123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XXI, No. 4 • Sept. 17, 2005 Wing provides relief for victims of Katrina Unit members deploy to assist with rescues, medical care, security Top right: Senior Airman Jeffrey Higgs, a loadmaster in the 165th Airlift Squadron, prepares rescue equip- ment for transport to New Orleans aboard a Kentucky C-130 on Sept. 1 Bottom right: Two Kentucky Air Guard special tactics troops confer as an Air Force MH-53 helicopter lands on Interstate 610 to evacuate stranded New Orleans residents. The Airmen provided air traffic control for multiple makeshift landing zones during rescue operations from Sept. 1 to 6. Photo courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG See KATRINA, Page 8 By Capt. Dale Greer Wing Public Affairs Officer Nearly 100 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard have deployed to the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast to assist with re- lief operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which struck Mississippi and Louisiana with unprecedented force Aug. 29. Katrina’s 145-mph winds and 20-foot storm surge decimated coastal communi- ties like Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss., kill- ing hundreds of residents and causing more than $20 billion in property damage, fed- eral officials estimate. Subsequent flood- ing submerged up to 80 percent of New Orleans, trapping residents on rooftops without food or water amid a putrid sea of petrochemicals, sewage and human re- mains. The first KyANG unit to respond was the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, which deployed 13 pararescuemen and combat controllers to New Orleans Naval Air Sta-
Transcript
12 The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005
123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XXI, No. 4 • Sept. 17, 2005
123rd Airlift WingPublic Affairs OfficeKentucky Air National Guard1101 Grade LaneLouisville, KY 40213-2678
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
Wing provides relief for victims of KatrinaUnit members deployto assist with rescues,medical care, security
Top right: Senior Airman JeffreyHiggs, a loadmaster in the 165th Airlift
Squadron, prepares rescue equip-ment for transport to New Orleans
aboard a Kentucky C-130 on Sept. 1
Bottom right: Two Kentucky Air Guardspecial tactics troops confer as an Air
Force MH-53 helicopter lands onInterstate 610 to evacuate strandedNew Orleans residents. The Airmen
provided air traffic control for multiplemakeshift landing zones during
rescue operations from Sept. 1 to 6.Photo courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron
Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG
See KATRINA, Page 8
By Capt. Dale GreerWing Public Affairs Officer
Nearly 100 members of the KentuckyAir National Guard have deployed to thestorm-ravaged Gulf Coast to assist with re-lief operations in the wake of HurricaneKatrina, which struck Mississippi andLouisiana with unprecedented force Aug.29.
Katrina’s 145-mph winds and 20-footstorm surge decimated coastal communi-ties like Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss., kill-ing hundreds of residents and causing morethan $20 billion in property damage, fed-eral officials estimate. Subsequent flood-ing submerged up to 80 percent of NewOrleans, trapping residents on rooftopswithout food or water amid a putrid sea ofpetrochemicals, sewage and human re-mains.
The first KyANG unit to respond wasthe 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, whichdeployed 13 pararescuemen and combatcontrollers to New Orleans Naval Air Sta-
The following individuals have beenpromoted to the rank indicated
as members of theKentucky Air Guard
and reservistsof the United States Air Force:
•David Clark,165th Airlift Sq.
•Joseph Dobson,123rd Operations Support Flt.
•Bobby Donoho,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Christine Duffee,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Matthew Hourigan,123rd Aircraft Maintenance Sq.
•Kenneth Keith,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Jonathan Marks,123rd Communications Flt.
•Matt McKeehan,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Matthew Morris,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Brian Owens,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Joshua Selby,165th Airlift Sq.
•Adam Sherwood,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Christopher Slayton,123rd Student Flt.
•Ely Thomas,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Dallas Whitney,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Kevin Williams,123rd Communications Flt.
SENIOR AIRMAN (E-4)
•Michael Doran Jr.,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Thomas Fuchs,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Justin Harrington,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Joshua Jaburg,123rd Operations Support Flt.
•Jeremy Strange,123rd Security Forces Sq.
STAFF SERGEANT (E-5)
Promotions, retirements and separations Kentucky Air National Guard
The following individualshave retired as membersof the Kentucky Air Guard
and reservists of theUnited States Air Force:
•Master Sgt. Laura Crowder,123rd Medical Sq.
•Master Sgt. Melissa Evaline,123rd Services Flt.
•Master Sgt. Lynn Grabill,123rd Special Tactics Sq.
•Master Sgt. Thomas James,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Master Sgt. James Moore,123rd Aerial Port Sq.
•Master Sgt. Mark Rines,123rd Communications Flt.
The following individualshave separated from
the Kentucky Air Guard:
•Senior Airman Ileah Brown,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Maj. Brian Butler,Headquarters KyANG
•Staff Sgt. Christopher Buzard,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Senior Airman Lance Culver,123rd Student Flt.
•Tech. Sgt. Margaret French,123rd Mission Support Flt.
•Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Meyer,123rd Security Forces Sq.•Staff Sgt. Dana Stahl,
123rd Communications Flt.•Senior Airman Matthew Zierenberg,
123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Daniel Wormley,165th Airlift Sq.
•Troy Gritton,123rd Communications Flt.
TECHNICAL SERGEANT (E-6)
•Lt. Col. Thomas Sandberg,165th Airlift Sq.
•Lt. Col. Terrance Schachtner,165th Airlift Sq.
•Senior Master Sgt.Russell Slinger Jr.,
123rd Civil Engineering Sq.•Master Sgt. Keith Smith,
165th Airlift Sq.•Master Sgt. Thomas Sullivan,
123rd Airlift Control Flt.•Senior Master Sgt.Gregory Thompson,123rd Aerial Port Sq.
F
Col. Mark Kraus123rd Airlift Wing Commander
Annual field training an important stepin preparing wing for upcoming inspection
Wing Commander....................................Col. Mark KrausWing Public Affairs Officer.....................Capt. Dale GreerStaff Writer...............................Staff Sgt. William Harkins
This funded Air Force newspaper is an authorized publi-cation for members of the U.S. military services. Contentsof The Cargo Courier are not necessarily the official viewof, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department ofDefense or the Department of the Air Force.
The editorial content is edited, prepared and providedby the Public Affairs office of the 123rd Airlift Wing, Ken-tucky Air National Guard. All photographs are Air Forcephotographs unless otherwise indicated.
Our office is located in room 2118 of the Wing Head-quarters Building. Deadline for the next issue is Sept. 30.
An electronic version of the Cargo Courier is available at the Kentucky Air Guard’s Web site — www.kyang.ang.af.mil
123rd Airlift Wing Editorial Staff
Contact Us
or those of you who at-tended annual field trainingin Gulfport, Miss., with mein late July and early Au-gust, you know what I
mean when I say to those who missed theopportunity: It was an unqualified success.
Not only was it thoroughly well planned,it also was expertly executed.
The Cadre Team, under the leadership ofCol. Bill Ketterer, “covered all the bases” tomake this the most productive and enjoy-able training exercise for this wing to date.
A massive assault on ancillary training re-quirements was completed, with nearly5,000 training events logged by the 471 stu-dents attending.
Facilities, food, training classes, sched-ules, expert instructors and MWR eventswere all outstanding.
Make no mistake — this was a Herculeaneffort, made possible in large part by a dedi-cated, hard-working staff, professional,punctual students and great positive attitudesby all.
This was an important step toward ourpreparation for the wing’s OperationalReadiness Inspection scheduled for April2006.
Just as the exercises for our mobility func-tions are honing our skills to pack up and goto war, the classes of instruction provided atGulfport allowed us to individualize ourpreparation by completing required readi-
ness training.In the months ahead, we will continue to
walk the path of preparation to and througha successful evaluation by the AMC Inspec-tor General.
The scope of this inspection — to deploy,employ and redeploy by the prescribed AirForce methods — encompasses a complexendeavor with a lot of moving pieces.
To be successful, it is imperative that eachof us understand and fulfill our roles as indi-
vidual Airmen and that we work togetheras a team.
Reduced to the basics, it means that eachof us must:
Do the right thing… at the right time…for the right reason.
To shoot for the best two out of three willfall short of the intended mark. Don’t de-cide to grade anything as unimportant be-cause everything counts.
NCAA championship football coach LouHoltz, said it like this:
“In the successful organization, no de-tail is too small to escape close attention.”
The demonstration of our ability to com-plete the ORI will mark us as a “successfulorganization” in the eyes of the IG team,but let’s not lose sight of the fact that theinspection is only a measuring stick of ouroverarching responsibility, which is to becombat ready.
The long-term look is that we want toattain and then maintain a level of readi-ness that will ensure our ability to respondaffirmatively, forcefully and ferventlyshould we be called upon.
And that means doing the right thing, atthe right time, for the right reason.
Service begins implementingnew ‘eMail for Life’ addresses
Certificatesto recognize
Cold War serviceThe Secretary of Defense has
approved the awarding of Cold WarRecognition Certificates to allmembers of the armed forces andqualified federal employees whofaithfully and honorably served theUnited States during the Cold Warera. For more information, visithttps://www.hrc.army.mil/site/active/tagd/coldwar/default.htm.
Senate confirmstop leadership
By Master Sgt. Mitch GettleAir Force Print News
WASHINGTON — The Air Force beganthe first phase of a new e-mail system May6 that will enhance communication of Air-men worldwide.
AF eMail (also known as eMail-for-Life)is a single, static e-mail address that will notchange during the career of an Airman or AirForce civilian employee.
The current e-mail system, rapid mobil-ity of the force and frequent assignments andcareer development opportunities outside theAir Force can make it difficult for Airmento communicate.
“At any given time, we can only reliablyconnect and communicate with 79 percentof our force through e-mail,” said Capt. KirkPhillips, information technology divisionchief at the Air Force Senior Leader Man-agement Office.
“E-mail is the most critical communica-tion tool that we’re using to implement forcedevelopment and transform our personnelprocess. Industry-standard e-business solu-tions require static e-mail addresses, and thatis the direction the Air Force is headed,”Captain Phillips said.
Airmen will be able to complete person-nel actions in minutes through e-mail andthe Internet, along with other benefits, hesaid.
“Not only is there a huge potential for AirForce cost avoidance, but mission supportwill be greatly enhanced by empoweringevery member to reliably connect and com-
municate with each other without worryabout changing e-mail addresses everycouple of years,” Captain Phillips said.
“We’ll be able to transform personnelprocesses under the Air Force directorateof personnel’s personnel service deliverymodel and empower members and data-bases to connect and communicate throughe-business applications instead of local per-sonnel flights.”
Those personnel processes include offi-cial personnel notifications and announce-ments; command, promotion and profes-sional military education candidacy and se-lection; and retirement, assignment, evalu-ation, feedback and decoration processing.
Officials said they plan for the Air Forceto be fully capable under AF eMail by 2007.Currently, every senior Air Force official hasbeen provided an account.
“We’ve segmented the force based onmission requirements and will slowly scalethe availability to the entire force versus anall-at-once implementation,” CaptainPhillips said. “We started with the highestlevel leaders, and our plan is to offer it toother segments of the force this summer.”
During the initial stages, Airmen willcontinue to use their local or major com-mand e-mail accounts as well as the AFeMail account.
“Until the migration of e-mail accountshappens, it’s each member’s responsibilityto check the AF eMail account on a regularbasis,” Captain Phillips said. “That’s wheretheir career-affecting personnel actions willbe.”
Geren named acting AF secretary
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) — TheSenate confirmed Gen. T. MichaelMoseley as the next Air Force chiefof staff on July 1 and Lt. Gen. JohnD. W. Corley as the new Air Forcevice chief of staff on Aug. 1.
General Corley will be promotedto the rank of general.
General Moseley last served asvice chief of staff, while GeneralCorley is currently the principaldeputy for the assistant secretary ofthe Air Force for acquisition.
General Moseley is a commandpilot with more than 2,800 hours inT-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon and F-15Eagle. He is a graduate of TexasA&M University where he earnedboth a bachelor’s and a master’sdegree in political science. Hecommanded U.S. Central CommandAir Forces and served as CombinedForces Air Component Commandcommander for operations SouthernWatch, Enduring Freedom and IraqiFreedom.
General Corley entered the AirForce in 1973 and has commandedat the squadron, group and winglevels. He has more than 3,000flying hours with combat experi-ence. As combined air operationscenter director supporting OperationEnduring Freedom, General Corleycoordinated more than 11,000combat missions striking more than4,700 targets.
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) — The presi-dent designated Pete Geren to be the actingSecretary of the Air Force on June 29, re-placing Michael L. Dominguez.
The appointment is in accordance with theFederal Vacancies Reform Act, Air Forceofficials said.
Mr. Geren, who was special assistant tothe secretary of defense, assumes his newoffice as directed in Title 10, United StatesCode and Air Force directives, Air Forceofficials said. He took the Department of
Defense post in September 2001 with re-sponsibilities in the areas of interagencyinitiatives, legislative affairs and specialprojects.
A former Texas congressman 1989 to1997, Mr. Geren served on the Armed Ser-vices, Science and Technology and the Pub-lic Works and Transportation committeesduring his tenure. He earned his bachelorof science degree from the University ofTexas in 1974, and his jurist prudence fromthe university’s law school in 1978.
2 The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 11The Cargo Courier
Sept. 17, 2005
COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 3
KyANG NEWS
KyANG marksmen sweep state tournament
Cargo Courier Staff Report
In what is becoming a spring ritual formembers of the base marksmanship team,the 123rd Airlift Wing again swept the Ken-tucky State Pistol and Rifle Championships,held April 30 to May 1 at Fort Knox, Ky.
Fielding its strongest squad yet, the 123rdtook all but one team event and won everyindividual category, said Master Sgt. JohnMartin, a longtime Kentucky Air Guardshooter.
In all, 63 competitors tested their mettleat the Fort Knox range, hoping to win a spoton the squad that will represent the state dur-ing the national tourney scheduled for Oc-tober in North Little Rock, Ark.
Of those 63 shooters, 51 were membersof the Kentucky Army Guard, while 12 rep-resented the Kentucky Air Guard — thewing’s largest contingent to date.
Awards won by the team include:
Individual Rifle: First place to MasterSgt. Jim Johnson; second place to MasterSgt. Darryl Loafman; third place to SeniorMaster Sgt. John Siebert.
Team Rifle: First place to the Air Guard(Senior Master Sgt. John Siebert, Staff Sgt.Travis Keehner, Staff Sgt. John White andTech. Sgt. Mark Motsinger); third place tothe Air Guard (Master Sgt. Jim Johnson,Tech. Sgt. Frank Tallman, Master Sgt. MikeDowns and Airman 1st Class HarryBromley).
Individual Pistol: First place to MasterSgt. John Martin; second place to MasterSgt. Darryl Loafman; third place to MasterSgt. Jim Johnson.
Team Pistol: First place to the Air Guard(Master Sgt. John Martin, Master Sgt. JimJohnson, Tech. Sgt. Frank Tallman and Se-nior Master Sgt. John Siebert); second placeto the Air Guard (Master Sgt. DarrylLoafman, Master Sgt. Dave Selby, Staff Sgt.John White and Master Sgt. Mike Downs);third place to the Air Guard (Tech. Sgt. MarkMotsinger, Tech. Sgt. Cary Mendelsohn, Se-nior Airman Ben Bull and Tech. Sgt. DanBlevins).
Novice award, First Place Pistol: Tech.Sgt. Cary Mendelsohn.
Other participants from the Air Guardwho earned accolades include Senior Air-man Ashlee Richards, Master Sgt. PaulEdwards and Tech. Sgt. Charles Lambert.
Nearly 99 percent of all awards at the
state match have been earned by competi-tors from the 123rd Airlift Wing over thecourse of the last seven years, and 2005marks the seventh year in a row and the 10thtime since 1993 that personnel from the123rd have earned the title of state champi-ons, Sergeant Martin said.
Wing shooters take allindividual catagoriesand most team honors
ABOVE: Members of the KyANG Marksmanship Team continued their winning waysduring the state pistol and rifle tourney held April 30 to May 1 at Fort Knox, Ky.
BELOW: Team members amassed a staggering 33 trophies for their expert shoot-ing, including multiple first-place honors.
Photo courtesy KyANG Marksmanship Team
Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG
KyANG NEWS
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 200510
STSContinued from Page 9
Photos courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron
Top: A Kentucky combatcontroller cuts down a lightpole along Interstate 610 toclear a landing zone for he-licopters.
Left: Evacuees board achopper for airlift out ofNew Orleans.
Bottom: A Kentucky specialtactics troop searches forstranded New Orleans resi-dents.
Alaska, California, New York and Oregon.Patrolling the city in Zodiac motorboats
and other vehicles, the Kentucky-led contin-gent rescued 1,292 people, sometimes bycutting through roofs to extract trapped resi-dents.
“We had the ability to go through the cityand conduct searches where no one elsecould reach at the time,” Chief Malone said.“We launched from four to 14 boats a day,running about 14-hour shifts in the water.”
Once evacuees climbed aboard the Zodi-acs, they were transported to makeshift he-licopter landing zones set up along portionsof the interstate highway system that weren’tsubmerged by flood waters.
The landing zones were cleared by saw-wielding combat controllers who cut downlight poles to remove obstructions and thenmarked the spots with spray paint so infor-mation like communications frequencieswould be visible from the air, Sergeant Rosasaid. After an LZ was established, combatcontrollers would make radio contact withany of the three airborne controlling authori-ties — entities like an Air Force AWACSplane — and advise that evacuees were readyfor transport.
As helicopters began to roll in, the con-trollers would direct their safe flight into andout of the landing zones using the commu-nications gear they carry on their backs.
One particularly productive LZ becameso active that a new helicopter was landingevery 50 seconds for 48 straight hours, Ser-geant Rosa said.
“For a while, I would imagine it was thebusiest airport on the face of the earth,” henoted.
By the time the Kentucky Airmen returnedhome Sept. 7, the Air Guard special tacticscontingent had controlled the flights of 3,179sorties responsible for the evacuation of11,927 people.
Working conditions were challenging, tosay the least. Most troops got less than sixhours of sleep a night, and the constant ex-posure to contaminated water caused rashesand minor chemical burns on some of theAirmen, Chief Malone said.
“These guys were working in a giant cess-pool contaminated with any chemical inanyone’s garage, oil, gas, deceased animals
See STS, Page 4
9The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005
KyANG NEWS
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 20054
KyANG NEWS
Wing weather troops complete Kosovo missionKy. Airmen recognizedfor mission performanceBy Senior Airman T.J. Mahan123rd Airlift Control Flight
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — SixKentucky Air Guardsmen recently com-pleted deployments here to provide weatherforecasting support for U.S. Army peace-keepers assigned to Task Force Falcon.
The deployments began last winter andranged from 90 to 180 days, said Lt. Col.Jeffrey Peters, a weather forecaster in theKentucky Air Guard’s 123rd Mission Sup-port Group.
Joining Colonel Peters for the missionwere Tech. Sgt. Derick Whitmer and SeniorAirman Kevin Atkins of the 123rd SpecialTactics Squadron; Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarverand Senior Airman Jeremiah Burns of the123rd Operations Support Flight; and SeniorAirman T.J. Mahan of the 123rd Airlift Con-trol Flight.
All were assigned to the 401st Air Expe-ditionary Wing, Detachment 2 CombatWeather Team at Camp Bondsteel.
While deployed, the Airmen staffed aweather station, recording hourly weatherobservations, giving local flight weatherbriefings, and issuing weather advisories,watches and warnings as necessary, ColonelPeters said.
Other duties included providing weathersupport to contract aerial reconnaissancecompanies in Skopje, Macedonia, and main-taining weather observing equipment atCamp Monteith and Film City, Kosovo —the site of NATO headquarters for theKosovo Force (KFOR).
One major task involved the developmentof weather forecasts for three European lo-cations, Colonel Peters said.
These forecasts, which contributed to thearrival of a new rotation of U.S. Army air-craft from Hoenfels, Germany, to CampBondsteel, proved to be challenging because
of the intensity of the snowy Eastern Euro-pean winter, he said.
NATO’s KFOR mission is designed to helpdemilitarize Kosovo, enforce law and order,and, in partnership with the United NationsMission In Kosovo, assist the local popula-tion in transforming the province into a freeand democratic society.
Volunteerism is encouraged to supportthese goals, Colonel Peters said, and the Ken-tucky Airmen did their part to help.
They spent many hours performing volun-teer work on and off post, he noted, teaching
classes at local schools, donating suppliesto area orphanages and hosting tours ofCamp Bondsteel for Kosovo schoolchil-dren.
The group also was recognized for go-ing above and beyond the call in the per-formance of its primary mission, ColonelPeters said.
Airscan Inc., an aerial reconnaissancecontractor, presented a letter of apprecia-tion to the Kentucky Airmen for their ac-curate and timely flight weather briefs andforecasts, he said.
Above: Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver andSenior Airman T.J. Mahan inspectweather observing equipment whiledeployed to Kosovo.
Left: Tech. Sgt. Derrick Whitmer visitswith local children during a trip to aKosovo school.
Photos courtesy 123rd Airlift Control Flight
Special tactics troops recall Katrina evacuationsKentucky forces ledmulti-state effort thatrescued 1,200 peopleBy Capt. Dale GreerWing Public Affairs Officer
Chief Master Sgt. Pat Malone has seen alot in his 23 years as a pararescueman forthe U.S. military, including dicey combat ex-tractions in Iraq and Afghanistan and morethan a decade’s worth of civilian search-and-rescue missions in Alaska.
But none of it prepared him for the dev-astation he saw firsthand when he and 21comrades deployed to New Orleans NavalAir Station earlier this month as part of ef-forts to evacuate the victims of HurricaneKatrina and the ensuing flood.
“This was, by and large, the worst site ofdevastation I have ever seen in my entirecareer,” said Chief Malone, the chief enlistedmanager for the Kentucky Air Guard’s123rd Special Tactics Squadron.
“The sheer magnitude of it — and theconditions that our guys worked in — wasthe most horrific I’ve seen in 23 years ofservice.”
Senior Master Sgt. Jon Rosa, a Kentuckycombat controller who also deployed withthe 123rd Special Tactics Flight, concurred.
“New Orleans is usually a place of suchrevelry,” said Sergeant Rosa, the squadron’ssuperintendent of combat controllers.
“But it was like a scene out of ‘The Twi-light Zone’ to be in downtown New Orleansand hear total silence except for the slosh-ing of flood waters. I just couldn’t believethis was America.”
But it was America, and thousands ofNew Orleaneans were stranded without pro-visions amid a sea of sewage- and chemi-cal-laced water covering nearly 80 percentof the city.
Sergeant Rosa, Chief Malone and 20 otherKentucky special tactics troops were amongthe first military search-and-rescue troops toarrive in the stricken city and begin extract-ing trapped citizens starting Aug. 31.
The Kentucky forces joined up with about25 other special tactics troops from acrossthe Air National Guard, including units in
Photos courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron
A combat controller with the Kentucky Air Guard and a pararescueman from the AlaskaAir Guard evacuate New Orleans residents via Zodiac rescue boats.
Senior Master Sgt. Jon Rosa, left, and Chief Master Sgt. Pat Malone, right, direct theactions of special tactics troops engaged in search-and-rescue missions.See STS, Page 10
and sewage,” he said. “It was a giant petridish. But they knew that what they were
STSContinued from Page 10
doing was important. They chose to be totallyselfless and help fellow citizens of the UnitedStates. They’re the biggest heroes on theplanet as far as I’m concerned.”
Sergeant Rosa noted that many New Or-leans residents seemed to agree.
“All the folks we rescued down there were
so thankful,” he said. “I had about 20people come up and hug me while I wastrying to control helicopter landings.That’s very self-satisfying.
“My heart goes out to the folks downthere,” he added. “If they ever need usto come back, we’ll be there.”
8 The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 5The Cargo Courier
GULFPORT, Miss. — Excellent planning,outstanding execution and a pervasive can-dospirit combined to make the wing’s 2005 An-nual Field Training among the best such eventsin KyANG history, unit members say.
More than 470 students and an 80-personcadre of instructors and facilitators deployedhere to the Gulfport Combat Readiness Train-ing Center for the exercise, which was accom-plished in two six-day rotations between July24 and Aug. 3.
During that time, Kentucky Air Guardmembers accomplished nearly 5,000 ancillarytraining events on topics ranging from self-aid and buddy care to chemical warfare de-contamination.
“We accomplished a tremendous amount oftraining in a very short period of time,” saidCol. Bill Ketterer, who served as detachmentcommander at the Gulfport CRTC.
By way of comparison, Colonel Ketterersaid it would have taken an entire year toachieve the same amount of training at homeduring drill weekends.
The deployed environment also helped unitmembers focus intently on the task at hand,resulting in a better quality of training.
“People don’t get distracted here like theycan at home during drill weekends,” said Col.Mark Kraus, commander of the 123rd AirliftWing and a student himself during the Gulfportdeployment.
“The instructors had enough time to pre-pare excellent materials and present them in afocused manner with none of the disruptionswe have back home.”
Master Sgt. John Martin, who deployed dur-ing the second rotation, agreed.
“The training was kind of like going to col-lege,” said Martin, first sergeant for the 123rdSupport Group. “You went from one class toanother on a clockwork schedule, and that keptyou focused on what you needed to accom- Annual Field Training events included self-aid and buddy care classes and chemi-
cal warfare defense instruction. Maj. Sae Na and Capt. Ash Groves administer firstaid to a fallen Airman (top) while Master Sgt. Mike Nagel helps decontaminate an-other Kentucky troop.
Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG
tion on Aug. 31, said Chief Master Sgt. PatMalone, a pararescueman and the unit’s chiefenlisted manager.
That first contingent assessed the situa-tion upon arrival and requested more person-nel and equipment, Chief Malone said. Ninemore special tactics troops and support per-sonnel then deployed from Louisville onSept. 1.
Once in New Orleans, the 22 KentuckyAirmen joined forces with other Air Guardspecial tactics troops from Alaska, Califor-nia, New York and Oregon to conduct search-and-rescue missions using Zodiac motor-boats.
“At any given time, we had a total pack-age of about 45 people from all thepararescue and special tactics units in the AirNational Guard,” Chief Malone said. “It wasquite a combined effort to make the differ-ence we did.”
That difference is born out by the num-bers: The Kentucky-led special tactics forcerescued 1,206 people by boat, and an addi-tional 86 were recovered on dry ground be-fore the Airmen returned home Sept. 7.
The contingent also was responsible forcontrolling the flights of 3,179 helicoptersorties that evacuated 11,927 people fromNew Orleans.
The special tactics troops returned homelast week, but many of the mobilized Ken-tucky Airmen will remain in the Gulf regionfor 30 days or longer.
These include:• 31 members of the 123rd Security Forces
Squadron who deployed to Baton Rouge,La., on Sept. 2. The Airmen are assisting lo-cal law enforcement as needed and provid-ing security at Red Cross facilities set up toserve evacuees on the campus of LouisianaState University, said Master Sgt. Rhett Per-due, the squadron’s superintendent.
• 15 members of the 123rd Aerial PortSquadron who deployed to the former En-gland Air Force Base in Alexandria, La., onSept. 3. The Airmen established an aerial porthub to serve mostly Coast Guard and AirForce aircraft moving supplies into strickenareas, said Chief Master Sgt. Tommy Downs,superintendent of the 123rd Aerial PortSquadron.
• 9 members of the 123rd Airlift ControlFlight who established command and con-
KatrinaContinued from Front Page
trol of airlift operations at Alexandria Inter-national Airport in Louisiana. The initialtasking was to ensure that food and waterwere moving into New Orleans, said StaffSgt. Josh Ketterer, a command post control-ler assigned to the unit. As of Sept. 12, flightmembers had controlled 88 sorties respon-sible for moving more than 600 passengersand a million pounds of cargo.
• 14 members of the 123rd MedicalSquadron who deployed to New Orleans Na-val Air Station and Gulfport, Miss., in mul-tiple phases beginning Sept. 6. The Airmenare providing dental care, emergency medi-cine and in-patient services as part of a field-transportable hospital, said Chief MasterSgt. Johnie Cherry, chief of health servicesfor the 123rd Medical Squadron.
• 7 members of the 123rd Services Flightwho deployed to the Gulfport CombatReadiness Training Center on Sept. 7. TheAirmen are preparing up to 2,000 meals aday for service members deployed toGulfport as part of relief efforts, said ChiefMaster Sgt. Veronica Holliman, servicesflight superintendent.
• 2 members of the 123rd Airlift WingChaplain’s Office who deployed to CampShelby, Miss., on Sept. 7 to minister to mili-tary members and evacuees, said Lt. Col.Tom Curry, chief chaplain for Kentucky’s
123rd Airlift Wing.The wing also has been flying cargo and
troops to the region aboard Kentucky C-130ssince Aug. 31, Chief Downs said.
As of Sept. 12, the 165th Airlift Squadronhad completed 19 sorties, flying 370,000pounds of cargo, supplies, food and water tocities such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge,Gulfport and Hattiesburg, Miss.
All told, the combined efforts add up toan impressive amount of assistance, said Col.Mark Kraus, commander of the 123rd Air-lift Wing.
“I’m very proud of our wing’s responseto assist our neighbors in Louisiana and Mis-sissippi in the aftermath of HurricaneKatrina,” Colonel Kraus said.
“We were among the first states to airlifttroops, both Air and Army, into the affectedarea to provide first-responder search and res-cue, security forces, cargo handling and air-lift control, teams of doctors and medicalpersonnel, and Chaplains with staff.
“Behind those folks who deployed wasvirtually the rest of the wing, which tirelesslychoreographed the departures and continuesto support the sustainment of forces in thatregion,” he said.
“There is no greater purpose than to pro-vide aid and comfort to those in need. It’sthe best part of what the Guard is all about.”
Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG
A member of the wing’s 123rd Aerial Port Squadron off-loads pallets of water donatedby The Kroger Co. on Sept. 2. The water is being used for relief efforts in the Gulf.
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 7
Field trainingContinued from Page 5
plish. The environment was very condu-cive to learning.”
It didn’t hurt that the Gulfport CRTChas some of the finest facilities in thenation, with more than $100 million innew construction during the past 10years. That includes a base swimmingpool, a 24-hour fitness center, a moderndining hall and hotel-quality housing withsingle-person accommodations, privateshowers, in-room cable TV, refrigeratorsand microwaves.
“I don’t know what more you couldwant in a training facility,” Colonel Kraussaid.
While the schedule was packed fullwith training events, unit members alsofound time to relax with coworkers andbuild esprit de corps.
Others spent downtime with lovedones — more than 40 Airmen broughtalong family members — while visitingnearby attractions in Biloxi, Miss.;Mobile, Ala.; and New Orleans.
“I think we had a nice balance, withjust enough free time to relax a bit andhave some fun together,” Colonel Kraussaid.
Those kinds of team-building experi-ences, coupled with excellent training,mean the wing now has a leg up on itsnext Operational Readiness Inspection,planned for April 2006.
“There is no doubt in my mind that weare all much better prepared for ourupcoming ORI,” Colonel Ketterer said.
With so much ancillary training nowaccomplished, wing members also willhave more time on drill weekends tocomplete duty-specific training.
Moving forward, the plan is to limithome-station ancillary training to oneweekend each quarter and accomplish thebulk of such events during AFT like theGulfport deployment, Colonel Ketterersaid.
“That will leave two weekends eachquarter where we can be dedicated to on-the-job-training for our individualspecialties,” he said.
Colonel Ketterer credited the success
Annual Field Training events covered thegamut from work to play. Clockwise from
of the Gulfport AFT to the hard work ofthe instructor cadre and the positivemindset of every student in attendance.
“The cadre we had here was willing todo just about anything to make the missionhappen,” Colonel Ketterer said. “Theyspent a lot of time planning the events soclasses would flow smoothly. And whilewe had a very good plan, the execution ofthat plan required all members to beprompt for classes. I saw nothing butpositive attitudes all the way around.”
The wing will continue preparations forits 2006 inspection with a mobilityexercise to be held on base during theOctober UTA.
Wing members also will deploy to theSavannah Combat Readiness TrainingCenter in Savannah, Ga., for an Opera-tional Readiness Exercise in November.
Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG
Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG
Capt. Dale Greer/KyANG Capt. Dale Greer/KyANG
Capt. Dale Greer/KyANG
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 20056
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 7
Field trainingContinued from Page 5
plish. The environment was very condu-cive to learning.”
It didn’t hurt that the Gulfport CRTChas some of the finest facilities in thenation, with more than $100 million innew construction during the past 10years. That includes a base swimmingpool, a 24-hour fitness center, a moderndining hall and hotel-quality housing withsingle-person accommodations, privateshowers, in-room cable TV, refrigeratorsand microwaves.
“I don’t know what more you couldwant in a training facility,” Colonel Kraussaid.
While the schedule was packed fullwith training events, unit members alsofound time to relax with coworkers andbuild esprit de corps.
Others spent downtime with lovedones — more than 40 Airmen broughtalong family members — while visitingnearby attractions in Biloxi, Miss.;Mobile, Ala.; and New Orleans.
“I think we had a nice balance, withjust enough free time to relax a bit andhave some fun together,” Colonel Kraussaid.
Those kinds of team-building experi-ences, coupled with excellent training,mean the wing now has a leg up on itsnext Operational Readiness Inspection,planned for April 2006.
“There is no doubt in my mind that weare all much better prepared for ourupcoming ORI,” Colonel Ketterer said.
With so much ancillary training nowaccomplished, wing members also willhave more time on drill weekends tocomplete duty-specific training.
Moving forward, the plan is to limithome-station ancillary training to oneweekend each quarter and accomplish thebulk of such events during AFT like theGulfport deployment, Colonel Ketterersaid.
“That will leave two weekends eachquarter where we can be dedicated to on-the-job-training for our individualspecialties,” he said.
Colonel Ketterer credited the success
Annual Field Training events covered thegamut from work to play. Clockwise from
of the Gulfport AFT to the hard work ofthe instructor cadre and the positivemindset of every student in attendance.
“The cadre we had here was willing todo just about anything to make the missionhappen,” Colonel Ketterer said. “Theyspent a lot of time planning the events soclasses would flow smoothly. And whilewe had a very good plan, the execution ofthat plan required all members to beprompt for classes. I saw nothing butpositive attitudes all the way around.”
The wing will continue preparations forits 2006 inspection with a mobilityexercise to be held on base during theOctober UTA.
Wing members also will deploy to theSavannah Combat Readiness TrainingCenter in Savannah, Ga., for an Opera-tional Readiness Exercise in November.
Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG
Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG
Capt. Dale Greer/KyANG Capt. Dale Greer/KyANG
Capt. Dale Greer/KyANG
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 20056
8 The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 5The Cargo Courier
GULFPORT, Miss. — Excellent planning,outstanding execution and a pervasive can-dospirit combined to make the wing’s 2005 An-nual Field Training among the best such eventsin KyANG history, unit members say.
More than 470 students and an 80-personcadre of instructors and facilitators deployedhere to the Gulfport Combat Readiness Train-ing Center for the exercise, which was accom-plished in two six-day rotations between July24 and Aug. 3.
During that time, Kentucky Air Guardmembers accomplished nearly 5,000 ancillarytraining events on topics ranging from self-aid and buddy care to chemical warfare de-contamination.
“We accomplished a tremendous amount oftraining in a very short period of time,” saidCol. Bill Ketterer, who served as detachmentcommander at the Gulfport CRTC.
By way of comparison, Colonel Ketterersaid it would have taken an entire year toachieve the same amount of training at homeduring drill weekends.
The deployed environment also helped unitmembers focus intently on the task at hand,resulting in a better quality of training.
“People don’t get distracted here like theycan at home during drill weekends,” said Col.Mark Kraus, commander of the 123rd AirliftWing and a student himself during the Gulfportdeployment.
“The instructors had enough time to pre-pare excellent materials and present them in afocused manner with none of the disruptionswe have back home.”
Master Sgt. John Martin, who deployed dur-ing the second rotation, agreed.
“The training was kind of like going to col-lege,” said Martin, first sergeant for the 123rdSupport Group. “You went from one class toanother on a clockwork schedule, and that keptyou focused on what you needed to accom- Annual Field Training events included self-aid and buddy care classes and chemi-
cal warfare defense instruction. Maj. Sae Na and Capt. Ash Groves administer firstaid to a fallen Airman (top) while Master Sgt. Mike Nagel helps decontaminate an-other Kentucky troop.
Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora/KyANG
tion on Aug. 31, said Chief Master Sgt. PatMalone, a pararescueman and the unit’s chiefenlisted manager.
That first contingent assessed the situa-tion upon arrival and requested more person-nel and equipment, Chief Malone said. Ninemore special tactics troops and support per-sonnel then deployed from Louisville onSept. 1.
Once in New Orleans, the 22 KentuckyAirmen joined forces with other Air Guardspecial tactics troops from Alaska, Califor-nia, New York and Oregon to conduct search-and-rescue missions using Zodiac motor-boats.
“At any given time, we had a total pack-age of about 45 people from all thepararescue and special tactics units in the AirNational Guard,” Chief Malone said. “It wasquite a combined effort to make the differ-ence we did.”
That difference is born out by the num-bers: The Kentucky-led special tactics forcerescued 1,206 people by boat, and an addi-tional 86 were recovered on dry ground be-fore the Airmen returned home Sept. 7.
The contingent also was responsible forcontrolling the flights of 3,179 helicoptersorties that evacuated 11,927 people fromNew Orleans.
The special tactics troops returned homelast week, but many of the mobilized Ken-tucky Airmen will remain in the Gulf regionfor 30 days or longer.
These include:• 31 members of the 123rd Security Forces
Squadron who deployed to Baton Rouge,La., on Sept. 2. The Airmen are assisting lo-cal law enforcement as needed and provid-ing security at Red Cross facilities set up toserve evacuees on the campus of LouisianaState University, said Master Sgt. Rhett Per-due, the squadron’s superintendent.
• 15 members of the 123rd Aerial PortSquadron who deployed to the former En-gland Air Force Base in Alexandria, La., onSept. 3. The Airmen established an aerial porthub to serve mostly Coast Guard and AirForce aircraft moving supplies into strickenareas, said Chief Master Sgt. Tommy Downs,superintendent of the 123rd Aerial PortSquadron.
• 9 members of the 123rd Airlift ControlFlight who established command and con-
KatrinaContinued from Front Page
trol of airlift operations at Alexandria Inter-national Airport in Louisiana. The initialtasking was to ensure that food and waterwere moving into New Orleans, said StaffSgt. Josh Ketterer, a command post control-ler assigned to the unit. As of Sept. 12, flightmembers had controlled 88 sorties respon-sible for moving more than 600 passengersand a million pounds of cargo.
• 14 members of the 123rd MedicalSquadron who deployed to New Orleans Na-val Air Station and Gulfport, Miss., in mul-tiple phases beginning Sept. 6. The Airmenare providing dental care, emergency medi-cine and in-patient services as part of a field-transportable hospital, said Chief MasterSgt. Johnie Cherry, chief of health servicesfor the 123rd Medical Squadron.
• 7 members of the 123rd Services Flightwho deployed to the Gulfport CombatReadiness Training Center on Sept. 7. TheAirmen are preparing up to 2,000 meals aday for service members deployed toGulfport as part of relief efforts, said ChiefMaster Sgt. Veronica Holliman, servicesflight superintendent.
• 2 members of the 123rd Airlift WingChaplain’s Office who deployed to CampShelby, Miss., on Sept. 7 to minister to mili-tary members and evacuees, said Lt. Col.Tom Curry, chief chaplain for Kentucky’s
123rd Airlift Wing.The wing also has been flying cargo and
troops to the region aboard Kentucky C-130ssince Aug. 31, Chief Downs said.
As of Sept. 12, the 165th Airlift Squadronhad completed 19 sorties, flying 370,000pounds of cargo, supplies, food and water tocities such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge,Gulfport and Hattiesburg, Miss.
All told, the combined efforts add up toan impressive amount of assistance, said Col.Mark Kraus, commander of the 123rd Air-lift Wing.
“I’m very proud of our wing’s responseto assist our neighbors in Louisiana and Mis-sissippi in the aftermath of HurricaneKatrina,” Colonel Kraus said.
“We were among the first states to airlifttroops, both Air and Army, into the affectedarea to provide first-responder search and res-cue, security forces, cargo handling and air-lift control, teams of doctors and medicalpersonnel, and Chaplains with staff.
“Behind those folks who deployed wasvirtually the rest of the wing, which tirelesslychoreographed the departures and continuesto support the sustainment of forces in thatregion,” he said.
“There is no greater purpose than to pro-vide aid and comfort to those in need. It’sthe best part of what the Guard is all about.”
Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG
A member of the wing’s 123rd Aerial Port Squadron off-loads pallets of water donatedby The Kroger Co. on Sept. 2. The water is being used for relief efforts in the Gulf.
9The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005
KyANG NEWS
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 20054
KyANG NEWS
Wing weather troops complete Kosovo missionKy. Airmen recognizedfor mission performanceBy Senior Airman T.J. Mahan123rd Airlift Control Flight
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — SixKentucky Air Guardsmen recently com-pleted deployments here to provide weatherforecasting support for U.S. Army peace-keepers assigned to Task Force Falcon.
The deployments began last winter andranged from 90 to 180 days, said Lt. Col.Jeffrey Peters, a weather forecaster in theKentucky Air Guard’s 123rd Mission Sup-port Group.
Joining Colonel Peters for the missionwere Tech. Sgt. Derick Whitmer and SeniorAirman Kevin Atkins of the 123rd SpecialTactics Squadron; Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarverand Senior Airman Jeremiah Burns of the123rd Operations Support Flight; and SeniorAirman T.J. Mahan of the 123rd Airlift Con-trol Flight.
All were assigned to the 401st Air Expe-ditionary Wing, Detachment 2 CombatWeather Team at Camp Bondsteel.
While deployed, the Airmen staffed aweather station, recording hourly weatherobservations, giving local flight weatherbriefings, and issuing weather advisories,watches and warnings as necessary, ColonelPeters said.
Other duties included providing weathersupport to contract aerial reconnaissancecompanies in Skopje, Macedonia, and main-taining weather observing equipment atCamp Monteith and Film City, Kosovo —the site of NATO headquarters for theKosovo Force (KFOR).
One major task involved the developmentof weather forecasts for three European lo-cations, Colonel Peters said.
These forecasts, which contributed to thearrival of a new rotation of U.S. Army air-craft from Hoenfels, Germany, to CampBondsteel, proved to be challenging because
of the intensity of the snowy Eastern Euro-pean winter, he said.
NATO’s KFOR mission is designed to helpdemilitarize Kosovo, enforce law and order,and, in partnership with the United NationsMission In Kosovo, assist the local popula-tion in transforming the province into a freeand democratic society.
Volunteerism is encouraged to supportthese goals, Colonel Peters said, and the Ken-tucky Airmen did their part to help.
They spent many hours performing volun-teer work on and off post, he noted, teaching
classes at local schools, donating suppliesto area orphanages and hosting tours ofCamp Bondsteel for Kosovo schoolchil-dren.
The group also was recognized for go-ing above and beyond the call in the per-formance of its primary mission, ColonelPeters said.
Airscan Inc., an aerial reconnaissancecontractor, presented a letter of apprecia-tion to the Kentucky Airmen for their ac-curate and timely flight weather briefs andforecasts, he said.
Above: Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver andSenior Airman T.J. Mahan inspectweather observing equipment whiledeployed to Kosovo.
Left: Tech. Sgt. Derrick Whitmer visitswith local children during a trip to aKosovo school.
Photos courtesy 123rd Airlift Control Flight
Special tactics troops recall Katrina evacuationsKentucky forces ledmulti-state effort thatrescued 1,200 peopleBy Capt. Dale GreerWing Public Affairs Officer
Chief Master Sgt. Pat Malone has seen alot in his 23 years as a pararescueman forthe U.S. military, including dicey combat ex-tractions in Iraq and Afghanistan and morethan a decade’s worth of civilian search-and-rescue missions in Alaska.
But none of it prepared him for the dev-astation he saw firsthand when he and 21comrades deployed to New Orleans NavalAir Station earlier this month as part of ef-forts to evacuate the victims of HurricaneKatrina and the ensuing flood.
“This was, by and large, the worst site ofdevastation I have ever seen in my entirecareer,” said Chief Malone, the chief enlistedmanager for the Kentucky Air Guard’s123rd Special Tactics Squadron.
“The sheer magnitude of it — and theconditions that our guys worked in — wasthe most horrific I’ve seen in 23 years ofservice.”
Senior Master Sgt. Jon Rosa, a Kentuckycombat controller who also deployed withthe 123rd Special Tactics Flight, concurred.
“New Orleans is usually a place of suchrevelry,” said Sergeant Rosa, the squadron’ssuperintendent of combat controllers.
“But it was like a scene out of ‘The Twi-light Zone’ to be in downtown New Orleansand hear total silence except for the slosh-ing of flood waters. I just couldn’t believethis was America.”
But it was America, and thousands ofNew Orleaneans were stranded without pro-visions amid a sea of sewage- and chemi-cal-laced water covering nearly 80 percentof the city.
Sergeant Rosa, Chief Malone and 20 otherKentucky special tactics troops were amongthe first military search-and-rescue troops toarrive in the stricken city and begin extract-ing trapped citizens starting Aug. 31.
The Kentucky forces joined up with about25 other special tactics troops from acrossthe Air National Guard, including units in
Photos courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron
A combat controller with the Kentucky Air Guard and a pararescueman from the AlaskaAir Guard evacuate New Orleans residents via Zodiac rescue boats.
Senior Master Sgt. Jon Rosa, left, and Chief Master Sgt. Pat Malone, right, direct theactions of special tactics troops engaged in search-and-rescue missions.See STS, Page 10
and sewage,” he said. “It was a giant petridish. But they knew that what they were
STSContinued from Page 10
doing was important. They chose to be totallyselfless and help fellow citizens of the UnitedStates. They’re the biggest heroes on theplanet as far as I’m concerned.”
Sergeant Rosa noted that many New Or-leans residents seemed to agree.
“All the folks we rescued down there were
so thankful,” he said. “I had about 20people come up and hug me while I wastrying to control helicopter landings.That’s very self-satisfying.
“My heart goes out to the folks downthere,” he added. “If they ever need usto come back, we’ll be there.”
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 3
KyANG NEWS
KyANG marksmen sweep state tournament
Cargo Courier Staff Report
In what is becoming a spring ritual formembers of the base marksmanship team,the 123rd Airlift Wing again swept the Ken-tucky State Pistol and Rifle Championships,held April 30 to May 1 at Fort Knox, Ky.
Fielding its strongest squad yet, the 123rdtook all but one team event and won everyindividual category, said Master Sgt. JohnMartin, a longtime Kentucky Air Guardshooter.
In all, 63 competitors tested their mettleat the Fort Knox range, hoping to win a spoton the squad that will represent the state dur-ing the national tourney scheduled for Oc-tober in North Little Rock, Ark.
Of those 63 shooters, 51 were membersof the Kentucky Army Guard, while 12 rep-resented the Kentucky Air Guard — thewing’s largest contingent to date.
Awards won by the team include:
Individual Rifle: First place to MasterSgt. Jim Johnson; second place to MasterSgt. Darryl Loafman; third place to SeniorMaster Sgt. John Siebert.
Team Rifle: First place to the Air Guard(Senior Master Sgt. John Siebert, Staff Sgt.Travis Keehner, Staff Sgt. John White andTech. Sgt. Mark Motsinger); third place tothe Air Guard (Master Sgt. Jim Johnson,Tech. Sgt. Frank Tallman, Master Sgt. MikeDowns and Airman 1st Class HarryBromley).
Individual Pistol: First place to MasterSgt. John Martin; second place to MasterSgt. Darryl Loafman; third place to MasterSgt. Jim Johnson.
Team Pistol: First place to the Air Guard(Master Sgt. John Martin, Master Sgt. JimJohnson, Tech. Sgt. Frank Tallman and Se-nior Master Sgt. John Siebert); second placeto the Air Guard (Master Sgt. DarrylLoafman, Master Sgt. Dave Selby, Staff Sgt.John White and Master Sgt. Mike Downs);third place to the Air Guard (Tech. Sgt. MarkMotsinger, Tech. Sgt. Cary Mendelsohn, Se-nior Airman Ben Bull and Tech. Sgt. DanBlevins).
Novice award, First Place Pistol: Tech.Sgt. Cary Mendelsohn.
Other participants from the Air Guardwho earned accolades include Senior Air-man Ashlee Richards, Master Sgt. PaulEdwards and Tech. Sgt. Charles Lambert.
Nearly 99 percent of all awards at the
state match have been earned by competi-tors from the 123rd Airlift Wing over thecourse of the last seven years, and 2005marks the seventh year in a row and the 10thtime since 1993 that personnel from the123rd have earned the title of state champi-ons, Sergeant Martin said.
Wing shooters take allindividual catagoriesand most team honors
ABOVE: Members of the KyANG Marksmanship Team continued their winning waysduring the state pistol and rifle tourney held April 30 to May 1 at Fort Knox, Ky.
BELOW: Team members amassed a staggering 33 trophies for their expert shoot-ing, including multiple first-place honors.
Photo courtesy KyANG Marksmanship Team
Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG
KyANG NEWS
The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 200510
STSContinued from Page 9
Photos courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron
Top: A Kentucky combatcontroller cuts down a lightpole along Interstate 610 toclear a landing zone for he-licopters.
Left: Evacuees board achopper for airlift out ofNew Orleans.
Bottom: A Kentucky specialtactics troop searches forstranded New Orleans resi-dents.
Alaska, California, New York and Oregon.Patrolling the city in Zodiac motorboats
and other vehicles, the Kentucky-led contin-gent rescued 1,292 people, sometimes bycutting through roofs to extract trapped resi-dents.
“We had the ability to go through the cityand conduct searches where no one elsecould reach at the time,” Chief Malone said.“We launched from four to 14 boats a day,running about 14-hour shifts in the water.”
Once evacuees climbed aboard the Zodi-acs, they were transported to makeshift he-licopter landing zones set up along portionsof the interstate highway system that weren’tsubmerged by flood waters.
The landing zones were cleared by saw-wielding combat controllers who cut downlight poles to remove obstructions and thenmarked the spots with spray paint so infor-mation like communications frequencieswould be visible from the air, Sergeant Rosasaid. After an LZ was established, combatcontrollers would make radio contact withany of the three airborne controlling authori-ties — entities like an Air Force AWACSplane — and advise that evacuees were readyfor transport.
As helicopters began to roll in, the con-trollers would direct their safe flight into andout of the landing zones using the commu-nications gear they carry on their backs.
One particularly productive LZ becameso active that a new helicopter was landingevery 50 seconds for 48 straight hours, Ser-geant Rosa said.
“For a while, I would imagine it was thebusiest airport on the face of the earth,” henoted.
By the time the Kentucky Airmen returnedhome Sept. 7, the Air Guard special tacticscontingent had controlled the flights of 3,179sorties responsible for the evacuation of11,927 people.
Working conditions were challenging, tosay the least. Most troops got less than sixhours of sleep a night, and the constant ex-posure to contaminated water caused rashesand minor chemical burns on some of theAirmen, Chief Malone said.
“These guys were working in a giant cess-pool contaminated with any chemical inanyone’s garage, oil, gas, deceased animals
See STS, Page 4
F
Col. Mark Kraus123rd Airlift Wing Commander
Annual field training an important stepin preparing wing for upcoming inspection
Wing Commander....................................Col. Mark KrausWing Public Affairs Officer.....................Capt. Dale GreerStaff Writer...............................Staff Sgt. William Harkins
This funded Air Force newspaper is an authorized publi-cation for members of the U.S. military services. Contentsof The Cargo Courier are not necessarily the official viewof, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department ofDefense or the Department of the Air Force.
The editorial content is edited, prepared and providedby the Public Affairs office of the 123rd Airlift Wing, Ken-tucky Air National Guard. All photographs are Air Forcephotographs unless otherwise indicated.
Our office is located in room 2118 of the Wing Head-quarters Building. Deadline for the next issue is Sept. 30.
An electronic version of the Cargo Courier is available at the Kentucky Air Guard’s Web site — www.kyang.ang.af.mil
123rd Airlift Wing Editorial Staff
Contact Us
or those of you who at-tended annual field trainingin Gulfport, Miss., with mein late July and early Au-gust, you know what I
mean when I say to those who missed theopportunity: It was an unqualified success.
Not only was it thoroughly well planned,it also was expertly executed.
The Cadre Team, under the leadership ofCol. Bill Ketterer, “covered all the bases” tomake this the most productive and enjoy-able training exercise for this wing to date.
A massive assault on ancillary training re-quirements was completed, with nearly5,000 training events logged by the 471 stu-dents attending.
Facilities, food, training classes, sched-ules, expert instructors and MWR eventswere all outstanding.
Make no mistake — this was a Herculeaneffort, made possible in large part by a dedi-cated, hard-working staff, professional,punctual students and great positive attitudesby all.
This was an important step toward ourpreparation for the wing’s OperationalReadiness Inspection scheduled for April2006.
Just as the exercises for our mobility func-tions are honing our skills to pack up and goto war, the classes of instruction provided atGulfport allowed us to individualize ourpreparation by completing required readi-
ness training.In the months ahead, we will continue to
walk the path of preparation to and througha successful evaluation by the AMC Inspec-tor General.
The scope of this inspection — to deploy,employ and redeploy by the prescribed AirForce methods — encompasses a complexendeavor with a lot of moving pieces.
To be successful, it is imperative that eachof us understand and fulfill our roles as indi-
vidual Airmen and that we work togetheras a team.
Reduced to the basics, it means that eachof us must:
Do the right thing… at the right time…for the right reason.
To shoot for the best two out of three willfall short of the intended mark. Don’t de-cide to grade anything as unimportant be-cause everything counts.
NCAA championship football coach LouHoltz, said it like this:
“In the successful organization, no de-tail is too small to escape close attention.”
The demonstration of our ability to com-plete the ORI will mark us as a “successfulorganization” in the eyes of the IG team,but let’s not lose sight of the fact that theinspection is only a measuring stick of ouroverarching responsibility, which is to becombat ready.
The long-term look is that we want toattain and then maintain a level of readi-ness that will ensure our ability to respondaffirmatively, forcefully and ferventlyshould we be called upon.
And that means doing the right thing, atthe right time, for the right reason.
Service begins implementingnew ‘eMail for Life’ addresses
Certificatesto recognize
Cold War serviceThe Secretary of Defense has
approved the awarding of Cold WarRecognition Certificates to allmembers of the armed forces andqualified federal employees whofaithfully and honorably served theUnited States during the Cold Warera. For more information, visithttps://www.hrc.army.mil/site/active/tagd/coldwar/default.htm.
Senate confirmstop leadership
By Master Sgt. Mitch GettleAir Force Print News
WASHINGTON — The Air Force beganthe first phase of a new e-mail system May6 that will enhance communication of Air-men worldwide.
AF eMail (also known as eMail-for-Life)is a single, static e-mail address that will notchange during the career of an Airman or AirForce civilian employee.
The current e-mail system, rapid mobil-ity of the force and frequent assignments andcareer development opportunities outside theAir Force can make it difficult for Airmento communicate.
“At any given time, we can only reliablyconnect and communicate with 79 percentof our force through e-mail,” said Capt. KirkPhillips, information technology divisionchief at the Air Force Senior Leader Man-agement Office.
“E-mail is the most critical communica-tion tool that we’re using to implement forcedevelopment and transform our personnelprocess. Industry-standard e-business solu-tions require static e-mail addresses, and thatis the direction the Air Force is headed,”Captain Phillips said.
Airmen will be able to complete person-nel actions in minutes through e-mail andthe Internet, along with other benefits, hesaid.
“Not only is there a huge potential for AirForce cost avoidance, but mission supportwill be greatly enhanced by empoweringevery member to reliably connect and com-
municate with each other without worryabout changing e-mail addresses everycouple of years,” Captain Phillips said.
“We’ll be able to transform personnelprocesses under the Air Force directorateof personnel’s personnel service deliverymodel and empower members and data-bases to connect and communicate throughe-business applications instead of local per-sonnel flights.”
Those personnel processes include offi-cial personnel notifications and announce-ments; command, promotion and profes-sional military education candidacy and se-lection; and retirement, assignment, evalu-ation, feedback and decoration processing.
Officials said they plan for the Air Forceto be fully capable under AF eMail by 2007.Currently, every senior Air Force official hasbeen provided an account.
“We’ve segmented the force based onmission requirements and will slowly scalethe availability to the entire force versus anall-at-once implementation,” CaptainPhillips said. “We started with the highestlevel leaders, and our plan is to offer it toother segments of the force this summer.”
During the initial stages, Airmen willcontinue to use their local or major com-mand e-mail accounts as well as the AFeMail account.
“Until the migration of e-mail accountshappens, it’s each member’s responsibilityto check the AF eMail account on a regularbasis,” Captain Phillips said. “That’s wheretheir career-affecting personnel actions willbe.”
Geren named acting AF secretary
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) — TheSenate confirmed Gen. T. MichaelMoseley as the next Air Force chiefof staff on July 1 and Lt. Gen. JohnD. W. Corley as the new Air Forcevice chief of staff on Aug. 1.
General Corley will be promotedto the rank of general.
General Moseley last served asvice chief of staff, while GeneralCorley is currently the principaldeputy for the assistant secretary ofthe Air Force for acquisition.
General Moseley is a commandpilot with more than 2,800 hours inT-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon and F-15Eagle. He is a graduate of TexasA&M University where he earnedboth a bachelor’s and a master’sdegree in political science. Hecommanded U.S. Central CommandAir Forces and served as CombinedForces Air Component Commandcommander for operations SouthernWatch, Enduring Freedom and IraqiFreedom.
General Corley entered the AirForce in 1973 and has commandedat the squadron, group and winglevels. He has more than 3,000flying hours with combat experi-ence. As combined air operationscenter director supporting OperationEnduring Freedom, General Corleycoordinated more than 11,000combat missions striking more than4,700 targets.
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) — The presi-dent designated Pete Geren to be the actingSecretary of the Air Force on June 29, re-placing Michael L. Dominguez.
The appointment is in accordance with theFederal Vacancies Reform Act, Air Forceofficials said.
Mr. Geren, who was special assistant tothe secretary of defense, assumes his newoffice as directed in Title 10, United StatesCode and Air Force directives, Air Forceofficials said. He took the Department of
Defense post in September 2001 with re-sponsibilities in the areas of interagencyinitiatives, legislative affairs and specialprojects.
A former Texas congressman 1989 to1997, Mr. Geren served on the Armed Ser-vices, Science and Technology and the Pub-lic Works and Transportation committeesduring his tenure. He earned his bachelorof science degree from the University ofTexas in 1974, and his jurist prudence fromthe university’s law school in 1978.
2 The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005 11The Cargo Courier
Sept. 17, 2005
COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS
12 The Cargo CourierSept. 17, 2005
123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XXI, No. 4 • Sept. 17, 2005
123rd Airlift WingPublic Affairs OfficeKentucky Air National Guard1101 Grade LaneLouisville, KY 40213-2678
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
Wing provides relief for victims of KatrinaUnit members deployto assist with rescues,medical care, security
Top right: Senior Airman JeffreyHiggs, a loadmaster in the 165th Airlift
Squadron, prepares rescue equip-ment for transport to New Orleans
aboard a Kentucky C-130 on Sept. 1
Bottom right: Two Kentucky Air Guardspecial tactics troops confer as an Air
Force MH-53 helicopter lands onInterstate 610 to evacuate strandedNew Orleans residents. The Airmen
provided air traffic control for multiplemakeshift landing zones during
rescue operations from Sept. 1 to 6.Photo courtesy 123rd Special Tactics Squadron
Staff Sgt. Philip Speck/KyANG
See KATRINA, Page 8
By Capt. Dale GreerWing Public Affairs Officer
Nearly 100 members of the KentuckyAir National Guard have deployed to thestorm-ravaged Gulf Coast to assist with re-lief operations in the wake of HurricaneKatrina, which struck Mississippi andLouisiana with unprecedented force Aug.29.
Katrina’s 145-mph winds and 20-footstorm surge decimated coastal communi-ties like Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss., kill-ing hundreds of residents and causing morethan $20 billion in property damage, fed-eral officials estimate. Subsequent flood-ing submerged up to 80 percent of NewOrleans, trapping residents on rooftopswithout food or water amid a putrid sea ofpetrochemicals, sewage and human re-mains.
The first KyANG unit to respond wasthe 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, whichdeployed 13 pararescuemen and combatcontrollers to New Orleans Naval Air Sta-
The following individuals have beenpromoted to the rank indicated
as members of theKentucky Air Guard
and reservistsof the United States Air Force:
•David Clark,165th Airlift Sq.
•Joseph Dobson,123rd Operations Support Flt.
•Bobby Donoho,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Christine Duffee,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Matthew Hourigan,123rd Aircraft Maintenance Sq.
•Kenneth Keith,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Jonathan Marks,123rd Communications Flt.
•Matt McKeehan,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Matthew Morris,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Brian Owens,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Joshua Selby,165th Airlift Sq.
•Adam Sherwood,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Christopher Slayton,123rd Student Flt.
•Ely Thomas,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Dallas Whitney,123rd Logistics Readiness Sq.
•Kevin Williams,123rd Communications Flt.
SENIOR AIRMAN (E-4)
•Michael Doran Jr.,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Thomas Fuchs,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Justin Harrington,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Joshua Jaburg,123rd Operations Support Flt.
•Jeremy Strange,123rd Security Forces Sq.
STAFF SERGEANT (E-5)
Promotions, retirements and separations Kentucky Air National Guard
The following individualshave retired as membersof the Kentucky Air Guard
and reservists of theUnited States Air Force:
•Master Sgt. Laura Crowder,123rd Medical Sq.
•Master Sgt. Melissa Evaline,123rd Services Flt.
•Master Sgt. Lynn Grabill,123rd Special Tactics Sq.
•Master Sgt. Thomas James,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Master Sgt. James Moore,123rd Aerial Port Sq.
•Master Sgt. Mark Rines,123rd Communications Flt.
The following individualshave separated from
the Kentucky Air Guard:
•Senior Airman Ileah Brown,123rd Maintenance Sq.
•Maj. Brian Butler,Headquarters KyANG
•Staff Sgt. Christopher Buzard,123rd Security Forces Sq.
•Senior Airman Lance Culver,123rd Student Flt.
•Tech. Sgt. Margaret French,123rd Mission Support Flt.
