Air Force

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – They’re known as the Dirt Boyz, a title that resonates with pride and excellence among the dedicated Airmen of the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron pavements and construction equipment flight. These Airmen play a crucial role behind the scenes, ensuring the 51st Fighter Wing is prepared and ready to defend the skies over the ROK.

Building the foundation

“Our primary mission is to make sure the foundation beneath the jets is rock solid,” said Staff Sgt. Bryce Cook, 51st CES pavements and equipment craftsman. “We’re the backbone of airfield maintenance and construction, ensuring that the runways, taxiways, and other critical surfaces are in optimal condition for our fighter jets to execute their mission.”

Dirt Boyz play a crucial role in maintaining the installation by tending to tasks like preventative and corrective maintenance on roads, sidewalks, drainage systems, and security fencing. They also address pavement defects, inspections, and manage winter snow removal efforts.

These versatile Airmen are extensively trained in operating heavy construction machinery like backhoes and excavators. These skills are invaluable for executing a wide range of construction and maintenance projects across the base, guaranteeing the 51st FW remains mission-ready at all times.

While their primary duty is ensuring Osan’s airfield is in top condition to endure the demands of a high-tempo operational environment, the Dirt Boyz also shoulder a diverse array of responsibilities.

They recently worked on a project to build a driveway for the 51st Security Forces Squadron’s military working dog unit to provide a designated area for their vehicles.

Making Jets Soar

The Dirt Boyz are essential to getting aircraft off the ground swiftly and safely. By meticulously inspecting and repairing surface damage, cracks and defects on the airfield, they guarantee flight operations remain unhindered.

“There’s no room for error in our line of work,” said Staff Sgt. Rodney Grant, 51st CES pavements and construction craftsman. “If the airfield isn’t in top shape, it affects the entire mission. We take immense pride in knowing our efforts enable the wing to defend, execute, and sustain its mission effectively.”

The Heart of Camaraderie

Being a part of the Dirt Boyz team is not just a job, it’s a way of life. These Airmen forge a unique camaraderie, which Cook describes as something truly special.

“Working alongside these dedicated individuals creates a bond that extends far beyond the workplace,” Cook said. “The challenges we face together as a team foster a sense of unity that’s hard to find elsewhere.”

Grant said the sense of pride that comes with being a dirt boy is immeasurable.

“Being a dirt boy means being part of a team that ensures the success of the whole base,” said Grant. “It’s an honor to know that our hard work directly contributes to our ability to defend the freedom of 51 million people living in the ROK.”

The Dirt Boyz are the unsung heroes ensuring the mission takes flight. Their dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment make them integral to the wing’s success. The next time a jet soars into the Osan skies, remember the Dirt Boyz who paved the way.

With a new school year in full swing, the Exceptional Family Member Program staff at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, wants to remind active-duty Airmen the office is available to provide support for them and their family members who have special needs.

EFMP is a Department of Defense program which is available through all service branches and enrollment is mandatory.

“Our job is to help service members navigate or overcome whatever challenges their household could be facing because they have a child or spouse with a special need,” said Renea McFeeters, EFMP Family Support coordinator. “For instance, if an Airman has a child with autism, this office could find services to help the child, such as speech therapy or work with the parents in preparing for an individualized educational plan.

“We try to ease whatever may be a burden,” she continued. “If an Airman is worried about the well-being of a dependent, it can be hard to fully focus on the Air Force mission, and that could be detrimental.”

As a coordinator, McFeeters assesses the need of each family’s needs, works to identify gaps in service, advocates for improved services on and off the installation and pursues community resource information and referrals.

EFMP requires the identification of all family members who require long-term general medical, special education, early intervention or modified housing.

“We also want to care for the caregiver,” she added. “This is done through the respite service provided through the program. Eligible families can receive up to 40 hours each month, of in-home childcare free of charge. This is an opportunity to allow the caregiver to rejuvenate how they choose.”

According to McFeeters, respite care is provided by well-trained and background screened providers who are monitored by local partner agencies.

“Families are grateful for the program because they don’t have to swim in this big ocean by themselves,” she said. “And when they PCS to another base, we reach out to the gaining installation to make sure they can connect with their family with community services there, and so there will be a continuity in service. We don’t want them to show up at the new base without support.”

DoD civil Service employees can utilize the service as a benefit on a space-available basis, but are not required to enroll in EFMP.

To get more information on the Air Force EFMP https://www.afpc.af.mil/Airman-and-Family/Exceptional-Family-Member-Program/.

For more information about EFMP at Robins, call 478-926-1259 or e-mail [email protected].

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SC – Sounds of gunfire cut through hot summer air. Loudspeakers warn of an incoming chemical attack as Airmen run for shelter. Plate carriers weigh them down. Rifles are held at low ready. Anyone who is not currently posted on guard seeks to check accountability under cover.

These aren’t Special Warfare Airmen. This team includes maintainers, loadmasters and medical personnel among others.

Yet as the field of global warfare rapidly shifts, all Airmen must be empowered to meet challenges of a hostile environment. During pre-deployment, Airmen are taught necessary expeditionary skills through the Ready Airmen Training (RAT) program, an Air Force-wide initiative carried out at base level.

The RAT program on JB Charleston, implemented by their Agile Combat Employment (ACE) cell, is now a week-long intensive course adjusted in early 2023 to compress months of previously separate classes.

“We’re able to train to 41 objectives in 3.5 days, versus several months,” said Tech. Sgt. Timothy Morin, noncommissioned officer in charge of the ACE cell on JB Charleston.

RAT training holds Airmen to Air Force-wide standards of expeditionary skills such as active threat response, explosive ordnance hazards, basic communication, law of war and small arms firing, among other disciplines, explained Morin. This broader scope of learning, beyond an Airman’s primary career field, prepares them to work in all environments and perform cross-functional duties.

One example of cross-functional duties would be calling a maintainer to work as Security Forces, Morin added, and ACE training provides that capability for multiple career fields. Multi-capable Airmen allow units to deploy with a smaller footprint, supporting Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) policies under the wider objectives of Gen. Charles Brown’s “Accelerate Change or Lose” memorandum.

While RAT training meets objectives and goals Air Force wide, individual locations have considerable freedom in implementing the courses. JB Charleston’s ACE cell in particular is comprised of personnel from five different primary squadrons; wing level command ensures consistent skill levels among all deployers from the base. The timeframe of RAT training is also left undetermined by AFI objectives, with this one-week timeline selected by JB Charleston to best support training without detracting from their daily base mission.

“Completing deployment training for our members in the format of Ready Airmen Training Week allows us to continue all of our normal operations, both on the flightline and on the base, without taking members away or having members completing training over several months,” said Morin.

The Airmen’s week of training closes with a final field exercise testing their expeditionary skills such as donning chemical warfare gear, weapons handling and implementing tactical casualty combat care. The largest RAT week exercise yet, on September 8th, saw over 100 service members from 17 different units working together despite sun, heavy gear and muffling gas masks to practice their new skills in attack and injury scenarios.

None of these conditions or challenges prevented JB Charleston Airmen from completing their mission, a small picture of broad Air Force success.

The Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing Maintenance Group received the Alaska Governor’s Trophy and the Alaska Governor’s Distinguished Unit Citation at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, August 4, 2023.

The Alaska Governor’s Distinguished Unit Citation Ribbon honors Alaska National Guard personnel who perform outstanding service in mobilization. The Governor’s Trophy has been a tradition and a coveted award for Alaska National Guard units since 1970.

Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, Alaska National Guard adjutant general, presented the award on behalf of Governor Mike Dunleavy.

“This award is well deserved and reflects this team’s tireless work ethic and dedication to their complex and strategically important mission,” said Saxe.

Throughout 2022, 168 MXG remained steadfast on its mission in the Arctic and around the world, providing global reach with the generation of aircraft to deliver 12.5 million pounds of fuel to more than 1,500 receiver aircraft in four major commands. The maintainers not only ensured the 168th Wing aircraft were mission capable, but they also performed over 900 hours of maintenance on aircraft visiting Eielson AFB.

“I am immensely proud of the outstanding men and women of the 168th Maintenance Group, and this award is well deserved,” said Col. Michael Griesbaum, 168th Wing commander. “They routinely exceed every expectation to ensure the success of our critical homeland defense mission, keep our aircrews current and qualified, and meet our aerial refueling requirements worldwide. Our tankers are in the most strategically relevant location in the world, but without our extraordinary maintainers, our mission simply could not succeed.”

As the only Arctic refueling wing, the 168 MXG maintained a busy schedule throughout the year with missions and exercises supporting the Secretary of Defense’s number one priority to increase air refueling in the nation’s most strategic area of operations.

The 168 MXG led the state in cross-utilizing and developing the Multi-Capable Airmen program. They initiated the program with 20 Airmen undergoing training on over 200 repair processes, enabling the generation of combat power in contested environments.

Volunteering is part of the 168 MXG spirit as they started the year responding to a severe snowstorm, “snowpocalypse,” aiding Fairbanks North Star Borough area residents trapped in the largest winter storm seen in a decade. The Airmen underwent Small Unit Support Vehicle training and established 24/7 rescue capability assisting stranded residents affected by extreme rain, snow, and long-term power outages.

The 168 MXG also mobilized in support of the state emergency Joint Operation Merbok, where they moved 60,000 pounds of debris, preventing further damage, and supported multiple villages and communities in distress.

Lt. Col. Jennifer Casillo, commander of the 168 MXG, addressed the Airmen receiving the Governor’s Trophy, saying, “The award is about the very specific things you all did for the mission. You all truly exemplify the spirit of service, not only to our state but our nation and each other.”

Being in the Army Fellow program at Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) for the better part of the past year and a half has allowed Emily Mickel to get an early start in her chosen profession.

Mickel, a mechanical engineer and graduate of Cornell University, is currently assigned to the Engineering Support Branch, where she was able to solve an ongoing file transfer problem shortly after she started in the program.

At the time she was working on the Geographic Interface System to populate maps with data when she was approached by the Geodetics Department to write them a very specific type of widget.

“They needed to be able to convert between file types. I had to solve it with my limited programming experience,” Mickel said. “They had an Excel file and needed to convert it to be able to use it in Google Earth, so I designed a widget that would automatically do it.”

A widget is a small application or program that provides a specific way for a user to interact with an operating system or website.

The Army Fellow program, which has different levels and durations, depending on the applicant’s qualifications and career goal, is designed to attract, recruit, and hire top civilian talent and develop future Army civilian leaders.

The two-year program also blends work assignments, formal training, and self-development as the participants progress from entry-level to more advanced key positions within the workforce.

“I said I wanted to do some type of design work and that I wanted to see what test officers did, so (the program) took that into account when determining where to send me,” said Mickel, who turned down an offer with the U.S. Patent Office in Washington D.C. to come here.

The Florida native also went on to say, “I chose YPG because I thought the work would be interesting. I thought to myself, hey they blow things up in the desert and that sounds like fun. I had never been to this part of the country, so I decided why not?”

With about four more months remaining in her program Mickel is now back with the Engineering Support Branch. She also spent time with Metrology and Simulation, and Munitions and Weapons.

Looking back so far on her time at YPG Mickel said she really appreciated the rotational aspect of the program and some of her highlights include performing computer aided design, simulation and modeling, shadowing test officers, overseeing her own test and taking trips down range.

“I know YPG is big, but it is kind of hard to visualize. We were sent to a test site, and it took us over an hour to get there,” Mickel said. “We were really, out in the middle of nowhere. There was no phone service or electricity. It was just a tiny little shack, me, the test officer and three gunners.”

According to the Fellows program, rotating through different departments helps the participants to understand all the things that go into completing projects and exposes them to types of work they may not have otherwise experienced.

Kylie Kime, another Army Fellows program participant at YPG, is currently with the Safety Directorate. Only two months into her program, she excitedly added that she is looking forward to the wide range of experience she will get by moving around.

“It is a really cool way to learn and progress my professional development. It’s been enriching. I have learned so much,” Kime said. “I’m a very goal-oriented person, so when I have a finish line to get to, I do everything I can to get there.”

Kime, who was a civilian employee with the Coronado Naval Base Fire Department for three years, moved to Yuma from San Diego with her husband in January after he got out of the U.S. Air Force.

Prior to being accepted into the Army Fellows program in May she was working as an Emergency Medical Technician for the Rural Metro Fire Department here in Yuma.

“Before moving out here my husband and I would go camping at the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge,” Kime said. “We would drive right past YPG.”

With an eye to pursuing a career as a Safety Specialist, Kime explained that it is a way that she can make a difference in people’s lives each and every day.

“When you get educated about safety you start to look at things differently, not just in a workplace, but in your personal life,” Kime said. “I get to make sure accidents don’t happen and that is important.”

While neither Kime or Mickel are permanent employees, they could have the opportunity to be hired by the Army and work at YPG if there are any positions available once their programs end, which is something both would like to do.

U.S. President Joe Biden observed the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks with a remembrance ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 11, 2023.

More than 1,100 service members gathered in a hangar to engage with the president as he highlighted the continued commitment to defense of the nation and support to allies as an ongoing tribute to the lives lost during the terrorist attacks.

“We’ll never forget, when faced with evil and an enemy that sought to tear us apart, what we endured,” Biden said. “While every year we mark this hallowed day, it’s never easy. To anyone here or across the country who’s grieving a lost child, parent, spouse, sibling, friend or coworker. ….All those who still bear the wounds from that searing September morning, I know how hard it is on a day like this, bringing you back to that moment when you saw the news, or the moment you got that phone call, the moment you realized you’d never say again, ‘see you later, mom,’ or ‘talk to you soon, son.’ Think of everything your loved one might have done if they had a little more time. What would they have done?”

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Amy Miller, 673d Medical Group aerospace medicine service functional manager, recounted how the events of 9/11 affected her.

“Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001,” Miller said. “For me, I was an Airman 1st Class, serving at my first duty station, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, as a medic. After being stopped in my tracks in disbelief, watching what was unfolding on TV. I remember getting the notification from my supervisor that I was being assigned to a search-and-recovery team and that I needed to go home and pack my bags. Our team was leaving that same night in response to the shocking attacks on our country that I watched unfold mere moments ago. I didn’t know what to expect, what we’d be doing, or how long we would be gone. I just knew that we were needed. Our country needed us. Our fellow Americans needed us, and we, as was our sacred duty, answered the call to serve.”

Military presence in Alaska provides top cover for North America by defending, detecting, deterring and defeating threats to the homeland.

“Terrorism, including political and ideological violence, is the opposite of all we stand for as a nation that settles our differences peacefully under the rule of law,” Biden said. “We’re going to continue to track terrorist threats in all forms wherever it may be. We’re going to continue to disrupt terrorist activity wherever we may find it, and I will never hesitate to do what is necessary to defend the American people – just as I will never forget our sacred duty to those of you who serve. Never before in our history has America asked so much of so many over such a sustained period for an all-volunteer force. You make up one percent of the population. You’re the strength, the backbone. You’re the sinew of America. Ordinary Americans, responding in extraordinary and unexpected ways – that’s who you are. You are the soul of the nation. That’s not hyperbole.

“To me, that’s the central lesson of Sept. 11 – not that we’ll never again falter or face setbacks, it’s that for all our flaws and disagreements, there’s nothing that we cannot accomplish when we defend with our hearts, which make us unique in the world. Our democracy. Every generation has to fight to preserve it. That’s why the terrorists targeted us in the first place – our freedom, our openness, our institutions – but they failed. And we must remain vigilant.”

The president said today, service members can look across the country and around the world and see anger and fear in places they have been stationed before.

“It’s more important than ever that we come together around the principle of American democracy, regardless of our political background,” Biden said. “We must not succumb to the poisonous politics of difference and division. We must never allow ourselves to be pulled apart by petty manufactured grievances. We must continue to stand united. We all have an obligation, a duty, a responsibility to defend, to preserve, to protect our democracy, and always remember American democracy depends, not on some of us, but on all of us. American democracy depends on the habits of the heart, of ‘we the people.’”

The Al Qaeda threat from Afghanistan and Pakistan has reached a historic low, Biden said, referencing a declassified memo from the intelligence community.

“While [we have made all this progress] over the last 22 years, the resolve of the American people has proved we never bow, never bend, we never yield,” he said. “Our longest war is over, but our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States and our people and our allies will never, never rest. Never.”

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, 11th Airborne Division commanding general, echoed this sentiment.

“On this day we must commit to continue to honor them all, through our selfless service to our nation, and by taking care of the families of the fallen, we must energetically be ready to fight and win our nation’s wars,” he said. “I am proud to serve with all of you. You are America’s best. For you had many choices and despite the hazard of our profession, you courageously chose to serve, and tell America, ‘I’ve got your back.’ I thank God for you all. May God bless you. God bless our great nation.”

JBER serves as a premier power projection platform, and the decision to recognize the 9/11 anniversary here highlights the transition from a military focus on the Middle East to one of competition in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific Regions.

“As a nation, we have many obligations, but I’ve been saying for 30 years, we only have one truly sacred obligation – to prepare those we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families when they return home,” Biden said. “And when they do not return home. It’s an obligation not based on party or politics, but on a promise that unites all Americans.”

FORT DEVENS, Massachusetts – Team El Salvador won the Remington “Vulcan” Trophy as Team Grand Aggregate Champion in the New Hampshire National Guard Adjutant General (NHNG TAG)’s 2023 Combat Marksmanship Match on Sept. 8, Ft. Devens, Mass. Cap. Robert Mitzelle, commander of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain) won the 1LT Wheeler Award for Individual Pistol Excellence.

66 shooters from four different countries, including the United States, Canada, El Salvador, and Cabo Verde, compete for individual and team awards at the 3-day event from September 6 to 8.

The annual NHNG TAG match brings service members in the NHNG together to collaborate, train, and compete in 11 marksmanship skill events designed for pistols and rifles. The match was pushed to a new level in multicultural collaboration when an El Salvadoran military team competed for the first time in the history of the NHNG TAG match.

“It’s more than just shooting. It’s maintaining that profession of arms, professional marksmanship skills so that we are able to share and collaborate with our partners on best practices of tactics, techniques and procedures,” says Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, The Adjutant General, NHNG, who has competed in almost every TAG match.

“What’s really unique about this event is that we have our allies and partners here. So it is a true international event to have us train with them.”

Subteniente (2LT) Alejandro Vesquez, a competitor and member of the El Salvador Army Special Forces, expressed excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the NHNG TAG match.

“The firing ranges here are a lot more complex than the ones in El Salvador and I find it exciting,” said Vesquez.

“We’re very happy to be here and the people are so warm to us. I would like to say ‘thank you’ for all the efforts to make us feel welcome.”

Vesquez also mentioned a shooting match is a great idea to incorporate into his own unit training back home, which displays one of the many partnership benefits of the State Partnership Program.

“I think the TAG match is also a unique opportunity for our foreign partners to see how NCOs can not only execute plans,” explains Maj. Mario Rey, state partnership director, Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), “but also gets involved in the planning process in a larger scale event like this, which is not so common in their countries.”

One of the match support staff, Staff Sgt. Wayne Comtois, senior marksmanship instructor in JFHQ, talks about the camaraderie brought out in this team competition environment, “The TAG match always creates great networking,” said Comtois. “Soldiers and Airmen get this rare opportunity to talk to each other with all different skill levels. They get to pick each other’s brains.”

The TAG match provides a comprehensive combat marksmanship assessment for people with various marksmanship skills to learn, practice and strive for excellence. While many champion shooters from the TAG match are representing the state of New Hampshire on the national level, novice shooters are also taking their first step towards mastery.

First-time contestant, Sgt. Nathaniel Sanborn, supply sergeant in 3643rd Brigade Support Battalion, who is an avid shooter outside the military, couldn’t hide his excitement to start the match.

“I love shooting. This is one of the biggest reasons that I joined the guard,” says Sanborn.

“I didn’t really have the ability to practice shooting in my personal life, so I want to take up any opportunities to build up my shooting skills. What’s a better start than the TAG match to learn from other people who have done it for several years?”

The various skill events in the TAG match allow participants to practice with intentions and reflect on one’s deficiencies for improvement. Hence, it started to pique more interest among both Army and Air National Guard service members.

“This is my first time shooting an M18 pistol and it is a learning experience.” Senior Airman Zachary Whipple smiles, combat crew communication of 157th Air Refueling Wing Operations Support Squadron, New Hampshire Air National Guard.

“I’m definitely prepared to come back next year, and I plan on doing better next year.”