RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE 64th Year • No. 37 • SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

A publication of the 502nd Air Base Wing – Joint Base San Antonio

INSIDE ... DEPLOYMENT TIMES INCREASED, P 5 ... ASSESSING STORM DAMAGE, P6 ... BLUE IS COOL, P7 ... LADY RO-HAWKS SERVE UP DEFEAT, P9

Today is National POW/MIARecognition Day

By Staff Sgt. Paul CroxonDefense Media Activity-San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – More than adecade in the making, the culture ofthe “wingman” approach to suicideprevention is still evolving as riskfactors and causes of suicide arebecoming more widely understood.

The wingman concept should be veryfamiliar to most Airmen. Suicide preven-tion training has been incorporated intoAirman culture from basic trainingthough every level of professional militaryeducation and yearly refresher training.

For Lt. Col. Michael Kindt, the Air ForceSuicide Prevention Program manager,when it comes to suicide prevention, thenumbers are the key to understandingwhat approach to take.

“In the late 90s the numbers indicated

that suicide was becoming a problem inthe Air Force,” he said. “There wereabout 20 suicides per 100,000 Airmen.The suicide rate across the civilian sectorwas about 11 per 100,000.”

This high suicide rate prompted seniorAir Force leaders to take a look at suicideand develop a program to combat thetrend, said Colonel Kindt. More than adecade later, the AFSPP has successfullycut the suicide rate in half by implement-ing 11 initiatives that address suicide pre-vention from the individual level up to thecommand level.

“The Community Action InformationBoard was developed and the wing orvice commander appointed to chair iton every base,” Colonel Kindt said. “TheIntegrated Delivery System was alsocreated. It made sure the chaplain,Airman and Family Readiness Centersand other agencies were on the samepage and working together.”

In addition to the agency and seniorleader involvement, the AFSPP alsobrought supervisors and coworkers intothe equation.

“When the program was developedthey realized that a session with a psy-chiatrist wasn’t enough to identify asuicide risk,” Colonel Kindt said. “Itwas the people close to the individualwho would notice behavioral changesand be able to address it in the mosteffective way.”

Colonel Kindt said recognizing thebehavioral change is only the firststep. The most difficult step is to askthe question.

“It’s a hard thing to do – ask a coworkeror friend if they are thinking of hurtingthemselves,” he said. “But imagine howmuch more difficult it would be for a per-son to approach you and tell you they arecontemplating suicide. It’s important tomeet them halfway. If you ask the ques-tion 20 times in your career you may havejust one where the person is contemplat-ing suicide and you asking the questioncould be the key to that person openingup and result in saving a life.”

The colonel also advocates takingthe ACE approach to suicide interven-tion; asking directly if someone isthinking of hurting themselves, caringfor the individual by removing them

from a dangerous environment, andescorting them to a professional whocan give them further help.

ACE is a simple concept but has pow-erful implications. Data collected onevery Air Force suicide during the past12 years has shown intervention bypeers is extremely effective. That samedata has also identified which Airmenare at the highest risk and points outmisconceptions regarding who is mostlikely to hurt themselves.

Many of the identified risks for suicideare the same as those in the civilian sec-tor; relationship trouble, financial instabil-ity, legal action. However, there are somerisk factors within the Air Force that thecollected data has highlighted, such ashigher-risk career fields.

“The data has shown that securityforces, intelligence and manned mainte-nance career fields have about twice thesuicide rate of other career fields,”Colonel Kindt said.

According to some of the studies,security forces Airmen have a comfortwith weapons and access to weaponsthat puts them at a higher risk than anAirman unfamiliar or uncomfortablewith weapons.

Airmen who work in the intelligencecareer category may have unfounded cul-tural misconceptions that seeking help forpersonal problems jeopardizes securityclearance. Airmen who work in mannedmaintenance are charged with a high-level of responsibility believed to con-tribute to an increased risk of suicide.

This information has changed theway the AFSPP interacts with thesecareer fields, Colonel Kindt said.Instead of the yearly computer-basedtraining most Airmen complete, AirForce officials are beginning toimplement face-to-face training withevery Airman in those career fields.

The AFSPP is a priority for senior lead-ers. In fact, Colonel Kindt conducts con-ference calls and reports to the chief ofstaff of the Air Force weekly.

“Senior leaders take this program seri-ously,” he said. “One preventable death isone too many.”

For more information on the Air ForceSuicide Prevention Program, and to seeall 11 initiatives, visit http://afspp.afms.mil.

Honor guard members place wreaths infront of the Missing Man Monumentduring a POW/MIA remembranceceremony Sept. 19 last year.Photo by Rich McFadden

Wingspread Office1150 5th Street East

Randolph AFB, Texas 78150Phone: (210) 652-5760

Fax: (210) 652-3142Wingspread Advertisements

Prime Time Military Newspapers2203 S. Hackberry

San Antonio, Texas 78210Phone: (210) 534-8848

Wingspread e-mailnews@randolph.af.mil

This paper is published by Prime Time Military Newspapers, aprivate firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, underexclusive written contract with Randolph AFB, Texas. This com-mercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publica-tion for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of theWingspread are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsedby, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or theDepartment of the Air Force.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by theDepartment of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or PrimeTime Military Newspapers of the products or services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made avail-able for purchase, use or patronage without regard to the race,color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical ormental handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factorof the purchaser, user, or patron.

Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the PublicAffairs Division of the 502nd Air Base Wing OL-B in accordancewith local policy and style guidance. All photos, unless otherwiseindicated, are U.S. Air Force photos.

Articles for the newspaper should be submitted by noonThursday the week prior to the desired publication date. Items canbe dropped off on a PC- or Macintosh-formatted disk at theWingspread office in Hangar 6.

Articles for submission may also be sent by e-mail tonews@randolph.af.mil.

For details about submissions, call 652-5760.

ON THE COVER

PAGE 3WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 2 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

COMMENTARY

502nd Air Base WingOperating Location Bravo

Editorial StaffBrig. Gen. Leonard Patrick

Commander1st Lt. Ryan Ernst

Deputy Chief of Public AffairsKelly Parsons

EditorAirman 1st Class Precious YettRobert Goetz, Brian McGloin

Staff WritersMaggie ArmstrongGraphic Designer

WINGSPREAD

CFC

The Wingspread invites members of the Randolph Air Force Base community to submit items for publication. If there is a subject ofparticular interest or concern, a Wingspread staff writer may be assigned to cover it. Submissions such as retirement announce-

ments, news brief items, upcoming events, commentaries and news story ideas can be e-mailed to news@randolph.af.mil. All sub-missions must pertain to the Randolph AFB community and are subject to editing. For more information, call 652-5760.

Direct communication key to suicide prevention By Chaplain (Capt.) Sharior Rahman502nd Air Base Wing

Chaplaincy is a calling like noneother. You were either meant for itor not. The passion to serve as aMuslim chaplain came to me early inmy military career.

I joined the Navy in 1997, and wasthrown into the position of a lay leader due to myneed to make Jummah prayers. I was told to take theinitiative and I absolutely loved and cherished thisgreat responsibility.

I started leading prayers, offering sermons, leadingreligious education, accommodating religious needsand even did funeral processions for the military. Ispent most of my time green side, being part of vari-ous Marine units as a “devil doc” until I became anaerospace physiology survival instructor.

I treasured and juggled the time I spent with thechaplaincy and my professional military career. Ibecame quite acquainted with my ecclesiasticalendorsing body, American Muslim Armed Forcesand Veterans Affair Council and started pursuingwhat was required to become a military chaplain.

Many events triggered the inner fire to help mytwo loves, my nation as well as my faith. I believethe final call came on 9/11. Here I am as a hospi-tal corpsmen serving my country, and a bunch ofterrorists hijack the religion I love. I love beinghere, but for the weeks that followed, some peo-ple treated me differently. They were eitherfrightened of me or wanted to harm me.

Out of that, my calling came to teach the truth ofwhat is Islam. All it takes is getting to know some-one who lives the Muslim life. As human beings, weare always apprehensive of the unknown. Butthrough education you can break down barriersand build relationships.

I believe the chaplain’s greatest asset is his upliftingdemeanor. The chaplain becomes a reminder of theholy as well as a natural lifter of spirits. They are anasset to leadership since they sense the moral pulse ofthe unit. These are just a few of the noble characteris-tics of this great calling, but above all, a chaplain hasto remember to be a great listener, for ultimately theyare a counselor first.

Pluralism is true respect for one another. It istruly the golden rule – do onto others as youwould like to have done to yourself. In Islam,

banu Adam is deserving of one thing, that isrespect, once that is lost, then wars and calami-ties occur since you start to have superiority andinferiority complexes.

Additionally, the Holy Qur’an clearly states thatthere is “no compulsion in religion.” The conceptof evangelism or proselytizing is foreign to aMuslim. It is our job to be good humanitarians sowe can be a reminder of the holy. I believe theHoly Qur’an sums everything up in this beautifulverse, “O mankind! We created you from a singlepair of a male and a female, and made you intonations and tribes, that we may know each other.Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Godis the most righteous of you. And God has fullknowledge and is well acquainted with all things.”

We as chaplains are given an awesome power inprivileged communication, but with this power comestrust and great responsibility.

Having endurance and perseverance is critical togood ministry, and as such being a lay leader withinthe Navy and now as a chaplain in the Air Force hasbrought me greater appreciation for religious accom-modation for all, and it should always be met as it is aduty upon our core beliefs.

Noble characteristics of military chaplains

By Kelly Parsons502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

National Hispanic Heritage Observance Monthkicked off Wednesday at the base exchange.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, PresidentLyndon B. Johnson authorized National HispanicHeritage Week in 1968. President Ronald Reaganextended the week-long observance to NationalHispanic Heritage Observance Month, which lastsfrom Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

The dates of the observance correspond to severalsignificant events. First, Sept. 15 is the anniversaryof independence for five Latin American countries:Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras andNicaragua. Mexico declared independence Sept. 16and Chile Sept. 18.

Capt. Amanda Turcotte, NHHOM committee chair-person, said learning about our fellow Americans

helps lead the way to a better future.“As members and leaders in the Air Force and local

communities, it is always important to take the timeto educate ourselves regarding the culture of the indi-viduals we live and work with everyday,” she said.

Randolph will celebrate NHHOM through severalevents, which include a Latin social, food samplingand recipe sharing, a fun run, children’s events, a

Latin performance and a final luncheon.For more information regarding NHHOM and special

events, contact Capt. Amanda Turcotte at 565-9232.List of Events:Today – Latin Social 3-6 p.m. @ the Kendrick Club Sept. 21 – Hispanic Heritage Food Sampling 11 a.m. @the Chapel Annex Sept. 23 – 5K Fun Run 7 a.m. @ the Rambler FitnessCenterSept. 23 – Latin Recipe Sharing 4-5 p.m. @ theRandolph Library Sept. 28 – Fiesta Luncheon 11 a.m. @ the Airman’sDining Facility Oct. 1 – Dora Children’s Event 8:45-10 a.m. @ the Childand Development CenterOct. 6 – Latin Performance, 4-5 p.m. @ the RandolphLibraryOct. 7 – JBSA HHOM Luncheon 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. @ theKendrick Club

Randolph celebrates Hispanic culture with events“As members and leaders in the Air Force

and local communities, it is always importantto take the time to educate ourselves

regarding the culture of the individuals welive and work with everyday.”

Capt. Amanda Turcotte

By Staff Sgt. Paul CroxonDefense Media Activity-San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – More than adecade in the making, the culture ofthe “wingman” approach to suicideprevention is still evolving as riskfactors and causes of suicide arebecoming more widely understood.

The wingman concept should be veryfamiliar to most Airmen. Suicide preven-tion training has been incorporated intoAirman culture from basic trainingthough every level of professional militaryeducation and yearly refresher training.

For Lt. Col. Michael Kindt, the Air ForceSuicide Prevention Program manager,when it comes to suicide prevention, thenumbers are the key to understandingwhat approach to take.

“In the late 90s the numbers indicated

that suicide was becoming a problem inthe Air Force,” he said. “There wereabout 20 suicides per 100,000 Airmen.The suicide rate across the civilian sectorwas about 11 per 100,000.”

This high suicide rate prompted seniorAir Force leaders to take a look at suicideand develop a program to combat thetrend, said Colonel Kindt. More than adecade later, the AFSPP has successfullycut the suicide rate in half by implement-ing 11 initiatives that address suicide pre-vention from the individual level up to thecommand level.

“The Community Action InformationBoard was developed and the wing orvice commander appointed to chair iton every base,” Colonel Kindt said. “TheIntegrated Delivery System was alsocreated. It made sure the chaplain,Airman and Family Readiness Centersand other agencies were on the samepage and working together.”

In addition to the agency and seniorleader involvement, the AFSPP alsobrought supervisors and coworkers intothe equation.

“When the program was developedthey realized that a session with a psy-chiatrist wasn’t enough to identify asuicide risk,” Colonel Kindt said. “Itwas the people close to the individualwho would notice behavioral changesand be able to address it in the mosteffective way.”

Colonel Kindt said recognizing thebehavioral change is only the firststep. The most difficult step is to askthe question.

“It’s a hard thing to do – ask a coworkeror friend if they are thinking of hurtingthemselves,” he said. “But imagine howmuch more difficult it would be for a per-son to approach you and tell you they arecontemplating suicide. It’s important tomeet them halfway. If you ask the ques-tion 20 times in your career you may havejust one where the person is contemplat-ing suicide and you asking the questioncould be the key to that person openingup and result in saving a life.”

The colonel also advocates takingthe ACE approach to suicide interven-tion; asking directly if someone isthinking of hurting themselves, caringfor the individual by removing them

from a dangerous environment, andescorting them to a professional whocan give them further help.

ACE is a simple concept but has pow-erful implications. Data collected onevery Air Force suicide during the past12 years has shown intervention bypeers is extremely effective. That samedata has also identified which Airmenare at the highest risk and points outmisconceptions regarding who is mostlikely to hurt themselves.

Many of the identified risks for suicideare the same as those in the civilian sec-tor; relationship trouble, financial instabil-ity, legal action. However, there are somerisk factors within the Air Force that thecollected data has highlighted, such ashigher-risk career fields.

“The data has shown that securityforces, intelligence and manned mainte-nance career fields have about twice thesuicide rate of other career fields,”Colonel Kindt said.

According to some of the studies,security forces Airmen have a comfortwith weapons and access to weaponsthat puts them at a higher risk than anAirman unfamiliar or uncomfortablewith weapons.

Airmen who work in the intelligencecareer category may have unfounded cul-tural misconceptions that seeking help forpersonal problems jeopardizes securityclearance. Airmen who work in mannedmaintenance are charged with a high-level of responsibility believed to con-tribute to an increased risk of suicide.

This information has changed theway the AFSPP interacts with thesecareer fields, Colonel Kindt said.Instead of the yearly computer-basedtraining most Airmen complete, AirForce officials are beginning toimplement face-to-face training withevery Airman in those career fields.

The AFSPP is a priority for senior lead-ers. In fact, Colonel Kindt conducts con-ference calls and reports to the chief ofstaff of the Air Force weekly.

“Senior leaders take this program seri-ously,” he said. “One preventable death isone too many.”

For more information on the Air ForceSuicide Prevention Program, and to seeall 11 initiatives, visit http://afspp.afms.mil.

Honor guard members place wreaths infront of the Missing Man Monumentduring a POW/MIA remembranceceremony Sept. 19 last year.Photo by Rich McFadden

Wingspread Office1150 5th Street East

Randolph AFB, Texas 78150Phone: (210) 652-5760

Fax: (210) 652-3142Wingspread Advertisements

Prime Time Military Newspapers2203 S. Hackberry

San Antonio, Texas 78210Phone: (210) 534-8848

Wingspread e-mailnews@randolph.af.mil

This paper is published by Prime Time Military Newspapers, aprivate firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, underexclusive written contract with Randolph AFB, Texas. This com-mercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publica-tion for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of theWingspread are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsedby, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or theDepartment of the Air Force.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by theDepartment of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or PrimeTime Military Newspapers of the products or services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made avail-able for purchase, use or patronage without regard to the race,color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical ormental handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factorof the purchaser, user, or patron.

Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the PublicAffairs Division of the 502nd Air Base Wing OL-B in accordancewith local policy and style guidance. All photos, unless otherwiseindicated, are U.S. Air Force photos.

Articles for the newspaper should be submitted by noonThursday the week prior to the desired publication date. Items canbe dropped off on a PC- or Macintosh-formatted disk at theWingspread office in Hangar 6.

Articles for submission may also be sent by e-mail tonews@randolph.af.mil.

For details about submissions, call 652-5760.

ON THE COVER

PAGE 3WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 2 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

COMMENTARY

502nd Air Base WingOperating Location Bravo

Editorial StaffBrig. Gen. Leonard Patrick

Commander1st Lt. Ryan Ernst

Deputy Chief of Public AffairsKelly Parsons

EditorAirman 1st Class Precious YettRobert Goetz, Brian McGloin

Staff WritersMaggie ArmstrongGraphic Designer

WINGSPREAD

CFC

The Wingspread invites members of the Randolph Air Force Base community to submit items for publication. If there is a subject ofparticular interest or concern, a Wingspread staff writer may be assigned to cover it. Submissions such as retirement announce-

ments, news brief items, upcoming events, commentaries and news story ideas can be e-mailed to news@randolph.af.mil. All sub-missions must pertain to the Randolph AFB community and are subject to editing. For more information, call 652-5760.

Direct communication key to suicide prevention By Chaplain (Capt.) Sharior Rahman502nd Air Base Wing

Chaplaincy is a calling like noneother. You were either meant for itor not. The passion to serve as aMuslim chaplain came to me early inmy military career.

I joined the Navy in 1997, and wasthrown into the position of a lay leader due to myneed to make Jummah prayers. I was told to take theinitiative and I absolutely loved and cherished thisgreat responsibility.

I started leading prayers, offering sermons, leadingreligious education, accommodating religious needsand even did funeral processions for the military. Ispent most of my time green side, being part of vari-ous Marine units as a “devil doc” until I became anaerospace physiology survival instructor.

I treasured and juggled the time I spent with thechaplaincy and my professional military career. Ibecame quite acquainted with my ecclesiasticalendorsing body, American Muslim Armed Forcesand Veterans Affair Council and started pursuingwhat was required to become a military chaplain.

Many events triggered the inner fire to help mytwo loves, my nation as well as my faith. I believethe final call came on 9/11. Here I am as a hospi-tal corpsmen serving my country, and a bunch ofterrorists hijack the religion I love. I love beinghere, but for the weeks that followed, some peo-ple treated me differently. They were eitherfrightened of me or wanted to harm me.

Out of that, my calling came to teach the truth ofwhat is Islam. All it takes is getting to know some-one who lives the Muslim life. As human beings, weare always apprehensive of the unknown. Butthrough education you can break down barriersand build relationships.

I believe the chaplain’s greatest asset is his upliftingdemeanor. The chaplain becomes a reminder of theholy as well as a natural lifter of spirits. They are anasset to leadership since they sense the moral pulse ofthe unit. These are just a few of the noble characteris-tics of this great calling, but above all, a chaplain hasto remember to be a great listener, for ultimately theyare a counselor first.

Pluralism is true respect for one another. It istruly the golden rule – do onto others as youwould like to have done to yourself. In Islam,

banu Adam is deserving of one thing, that isrespect, once that is lost, then wars and calami-ties occur since you start to have superiority andinferiority complexes.

Additionally, the Holy Qur’an clearly states thatthere is “no compulsion in religion.” The conceptof evangelism or proselytizing is foreign to aMuslim. It is our job to be good humanitarians sowe can be a reminder of the holy. I believe theHoly Qur’an sums everything up in this beautifulverse, “O mankind! We created you from a singlepair of a male and a female, and made you intonations and tribes, that we may know each other.Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Godis the most righteous of you. And God has fullknowledge and is well acquainted with all things.”

We as chaplains are given an awesome power inprivileged communication, but with this power comestrust and great responsibility.

Having endurance and perseverance is critical togood ministry, and as such being a lay leader withinthe Navy and now as a chaplain in the Air Force hasbrought me greater appreciation for religious accom-modation for all, and it should always be met as it is aduty upon our core beliefs.

Noble characteristics of military chaplains

By Kelly Parsons502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

National Hispanic Heritage Observance Monthkicked off Wednesday at the base exchange.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, PresidentLyndon B. Johnson authorized National HispanicHeritage Week in 1968. President Ronald Reaganextended the week-long observance to NationalHispanic Heritage Observance Month, which lastsfrom Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

The dates of the observance correspond to severalsignificant events. First, Sept. 15 is the anniversaryof independence for five Latin American countries:Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras andNicaragua. Mexico declared independence Sept. 16and Chile Sept. 18.

Capt. Amanda Turcotte, NHHOM committee chair-person, said learning about our fellow Americans

helps lead the way to a better future.“As members and leaders in the Air Force and local

communities, it is always important to take the timeto educate ourselves regarding the culture of the indi-viduals we live and work with everyday,” she said.

Randolph will celebrate NHHOM through severalevents, which include a Latin social, food samplingand recipe sharing, a fun run, children’s events, a

Latin performance and a final luncheon.For more information regarding NHHOM and special

events, contact Capt. Amanda Turcotte at 565-9232.List of Events:Today – Latin Social 3-6 p.m. @ the Kendrick Club Sept. 21 – Hispanic Heritage Food Sampling 11 a.m. @the Chapel Annex Sept. 23 – 5K Fun Run 7 a.m. @ the Rambler FitnessCenterSept. 23 – Latin Recipe Sharing 4-5 p.m. @ theRandolph Library Sept. 28 – Fiesta Luncheon 11 a.m. @ the Airman’sDining Facility Oct. 1 – Dora Children’s Event 8:45-10 a.m. @ the Childand Development CenterOct. 6 – Latin Performance, 4-5 p.m. @ the RandolphLibraryOct. 7 – JBSA HHOM Luncheon 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. @ theKendrick Club

Randolph celebrates Hispanic culture with events“As members and leaders in the Air Force

and local communities, it is always importantto take the time to educate ourselves

regarding the culture of the individuals welive and work with everyday.”

Capt. Amanda Turcotte

PAGE 5WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 4 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

NEWS

By Robert Goetz502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Base and post exchanges and com-missaries have reached institutionalstatus, serving the shopping needs ofactive-duty personnel and retired ser-vicemembers on military installationsfor decades.

Another kind of retail facility on AirForce bases, Army posts and other fed-eral installations hasn’t been around aslong as the BX, PX or commissary, buthas proven to be a reliable, convenientone-stop shop for government purchasecardholders buying office and cleaningsupplies and other items as well as formilitary members seeking uniforms andgear for their deployments.

Known as base service centers, orBSCs, they occupy a special niche,providing employment for visuallyimpaired adults and selling a host ofproducts made by people who arelegally blind.

Randolph’s BSC, which is operated bythe San Antonio Lighthouse for theBlind, will observe a milestone, the 15thanniversary of the AbilityOne BaseSupply Center Program, with a celebra-tion at 9 a.m. today featuring Col. ScottPeel, 902nd Mission Support Group com-mander, and some of its key customers.

One of its most striking achievementsis its recent record getting Randolph’sAirmen ready for deployment.

“They do a great job,” Jim Grobe,902nd Logistics Readiness Squadrondeputy director, said of the BSC’sworkforce. “They supply all the uni-forms for deploying members, and in

the last two years there have been noAEF discrepancies.”

BSC manager Al Dixon credits thefacility’s personnel for its success,whether they’re consistently meetingAerospace Expeditionary Force require-ments or providing a high level of cus-tomer service. He pointed to JohnWoolridge and Willie Wilson, the BSC’scashiers, as evidence of the facility’s

commitment to serving its customers.Both of them are visually impaired,which is consistent with BSC policy.

“The cashier position is set aside forthe visually impaired,” Mr. Dixon said.“We provide them with all the aidsthey need to do their job.”

He said customers feel comfortablewith both cashiers.

“We have a good fit here, personali-ty-wise,” Mr. Dixon said. “Our cus-tomers look for John or Willie becauseof the bond they have.”

Mr. Woolridge, an employee for threeyears, said it’s natural that he enjoysworking with military personnel.

“I’m a veteran, and I want to besupportive in any way I can,” he saidbefore adding a dose of practicality.“It also helps me pay my bills.”

Mr. Wilson has only been at theRandolph BSC for four months, but healready feels at home.

“I love working here,” he said. “Ilike the people.”

The BSC’s assistant manager, RebeccaMartinez, said she enjoys assisting mili-tary customers and working with mem-bers of the visually impaired communitywhile another employee, Sharon Nobles,commends people at the corporate leveland store managers for promoting teamand family values.

BSCs started filling the void left bythe closure of supply stores more thana decade ago. The AbilityOne Program,the largest single provider of jobs forpeople who are blind or have othersevere disabilities in the United States,is a coordinated effort on behalf of theCommittee for Purchase From People

Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled,which oversees the program, NationalIndustries for the Blind and NationalIndustries for the SeverelyHandicapped-Creating EmploymentOpportunities for People with SevereDisabilities.

The San Antonio Lighthouse for theBlind, one of AbilityOne’s 600 nonprofitagencies, operates 13 stores on 11 mili-tary installations in Texas, Oklahomaand New Mexico. More than 75 yearsold, the Lighthouse provides rehabilita-tion services and employment throughits light manufacturing plant, which pro-duces items ranging from writing instru-ments to chin straps and aerospaceinsulation blankets, and BSCs. Mr.Dixon said when the government buysSkilcraft products, which are manufac-tured at the Lighthouse, BSCs canemploy more people who are blind orseverely disabled.

In addition to the purchases they canmake at the Randolph BSC, which islocated in Bldg. 90, 675 Fourth St. West,customers can order by phone using theLighthouse’s 1,600-page office productscatalog, which features myriad productsfrom furniture to shredders, or online athttp://stores.salighthouse.org.

Though in-store traffic is confined togovernment purchase cardholders, any-one can purchase items online.

Mr. Dixon, who said his attitude “setsthe tone for the store,” said the storestrives for a balance each day.

“We have to be profitable,” he said.“For us to stay in business, we have todo things right, but we can still havefun on the job.”

Supply store observes 15th anniversary of BSC program

Photo by David TerryA special monocular attached to his glassesallows John Woolridge to work as a cashierat Randolph Base Service Center.

New commander

Gen. Stephen Lorenz (left),Air Education and TrainingCommand commander,presents the recruitingcommand flag to the newcommander of Air ForceRecruiting Service, Brig.Gen. Balan Ayyar, during aceremony Sept. 7. GeneralAyyar is a graduate of theU.S. Air Force Academy.Photo by David Terry

National POW/MIA Recognition DaySept. 17, 2010

By Jon HansonAir Force Personnel Center Public Affairs

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.Norton Schwartz announced achange to the air and spaceexpeditionary force rotationalbaseline from 120 to 179 daysfor the active component.

He said the revised constructwill increase predictability andstability for affected Airmenand their families, while provid-ing better support to combatantcommanders by increasing con-tinuity at deployed locations.

“In the two years the tempoband construct has been inexistence, the number ofAirmen deploying for 120days has steadily decreased,”General Schwartz said. “SinceAirmen in tempo band ‘A’ areexpected to deploy for 120days but were frequentlytasked for 179-day deploy-ments, I saw no reason tomaintain a 120-day baseline.”

Previously, the Air Force usedfive tempo bands, ranging from“A” through “E.” With thechange, the Air Force will movetempo band “A” unit typecodes and associated personnelto tempo band “B.”

Incorporating a 1-to-4

deploy-to-dwell time, thechange results in six months ofdeployed time for Airmen and24 months at home.

Revising the baseline alsoprovides a single battlerhythm for all Airmen,regardless of functional area.

The difference between theremaining tempo bands is thedeploy-to-dwell time, rangingfrom 1-to-4 to 1-to-1.

Because of the complexityof changing the baseline, offi-cials said it will take untilOctober 2012 before alldeployments are six months.

Expeditionary combat sup-port Airmen will begin the tran-sition in January 2011, with afive-month deployment.

Remaining deployment vul-nerability periods will varybetween five and six months.

Combat Air Force unitstransition to the new base-line beginning this month.They previously were in an“enabler” category at a 1-to-3 deploy-to-dwell t ime.Those units wil l move totempo band “C,” remainingat a 1-to-3 deploy-to-dwellt ime, but wil l see anincrease from 12 to 18months at home station

between deployments.“Ultimately, this is good for

the Air Force mission, ourAirmen and their families,”said Col. James Horton, thedirector of AEF and person-nel operations at the AirForce Personnel Center.“While the deployment timeis longer, it also means thedowntime is longer.

“This change is meant toreflect a more realistic andconsistent deployment out-look,” he said. “By bettermanaging our wartime oper-ations tempo means we canprovide our Airmen andtheir families the greatestlevel of stability and pre-dictability.”

For more information, visitthe AFPC personnel servicesWeb site at gum.afpc.ran-dolph.af.mil, and search key-word “deployments,” or callthe Total Force Service Centerat 800-525-0102.

Air Force officials increase deployment times

By Brian McGloin502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Remnants of a former skeet and trap range on thesoutheast edge of Randolph haunt the current occu-pant of the space: the 10th fairway of the RandolphOaks Golf Course.

During an initial assessment conducted by contrac-tors under the installation restoration program in2007, small fragments of clay targets were discoveredaround what is now the 10th fairway. Clay targets andshot can include toxic materials such as polynucleararomatic hydrocarbons and lead, said Katy Breyer,902nd Civil Engineer Squadron.

She said historic records showed the potential forcontamination at the site. Military lands historicallyassociated with weapon system testing and trainingmay contain discarded military munitions and muni-tions constituents.

PAHs occur in oil, coal and tar deposits and are pro-duced as byproducts of fuel burning (whether fossil fuelor biomass). As a pollutant, they are of concernbecause some compounds have been identified as car-cinogenic and toxic, the International Society forPolycyclic Aromatic Compounds reports.

IRP is a congressionally authorized Department ofDefense program started in 1984 to address past dis-posal sites on military installations in the United States.

Within the IRP, there are former military munitionssites that are covered by the military munitionsresponse program, which was developed to addressmunitions and chemical residue response actions frompast practices (other than operational range locations).

Ms. Breyer said through the IRP, both former andcurrent DoD hazardous substance releases are identi-fied, investigated and cleaned up.

Ms. Breyer said in December 2008, soil sampleswere collected at the 10th fairway as part of aremedial investigation where more than 228 loca-tions were sampled. As a result of that investiga-tion, levels of PAHs and lead above what is con-sidered safe were discovered.

Other military installations in the San Antonioarea have their own efforts to remove toxic materi-als from the ground.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports,because of past waste management practices at whatwas Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, some areas of thebase were suspected to be impacted by various haz-ardous substances, including metals, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

An area of Kelly, which is now part of Lackland AirForce Base, underwent a remediation where toxicmaterials were removed from what is now the OutdoorRecreation Center. Excavation and restoration wererecently completed.

The 17-acre site in question on Randolph wasused as a skeet range from 1952 until 1960. Ms.Breyer said the site may be temporarily closed forthe safety of the golfers and to complete the proj-ect as quickly as possible.

The excavation to remove toxic material isscheduled to begin in December 2010 or January2011, with the work completed and fairwayrestored by March 1, 2011.

Excavation may temporarily close 10th fairway

Photo by Brian McGloinThe 10th fairway at the Randolph Oaks Golf course is sched-uled for excavation to remove potentially harmful materials.

PAGE 5WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 4 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

NEWS

By Robert Goetz502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Base and post exchanges and com-missaries have reached institutionalstatus, serving the shopping needs ofactive-duty personnel and retired ser-vicemembers on military installationsfor decades.

Another kind of retail facility on AirForce bases, Army posts and other fed-eral installations hasn’t been around aslong as the BX, PX or commissary, buthas proven to be a reliable, convenientone-stop shop for government purchasecardholders buying office and cleaningsupplies and other items as well as formilitary members seeking uniforms andgear for their deployments.

Known as base service centers, orBSCs, they occupy a special niche,providing employment for visuallyimpaired adults and selling a host ofproducts made by people who arelegally blind.

Randolph’s BSC, which is operated bythe San Antonio Lighthouse for theBlind, will observe a milestone, the 15thanniversary of the AbilityOne BaseSupply Center Program, with a celebra-tion at 9 a.m. today featuring Col. ScottPeel, 902nd Mission Support Group com-mander, and some of its key customers.

One of its most striking achievementsis its recent record getting Randolph’sAirmen ready for deployment.

“They do a great job,” Jim Grobe,902nd Logistics Readiness Squadrondeputy director, said of the BSC’sworkforce. “They supply all the uni-forms for deploying members, and in

the last two years there have been noAEF discrepancies.”

BSC manager Al Dixon credits thefacility’s personnel for its success,whether they’re consistently meetingAerospace Expeditionary Force require-ments or providing a high level of cus-tomer service. He pointed to JohnWoolridge and Willie Wilson, the BSC’scashiers, as evidence of the facility’s

commitment to serving its customers.Both of them are visually impaired,which is consistent with BSC policy.

“The cashier position is set aside forthe visually impaired,” Mr. Dixon said.“We provide them with all the aidsthey need to do their job.”

He said customers feel comfortablewith both cashiers.

“We have a good fit here, personali-ty-wise,” Mr. Dixon said. “Our cus-tomers look for John or Willie becauseof the bond they have.”

Mr. Woolridge, an employee for threeyears, said it’s natural that he enjoysworking with military personnel.

“I’m a veteran, and I want to besupportive in any way I can,” he saidbefore adding a dose of practicality.“It also helps me pay my bills.”

Mr. Wilson has only been at theRandolph BSC for four months, but healready feels at home.

“I love working here,” he said. “Ilike the people.”

The BSC’s assistant manager, RebeccaMartinez, said she enjoys assisting mili-tary customers and working with mem-bers of the visually impaired communitywhile another employee, Sharon Nobles,commends people at the corporate leveland store managers for promoting teamand family values.

BSCs started filling the void left bythe closure of supply stores more thana decade ago. The AbilityOne Program,the largest single provider of jobs forpeople who are blind or have othersevere disabilities in the United States,is a coordinated effort on behalf of theCommittee for Purchase From People

Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled,which oversees the program, NationalIndustries for the Blind and NationalIndustries for the SeverelyHandicapped-Creating EmploymentOpportunities for People with SevereDisabilities.

The San Antonio Lighthouse for theBlind, one of AbilityOne’s 600 nonprofitagencies, operates 13 stores on 11 mili-tary installations in Texas, Oklahomaand New Mexico. More than 75 yearsold, the Lighthouse provides rehabilita-tion services and employment throughits light manufacturing plant, which pro-duces items ranging from writing instru-ments to chin straps and aerospaceinsulation blankets, and BSCs. Mr.Dixon said when the government buysSkilcraft products, which are manufac-tured at the Lighthouse, BSCs canemploy more people who are blind orseverely disabled.

In addition to the purchases they canmake at the Randolph BSC, which islocated in Bldg. 90, 675 Fourth St. West,customers can order by phone using theLighthouse’s 1,600-page office productscatalog, which features myriad productsfrom furniture to shredders, or online athttp://stores.salighthouse.org.

Though in-store traffic is confined togovernment purchase cardholders, any-one can purchase items online.

Mr. Dixon, who said his attitude “setsthe tone for the store,” said the storestrives for a balance each day.

“We have to be profitable,” he said.“For us to stay in business, we have todo things right, but we can still havefun on the job.”

Supply store observes 15th anniversary of BSC program

Photo by David TerryA special monocular attached to his glassesallows John Woolridge to work as a cashierat Randolph Base Service Center.

New commander

Gen. Stephen Lorenz (left),Air Education and TrainingCommand commander,presents the recruitingcommand flag to the newcommander of Air ForceRecruiting Service, Brig.Gen. Balan Ayyar, during aceremony Sept. 7. GeneralAyyar is a graduate of theU.S. Air Force Academy.Photo by David Terry

National POW/MIA Recognition DaySept. 17, 2010

By Jon HansonAir Force Personnel Center Public Affairs

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.Norton Schwartz announced achange to the air and spaceexpeditionary force rotationalbaseline from 120 to 179 daysfor the active component.

He said the revised constructwill increase predictability andstability for affected Airmenand their families, while provid-ing better support to combatantcommanders by increasing con-tinuity at deployed locations.

“In the two years the tempoband construct has been inexistence, the number ofAirmen deploying for 120days has steadily decreased,”General Schwartz said. “SinceAirmen in tempo band ‘A’ areexpected to deploy for 120days but were frequentlytasked for 179-day deploy-ments, I saw no reason tomaintain a 120-day baseline.”

Previously, the Air Force usedfive tempo bands, ranging from“A” through “E.” With thechange, the Air Force will movetempo band “A” unit typecodes and associated personnelto tempo band “B.”

Incorporating a 1-to-4

deploy-to-dwell time, thechange results in six months ofdeployed time for Airmen and24 months at home.

Revising the baseline alsoprovides a single battlerhythm for all Airmen,regardless of functional area.

The difference between theremaining tempo bands is thedeploy-to-dwell time, rangingfrom 1-to-4 to 1-to-1.

Because of the complexityof changing the baseline, offi-cials said it will take untilOctober 2012 before alldeployments are six months.

Expeditionary combat sup-port Airmen will begin the tran-sition in January 2011, with afive-month deployment.

Remaining deployment vul-nerability periods will varybetween five and six months.

Combat Air Force unitstransition to the new base-line beginning this month.They previously were in an“enabler” category at a 1-to-3 deploy-to-dwell t ime.Those units wil l move totempo band “C,” remainingat a 1-to-3 deploy-to-dwellt ime, but wil l see anincrease from 12 to 18months at home station

between deployments.“Ultimately, this is good for

the Air Force mission, ourAirmen and their families,”said Col. James Horton, thedirector of AEF and person-nel operations at the AirForce Personnel Center.“While the deployment timeis longer, it also means thedowntime is longer.

“This change is meant toreflect a more realistic andconsistent deployment out-look,” he said. “By bettermanaging our wartime oper-ations tempo means we canprovide our Airmen andtheir families the greatestlevel of stability and pre-dictability.”

For more information, visitthe AFPC personnel servicesWeb site at gum.afpc.ran-dolph.af.mil, and search key-word “deployments,” or callthe Total Force Service Centerat 800-525-0102.

Air Force officials increase deployment times

By Brian McGloin502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Remnants of a former skeet and trap range on thesoutheast edge of Randolph haunt the current occu-pant of the space: the 10th fairway of the RandolphOaks Golf Course.

During an initial assessment conducted by contrac-tors under the installation restoration program in2007, small fragments of clay targets were discoveredaround what is now the 10th fairway. Clay targets andshot can include toxic materials such as polynucleararomatic hydrocarbons and lead, said Katy Breyer,902nd Civil Engineer Squadron.

She said historic records showed the potential forcontamination at the site. Military lands historicallyassociated with weapon system testing and trainingmay contain discarded military munitions and muni-tions constituents.

PAHs occur in oil, coal and tar deposits and are pro-duced as byproducts of fuel burning (whether fossil fuelor biomass). As a pollutant, they are of concernbecause some compounds have been identified as car-cinogenic and toxic, the International Society forPolycyclic Aromatic Compounds reports.

IRP is a congressionally authorized Department ofDefense program started in 1984 to address past dis-posal sites on military installations in the United States.

Within the IRP, there are former military munitionssites that are covered by the military munitionsresponse program, which was developed to addressmunitions and chemical residue response actions frompast practices (other than operational range locations).

Ms. Breyer said through the IRP, both former andcurrent DoD hazardous substance releases are identi-fied, investigated and cleaned up.

Ms. Breyer said in December 2008, soil sampleswere collected at the 10th fairway as part of aremedial investigation where more than 228 loca-tions were sampled. As a result of that investiga-tion, levels of PAHs and lead above what is con-sidered safe were discovered.

Other military installations in the San Antonioarea have their own efforts to remove toxic materi-als from the ground.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports,because of past waste management practices at whatwas Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, some areas of thebase were suspected to be impacted by various haz-ardous substances, including metals, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

An area of Kelly, which is now part of Lackland AirForce Base, underwent a remediation where toxicmaterials were removed from what is now the OutdoorRecreation Center. Excavation and restoration wererecently completed.

The 17-acre site in question on Randolph wasused as a skeet range from 1952 until 1960. Ms.Breyer said the site may be temporarily closed forthe safety of the golfers and to complete the proj-ect as quickly as possible.

The excavation to remove toxic material isscheduled to begin in December 2010 or January2011, with the work completed and fairwayrestored by March 1, 2011.

Excavation may temporarily close 10th fairway

Photo by Brian McGloinThe 10th fairway at the Randolph Oaks Golf course is sched-uled for excavation to remove potentially harmful materials.

PAGE 7WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 6 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

By Robert Goetz502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Most of the cleanup effort at Randolph is completeafter the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine cut awide swath of destruction from Texas to Oklahomalast week.

Like many areas in the storm’s path, Randolphsuffered substantial wind damage, with severaltrees blown down and numerous limbs scatteredthroughout the base, while nearly 8 inches of raintaxed the drainage system. At least one vehicle wasdamaged by a fallen tree.

“All of the rain was more than our system couldhandle, resulting in a couple of items,” said ZakaryPayne, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron project man-agement chief. “Some facilities required sand bagsaround the doors to prevent flooding.”

Limbs and leaves that were caught in stormdrain inlets compounded the problem, resulting in“inefficiencies due to decreased drainage areas,”Mr. Payne said.

“As a result, a lot of these inlets drained slowerthan normal and were backing up,” he said. “Ourshops were out following the rain event, cleaningthese inlets to improve flow.”

The storm caused power outages at a few housesand at Bldgs. 902 and 907 in the Headquarters AirEducation and Training Command complex, Mr.Payne said.

“This happened during the rain event and requiredour shops to work in the storm to replace a high-volt-age switch,” he said. “Power was restored withinthree hours of the outage.”

Mr. Payne called site management “a big issue.”“Contractors spent most of the next days following

the storm replacing fences that were knocked overand reinstalling erosion-control devices as needed,”he said. “Replacing fencing is the primary itemremaining and it is ongoing.”

Mr. Payne also said eight roof leaks and two base-ment leaks were reported following the storm.

The storm shut down the base’s flying training mis-sion Sept. 7, said Alvin Hill, 12th Operations SupportSquadron Weather Operations Flight chief.

“However, some transient aircraft arrived anddeparted after the storm moved out of the area,” hesaid. “Training missions resumed the following day.”

Mr. King said Randolph recorded 7.72 inches of raindue to Tropical Storm Hermine, including 6.58 inchesSept. 7. Sustained winds in the San Antonio area wereestimated at more than 40 miles per hour with gustsclose to 60 mph.

He said the last comparable event was TropicalStorm Erin in August 2007, which also drenched theSan Antonio area with more than 7 inches of rain.

Randolph nearly back to normal afterenduring Tropical Storm Hermine’s wrath

Photo by David TerryA high wind gust from Tropical Storm Hermine blew this tree onto a pickup truck at Randolph Sept. 7.

Photo by Steve ThurowPerry Fulks, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron, removesconnectors on a high-voltage switch that was floodedduring Tropical Storm Hermine.

Photo by Steve ThurowAndy Montemayor, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron, repairs abroken water pipe caused by shifting ground.

By Airman 1st Class Precious Yett502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Collecting is a great hobby that is unique foreveryone.

At Randolph, Jeri Peterson, 902nd ForceSupport Squadron, is the youth program directorand an M&M collector extraordinaire.

Ms. Peterson started collecting M&M candydispensers and memorabilia in 1991. Her collec-tion began with a red M&M candy dispenser. In1992 she acquired a green one. They were someof the first dispensers the production companyever sold; she found them at a local flea marketand antiques shop in San Antonio.

Ms. Peterson collects because she likes toysand games and has always liked the M&M char-acters, she said.

She used to work at the Keesler Air ForceBase, Miss., Youth Program and boughtMcDonald’s Happy Meals for the toys to decorateher desk. One Christmas holiday about 13 yearsago, for their staff gift swap, a fellow staff mem-ber got her an M&M recliner candy dispenser.

“I would say I have close to 300 various M&M items– Christmas tree ornaments, candy bowls, T-shirts,sweatshirts, socks, coffee mugs, candy dispensers,snow globes, telephones, shower radio, stuffed M&Mcharacters, tins and cars,” Ms. Peterson said.

The majority of her collection stems from gifts fromfamily, co-workers and friends. Once she bought thefirst one and had it on her desk, the M&M collectingsnowballed. She would get M&M items as Christmasgifts (which is usually the time M&M releases a newcandy dispenser) and over the years she received thecandy themed memorabilia for various holidays suchas Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween or Christmas, Ms.Peterson said.

With more than 300 pieces, Ms. Peterson is not ableto display all of them in her office. At home she hasshelving units displaying her breakable items. Shestores the holiday-themed items in a closet so she canpull them out during the correct season.

“I wouldn’t have any place to work, plus I wouldnever get the kids from our school age program out ofmy office,” Ms. Peterson said.

Nathan Torres, age 5, likes to go in and push all themusical memorabilia so he can dance to the soundsand make the office noisy. He also likes to rearrangethe items on the shelves.

In order to take care of her treasures Ms Peterson

wipes them down monthly. If she has duplicate candydispensers she donates them to the Force SupportSquadron booster club fundraisers. She pared downher collection over the past few years, focusing on thecandy dispensers.

However, if something has the M&M logo on it sheusually stops to take a look and wonder if she needsthe item for her collection. She said she bought lipbalm just because it has the M&M logo on it.

“The biggest tip I’ve learned over the years is to notkeep candy on display in the dispensers. If I keep candyin them in my office, I have a room full of kids eatingmy M&Ms and I don’t know how old the candy is.Sometimes I’ll keep a candy dish near my desk andkeep it filled with snack size M&Ms, but have found itempty within a few days,” Ms. Peterson said.

David Aldridge, age 8, says his favorite M&M dis-penser is the fortune teller.

“I like to ask it different questions to find out whatthe M&M fortune teller is going to answer when I popthe fortune bubble,” said David.

Ms. Peterson has several memorabilia of more thansentimental value in her collection.

She has four M&M Christmas-themed statues andthree M&M’s Holiday Express train sets from theBradford Exchange her mother in Mississippi gave heras Christmas gifts. Each item runs about $100-150 andthey are not only valuable monetarily, but mean a lot toher, Ms. Peterson said.

“They make Christmas pretty special when I setthem up here in San Antonio,” Ms. Peterson said.

However, she said the most expensive pieces in hercollection are not necessarily the ones nearest to herheart The dispenser that claims that title was given to

her by a friend, Cindy Berg, youth director fromMalmstrom AFB, Mont. Ms. Berg got it for her directlyfrom the Smithsonian Aviation Museum in Washington,D.C., when she was at an Air Force Youth of the Yearevent.

“Working for the Air Force, plus the friendship itreminds me of, makes this one very close to my heart,”Ms. Peterson said.

Ms. Peterson also has a couple of car-themed candydispensers that hold a special fondness for her as well.She received a truck candy dispenser from the staff atKeesler Youth Programs when she was transferred toRandolph in 2006.

“I lovingly named it my M&M Texas Truck. I alsofound an M&M military Jeep last Christmas that Ibought for myself. It makes engine noises when youpush a button on it,” Ms. Peterson said.

Ms. Peterson has even been to both of the M&MWorld Store locations, one in Orlando, Fla., and theother in Las Vegas. She has been to the Las Vegas storeapproximately six times in the last 10 years.

“The store is four stories tall with everything youcould think of with an M&Ms logo on it,” Ms. Petersonsaid. “They have candy dispensers, clothing, orna-ments, notepads, key chains, M&M games, the list justgoes on. I was in heaven the first time I went.”

Ms. Peterson is not much of a candy eater. Althoughshe said she is partial to plain M&Ms. She has triedseveral different flavors including peanut butter,caramel, orange, cherry, mint and coconut.

Ms. Peterson said the blue M&M character isher favorite, which might be because blue is herfavorite color.

“Everyone knows Blue is cool ”

Blue is Cool:FEATURE

Photo by Rich McFaddenJeri Peterson, Randolph Youth Center, shows off the M&M biplane she aquired at the Smithsonian Institute.

Youth director has‘sweet’ collection

PAGE 7WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 6 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

By Robert Goetz502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Most of the cleanup effort at Randolph is completeafter the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine cut awide swath of destruction from Texas to Oklahomalast week.

Like many areas in the storm’s path, Randolphsuffered substantial wind damage, with severaltrees blown down and numerous limbs scatteredthroughout the base, while nearly 8 inches of raintaxed the drainage system. At least one vehicle wasdamaged by a fallen tree.

“All of the rain was more than our system couldhandle, resulting in a couple of items,” said ZakaryPayne, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron project man-agement chief. “Some facilities required sand bagsaround the doors to prevent flooding.”

Limbs and leaves that were caught in stormdrain inlets compounded the problem, resulting in“inefficiencies due to decreased drainage areas,”Mr. Payne said.

“As a result, a lot of these inlets drained slowerthan normal and were backing up,” he said. “Ourshops were out following the rain event, cleaningthese inlets to improve flow.”

The storm caused power outages at a few housesand at Bldgs. 902 and 907 in the Headquarters AirEducation and Training Command complex, Mr.Payne said.

“This happened during the rain event and requiredour shops to work in the storm to replace a high-volt-age switch,” he said. “Power was restored withinthree hours of the outage.”

Mr. Payne called site management “a big issue.”“Contractors spent most of the next days following

the storm replacing fences that were knocked overand reinstalling erosion-control devices as needed,”he said. “Replacing fencing is the primary itemremaining and it is ongoing.”

Mr. Payne also said eight roof leaks and two base-ment leaks were reported following the storm.

The storm shut down the base’s flying training mis-sion Sept. 7, said Alvin Hill, 12th Operations SupportSquadron Weather Operations Flight chief.

“However, some transient aircraft arrived anddeparted after the storm moved out of the area,” hesaid. “Training missions resumed the following day.”

Mr. King said Randolph recorded 7.72 inches of raindue to Tropical Storm Hermine, including 6.58 inchesSept. 7. Sustained winds in the San Antonio area wereestimated at more than 40 miles per hour with gustsclose to 60 mph.

He said the last comparable event was TropicalStorm Erin in August 2007, which also drenched theSan Antonio area with more than 7 inches of rain.

Randolph nearly back to normal afterenduring Tropical Storm Hermine’s wrath

Photo by David TerryA high wind gust from Tropical Storm Hermine blew this tree onto a pickup truck at Randolph Sept. 7.

Photo by Steve ThurowPerry Fulks, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron, removesconnectors on a high-voltage switch that was floodedduring Tropical Storm Hermine.

Photo by Steve ThurowAndy Montemayor, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron, repairs abroken water pipe caused by shifting ground.

By Airman 1st Class Precious Yett502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs

Collecting is a great hobby that is unique foreveryone.

At Randolph, Jeri Peterson, 902nd ForceSupport Squadron, is the youth program directorand an M&M collector extraordinaire.

Ms. Peterson started collecting M&M candydispensers and memorabilia in 1991. Her collec-tion began with a red M&M candy dispenser. In1992 she acquired a green one. They were someof the first dispensers the production companyever sold; she found them at a local flea marketand antiques shop in San Antonio.

Ms. Peterson collects because she likes toysand games and has always liked the M&M char-acters, she said.

She used to work at the Keesler Air ForceBase, Miss., Youth Program and boughtMcDonald’s Happy Meals for the toys to decorateher desk. One Christmas holiday about 13 yearsago, for their staff gift swap, a fellow staff mem-ber got her an M&M recliner candy dispenser.

“I would say I have close to 300 various M&M items– Christmas tree ornaments, candy bowls, T-shirts,sweatshirts, socks, coffee mugs, candy dispensers,snow globes, telephones, shower radio, stuffed M&Mcharacters, tins and cars,” Ms. Peterson said.

The majority of her collection stems from gifts fromfamily, co-workers and friends. Once she bought thefirst one and had it on her desk, the M&M collectingsnowballed. She would get M&M items as Christmasgifts (which is usually the time M&M releases a newcandy dispenser) and over the years she received thecandy themed memorabilia for various holidays suchas Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween or Christmas, Ms.Peterson said.

With more than 300 pieces, Ms. Peterson is not ableto display all of them in her office. At home she hasshelving units displaying her breakable items. Shestores the holiday-themed items in a closet so she canpull them out during the correct season.

“I wouldn’t have any place to work, plus I wouldnever get the kids from our school age program out ofmy office,” Ms. Peterson said.

Nathan Torres, age 5, likes to go in and push all themusical memorabilia so he can dance to the soundsand make the office noisy. He also likes to rearrangethe items on the shelves.

In order to take care of her treasures Ms Peterson

wipes them down monthly. If she has duplicate candydispensers she donates them to the Force SupportSquadron booster club fundraisers. She pared downher collection over the past few years, focusing on thecandy dispensers.

However, if something has the M&M logo on it sheusually stops to take a look and wonder if she needsthe item for her collection. She said she bought lipbalm just because it has the M&M logo on it.

“The biggest tip I’ve learned over the years is to notkeep candy on display in the dispensers. If I keep candyin them in my office, I have a room full of kids eatingmy M&Ms and I don’t know how old the candy is.Sometimes I’ll keep a candy dish near my desk andkeep it filled with snack size M&Ms, but have found itempty within a few days,” Ms. Peterson said.

David Aldridge, age 8, says his favorite M&M dis-penser is the fortune teller.

“I like to ask it different questions to find out whatthe M&M fortune teller is going to answer when I popthe fortune bubble,” said David.

Ms. Peterson has several memorabilia of more thansentimental value in her collection.

She has four M&M Christmas-themed statues andthree M&M’s Holiday Express train sets from theBradford Exchange her mother in Mississippi gave heras Christmas gifts. Each item runs about $100-150 andthey are not only valuable monetarily, but mean a lot toher, Ms. Peterson said.

“They make Christmas pretty special when I setthem up here in San Antonio,” Ms. Peterson said.

However, she said the most expensive pieces in hercollection are not necessarily the ones nearest to herheart The dispenser that claims that title was given to

her by a friend, Cindy Berg, youth director fromMalmstrom AFB, Mont. Ms. Berg got it for her directlyfrom the Smithsonian Aviation Museum in Washington,D.C., when she was at an Air Force Youth of the Yearevent.

“Working for the Air Force, plus the friendship itreminds me of, makes this one very close to my heart,”Ms. Peterson said.

Ms. Peterson also has a couple of car-themed candydispensers that hold a special fondness for her as well.She received a truck candy dispenser from the staff atKeesler Youth Programs when she was transferred toRandolph in 2006.

“I lovingly named it my M&M Texas Truck. I alsofound an M&M military Jeep last Christmas that Ibought for myself. It makes engine noises when youpush a button on it,” Ms. Peterson said.

Ms. Peterson has even been to both of the M&MWorld Store locations, one in Orlando, Fla., and theother in Las Vegas. She has been to the Las Vegas storeapproximately six times in the last 10 years.

“The store is four stories tall with everything youcould think of with an M&Ms logo on it,” Ms. Petersonsaid. “They have candy dispensers, clothing, orna-ments, notepads, key chains, M&M games, the list justgoes on. I was in heaven the first time I went.”

Ms. Peterson is not much of a candy eater. Althoughshe said she is partial to plain M&Ms. She has triedseveral different flavors including peanut butter,caramel, orange, cherry, mint and coconut.

Ms. Peterson said the blue M&M character isher favorite, which might be because blue is herfavorite color.

“Everyone knows Blue is cool ”

Blue is Cool:FEATURE

Photo by Rich McFaddenJeri Peterson, Randolph Youth Center, shows off the M&M biplane she aquired at the Smithsonian Institute.

Youth director has‘sweet’ collection

PAGE 9WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 8 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

902nd Force Support Squadron Briefs

SPORTS – HEALTH – FITNESS

Indoor BiathlonThe Randolph Air Force

Base community is invitedto participate in a 15-milerun and 30-mile bike rideat the Rambler FitnessCenter Monday throughFriday during normal hours.

Participants can pick upan indoor biathlon chal-lenge booklet from the fit-ness center staff.

As each event is com-pleted, a fitness teammember will initial thatitem. When the challenge iscompleted, booklets can beturned in to the fitness cen-ter. The first 50 participantsto complete both events willreceive a T-shirt.

For more information,call the fitness center at652-2955.

New twilight golf hoursThe Randolph Oaks Golf

Course has new Twilightand Super Twilight hourswith great prices. Call thegolf course at 652-4570 fordetails.

RoadrunnersVolksmarch Club

The RandolphRoadrunners VolksmarchClub is hosting a 5K and10K walk Saturday from7:30-11 a.m. at the SchertzChamber of Commerce. Fordetails, call 658-8324.

Rambler 120The fifth annual Rambler

120 Team Challenge takesplace Oct. 16 at RandolphRecreation Park at CanyonLake. The deadline to signup is Sept. 27. For details,e-mail stephen.knechtel@randolph.af.mil. or call652-6508.

SportsBRIEFS

By Brian McGloin 502nd Air Base Wing OL B Public Affairs

The Ro-Hawks met the Brooks Charter School Bengals Sept. 10,beating them three out of four sets to win the match.

“We didn’t have to go to five,” said Sylvia Kuwamura, the Ro-Hawkhead coach. Most matches are decided based on the best three out offive sets.

Friday’s win returned the Ro-Hawks to the rhythm of defeatingtheir rivals.

“I’m extremely proud of our great start of the season,” Ms.Kuwamura said. “But we still have a long season ahead of us. I needthe girls to see that we have to take it one game at a time. Of course,our goal is to make it to the playoffs, but they have to focus on thegame they are preparing for on the schedule first, get that victoryfirst, before they look to the future.”

The Ro-Hawks have a nearly undefeated season, losing a homegame Sept. 7 against the Blanco High School Panthers.

“One step at a time, one game at a time,” she said. “The girls haveworked hard and started their season with a few wins under theirbelt. The hardest part is beginning now.”

Belinda Gould, the mother of team member Rebekah Gould,said the team has seven returning players this season and a“couple of talented newcomers.” She added the team seems toplay well together.

“I believe every team is a challenge. We have a new alignment forvolleyball this year and every team is going to be challenge. We haveto work hard and prepare hard for every single match,” Ms.Kuwamura said. “There is no such thing as an easy team that we’regoing to go up against or an easy victory.”

“Storie Maurial was a standout player,” Ms. Kuwamura said afterFriday’s game. “She had a lot of nice hits, nice kills.”

“Some girls have new positions on the court and they are still get-ting used to their new spots, but as long as we come together as ateam, support each other, boost each other up especially when we’redown, then we can make it over the long haul, Ms. Kuwamura said.”

“What will it take for them to continue winning? It will take themwanting that victory more than the other team, and be willing tofight for it with all they’ve got,” she said.

They are scheduled to host the Robert G. Cole High School Cougarsin a district game Tuesday.

Ro-Hawks serve defeat to Bengals

Photos by Brian McGloinRo-Hawk player Jasmine Waring spikes the ball to opponents from BrooksCharter School Sept. 10. The Ro-Hawks beat the Bengals, 4-1

We are the champions

The Air Force PersonnelCenter’s intramural softballteam defeated the 902ndSecurity Forces team, 21-3, to take the champi-onship trophy. The finalgame of the series wasplayed Sept. 1. Courtesy photo

PAGE 9WINGSPREADSEPTEMBER 17, 2010WINGSPREADPAGE 8 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

902nd Force Support Squadron Briefs

SPORTS – HEALTH – FITNESS

Indoor BiathlonThe Randolph Air Force

Base community is invitedto participate in a 15-milerun and 30-mile bike rideat the Rambler FitnessCenter Monday throughFriday during normal hours.

Participants can pick upan indoor biathlon chal-lenge booklet from the fit-ness center staff.

As each event is com-pleted, a fitness teammember will initial thatitem. When the challenge iscompleted, booklets can beturned in to the fitness cen-ter. The first 50 participantsto complete both events willreceive a T-shirt.

For more information,call the fitness center at652-2955.

New twilight golf hoursThe Randolph Oaks Golf

Course has new Twilightand Super Twilight hourswith great prices. Call thegolf course at 652-4570 fordetails.

RoadrunnersVolksmarch Club

The RandolphRoadrunners VolksmarchClub is hosting a 5K and10K walk Saturday from7:30-11 a.m. at the SchertzChamber of Commerce. Fordetails, call 658-8324.

Rambler 120The fifth annual Rambler

120 Team Challenge takesplace Oct. 16 at RandolphRecreation Park at CanyonLake. The deadline to signup is Sept. 27. For details,e-mail stephen.knechtel@randolph.af.mil. or call652-6508.

SportsBRIEFS

By Brian McGloin 502nd Air Base Wing OL B Public Affairs

The Ro-Hawks met the Brooks Charter School Bengals Sept. 10,beating them three out of four sets to win the match.

“We didn’t have to go to five,” said Sylvia Kuwamura, the Ro-Hawkhead coach. Most matches are decided based on the best three out offive sets.

Friday’s win returned the Ro-Hawks to the rhythm of defeatingtheir rivals.

“I’m extremely proud of our great start of the season,” Ms.Kuwamura said. “But we still have a long season ahead of us. I needthe girls to see that we have to take it one game at a time. Of course,our goal is to make it to the playoffs, but they have to focus on thegame they are preparing for on the schedule first, get that victoryfirst, before they look to the future.”

The Ro-Hawks have a nearly undefeated season, losing a homegame Sept. 7 against the Blanco High School Panthers.

“One step at a time, one game at a time,” she said. “The girls haveworked hard and started their season with a few wins under theirbelt. The hardest part is beginning now.”

Belinda Gould, the mother of team member Rebekah Gould,said the team has seven returning players this season and a“couple of talented newcomers.” She added the team seems toplay well together.

“I believe every team is a challenge. We have a new alignment forvolleyball this year and every team is going to be challenge. We haveto work hard and prepare hard for every single match,” Ms.Kuwamura said. “There is no such thing as an easy team that we’regoing to go up against or an easy victory.”

“Storie Maurial was a standout player,” Ms. Kuwamura said afterFriday’s game. “She had a lot of nice hits, nice kills.”

“Some girls have new positions on the court and they are still get-ting used to their new spots, but as long as we come together as ateam, support each other, boost each other up especially when we’redown, then we can make it over the long haul, Ms. Kuwamura said.”

“What will it take for them to continue winning? It will take themwanting that victory more than the other team, and be willing tofight for it with all they’ve got,” she said.

They are scheduled to host the Robert G. Cole High School Cougarsin a district game Tuesday.

Ro-Hawks serve defeat to Bengals

Photos by Brian McGloinRo-Hawk player Jasmine Waring spikes the ball to opponents from BrooksCharter School Sept. 10. The Ro-Hawks beat the Bengals, 4-1

We are the champions

The Air Force PersonnelCenter’s intramural softballteam defeated the 902ndSecurity Forces team, 21-3, to take the champi-onship trophy. The finalgame of the series wasplayed Sept. 1. Courtesy photo

WINGSPREADPAGE 10 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

RetirementCongratulations to Master Sgt. Jeffrey Bellitt, Air

Education and Training Command, on his retirement.

MOAA OktoberfestThe Military Officers’ Association of America Oktoberfest

takes place Monday at 5:30 p.m at Eberle Park. There willbe a German-style picnic and band. German attire is highlyencouraged. The cost is $20 per person.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Cheryl Smith atthe MOAA office at 228-9955.

Barbers NeededThe 902nd Force Support Squadron needs barbers for the

barber shop located in the Kendrick Club. Barber chairs,mirrors and a TV must be supplied by the barbers. There isa $760 monthly flat rate for the space, which includes utili-ties, phone and cable.

For details, call Julie 652-2740.

Active shooter briefingsThe next active shooter briefings take place Oct. 6 at

10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the base theater.

CorrectionIn the Sept. 10 issue of the Wingspread on page 4, Gen.

Stephen Lorenz was incorrectly referred to as major general.The Wingspread staff apologizes for the error.

Air Heritage SymposiumThe Air Heritage Symposium is Sept. 21-22 at the Air

Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Forcebase, Ohio. Register online at www.afit.edu/symposium.

Bowling pro shop operator neededAn operator is needed for the Bowling Center Pro Shop

with the necessary knowledge to keep current on new bowl-ing technologies. For details, call 652-2740.

Base BRIEFS

“Dinner for Schmucks” (PG-13)Steve Carell, Paul Rudd

Today @ 7 p.m.

“The Other Guys” (PG-13)Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg

Saturday @ 6 p.m.

“Step Up 3D” (PG-13)Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani

Sunday @ 3 p.m.

NOW SHOWINGat the

Randolph Theater

$4.50 for adults$2.25 for children 11 and under