to attend our mass immunization site at Bldg. 355 (2355 Graeber St.) during the October and November UTAs.

Schedule for October/November UTAs is: Saturdays 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sundays 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Additionally, there will be a mobile vaccination site at the Wing Commander’s Call during the November UTAs. Starting in December, all Flu vaccinations will be given at the base clinic.

All Airmen, Unit Health Monitors and leaders are asked to get their annual Flu vaccination at the earliest convenience, and to encourage others to do the same. Help make this year’s Flu Campaign a success. There is no vaccine available for civilians at this time. For questions or concerns, email Maj. David Haupt at david.haupt.7@us.af.mil.

KEY SPOUSE INITIAL TRAINING TOMORROW

The 452nd Air Mobility Wing’s Airman and Family Readiness director will conduct Initial Key Spouse Training on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Mission Support Group Conference room, 1261 Graeber Street, Bldg. 2313, from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Prior to attending, interested volunteers must be interviewed and appointed by their unit commanders. Key Spouses are responsible for assisting families in finding and using available base and community resources. They also provide support to military families during their sponsor’s deployment. Reservations are required. Please call the A&FRC at 951-655-5350 for more information and to reserve your seat.

BACK STREET TRANSFORMATION

The Hap Arnold Club is looking for “Team March” specific items/memorabilia to decorate the walls of the new Backstreet Café! Bring items to Bldg. 434, administration office. Any unused items will be returned. Call 951-655-2801 for more information.

NAF TEAM JOBS AVAILABLE

Non-appropriated jobs are available at various locations throughout the USAF. View available positions at www.NAFJobs.org.

INSTALLATION VOTING ASSISTANCE OFFICER

With the onslaught of political debates in the news, it’s time to consider your right to vote. Are you registered? Do you understand military and federal employee guidelines for participating in a political rally or event? Are your social media postings getting political? The March Air Reserve Base Installation Voting Assistance Officer, Maj. Jessica Ditson, can help you find the information you need. She can be reached at Jessica.ditson@us.af.mi l or by calling 951-655-4551. Don’t wait until your state’s deadline to register. Choose to make your vote count!

MARCH EQUAL OPPORTUNITY SEEKS COUNSELORS

The March EO office is looking for ARTs/civilians interested in training to serve as Collateral Equal Opportunity counselors. This is an additional duty appointment. The Collateral EO counselors serve as a bridge between civilian employees and management for informal complaints concerning discrimination. Applicants should be at ease with oral and written communication to all pay grades, and have the ability to remain neutral while performing his or her duties. The additional duty will not exceed 20 percent of the counselor’s primary job duties. Applicants range from GS-05 to GS-12 or equivalent. Primary supervisor concurrence required. Training is required, date/time to be determined. If interested, contact Ms Paula Greenhaw, paula.greenhaw@us.af.mil, Maj. Nixomar Santiago, nixomar.santiago@us.af.mil. 

HAP ARNOLD CLUB

The Back Street Café is temporarily operating in the Grande Ballroom at the Hap Arnold Club and serving breakfast and lunch.  Most of your Back Street favorites are available, such as breakfast burritos, French toast, fried chicken, March Burger, salmon sandwich and more!  Download the full menu with pricing at MarchFSS.com. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday: 6:30-10 a.m. for breakfast and 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. for lunch.

UTA operating hours are 5:30-9 a.m. for breakfast (Sat & Sun); 11-1 p.m. for lunch (Sat & Sun), and 4-8 p.m. for dinner (Fri & Sat).

MARCH TICKETS & TOURS

Amusement Park Specials

Knott’s Scary Farm tickets are here!! Prices range from $38 to $48 depending on the date. Visit MarchFSS.com for more information.

Castle Park: $16 per person includes unlimited rides, water park access, miniature golf and the new Sky Rider.

Disney 3-Day Park Hopper military special: $130 per person (adult/child)

SeaWorld “Waves of Honor” special: Extended through November 11, 2015. Program provides a one-time, limited, free admission to SeaWorld San Diego per veteran service member and up to three guests. Visit WavesofHonor.com to register for and obtain your free admissions. Additional tickets are available for purchase from the Tickets & Tours office.

Discount Movie Tickets

Available for only $10 each and valid for Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Cinemas.

Hotel Discounts

Receive 10% off any Best Western and 15% off any Choice Hotel

Visit the Tickets & Tours page at MarchFSS.com and download the Discount Ticket Price List for a full list of discounts tickets prices, hotel discounts and special promotions. Call Tickets & Tours at 951-655-4123 for more information.

LEARN TO FLY WITH THE AERO CLUB

The March Aero Club offers flight training (flying, private license, ground school, instrument training) at very reasonable rates including a pay-as-you-go plan with zero down. Visit Hangar 355 on base or call 951-655-3875 for more information.

OUTDOOR REC EQUIPMENT RENTALS

Outdoor Recreation has a variety of equipment for rent such as camping gear, water sports equipment, bicycles, and trailers to carry it all! Special orders for Callaway, Odyssey, Cleveland, Never Compromise, Nike, Bag Boy, Sun Mountain and Staff golf equipment are also available.  Download the full equipment rental price list at MarchFSS.com, call 951-655-2816 or come on by for more information.

BACK STREET CAFÉ TEMPORARILY OPERATING IN BALLROOM

Breakfast and lunch are available in the club’s Grande Ballroom. Most of your Back Street favorites are available such as Breakfast Burritos, French toast, fried chicken, March Burger, salmon sandwich and more! Download the full menu with pricing at MarchFSS.com. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6:30-10 a.m. for breakfast; 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. for lunch. UTA operating hours are 5:30-9 a.m. for breakfast (Sat & Sun); 11-1 p.m. for lunch (Sat & Sun), and 4-8 p.m. for dinner (Fri & Sat).

FITNESS CENTER NEWS

The March Fitness Center has received the Wellbeats Virtual Group Fitness Kiosk. This kiosk allows members to participate in virtual fitness classes.

Daily Fitness Schedule is:

Mondays: 6 a.m. — Virtual Fusion Yoga; 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. — Intro TRX; 11 a.m. —Virtual Spin

Tuesdays: 11 a.m. — Virtual Strength “Fit for Duty;” 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Circuit Training

Wednesdays: 6 a.m. — Virtual Fusion Yoga; 11 a.m. — Zumba; 12:15 p.m. — Virtual Fusion Yoga; 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Battle Ropes Circuit Training

Thursdays: 11 a.m. —Virtual Spin; 12:15 p.m. — Virtual Strength “Fit for Duty;” 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Circuit Training

Fridays: 10 a.m. — Zumba; 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. — Intermediate TRX; 11:15 a.m. — Virtual Cardio

UTA Saturdays: (A UTA) 5 p.m. — Virtual Strength “Fit for Duty;” (B UTA) 5-7 p.m. — Pick-up Basketball

Call the Fitness & Sports center at 951-655-2292 to sign up or for more information on these programs.

GRILL NIGHT AT SALLY’S ALLEY

Every Wednesday night starting at 4 p.m., Sally’s Alley is open for business with Grill Night. Sally’s Alley is also now open every Pre-UTA Thursday at 4 p.m. For more information, call them at 951-653-2121.

THE 452ND AIR MOBILITY WING’S 2015 MILITARY BALL

The 452nd Air Mobility Wing’s 2015 Military Ball is scheduled for Saturday, November 21. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails at 6 p.m. and seating at 6:30 p.m. This year’s location remains the Riverside Convention Center, and this year we will have a Holiday Theme. This will be a fantastic evening and one you do not want to miss. Ticket prices dropped to $60 per person. See your first sergeant to purchase tickets or contact SMSgt. Griffey at 951-655-3999. There are 40 rooms available at the Marriott for $123 each, and 50 rooms available at the Hyatt Place for $105 each (the Hyatt Place price includes breakfast). When you call to make a reservation, mention the 2015 Military Ball to get the correct rate. You can contact The Marriott at 1-800-228-9290 or (951)784-8000 for reservations and The Hyatt Place at 1-888-553-1300 or (951)321-3500. ROOM RATE INCREASE-The Marriott Hotel advises that the room rates for the 2015 military ball were increased from $110 to $123 due to the FY 16 military per diem rate change that was recently released.

Great California ShakeOut hits March

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U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. David Smith

Team March members helped kick off the Great California ShakeOut on Thursday, Oct. 15. The exercise began at 10:15 a.m. with a simulated earthquake lasting three minutes. The first order of business was to drop, get cover under a desk and hold on.

The statewide earthquake exercise is designed to help prepare Californians for a large-scale earthquake. Millions of people worldwide simultaneously participate in these drills, which began in California in 2008, according to statistics listed at shakeout.org/California.

Once the shaking stopped March employees exited buildings to designated accountability sites.  The Emergency Operations Center was set up and activated.  Upon activation of the Emergency Operations Center base personnel performed necessary steps to ensure the base and surrounding community recovered from the earthquake and able to continue operations supporting recovery efforts.

“I believe the exercise went very well,” said Lt. Col. Aurthur Rodi, deputy commander, 452nd Mission Support Group. “It is always a challenge to conduct an exercise scenario that impacts the entire installation.  There are certain limitations that must be accommodated to be effective.”

The first responders and key communication nodes are well prepared to react to such an incident.

“We received good responses from our facility managers, providing us simulated casualty and facility damage reports,” Rodi said. “As always the training helped newly assigned members to understand the processes and procedures needed to be effective should an actual catastrophe occur.”

Once accountability was taken everyone got to work. Emergency units set up the triage center and began treating the inured. Law enforcement and the fire department began surveying the base to see how well facilities fared and to determine mission readiness.

“The objectives were met. (There’s) always a concern for response, reporting and accountability and we did well in all three areas,” said Robert Kaschak, emergency management technician, 452nd Civil Engineer Squadron. “Conducting a base exercise, while being careful not to disrupt real world missions, is always a challenge. People evacuated buildings to their rally points effectively and reports to the command and control center were turned in timely.”

Mission partners participated in the exercise to the extent practical to their mission sets, Rodi said. March member were also in contact with City/County Emergency Management teams as they conducted simultaneous scenarios.

“It is always necessary to be as inclusive as possible to help ensure all of our partners understand the need to account for our workforce and any facility structural damage that may occur from a major earthquake,” Rodi said.

Being ready takes practice and practice makes progress. Several factors can affect readiness, and results will depend on the day, time, amount of personnel on the base as well as the severity of the earthquake or other event, Kaschak said.

“Our goal is to ensure people know what to do and can react in a manner to keep them safe,” he said.

That’s exactly what this exercise is all about, to test their abilities to respond to a catastrophic event, Rodi said.

“We continue to hone our abilities to respond to a variety of incidences, whether a natural disaster or an aircraft mishap,” he said. “Each of these exercises provides that opportunity to ensure we can mitigate personnel, equipment, and facility losses, and the mission of the installation can continue.”

According to an article on the U.S. Geological Survey’s website, compared to the previous assessment issued in 2008, the second Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF2), the estimated rate of (California) earthquakes around magnitude 6.7, the size of the destructive 1994 Northridge earthquake, has gone down by about 30 percent. The expected frequency of such events statewide has dropped from an average of one per 4.8 years to about one per 6.3 years.

The new model, referred to as the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, or “UCERF3”, provides authoritative estimates of the magnitude, location, and likelihood of earthquake fault rupture throughout the state.

However, in the new study, the estimate for the likelihood that California will experience a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake in the next 30 years has increased from about 4.7 percent for UCERF2 to about 7.0 percent for UCERF3.

“We are fortunate that seismic activity in California has been relatively low over the past century. But we know that tectonic forces are continually tightening the springs of the San Andreas fault system, making big quakes inevitable,” said Tom Jordan, Director of the Southern California Earthquake Center and a co-author of the study. “The UCERF3 model provides our leaders and the public with improved information about what to expect, so that we can better prepare.”

Public service announcements advise Californians to plan and prepare for an earthquake in hopes of preventing a disaster from becoming a catastrophe.

She took a less-traveled career path

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Photo courtesy Kim Antos

An actress in Magic Mike, an anchor with NBA TV and a model in a Super Bowl ad all had the same coach in common:  Kim Antos.

“What I did is to help them become the best version of themselves, rather than what someone else thought they should be,” said Antos.

Antos taught young women life skills at beauty pageants in Florida. That was before the 30-something-year-old public affairs specialist joined the American Forces Network (AFN) Broadcast Center, this year in Riverside, California.   

Young women came to Antos because she got results. In eight years of coaching she had nine state winners, 14 runners-up and 22 semi-finalists in the Miss Florida USA, Miss Florida Teen USA and Miss Earth Florida competitions. She coached one woman who went on to win Miss Nebraska USA and the Miss Earth Florida, winner, Nicole Kelley, went on to win Miss Earth United States.    

Antos personally competed in Miss Florida Teen USA at the age of 17, but lost.

“I was all right. I learned a lot. Before, I could never have a one-on-one conversation with somebody,” she said. “But after competing I became comfortable in my own skin and was able to communicate much more efficiently and effectively.”

The pageant experience stuck with her like a tight new shoe. Antos was so impressed with what she called all the “well-spoken overachievers” that she volunteered to help at the local Miss America pageant. She did so well that at the age of 18, the Miss America board asked her to become the pageant’s executive director at Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida.

“All of a sudden I was in charge of a non-profit organization, running a budget, planning events, hiring vendors and motivating a staff of 100 non-paid volunteers,” Antos said as she laughed.  “I had to inspire them with the passion I felt for the organization.”

But serving as director wasn’t enough. She decided to dive back into pageant pressure one more time, as a Miss Florida USA contestant. This time she was second runner-up, after which she traded in her tiara for a pair of Army boots.

“I was interested in becoming a veterinarian,” she explained. “Then I was exposed to the world of television and event planning and I had to rethink my life direction. That’s why I went into the military to become a broadcast journalist.” 

After four years, that included a stint as a disc jockey in Wuerzburg, Germany, she left the Army for a video production specialist position with Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Once again one challenge wasn’t enough, so she started moonlighting by coaching beauty pageant women for $125 an hour.

Antos worked with them on everything from communication, leadership and networking to hair, make-up, the right walk and physical fitness. The key communication concepts she taught included extemporaneous speaking and how to be clear and concise. 

“You have no more than 20 seconds to answer a question in a pageant,” said Antos. “You have to trust yourself 100 percent, visualize the question, then come up with an answer that is what you truly feel, and not use your parents’ or someone else’s answer.

One of the reasons Antos said she left pageant coaching was that the game changed. A woman’s ability to communicate was no longer as critical as looking good. Beauty pageant bloopers went viral, such as a contestant who received a question about making euthanasia a legal practice, only to respond, “I need to look up what that means … but I do know that’s a vaccine.”

“In one pageant, organizers selected nine out of 15 semi-finalists independent of the judges,” Antos said. “One of the girls I coached, Emily Kucher, now the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke, is an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful girl. She won Miss Photogenic, but didn’t even place.”

Kucher recommended her good friend, Micaela Johnson, work with Antos. Johnson went on to become Miss Nebraska USA and was in the movie Magic Mike and TV’s Modern Family.

Many other Antos “graduates” went on to make a big splash in life. Jessica Rafalowski appeared in a GoDaddy.com Super Bowl commercial and is an accomplished model. Kristen Ledlow is the host of NBA Inside Stuff.  Erin McKinnon was chosen for a feature in Maxim magazine. Three Antos “grads” became doctors, two psychologists and four attorneys. Some went on to public relations or marketing positions with Porsche and other international firms.

Antos is proud her coaching helped contribute to the young women winning, and responds with habanero-fiery passion to detractors who say the women are doing well in life just because they are pretty. She points out while there are plenty of attractive women, it takes someone special to have the courage, self-confidence and skill to win a pageant.   

“You are about five times more likely to have your son selected in the NFL draft as you are to have your daughter take the stage in the Miss America pageant,” she said.

But while Antos sees the positive side of pageants, she’s no fan of “Toddlers and Tiaras” parents who push girls to compete.

“I would never work with little girl pageants, ever,” she emphasized. “They can be damaging to self-esteem and they really haven’t figured out who they are yet. I worked with women who were doing it because they wanted to, not because they were forced into it by their parents.”

Today, Antos, herself a parent along with husband James, have two daughters: three-month-old Alyssa and 15-month-old Scarlett. But if they want to compete when they’re teenagers, Antos is all in. 

“I said I wanted to be Miss America when I was five,” Antos said. “My mom told me maybe I could when I was older, but that Miss America listened (to her mother), got good grades and had a talent. Miss America was my role model,” she said. 

Antos now uses her communication and coaching skills to collaborate with peers on how to best serve the American military serving overseas with quality radio and television news and entertainment. Her team responds to more than 2,500 different audience questions every year from Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and family members. One thing you’ll notice when she answers:  it’s clear and concise!

2015 Military ball unit ticket representatives

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UNIT RANK / NAME DUTY PHONE

452 Wing Staff (951-655-xxxx or DSN 447-xxxx)

AMW SrA Breah Terry               4522

EO Maj Nixomar Santiago 4782

PC Ms. Elaine Plein (DV Tickets {80}) 3060

452 MSG Units

4CTCS Ms Linda Welz (alumni) 4137/2862

452 CES TSgt Omar Baraza 4369

452 CES SrA Elizabeth Stevens 4369

452 CS MSgt Christine Devin 5945

452MSG/FSS MSgt Michelle Aspeytia 3061

452MSG/FSS TSgt Kameika Embry 3121

Honor Guard MSgt Phillip Powell 3086

Honor Guard MSgt Damon Mazyck 6105

452 LRS TSgt Christina Huerta 3437

452 LRS TSgt Duane Bogard 3437

452 SFS TSgt David House 2985

452 SFS MSgt Darrel Heisser 4355

50 APS MSgt Phil Maffett 4990/4992

50 APS MSgt Brenda Menjivar 4990

56 APS MSgt Anoinette Lewis 7854

452 MXG Units

452 AMXS TSgt Ana Najara 4701

452 MXS TSgt Araceli Saucedo 6704

452 MXS TSgt Jesus Fenandez 3353

452 MXG/CSSMSgt Linda Pfiznmaier 2129

752 AMXS SMSgt Cynthia Villa 2039

452 MDG Units

452AMDS CMSgt Timi C. Bilal 2839/2773

452 AMDS SMSgt Stanley-Wolfe 2839/2773

452 ASTS SMSgt Cordova-Martinez 2751

752 MDS SMSgt Tammy Hellow 5628

452 Ops Group Units

336 ARS CMSgt Deborah McGuane 2153

912 ARS Ms Patrica Vegas 3477

452 AES Mrs Rosemary Pena 5282

452 AES MSgt Adriana Cortez 5228

452 ALCF SSgt Amber Lyon 5102

452 OSS TSgt Adelina Quintero 2856/5448

729 AS TSgt Andrew Lucas 4098

Tenant Units

163 MSG MSgt  Lana Miller 3580

163 RW TSgt Ines Jasso 7713

4 AF Ms Sherry Kemper 3432

701 COS SMSgt Christina Dowal 4735

362 RS SMSgt Russell Forsee 3751

Return to Vietnam in search of POW/MIA clues

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The forest was awakened by the rustling sounds of more than 80 American and Vietnamese outsiders. The heat and humidity was no match for their determination. Their shovels, pickaxes and sledgehammers scoured the earth. Dirt fell through sifting screens like tropical rain as they looked for human bone fragments and artifacts. Their faces were sweaty, dirty and encircled by bugs, but, nevertheless, they continued on with their all-important work, paying little regard to their present, less-than-ideal, conditions.

It’s hard to describe my feelings when I was contacted to go to Vietnam as a translator for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), formerly known as the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). I have been part of many different missions since joining the Navy but this one was special.

While serving as a TV production operator at the American Forces Network (AFN) Broadcast Center in Riverside, California, I was chosen to join a forty-year-plus effort to account for U.S. service members currently listed as Prisoners of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA) since the Vietnam War. “I will bring you home,” was the voice I kept hearing in my head. 

I was born in Southern Vietnam to a military family. My dad was in the South Vietnamese Army and an interpreter for the U.S. Army. After the war, my dad came to the United States as a refugee then returned to Vietnam to get my mother and me. It was my Vietnamese background and language skills that led to my selection as a linguist for a recovery team. I’ve returned to Vietnam many times to visit, but this time was totally different. I was there to help find the remains of service members shot down during a rescue mission over North Vietnam.

There are four distinct DPAA mission areas: analysis and investigation, recovery, identification, and accounting. I was assigned to a recovery team. This type of team usually consists of a team leader, a forensic anthropologist, a team sergeant, two linguists, a medic, a life support technician, a forensic photographer, a communications technician, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician, and a mountaineering specialist. Together, we excavated the site and screened the soil to locate all possible remains and artifacts.

Our job could not have been done without the help of our Vietnamese counterparts. Their team consisted of 18 officials from central to local government. They were responsible for providing transportation, lodging and security for the U.S. team.

The Vietnamese officials gave us a warm welcome at Da Nang International Airport then took us to the hotel. The next day we picked up our tools and headed out to a remote location near the Laos border.  I had never been to this part of the country.  Many new things were waiting for me.

The 4×4 SUV took us by many famous land marks from the war, such as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) also known as the “17th parallel,” the Annamese Mountains or Truong Son Mountain Range, and Ho Chi Minh Trail. The history was literary unfolding in front of my eyes.

After eight hours and traveling more than 350 kilometers, we arrived at a small remote town to the northeast. The Vietnamese informed us that our site was on the side of a mountain along the Truong Son Mountain Range. To get there it would take us a three-hour hike through thick jungle and rigid hills, which made it nearly impossible to get our equipment to the site by foot.

Thankfully, our Vietnamese counterparts provided us with an alternate solution…helicopter.

The ten-minute helo ride got us through the first obstacle of our mission, though the real danger was yet to come.

We landed on a mountainside; a temporary landing zone which was recently cleared by local workers. The actual site was still about a twenty-minute hike away. During our journey, the jungle quickly engulfed us in thick brush and hundred-foot trees. The rocky trail, slippery from moisture and morning fog, was only about two feet wide. It was 9 a.m. but the trail was still dark with the sun barely peeking through the canopy’s thick brush. The temperature was already more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit with 100 percent humidity. Our clothes were soaking wet.

Suddenly, and without warning, we were under attack by a swarm of countless bugs. They came from nowhere and were soon in our eyes, ears and clothes. The more we sweated, the more they came.

Still, I had been bracing for my biggest fear: snakes. To make matters worse, the most poisonous snake in the region is a master at camouflage. Before we arrived, a four-foot long, green and white-lipped viper silently wrapped itself around a tree branch about seven feet up. A bite of this kind can result in intense pain, swelling, necrosis of flesh, and in some cases, severe systemic bleeding. At first glance, I froze, overcome by fear. I wanted to scream but nothing came out.

On the contrary, the locals were overjoyed. They drew their machetes and cheered each other on and in less than a minute the dangerous snake became the next meal for local workers. My fear vanished. By mission’s end I dispatched a grand total of six centipedes and one pit viper with a bamboo stick.

We finally arrived at the crash site where we saw scattered pieces of wreckage everywhere.  This is where Americans may have paid the ultimate price while serving their nation.  Now it was up to me to try and find them and bring them home. This is it. This is what I’m here for, I thought.

The excavation began the following day. Two at a time, we took on digging duties. Those of us not assigned to digging were on one of two stations sifting dirt through screens for personal belongings and remains. One American and one local worker were assigned to each screen. My team would ask me to translate at times but most of the time sign language worked just fine. We put everything we found in buckets so our anthropologist, Dr. Nicholas Passalacqua, whom we all called “Nick,” could analyze it.

It did not take long for me to find a tooth-like object. My heart skipped a beat. And without delay, I dashed to Nick for confirmation. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see the result. “It’s a rock,” said Nick. “Keep looking, better luck next time!”

With a bit of disappointment, I came back to my screen and resumed searching.

For 21 days, our team, including 40 local workers, cleared more than 5,000 square feet of jungle, screened thousands of buckets of dirt and rock and recovered hundreds of pounds of aircraft wreckage. In the end, we were unsuccessful in finding any remains; however, we narrowed down the search and provided evidence and useful information for the next recovery team.

It is almost half a century since the end of the Vietnam War but the memories of those who sacrificed their lives for the country they loved will never be forgotten. It was a great honor to be a part of DPAA’s recovery efforts, and together my team and I lived up to the agency’s motto, “fulfilling our nation’s promise.”

As of today, there are more than 1,600 Vietnam War POW/MIAs still unaccounted for.

*Editor’s Note: MC2 Ho deployed to Vietnam in May of 2015. He currently works at the American Forces Network (AFN) Broadcast Center in Riverside, California, as a TV production operator.  Ho provides a touch of home to U.S. forces, DOD civilians and their families who are stationed or deployed overseas and aboard U.S. Navy ships. The AFN provides viewers with stateside news, sports and entertainment as well as timely and immediate force protection advisories and in-depth DOD information.

A Vietnamese helicopter sits in a jungle clearing, just after dropping off AFN’s MC2(SW) Billy Ho on his mission to account for U.S. Service members currently listed as POW or MIA since the Vietnam War. Assigned to the American Forces Network Broadcast Center in Riverside, California, where he serves as a TV production operator, Ho was chosen as one of the mission translators.

Retiring ANG director, Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, looks ahead

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It was 2003, and then-Col. Stanley Clarke was standing in the middle of the desert with orders to set up a base.

“I’ve been asked before what my favorite platform is in the Air Force, and I tell people it’s the 10K forklift,” he said. “I had to build a base in the desert at the kickoff of Iraqi Freedom, and I noticed that none of the parts and pieces of a normal wing … are as obvious as when nothing’s there and you’ve got to start from scratch. You’ve got to be able to build the base, and then you’ve got to build it so it’s robust enough to go through 24-hour operations for multiple days, day after day.”

But above all, there was an important lesson to keep in mind.

“You’ve got to recognize that the people pull it all together,” he said. “It’s things beyond just air power. It’s a lot to do with equipment, and it has to do a heck of a lot more with the people involved.”

Now-Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, the director of the Air National Guard, is planning to retire after nearly 35 years in the service. His last official day will be March 1, but between leave and transition time, his last day in office will likely be in early January.

“I’m looking forward to still being an advocate for airmen and air power,” he told Air Force Times. “I’ll have that opportunity to do it in a different capacity.”

Since March 2013, Clarke has served as ANG director, but he’s had lots of previous experience with the Guard, including serving as the deputy director from May 2007 to June 2008, and as the assistant adjutant general for air in the Alabama Air National Guard from December 2005 to June 2006.

The emphasis on people, though, is one thing Clarke said he has always prioritized during his time in the military, and its advice he would pass on to the next director.

“I always tell people I didn’t learn anything while I was talking,” he said. “Do a lot of listening and consult with those that would be helpful to you in forming opinions, shaping policy, directing resources. … You just find those people and bounce ideas off of them, have conversations. Dialogue a lot but certainly listen to what people are telling you and then make the best decision that you can based on the information you have.”

Improved training

Putting people back into ancillary training for the Guard is one change Clarke said he’s proud of during his time as director.

“The time spent trying to get ancillary training is hard for any airmen, but especially those in the reserve component because you have limited time,” Clarke said.

One concern was that too much instruction was being done by computer alone.

“The computers can be a time-saving device in the sense that they can quickly calculate or simulate data,” Clarke said. But human instructors have “the ability to actually teach en masse and let people learn — and just as important to me is that the instructor gets feedback as well — we think it makes the information more effective that we’re trying to teach but we also think, know rather, that it gives more time back to the airmen themselves.”

Integrating the Guard

Focusing on the people that make up the Guard is also an area Clarke says the next director should try to build upon.

“We never fully developed everything that supports moving from a strategic reserve to an operational force,” he said. “All of the things like status, benefits, pay, all of that is still trying to catch up to how operational we’ve become in today’s environment.”

Likewise, Clarke said he wants to see an easier transition between the active and Reserve so Airmen can move between the different components over the course of their careers, something other Air Force leaders have called for as well.

“I think the relationship between the regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve is at a very high level. I’m proud of that,” Clarke said.

But changes need to be made so that moving to the Guard isn’t expected to be the last step before retirement for an active component Airman.

“The system is kind of built to back people out rather than allowing them to back down or to ramp back up in what they do on behalf of the Air Force,” Clarke said.

Dedicated members

The members of the Air National Guard are kept constantly busy, the general said. When not deployed overseas, the Airmen are home focused on air defense, security, firefighting, search and rescue, emergency response, and training.

“You could return from a deployment from Afghanistan and the next day you have some kind of crisis in the homeland and you could be out there supporting that,” he said.

That dedication to both national and local missions is something that’s always made Clarke proud.

“The organization showed up ready to operate on day one because we all wear the same patch that says United States Air Force across the top of our pocket,” he said. “That means a lot to the people in the organization who are participating in something overseas … knowing back home there are people performing significant missions at the same time that are also in Air National Guard.”

“When we were asked to do the most stressful thing, the hardest mission, we showed up ready to play,” he said.

March, Travis team up to transport classic warbird

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March, Travis 1

U.S. Air Force loadmasters from the 312th Airlift Squadron, 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, California, stand on the ramp of their C-5M Supergalaxy discussing the safest and most efficient way to load a TBM Avenger. They will fly the classic war bird from March Air Reserve Base to the Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay Air Show.

March, Travis 2

Some 452nd Logistics Readiness Squadron and Aerial Port Support Flight Airmen, steer the rear landing gear wheel during the winching of a TBM Avenger aboard a C-5M Supergalaxy The C-5 arrived from the 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, California, to transport the classic war bird to the Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay Air Show.

In defense bill battle, military pay and benefits are casualties

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Military advocates lost on almost every big benefits fight they waged in the legislative run-up to the fiscal 2016 defense authorization bill.

The legislation is still in limbo, awaiting a presidential veto that could end up scuttling nine months of Capitol Hill work on the annual military policy measure. But in the lobbying arena, Pentagon penny pinchers who pushed for trims in military personnel spending accounts already can declare victory, having swayed lawmakers to their side.

If the measure becomes law, troops would see growth in the Basic Allowance for Housing steadily shrink in coming years, to cover only 95 percent of average off-base housing costs. Tricare co-pays would rise on a host of prescriptions obtained through off-base retail pharmacies.

Troops are in line for a 1.3 percent pay raise in January, a full percentage point below expected growth this year in average private-sector wages — the third consecutive year that the military pay raise would fall below civilian levels.

Lawmakers also want defense officials to offer a plan in coming months to completely wean the military commissary and exchange systems off taxpayer funding, potentially leading to fewer discounts or offerings at the stores.

“Over the last 10 years, the (military) community has fought hard to increase benefits to catch troops up to the private sector,” said Bill Rausch, political director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “Now, after all the battles we’ve won, we’re starting to see retreats. That’s concerning to us.”

House lawmakers had pushed against nearly all of those changes in their early draft of the authorization bill this spring, agreeing with advocates who argued that the compensation trims combined would drastically reduce military families’ purchasing power.

But Pentagon planners argued that the savings are needed to rein in personnel costs, and that troops would be able to accept reductions in some anticipated pays and benefits in exchange for better training and equipment support.

Senate negotiators — who had backed military officials in that stance in their early draft of the defense bill — held firm on the benefits trims during this summer’s conference committee with their House counterparts.

“The signal that sends is disappointing,” said Norb Ryan, president of the Military Officers Association of America.

“We’re on a trajectory here that could send the all-volunteer force into a ditch,” Ryan said, noting that lawmakers “have argued that each of these cuts in isolation wouldn’t be overwhelming, but we’re looking at three years of lower pay (raises) now. We had hoped to see the Senate align with the House, not the other way around.”

Those trims won’t become reality if President Obama follows through with a promised veto of the bill over an unrelated budget fight.

The White House has 10 days to veto the legislation once Congress finalizes the bill. Staffers are expected to send the measure across town early next week, starting that clock. If lawmakers can’t muster enough votes to override a veto, they would need to restart the authorization bill work all over again — possibly with different compensation changes.

But MOAA and other military advocacy groups have argued against a presidential veto, calling the legislation a critical policy measure that cannot be delayed. The measure has been signed into law in each of the last 53 years, and includes a host of other specialty pay and bonus reauthorizations.

“The fact is that we are still a nation at war, and this legislation is vital to fulfilling wartime requirements,” MOAA officials said in a statement. “There comes a time when this year’s legislative business must be completed, and remaining disagreements left to be addressed next year.”

AirFest 2016: Thunder over the Empire!

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Save the dates, April 16-17, 2016 for March Field’s first air show since 2012! Admission is free and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be the headliners! Please help us spread the word that these dates were recently changed to accommodate the Thunderbirds’ schedule, but that these new dates are firm.

Additional acts confirmed are the Patriots Jet Team, Robosaurus, the Camarillo Ward Birds demo (P-51, Spitfire, Zero, Hellcat, Bearcat), Smoke N’ Thunder Jet Car, T-33 Shooting Star demo, War Dog AT-6 demo by John Collver, Kent Pietsch and the Jelly Belly Piper Cub, John Melby and his Pitts S-2B, Vicy Benzing and her Extra 300S, Sand Diego War Birds Trainer Parade (T-33, T-6, T-28, T-34, Stearmans, etc.), a parachute team, C-17/KC-135 aerial display, C-17 ground display (Clown Car potential with Army/Marines). More acts may be confirmed after the International Convention on Air Shows in December, such as Chuck Aaron and the Red Bull helicopter, F-35 demo, Harrier demo, V-22 Osprey demo.

We will soon be announcing social media sites, created specifically for the air show, where you can get all the current information, tips on what to bring, a list of things you cannot bring, ask questions, and voice concerns. Watch The Beacon for the announcement or watch for it at www.facebook.com/TeamMarch or on Twitter @March_ARB. In the meantime, if you have any air-show-specific questions, email 452amw.paworkflow@us.af.mil.

Women’s health: Take time to get checked

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FALLS CHURCH, VA. (AFNS) — Each October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, women are reminded to put themselves first and make time for their health. Making health a priority helps people stay in optimum shape and keeps illnesses and disease at bay.

Women often put their families’ needs ahead of their own, ignoring minor symptoms year after year until they affect their health. Using preventive care is one of the best ways for someone to stay healthy.

Each year, women should get a well-woman exam. Typically during the exam, blood pressure is checked and women should talk to their health care provider about what other screenings, immunizations or family planning they might need based on their age, health habits, and family and medical history.

The American Cancer Society recommends all women should begin cervical cancer screening at age 21. Women from ages 21 to 29, should have a Pap test every three years. Thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, most private health plans must cover this and other preventive care services at no cost. TRICARE also covers annual preventive women’s health services that may include a Pap test, pelvic and breast exam, and mammogram at no cost.

There are other actions you can take to live a healthy life:

– Maintain a healthy weight

– Exercise for at least 30 minutes at least five days a week

– Limit alcohol use

– Quit smoking

– Practice safe sex

– Get seven to eight hours of sleep per night

– See your health care provider every year

– Get appropriate screenings as recommended by your health care provider

It’s important to get screenings, especially if someone is at a higher risk for certain diseases like breast cancer or diabetes. Talk to a health care provider about family, emotions, stress and nonphysical concerns as well. Life events can bring higher stress with symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties. These concerns are just as important to discuss as physical health in order to stay or become healthier.

For more information on best health practices pertaining to age, visit the Office of Women’s Health website. For more information about TRICARE, visit “Is It Covered?” at www.tricare.mil.