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AF leadership talks total force current climate

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WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Members of senior leadership from the active-duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, as well as the principal deputy to the secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, convened for a discussion panel regarding the status of the total force at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 16 in Washington D.C.

The panel discussed the current climate of the total force and how leadership is working to address ways to improve performance, funding, communication and personnel issues.

In his opening remarks, Lt. Gen. James M. Holmes, the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, outlined two initiatives senior Air Force leadership is pushing to streamline structure and enhance performance across the force. The first being the One Air Force Line of Effort, which began as a response to a report from the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force.

(We) figure out how we can bring those recommendations in, make them real and our total force better,” Holmes said. “We’ve added items of our own to that list and continue to work to remove barriers whether policy or legislative to help make the most effective and efficient organizations we can build.”

This October, leadership is slated to undergo the arduous task of rewriting policy to improve inter-force associations and essentially enhance communication between the three components, the general said.

The second line of effort aims to find ways to develop more capabilities at the same cost of current operations. According to Holmes, there is a 12 percent lack of ability to provide the number of deployments combatant commands have asked for. Therefore, total force leadership is looking for better ways to integrate assets to make up for the shortfall.

“We use high velocity analysis to try to find ways to develop more capabilities at the same cost by making our components work together or can we improve our capability and find the cheapest way to provide additional capability to address that 12 percent gap,” he said.

According to Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III, the Air National Guard director, although the Air Force has a pretty effective strategy in place for disseminating missions across the force, there is still a shortfall in manpower due to funding.

“Inside the Air Force the Total Force Continuum continues to look at how you transfer a mission with the force structure of the Guard and Reserve,” he said. “Throughout that analysis much is revealed a lot of it is pretty well placed. In almost every single analysis, however, we don’t have enough (manpower) to do the mission now.”

The ANG director went on to say the Air Force has to be careful. If the Air Force drawdown is too small they won’t be able to access as many separating members leaving active duty to go into the Guard and Reserve. The other reaction the Air Force wants to avoid, to save money, is to drawdown pipeline students coming into the Guard and Reserve from training. He strongly advised all things be considered when weighing where the appropriation of funds comes from in order to maintain the health of the Guard and Reserve and therefore the total force.

Lt. Gen. James Jackson, the Air Force Reserve chief and Air Force Reserve Command commander, expressed that part of the funding solution may be something the Reserves has been doing since the 1960s when they began to share assets with the active-duty side.

“The Reserves has been doing associated construct the longest,” he said. “It’s a cost-efficient model with which you can get more capability. Having two wings and two components working on the same equipment is something we need to continue.”

Daniel Sitterly, the principal deputy assistant, also cited a number of areas of interest currently being worked.

“Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James has a total force executive committee that is now tracking 78 specific initiatives and we’ve made progress in areas such as expediting indispensability accessions, raising the Reserve component aviation incentive pays, funding for equipping Airmen, total force recruiting system, DD214 consolidation, special salary rates and time-in-grade waivers for Reserve technician pilots and many more,” he said.

Despite the current issues and funding limitations, Air Force leadership continues to find new and innovative ways to help streamline processes and improve the effectiveness of resources.

“The more educated we’ve become the more integrated we’ve become,” Sitterly said. “We all bring something to the fight. We all have different policies and processes and when we bring everyone together and educate each other on what those skillsets are the better we are able to execute our mission.”

National Hispanic Heritage Month

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Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from 15 September – 15 October to celebrate the contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

This year’s theme, “Hispanic Americans: Energizing Our Nation’s Diversity,” was chosen by the National Council of Hispanic Employment Managers and invites us to reflect on Hispanic Americans’ vitality and meaningful legacy in our Nation’s cultural framework.

America’s diversity has always been one of our nation’s greatest strengths. Hispanic Americans have long played an integral role in America’s rich culture, proud heritage, and the building of this great nation.

The Beacon recognizes and honors a long and proud heritage through the years. In this issue, the 1960s and 1970s.

1960s

– Horacio Rivero Jr. becomes the first Puerto Rican and Hispanic four-star Admiral, and second Hispanic to become a full Admiral in the modern U.S. Navy.

– West Side Story is made into a film; the role of Anita goes to Rita Moreno, who takes home an Academy Award for her performance.

– Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, who found his way into golf as a caddy, becomes the first Puerto Rican and first Hispanic golfer to win the Denver Open.  He will become one of professional golf’s all time greats.

– The first bilingual education program in public schools begins at Coral Way Elementary School in Miami.  The experimental program serves as a model for Congress in its 1968 passage of the Bilingual Education Act.

– The Supreme Court reverses the conviction of Daniel Escobedo, ruling that the police violated his constitutional rights by refusing his request for a lawyer. This verdict lays the foundation for the Miranda decision requiring police to inform suspects of their rights.

– Rose Franco is the first female Puerto Rican Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. She is later named Administrative Assistant to Paul Henry Nitze, the Secretary of the Navy.

1970s

– Nancy Lopez becomes the first golfer to win the Rookie of the Year Award, Player of the Year Award, and Vare Trophy in the same season.  She will become the first woman to receive the Frances Ouimet Award for lifelong contributions to golf.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is founded to provide Hispanic congressmen and senators the opportunity to strengthen roles of Hispanics at all levels of government.

– Roberto Clemente becomes the first Puerto Rican baseball player to be named to the Hall of Fame.  He will serve later on fourteen all-star teams, and will become one of sixteen players to have 3,000 hits during his career.

– Romana Acosta Bañuelos becomes the nation’s  34th treasurer and the first Latina in the position in U.S. history.  She is also a founding member of Executive Women in Government.

– Everett Alvarez Jr., a U.S. Navy Commander who endured one of the longest periods (over eight years) as a prisoner of war, is released.  He was the first pilot to be downed and detained during the Vietnam War.

– Master Sergeant Juan J. Valdez, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Marine security guard detachment at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, is the last U.S. serviceman to leave Vietnam.

Katrina survivor reunites with pararescueman

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Courtesy photo

Staff Sergeant Michael “Mike” Maroney, 66th Rescue Squadron, Nellis AFB Air Force Base, Nevada, hovered over a maelstrom of water, debris, and human suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on Sept. 6, 2005. New Orleans, Louisianna, the once flamboyant city, was then ground zero for impoverished refugees and Maroney, who felt detached from their cries, had spent the previous six days pulling out coma victims, families with no place to go, and refugee drop offs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) camps around the sinking city.

Maroney was overwhelmed with the human condition there, not made easier due to his recent deployment to Afghanistan. “I had come back from a bad deployment, real bad,” he said. ”We didn’t pick up anyone alive.”

On this 7th day of the mission, Maroney and his team, from their perch in the rescue helicopter, saw a small family on the roof of their home flagging for help. Strapped in and ready to go, the non-commissioned officer was lowered to rescue the family. What he didn’t know was that a three-year-old girl, LeShay Brown, would rescue him.

The little girl wrapped herself around him as he began to pull her to safety. Piercing the fog of his deployment, and this mission, was Brown’s bright smile. Once in the helicopter, the frightened child  wrapped herself around Maroney, giving him a giant hug. A combat photographer captured the private moment, which became a symbol to the country of heroism amidst devastating circumstances. To Maroney, the moment carried so much more meaning. 

“When we were going to drop her off she wrapped me in a hug…that was everything. Time stopped,” Maroney said. “Words fail to express what the hug means to me.”

The rescue team eventually delivered Brown and her family safely to the FEMA camp. Although Maroney and the Browns went their separate ways, every year around September 6th, Maroney’s mind wonders about that little girl who had hugged away his burden. Where was she? How was she doing?

In 2010, five years after that magic hug, Maroney made the decision to find the little girl who saved him.

“I always wonder how everyone I drop off is,” he said.

The problem was, he didn’t know her name, where she went after Katrina, or even a photograph of how she would look at eight years old, so he turned to social media hoping to find some help.

“Every year around the anniversary I would post it (the now famous picture) asking, ‘Anyone know her?, Anyone recognize her?’” But, no one had seen ‘Katrina Girl,’ the name to which she was referred. 

In 2014, help came from a Michigan high schooler, Andrew Goard, who messaged Maroney.

“He said helping me was his mission and he blasted everything on social media. I went from a couple hundred likes to thousands,” Maroney said. “I went on every talk show there is, telling my story.”

The viral hashtag, #findkatrinagirl, formed by Goard had started a nationwide manhunt. 

“A couple months ago my son got an Instagram message from one of Brown’s friends. They had moved to Tennessee and she kept the same smile as in the picture,” Maroney said.

After verifying the young lady he found was Brown, his ‘Katrina Girl,’ he said he was dazed and nervous. “I waited a day to text them.”

When he did finally contact them, he and Brown’s mother talked about the family’s time during Katrina and the years following.

“When I had pulled them out they had gone five days without food,” Maroney said.

After being dropped off at the FEMA camp, the Browns were moved to Memphis, Tennessee. They eventually returned to New Orleans and have since moved to Waveland, Mississippi.

Finally, they talked about a reunion. Thanks to the talk show “The Real,” Maroney and the Browns were provided that opportunity.

On Sept. 15, 2015, more than 10 years after that life-changing hug, Maroney and Brown embraced once again. Now 13 years old, Brown is an honor-roll student and plays on the basketball team. Maroney continues his Air Force Reserve career as a master sergeant with the 308th Rescue Squadron, 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.

When not in uniform, Maroney helps fellow veterans transition to civilian life.

Since the reunion, the Maroney and Brown families have grown close.

“I keep the picture of us on my wall for everyone to see,” Maroney said.

He and Brown’s mother text each other almost every day, sharing jokes, he added.

“In my line of work you don’t get a lot of happy days, so when you get them you grab them and hold onto them for all they’re worth.”

Inland Empire to commemorate Navy’s 240th birthday at Inaugural Ball

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U.S. Navy Photo/Greg Vojtko

NORCO, Calif. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division’s top officer announced that his command has partnered with the local community to commemorate the Navy’s 240th birthday with a first-ever formal ball that will incorporate traditional military ceremonies, dinner, dancing and a keynote address by Congressman Ken Calvert.

The Inaugural Inland Empire Navy Birthday Ball will be held at the Riverside Convention Center the evening of Oct. 17, with all proceeds benefitting the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

“Our founders established this country as a maritime nation,” said Capt. Steve Murray, NSWC Corona’s commanding officer. “Our constitution specifically requires us to provide and maintain a Navy, and that’s what we’ve done for 240 years. This birthday commemoration is a great way to share our naval heritage with our local community.”

The Navy’s theme for this year’s commemoration is “Ready Then, Ready Now, Ready Always,” tracing its birth to Oct. 13, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized its own Navy before the United States declared independence less than a year later.

“We’ve had U.S. naval presence around the globe, around the clock for more than two centuries. And our national ship of state – the USS Constitution – is still in our fleet bearing the name President George Washington bestowed on her,” Murray added. “That’s an incredible legacy.”

While it’s surprising to some to have a base inland, the Navy has been here for nearly 75 years.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Navy’s presence in the Inland Empire in Dec. 1941, following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, as the Corona Naval Hospital on the once luxury-resort site of the Norconian Hotel.

Two-thirds of the original Navy property has been transferred for public use and has become the home of Norco College campus, Norco City Hall and the Corona-Norco Unified School District, among others.

NSWC Corona remains at the center of the original property as the Navy’s premiere independent assessment agent enabling Sailors and Marines around the world to train, fight and win. As a federally designated lab, NSWC Corona has several world class science and engineering facilities that support U.S. and allied nation naval exercises across the globe.

The presidential decision 75 years ago that put the Navy in Norco has unexpectedly positioned the warfare center in a strategic, geographic center of the largest concentration of military power in the world: The fleet in San Diego and Port Hueneme, the Marines of Camp Pendleton, the Air Force in Riverside, the Army at Ft. Irwin and the Marines in 29 Palms. Each service, including the Coast Guard, has used NSWC Corona’s technical capability to support their missions.

The warfare center’s growing presence is evidenced by the nearly 200 personnel it’s hired in the last year to keep pace with the growing demand for its mission. With more than 2,200 Sailors, Navy civilians and support contractors across the country, NSWC Corona injects more than $300 million each year into the local economy with its 1,500 personnel headquartered in Norco.

And as the Pentagon focuses on emerging threats in the Asia-Pacific region, the center’s leaders expect additional growth to support increased demand and the additional ships coming to San Diego. NSWC Corona’s operating revenue increased $50 million last year, and Murray expects it to increase another $50 million next year.

Tickets can be purchased for military and civilians online at www.navybirthdayball.com or by calling the Corona-Norco YMCA at (951) 736-1415. Depending on military rank, prices range from $45 to $125.

Ready, Set, Go! program teaches preparedness

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(from wildlandfirersg.org)

The Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Program, managed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), seeks to develop and improve the dialogue between fire departments and the residents they serve. Launched nationally in March 2011 at the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI 2011) Conference, the program helps fire departments teach individuals who live in high risk wildfire areas – and the wildland-urban interface – how to best prepare themselves and their properties against fire threats.

September is National Preparedness Month. This year we are asking you to take action now – make a plan with your community, your family, and for your pets. Plan how to stay safe and communicate during the disasters that can affect your community. We ask everyone to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! and the national day of action, National PrepareAthon! Day, which culminates National Preparedness Month on September 30.

It is important for those of us in the Southern California area to understand that we live in an area of the country prone to more wildfire threats than most other areas. Here is what the Ready, Set, Go! program teaches to help you and your family prepare.

Ready – Be fire-adapted and ready

Be Firewise. Take personal responsibility and prepare long before the threat of a wildland fire so your home is ready in case of a fire. Create defensible space by clearing brush away from your home. Use fire-resistant landscaping and harden your home with fire-safe construction measures. Assemble emergency supplies and belongings in a safe place. Plan escape routes and make sure all those residing within the home know the plan of action.

Set – Situational awareness

Pack your emergency items. Stay aware of the latest news and information on the fire from local media, your local fire department and public safety.

Go – Act early!

Follow your personal wildland fire action plan. Doing so will not only support your safety, but will allow firefighters to best maneuver resources to combat the fire.

Budget uncertainty complicates readiness recovery, Dempsey says

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DOD photo/D. Myles Cullen

WASHINGTON, September 23, 2015 — A central aspect of Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey’s term as chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff has been budget uncertainty.

Dempsey took office soon after the passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011. The act was specifically designed to be so onerous that it would force Congress to act together rather than trigger the gun called sequestration.

That didn’t happen. In 2013, sequestration happened. That first year, DOD civilian employees were furloughed, military units found themselves without training money, squadrons were grounded and ships were tied to piers rather than sailing.

While Congress provided relief in 2014 and 2015, the Budget Control Act remains the law of the land and could still be triggered.

“It’s been challenging,” the chairman said during a recent interview. “When the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were beginning to wind down, the Joint Chiefs of Staff all said that it would take several years to recover from the tempo of the previous 10 years, and in particular that we needed to recover some lost skills.”

Because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military had become the most skilled force in the world on counterinsurgency and counterterrorism. But these skills came at a price: high-end capabilities to deter peer competitors suffered, the chairman said. Decisive maneuver — the integration of air and ground affects — was one example of a skill that had atrophied. In the air, the Air Force needed to recover the ability to dominate in air-to-air combat.

Readiness Suffered Under Budget Control Act

Because of the Budget Control Act, readiness money was diverted to other needs, the chairman said.

Readiness – that combination of personnel, training and equipment that produces capability — suffered even as the pace of operations grew. “We had a period of prolonged commitments,” Dempsey said. “Those commitments have both taxed the force in terms of [operational] tempo.”

While readiness has improved from where it was, “it’s not where it needs to be,” the general said.

Particular parts of the force, he said, have been taxed: Patriot batteries, Marine aviation, remotely piloted aircraft. “The list goes on and on,” the chairman said. “Those men and women have been operating at an even higher operational tempo.”

It’s a measure of the caliber of the people in the military that the force is responding as well as it is, Dempsey said. “It’s remarkable, actually. It keeps rolling along and it keeps getting the job done,” he said. “But the budget uncertainty has not allowed us to recover the readiness we need to recover at the pace we need to recover it.”

Budget certainty is one key to recovering readiness, the chairman said. “The threats that we face are increasing,” he said. “So this budget uncertainty exacerbates what is already a pretty challenging circumstance.”

Time is another key. “If we have to reduce the budget, spread it out as opposed to imposing it one year at a time and through a series of continuing resolutions,” Dempsey said.

Finally, the chairman would like Congress to give DOD more budget flexibility. “We’ve been challenged by our elected leaders to reform and to become more efficient and to eliminate excesses,” he said. “And we’ve tried.”

DOD has proposed a number of efforts that Congress has not allowed, the chairman said. These include another round of base closure and realignment, a slowing of the increases in pay and benefits, changes to the military health system and retiring older systems and platforms.

“If you bake the savings into your budget, because you have to meet all of the requirements and maintain a balance of capability, capacity and readiness, and then you don’t get the reforms and the money that comes with them, you’ve got to find it someplace,” Dempsey said. “And normally where you have to go find it is in readiness.”

It has been tough on the men and women serving today, but they are powering through it, the chairman said.

“God bless them, they continue to be great Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen,” he said.

Free resources available for all Veterans in need or at risk

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Below you will find a list of free resources and programs for veterans. All links are current as of September 1, 2015.

You can visit www.TADPGS.com to enter your resume and review the available jobs. If there any that you feel you are qualified for, apply immediately on the website.

You can join the Linkedin group at http://linkd.in/Sg346w, and blog at http://bit.ly/SHr9bl, to find information on free training, jobs, benefits, and job seeker advice on an ongoing basis.

Many Veterans will now have the option to receive non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility. Watch this video concerning this program youtube.com/watch?v=i9nnsRlX5b8. Learn more at va.gov/opa/choiceact.

Military Discounts: military.com/discounts

Free online education and training for veterans, dependents and spouses: http://vets.syr.edu/education/employment-programs

VA Compensation and Benefits: benefits.va.gov/compensation

Training in Cyber Security: http://w2cw.org/index.html

Training in Piping (HVRAC): http://w2cw.org/index.html

Troops to Teachers: dantes.doded.mil/service-members/troops-to-teachers

Free Project Management Professional (PMP) Training: http://bit.ly/19GPuQD

CDL training and hiring assistance with C. R. England: crengland.com

Free Training on Computer-aided Design: (CAD), Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAM) and PLM Software: http://sie.ag/103ueQa

Training for careers in radio broadcasting: http://bit.ly/18pJP6t

Free training in tradecrafts: 

http://nexstarfoundation.org/programs/scholarships-veterans-trade-program

Wireless technician training and placement: warriors4wireless.com

Free renewable energy job training program: http://bit.ly/18By5bM

Funding for veteran start-up businesses: brothersfund.org

Social group open to all Team March spouses

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Are you aware that the 452nd Air Mobility Wing has a Social Spouse Group that is open to all spouses affiliated with March Air Reserve Base? Past activities have included going to the movies, meeting for lunch, getting creative at Painted Earth, celebrating Fall at the Live Oak  Pumpkin Patch, and so much more! Please join them for an afternoon of fun, usually meeting the fourth Sunday of the month. For more information, and to be placed on the contact list, please contact Analiza Sell at sellproductions@msn.com.

News Brief 09/18/2015

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COMMISSARY CASE LOT SALE SEP 17-20

The March Commissary’s next case lot sale is scheduled for September 17 – 20. Sale hours will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. In addition to the case lot sale outside, there will be extra savings on items in the meat and produce departments inside! Save the dates.

MILITARY OPEN HOUSE

Sam’s Club at 6378 Valley Spring Pkwy, Riverside, will be hosting an open house in honor of the U.S. military on September 19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. No membership is required. Join them for some fun, games, free gift bag, snacks and refreshments.

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.

REGISTER FOR YELLOW RIBBON EVENTS

The September 25-27 Yellow Ribbon event is open for registration for eligible members. For more formation, contact 1st Lt. Shelley Lawrence, your 452nd Air Mobility Wing Yellow Ribbon representative, for details at 951-655-4615.

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, frenchtoast, 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

Water Park Specials

Aquatica:  $36 adult; $31 child

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor:  $31 adult/child

Raging Waters:  $37 adult/child

Knott’s Soak City:  $29 adult; $24 child

Splash Kingdom:  $22 adult; $14 child (ages 3-10) Helpful links to water park summer schedules available at MarchFSS.com.

Amusement Park Specials

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 ADVENTURE TRIPS

March Outdoor Recreation plans the following trips for the remainder of the fiscal year:

September 19 – Skydive in Perris for $50 per person

September 26 – Three-hour Alpine horseback tour in Big Bear for $42 per person

Call them at 951-655-2816 for further details or to sign up.

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.

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. 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.

Happy 68th birthday U.S. Air Force!

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U.S. Air Force graphic

The official date of the founding of the U.S. Air Force is Sept. 18, 1947. It was a momentous event that more than six decades later has demonstrated the achievement of an Air Force second-to-none, yet the Air Force’s history and heritage goes back a lot further.

From the time that the U.S. military purchased its first aircraft in 1909 up to 1947, the U.S. Air Force did not exist as a separate and independent military service organization. It went through a series of designations: Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps (1909); Aviation Section, Signal Corps (1914); United States Army Air Service (1918); United States Army Air Corps (1926), United States Army Air Forces (1941).

WWII illustrated the value of airpower, and the need to change the basic organization of the US Military Forces. The result was the creation of a single Defense Department with a strong Joint Chiefs of Staff with Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs. In 1947 President Truman signed the National Security Act which established this new defense organization, and along with it the creation of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service, equal to the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.

Through the years history has shown the wisdom and foresight of the creation of a separate Air Force. The U.S. Air Force emerged quickly from its cradle and began to create its own history and heritage.

1949: The flight of the “Lucky Lady II” demonstrated the Air Force’s capability to fly, non-stop around the world, showing it could take off from the U.S. and drop bombs anywhere in the world.

1950-1953: USAF engaged in the first completely jet aerial combat during the Korean War. The F-86 Saberjet scored impressive aerial victories against the enemy MiG-15.

1954: The first B-52 Stratofortress came into the USAF inventory and has served in every conflict since its appearance.

1960s: The development and deployment of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) as a major component of the aerial defense capability of the United States.

1964-1973: War in Vietnam

1970s: The development of laser-guided bombs and TV-guided air-to-ground missiles. Air mobility took a major step forward with the introduction of the C-5 Galaxy in the Air Force inventory. Other aircraft systems introduced in this decade were the F-15, A-10, AWACS, and F-16.

1980s: Stealth Technology was revealed advent of the F-117; strategic bomber capability was increased with the deployment of the B-1.

1990s: USAF played a major role in the swift defeat of the Iraqi military forces in the first Persian Gulf War. The Air Force underwent a major reorganization with the formation of Air Force Reserve Command, Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Air Force Materiel Command. The USAF supported the war in the Balkans, and the U.S. intervention Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY in Haiti.

2000: present: The Expeditionary Air Force concept was a major transition in how the Air Force employed forces. The Global War on Terrorism brought the USAF into Operations ENDURING and IRAQI FREEDOM.