Vol. 41, No. 2 Thursday, January 10, 2013

Photo by Airman 1st Class David Tracy

Gen. Paul Selva, Air Mobility Command commander, listens to a question from Staff Sgt. Deondra Braden, 6th Medical Operations Squadron as-sistant NCO in charge of mental health, at MacDill Air Force Base, Jan. 7. While at MacDill, Selva held an “all call” to share his priorities for the command and give Airmen an opportunity to ask questions.

by Col. David Pavey927th Air Refueling Wing commander

It has been my distinct honor and privilege to serve with all of you, the MacDill Team. This is a unique base, no doubt, and I will always think of my time here as very special. All the roles played here by our mission partners are so essential for our nation’s defense and I’ve been awed every day by the sheer level of effort and production of all of them; thank you for your ser-vice.

I would like to extend a special thanks to our closest mission partner, the 6th Air Mobil-ity Wing. Under the steady leadership of Col. Scott DeThomas, the relationship between our two wings has flourished and the results of our combined Consolidated Unit Inspection bear that out. In my mind, the 927th ARW and 6th AMW have THE closest Total Force Integration initia-tive relationship in the Air Force, and as in any relationship, it requires constant effort. The 6th AMW makes that effort look easy; what a class

act. Thank you for your support and recognizing the ways the Air Force Reserve contributes to the collective base mission here at MacDill. You’ve all been so supportive.

Finally and most important, to the Airmen, NCOs and officers of the 927th Air Refueling Wing: You’ve created a culture of compliance that embraces the highest standards in the Air Force—you’ve proved here at MacDill that you can do it. I’ve always said that an “excellent” grade on an inspection looks easier than a “sat-isfactory;” the preparation you made a year ago and more was validated in our recent EXCEL-LENT CUI grade. Yours was the only excellent grade given by our command on such an inspec-tion. In the end though, it’s not about inspections. More important than those, you’ve provided one of the highest readiness and deployment rates in the Air Force Reserve. You’ve accomplished much and have provided the nation with some profound service. I salute you and your families!

Best wishes to you and your families for a prosperous, productive, and safe New Year.

COMMANDER’S CORNER

MacDill ThunderboltPublisher: Bill BarkerEditor: Nick Stubbs

The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by Sunbelt Newspa-pers, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an authorized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. military services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S.

government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or the 6th Air Mobility Wing.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, includ-ing inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, 6th Air Mobility Wing or Sunbelt Newspapers, Inc., of the products or service advertised.

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

Display advertising or classified advertising information

may be obtained by calling 259-7455. News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submitted

to the 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs office, 8208 Hangar Loop Dr., suite 14, MacDill AFB, FL 33621, or call the MacDill Thunderbolt staff at 828-2215. Email: thunder.bolt@us.af.mil.

Deadline for article submissions is noon, Thursdays to appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received after deadline may be considered for future use. All submissions are considered for publication based on news value and time-liness.

Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clarity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101.

COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE

The Action Line provides two-way communication between the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. A 24-hour recording service is provided so personnel may submit questions, concerns or com-ments. Call the Action Line at 828-INFO (4636) or email macdillwingcom-mander@us.af.mil.

Team MacDill has proven it has what it takes to achieve excellence

Master Sgt. Gail DelBianco, 6th Air Mobility Wing resiliency train-er, was paramount in training 40 percent of the 6th AMW populous. DelBianco attended a two-week instructor-level course at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst AFB, N.J. In addition to DelBianco’s normal

duties, she taught 20 eight-hour classes and more than 750 personnel base wide. When all of the normally scheduled classes were full, DelBi-anco dedicated 16 hours on a weekend to train 50 personnel. Addition-ally, DelBianco volunteered as a representative for AMIkids Tampa, providing less fortunate children the opportunity to present holiday gifts to loved ones.

6th Air Mobility Wing shout-outs

To view Col. Scott DeThomas’ re-marks on his vision for MacDill AFB, go to www.macdill.af.mil and then click on “Col. DeThomas’ priorities, mission, and expectations video” in the upper left corner.

Commander’s vision

Col. David Pavey

Your T-bolt Today

927th ARW News: page 8 927th ARW Honor Guard

NEWS/FEATURES

927th ARW News: page 10

927th ARW on the move

Community: page 17

Events, Chapel, more...

News/Features: page 4

MiCare is here

News/Features: page 6

Walk Your Buns Off coming

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To the Airmen of our great global mobility enterprise: thank you! We have asked a great deal from you and your families this year. Through it all you have been the model for operational excellence and allowed our Nation to accomplish some amazing things across the globe. You are, without a doubt, essential members of the world’s finest joint team and as your commander, I am extremely proud of you!

Bold, Innovative, Risk-Taking Airmen Although I don’t have a “crystal ball”, I have no doubt our capabilities will remain in high demand in 2013. At the same time, we will undoubtedly face new challenges in terms of resources, modernization and force structure as well as the usual array of manmade and natural crises to which we always stand ready to respond. I know we will be successful thanks to our greatest resource: bold, innovative, risk-taking Airmen. The great pioneers of our Air Force were exceptional men and women dedicated to making things better. Their bold, innovative, risk-taking culture is what made our Air Force great. That culture has no AFSC, and is not limited to any one component, it is Total Force. You are among the most battle-tested warriors in the history of our service. I am confident that you are the right Airmen to lead us to success, regardless of what the future holds. So I need you to lead! Our Mission I’ve been asked many times what I see as the mission of the 18th Air Force, as well as my vision of where we need to go. I’ve put a lot of thought into it and talked to numerous Airmen during my travels throughout our command, and for me, the answer is pretty simple: our mission is to lead our Air Force toward the solutions to our greatest challenges. Or, to put it in terms of a mission statement: “Airmen delivering innovative rapid global mobility solutions through operational expertise and capabilities. 18th Air Force -- America's rapid global mobility leaders!”

A 2013 message from Lt. Gen. Darren W. McDew Commentary

Opening for Airman Dorm Leader The 6th Air Mobility Wing is looking for

a sharp staff sergeant to fill the position of Airman Dorm Leader. This is a two-year con-trolled tour with an option for a one-year ex-tension. Applicants must possess the highest leadership and mentorship qualities; have a minimum of one year experience as a super-visor, a minimum Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery score of 47 in the General category, a current passing score for the Air Force Fitness Program, and not be on a duty limiting profile. The deadline to apply is Jan. 22, with an estimated start date of May 1. Applications should be submitted to the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron Unaccompanied Housing manager. For more information con-tact Chris LeCompte at 828-5962 or Richard Lee at 828-4674.

Commissary holiday hours The MacDill commissary will be open nor-

mal business hours on Jan. 21 for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Briefs

The following first-term Airmen have arrived at MacDill from tech-nical school. We are excited to have them at “America’s Best Air Mo-bility Wing” and wish them the best.

6th Aerospace Medicine Squadronu Airman 1st Class Noelle Defreitas, Lawrenceville, Ga.

6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadronu Airman 1st Class Marcus Davis, Odenton, Md.

6th Civil Engineer Squadron u Airman 1st Class James Giles, Knob Noster, Mo.u Airman 1st Class James Godsey, San Diego, Calif.

6th Comptroller Squadronu Airman 1st Class Jokeisha Sawyer, Miami, Fla.

6th Force Support Squadronu Airman 1st Class Kyle Hutchinson, Queens, N.Y.

6th Logistics Readiness Squadronu Airman 1st Class Caleb Cano, Magnolia, Texas u Airman Corey Franklin, Naples, Fla.u Airman 1st Class Robert Watts, Menifee, Calif.

6th Maintenance Squadronu Airman Bonham McIntosh, West Columbia, Texas u Airman 1st Class Braxton Ramos, Fremont, Calif.

6th Medical Support Squadronu Airman 1st Class Alexander Weistart, Peoria, Ill.

6th Security Forces Squadronu Airman 1st Class Ryan Davis, Woonsocket, R.I.u Airman 1st Class Jesse Drennon, Lee’s Summit, Mo.u Airman 1st Class Eric Good, Glen Ellyn, Ill.u Airman 1st Class Michael Hafke, High Bridge, N.J.u Airman 1st Class Ricky Honeycutt, Thomasville, N.C. u Airman 1st Class Adam Paquette, Cedar Falls, Iowa u Airman 1st Class Courtney Thomas, Laurinburg, N.C.u Airman 1st Class Nicholas Williamson, Laurinburg N.C.u Airman 1st Class Shane Ynclan, Melbourne, Fla.

Welcome FTAC grads

by Senior Airman Yarely Jerez6th Medical Group Family Health Clinic

In today’s technologically advanced world many would rather send an instant message in-stead of picking up the telephone.

There’s a secure medical program that allows you to better communicate with your healthcare provider teams at the MacDill and Brandon clin-ics. You will never have to listen to a recording, be placed on hold, or wait until the start of the next duty day to contact your healthcare team. How many times as a patient have you forgot-ten to share vital information with your health care provider or to ask important questions? Has there ever been a time after leaving your doctor’s office when you’ve realized that you had forgotten what the provider said?

The Department of Defense understands your needs as a patient and has recently sponsored MiCare—a secure website which can provide an ideal solution to these issues.

MiCare is medical attention at your fingertips. It allows you, the patient, to gain control and command of your health care needs by grant-ing a secure portal that allows you to combine your DoD medical information and your civilian

health records. You will also have the opportu-nity to manage and share that information with your primary care manager or with any provider that you choose, whether it is at a military or civilian facility.

For your protection and privacy all clinic staff, providers and patients are required to register and enter a distinctive username and password to access and use MiCare. In addition, only you and your health care team will have access to any information relayed on MiCare. This flexi-bility will allow you to limit access to designated practices and also ensure maximum confiden-tiality. In order to ensure compliance with the Health Information Portability and Accountabil-ity Act of 1996, MiCare will establish a secure connection with your browser to safeguard your personal identifiable information by encrypting or coding your data for transmission and stor-age.

With MiCare, patients and staff alike can ex-perience all the benefits of email in a HIPPA-protected manner. In addition to simple mes-saging, you can request and arrange medication refills, order laboratory studies, radiology re-quests and reports, medical tests, copies of im-munization records, and health maintenance

notifications. Additionally, you will have unlim-ited access to a large database of patient educa-tion materials. By enrolling in MiCare you could potentially save time and money by taking care of administrative health care needs online. The next time you fail to recall what your provider said or what your laboratory results were, your memory jogger will only be a few clicks away.

MiCare participation is limited to DoD bene-ficiaries to include active duty, their dependents, retirees and reservists. On your next visit to the MacDill Clinic, you may initiate enrollment with Laura Peterson at the Women’s Health/Im-munizations Clinic reception desk. At the Bran-don Clinic, you may check with the front desk reception area and any technician will be able to help you enroll. For your security, registra-tion requires a face-to-face visit so your personal identification and some basic demographics can be verified.

The 6th Medical Group is committed and ded-icated to providing patients with the best health care anywhere and will respond to all patient inquiries in a timely manner. Please note that urgent or emergent messages should not be com-municated via online secure messaging.

NEWS/FEATURESSecure healthcare messaging arrives at MacDill

927th ARW NEWSby Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes927th Air Refueling Wing

There’s an old saying: If you want a task completed, give it to a busy person. That say-ing proved true for the 927th Air Refueling Wing Honor Guard this year, when over the span of two weekends they completed 10 dif-ferent events, worked more than 50 hours, traveled over 450 miles, marched 1.6 miles in a parade and displayed the military bearing and professionalism they are known for more than 34,000 people in the Tampa community.

No one said being good at what you do would make life easier.

“The Honor Guard of the 927th Air Refu-eling Wing represented the Air Force and the country in a wide range of Veterans Day events throughout the week and weekend of Veterans Day,” said Capt. Brian Cleveland, a member of the 927th ARW Honor Guard. “It started by honoring veterans of a local church, followed by a honoring fallen veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan from Hillsborough county at the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, displaying the colors at a rally with 20,000 participants, marching in a parade honoring veterans, teaching local school children about service in the Air Force, and finishing with a veterans ceremony at a local VA home that honored the service and sacrifice of our local unsung he-roes.”

After travelling so frequently, many would

be exhausted. For members of the honor guard, the opposite is true - showing people what honor and dedication looks like fuels them.

A member of the team expressed his grate-

fulness for being part of the honor guard team.

“It is always an honor to receive requests to

Honor Guard Marathon: 927th Honor Guard goes above and beyond

Photo courtesy of Tech. Sgt. Scott Sendtko

Tech. Sgt. Scott Sendtko, left, and Staff Sgt. Robert MacEachern prepare to hand off a flag during a ceremony recently. Both are members of the 927th Air Refueling Wing’s Honor Guard, which over the span of two days worked more than 50 hours and travelled more than 450 miles as they performed at 10 events.

See HONOR GUARD, Page 18

Poto by Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes

Staff Sgt. Hector Gonzalez, a fire team leader with the 927th Security Forces Squadron here, prepares to lay down covering fire for his teammate behind him. Gonzalez and other members of the 927th SFS participated in a course of fire recently that taught them how to accurately engage targets while moving as a team and squad.

927th Air Refueling Wing on the move

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jennie Chamberlin

Senior Airman Mike Dunn, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, prepares to load a pallet of humanitarian cargo on a KC-135 at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C, Dec. 13. The cargo was transported by a team of Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base for an Air Force Reserve training mission.

Poto by Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes

Staff Sgt. Hector Gonzalez, a fire team leader with the 927th Security Forces Squadron here, prepares to lay down covering fire for his teammate behind him. Gonzalez and other members of the 927th SFS participated in a course of fire recently that taught them how to accurately engage targets while moving as a team and squad.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jennie Chamberlin

Maj. Christine Stanaback and Maj. Dean Rancourt, pilots with the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron, fly in a KC-135 during a flight over the Atlantic Ocean Dec. 16. They and a team of Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base flew an Air Force Reserve training mission with pallets of humanitarian cargo as part of the Denton Program, which allows military aircraft to transport aid supplies on a space-available basis.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes

The newest members of the 927th Air Refueling Wing Honor Guard began a ceremony Dec. 5, with the presentation of the colors. Six mem-bers of the 927th ARW graduated from the eight-day Air Force Basic Protocol, Honors and Ceremonies Course after learning to operate as a unit during official ceremonies.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jennie Chamberlin

Senior Airman Mike Dunn, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, prepares to load a pallet of humanitarian cargo on a KC-135 at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C, Dec. 13. The cargo was transported by a team of Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base for an Air Force Reserve training mission.

by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

WASHINGTON (AFNS) - Reserve-com-ponent service members have until Jan. 21 to nominate their employers for a 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, according to a Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve news release.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency, manages the program that recognizes employers who go be-yond what the law requires in supporting the National Guardsmen and reservists who work for them in their civilian lives.

The Freedom Award is the nation’s highest recognition for employers who support Guard and Reserve members, and employers of every size and industry are eligible to receive the honor.

Guard and Reserve members, or a family member acting on their behalf, may nominate their employers by visiting the website http://

www.FreedomAward.mil.“With today’s evolving missions of the reserve

component, as we adapt to the current national security policy, America’s employers continue to provide steadfast support to the more than 1 million men and women serving in the National Guard and Reserve at home and abroad,” said James Rebholz, ESGR’s national chairman. “The Freedom Award is your opportunity to honor your employer for their critical support.”

Any civilian employer who has not previously received the award is eligible, and service mem-bers who previously nominated their employers may do so again, officials said.

The Defense Department will recognize nominees, semi-finalists and finalists. The 2013 recipients will be announced in early summer and honored in Washington, D.C., during a cer-emony in the fall.

Past recipients have met with the president, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ESGR officials noted.

Deadline nears to nominate employers for recognitionNEWS/FEATURES

MACDILL COMMUNITYEVENTS

FridayBoomers Bar & Grill

Friday Bash! 3-7 p.m. Bar snacks and drink specials! Guar-anteed $100 club card drawing, Bar Bingo - $1,000 jackpot and DJ!

MacDill LanesClub Member Appreciation

from 6-8 p.m. All club members and their family members bowl FREE!

SaturdaySeascapes Beach House

Beach on Fire from 3-9 p.m. Sassy Saturdays – Live band, drink specials, complimentary hors d’oeuvres served at 3 p.m.

Pre-Teen Lock-In at The Youth Center

9 p.m. - 6 a.m. Pre-teen Lock-in is for youth ages 9-12 and will in-volve games, arts & crafts, the new Motion Fitness dance system, and refreshments during the event.

TuesdayAirman & Family Readiness Center (MacDill)

Bundles for babies from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Everything from diaper changing to handling crying, colic, and feeding.

WednesdayFREE Tops in Blue Show

In Hangar 3. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show at 7 p.m. No tickets necessary, open seating.

ThursdayAirman & Family Readiness Center (MacDill)

Secure Visa Credit Card from 12:30-1:30 p.m. An excellent tool to establish a credit history or im-prove a credit history. Provided by Armed Forces Bank.

Protestant servicesSunday - 11 a.m. - Contemporary ServiceSunday - 9:30 a.m. - FamCamp Service

Islamic servicesFriday - 1:30 p.m. - Muslim Prayer Service

Catholic servicesSaturday - 5:30 p.m. - Mass

Sunday - 9:30 a.m. - Mass

Call the chapel at 828-3621 for more information or visit the chapel web siteat http://www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel.

CHAPEL SCHEDULE

Photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes

The newest members of the 927th Air Refueling Wing Honor Guard perform a mock funeral detail during their graduation ceremony at MacDill, Dec. 5. The eight-day course taught the students how to correctly perform all the roles an honor guardsman plays, including funeral details. Six members of the 927th ARW graduated from the course and are now qualified to perform in official military ceremonies.

present the colors or fold the flag for an event. I enjoy seeing the faces on my new members when they see how important their job is and the impression they make on the individuals they perform for,” said Tech. Sgt. Scott Send-tko, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the 927th ARW Honor Guard. “It was an Honor to be part of these Veterans Day events and to see the appreciation that people have for the military.”

Emotions ran high as other members of the honor guard recounted their experiences over the two-week period.

“The veterans and civilians in attendance showed so much gratitude and appreciation that it overwhelmed my heart with joy,” said Master Sgt. Vanessa Maxfield, a member of the 927th Honor Guard. “While they were so appreciative of us, all I could think about is that I was so thankful of their sacrifices and honored to be in their presence. I am beyond grateful knowing that we make a difference by our presentations within the community and amongst the nation.”

Another member of the team expressed his thoughts this way:

“I was honored to celebrate that day with them for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the com-mon good,” said Staff Sgt. Robert MacEachern, a member of the 927th Honor Guard.

For many members of the 927th Honor Guard, their favorite event was the ceremony at the Baldomero Lopez Veteran’s Home Veter-ans Day Event. There, they were able to per-form for veterans who served in every Ameri-can conflict going back to World War II.

“Out of the ten ceremonies that we did over the Veterans Day weekend, the one that touched me the most was at the Baldomero Lo-pez Veteran’s Home,” said Sendtko. “To be part of their ceremony where they finally received their deserved medals for the wars they fought was a great honor.”

Another member of the team expressed his gratitude for being able to honor fellow ser-vicemembers.

“The detail at the Baldomero Lopez Veter-

an’s Nursing Home touched me the most, be-cause we got to see all the support from the community and perform for those who served long before us,” said Senior Airman Christian Johnson, a member of the 927th Honor Guard.

When asked what made the event at the vet-eran’s home so special, another member of the team said, “When I was doing the event, it was a humbling experience upon hearing about all the veterans’ being called out for their service during World War II or Vietnam, said Senior Airman Jonathon Cruz, a member of the 927th ARW Honor Guard.

“What we did on that day was not just ren-der proper respects for everyone else, but put another piece onto our history and help each individual (including ourselves) become a more defined person.”

“I am truly proud of our Airmen serving in the 927th ARW Honor Guard,” added Cleve-land. “Their selfless dedication and donation of time and energy have honored the heroes of our great past and inspired the future heroes of our country and community.”

HONOR GUARD From Page 8