Vol. 41, No. 28 Thursday, July 11, 2013

Critical Days of Summer, week 8: Grilling safety - page 3

Photo by Senior Airman Melissa Paradise

Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base and members from the Tampa Bay delayed enlistment program perform the underwater swim for a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Operations Command cross trainee event, June 28. Six components of the physical ability test must be completed to qualify for Air Force Special Tactics.

‘First there... that others may live’ - page 10

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, Wednesdays 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.

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

The 6th Medical Group would like to give a shout-out to Staff Sgt. Clark Rutherford.

He implemented the integration of Physical Health Assessments and Flight Physicals for flyers, freeing up 400 appointments in the PHA Clinic annually and achieving a 99.5 percent PHA compliance rate. He also assisted with the relocation of the Women’s Health

Clinic to the Flight Medicine area. The transition was completed in less than 24 hours resulting in zero impact to patient care.

Lastly, he trained two newly assigned MDG medical technicians as well as a newly assigned medical technician from the 927th Air Refueling Wing.

For all of your hard work, Rutherford, thank you.

6th Air Mobility Wing shout-outs

by Col. Brian Smith6th Operations Group commander

Just like some of you, my family and I are right in the middle of yet another move, our ninth in our Air Force career.

There are boxes everywhere in our house. Life simply doesn’t slow down enough to make it as smooth of a transition as we would like it to be.

Each time, after the dust settles from a move, we have vowed to clean out and organize a little better next time. It is funny how much you can accumulate in just a few years. Have you ever opened a box after a move and won-dered if the things belonged to you? We have. In fact, it was yesterday and the sad thing is we just moved from off base.

While every permanent change of station is a new adventure, it can also be an opportunity

to purge and organize. Clutter can cause un-necessary stress whether it is in your mind or in your home.

When is the last time you reviewed all of your auto and home insurance policies in de-tail or updated your record of emergency data? When was the last time you updated your wills and powers of attorney?

We all know we are supposed to do it but carving out time for a personal records over-haul doesn’t always get to top of the priority list. Ensuring things like your personal re-cords are current and accessible and your ve-hicles are properly maintained will not only ease your mind but could make a huge differ-ence in any future emergency situations.

We all face moves, deployments, and tem-porary duty assignments. It is our way of life. Investing a little time now will decrease the

A place for everything; everything in its place

Col. Brian SmithSee CORNER, Page 16

Your T-bolt TodayNews/Features: page 4 Girl Scouts awarded

NEWS/FEATURES

Community: page 17 Events, Chapel, more...

Diamond Sharp: page 8 This week’s standout

by Maj. Courtney Harper6th Aerospace Medical Squadron

Despite knowing that texting and driving is dangerous, most of us have done it at one time or another. We think that it will just take a second, I am a careful driver, traffic isn’t that bad, or rationalize it some other way.

People who text and drive are 23 times more likely to get into a car accident. It takes a minimum of 5 seconds of your attention away from the road to send or read a text mes-sage while driving. If you are driving 55 mph down the highway, that is equivalent to driv-ing the length of a football field in the time it takes to read one text message.

Try to imagine your eyes off the road for that amount of time and think of all the things that could happen, especially at that speed. On the interstate the speeds are even faster and more dangerous.

Some statistics on young drivers and tex-ting are quite alarming: 77 percent of those surveyed feel very or somewhat confident in their driving skills while sending text mes-sages and 53 percent feel it is easy to drive and send text messages despite evidence to the contrary and laws in many states prohib-iting it.

Drivers justify reading texts while driv-ing saying that it is safer to read a text while driving than composing a text. Drivers also state that when composing texts while driving they hold their phone up near the windshield to maintain visibility of the road. However, it is impossible to focus on the road and on your cell phone at the same time.

This is not just a young person’s habit. One in five drivers of all ages admit surfing the In-ternet while driving. Something that is more disturbing than these statistics is the fact that teenage drivers are learning these habits from their parents and other adult drivers. Fifteen percent of teenage drivers surveyed admitted seeing their parents send text mes-sages while driving. Out of a group of 12-17 year olds surveyed, 48 percent reported hav-ing ridden in a car with someone while they were driving and texting.

The culture of dependence on cell phone

use, to include texting, talking and surfing the Internet needs to change and it starts with you.

Not that many years ago nobody had cell phones; you actually had to wait until you got home from work or school to see if someone had left you a message on your answering ma-chine.

However, in today’s fast-paced world we have the mentality that nothing can wait. If we could all just take the pledge to put our phones away for just the time we are in the car, we might actually find it peaceful not wor-rying about who is calling or texting you or who is posting on social media.

All of these things are so unimportant, es-pecially if you lose your life in a car accident while worrying about what someone said about you online or even that text message your spouse sent to you while you were driv-ing home. It can wait; let’s make the roads a safer place!

Statistics from www.textinganddriving-safety.com

Driving safety: dangers of phone use

News/Features: page 10 Making the ‘special’ grade

Week in photos: page 12 Critical Days of Summer

Graphic by Nick Stubbs

The potential deadly consequences of texting while driving are not worth it. Take the pledge to put phones away while driving.

Before You Grillu Check your gas tank hose for leaks be-

fore using it for the first time each year. u Keep grills away from houses, over-

hangs, trees, or bushes.u Don’t use lighter fluid on an already

lit fire and NEVER use gasoline to start a charcoal grill.

u Do not leave hot grills unattended.u Keep your grill clean by removing

grease and fat buildup.u Keep children and pets away from the

grilling area.

Grilling safety: don’t get burned

NEWS/FEATURES

by Beverly JohnsonU.S. Special Operations Command

Cadette Girl Scouts currently in middle school have the opportunity to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award.

In Girl Scouts, it is one of the most difficult awards to earn. Girls must plan a project which will benefit their community, and spend many hours dedicated to getting the project finished.

Three MacDill Air Force Base Girl Scouts re-ceived the nationally recognized symbol of ex-ceptional accomplishment in leadership, com-munity service, career planning, and personal development. Each of the awardees has made a difference in the lives of others. Collectively, these dedicated girls have volunteered more than 250 hours serving community needs.

Jordan Reed of Troop 207 received the Award in December of 2012. In order to earn her Silver Award, Reed planned and completed a playground make-over at St. John Greek Or-thodox Church. Jordan was inspired to com-plete this project because she wanted to ad-dress the need to give children a nice place to play. She wanted to give kids space to play outside, as many kids don’t get enough outside playtime.

The project involved many hours of painting fences and a storage shed, removing old mulch and adding new mulch in the play area, and providing new playground equipment and toys. Donations and fundraising efforts made the playground make-over possible. Reed hopes this project will teach young children about re-specting and appreciating their surroundings.

Shaunna Gay of Troop 207 received her Sliver Award in June of 2013 by hosting a “Pretty Girl Workshop,” which benefited teen residents of one of the Tampa Joshua Houses. The workshop focused on encouraging positive self-esteem by giving them the opportunity to feel valued and worthy about themselves re-gardless of their situation. The workshops in-cluded one session on teaching the girls beauty

tips on a budget. Another workshop session provided the girls with a make-over hair and nails beauty session.

Over the course of the workshop, each girl took a before-and-after picture and made a dec-laration, “I am pretty and I like myself.” They promised to remind themselves daily that they are pretty and can do great things. Gay round-ed the workshop out with a informative ses-sion over Human Trafficking. Gay hopes this workshop will make a resounding statement to the girls that they are valued in every way.

Elissa Johnson of Troop 207 received the Silver Award in June of 2013. Johnson spent more than a semester tutoring second-grade students in the subject of reading at Just El-ementary School in Tampa. The tutoring ses-

sions were conducted after school by Johnson in the formats of individual reading and group reading session.

The project did not leave off at tutoring - Johnson organized a book drive and collected more than 300 books to donate to the second-grade classroom. Johnson felt that the more books available to the students, the greater their enthusiasm to read. Johnson also donat-ed two mobile bookshelves to the classroom. The money for the bookshelves was raised by selling more than 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.

Johnson’s motivation for the project was to help kids achieve a better reading score on the standardized tests and to inspire children to have a passion to read.

MacDill Girl Scouts Receive Silver Award

Courtesy photo

These Girl Scout Troop 207 members worked a combined 250 hours to each earn the Girl Scout Silver Award, one of the most difficult awards to earn in scouting. Their award-winning projects ranged from a playground makeover and self-esteem workshop for girls, to setting up a reading program for elementary school students.

Settlement of es-tate

Lt. Col. Collin Gil-bert, commander of the 6th Logistics Readi-ness Squadron, re-grets to announce the death of Master Sgt. Caleb D. Bennett, for-merly assigned to the 6th Logistics Readi-ness Squadron. Capt. Allen Batiste has been appointed as the sum-mary court officer to handle the disposition of personal property of Sgt. Bennett. Anyone indebted to or having a claim against the estate of Sgt. Bennett should contact Capt. Batiste at 813-828-1433 or allen.batiste@us.af.mil.

by Nick StubbsThunderbolt editor

The dog days of summer are anything but drab for MacDill youths, who have a host of activities to choose from courtesy of the Youth Center.

Since school let out for the summer break, the center has been holding special days and activities to keep kids productive, entertained and learning, with some of the best yet to come, said Loretta Gaines, assistant youth programs director.

The next camp offered is strictly about fun. Children 9 to 18 can learn the art of being a disc jokey in the Youth Center DJ Camp, which will run July 22 through the 26. Children will learn how to mix and play music tracks and there will be a spin-off competition where stu-dents can show off their DJ skills. There is a $10 fee for the DJ camp.

“That should be really fun for them (the children),” said Gaines.

The finals camp will give kids a chance to show off their acting chops, when the Missoula Children’s Theatre troupe visits MacDill Aug. 5 through the 9 to cast and stage a play fea-turing Youth Center children as the perform-ers. This year’s play is the Wizzard of Oz, and children 5 to 13 are eligible for casting.

Missoula arrives with set decorations and everything else needed for a full-scale musical production, minus the cast. MCT, which has been touring for 39 years, will use 50-60 Mac-Dill children in the show. MCT visits nearly 1,300 communities in all 50 states, three Ca-nadian Territories and five provinces and 16 countries. Its mission is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.

Participation in the MCT production is free for Youth Center children.

Fun camps slated for MacDill youths

Job Title: Contracting specialist

Hometown: Saint Augustine, Fla.

Short-term goals: I want to finish my Com-munity College of the Air Force associate’s de-gree.

Long-term goals: I hope to complete my bach-elor’s degree and earn a commission in the Air Force.

Advice to others: Find a way to make your daily routine enjoyable, and you will live more than one lifetime. Role model and why: My oldest of three brothers Tech. Sgt. Matthew Worsham is my role model. His original ship-out date to basic training was Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. Regard-less of the events of that day, he still took his oath and flew to Lackland Air Force Base the very next Tuesday.

Airman 1st Class David Worsham6th Contracting Squadron

DIAMOND SHARP

story and photos by Senior Airman Melissa Paradise6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

They get to work by parachute and operate on airfields with motorcycles and dirt bikes. Their office view is from the top of a mountain and can be the most beau-

tiful but deadly they will ever see. They travel to clients on skis.

This is Air Force Special Tactics. Ten of Team MacDill’s own, along with 17 delayed enlist-

ment program members, took the physical ability stamina test June 28 in hopes of qualifying for one of the prestigious jobs that make up Air Force Special Tactics in the Air Force Special Operations Command.

“If you want to do special ops you need to want this more then you want anything in the world, and dedicate every minute of the day to the goal until it’s completed,” said Mas-ter Sgt. Frankie Reilly, 333rd Air Force Recruiting Squadron pararescue recruiter liaison. “Take it one day at a time and don’t be afraid of failure, because no one’s going to make it through without having any failure.”

AF special tactics is made up of four jobs—pararescue, combat control, special operations weather and tactical air control party.

To qualify for these jobs, hopefuls must meet a number of physical requirements, including taking the PAST which consists of six parts: a 2x25-meter underwater swim, a 500-meter swim, a 1.5-mile run, pull ups, sit ups and pushups.

“I was prepared for the test because I’ve been training to go back in ever since I washed out a year and a half ago,” said Senior Airman Steve Vasquez, 6th Aerospace Medicine Squadron public health technician.

There are a lot of things that someone who wants to join one of these elite career fields needs to do to become ready, but being physically fit is on the top of the list. The less a person struggles on the physical portion the more they can focus on leadership and critical thinking. That separates them from the bottom of the class.

“When you’re out there and you’re finishing up the sit ups you’re just spent,” said Austin Goins, a DEP member from Brooksville.

For Goins this was a day four years in the making, his final PAST before leaving for basic training.

“I’ve been taking the PAST test since June of last year, so this was routine for me,” said Goins. On his last test he had the opportunity to test with some cross trainee hopefuls.

“It’s beneficial to combine the prior service and DEP members because it’s good to get these young men who want to do these jobs together with the guys who are already in (the military),” said Rielly. “They can also be an example for them starting now.”

So why would these 27 people subject themselves to such a strenuous test just for a job?

“Ever since I was little I just wanted to save lives; and my

dad told me about pararescue, and it’s just everything I’ve ever wanted to be,” said Airman 1st Class Jordan LaBoufe, 6th Medical Operations Squadron medical technician.

Similar motivations were echoed by others in atten-dance.

“I think it’s cool that our job is to save people,” said Juan Monsalve, a DEP member from Tampa. “I think that’s the best job in the military to give some people a second chance in life; I want to be physically challenged.”

By the end of the day, 27 hopefuls were physically ex-hausted but one step closer to achieving their ultimate goal. They dream for the day they can say that they are “First There… That Others May Live.”

For more information on Special Tactics career fields visit the Air Force Special Operations Command website at www.afsoc.af.mil and contact the base career assistance advisor.

What does it take so others may live?

Austin Fahad, delayed enlistment program member and pararescue candidate, swims 500 meters for a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Opera-tions Command cross trainee event at MacDill Air Force Base, June 28. After the swim, Fahad must complete a 1.5- mile run, pull-ups, sit-ups and pushups to qualify for a career in pararescue.

Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base and members from the delayed enlistment program run toward the base pool for a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Operations Command cross trainee event June 28.

Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base and members from the delayed enlist-ment program chant after completing a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Operations Command cross trainee event, June 28. Ten prior service Airmen and 17 DEP members participated in the six-part test required to become a member of Air Force Special Tactics.

Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base and members from the delayed enlistment program run toward the base pool for a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Operations Command cross trainee event June 28.

Airman 1st Class Sky Jones, 6th Medical Operations Squadron medical technician, executes a pushup for a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Operations Command cross trainee event at MacDill Air Force Base, June 28. The Special Tactics PAST consists of a 2 x 25 me-ter underwater swim, a 500 meter swim, a 1.5 mile run, pull-ups, sit-ups and pushups.

Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base and members from the delayed enlist-ment program chant after completing a physical ability stamina test during the Air Force Special Operations Command cross trainee event, June 28. Ten prior service Airmen and 17 DEP members participated in the six-part test required to become a member of Air Force Special Tactics.

WEEK IN PHOTOS

(Above) Airman 1st Class Ian Moore, 6th Communicat ions Squadron network control technician, fireman carries Staff Sgt. Joshua Hall, 6th CS cyber transport systems supervi-sor, during a Marine Corps combat fit-ness test at MacDill Air Force Base, July 1.

Photo by Senior Airman Melissa Paradise

Photo by Senior Airman Melissa Paradise

Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Cruz Munoz, 6th Con-tracting Squadron superintendent, provides men-torship to Airman Leadership School class 13-E at MacDill Air Force Base, June 27.

Photo by Senior Airman Shandresha Mitchell

Members of the Chief’s Group present Tech. Sgt. Edward Gregory, 6th Communications Squadron, with the Warrior Award at MacDill Air Force Base, July 3.

Photo by Senior Airman Adam Grant

Col. Scott DeThomas, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, passes the 6th Mission Support Group guidon to Col. Peter Santa Ana, new 6th MSG commander, during a change-of-command ceremony at MacDill July

Museum of Science and Industry military appreciationThrough Labor Day military members can get into the Tampa Museum of Science and Indus-try’s permanent exhibits for free. Anyone with a military ID (active or retired) and depen-dents can visit http://www.mosi.org/plan-your-visit/special-offers.aspx for more information.

Tinker summer closingTinker Elementary will be closed during the

summer, reopening July 29. Hours of registra-tion will be Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. until Aug. 9. Monday-Friday operations will resume Aug. 12.

Tampa Museum of Art Military Ap-preciation Day

All military (with ID), family members, retirees and those with a National Veterans Wheelchair Games lanyard can enter the mu-seum free July 14. Special art activities for

children will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum is open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is located at 120 W. Gasperilla Plaza, Tampa. For more information, visit their web-site at www.tampamuseum.org.

Commissary will close MondaysThe commissary will close on Mondays

through Sept. 30 as a result of furloughs be-cause of sequestration. Other days of opera-tion remain Tuesday through Sunday.

MARC book club meetings The MacDill Area Resilience Center Book

Club had an enthusiastic showing last meet-ing. “Calico Joe” was selected as the club’s first month’s read. It can be downloaded to an e-reader for free from the base library. Next meeting will be at 5 p.m. on July 25 and we’ll discuss the first month’s novel. “Joe” is a fa-ther-son reconciliation novel that centers on baseball in the early 1970’s, so next meeting will have a baseball theme. Wear a favorite

jersey or cap, and enjoy ball park goodies. For more information, contact Lt. Col. Rachelle Nowlin at rachelle.nowlin@us.af.mil or 827-9529.

Critical Days of SummerThe Critical Days of Summer are in full

swing. The MacDill Safety Office has a goal of being “safe ‘n sound—all year ‘round.” Work center briefs about numerous topics and driving under the influence will take place throughout from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

PCSing overseas with a pet?The veterinary clinic needs to evaluate your

pet at least six months before you change to an overseas duty station. Some countries re-quire extra shots, vaccinations and a special tracking chip that the veterinary clinic must sign off on before your pet can travel with you overseas. Please do not wait until the last min-ute to have your pet checked out, because your pet will not be allowed to travel with you. For more information call 828-3558 or 828-3559.

BRIEFS

MACDILL COMMUNITYEVENTS

FridayBay Palms Golf Complex

Membership Breakfast from 6:30-9 a.m. Club members free; Non-members: $7.95.

SeaScapes Beach HouseFriday Bash from 4-8 p.m. Bar

snacks and drink specials! Guar-anteed $100 club card drawing, Bar Bingo - $1,000 jackpot, Trivia and DJ! Family Fun Night! Fun starts at 5 p.m. Food and drink specials! $2-and-under menu items for kids. Kids activities.Free ice cream sundae bar (peanut free) with all meals.

MacDill LanesClub Member Appreciation

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

Saturday Deployed family event

Pool party from 1-3 p.m. at Sports and Aquatic center, Bran-don. Please RSVP at (813) 828-0145 or (813) 655-9281. Open to all actively serving.

SundaySchool & Sports Physicals

At the MacDill and Brandon Clinics from 12-5 p.m. TRICARE Prime and Coalition Only Grades K-12* Please bring ID card, school/sports physical forms and PDCS orders if newly arrived at MacDill. *Parent or legal guardian must accompany child. Call 828-CARE option 1, 1, 2, 2, to schedule an ap-pointment.

Wednesday-SaturdaySeaScapes Summer Nights

Open 4-9 p.m. Evening dinner specials. Come relax and enjoy the view.

Protestant servicesSunday - 11 a.m. - Contemporary 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

Lightning strikesSlater Koekkoek, Tampa Bay Light-ning minor league defenseman, prac-tices strike kicking techniques during a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Es-cape training ses-sion July 8 at Mac-Dill Air Force Base. Lightning players were taught to si-multaneously pull one’s opponent closer while kicking in order to gain the advantage.

Photo by Senior Airman Michael Ellis

level of stress and chaos later, and the payout is well worth it. There are many checklists available online and at helping agencies

on base to remind you what needs to be reviewed every so often. While you are at it, maybe you can de-clutter your life by getting rid of the things you don’t use.

Sometimes it’s easier to let go of things you have loved but simply don’t need any longer when you know they will be useful for someone in need. The Airman’s Attic on base and locations off base such as chari-table thrift stores will take items and put them to good use for others in our community. So, you will be able to say you helped out your family and your community as well as simplifying your life a little bit. It’s a win/win.

And now, excuse me, it’s time to unpack another box.

CORNERFrom Page 2