The BOOM SIGNAL 2013 “Boom Operators Making Contact Worldwide”

34th EDITION

THE 2013 BOOM SIGNAL IS DEDICATED TO: On May 3, 2013 the crew of Shell 77, a KC-135R (63-8877) crashed shortly after takeoff from Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan. This year’s edition of the Boom Signal is dedicated to Capt Mark Voss, Capt Tori Pinckney, and TSgt Tre Mackey who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (**Denotes no unit submission)

Base

Organization

Affiliation

Altus AFB

54 ARS 97 TRS** 730 AMTS HQ AMC/AOS Det 2 CAE Northrup Grumman

AD AD AFR AD Civ Civ

Andrews AFB

National Guard Bureau 756 ARS**

AFR ANG

Bangor ANGB

132 ARS

ANG

Battle Creek ANGB

217 AMS

ANG

Birmingham IAP

106 ARS 99 ARS

ANG AD

Edwards

Flight Test Center

Eielson AFB

168 ARS

Fairchild AFB

92 ARW/OG 92 ARS 93 ARS 509 WPS 116 ARS DRG

Forbes ANGB

117 ARS

Dedication

Table of Contents Prep for contact Reader Disclaimer

AD ANG AD AD AD AD AD Civ ANG

Gen Mitchell IAP, WS

126 ARS

ANG

Grissom ARB

72 ARS 74 ARS

AFR AFR

Guam

36 MRS

AD

Hickam AFB

203 ARS 96 ARS

ANG AD

Hurlburt Field

MOB OPS DET 1**

Kadena AB

909 ARS

AD

Key Field

153 ARS

ANG

Lackland AFB

344 TRS

AD

Lincoln ANGB

313 FLTF 173 ARS

AFR ANG

MacDill AFB

91 ARS 63 ARS DRG**

AD AFR Civ

Madrid

CASS/ADSI

Civ

March ARB

336 ARS 912 ARS 4 AF

AFR AD AFR

McConnell AFB

22 ARW 344 ARS 349 ARS 350 ARS 384 ARS 18 ARS CAE

AD AD AD AD AD AFR Civ

McGhee-Tyson ANGB

151 ARS

ANG

McGuire AFB

2 ARS 32 ARS 76 ARS** 78 ARS** 108 CRG 141 ARS

AD AD AFR AFR AD ANG

AD/Civ

305 OSS/FTU 621 CRW DRG

AD AD Civ

Osan AB

607 AOC**

AD

Pease ANGB

133 ARS 64 ARS

ANG AD

Phoenix ANGB

197 ARS**

ANG

Pittsburgh ANGB

146 ARS 147 ARS

ANG ANG

RAAF Amberley

33 SQN

AD

RAF Mildenhall

351 ARS

AD

Ramstein AB

HQ USAFE/A3TV

AD

Randolph AFB

HQ AETC/A3VM HQ AETC/A3ZM

AD AD

Rickenbacker ANGB

145 ARS** 166 ARS**

ANG ANG

Salt Lake ANGB

191 ARS

ANG

Scott AFB

HQ AMC Boom Operator CFM HQ AMC/IG HQ AMC/A3C HQ AMC/A3TK HQ AMC/A3NR HQ AMC/A3VK HQ AMC/A5QX USTRANSCOM 618 AOC (TACC) 108 ARS 906 ARS

AD AD Civ AD AD AD AD AD AD ANG AD

Seattle

Boeing

Selfridge ANGB

171 ARS**

ANG

Seymour-Johnson AFB

77 ARS 911 ARS

AFR AD

Civ

Sioux-City ANGB

174 ARS

ANG

Tinker AFB

10 FLT TEST 185 ARS** 465 ARS

AD AFR ANG

Travis AFB

6 ARS 9 ARS 60 OSS/FTU 70 ARS 79 ARS 621 CRW** HQ AMC/AOS Det 1 Flight Safety

Tyndall AFB

601 AOC

UAE

10 Squadron

Wright-Patterson AFB

AMC Test & Eval SQ KC-46 Directorate KC-46 ATS

Appendix 1

Boom Operator Memorial Names

Appendix 2

Boom Operators Prayer

Appendix 3

Boom Operator Coin/Card Rules

Appendix 4

Albert Evans Recipients

Appendix 5

Class Rosters

Appendix 6

Tanker Unit Locations

AD AD AFR AFR AD Civ ANG Civ AD AD/Civ Civ

2013 Prep for Contact Welcome to the 34th Annual 2013 Boom Signal. This has been a tough year for the Boom community with the loss of TSgt Tre Mackey on SHELL 77 in May of this year. I truly hoped I would never have to see another name added to the Boom Memorial. I want to welcome back to the union the 153rd ARS out of Key Field in Meridian MS. They were able to trade in their MC-12’s and C-27J’s for something more respectable, the mighty war wagon. Welcome back fellas, we missed you! There are a few changes to the 2013 Signal. I added a few new organizations, brought back the KC-135 class rosters from 1957-present, and included the SMSgt Albert Evans award recipients to this year’s edition. I also want to welcome Boom Operators from 10 Squadron in UAE flying the A-330 MRTT. Many of the Booms from 10 Sq are retired USAF Boom Operators with thousands of hours of experience to share with the A-330 program. Lastly, I included two new KC-135 BOWST ATS locations from Fairchild and MacDill. FYI, I want to include the KC-10 class rosters but it has been VERY difficult to find them. If any of you know where I can get the KC-10 rosters please let me know. It’s been a busy year for the KC-46 program. In May the AF announced the first KC-46 basing locations with Altus AFB selected as the FTU, McConnell AFB, KS as the first Main Operating Base (MOB-1) and Pease ANGB as the first associate unit. I guess initial Boom Operator training is banished to southwest OK forever! In July, the AF and Boeing signed off on the final KC-46 design during the Critical Design Review. Shortly afterward, Boeing began assembling the first KC-46 in their Everett WA plant. The first flight is scheduled for June 2014. Also this year, Flight Safety Services Corporation won the KC-46 Aircrew Training System (ATS) contract to supply state of the art training to KC-46 aircrew. After a 10 year delay with the KC-X program, I can actually say we finally hit S1 getting a new tanker. I had several units that were MIA in this year’s signal and a few that haven’t contributed for several years! Can any of you put a little pressure (or guilt) on the McGuire Reserve KC-10 units, the 171 st ARS at Selfridge, and the 185th ARS at Tinker to get them to participate? Finally I would like to thank all the participating units for their 2013 Boom Signal inputs, as busy as you all are, you still managed to take time and contribute to the Boom Signal- THANK YOU for keeping the tradition alive!

“Burnsie” MSgt Ernest Burns 445 FLTS Edwards AFB, CA [email protected]

READER DISCLAIMER:

Be advised the individual compiling the BOOM SIGNAL is not responsible for the content of any entry submitted for publication. The Unit’s submissions were edited for format, spelling, and compiled in logical order. However the original content was left wholly intact. The spirit of the BOOM SIGNAL is for the Units to express themselves in a manner befitting the family of Boom Operators (aka, anyway we see fit). To that end, please remember; “nothing is too cruel if it’s funny enough”.

The Boom Signal Editor

ALTUS AFB, OK 54 ARS “Jesters”

54th ARS Boom Leadership: CMSgt Dan Smith: Had a little back surgery in March and trying to keep the bag of bones together to retire in Jan 15….Hate the city, don’t particularly like the base but I admire and respect each and every one of my squadron mates….some of the very best! MSgt Jayson Chatam: Back for his encore Altus tour. Has already flown more than the previous OPS sup in the few months he has been here. Doesn’t understand why we’re not teaching blue dots, landing CG on Form F and checking oil in the APU. Coaches the “oh and many” sq softball team… but they are fun to watch! (M)Sgt Mike “Potato” Russell: Busy as the Sq First Sgt. Figured out quickly that it is very hard to eat vegan in Altus but doesn’t realize the water is what’s going to kill him. Petitioning for a Trader Joe’s in Altus. MSgt Jon Taylor: This is space filler for when he actually does something. Expect a lengthy write up next year and congrats on the new baby!

CSS SSgt Jake Jewell: The juggernaut has been busy since being named to the newly created enlisted exec job however, his blazer still hasn’t moved since “the incident” a couple of AITW ago.

CFIC TSgt Rory Wilcox (NCOIC): Came out of his hermit crab shell for AITW this spring. Gained a new friend in Yontz after he threw his keys into the camp fire. The only boom that thought it was wise to bring his sister to drink and float the river with all our booms….. still regretting that decision.

TSgt Titan Miller: Nobody really knows what he does on his off-time unless you browse YouTube often. Titan has the best cooking show on the interwebs. SSgt Justice “I tell you what” Coker: Stays up late at night thinking of ways President Obama could be reelected for a 3rd term even though he personally denied his palace. Was baffled on how vague the KC-135V2 is on what is required for a BIQ check ride. Stan/Eval TSgt Heath Tuma (NCOIC): Currently the winner for how much hair can be lost before the CUI competition. Will guilt trip you into going to AITW or never let you forget the one time you left early for “date night”. Has orders to Hawaii and is already planning their AITW on the island. TSgt Heather (Barnes) Harp: The most feared instructor and the meanest 100lb person in the squadron. Has a bigger gun arsenal then Aaron Tessmann. Currently on the day to day DL for a softball injury. (T)Sgt Ryan “No-Santa” Clauss: Gives a new name to “Black Hat stan/eval.” Has taken over from Bruce Berglund for handing out the most Q-3’s. His complaint to actual work ratio is the highest in the squadron. Is the Squadrons new Barista, just not as good looking. (T) Sgt Aaron Tessmann: Was the cutoff for TSgt this year, Congrats! Is currently in competition with Soule to see how many new vehicles can be bought in a 4 year assignment. Is also in competition with Tuma to see how much hair he can lose before the CUI. Scheduling TSgt Bartek Bachleda: Huge head filled with a big brain that is easily distracted by bright and shiny objects. Currently working on a new design of the boom pallet because all the “other” boom operators in the squadron are complaining of back problems. His back seems to be fine sitting in scheduling. SSgt Dustin Forret: Loves scheduling so much he tore up his shoulder just to come back to the shop. We think it has something to do with all of his fist pumping at Scooters. Will be the first IB to PCS from Altus as an UB. Congrats on the baby! SSgt Brandon Holaday: The poster boy for Altus recruiting and is unfamiliar with the layout of the annex. Thinks the easiest way to schedule is just to eliminate every student. Always takes your scheduling request with a smile and his fingers crossed behind his back. SSgt Mark Firiotto: The only boom to come to Altus and then requested to work in scheduling as soon as he got here. Congrats on yet another baby. Gives new meaning to line of sight scheduling…..Likes to fill the schedule by walking around base housing and tagging people for flights as they’re watering their yard. FTM TSgt Larry Nahalea (NCOIC): Larry Boy is working on becoming a published author. Learned quickly that vehicles don’t run on water and is still learning how to use a hammer. Is also learning how to deal with all the pressure he gets from the top as the “NCOIC” of FTM…Also likes to film Mayhem commercials for Geico. SSgt Mike “Jalapeno” Russell: Is the only Boom that’s gets bottle service and VIP treatment at Scooters. Since I’m the one writing this, that’s all I have to say bout that.

SSgt Justin Thompson: Made Progressive find out how much a tow truck cost to get to AITW and is the only person in the squadron that’s allowed to make fun of Larry. We all secretly wish his wife was an Altus instructor instead of him. STM MSgt Ryan Soule (NCOIC): Checks the weather more often than the OSS and owns a storage unit for each of his cars. In charge of STM but you wouldn’t know it by the amount of CFIC lines he pushes. Still tells the same 5 story’s to anyone that will listen and is the squadron’s Facebook liaison. Who knew the pentagon monitored Facebook? TSgt Jessica Elmore (Assistant NCOIC): Goes from zero to deliverance in 3 seconds. An outstanding instructor with uncanny “mothering” abilities. She has pushed more female students in the 6 months than anyone else here combined. TSgt Brendan Balko (Flight Sup): We are not sure how he decides which Subaru to drive to work every morning. His wife is the most educated spouse in Altus but still can’t find a job. TSgt Dan (Duke) Newcombe (Flight Sup): Only eats raw red meat for lunch and we’re pretty sure he is going to have a heart attack before he leaves Altus. Is slowly building a small hobby farm in Blair and if you desire fresh eggs, Duke is your hook up. TSgt Michael Fagan (Flight Sup): Does great work when he’s here. Nobody is really sure where he goes, our best guess is the barber shop in Lawton. “Oh , my hair!” (T)Sgt Matt Hunsinger: Might beat Larry for being the oldest TSgt in squadron. Is biding his time so he can pull rank on his roommate. SSgt Tom (Brandon) January: Our resident meat smoker. Is currently trying to figure out how to stuff a hog into a chicken into a calf and then smoke it for 4 days. Doesn’t understand the difference between tackle and flag football. SSgt Chris Yontz: Is missing his boy band days so much he sings the “discovery channel” song in front of the OG/CC wife at Charlie’s. Wonders why no one comes to his house when he invites them over to watch Spiderman. “Spiderman 3” and “watch” are code words you’ll have to ask Yontz about. SSgt Ashley Sigaoat: Ashley is slowly compiling a list of complaints against us all. She is the second most feared instructor behind Heather. She hands out more tacos to students than the Pickup Taco drive thru window on an early Altus Saturday morning. SSgt Nate (bear)Bahr: Our resident beetle juice look-a-like and level 40 paladin. Puked within 5 minutes of entering Scooters for the first time. Set the bar high! SSgt Andy Lopez: PCS’d early just to attend AITW and has more sets of tires then he has vehicles to put them on. SSgt Justin Holbrook: His creepiness factor goes up exponentially as soon as he crosses the Red River and is more of a lightweight then a high school girl at her first house party. If you need your back shaved in a warm bath, Justin is your boy. SSgt Theo Dinwiddie: Theo buys his shirts in the kid’s section of the local department store. “Hey man, can you tell me where the gym is located?” Theo flies a lot more now that his wife works in the squadron.

SSgt Mark Waski: Still looking for the gorilla that gave him his two black eyes. Has become very familiar with descent check since arriving here. SSgt Kevin (Silver Bullet) Matthews: Don’t ever ask Kevin to “toss” you a beer. Has relapsed and plays a lot of WOW again. The intervention is coming! SSgt Prado: Has been here for 8 months and have heard 8 words from him. SSgt Pederson: Often seen giving many “knife hands” discussions to students. Wanted out of his Code 50 so bad he volunteered for another one. He has spent the last 3 years getting ready for his future MTI tour. Tactics (T)Sgt Geoff “Jaded” Junt: Lasted 5 minutes before being thrown out of his first intermural basketball game. Apparently he does not liked being dunked on. Has gone from having use or lose leave to a negative leave balance since being stationed here. OGV MSgt Ron MacMeeken: Ron is hobbled with a broken foot that required surgery. Mis-read his landing after executing a perfect scissors leap at a wedding rehearsal dinner. He claims alcohol was not involved? OSS Current Ops SSgt Alex McGinness: Heavily tasked with planning all of our off-station commitments and executing various AETC contingency ops.

ALTUS AFB, OK 97 TRS

The 97 TRS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

ALTUS AFB, OK 730 AMTS

We survived our 2nd year in Altus America! If we were Active Duty we would be halfway through our code 50 tour. Our manning continues to slooooowly improve but we still have 2 ART and 4 traditional positions available. Our current instructors are integrated within the 54th ARS and 97 TRS. After 2 years, it’s amazing how we are now the “old heads”. The growing metropolis of Altus is continuing to improve. We now can eat real sushi that isn’t undercooked catfish! We still face many challenges since our commander (Philo) has left but our team is stronger than ever. The term Philo Is Gone (PIG) is often heard when trying to recruit. If you are reading this and think you would like to join a great rewarding and growing AFRC school house unit, feel free to contact any of us and we’ll be sure to tell you PIG!!! We are looking forward to the next 2 years of teaching the next generation of booms and recruiting the finest instructors (PIG) in the Air Force. CMSgt Brian “Good Deal” Buss (AGR): Was hired as the 97th TRS ARC liaison in the fall of 2011. Just when he was getting settled in, he was given a “great opportunity” (HQ AFRC’s polite way of saying we need to get your AGR position off our UMD) and was told he was moving to the 730th in 2013. HQ AFRC felt bad so they let him keep the 97 TRS ARC liaison duties along with the 730th AMTS Superintendent duties…Good Deal??? Seems to be adjusting well with balancing both jobs and trying to flying once a week. SMSgt Alvin “Koop” Kuper (ART): Spends most of his time sending AFPC BIQ washouts or working with the 54th Operations Superintendent managing the day to day issues of training new booms and keeping the local IB’s happy. Koop has been to most AFRC units trying to convince them Altus really isn’t too bad (PIG) during his recruiting efforts. We still are not sure if he is recruiting potential IB’s or looking for a job himself. If you have a school house question, Koop is the person to ask. MSgt Sean “Raising” Cain (ART): Wanting to prolong his boom career, Sean came to Altus in the spring of 2012 giving up a 16 year AGR position in Alaska. Almost exactly 1 year after arriving deployed. Still not sure why but maybe it had to do with getting TriCare 6 months prior and 6 months after his deployment...right Sean? Sean is now back and ready to take on the next challenge of getting folks to support the 54th softball team. “I would like to take a moment to illustrate the few people that show up to play and their spouses represent the JESTERS. It is just as much fun to come out and watch as is it is to come out and play to represent the 54 ARS.” MSgt Kelly “Grandma” Witt (ART): Just completed her 1st year and ready for her next 15. When not burning up the squadron by using the A/C unit as a butt can, she is driving around looking for a “designated smoking area” on an AETC base. Kelly has finally accepted the fact that she could be most of the BIQ’s Grandma. I think the final realization came when she introduces herself as a boom and students just assume she works at CAE. Kelly is a trooper and shows no sign of slowing down, unless she happens to be driving and smoking on an AETC base.

TSgt Trevor “Gut Check” Halpain (ART): Our mole that works in the TRS. He does quality assurance for CAE. Loves the job, loves to fly, and hates doing sit-ups. Tore his gut during his PT test and swears he’ll never do another sit-up again. I guess the mesh Kevlar bandage already in his gut isn’t meant to hold everything in during the rigorous PT test. Likes sandy beaches, Trevor came here from MacDill, and really appears to take a liking to Altus. Maybe it’s the continuing growing beach at Lake Altus due to the 5 year drought.

ALTUS AFB, OK HQ AMCAOS DET 2

Greetings to all from HQ AMC Air Operations Squadron Detachment Two, home of the KC-135 SIMCERT program. Det 2’s primary mission is to certify all KC-135 Operational Flight Trainers (OFTs), AMC Boom Operator Weapon System Trainers (BOWST) and the boom Cargo Load Trainer (CLT). Currently the two BOPTTs at Altus are being dismantled and the primary trainers for the KC-135 Boom Operator qualification courses are now solely in BOWST 3 and 4. The AMC BOWST is scheduled to be at 8 locations CONUS with the next two scheduled to be at MacDill AFB and Grissom AFB sometime this summer. The CLT continues to be the cargo training workhorse for BIQ initial checks and remains an excellent training device. Air Mobility Command has certified four devices so far, McConnell, Fairchild, and two at Altus. This is a real exciting time for our career field and I think our community will really enjoy the new simulators, and the benefits to the crew force will be immense. Mission Certification, Qualification and Continuation training, plus systems abnormal/emergency procedures training can all be taught and future growth will include connectivity with the Pilot’s OFT and receiver aircraft simulators. The future of boom operator flight training will be dependent on the success of these devices and should save the tax payers money when all is said and done. With the current fiscal obstacles, look for more training to move into the simulator. There is talk about reducing sorties in the BIQ and CFIC courses. I definitely believe if we use the right mix of classroom instruction, the BOWST, and the pilots OFT, that we could end up getting BETTER training in these devices while reducing time in the jet. The AMC BOWST will let you “experience” emergencies in a realistic yet safe environment so when things go wrong in-flight, you will have already experienced it on the ground and be better prepared to safely deal with any situation. This year we welcomed MSgt Jeff Stoermer to the mix. He came to us from the 54th ARS here at Altus AFB. Jeff will do a great job certifying the remaining BOWSTs and working with the ANG on their BOSS program. This will be my last update from Det 2, I leave in July to be the Ops Superintendant in the 92nd ARS at Fairchild AFB. Thanks Altus for being my best assignment yet, I’m gonna miss ya! Thanks to all you warriors out there patrolling blue skies, god speed and safe travels. Fly Safe, Buddy Lee

Lee J. Adkins, MSgt – [email protected] Jeff Stoermer, MSgt – [email protected]

ALTUS AFB, OK KC-135 ATS BOOM INSTRUCTORS

30 July 2013

Greetings from the Civilian Boom Association.

Updates: In October 2012 we went back under CAE USA again. Our manning has been increased to nine “full-time” boom instructors and four “part-time on call” instructors. We now have two AMC BOWST devices that have been operational since October 2012 for student training. We are continuing to improve the initial limitations of the devices. The BOWST is much better in most aspects than our old BOPTT and once we get everything fixed, it will be outstanding. The new BIQ training flow went through an ITO (initial try out) with 4 students in BIQ class 1307. The new flow adds 3 additional BOWST missions (15 total) and two additional pre-flights (6 total). This is in an effort to decrease the number of sorties required on the flight-line. Our Current Personnel Roster “Full-Timers” Terry Daffern – Terry finds more time to golf now, however the weather this year has not always been conducive to great golfing. He looks pretty happy these days; golf must be good for relaxing.

Marty Sabourin – Traded in his old Harley for a new larger (more comfortable) one. He keeps talking about retiring or going part-time. We got some great pool renovation stories this spring as he had to get his pool fixed or filled in. Next week he’s off to Sturgis, riding his bike there and back.

Rick Raprager – Rick stays busy being a negotiator for the 135 contract and head union steward for both the KC-135 and C17 contracts. Since all this is not enough of a challenge for him, he’s our cargo loading expert and is also in charge when Eddie is gone. He stays busy.

Roger Gossett – Roger is getting ready to initiate the new training flow for the BIQ course. Roger traded the Camaro for a Chevy Volt. He rarely finds time to golf, but seems to do Disney World every year.

Chico Gallegos – His old jeep still looks immaculate and he says he goes off-road with it but come on now – why is it always so clean? What’s that? You are supposed to wash vehicles???? He is still our weight and balance guru.

Lew Timbrook – Lew took his Paramedic “practical” and became a full-fledged Paramedic. He performs his “hobby” of being a paramedic on his time off. What’s next, Medical school maybe? We haven’t heard much about horses lately as Lew is extremely busy at work along with the rest of us.

Steve Tuttle – Still races dirt bikes every other weekend in the spring and fall and coming to work on Monday. With all our overtime, the heavy student load, and not enough instructors, we just live for the weekends (although Saturdays are a common occurrence now). You never realize how good we had it until it went away.

Eddie Cole – Eddie is our new “lead boom” since last October when he went back to full time. Not much bothers Eddie so I guess that’s why he does what he does without high blood pressure. The schedulers and the students keep Eddie busy so he gets to do important stuff very infrequently. We see him occasionally between scheduled events. He bought a new Hybrid car to get better mileage.

Joe Surovy – Joe also went back full time this year (May or June I think). He still accumulates most of our missing courseware on his desk. He stays pretty busy though doing BOPTT’s and consoles so his desk has less courseware than it used to. If the computer is locked up, we know Joe did it. Sometimes he locks up several computers at once (multi-talented).

“Part-Timers” “Part-timers” work 30 plus hours a week during the BOWST cycle and occasionally get overtime as well.

Management still

hasn’t figured out the required manning issues or how to schedule available instructors. Maybe - some day!

Phil Blaisse – Phil works many hours a week during BOPTT’s so he’s always coming and going like the rest of us. We don’t see Phil too much unless we meet in the hall between BOWST periods or pre-flights. Maybe he’ll be upgraded to full-time soon and we’ll see him more often.

Mike Conner – Mike stays busy and almost always volunteers for Saturday work. Since the full timers usually get overtime if we come in on a Saturday scheduling typically uses the part timers for weekends.

Clay Lifer – Clay was hired in January and just completed his six month “probation period”, now he can complain with the rest of us. The beard has intimidated some of the students but also inspired several instructors to grow beards too. He still has the old Mustang.

Joe Wilkins – (FNG) Joe just started in June (still on six month “probation”) and is sitting in on all the classes so he gets up to date with current procedures and observes what we are teaching. Once he finishes all the classes, he’ll do BOWST’s and preflights. Then we get to use him to instruct students and reduce our workload.

That’s about it for now, tomorrow is the deadline for submissions. Stop by and chat if you are in the area.

ALTUS AFB, OK

GTIMS SITE SUPPORT

Hello from the Altus GTIMS office! There has been lots of change since the last Boom Signal. The GTIMS program continues to grow and change; this year the KC-135 ATS, CAE started using GTIMS for their training documentation and now GTIMS is used from start to finish of a student’s training to include their Form-8. If you find yourself at Altus for training, then you will become familiar with GTIMS. Our door is always open to everyone! THOMAS GLOSSER SR, (TSgt RETIRED – KC-135/KC-10) OUTGOING GTIMS SITE MANAGER Since the inception of GTIMS here at Altus, Tom has been here. He has done so much for this Site that just saying “thank you” is not enough. Tom will be heading back to Indiana to be closer to family. It has been rumored that he will be the next head Coach at Notre Dame, but that is still to be determined. We’re pretty sure that when Tom gets a new office up there, he will paint it gold and blue. He still believes their program will return to prominence again soon. We wish you the best of luck Tom, with your Family and your football team…. Seriously, thank you for everything. This site is what it is because of you. JAMES “JAWS” BAUTISTA, (MSgt, RETIRED – KC-135) GTIMS NEW SITE MANAGER This past year has been a very busy one for Jim, with the marriage of his daughter Stephanie, his ongoing cheering for every Oklahoma Sooner sports team, to the ongoing childhood cancer research fundraising events for Sheridan’s Sunshine Foundation, to now being promoted to the site manager position here at Altus. Jim has worked very hard to get here but he will be the first one to tell you “I don’t know nothing, I just work here”. You will always know where he is in the building because every time someone calls, his phone starts playing the Oklahoma fight song; crazy sooner fan. He has been quoted as saying “We will do great things here at the Altus Site, as long as I surround myself with greatness”. …See below CHRISTOPHER MASSEY (SSgt, SEPARATED – KC-135) GTIMS SITE SUPPORT Chris has become the resident expert on GTIMS Stan/Eval and Schedule Planner. He has also become our Server/Database manager. Chris has also been taking numerous computer courses to complete his degree amongst all of that. How he keeps everything straight is beyond me. He is a great asset to our site. Chris is a USC and Dodger fan, so you can see where his sports allegiances lie; all out West. College football and MLB Baseball seasons are rough for him around here. I have had questions about any more hiring in our office, but we will not know anything until at least September. With the KC-46 being stationed here at Altus, we may plus up a couple, but as for now that is unknown.

ANDREWS AFB, MD 756 ARS “Liberators”

The 756 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MD National Guard Bureau

CMSgt Frank Santos: [email protected] I’ve been at Joint Base Andrews for two years now, no more the luxury of working in a high rise in Crystal City with all the after work excitement. In all honesty I can’t complain. A few years back the ANG started moving/rotating STAT tour personnel. Due to this I moved to a new position in Jun 2012 with the NGB Conversion Team, now I travel around the country facilitating SATAFs for units converting to new missions, losing missions or closing. SMSgt Wayne Nelson retired in 2012 and it’s was nice to have SMSgt Joe Mace fill that position. Oh! By the way I’m not the chief he’s referring to. Also, I would like to congratulate CMSgt Edward Mikell on his retirement. There are a few of us driving to Meridian, MS to celebrate with him the many years he served. Thanks for all you’ve done! SMSgt Joe Mace: [email protected] In October of 2012, after a major vehicle breakdown in West by God Virginia, and 7 long days, I arrived with my wife and son at Joint Base Andrews, MD. My current position here at the Air National Guard Readiness Center is the Boom Operator FAM for the ANG. It sounds like a pretty important position I know, but when you boil it all down I’m just Chief Pyszka’s bitch. (He told me so just yesterday). After almost eight months on the job I was finally formally introduced to the group as “the only guy in the Guard who’s made Chief three times”. It’s actually only been twice but at this point who’s counting? We love living on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and are enjoying our time here on the East Coast.

Joint Base Andrews NGB/SEF

Major Daniel “Boone” Gibson: [email protected] Former -135 Boom with the 91st ARS (Malmstrom and MacDill) and am now an Aerospace and Operational Physiologist serving as the Division Chief for Human Factors Safety at NGB…until August when I will be PCSing to Tyndall and getting back into the Aerospace and Operational Physiology world. If anyone comes through Tyndall, please give me a shout! NKAWTG!

SMSgt Eric “Skog” Apelskog: [email protected] No, there isn’t two of me. Things work weird here at HQ! Keeping busy as the Chief of Flight Safety NCO for the NGB. We have 89 wings that we work for with a minimal staff. It’s amazing how many people I see in the halls that I know from TDYs and such. Been here a year with three to go. DC area is fun with lots of stuff to do. They even offer classes at the local Community College in carjacking! Pittsburgh let me go up there to maintain my flying currency (thanks Jerry) which is a nice break from the desk that I fly most days. If any of you find yourselves in the DC area, don’t hesitate to give me a shout! Suzanne and I would love to have you over dinner and drinks! Cheers! Skog

BANGOR ANGB, ME 101 ARW/132 ARS “THE MAINEiacs”

GREETINGS FROM THE MAINEiacs. If your in Bangor stop by the Boom Office and say Hi……..

The FULL TIMERS CMSgt Robert Phair: (Slick) Chief is trying to keep ALL his booms straight, current & qualified. CMSgt Jay Ellingsen: (Schmeg, Tattoo) Current Operations. Always looking to make something go faster; car, motorbike, snowmobile or whatever. SMSgt John Haney: (Steve-O) Training Flight. To sum John up; Works Hard and Plays Harder. SMSgt Gerry Martin: Stan/Eval. On his off time you’ll find Gerry roaming the Northwoods, hunting down innocent young grouse. He often forgets what the daily bag limit is. General rule – hunt til the Whiskey is gone. Rinse, Repeat. MSgt Dan Benner: (Dano, Minuteman) Tanker Task Force. He is still convinced there is a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame for Ricky Craven. MSgt Jim Dickson: (Jimmy D’Vin) Boom Office. A devoted disciple of Ronald Reagan. We send him out at 0800 for noon coffee. MSgt Fergus Kenny: (Boggy) Scheduling. How he keeps his Harley upright going so slow who knows. MSgt Ray Rauscher: (Ray-Ray, Caveman) Tanker Task Force. Where’s Ray, if anyone has seen him let us know…. And Ladies please don’t marry him he’s been married enough. MSgt Ed Seymour: (Sped) Current Operations. As the chief keeps telling Sped this isn’t the Old Guard… NO more boom lunches!!!

TSgt Andy Robichaud: (Robi, Sandy, Metro) Scheduling. He doesn’t believe in the quote “SHARE THE ROAD”. Just please don’t make him cry! The PART-TIMERS MSgt Mark Doughty: ( Stretch, Chuck) On a MPA Tour for the War on Terror. The man with the most toys wins. Hello, my name is Mark Doughty, “what can I do for you today?” Leans any further forward he’ll fall over. MSgt John Fidler: (J.J. Buzzsaw, Shocker) On a MPA Tour for the War on Terror. John learned how to whisper in a saw mill, Learning volume control. MSgt Asa Honey: (Miso) On a MPA Tour for the War on Terror. Works as a Special Investigator for OPM. His favorite beverage as he calls it, “delicious Bud Light”. And is search of the elusive casual shot of Crown. TSgt Jessica Barry: (Giggle-Burp) One of our traditional flyers. Nurse downtown TSgt Ronald Martell: (Viet-Ron, Joe Peschi,) On a MPA Tour for the War on Terror. Straight from Vietnam to the Boom Pod. The only Active Boom Operator collecting both Social Security and Flight pay at the same time. SSgt Melinda Metten: (Mel) Works as a local fire fighter and owns a Cross-Fit Gym… Do I need to say more Don’t mess with this boom! SSgt Nicole York: (Nikki-Please) One of our traditional flyers. Nurse downtown and just selected for pilot training. SSgt Matt Morneault: (Matt) One of our traditional flyers. Came to us from the Cop Shop. SRA Chris Bishop: (Chris) One of our traditional flyers. He must really enjoy the beaches at Al Udeid, he keeps wanting to go back. SRA Michael Newey: (Poof) On a MPA Tour for the War on Terror. Now you see him, now you don’t… keep an eye on him or “Poof” he’s gone. RETIREES CMSgt Joe Philippon (Good Time Charlie) CMSgt Glenn Prewitt (Spider) CMSgt Stan Hunter (C-Don) CMSgt Chuc Halsted (Hostler) CMSgt Sonny Reynolds (Hey-Boom) CMSgt Ed St.Heart (Street) CMSgt Bruce Geroux (Bruce) CMSgt Scott Hesseltine: (Hydro) SMSgt Jim Wood (Skybird) SMSgt Cheryl Martin (Skid)

SMSgt Carla Cyr MSgt Joe Gifford (Joe-Fred) MSgt Arthur Stevens (Art) MSgt Mike Purcell (Mike) MSgt Chris Boucher (Bushy) MSgt Laurie Karnes TSgt Kympton Lovely (Plympton) TSgt Bob Rice (Clem) FORMER BOOMS doing us proud -- We hope anyways Lt Col Tim Marquis (Timmay) Navigator/Airbridge Scheduler/RC-26 Navigator. Lt Col Rick Thompson (Kid) Pilot/ Operations Support Flight Commander. Capt Andy Shuman (Shu) Command Post/Retired. Capt Derek Gilley (Shrek) Pilot. Capt Shawn Stroup (Stroupy, Stroupaloup) Moved on to the Clinc as “O” in administrator. Capt Mike Stevens (Little Shaver) T-1 Pilot. 2nd Lt Paul Harriman: (Paul A. Moochie, Booze Bag, now Booze basket) Pilot. 2nd Lt Josh Grant: Pilot Training. TSgt Jason Dupuy (Zippy) Moved on to somewhere at Scott. FINAL BOOM STOWED CMSgt Aubrey Morgan CMSgt Jim Winchester (Winch) MSgt Tom Jones (Jonesy) MSgt Peter Lerette (Pete) MSgt Roger Macleod MSgt Tom Pound

BATTLE CREEK ANGB, MI 217 AIR MOBILITY SQUADRON (formerly the 110th AMOS)

The 217 AMOS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

BIRMINGHAM IAP, AL 117 ARW/106 ARS “Home of the ‘Bama Booms!”

Howdy from the Total Force Association in Birmingham, Alabama. Home of the last FOUR NCAA Football Championships (three of them belong to the best team, can I get a “Roll Tide”?) Things are going well here. We’ve been busy deploying and flying (most of us!), dealing with the furlough and having fun. RTR! WDE! CMSgt Len Naugher (Chief Boom): Chief has been busy, very busy. It’s not easy to keep this group all heading in the right direction but Chief’s got his hands firmly on the wheel, until he has to slap one of the whiny kids in the back seat. SMSgt Rick Dillard: Ricky may be in his fifties but he’s still taking these young guys on the road and showing them the ropes. He’s also running the training shop, squadron rock band, and SNCO Committee against PT. He just earned the new nickname “Buck”, if you’re curious why; ask him when you see him. MSgt Phillip (Pip) Carroll: Now heading up Stan-Evil, Pip knows more about PEX and I-Pads than he probably ever cared to. He also recently purchased a convertible to allow what is left of his hair to blow in the wind. MSgt Todd Murray: Current Ops own, Big Head still has the knack to acquire every good trip that comes through this unit. Even while I’m typing this he is in Hawaii with a broken jet waiting on parts. Don’t ask where he keeps his lucky rabbit foot. MSgt Dan Graham: Assigned to training (when he’s home), Dirty D is currently deployed on a self-inflicted 75 dayer. The last person to speak to Dan was depressed for two days afterwards. He recently discovered that his eyesight wasn’t what it once was, at least now he has an excuse for the past two years of contacts. MSgt Paul Hudson: Also a Current Ops planner, FB has spent the past few years perfecting the local sortie with no transition and his whiskey palate. During a blind taste test he was able to identify all four random samplings. It was impressive. MSgt A.J. Sharit: Grumpy, is still a traditional guardsman who can find the negative in even the most positive situations. A.J. loves longs walks on the beach, but hates the sand. He also loves Alert, but hates to stay overnight.

MSgt Jeff Grayson: Grey Bones has recently been assigned to the Wing Plans shop, and really can’t wait to start working there but has no idea where the office is. He has a blond doppelganger running around Honolulu, see him at the IHOP. TSgt Scott Slatton: As the scheduler, Slantin has been on the road as much as anyone, he figures the less he is around the squadron the less trouble he can get into. TSgt Wayne Creel: As a possible job change looms around the corner, Creel is staying busy by flying and trying to figure out a way to transfer his Post 9-11 benefits to his wife but has no idea what a DD-214 is. It could be a long process. SSgt Mitch Harwood: Fresh back from CFIC, Cat Nip is right back into the flying schedule and getting ready for a trip to Geilenkirchen. He’s also started up a new business that specializes in used cars and above ground pools, pumps optional. SSgt Eric Glidewell: Also fresh back from CFIC, Eric is STILL crappy at contacts but fantastic at acing his PT test. Way to make the rest of us look good, there, Eric! SrA Evan Harwood: Evananski, has been deploying like airbags in a car wreck, you’re glad they’re there but really don’t want to use them if you don’t have to. He’s been a great addition around here and is quickly entering the discussion for the most valuable Harwood. SrA Matt Campisi: With an EQ out of BIQ at Altus, we really had high expectations for Cheesy once he got back, but those dreams were dashed when I watched him try to put in an over wing hatch. He is currently being retrained.

Outbound: TSgt Dominic Angeles: A big loss, Hochi took a job with the Intel squadron here. I’d tell you all about it but it’s secret. MSgt John Freeman: Another heavy lifter moved on and is now working in the Command Post. He needed to be behind a locked door

Inbound: A1C Rachael Janell Sharp: Currently going through basic training.

BIRMINGHAM IAP, AL 117 ARW/99 ARS TFA Active Duty Squadron

SMSgt David “Doogie” Keller, Operations Superintendent: Doogie just pinned on SMSgt and is getting ready to hit the road again. You can find him talking Crimson Tide football, Atlanta Braves baseball or why the new Superman movie was terrible. Just don’t get him started on why he has lightsabers on his desk or why Apple is inherently better than Droid. TSgt Rodrick “Putt” Taylor, NCOIC Stan/Eval : Putt is fresh in from instructor duty at Altus and has hit the ground running here in Stan/Eval! Already deployed and looking to go again soon. Putt raises his hand to volunteer for everything! “I’ve got it, Sir!” And he does have everything, except his wallet. Too soon? TSgt Dustin Clark, NCOIC Tactics: Dustin is currently deployed, but getting ready to come back home. He is our resident tactics guru. Can answer any question, at any time about the tactical world or really about anything. All you need to do is ask him! TSgt Jason Hammond, NCOIC Scheduling: Jay is owning the scheduling shop! He has been selected for CFIC and will be there before the end of the year. Another Bama boy, as evidenced by all things Crimson Tide on his desk! Whenever you need someone with a dry sense of humor, Jay is there. SSgt Jake “Nemo” Nenneman, NCOIC Training: Nemo just left to replace Dustin up north. He is our training expert and he always has something to say. Just make sure you know who is on interphone before you say something! Situational Awareness! SSgt Chelsey Thorhnill, NCOIC Current Operations: Chelsey just got orders to the McGuire CRW, so she will be departing the fix soon. She and Travis just welcomed their first child and future boom operator to the world, Steen! Chelsey is doing great things in the Current Ops shop! SrA LeighAnn Schuster, Scheduling: LeighAnn PSC’d in last August and has already moved three times! Seriously, though, please stay away from pit-bulls; they like to bite. LeighAnn saved our bacon when she got here by flying (what seemed like) every transition only sortie for about a month! A1C Nathan Rajzer: Nate is the 99th’s first “baby boom” and he is doing very well. He got to do pressure A/R on his first solo combat mission!

Outbound: SSgt Chelsey Thornhill – McGuire CRW, November. Inbound: A1C Andrew Birmingham – December. Yes, Birmingham is actually his last name! This would have been funnier if his first name was “Hoover” or “Tuscaloosa”.

Retired: TSgt Dave Tickle: Dave couldn’t wait to get back down to Florida! He is currently growing his “terrorist beard” and loving life as a retiree!

SEATTLE, WA Boeing

Greetings from the Boeing Boom Operators! What a huge and busy year for Boeing! We have completed 90% Drawing Complete, Over 30 system Critical Design Reviews including boom, drogues, sticks, station etc..Ultimately Culminating in the Completion of the KC46A Critical Design Review (CDR), The KC-46A is already in the assembly line and we started building booms…first flight is only a little more than a year away . We continue to use our Air Force teammates in the development of the station…this year USAF participants have assisted us in testing sticks/grips, cameras, displays and AERPs interface to the station, much fun was had by all…Not sure the last time I’ve heard of a boom doing AR in AERPS for about 2 hours!! The first Dedicated Test (DT) booms (ARO’s) will be entering training in a little less than a year and will be essential in the flight test program success. Additionally we continue to host the Joint Crew Systems Working Groups (JCSWG) verifying system/station design and are working aggressively with AFTC in establishing the USAF AFTC Det 1 at Seattle that will join the KC-46A Joint Test Team supporting all AR testing as it will be accomplished in Puget Sound area of Washington. Our International Tanker “moves the mission” everyday including boom, drogue and cargo operations throughout the world. We remain very involved in supporting them and always look for an opportunity to visit for a flight….Unfortunately, we’re not getting to do that much. We will be visiting Pease AFB and McConnell AFB in the coming months and look forward to seeing you at this year’s Boom Symposium and ARSAG. Sean Martin – As the KC-46 Chief Air Refueling Operator, He continues to honor “whatever the team needs” and remains on the road more than when he was in the Air Force. He continues to work daily to ensure the design of the weapon systems supports what booms need everyday…sometimes he wins sometimes he loses... Sean officially retired from AFRC and “dropped off the books” 3 October 2012, his waistline shows it!! Ryan completed his 4 th year of college at Wichita State University and hopes to complete his Bachelors degree sometime…and be a pilot! Donna hasn’t divorced him yet, but like any good flight tester…he’s on the way! Rickey “Grand Poobah” Kahler – Boeings Chief Flight Test Boom Operator… Rickey continues to provide sage advice and experience to an extremely aggressive KC-46 test team and development of the schedule while continuing support to the International Program. The Grand Poobah hopes to increase his contact lead on the rest of us the test booms at Boeing on KC-46 and is still doing well despite his ever advancing age and number of grand children Michael Kibler – “Mike” joined the Flight Test Boom team in January and moved his family from 14 years in the desert at Edwards AFB and has already let his hair and beard grow long while working hard to adjust to the “Boeing way”. Lori, Michael and Jacob don’t know why everyone complains about the weather in Seattle….By the way, we’ve had an exceptionally dry and sunny spring and summer! Hopefully it will continue into the fall and winter…Fat Chance Dennis Struve – Unfortunately, Dennis decided to transition from his Flight Test Boom position at Boeing and accept a Flight Test Engineer position at Learjet in Wichita KS, we miss his knowledge and support each day. I understand that Emily has completed her residency and is now a doctor…The twins Mikena and Mason are all doing

well. The older two have moved up another grade and MacKenzie will officially be a middle schooler in 8 th grade and Parker is now a 4rd grader. Larry Watson – Larry stowed the boom for the last time when the last Italy aircraft was delivered, Larry has retired for good….we’ll see, and he may need an engine overhaul or new septic system or something! Already asking what he needs to do to get qualified as a KC-46 Flight Test Boom, hear he needs a new roof on the barn as a result of the last hail storm…

BOEING KC-46 BOOM OPERATOR TRAINING AND TECH PUBS TEAM FUELING THE FIGHT, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

Greetings from the vast northwest and the birthplace of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-46 Tanker! Another year has passed and we are less than 5 months away from instructing our first crewmembers. Our team has grown and now consists of over 25 dedicated team members. We had the honor this year of meeting the first Boom Operator ever, Dick Taylor (92yrs)! Dick was our guest speaker for the KC-46 critical design review completion celebration. Dick Taylor was a Boeing test pilot on the KB-29 who was “volunteered” to be the first Boom Operator to ever attempt a boom contact! In doing so he upgraded his status! Also, we honored Cliff Leisy, the engineer who created and designed the first Boom! What a special moment in time, to learn about our boom operator heritage. •

Phil “The Real” Deal, Lead, KC-46 Boom Operator Training. Phil previously experience on the Italian and Japan KC-767 Flight Test Program, has been a guiding force in staying on pace to complete our courseware. He has not lost anymore hair over keeping Al and Bubba in line……but maybe has increased his rice crispy treat intake! Phil completed the 767 weight and balance class and cargo loading planning schedule class.

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David “Capt” Craig, KC-46 Aircrew Training Subject Matter Expert. Due to Dave’s vast commercial flight experience is as a Captain in the 767, he has crossed over to the dark side as the Lead, for the KC-46 pilot training. However, we still let him in the Boom Pod from time to time as once a Boomer always a Boomer!

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Don “Bubba” Cox, KC-46 Aircrew Training Subject Matter Expert. Still enjoying my Tiffin Allegro Red RV, and traveling the great northwest on the weekends if a camping spot is available….since Al has them booked a year in advance! When I do get a site, I spend most of my time hiking with my grandkids and teaching them how to fish….and to actually catch something! Despite all the extra activities, I was able to complete the 767 weight and balance class and cargo loading planning schedule class.

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Al “Yo Boom” Miller, KC-46 Aircrew Training Subject Matter Expert. Al has completed all his initial lessons and has helped the pilots out, as usual! Al spends most of his time motorcycle off road riding, and walking the numerous trails here in Washington State. However, he is a little more aware of the hillbillies in the mountains now since his exposure to armed citizens……..I think the quote was “You’re on my land” before full throttle was applied!

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Stacy Tansits, KC-46 Boom Operator Publications Author. Stacy joined us after 24 years in the USAF. We are excited to have her on the team as she brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to the KC-46 tanker program. She will be spending most of her time in the SIL writing checklist procedures and validating them. She is in the process of buying a house with 6 garages or a garage for her fleet of vehicles…….I wonder if she gets a fleet discount at the car wash?

The training and publications Boom Operators have over 125 years of combined experience at every level of the Boom Career field and job experiences that cross over to other aircraft specialties. We will do our best to provide the finest training for the KC-46 Tanker Boom Operators. We thank you, that are currently serving, and for those who have served! A special acknowledgement for Boomer’s who have sacrificed their lives for our country, a debt we can never repay! Take care, and fly safe, Bubba. NKAWTG.

EDWARDS AFB, CA AIR FORCE TEST CENTER “BEST IN TEST”

Greeting from Edwards, Its been a busy year here at Edwards! Our Booms continue to lead the way by testing the latest technology available. We are involved in F-35A/B/C testing, KC-135 Blk 45, KC-10 ABCU, KC-30, KC-767, KC-135 Speckled Trout, X-47, and the KC-46 to name a few. Our Booms are quite possibly the most professional well rounded group of individuals I have ever met. If you are ever looking to expand your abilities, give us a call. 412th OG CMSgt Shawn Hughes: Chief left us for the east coast; he finally got a Command Chief job at Charleston. Unfortunately the only CEA’s he will see are C-17 Loadmasters…good luck with that nightmare Chief! It took 2 semi-trucks to haul away his ABU collection. All joking aside, we are going to miss his no nonsense perspective and mentorship. Best of luck to you and the family Chief! SSgt Leighann “L-Ray” Ray: Still hammering away at the Group, slapping the brass back in line. Rumor is she can wash the hell out of a staff car! Just had a beautiful baby girl and loves being a new mom again! SSgt Jake “GTFO” Sarno: Got real short since the word he was going to be KC-46 Initial Cadre came down. Started buying up real estate in the Seattle area while repeating “That’s how Kibler did it”. Gets real excited about bookworm burlesque. 445th FLTS MSgt Tom “Pack Mule” Ireland: Tom left us, bound for Kansas. Word is that he spends his free time searching for mountains to climb. USFS reports they still have a puddle of his tears on top of Mt. Whitney. MSgt Ernest “The Don” Burns: Burnsie came to us from AMC bringing the rolodex that weighs at least 30 lbs, seriously, this guy seems to know every single f-ing Boom out there. After a short touch and go, he is on his way to Seattle as the KC-46 Det Superintendent soon. Just look at his big cheesy grin on his face every time somebody mentions it. MSgt Jason “Hush” Larimore: Jason just got here, but nobody noticed because he snuck in real quiet like. Seriously, we think he used to be a ninja or something. He keeps looking out at the tanker parked on the tarmac with a sparkle in his eye, repeating “Soon..so soon” under his breath. He plans to sit in the superintendent chair went Burnsie departs.

MSgt Dan “D-Ray” Ray: D-Ray is still superintendent at USAF Test Pilot School. They keep him busy belittling the wanna-be TPS grads. Word on the street is he will be retiring soon, depriving us of his good ol’ boy humor and goofy smile. MSgt Ryan “Golden boy” Perry: Got selected to be the very first KC-46 boom and immediately bought a RV. Should be departing for the northwest pretty soon with a U-Haul filled with awards and medals. Recently claimed that gremlins truly do exist, but better sure as hell stay on the old aircraft. TSgt Rich “Leeeeeeeroy” Craft: Still claims the KC-10 is the greatest thing ever. He even made the statement into a 1206 bullet and won. He has his crosshairs on Seattle, should be departing soon. TSgt Lonnie “Mr. Furious” Moon: Our local Training shop guru, Lonnie got brave and took up a dual qual in the mighty war wagon. He doesn’t hurl nearly as much as MOG, but give it time. We love how he refuses to take crap from the patch wearers… SSgt Colin “MOG” Wernecke: Colin recently put on the KC-135 patch, and discovered the “smelly old tanker” wasn’t that bad after all. He hangs out in STAN/EVAL with A-Ray most of the time, gluing R/C airplanes back together. Slotted to move up Seattle soon and he can’t wait to get that drive thru coffee. SSgt Mike “Cooter” Miranda: Mike came to us from Altus, and got straight to work reminding us of his superior airmanship. Reported to have an arsenal that rivals the entire US Spec Ops community, you can find him in the desert blasting away at targets in his free time. Got picked up for the KC-46 program and can’t wait to show “how it’s done”. 370th FLTS SMSgt Mike “Elf” Kibler: Mike recently retired, but decided to keep plugging the hole on behalf of Boeing. You know that Dos Equis guy? Yeah, that’s what our Mike looks like now… SMSgt Mark “Clover” O’Connor: Mark finally got off DNIF and got his butt in the airplane. He has been filling the King Test Boom shoes ever since Kibler went VFR direct to Boeing. He tears up whenever he passes the KC-10 picture in the hallway. MSgt Scotty “EDO” Scurlock: Scotty recently bought stock in NASCAR and plans to have his own race team soon. He already has a helmet custom made to accommodate his stellar neck beard. If you hear somebody making “Vroom” sounds in the hallway, it’s alright; just Scotty. TSgt Aaron “A-Ray” Ray: A-Ray recently turned to the dark side. He spends most of his time in Spain working on the KC-30 and perfecting his sangria. Also rumored to have bought Scotty a 50 lb. tub of vanilla ice cream while in Europe together… TSgt Matty “Lunchbox” Werner: Our newest AGR, Matty came to us after a short stint at Travis. Immediately got to work screwing up on JSF test sorties. Its your disconnects Matty, you are doing it wrong all of the sudden! Who had the bright idea bring this chump back here?!! AFOTEC Det 5 MSgt Scott “What beans?” Beasley: Pretty rare to see Scott these days, he is like a Bigfoot sighting. He moved the homestead up to Seattle, spends his free time trying to feed Rachel the Pig. We see him once in a while, wondering what that bright yellow thing is in the sky…

EIELSON AFB, AK 168 ARS

Greetings from the Frozen North. Land of the midnight sun and mosquitoes the size of birds. It’s always busy up here. You would have thought with the sequester that things would have slowed down; that would have been too easy. With 24 hour Alpha alert, Operation Noble Eagle, the ‘Deid’, Guam, local training flights, and everything else that happens, we can’t stop to catch our breath. We had some big names retire this year, and no new booms came back from training this year. Our part timers really have stepped up to fill in the holes to get the mission done. A special thanks to our maintenance and ground folks; we couldn’t do it without you. Feel free to contact us anytime at [email protected] or call the boom pod DSN 317-377-8836, commercial (907) 377-8836.

SMSgt John “Doc” Duhaime (AGR) – John is the new Chief Boom around here. So far he is doing a great job. He is our newest evaluator around the squadron also. MSgt Rich “Smitty” Smith (AGR) – Smitty is still rockin’ in Scheduling as the guy that pretty much does everything that needs to be done. Since his NCO Academy was finished he was able to put that Master stripe on, and now he is about to start his upgrade to evaluator. MSgt Christian “Willey Cat” Willey (AGR) – The Willy Cat popped out another kitty. His family is up to four now. He has also made Master this year, and is making to move from Scheduling to the Training shop. Good Luck. MSgt Kendra “Mom” Halbert (TRAD) – Well, she’s still here. Maybe this year is her last. Hang around and find out(dundundundunnnnnn!!!). We love you Kendra. MSgt Tanna “Queen B” Carter (TRAD) – Tanna decided that the Alyeska Pipeline is lame and moved BACK up to the -50 below to be one of our flight NCOIC’s. It had been great having her around. TSgt Keith “KROW” Rowan (AGR) – Krow got himself an AGR job. He is now the full time S/E boom. When he isn’t around the office, he is busy crashing motorcycles. We are all glad you’re not dead. TSgt Tracy “Lil Devil” Purdy (TRAD) – Tracy is plugging along. She graduated NCO Academy earlier this year and is waiting on that slot for Master to open up. Her and her husband bought a house here in North Pole this past spring. We are hoping to bring her husband over to the dark side (the Guard) and keep them around. TSgt James “HUD” Hudnall(TRAD) – James is that guy that is always in the Deid. He is doing a fantastic job; we couldn’t be happier with him. Meanwhile, he got his NCO Academy done and is actively chasing an AGR position.

SSgt Pete “Shingles” Gardella (AGR) – Pete got bored with surfing and hanging in the sun and got an AGR position. He finished up CFIC and now is learning how the Scheduling shop works and adjusting to life in Alaska. SSgt Jonathan Legan (TRAD) – Jon finished up his ALS this spring and got himself promoted to Staff Sergeant. Next stop for him is CFIC. Meanwhile he is doing everything, Alert, the Deid, TDY’s, ect... . Its always good to have him around. SSgt Rachel “Knight Rider” Knight (AGR) -- Rachel is our newest AGR hire. She is learning all about being a RA and just being a boom, getting those flights in. When she is out of the office she is enjoying the summer with her kids. SSgt Audrey “1-900” Page (TRAD) – Audrey had herself a baby this year and has decided that she wanted to become a full time mother. She is separating from the Guard this fall. We wish you luck Audrey. Sra Joshua “Philip Michael” Hunt (TRAD) – Mike can be found at University of Alaska Fairbanks workin’ on his college degree in history. He occasionally finds the time to hop on a trip somewhere warm with sandy beaches. Sra Kyle Armour (TRAD) -- Kyle got himself a lady and got married! Congrats dude! When he isn’t at home with his new wife he is here pulling that Alert and flying when he can. Right now he is getting ready to go to ALS so he can get promoted.

168 Retired Booms Ron Merbach* Billy Malico* Cheryl Helgerman* Bob Edgett Keith Bromley Mark McGrath Bridget Tamburino Dick Hardy Todd Cook Bob Hauer Lyle Kirgan Samtha Dahl* Mario McGee Butch Stein Dale Forrey* Pat Kerber Curt Gipson Paul Nunemann Steven Forgue Keith Henrys *Booms that have passed on.

FAIRCHILD AFB, WA 92 ARS “BLACKHAWKS”

CMSgt Steven “Opie” Flax (Ops Gp): Chief is a true living legend in these parts! Chief (also known as the High Class Redneck) literally owns more than half of all the products Cabelas sells. When not thinking about his next Duck/Turkey hunting adventure, he can be found watching Duck Dynasty or talking about Bass Fishing. When not doing either of those he’s usually telling us war stories about SAC and desert storm and mentoring the young guys about careers and hunting! Most of Chief’s non work related stories could somehow be correlated into a Jeff Foxworthy Joke. SMSgt “Wild” Bill Fitch (Sq Superintendent): Anyone that knows Bill also knows he is anything but wild…Maybe more like a tamed bunny rabbit. Wild Bill can usually be found in his office 10 hours a day wondering why the sky is blue and why he’s not up there flying. When not sending out e-mails about AFSA, First 4, Club 5-6, or the Top 3; he can usually be found looking something up in AFI 36-2903. Bill is headed to sunny Hawaii come June….Good luck! MSgt Joe “Thumbs” Corder (Ops Superintendent): Joe is our residential redneck/computer guy/WOW expert/local mud bogger. When not in the office figuring out how to make his office/command post a little sweeter, he can be found telling young booms about the good ole days of the dust bowl and SAC. Joe will be retiring come June in pursuit of the WOW national championship. Good luck brother! MSgt Ted “Bundy” Buit (OGV): Recently hit 7500 Flying hours, the best part is he told the WG/CC that 2500 of those were from sleeping! Planning to retire this summer and building his dream house, this takes all his time and currently nowhere to be found. Ted plans on riding his Harley as a full time job once he retires. Enjoy the good life Brother! TSgt Tony “Shooter” Erdelac (NCOIC Training Flt): This years’ author… and resident pain in my butt! (Fitch writing) Tony hasn’t learned how kids are made yet and that’s why he’s clinically insane come mid Thursday. He drinks beer and shoots things on the weekend and starts Monday off normal followed by a slow and steady decline. Tony rocked out a Chief Boom gig at Manas and received some high praise for his ability to do paperwork. This former personnel star is going to make a great SNCO! TSgt Dan “Dandar” McCrillis (NCOIC Stan Eval): Anyone that knows Dan, knows he is wrong at least 60% of the time, every time. Dan will go to untold lengths to try and prove his point even though nobody is listening.

When not getting showed up by Tony and Chris, Dan can be found telling someone how cool he is. Also recently traded in his Tundra for a Corolla “S”…His wife wears the pants! TSgt Greg “Powder” Sanders (Wing XP): Greg is currently deployed as Chief Boom. When he is around can be found at his local tanning booth prepping for summer time or lifting heavy objects in the gym. Greg recently got hired to go work in the 509th WPS and when done with that job will have been on Fairchild for 10 years….Well done! TSgt Chris Joyce (Stan Eval): Chris is a gentle soul that would not hurt a fly unless you do something wrong on the jet. When not getting tasked with miscellaneous jobs around the squadron he can be found making fun of or arguing with Dan anyway he can. A welcomed addition from Altus! TSgt Randy Stinnett (OST): Need a mediocre DJ? Book your next event with Slim Sounds DJ service where he specializes in Bar Mitzvah’s, Circumcision, Exorcism, and Lingerie parties. Randy is the ONLY boom on this base that has not deployed to fly the line, but he did serve some time in Curacao????? SSgt Dave Askins (NCOIC A Flt): Recent cross trainee and still awaiting Altus. Dave is a War god when it comes to Nerf gun fights in the Sq. Also loves to hunt which is why we don’t see him after lunch….Weird! SSgt Steve Cantu (Asst NCOIC Training): Can you say War Hero…Steve just received his 15th OLC Air Medal! Recently found out that Candice has a bun in the oven….that’s right a little Cantu will be running around soon. Steve is trying to get orders to Altus or anywhere but here! SSgt Justin Holbrook (NCOIC Scheduling): Recent recipient of orders to Altus. Justin has been called the “Song Bird of our generation”. When not singing karaoke at bars with Childers and trying to pick up girls, he can be found playing WOW with Corder. SSgt Lauren Powell (Asst NCOIC Scheduling): Lauren is our newest SSgt and instructor. Lauren loves being a new instructor and will literally call you at midnight to try and steal your sortie. She hopes to move to Altus but no orders at this point. Lauren is looking for a warmer environment and a cowboy to sweep her off her feet. SSgt Michael Childers (NCOIC Readiness): Mike is still wishing he was at Kadena but recently bought a new race car for his midlife crisis. Will be going to instructor upgrade this year! Loves to sing Karaoke in bars EVERY weekend….seriously give it up! SSgt Dave “Never here” Stefaniak (Asst NCOIC A Flight): Dave is somehow always gone even when G2 shows he has nothing on the schedule. Palace chase didn’t work out so he has accepted his fate and bought a 4 plex. As a slum lord he’s actually doing quite well and we expect to see him rolling in a jaguar very soon! SrA Tracy Johnson (Stan Eval): Tracy is our non-instructor/evaluator of the century!! When not telling Tony and Dan what they’ve done wrong on Form 8’s, she can usually be found correcting someone else. SrA Faishon “Shane” Halford (Scheduling): Don’t call me Faishon!!!! Shane is always deployed, TDY, or gone some way shape or form. Shane will be an instructor sometime soon but until then, he will be crushing the flying schedule. Since Geoff Junt left, Shane became the Sq’s largest consumer of hair gel! BTW quit taking pictures of yourself in the mirror and putting them on facebook! SrA Jeff Watson (Scheduling): Jeff is our Sq LARPing champion! Currently in the process of instructor upgrade and hoping to make it through. Jeff spends most of his time going to school full time and cranking out the flying schedule. Seriously we need you to deploy!

SrA Andrew Keepers (Readiness): Drew is a quiet man of few words, but when he does talk it usually starts with the word “Dude”. Drew has been crushing deployments and will now enjoy the slower pace for a while. Psych! SrA Chris Knittel (CCX): Chris is coming back up on flying status and looking forward to getting out of the office once in a while. Been keeping the readiness shop a float since he’s been there. “They literally would collapse if he left”…Chief Flax SrA Erin Ong (Training): Airman of the decade! Erin was 2012 AMN of the Year. If there is anything to be done this girl will do it. Currently on her 3rd deployment in the past year and looking to try and catch Cantu as far as Air medals go. Erin was also the 2012 OG Boom of the Year! Watch out for this one!!!! SrA Mike Rowell (Readiness): Mike is a soft spoken country boy that lives in the gym. Recently married to a (S)Sgt in hopes of having a sugar momma. Likes to spend his free time in the woods or at the gym….and that is it…..he eats boring food. SrA Caleb Sieben (Tactics) Caleb already has like 20 deployments under his belt. Since never going DNIF and being a Sq workhorse we sent him to CFIC for his dedication! This man is made of solid gold! Caleb loves to sing Karaoke and make youtube videos in his spare time with his roommate “Red”. SrA Anthony Price (Readiness): Price came here from Kadena and is now fixing to separate. Think he’s going to like being a civilian and going to school. Good Luck! A1C Andrew Capra (Scheduling) Andrew is the runner up in the LARPing competition behind Watson. Andrew has also many unusual talents to include his Bat signal when trouble is around. He spends more time deployed then he is at home. AKA Father Capra…he married the wing chaplain I think… A1C Melanie Bright (Training): Melanie is a living cowgirl who happens to be a part time Boom Operator. When not deployed she loves to spend time taking care of her horses and working on her truck. She is also the Squadron Arm Wrestling Champion. A1C Whitney Thaler (Awards/Dec): Whitney has been our Awards and Decs guru for the past year. We are not sure of her future but wish nothing but the best. Sgt Fitch still refers to her as Thaler 274…for anyone who’s old enough to have seen Turk 182…not me. A1C Dave Fernandez (Scheduling): Pretty boy Dave is learning the ropes as a Boom Operator. Just finished his first deployment and is now rocking the flying schedule. I have high hopes for this one! A1C Steven Proctor (A Flt) AKA T-Rex with his little arms. Steven has been known to get his flight suits on size too small and his ABU custom tailored to be more form fitting….really? When not flexing in the mirror, he is working on how to park his truck which is too big for him. Learn how to drive with McCrillis’s Corolla…On second thought I would not make you suffer like that. Good luck and other drivers beware. A1C Korbin Hays (A Flt): Korbin love long walks on the beach on quiet evenings sipping wine by the fireplace. When not having his high school past affect his AF career, he can be found tanning and stealing his little brothers Tshirt. Weirdo! A1C Dave Simpson (A Flt): Dave is finally deployed after waiting for a slot for like 5 months. He has been on some sweet TDY’s in the process though. We all have high hopes for Dave…be careful what you ask for kid! A1C Christain Gamboa (A Flt): Been here forever waiting for an Altus class and just graduated. Let the fun begin!

A1C Jesse Doepker (A Flt): This man practices EMCON 4 on a regular basis. You can’t get anything out of him, not even a smile. Ease up buddy. A1C Stephen Doswell (A Flt): Doswell is doing okay…that’s it, everything is okay…he’s the guy in the horror movie not running. He recently took his PT test with Sgt Fitch and beat the old man in the 1st Qtr mile and then got smoked by 2 minutes and rolled around in the grass that some other slacker threw up in. Awesome, he lucked out and missed it…or we might have a new “Chum” call sign here! A1C Eli Kohorst (A Flt): AKA “The Kid” This guy gave himself his own call sign of “Maverick”…dork! He is 19 yrs old going on 13. He does think his VW Jetta is sweet but little does he know my high school girl friend drove to same car. But at least it’s not a Corolla (Dan)! A1C Joshua Ortega (Stan Eval): “The force is strong in this one”. Josh is an up and coming superstar and has recently been moved to Stan Eval to help Tracy going through Form 8’s as a SELO. Josh has good taste in trucks as well unlike McCrillis. A1C William Pelkofer (A Flt): This cat is straight gangsta! Just turned 21 so his weekend adventure = good stories for everyone else come Monday morning. William will be a good boom operator as long as his weekend adventures continue to stay PG 13. BRAT PACK: A1C Greg Webb (MCT): High hopes for Grandpa Webb. Greg comes to us from the great state of Indiana so he has big shoes to fill. A1C Wesley Tinch (MCT): Another Quiet guy. Recently married and recently arrived….Good luck on both. A1C Ryan Kemp (MCT): Quite kid but smart! Look out for this future CMSgt in the making.

FAIRCHILD AFB, WA 93 ARS “Horse and a bird…93d”

TSgt Tre Mackey December 15, 1982 - May 03, 2013 Tre was a stranger to no one and a friend to all. Thank you for your sacrifice to our freedom. You will never be forgotten.

Chief Boom SMSgt Christopher Rueckert [email protected] The new Squadron Sup came in running. Chris been described as a “Fast Burner” but I have no idea why. It took him forever (12 years) to put on SMSgt. He bought a house out here in Spokane so now he is going to be a permanent fixture. We are glad to have him and can’t wait to see what the future holds with him at the helm. MSgt Micheal O’Connor [email protected] Mike did a great job as our Sq Sup over the last year but as everyone knows all good things must come to an end. Now he has moved over to OGV to make life difficult for all those who have made his difficult over the last year. He will do great things over there and wants everyone to remember to watch out for bikers because if you hit him he will Q3 you! Operations Superintendent TSgt Justin Dixon [email protected] Papa Dixon took the bull by the horns and did a phenomenal job as the Ops Sup, but unfortunately Jonny kicked him out when he put on MSgt and forced him back to NCOIC of Stan Eval. If that want enough, Jonny also kicked him out on what was supposed to be hhis deployment. I’m sure Justin will find a way to repay him, maybe on his next checkride?

MSgt Jonathan Gomez [email protected]

Jonny is the new Ops Sup for the 93d. He runs a tight ship and will do a great job. He brings a lot of experience from being a Sensor Operator that he will be able to put into action with our new booms. We are trying to slowly ease him into civilization after his tour at Cannon. Safety SSgt Cleigh Robbins [email protected] Cleigh paved the way for Fairchild’s 2012 Animals team building activities by making everyone play flippy cup. Once he lost the first round he was the first to retreat to his truck and cry himself to sleep. (Before 10 PM) About 2330, we heard a rustling in the bushes and saw a pair of eyes reflecting the fire back. Turns out it was no beast but it was Cleigh coming back for round 7. FLIIPPPYYY CCCUUUPPPP. (No chairs were harmed during the team building exercise.) SrA Tazmin “Almost Made It” Urata [email protected] He is still the self-proclaimed DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) champion of the world. Recently Taz was spotted at Bed Bath & Beyond looking for a stool so that he could be up at the same height as his girlfriend when they talk. Awards & Decorations SrA Frank Pappalarado [email protected] The only Airman in awards and decs who knows nothing about awards and decs. Now he is prepping to become an instructor… He will only talk to you if you approach him while calling out “Frankie” with an Italian accent. Got married earlier this year and is happy as a bug in a rug. SrA Michael McCloskey [email protected] Recently brought a baby girl into the AF. Michael has to work extra hard in the Sq not to be shown up by his wife who is the head of the 93d spouses club. Thankfully for him his recruiter talked him into being a boom despite having a degree prior to coming into the military. Training Flight SSgt Derik Melson (NCOIC) [email protected] Derik is the resident expert on all things 135. If he does not know the answer you would never be able to tell because he can make bull shit sound legit. Getting married soon into a mixed marriage (93d and 92d ARS) everyone is invited…except you. SSgt Jason Markham [email protected] Jason says is the best golfer in the 93d ARS. He does have photo evidence of him standing next to the ball where it laid to rest five feet from the hole on his second shot (his story not mine) Before we finally got him to Altus he was rocking out our training shop. We are excited to see him able to put that energy into being a boom. SrA Marino Miklja [email protected] “Milkjug” finally got off DNIF status only to get lased on his first flight back. Luckily no damage and is back to flying for us. He had a special office made at his house so that when he is not flying he can work from home. At least that is what we are told when we look for him.

SrA Jacob Aufderheide [email protected] “A-10” can be seen wandering aimlessly with a back pack permanently attached while blinking SOS repeatedly. He is either looking for his momma or his hookah. One never knows with bears. SrA Shon Shirley [email protected] Former AFE guy from Kadena. Crashed his car shortly after arriving, no details but we will have more dirt on him next year. A1C Janet Yi [email protected] The 93d “Shotgunning” champ. No man can beat Janet at downing some cold beverages. When not beating out everyone on the party side of life she is rocking out on helping others whether it is feeding the homeless or collecting jackets for kids…speaking of kids “Free babysitting” is her motto. Lastly she is dealing with her Hello Kitty addiction one day at a time. A1C Sean Snyder [email protected] The only person I know who has had to pay the military to serve. After about three $0 paychecks we finally get his pay fixed to the point that he got some pay but I think he still owns five percent of the AF by supporting their debt. SrA Michael Weidman [email protected] Mike has the most interesting and crazy stories you have ever heard if you can understand them through the can of dip he keeps firmly placed in his lower lip. Earned an “EQ” at CFIC and is one of our newest instructors and doing a great job of passing on all of that knowledge. Readiness (T)Sgt Christian Villanueva (NCOIC) [email protected] Christian is another one who saw the light and cross trained to us from services. New to the squadron and currently at Altus going through BIQ. We will have more garbage to come on him next year. SSgt Robert Prince [email protected] The 92d Boom Association has had many pancake breakfasts but when we were joined by Rob with his pancake flipping skills, learned from his prior life in services, our money doubled. Now we need to try a lunch and have him work his magic there. We were lucky to get him back from Puerto Rico when he went TDY. Landing and not seeing a tan flight suit was an invitation to stay I guess. SSgt Gregory Albers [email protected] Greg is a “Jack of all trades” and master of none. This guy does everything around the squadron whether it is running a readiness shop, beating people’s asses into shape at the gym, or just trying to beat people’s asses at the Captain’s party. He is down at Altus as we speak….Shooters patrons be warned! SrA Cameron Bilyeu [email protected] Cam is a proud new dad of a beautiful girl. When he is not watching the Price is Right Cam likes to light fires in his back yard and sends smoke signals to PapaDixon across the street. Someone needs to get him a new calendar

because the one he had ended in March and he is unaware that time has moved on. That fact is evidenced by his mustache that he refuses to shave off. Hopefully he does not start borrowing Goose’s van. SrA Jeremy Culliton [email protected] JTB “Jeremy the Boom” is a master at pushing the limits. Something about how bleach blond hair is a product of too much time spent surfing and soaking in the rays. Jeremy is looking hard for any way to get to a base with a beach next to it so he can hit the waves every day after work. SrA Anthonie Owens [email protected] Now a level 28 on League of Legends where he battles nightly with Frankie P (w/Italian accent) at his side fending off the waves of evil creatures trying to overtake the stronghold. When the internet went down he resorted to a wrestling match with SrA Halford where he learned that being a badass online DOES NOT translate directly into real life. Scheduling SSgt Ben Davis (NCOIC) [email protected] One of our Altus guys that you would never guess came from Altus. As the NCOIC of scheduling he is holding the shop up despite it missing its backbone (See SSgt Machala). Has a Ford Bronco that is older than the majority of 93d Boom Operators and looks better too. SSgt Matthew Machala [email protected] The backbone of the 93d scheduling shop. Matt filled the shoes of the legendary Mike “Sweaty” McPhee when the AF could no longer afford his expertise. Comes to us from the AWACS and is adapting nicely to sitting in the front of the jet and having windows to look out of. SrA Kevin Satberry [email protected] During Kevin’s’ duty day from 1100 to 1300 with a 1 hour lunch he likes to remind everybody they owe him a beer for something nobody can remember took place. KSat then uses said beers to pass the time fishing & chasing freshies on the local mountain. SrA Travis Peirce [email protected] Travis has gone full beast mode. You can find him and his girlfriend cranking it out in the gym…(get your minds out of the gutter) In between workouts he can be seen shoveling down one of his eight daily protein packed meals. You don’t want to see him when he’s angry. A1C Richard Bailey

[email protected]

Emperor of the Banished Sentinels, Richard uses his bachelor’s degree to strategize his next move against the rival LARP group the One Winged Legion. When not at his desk you can find him at the BK lounge romancing his damsel. (Who may be in distress?) A1C Nicholas Roney [email protected] When Nick came to us from Altus he was about 1 month late. He was so happy about passing his checkride that he fell out of formation and caught himself with his face. He is now the only 93d member with a super power. We call him Iron Jaw and he can take a punch from Tyson!

A-Flight TSgt Aaron Leal (NCOIC) [email protected] After an unfortunate APU downgrade Aaron is now the resident expert on all things that have to do with Auxiliary power. He enjoys yelling at people about smoking their E-Cigs and when that goes nowhere he enjoys blowing up whatever he can get his hands on. A1C Nathanael Bussey [email protected] Our resident “go to” guy if there is something you need done. Got the boom pod up and running with new computers so that we can have a place to do our work…Wait Booms work? Current assignment is trying to figure out how to hang a projector for our X-Box competitions...I mean training videos. A1C James Bloom-Kelly “BK” [email protected] When he is not LARPing in Manito Park on the weekends you can find this 6’6” beast of a man at home putting the polish on his patented Inzana laugh. For his first deployment he became the private tour guide for Ashanti and could be found either in her bus or on stage at her concert shaking it with her dancers up until the point his appendix burst and had to be put on an air evac to Bagram. A1C Jordan Gese AKA “Goose” [email protected] Goose drives a windowless creeper van for the sole purpose of storing his ATV. When we do not have a jet available for cargo checks we use his van and tie down his ATV according to -9 procedures. Goose has single handedly saved the air force at least $5.03 and in turn used the money to buy candy for his van. Somehow despite all this he got a girl to elope with him? Amn Jesse Lee [email protected] Jesse learned the hard way that NCO’s are like parents in the way that they know when you are lying to them. A1C Nicholas Barker [email protected] Nic is still wet behind the ears. Made a rookie mistake by going to the Flight Doc the day before his deployment and had to go out a week later. We gave him tons of crap and think he’s learn his lesson. A1C Michael Jordan [email protected] A true athlete with his own line of shoes. They line up right in the closet. O yeah …he’s white and can’t jump. As part of the penguin pack Michael was with us for a few months helping out with Sq details prior to going to Altus to become a real boy. Snuck a marriage in there somewhere and has a baby on the way. A1C Michael Dmytriw [email protected] Penguin pack member #2 also spent months at Fairchild prior to going to Altus. Looking forward to his first deployment to Manas where people will actually be able to pronounce his name. He will also be able to brush up on his Russian. Da comrade!

A1C Alexander Orr [email protected] Penguin Pack member #3 spent his months prior to training by cleaning the squadron and being the dorm bay orderly. But his greatest achievement has to be learning how to be an ultimate Frisbee champion. If the Air Force had a team he would be on it. A1C Daniel Haglund [email protected] Penguin Pack member #4 almost got left by the pack when his orders got a little…well…lost?!? While waiting for training he became an honorary security forces member by augmenting the gate guards more than any other person in our squadron. (T)Sgt Dustin Herridge [email protected] Coming to us from Luke AFB as a GCI guy and picked up a TSgt stripe on his first shot. He should have no problem telling any of his 5 subordinates what to do as he should be comfortable directing things. SSgt McIntyre [email protected] Just arrived to us from Creech after a 4-year gig as a Sensor Operator. We haven’t seen it yet but I hear him and Gomez use their hand when they speak to each other, I guess they think they are tactics grads! Stan/Eval SSgt Alan Champagne [email protected] Alan is another one who has the special duty hours of 1000-1300 but his experience helps him to be sneaky about it so that no one notices. He honed these skills closing down Grand Forks last tanker squadron. SSgt Jonathan Allessie [email protected] Where is Jon? That’s easy…just follow the trail of e-smoke and you will find him attached to the end of it. The real question is what is Jon stingier with flying or money? If you have any questions about Kedena AB ask Jon (he still thinks he is there) Attached SrA Ryan Kiser (OST) [email protected] Ryan is our resident briefing guru. The guy pre CFIC candidates love to hate. The feedback from Altus tells us that he is doing a great job. He bought a new vehicle this year following in the footsteps of Ben Davis with the old style Ford Bronco. The only problem is that it is pink? SrA Jonathan Mellon [email protected] Jon is our other training master learning everything he knows from Ryan Kiser. Whatever you do make sure you stay in the primary boom position when refueling while Jon is your instructor or he will “Punch you in the Face”. Jon is a new father this year and is doing a great job. SSgt Kelly Brooks (OSS) [email protected]

Kelly will be leaving us soon with orders to Kadena AB that she is looking forward to. She has been working in Wing scheduling where we really do not know what she does but have been told she has been doing a great job and will be missed when she leaves. SrA Derek Greene (OSO) [email protected] Undocumented world record holder for tallest Boom Operator. When doing AR his feet are always hot because they have to still in the cargo compartment while the rest of him is in the Boom Pod. Holds an unfair advantage at the bar when all of the girls beeline directly for “the tall guy” but don’t worry guys he always shares. SSgt Nicolas Inzana (CCX) [email protected] Nic holds the patent on the laugh that BK has perfected. Recently lost at shot to shot with KSat and had to and over the crown after the captain’s party. Decided he wanted to join a biker club so he bought a Harley….Almost. SSgt Michael Culver (OGV) [email protected] Michael is crossing to the dark side and giving up flying for three years to try his hand in the CRG. He chose to go East coast so watch out Jersey you have JTB’s Eskimo brother coming your way. He will do great and we will be waiting to take him back in 36 short months! SrA Dave Ballmer [email protected] The M is silent. If you need an hour of entertainment go and see him and he will revel you with stories of his adventures. There is not a juice bar in Japan that does not know of SrA Dave Baller! He’s also very upset with the Boom Association. He was promised to work a booth with 2 girls in tank tops at a recent fund raiser but ended up in the only both with 3 other guys. Needless to say, he will be no longer paying his dues. INBOUND A1C Blackburn A1C Vaughn A1C Wirtz SSgt Huls

FAIRCHILD AFB, WA 509 WPS

MSgt Nixon, David: Active Duty ([email protected]) Contrary to popular belief Nixon did not get his call sign “Squirrel” for his insatiable love of nuts but rather his short attention span which can cause him to get distracted by shiny objects or passing butterflies. He has filled the prestigious position as 509th WPS (what squadron is that!?) superintendent for over 2 years now and has battled everything from Airman with excessive tattoos to Airmen who won’t put their flight suit sleeves down! He is still working on his sweet ’89 Mustang and hopes to be ‘cruisin’ the strip rockin’ to Kesha’ by next year.

TSgt Perdew, William: Active Duty ([email protected]) William “Dirty” Perdew was added to the squadron last year to help offset the long DNIF of SSgt Welch. After briefing us in accordance with Megan’s Law, Dirty took up shelter in the squadron training shop and has been sending out CBT reminders and excel spreadsheets like nobody’s business. He is a welcome addition to the 509 th cadre and for those that are interested, you can catch his candid interview with TV’s Chris Hanson on MSNBC.

SSgt Welch, Jeremy: Active Duty ([email protected]) We are pleased to announce that “Juice” has been in remission for almost 1 full year and his prognosis is still excellent! To celebrate, Juice attempted to grow a mustache but only succeeded in making his newborn son cry. Due to his medical issues Juice is undergoing an MEB and is unable to fly or PCS so he diligently mans his Stan/Eval desk keeping his two-hole punch skills current. We are also pleased to say that Juice received a line number for promotion to TSgt! Hazzah!

SSgt Converse, Sam: Active Duty ([email protected])

With the departure of SSgt Ragone, SSgt Converse or “Shank” has taken over the 509 th scheduling shop and is doing an excellent job. I mean it; I am not just saying that because she is standing right here brandishing her filed down plastic spoon. But I suppose you have to be ready to defend yourself when you work in a scheduling shop. It can get scarier than a prison yard sometimes!

SMSgt (Ret) Zarkos, James: Civilian ([email protected]) “Z” and his mustache are still going strong! For those that don’t know, Z retired from the service just before the colonial forces battled the red coats at Bunker Hill. After retirement he backpacked around Europe for a while, joined the Peace Corps, voted for Ross Perot, and ended up in the 509th in 2000. Since then he has learned how to use the rotary telephone, indoor plumbing, hand soap and a computer. He still struggles with the latter and you can often hear his curses echo through the halls but the 509th wouldn’t be the squadron it is without him!

SSgt Ragone, Dan: Separated After much personal debate “Rags” has decided to move on to bigger and better things. He separated from the Air Force mid-June and has gone off in search of the truth to some of the biggest gubmint conspiracies. One day he hopes to find out who really did shoot J.R.! We wish him well and remember, the truth is out there man.

TSgt Sanders, Gerald: In-bound ([email protected]) TSgt Sanders is due to arrive in the squadron mid-July. Little is known about Sanders but rumor has it, he enjoys reading the Twilight books while listening to Savage Garden and eating turkey bacon. Only time will tell how well he fits in here at the 509th.

FAIRCHILD AFB, WA 116 ARS / 141 ARW WASHINGTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD

X-Flight CMSgt Monica “Chief” Gile (IB): (Traditional) Chief made it through the year with no near forest fires, no dirt bike wrecks, no deer in the freezer, and not an ounce of gold in the pan. She did however acquire some new guns, of which are pretty cool, so it wasn’t a total and complete loss. Chief’s daughter just graduated high school so maybe the grey hair will slow down in its replication. Good thing is you won’t need a reflective belt on your deployment. There is that. MSgt Steve “Wad” Waddell (EB): (Technician) Program Manager- Wad continues to be as mobile as ever. He has been on the road and very busy at home. Wad recently drove to California with the family and toured many wineries and waved to all the beautiful people down there. Rumor had it that there were a couple emergency diverts to other venues when it came to the ladies shopping at the mall. Someone has to man the watering hole and monitor ESPN (we mean news channels) right?? Wad made it through the year yet again surgery free so we are pretty sure the curse is gone.

A-Flight “Aces” MSgt Walt “Night Train” Hinton (EB): (Technician) A- Flight Lead Boom- Still working in Stan/Eval which is now integrated with the Active Duty OG/OGV working all TFI issues. A-Flight truly has all the Rock- Stars in it (Thanks Chief)……but seriously I have an Artist and a Guitar player in the group. I am looking forward to my first deployment to Manas, then back for some NFL action….. GO HAWKS!!! TSgt Rob "Uncle Ricco" Mitchell (IB): (Technician) Uncle Ricco has become a savvy scheduler and masterfully keeps everyone happy and fed, but as always; there is one or two that just can’t be pleased. Oh Well. Ricco recently returned from Guam and escaped with no coral embedded into his skin! Ricco is constantly razzing his flight lead to swim in a triathlon, in which I have tried, but not to be stereotypical but THIS BROTHA CAN’T SWIM!! TSgt Thomas "Chingis" Nance (IB): (Traditional) I recently had the pleasure to sock some TSgt stripes on his arm! Nance is becoming the ACE of this flight and recently became an instructor and is now going to join the evaluator core. Chingis will bring some serious Game when it comes to the next technician board! Chingis is also a very good artist and some of his choice work can be seen hanging around the squadron. Picasso or Rembrandt have nothing on our Chingis Nance.

SSgt Chris Langus (MB TO BE): (Bum) Chris is currently at Altus and apparently kicking some tail as they have put him in a trial class with a select few, focusing on more Sims versus Flights type of program. Chris will be a quality addition to the team, and not to mention desperately needed. Chris has yet to earn a knick name, but I am sure he will get one soon!

B Flight “Killer Bees” MSgt David “Panda” McDowell (EB) - (AGR) B-Flight Lead Boom- Dave has had a pretty big year. He just finished a1/2 marathon and crushed it with a time of 1:51 which is pretty darn fast. “Panda” is withering away with all the physical fitness that he has going on and will soon be sporting a new nickname if he continues down the overachiever road. If he was getting longer in the tooth we would be concerned about the possibility of him going the pilot track as the skinny ones always do. Yes, Panda, it is too late and no matter what your mother told you… not everyone is a winner. It’s true. TSgt Marty “Rehab” Martin (MB): (Alert NCOIC) Rehab has stepped it up and graduated from the 2.0 version to the new and improved 3.0 version of the program. As always he continues to be very shy and is more of an introvert and a wall flower in most social settings. Rehab is going on a vacation this summer with the family to Australia and plans to dive with the sharks off the reef and backpack in the outback. These former SERE guys never have a dull moment. After some much needed aquatic therapy and frolicking with the dingo’s, Rehab will don his tan business suit and will head back to his second home. TSgt Jennifer “Jenn” Ventress (MB): (Traditional) Jenn is absolutely crushing it in Nursing School. We think this is going to be near her 3rd Bachelor’s degree and as you guessed it….she is talking about a PhD. She continues working part time at one of the busiest local emergency rooms, is raising a young aspiring boom operator, and flying every chance she gets. Jenn is also our world traveler and recently toured the Middle East over the course of a couple weeks. We pretty much think that Where’s Waldo is kinda old and really would prefer to see picture book titled “Where in the World is Jenn Venn?” SSgt Steven “Wayne” Kerr (MB): (Traditional) Wayne just got back from boom school and is just finishing up his quals and will soon be mission ready. His first TDY with the unit was to Las Vegas for 10 days and his instructors were under strict orders to ensure he came home unscathed! There is rumor of something about a photo op with Bert & Ernie but we just can’t really confirm or deny. Really Wayne?? Vegas for the rookie outing? Nicely played.

C-Flight "Cupcakes" SMSgt Bob “Bobby G” Gibson (IB): (Technician) C-Flight Lead Boom- Bobby G is our Training Boom Operator and Cargo Load Manager. Bobby G just got back from a couple of deployments and decided to throw his reflective belt away. He has been very busy at home setting up his property in anticipation of some farm animals, building a barn and fencing in his meadow until he found out how much work it was going to be…so instead he turned his meadow into a MX Racing Track for his 5 kids (we know it’s really for him). Bobby G is all about having some fun, he lives for Guard lunch basketball and Technician breaks. Is it break time yet? TSgt Kevin “No Show” Grubb (MB): (Traditional) Kevin has been very busy juggling his careers’ and family. He is managing several employees for the city sewer plant, deploying and pulling alert as a line Boom, raising four High school / College students, and trying to keep his wife happy. Oh did I mention he sent one of his kids on a high school student exchange program to Germany…obviously this translated to Kevin being on the GK trip to spend quality time with his 18yr old drinking beer and hanging out on the Rein River. Nice! TSgt Shaun “Boop” Bopp (IB): (Traditional) Shaun finally became a fully qualified bad guy for JPRA as a DOD civilian. This training took Shaun over 2 years to complete, so was the training; A) Really Intense B) Boop is a slow learner, or C) His multiple ANG deployments are interfering with training? Like most Booms the answer is C. Shaun is married with three little kids now, and is finding out that gardening and taking care of the chickens are the quality quiet moments in his life…or is that why he’s pulling so many lines of alert???

SSgt Joel “Fudge” Munro (MB): (BUM) Fudge is the epitome of a true Guard Bum; if he can get a pay check he’ll take the trip. Fudge has diversified his Boom portfolio by staffing two Guam deployments and has become a G-2 guru. Joel has also been busy at home; he recently became a dad for the first time this year and is enjoying this time with his new daughter. He is a summer lover and will more than likely be at the lake quite a bit in the months to come. Enjoy it while you can!

D Flight “DOGS” SMSgt Ian “Lance” Dahl (EB): (Traditional) D-Flight Lead Boom- Lance works with Walt in the Stan/Eval shop and is still working for the City of Spokane as a Firefighter. Lance will be retiring at the end of the year and will truly be missed. His son has recently joined the unit in maintenance and maybe, just maybe, someday will fill his dad’s shoes and crossover to the boom world. Thank you for everything Lance and good luck into the future!

TSgt Curt "Strep" Smith (MB): (Technician) Strep is still working in the Current Ops Shop and over the last year went to Altus and earned his IB. He recently took up downhill mountain bike racing, which turns out is pretty similar to motocross- but probably a little more dangerous! When he’s not out flying little planes, on the boat, riding something with 2 wheels, or looking for the next good TDY, you can find him in the local ER trying out all the various cool antibiotics that an ER can offer for injections purposes. Good job Curt! SSgt Nathan “Nate” Leitz (MB): (Traditional / Alpha Alert) Nate is one of our Alpha Bums and our Awards & Dec's POC. He just returned from Guam as the Chief Boom and is getting ready to head back to the sand box again. Anytime we need someone to fill in he is there. Nate is also the proud dad of three beautiful girls (6, 4, 2), which has required him to build a bigger house with more bathrooms. Now that the basement is finally finished it’s time to move out to the yard for BBQ season. SSgt Clint “Shue” Schumacher (MB): (Traditional) Shue is back healthy after a long term DNIF. He is looking forward to deploying and getting back on the road and may give Rehab a run for his money when it comes for competing for the coveted desert rotations. When Shue is not at the unit he continues his civilian employment as a Realtor in Idaho and is working on his Washington License as well. Go Shue, sell some Houses in the local area!!!!

FAIRCHILD AFB, WA KC-135 ATS BOOM INSTRUCTORS

Greetings from the Fairchild KC-135 ATS. With the approval of the BOWST courseware, our days are rapidly filling up. Hopefully, the 1 January 2014 mandatory implementation of the courseware will allow another full-time position. The feedback from crews using the BOWST has been overwhelmingly positive and it seems to be a very good investment for the Air Force.

The current instructor staff : Dane Porter: [email protected] (full-time) Sheri Shaw: [email protected] (full-time) Rob “BK” Brolliar: [email protected] (part-time)

FORBES FIELD, KS 190ARW / 117ARS “Kansas Coyotes”

It’s that time of decade where we put our input into the Signal! Despite the nasty rumors around, we’re still open for business and we are NOT in Wichita! Since our last submission in 2009, we really haven’t added too many new faces, we have lost some old faces though…and a couple young ones. Despite the vibe you’ll get from some of the descriptions below, I believe we’ve cast a pretty good group of booms for our generation. We’ve had a blast meeting all of you on the road the past few years and hope to see you all around more in the future.

CMS Tim Treinen – Blake is doing great. SMS Jed “David Scott” Clampitt – FOR SALE: 2006 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. Don’t have time to ride anymore since I learned how to play Wagon Wheel on the git-fiddle. Any reasonable offer accepted. SMS Brian “Donkey” Dillon – Donkey has been around the world and back…this morning. His adventures have included the skinning of a grizzly bear in Alaska, refueling the space shuttle and catching Bin Laden in the afterlife. Obviously these adventures were not on the government’s dime; he took a week of leave and kayaked the whole trip. SMS Jim “Chewy” Spurlock – Chewy has convinced the guard bureau to extend his age waiver…again. He went solo on his competition BBQ and has been doing great. We really don’t care how well he does at competition, as long as he continues to prepare his BBQ in the break room. MSG Jamy Dunbar – Single handedly almost made himself single handed. MSG Mike Money – Mike? He still works here? MSG Nate “Split Tail” Neidhardt – Still trying to convince everyone that “size matters.” MSG Bryan Thomas – Bought his retirement home and moved to his retirement community in Florida…but didn’t realize he hadn’t retired yet. MSG Mac “The Godfather” Torrez – NCOIC of NGB105’s and Roll Call. Mac has married off both of his kids in the last couple years, and now he’s living the life of a true Godfather of Topeka.

MSG David Stanko – Stanko recently left Cessna to become a Federale! He recently found out he’s been married for a while now, so he packed up and moved down to OKC to work with the FAA and to meet his wife. Stanko will be leaving us this year to become the newest reserve Test Boom at Edwards…we’ll miss his extremely witty and technical jokes (that no one understood) at roll call. MSG Jon “With the Wylies” Swinney – Since ’09, Jon has been carrying the Colonels clubs around to various Pacific locations. In his own words “Dude, it’s easy to find me in Guam. I’m either by the grill or on the course, man.” MSG Wayne “Waynus” Walls – Wayne still thinks he’ll have a fast car someday. You’ll see his projects most mornings in the parking lot…too bad they’re still on the trailer. TSG “Horny” Ben Fulton – Since we’ve gone to the “Rainbow system” over in CENTCOM, all of you are now “Good buddies” with Ben. If you don’t meet him in the caddy shack, you’ll meet him in the chow hall while he’s having his morning coffee…4 hours before his show time. TSG Ben “Running Boom” Tressler – When not burning wagons and stealing our money from card games, Ben can be found working on his new family lifestyle. Bought a wife, married the dog…he’s living the life a true full timer! TSG James “Whiz” Whisenhunt – After the birth of two beautiful baby girls…Whiz recently found out that the pull out method is NOT a guarantee. SSG Megan “Fart Barbie” Carlson – While flying with Jon and Yogi one day, Megan taught them girls plumbing is messed up. SSG Brandon “Boo Boo” Gray – Whilst proctoring the Ponderosa and maintaining the pool with the worlds shortest open time, Boo Boo has been preparing to make new home to a herd of goats. SSG Pat “Muff” Murray – Pat recently joined us from McConnell. He was last seen boarding a Mega Bus in DC…any info on his whereabouts is appreciated. SSG Gabe “Itch” Ramirez – Just so everyone knows…He knows. SSG Austin “Yogi” Reed – Yogi left the guard bum lifestyle to pursue a life filled with pocket protectors and a hybrid work vehicle. His hair and tattoo collection has grown tremendously since his departure to the civilian workforce also. SSG Jason “Butters” Sebring – Most weekends you’ll find Jason cruising around town wearing his helmet…in his stock Honda. SSG Joey “LBJ” Sterbenz – Little Baby Joey is in purgatory in more than one world. He SAYS he was hired to be a new pilot in our squadron last year, but is still hanging around the booms. His eyes also took a shit on him and he is now indefinitely DNIF. He’ll make a great Wing Exec someday. SRA Matt “Vaughn” Tice – I think we have his name right. SRA Collin “Tice” Vaughn – I think we have his name right.

SRA Kenny “Worm” Vadakin – Kenny came to us from Travis where he was Aerial Port. He’s currently in school and had a great time at BBOC…dealing with the ringworm that billeting so graciously gave him.

RETIREES

SMS Mark Sweeney – Mark recently left the good life of being our dedicated alert bum. You can find him at the gate most mornings, begging for one last Hawaii trip. MSG Matt Miltz – Miltzy recently retired to move his family to the Dallas area. His dreams of being a choo-choo train conductor were short lived and now he’s been thrown into the big boy world in the big city. MSG Larry Kaufman – Larry retired to focus his efforts on completing more Old Chicago beer tours than anyone in history. MSG Mark “Fertile Mertile” Mertel – Mark still hangs around the squadron when he hears there are trips to Hawaii and Key West. When he’s not space-a with his wife, he can still be found on the flight line as our token POL civilian. TSG James “DoDo” Norris – Dodo left us for something that he refers to as “Heaven”… a ship full of men. He’s now sailing the high seas with the Navy…We heard during his downtime, you can find him in his banana hammock on the upper deck getting his vitamin D. SSG Colby Kloepper – Colby left us this year after the Tulsa vipers picked him up for UPT. I hope he remembers what “Back 4” and “Breakaway” means once he visits us in a MOA. SRA David Torrez – “Senior Airman (Retired) David Torrez” is what he is referred to these days. Since his departure, he found himself a lovely bride and is fitting into the married lifestyle very well. He’s hoping to take the reins from Mac someday as the Godfather.

GEN BILLY MITCHELL ANGB, WS 128ARW/126ARS “Brew City Tankers”

The trough continues to be full enough here in Milwaukee the Guard Bums are actually turning down work. We’ve got LTMPA, local training, a few TDY’s, just finished our 1 st month of Guam and are looking extra forward to MaySept in the Died next summer. At least we can follow it up right away with a few more months on the road in Guam before Big AF decides to change the whole system again so we can do our best McConnell imitation. I know we’re preaching to the choir here so I’ll just end this rant with…. NKAWTG! Fulltime CMSgt Marlin Mosley-- Program Manager – Da Chief, Supposed to be gone in a little while. We’ll see if he takes his cue from the previous administrations or if he’ll leave on his word. SMSgt Patrick Sosinski-STAN/EVAL – The most feared Evaluator in the Squadron is already acting retired as he has a week of golf planned in the UK with the former Base Commander, Squadron Commander and Chief. MSgt Donald Strickland- Training – Don plans to man up and take a tour to the Died next summer. 24 Boom lines on the DRMD and 24 mission ready Booms. There’s still a chance he’ll try to get out of it! MSgt Kurt Ignasiak- Training – Iggy is back up to speed after a layoff and is now our expert in tick removal. MSgt Peter Gauerke-Scheduling- Still living the dream one Tanker/Aircrew scheduling day at a time! TSgt Anthony Walter-Wing Plans/Tactics/Mission Planning Cell- The Train has dropped the caboose but will still run you over with a full head of steam. TSgt Bryan Storbeck-UDM/Training- Softball all summer, bowling, German club and hockey all winter. Busy having fun. TSgt Lynda Matthews- Scheduling/MPC – No, scheduling. No, MPC again. Now its scheduling. Let’s send her back to MPC now. Sooner or later leadership will hire the opening and we can quit messing with her. SSgt Brad Love – STAN/EVAL/Computer Biznatch- Baby boy should be here as you read this! Traditionals SMSgt Mark Lipinski-Fireman – In his last year Mark continues to reinforce his legacy. Now an official resident of Arkansas MSgt William Echevarria-Paramedic- Our new club manager Partner! That’s right, we still have a club. Take that! MSgt Amanda Look- Guardbum – Amanda will soon assume the position of Senior Guardsmen Boom Operator. We’re not scared at all that she will hesitate to voice her opinions or thoughts. MSgt William Mattert-State Investigator – Will keeps on keeping on. The month in Guam didn’t hurt.

TSgt Christopher Winchell- Guardbum- Chris’s time and talents are finally starting to pay off. Only took 10 years. TSgt Mat Gryzb-Fireman – Mat, along with Ryan are our Drill fliers. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know them again TSgt Ryan Peters-Engineer – when they go during our bucket to the Died next summer. TSgt Troy Johnson-Corrections Officer – Has officially stolen Tom’s “Geeesus what don’t you post on Facebook” title. TSgt Jordan Jungwirth-State Trooper - All smiles, even when he’s pulling you over. Lucky he’s big. TSgt Karley Holtz-Guardbum Extraordinaire – Expecting! Enough said. TSgt Thomas Orosco- Guardbum - Yo Soy Thomas Orosco. Arriba! SSgt Benjamin Casper- Guardbum – Hoping to be SSgt for another 10 years! SSgt Tyson Krug- Guardbum – Posturing well for the next full time position. The competition will be tough as usual. SRA Andrew Kueffler - Guardbum – Drew’s been adjusting to Guard life nicely now that he knows you have to submit 105’s for pay. SRA Natalie Belongie- Guardbum – In the Died again. Truly a glutton for punishment. SRA Nick Illich- Newbie – Just promoted, our current yes man Nik is always available to fill in when needed. Maybe having a few of the junior ranks around isn’t too bad A1C Elvis Alvarado- Newbie – Elvis could learn a little from Nik but at least he keeps the club open as a backup bartender. We all know that both of those roles are vitally important to flight operations!

Incoming SRA Carla Prospere -Soon to be a former CP controller, she has already tried to steal a senior booms chair in the briefing room. She might be a problem. A1C Brian Gammon – Soon to be a former fuel cell (read tank monkey). Certainly an upgrade. Defectors Maj. Lauri Hrovatin - We’re done talking about our defectors. Capt. Paul Matthews – As long as they continue to take care of their crew.

Stowed and Latched The list here can get pretty long and I’m sure I’ve missed a few so I apologize in advance. A few of these last names may look familiar, gotta love legacies. *Cheers to our newest Retirees! Thank you for your service. Dick Harvey Dean Dachenbach Lee Cornell Gerry Nelson Dave Eddy George Snamiske Ron Puzia Dave Eddy Tom Breier Tom Sroka Steven Schweiss Tony White *

Earl Gauerke Don Harvey Herb Kiefendorf Teckla Thorn Robert Derrick John Famularo Julie Van Eart Floyd Polzin Bruce Rintlemann George Sweet Chris “Pops” Johnson Ray Fassett Terry Sands Jenny Wieland Ray Bazen Ralph Ellis Robert Kowalski Dan Schmidt Jerome “Penguin” Schiessl Mike “Werm” Weimer * John Magnus *

Honoraries and retired FE’s (KC-97 Flight Engineers) Yes, we have been in the tanker business a long time. Here are our distinguished honorees… LtCol Peter Hoffmann (Ret Pilot)* Lt Col. Gary Tenney (retired pilot) SMSgt Balinda Kostuch (Ret Finance) Don Paddock (retired Pilot) LtCol. George Bacik (Pilot) Moe Storbeck (retired CMD Post) Norm Poberezny (retired FE) Allen Hobbs (retired FE) Col. Murry Mitten (retired Pilot) Lon Hansen (retired NAV) Rod Langford (retired NAV) John Lessila (retired FE) Dan Pagel (retired pilot)

//Signed// PETER E GAUERKE, MSgt, USAF 128ARW/126ARS Boom Signal Editor

GRISSOM ARB, IN 72 ARS “The Dark Side”

Hello again from the 72nd ARS at Grissom! We are knees deep into our AEF rotations so it’s a busy, yet empty feel around the squadron. Flights are still being flown daily and TDY’s don’t stop for the AEF but they do for sequester! Everything is going okay for us and the schedulers are keeping everyone paid, fat (just kidding, we’re not fat), and happy. Grissom is even easier to find this year since it’s the huge pad on concrete in the middle of the 10 foot high corn fields so if you stop in to use the simulator, feel free to stop in the shop to enjoy the ever delicious jalapeño popcorn and the Midwest hospitality that is the “Darkside”. You’ll know you are headed in the right direction if you are choking on jalapeño mace down the hallway and pilots are falling out of the woodwork to get to the boom shop. *CMSgt Jeffery “Buck” Henry (ART): Buck is busy keeping booms in line, paid and on the road. He’s thinking about an F-16 ride but thinks AR is the only important part to do and then he can land. The Chief always thanks his booms for stepping up and making his job easy, but really Thank You Chief for always being there for us no matter what or when! *TSgt Jerry “JerBear” Cummings (TR): Jerry is, as always, staying busy in and out of the squadron. He is taking his instructor duties seriously and teaching booms lots of techniques and gee-wiz knowledge. He claims he still has a job but he only talks about where he is flying the kids next in his sweet, made at home airplane. *SSgt Clayton “Yak” Duncan (TR): AHHH, the Yakster… he has been a busy man going TDY stateside and abroad. It’s almost like he enjoys 9 hour flights to spend A night in any place foreign. Clayton is staying busy by fighting fires and building new…things. Clayton got a F-16 ride and continually yakked on the love he has for fighter games…but really, he just yakked.  *TSgt Josh “Mashburg” Fagerburg (ART): Mashburg moved from the 74th boom shop to pursue his ART career with the blue tags. He loves his life in the 72nd and is busy perfecting his instructor knowledge and Youtube search skills. He is planning to wed this fall. *MSgt Ken “Magnum” Knight (TR): Ken just returned from a voluntary deployment to hell with the active duty. Ken celebrated the half way mark by assisting in slamming a MPRS pod onto the runway. Once Ken gets off leave and get him reacquainted with normal life, we will welcome him back into the boom shop.

*MSgt Anthony “Ponch” Krisher (ART): Anthony and family welcomed baby #3 home earlier this spring. On top of being a sleep deprived dad again, Anthony was knighted ‘Evaluator Boom’. Anthony has been quite the stealthy ninja, we’re not 100% percent sure what he has been doing besides scheduling AR’s and lacking on scheduling St. Croix runs. *SMSgt Laura “Gunny” McKee (TR): Laura expanded her horizons and offered her services to the LOSA program. She spent a couple months making bank, “writing reports”, and flying, literally, all over the world. Laura is troughing away and will deploy again this fall. *MSgt Mike “Leonard” Morgan (ART): Mike stays busy in the corner with ground scheduling and making sure the pesky TR’s are getting things done, kind of on time. Mike also welcomed a daughter this summer. *SSgt Crystal “Stevie” Nix (TR): Stevie is still troughing for the 72nd. She says “I could get a real job but then I couldn’t take all my vacations!” She is always wondering maybe she is trying to find that ‘Mrs.’ Degree she’s always talking about. Crystal was awarded with NCO of the Semester but nobody has figured out why since her EPR’s are always late. *MSgt Kym “Agent” Orange (ART): Kym is new record holder for ‘Healthiest Boom in the Shop’ thanks to his new organic kick. He threatens all who bring cookies and doughnuts with a “swift kick in the…” The smart booms are learning to bring in fruits and vegetables. We have speculations that the disappearing bananas are making their way into the smoothie machine behind the desk. *TSgt Jessie “Rood Dawg” Rood (TR): Ooh, what can we say about the ‘Dawg’? In the last year, Jessie deployed, troughed, surely scammed someone out of their Hawaii trip, planted a ridiculously large garden for the oncoming apocalypse, and left us for Altus. Chief had to push her out the door kicking and screaming but she just returned as our newest instructor! Way to go Jessie! *MSgt Paul “Piper” Sherrod (TR): Piper hasn’t broken anything this year, bones and small airplanes included! He did manage to make LT this year…in the firehouse. Huge Congrats to Paul on this accomplishment!!!! *SrA Courtney “Sparkles” Storey (TR): Courtney finished her first year at Ohio State. She told Chief she wanted to spend her summer at the beach, so he activated her and sent her to the sandbox! Courtney is busy spending time with her husband (yep, he is deployed too), glittering active duty jets and bedazzling her crew patches. *TSgt “Trooper Joe” Swisher (TR): Trooper Joe went from road cop to truck-stopper/ inspector road cop. He is enjoying the new job along with flying in his free time. *MSgt Kerry “Gump” Vanausdall (ART): If we’re lucky, Comm won’t shwack Kerry. He won’t stop trying to ‘charge his Ipod’ on the government computer so chief punished Kerry by volunteering him for an up close and personal tour of the sandbox. *MSgt Scottie “EWO-Mode” Ward (ART): Scottie is working hard in the training office pulling in new troops from all AFSC’s of the Air Force. Scottie is staying fit by attending to his regimented workout schedule of running, lifting beers, shooting whiskey, and curling the occasional cigar. Transfers: *SSgt Josh “That Finance Guy” Sanford (TR): Josh left for boom school a blue tag and came back to red patches waiting for him down in the 74th. Best of Luck buddy! *SSgt Erich “Maul” Maul (TR): Another loss to the 74th. Erich is missed but makes the walk down the hall to visit us often…too often sometimes. *TSgt Zuriel “Zee” Lund (ART): Zee left of us to pursue life in Space Command. He is probably busy enjoying Colorado Springs and spending lots of time with his family. We’ll see you on drop-ins for Academy runs Zee!

New Additions: *SrA J.T. Marshall (TR): J.T. is a brand new hire from the maintenance shop and is already grossing out the entire shop by downing raw eggs so he can “look good in his flight suit.” Yeah, he is going to get beat up…J.T. leaves for training at the end of July. *SrA Bryan Lampinen (TR): Bryan is also a new hire from the AWACS world. He will have to be educated in how the reserves work, but it seems that he will fit in just fine. Bryan departs for boom school this fall.

GRISSOM ARB, IN 74 ARS “Fighting Red Tags”

Greetings from the “Red Tags”. As always we’re staying busy with whatever’s thrown our way. Hopefully we’ve seen our last activation for a while and revert back to a TDY/TTF profile…with luck. We’re currently having a BOWST installed so we may see some of you while you are here TDY, so stop in for a cold one. If you are looking for a reserve unit to settle in to and want to watch the corn turn colors with the seasons, come and see us.

CMSgt Jeff “Heffe” Maier (ART/Evaluator) – Deployed this year to the land of sand, meanwhile his Harley and Vette are collecting dust in his garage, which is no change from non-deployed. SMSgt Bryan “Dork” Hettinghouse (ART/Senior Evaluator/OGV) – Dork has been riding his Harley whenever he is not updating the iPad systems and giving us new pubs. Dork is winding-down his career by crossing “The Dxxd” off his bucket list this summer. The downside is that most of Dork’s wardrobe is banned by the “Dxxd” AFI, and we’re not sure how he’ll adjust. SMSgt Jim “Booger” Maxwell (TR) – Booger went back to the cockpit of a corporate jet, where he’ll trust his instruments to show him the way, instead of trusting his nightstick as a deputy Sheriff. However, Booger will keep current giving wood-haircuts as a part-time Sheriff. He is still the apple of a pig’s eye, with less jurisdiction fights at home. SMSgt Drennen Gaffney (TR/Instructor/Flight Commander) – Drennen sewed on Senior, got his private pilot’s license, and only has 5 children… MSgt Jerry “Shoe” Schumacher (ART/Evaluator) – Shoe is still down in mission planning, has all the toys (e.g. Planes, snowmobiles, jet skis) all add up to Shoe not making it to UTAs in the summer. Jerry did get an all-expense paid trip to “The Dxxd” this year, which will put him over the top for his active duty retirement. MSgt Tim “Monkey/C5A” Stibbe (ART/Senior Evaluator/Flight Commander) – Stibbe is acting in the chief’s stead and coveting all the new software that replaces his trusty pencil. Stib bought a bar this year, which keeps him

very busy. Stib is the owner, bouncer, bartender, accountant, waitress and patron/bar-fly. Of course his bar is a short walk to his basement, so no DUIs. MSgt Doug “Mud Vein” Preece (ART/Group Tactics) – Mud is working on his Master’s degree, and he usually tries to find new ways to advertise his education to Welch. Mud is raising his ducks to accomplish certain tasks while compiling a stockpile for the “grid-crash” and the end of civilization; Mud is our resident doomsday prepperlight. Oh…ask him how to pick up a turtle. MSgt Debbie “Yoko” Wood (ART/Instructor) – Debbie is our UDM, runs our MICT program and is resident advisor to DTS-ers. Debbie is currently deployed on her vacation or some lake that accommodates her new yacht. She is also learning to be a soccer mom to a teenage girl and is a new Bulldog fan by marriage. MSgt Chris “Nick” Nack (TR/Instructor) – Big year for Nack-Nack! He has been promoted to Master sergeant, removed himself from “The Market” by getting married, and is our newest IB. Of course he’s still the trougher union chief steward and TDY adult supervision for the non-instructor Booms. TSgt Joshua “Radio” Welch (ART/Instructor) – Radio is currently “legitimately” deployed with the Chief, much to Stibbe’s bane and has crossed the 70% Air Medal threshold that makes him “Earn this” from the Chief. Josh has lost his “J-flight” do to the other two finding a new life, which breaks-up the Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hour of music in the boom shop. TSgt Caleb “Roadhouse” Daulton (TR) – Caleb got married this year and sensibly had the wedding out of state, sealing the possibility of boom-crashers showing up. Roadhouse is trying a new career path and has started an accelerated nursing degree program. Of course his patients will get 4 words of his 50 per-day allotment; eat chicken, do pushups. TSgt Nick “Shandy Man” Obusek (TR) - After showing his hunting prowess at Altus, Nick returned to Grissom early this year and wasted no time getting Alaska down as his # 1 choice on the trip-list for hunting/fishing/killing everything they have. He’s real good at sending his kill pictures back to the shop, especially for McKayla. Nick’s word allotment is even lower than Caleb’s. TSgt Vicki “Icky” Maxwell (TR) - Vicki has been promoted to Tech, and still deals justice to unsuspecting tollroad violators. Hopefully she’ll violate Stibbe’s civil rights one day, as he always calls her while instigating criminal activity through her “beat” on his way to Wisconsin. TSgt McKayla “I don’t know” Dick (TR) – IDK is a recent graduate of Purdue, promoted to Tech, and currently deployed and bonding/annoying the Chief. McKayla has been accepted to a veterinarian school in Grenada, which is the leading research institute for making prosthetics for crippled scorpions. She’d better hope Gunny Highway is still in and can rescue her; Stibbe and the other booms aren’t interested. SSgt Erich “Nickname Pending” Maul (TR) – Erich was just picked up from the 72nd ARS, and he still lives in his parent’s basement. He just graduated from college and is sniffing around for a pilot spot. SSgt Josh “Lamont” Sanford (TR) Lamont was picked up from finance along with his abacus hoping he would bring a knowledge of new entitlements…no luck. However, he gives you the blank stare when you mention DTS help. We’re not sure about a guy that drives a mid-eighties AMC Eagle…WTH. Is it better than Mud’s old Aztec, or just older?

New Booms: TSgt Rob “Nickname Pending” Haswell (TR) - We found Rob breathing in Crew Comm and decided he could load all of our COMSEC. Rob is currently away at Altus enjoying BIQ. Lobotomized to Officer: TSgt Brandon “Warren” Toth (TR) – Warren left the boom corps to pursue a pilot slot in our unit. Losses: MSgt John English (TR/Instructor) – John retired and stowed his last boom, and is back in Detroit. TSgt Joshua “J-2/Lloyd Christmas” Fagerburg (ART/Instructor) – Josh took an ART position in the 72nd ARS and we are currently suing him for giving away our corporate secrets.

ANDERSEN AFB, GUAM 36 MRS “ABOVE THE REST”

MSgt Saksen "Riz" Rissabute (Active Duty McGuire KC-10) He sits at his desk and looks busy and confused all the time; yet constantly gets accolades for a job well done. Unlike his predecessors who were at "appointments" like TAPS every week; he is at the golf course instead. Flight Chief work gets done and he enjoys the time away from work. Overall he is a "Happy" guy thanks to his self-run flight.

TSgt Brad Gavin (Active Duty Travis KC-10) His time here on island is up. We are sending him back to the Gucci world at Travis this summer.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM 203 ARS “HOKUs”

CMSgt Stephen “Ménage” Cid – Steve has finally stowed his boom in Aug 2012 with over 10,000 hours under his flying belt! His newfound “honey do” list is as long as his military career. He is enjoying his retirement with lots of travel to the Philippines and California to visit family and friends. SMSgt Gary “Chairman” Mau – Chairman is working in Current Ops, wishing we could plan more trips to exotic places instead of the “Deid”. He is taking the plunge soon and getting married sometime this year! SMSgt Kris “Tizz” Oka – Tizz is our newly appointed Boom Superintendant. With 2 kids already, bet she didn’t know she was about to have more to take care of? MSgt Mark “Uncle Buck” Sindiong – Uncle Buck is working in Scheduling. He is an Aircraft model building aficionado. Whenever there is a chance to go TDY, he is gone! His wife thinks she is single. MSgt Eric “Shrek” Faurot- Shrek is working in OG Stan Eval. MSgt Denny “Judo” Yoshikawa- Judo is our training hammer and soon to be Squadron Stan Evil. MSgt Derek “D-dub” Wheeler – D-dub is a man with many jobs. Flies on the outside, works at HX5 updating our pubs database as a contractor AND flies with us! He is one busy man! MSgt Nolan “Bernie aka Z” Zoller – Z is a Traditional who is a newly retired Fire Department Captain. He is currently on LTMPA and being put to work. TSgt Derrick “Bullet” Martin – Bullet is a Traditional who is working full time at the Police Department. Definitely one phone number you would want on speed dial! TSgt Cal “Gaucho” Cordeiro – Gaucho is currently working in scheduling, he should have worked in the Fire Department with the amount of daily “fires” he deals with. TSgt Noa “Donk” Morse - Donk is working in current ops, he too wishes he was planning trips to exotic places.

TSgt Al “Albi” Fernandez – Albi is a newly retired water Fire Captain. If he is not at the squadron, you can probably find him working on his new house (on the water I might add) or surfing! TSgt Bronson Abellanida - Bronson is a Traditional who is a newly appointed HPD officer. His phone number is set on speed dial #2… TSgt Anthony “Paki” Victorino - Paki is currently on LTMPA and being put to work. Otherwise, he is our only “True” Traditional Boom. We are still trying to figure out how he does it with a wife and 4 kids?? TSgt Travis Kam – Travis is currently in the midst of Altus life. He is due to graduate in Aug. He probably wishes he was out fishing on his boat right now. TSgt Gina “Pua” Jumawid – Pua is in the initial phase of Boom life. She probably wishes she was out in the water canoeing or paddle boarding. She may be “drying” out due to lack of ocean! SSgt Vaughn Agonoy – Vaughn is currently awaiting a school date. He comes from our KC135 electric shop. Vaughn is currently settling into his new house and his soon to be new role as Dad. SrA Allyson Yafuso – Allyson is currently awaiting a school date. She comes from our WG/WCC. Allyson is a fitness buff……can we say “squadron PTL?” SrA Ryan Hironaka – Ryan is currently awaiting BMT/Boom School. When Ryan is not working, you can probably find him fishing on his dad’s boat.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM 96 ARS “Screamin’ Eagles”

CMSgt Michael Morris – Chief Morris found his way to our diverse Operations Group and honestly, it’s great having a boom operator as OG Chief. He seems to be enjoying his new assignment, hopping on flights usually every week. You might also find him out exploring his new favorite hobby on one of Oahu’s famous beaches, catching a few waves. SMSgt Dicky Hunt- Dicky recently retired and has found himself back in Georgia. He is kicking back and taking in Braves games and hoping that one day his team gets the pennant it seeks…not likely (sorry other Braves fans). On the plus side, at least he’s a Falcons fan…wait that’s no better. We at the 96th will miss Dicky and we wish him, Melissa, Megan and Tyler the best of luck with their future endeavors. SMSgt Bill Fitch – Our new resident superintendent. We don’t know him very well, but if he’s anything like ole Mr. Hunt, we will definitely be stocking his fridge with Natty Light (hopefully he likes a beer with taste and not that junk) and watching ourselves when walking behind him, those older booms have some crazy flatulence issues. Welcome to the island! TSgt Joe Royer – Joe is the biggest disc head around here. Of course he still has his love for the game and is our resident disc golf expert. He has surmounted some followers in our pilot types and they often pull out there discs to show them off to each other. He moved out of A Flight and into Training Flight this year. TSgt Rob Miller - Rob and Sharon can’t stop producing curtain climbers. They welcomed a beautiful baby girl this year and are enjoying every minute of her first months. When he’s not in mobility hashing out folders or prepping for an inspection, you can usually find him at the smoke pit relieving some stress produced by Keith (Prochaska) or his five kids and talking up his smoked pulled pork or chicken wings. Rob and family are moving to Altus in November and if his flying game is as good as his barbeque, students look out! They had a MONSTER house built on the North side of Altus to accommodate his soccer team. Booms, we have a new drinking spot!!!! SSgt Jerome “JJ” Jefferson – JJ is our resident Stan/Eval expert. Although you rarely see him at work, when he shows, he does some pretty great things. He was recently in charge of SMSgt Hunt’s retirement and did an awesome job. If you have a question about anything 135 related, call him, wait text him, because more than likely he’s cross-fitting or blaming traffic as the reason why he’s not around. SSgt Nic Robles – What can we say about our OGV Stan/Eval boom? Nic is as sociable as ever. He often wanders the halls waiting to say “hi” or “hello” to everyone that passes by. He just loves people. Over the past year, he welcomed his second child, and did some work so he can welcome his third. He just moved to a bigger mansion on

the upper west side and is sticking around in Hawaii a couple more years. He is working on his MBA at the University of Hawaii. SSgt Gregory Bush - Well, what can we say about ole Greg? He sure does like to work out, but don’t give him a box to stand on because when he comes down he will roll his fragile little ankles, be laid up for 6 months, and have to have surgery. He’s 25 going on his 6th surgery and next he will have to have his liver removed. Greg is our A Flight NCOIC and is doing great work with Scott. He is currently working on his degree and just received his CCAF. SSgt Shane Williams – Ole one lung is back and ready to attack. After his spouts of DNIF’s for his lung randomly collapsing, he is heading up the scheduling shop with an Iron Fist and Steel Lung. He is another one of our CrossFit guru’s and can destroy any workout with half the lung capacity of a normal man. When he’s at his desk, you can catch him checking out videos of CrossFit or checking out the Hodge Bros for laughs. He is in the process of deciding if he is going to stay a boom, go Guard, be an officer, stay in to be a Chief, stay in school, blah blah blah…he’s got a lot of decisions to make. SSgt Nick Madsen: Nick departed Hickam and the Air Force at the end of 2012. His lungs just couldn’t handle the harsh Hawaii weather. He and his family are will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of getting to know them. A1C Keith Prochaska – Keith showed up to Hickam with a 3 item To-DO list; get a girlfriend, make BTZ, and get on a deployment. If you had to guess which actually happened, which would you pick? Correct! He went to the Died for 30 days with the Alaska Guard. Sorry, about the other goals buddy…but maybe there’s something about those two different colored eyes that really freaks girls out. Kidding aside, Keith flew 21 missions in his 30 days out in the desert. He recently moved up to the UDM office and will be working diligently to prepare our unit for our ORI in November. A1C Scott Willard – Scott is a good guy. When you talk to him, he will never look you in the eye, kind of like your dog when he knows he’s done something wrong. Scott is our piece of clay to mold. He has a great attitude and that goes a long way…now if only he knew how to do his job…kidding kidding…Scott is coming along and currently being molded into the boom he should be by old Greg. A1C Kenneth Stricker - Ken is our bright and shiny little star right here. Ken was recently selected for BTZ for his outstanding attitude and aptitude. We expect great things from him. Watch out boom world, he will be a Chief one day. When he’s not in the books, or working down in scheduling, he’s gelling up is hair and taking GQ pictures for his Facebook account…don’t believe me? Go check it out.

HURLBURT FIELD, FL MOBILITY OPERATION SCHOOL DETACHMENT 1 MOS DET 1

The MOS Det 1 did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

KADENA AB, JAPAN 18 WING/ 909 ARS “YOUNG TIGERS”

Greetings from the land of the Rising Sun! Life in the 909th ARS is hectic, but people love it here in Okinawa. We are the largest active duty KC-135 unit in PACAF (sorry Hickam) and the only one on this side of the Pacific near all the hot spots lately. Needless to say, because of America’s “strategic pivot” towards the Pacific we stay busy but the choice of TDYs are first-rate…Australia, Guam, Hawaii, Singapore, Thailand, and when the job is done, we come home to a tropical island that enjoys summer time 9 months a year. Hopefully, someday there will be enough of a budget that the 909th can send some folks to the Boom Symposium to talk up our wonderful location; in the meantime, here is the roster of our booms… SMSGT BRAD ‘Ruski’ WOLFE- Took over not too long ago as Superintendent from the old “Senior,” Thank goodness! Got off to a running start and has made a great impression with everyone so far. Still unsure about his Star Wars obsession, but he does an awesome “Star Wars Kid” impression with the guideon. (S)MSGT MATT ‘Debrief’ CALISI- Whatever you do, do not get a check ride from this guy or your debrief will go on forever. Also, if you mention the term “Kadena Freestyle” he will give you a Q3…instantly. He has done a lot to straighten up Kadena as our OGV boom and is moving up to Wing XP. MSGT MIKE ‘Max’ WEBSTER- He’s always been in PCS mode, but after getting orders to Pease, it’s very apparent. Mike has filled every big-wig job in the squadron at one time or another…Chief Boom, Superintendent, Shirt, Chief Cook & Bottle Washer. Lately, he has been our First Sergeant and given our past record, he’s been working overtime. TSGT GABRIEL ‘I got my own parking spot’ OURSO- He’s the C. Boom, or Chief Boom for everyone that can’t see the parking spot. Recently got married, but never dated…kind of weird, but congrats anyways. TSGT ROGER ‘Dirty Sanchez’ BRAUN- Still as dirty as ever, and after a brief visit to Thailand, still hasn’t found his boundaries only a higher calling. He’s headed to Macdill in August. Roger was the NCOIC of Training and went to the OSS taking over for Shonna. TSGT SHONNA ‘Marathon’ CALISI- She’s a perfect role model for running, just check one of her many Facebook status updates. She’s finally back at the Squadron as a Flt NCOIC, but spends a lot of time on the flying schedule. TSGT ANGUS ‘Ladies Man’ BURNS- Recent pictures have surfaced that he is in-fact the Ladies Man®. On another note, we think he’s cross training to be a cushy sensor operator, but somehow he’s living the dream flyin’

the line. Gus is our expert ground scheduler, stays on top of everything and on occasion gets people scheduled on time for events. TSGT(R) JASON ‘Jack Man Dew’ WALLACE- Recently retired (13 June), wooooo about time! Claims his rise to fame will be when the Nordic Lounge, and other nice establishments in Guam start selling his patented ‘Jack Man Dews.’ He plans on heading back to North Carolina to become a Park Ranger. SSGT BRIAN ‘OG NCO of the year’ PORTER- Hasn’t really done anything around the squadron but win awards, yet he’s still in better shape than everyone. Maybe that is how he beat out all the PJs here at Kadena to win NCO of the year. Excellent job! He’s NCOIC of Readiness, delegating to Childress and O’Daniel. SSGT CHRIS ‘Heckler’ HUBER- Need a really awkward moment at a party, call this guy!!! Chris has no issue saying it like it is, in front of all the wrong people. Chris recently took over as a Flt NCOIC and is dropping his knowledge on the younger guys and doing a great job so far! (T)SGT CHAD ‘YUP’ HOLLOWAY- Ask Chad any question and he’ll surely come back with ‘YUUUUP.’ He’s doing big things in Stan/Eval and by big things I mean nothing and by nothing I mean crushin’ beers. Chad just recently made TSgt so we are expecting him to do bigger and better things. SSGT JOSH ‘Hairy’ BUTTS- Found out he’s having a kid but we aren’t sure if his wife is having the baby or if he is. Josh left the Squadron and went to the OSS. He’s doing awesome up there and wish good things to him and little ‘Baby Butts.’ SSGT DON ‘I’m Batman’ JOHNSON- All we know about this guy is he loves 2 things: Four Lokos and video games. Oh yeah, and he’s married. Not sure where that fits in between the other two. Been in Stan Eval for a while and running things like a champ! SSGT JASON ‘Crossfit’ DUCKETT- Don’t bother about asking him a question, his instructor capabilities are, ‘Just look it up.’ He does more Crossfit than anyone, and he’ll let you know it!!! Jason was recently the NCOIC of Tactics and is getting ready to move into Training once he gets back from leave in God’s Country (Missouri). SSGT TYLER “Good Deal” WILLIAMS- How about this guy? Not only the co-author of the boom signal (direct all critiques his way), but lands two overseas assignments back to back. Mildenhall first, then Kadena, now on his way to the associate unit at Scott. Hey, AFPC, how about a non-vol to the CRW to even things out? (T)SGT ZACH ‘Black Ice’ DONARSKI-Went on leave, hit ‘Black Ice’ then proceeded to flip his beloved 85’ Yota’ just to get out of a deployment. Zach, if you didn’t want to go, it’s fine, you could have told us, but flipping your truck, come on! Runs Training Flight, and does a darn good job at it. Another one of our recent TSgt promotes. SSGT JOSH ‘The Lawyer’ SILVA- Josh came to us from the secretive world of the B-2 as a Crew Chief and enjoys reading the UCMJ. He’s only been here for 5ish months, already got a steady GF from mainland! By the time this is posted, he’ll be on his first deployment. (T)SGT JEREMY ‘Martha Stewart’ HALL- Jeremy’s a new cross trainer from the important White Jets. Done nothing but good things for the Squadron since taking the crappiest job, Flight Scheduling. Recent TSgt select. He’s done more interior decorating for the Squadron than he has actually flown, and it looks FAAAAABULOUS!! SRA DANIEL ‘The Family Man’ CHILDRESS-Got married, is having a baby and that was the first 5 months of 2013! He’s wasting no time making a family for him and his wife Serena in Crew Comm. Tested for SSgt, fingers crossed he makes it! Dan’s in Readiness and runs the shop most of the time since the O’s aren’t as good as him SRA ERIC ‘Triceracepts’ CHENEY- Just shipped out to CFIC in May, we are just as scared. Having a relationship with an Intel troop doesn’t make you smart. Once he gets back from CFIC he’s going into training to teach our new guys..even scarier!

SRA TIFFANIE ‘Shady Boots’ ELLERBE- Just when you think you have this girl figured out, she posts a new Facebook status and you’re lost again. She’s in ground scheduling, but we never see her since she is on the road all the time. SRA A.J. ‘Underwater Welder’ ROUSE- A.J. left us after being here for two years. Never quite finished MCT and spent most of his time waiting to cross train. Spent so much time doing CE escort they gave him a job as a supervisor over there. They even had a going away lunch for him. He got his first cross train choice to be a welder and is on his way to Seymour Johnson. Best of luck, A.J.! SRA ALLEN ‘Big Al’ PITTS- There’s nothing like putting a bunch of Squadron spouses on Oxygen right after pressurizing because mist clouds are supposedly ‘TOXIC’. Pinned on SrA recently in July. Allen has been in Mobility for the past year and a half and been rocking it back there. SRA MATT ‘Pappy’ O’DANIEL- The other Boom Signal co-author. He and Eric go to the gym together to get ‘HUGE’ but we very rarely see anything other than Facebook photos of them with the sun setting in the background on the beach. Heading to Readiness to hopefully take over for Childress. Some big shoes to fill….GOOD LUCK! A1C ANDREW ‘Ginger 1’ COLE- Just got done with his 1st deployment, he’s a hardened ginger war vet now! Going in to the Black Hole that is Mobility. Expect nothing but great things from this cat, as he’s a fast burner! A1C JUSTIN ‘Ginger 2’ GILLESPIE- Nothing like showing up to your new squadron rocking a 2-week-old beard. Also, bought a new car, burned the clutch up w/in 2 weeks & crashed it 2 weeks later. We think he needs to learn how to drive a stick, but he swears that he knows what he’s doing! Currently in MCT. A1C CHARLTON ‘FNG’ HAMPTON- Newest boom, heard nothing but good things about him. Recently showed up at our Pax Terminal off the rotator in his Sunday’s finest, dressed to impress. He’s got a great attitude (just don’t ask him to do the “Carlton Dance”) and we are looking forward to him getting done with MCT so we can stop sending our senior guys on all the terrible flights.

INBOUNDS A1C KASTA RAE- Pipeline from Altus. SSGT KELLY BROOKS- PCSing from Fairchild. OUTBOUNDS MSGT MIKE WEBSTER- Headed to Pease in August...Best of luck! We truly are losing an awesome person! TSGT ROGER BRAUN- He’s headed to Macdill. Hope they are ready for him, and his dirty habits! SSGT TYLER WILLIAMS- After being at Mildenhall, then Kadena, this lucky SOB is headed to Scott.

KEY FIELD ANGB, MS 153 ARS / 186 ARW “MAGNOLIA MILITIA”

As most of you know, we lost our tankers in April 2011 as a result of the 2005 BRAC. Although we were out of the tanker business for a while, our boomers remained hard at work. Shortly after the BRAC announcement, it was uncertain if we would get another flying mission here in Meridian, but our state leadership fought hard and secured us the C-27J Spartan, which would arrive in November 2011. In the meantime, we were given a bridge mission, teaching the MC-12 schoolhouse. Most of our boomers became instructor sensor operators, producing brand new sensors that would leave Key Field and head directly overseas to support the war effort. After the schoolhouse left in June 2011, we began training as loadmasters in the C-27J. As hardened boomers, the shift to becoming loadmasters was a bitter pill to swallow, but we were grateful for the full time mission. We dove head first into tactical airlift, and these once proud boomers were now slinging pallets, CDS bundles, and paratroopers by the dozens. While performing our C-27 mission, we had guys proudly representing the MSANG, pulling demanding overseas rotations in both the MC-12 and the C-27. In late 2012, word started to get out that the KC-135 might be heading back to Key Field. What once looked to be an impossibility indeed came to fruition, and on 13 Aug 13, we flew our first tanker mission. It’s been a long three years since the tanker left us, but we are thrilled to have it back! We’d like to give a big thanks to our brothers up in Sioux City, IA. “The Bats” graciously accepted our initial instructor cadre and requal’d them with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. We’re proud to have such a good working relationship with them and look forward to future endeavors together.

All contact info: DSN 778-XXX COMM (601) 484-XXXX Sq. Admin. – DSN 778-9847

CHIEF BOOM CMSgt Chuck Smith, EB, Technician – ext. 9552

STAN/EVAL MSgt Blake Stanley, OGV Boom, AGR – ext. 9901

MSgt Michael Powell, IB, Technician – ext. 9903 TSgt Joel Jones, IB, Technician – ext. 9902

TRAINING SMSgt Robert Knight, EB, Technician – ext. 9792

CURRENT OPERATIONS MSgt John Massey, IB, AGR – ext. 9906 MSgt Tim Garrison, MB, Traditional – ext. 9906

SCHEDULING TSgt Steven Fry,Traditional – ext 9905 SSgt Jack Leeper, Traditional – ext 9915

TRADITIONAL BOOMS SSgt David Gann SSgt Barry Knight Amn Owen Lide TSgt Ricardo Matheus SSgt Dana Moore SrA Nick Moore TSgt David Rigdon TSgt Nick Walton RETIREES / MOVED ON: CMSgt Ed Mikell CMSgt Martin Stamper CMSgt Lee Martin SMSgt Glenn Hancock SMSgt Rick Robinson SMSgt Gerald Harper MSgt Ronnie Blackwell MSgt J.R. Benson MSgt Brian Turbyfill MSgt Steve Lewis TSgt Tim Moffett TSgt Chris Woods

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, TX 344 TRS/CEA Center of Excellence SPARTANS

Hello all from your fellow Booms here in San Antonio! We’ve had a lot of turn-over here at the Center of Excellence in the past year and more turn-over is happening in the near future. All in all, we are all proud to be here and humbled by the immense responsibility and privilege of conducting the initial training of our future enlisted aviators and leaders! Please feel free to swing by and see us anytime you are in the area; we’ll have a sit-down in our heritage room and share some “there I was” stories while enjoying a cool refreshing adult beverage! Without any further ado, our line-up: MSgt Jason “I’ll work for food” Resler (Section Chief, AFC/BBOC) - Got to the squadron in Aug ’12, was feverously getting spun up as the 1A0 CDC writer when I found myself jobless with the deactivation of CEA CDCs. The CoE was kind enough to bring me in from the cold and offer me a job! TSgt Gerald “Strait G” James (NCOIC, BBOC) - TSgt Cross Fit has done his best to come in here and turn this squadron full of lazy lunch eating instructors into actual Airman. He’s accounted for an estimated 10,000 pounds of body weight loss since his arrival here in San Antonio, and that’s just in the squadron. He is currently pursuing a license as a physical trainer. His current goal is to take Machon, who currently shares the same body type as Justin Bieber, and turn him in to a grown up. All joking aside, TSgt James has done great things here and is a great role model for the other NCO’s here in the 344th. (T)Sgt Sean “The Handy Man” Scott (IS, BBOC) - If you have a problem Car, House, or Model Airplane: Sean Scott is your man and he’s cheap to (so to speak), he only charges a case of beer. He spent countless hours fixing the mistakes that Blue has made on those do-it-yourself maintenance failures on his 1994 POS. His bar-b-q is legendary, even by Texas standards! He doesn’t even get asked to cook at squadron functions anymore, it’s just assumed that he will do it (it’s an official additional duty). He managed to do all this while leading the boom section as the Instructor Supervisor; he’s got a line number for TSgt and will be headed back home to Travis in October. He dreams of one day capturing the all-important “Hope Solo” Fantasy Football Championship, but it is our belief that she will forever elude him like the Roadrunner eludes the Coyote. SSgt Jeremiah “Joseph” “Blue” Ibarra (BBOC instructor) - Everyone knows why we call him “Blue” but for some reason leadership keeps calling him “Jose and Joseph”. He is still the current fantasy football champ, for now, but his reign as the “Hope Solo” champ is coming to an end. He is leaving the COE to head back to flying. He should be an interesting addition to the population at March, AFB. Just be sure not to let him trade with anybody when it comes to fantasy sports. Chalupa Batman!!! (T)Sgt Garrett “Can’t Catch A Cold ” Machon (BBOC instructor) - Keith recently moved over as a BBOC instructor from Fundies, despite TSgt James’ pleads for anyone else. He’s known for being a valued member of the CoE intramural sports franchise that managed to complete a football and softball season without winning a single game (largely due to the unbelievably impressive lack of coordination of our beloved Keith). Despite his innate ability to always say the wrong thing at the wrong time, he grows on you like cancer and we all have a special place in our heart for “Not-Sean”. He also picked up a line number for TSgt!

SSgt Chad “Stealthy” Piel (Fundies instructor) - I don’t have any good stories on Chad because this guy is stealthy. He is not stealthy because he’s not here; he just gets the mission done without you being aware of it! All kidding aside, Chad is doing great things here at the CoE!! SSgt Daniel “Big Daddy” Flenniken (Fundies instructor) - Dan is the newest addition to the Boom family here at the CoE and is settling in just fine. In fact, he and Marissa just welcomed their first addition to their family recently- welcome to the Boom family baby Regan! Losses and Gains MSgt Stu Decou – retired. MSgt Shawn Lightner – rotated back to McQuire AFB; Thanks for all that you did for the CoE Shawn! (M)Sgt Travis Jones – PCSing in from McQuire AFB; Looking forward to having Travis here!! //Signed// JASON C. RESLER, MSgt, USAF Lead Boom, CEA Center of Excellence

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND (Kelly Field), TX 313/FLTF “PROVE IT FIT FOR FLIGHT”

Hola from San Antonio! Home of the ever decreasing flight test unit…which may be gone by the time the next Boom Signal hits the stands!! Our relatively unknown ‘flight’ will soon to be leaving our ultra-cushy little job now that our counterparts up at Tinker have picked up the 135 PDM program. Hey, listen here Jack, we knew we had it too good to be true…we are just amazed how long it took the rest of you to figure it out!! As of the last status check: SMSgt Amanda “Squawk” Stift – [email protected] Reserve (AGR): Amanda took over the unit with the retirement of SMSgt Gordon Ringler. He tried his best to pass along all of his knowledge and wisdom; however, we aren’t sure how much she actually listened to him!! She seems to want to make us Reservists work?!?!? So far she’s been doing a great job but, like the rest of us, will be searching for a new position as soon as we close our doors. Her dog, Willie, is hoping for cooler weather while her husband, Jeff, says he won’t leave Texas. Her key talents are: writing outstanding awards and decorations and running marathons…and she still snowboards even after breaking her back. Anyone need a new boom?? MSgt Dave “ATIS” French – [email protected] Reserve (TR): Dave is still trudging through long nights with Boeing while trying to maintain some type of flying status here. He recently gave the squadron a bit of a scare when he had to undergo emergency surgery but, he’s back up and running now…by running, we mean his mouth! His time here is short as well and he may be moved up to Tinker soon. His family is doing great and his oldest daughter recently received her driver’s permit which has him teetering between ‘scared to death’ and ‘oh thank goodness!’ Year now is 2013, Information Hotel is now current…digital ATIS still unavailable. Recent Departures: MSgt Michael “Plato” Kissire: Career AGR up at Tinker with the 10 FLTS now. Recent Retiree: SMSgt Gordon “Gordo” Ringler: Was an AGR but now is a Civilian in Schertz, TX. Local Booms: SMSgt Dean Oulela (Ret): Works with Boeing now…so he didn’t really go far at all!

Hope to have a submission next year but, if not….BYE! – The End

LINCOLN ANGB, NE 155 ARW / 173 ARS “HOME OF THE HUSTLIN’ HUSKERS”

SrA Brad Bouc – Traditional (Our newest boom in the shop) TSgt Isaac Cepek – Full Time AGR, works in Current Ops, on his way to IB school this Fall MSgt Mat Ellison – Full Time AGR EB, works in Tactics MSgt Gene Ernst – Traditional IB, Guard Bum TSgt Brian Gayer – Traditional IB, works for the Omaha Public Power District MSgt Mike Hamernik – Traditional IB, is a crop duster SSgt Luci Jarzynka – Traditional, Guard Bum SSgt Adam Krotz – Traditional, student SMSgt Mike Mayfield – Traditional IB, is a Captain for the Lincoln city Fire Department MSgt Mike Minnick – Full Time AGR EB, works in Scheduling TSgt Brad Musick – Full Time AGR IB, works in Training TSgt Cassie Sabatka – Traditional, Teacher TSgt Brian Schuka – Traditional, is a Firefighter for the city of Omaha CMSgt Russ Sladky – Full Time AGR, Chief Boom MSgt Mark Stocking – Full Time Technician IB, works in Training SSgt Jeffery Tlamka – Traditional, Teacher SSgt Treavor Piening – Traditional, Guard Bum MSgt Jeff Vannortwick – Full time AGR, Chief of Stan Eval

TSgt Brian Wood – Traditional, is a Firefighter for Lincoln city Fire Department To reach any of the Boom’s above, email: [email protected]

Moved to the front seat 2Lt Erica Wilson – Back in Altus Maj Randy Douglas – Full time AGR, working in Tactics Capt. Joe Remmenga – Full Time AGR, running the scheduling shop, and busy being a new dad! Capt. Caleb Ramsey – Living in Madison Wisconsin, flying the RC-26 for the Wisconsin ANG. Maj Matt Siemsen – Still has a job at the base fire department, but mostly a Guard Bum Left the Boom Shop CMSgt Mark Forster – Moved on to become the State Command Chief CMSgt Leighton Michaelson – Moved to the MX Flight Line Superintendent SMSgt Mark Fusco – Moved on to become the Services Superintendent Mary (Bundy) Baker – She left her position in security, but is still a 1st shirt for someone. Mark Heithoff – Moved on to McConnell Reserves Andy Thimgan – Lives in Rapid City, SD Kevin Block – Moved to Kearney and is an outage dispatcher for Nebraska Public Power District. John Gleisberg – John is a field agent with the FBI. Kodi (Steckelberg) Ingle – Kodi and her husband Justin both transferred to the Sioux Falls ANG. Bill Scheele – Whereabouts unknown? Kelley Reese – Civil Air Patrol Mike Hommen – Mike at Offutt. He is the head ASE in the backend of the RC-135. Ben Navratil – Currently lives on his acreage in Hickman, NE Joe Rodriguez – Back home in Kearney, NE

Retired MSgt Gordon Anderson Gordo passed away May 21st 2001, and is remembered every year when the Booms meet at his gravesite for a Cigar and a shot of Scotch. We have named the yearly award for outstanding pilot, boom operator and support person in his honor. For the folks who knew Gordon this award continues to be a great way to continue the legacy that Gordo left behind. CMSgt Dwight Morehead – Retired Dwight is still working on finishing his house and drives a Bus for Pawnee County Public Schools. He thought it might be a nice change to only be responsible for 15 children instead of the boom corps. CMSgt Gary Bornemeier – Retired Chief retired upon reaching his 60th Birthday. He makes an appearance in the building every once in a blue moon, usually when there is free beer. SMSgt Melvin Kauk – Retired Mel and his wife are now living on an acreage West of Lincoln. We still have Mel sightings now and then, usually when there is free beer being served. SMSgt Steve Minnick – Retired Steve is alive and well working on computers at Offutt, the easiest way to get a hold of Steve is to walk around the Offutt AFB BX around lunchtime, he is usually there. SMSgt Lang Anderson – Retired Lang turned 60 and was forced into retirement. Lang is usually spotted with camera in hand at every AFA function. You would think with all the dues the AFA collects they could hire a real photographer. MSgt Chris Hatley – Retired TSgt Kerry Gulzow – Retired TSgt Dan Kirwan – Retired MSgt Bob Buck – Retired MSgt Sandy Reynolds – Retired TSgt Randy Millwood – Retired

MACDILL AFB, FL 91 ARS

LIGHTING…WITH A BOOM!!!

6 AMW SMSgt Walt Markwas: - Wg/XPO: Walt is working on getting his VA benefits in order, not sure if it’s PTSD or PMS. He got diagnosed with sleep apnea just before a 6 month deployment. Oops my bad, next man up! Walt!!!!!!! Enough said 6 OG CMSgt Nathan Peachey (Ret.) – Chief “Pocket Cake” Peachey will be settling nicely into retirement when this hits. Chief just got 2 new puppies and decided to become a stay at home dad to raise his young pups to become the first canine boom operators. They will be the first to get their in house qual in the BOWST since Chief will be helping run the sim as part of his retired side job. MSgt Benjamin Cobb - 6 OG/OGV KC-135 Boom Operator; Ben recently had West Coast Customs come to his house and pimp out his Baby Jeep in his front yard. But after cruising down street with his family, momma said you are getting too many looks and made him sell it. Easy choice to push for the 12 Outstanding Airman.

91 ARS MSgt Leslie “L.A.” Yarbough – Squadron Superintendent: The Sup hit the ground running, then got tripped up by Sq training and the APU enclosures. Sup your R & C’d. Oops, my bad we need your initial fighter and heavy qual dates, plus a tactics sim. We see your training certificates and 4000+ hrs, here at MacDill we are not use to highly qualified requals. But if you were a baby boom with 4000+ hrs no problem. Loves Hump Day!!! Whoop whoop. MSgt Justin Konicke – Operations Superintendent. Not sure where this came from, but if you get him drunk, he may get naked and make Tamales. Or make Tamales then get drunk. Justin is the go to Boom with most any problem. Had an issue removing students from training at his last base, quickly learned his lesson here. Don’t pass the buck!

TSgt Lamar Daniel- that’s right NO “S” at the end just Daniel not Daniels! Hit the ground running, got put right into Training Flight Section Chief job. Showing them youngsters how Altus did it, welcome back to the real AF. SrA Brittany “Bonbon” Bahner – Brittany is 1 of 3 RA's keeping us going with the DOD money drought. BonBon keeps quite a low profile in the squadron, staying out of sight in her RA cave. On the weekends however, she's out adding a touch of class to any drinking establishment she walks into. We think she's taken a liking to the beach bum lifestyle.

SrA Fred Beacham – Fred stepped down from the Iron Chef throne after Manti Teo like allegations. He states he’s happily engaged but continues to be a beast both in the kitchen and on the jet. SSgt Fernando Brome – Him and Brown use the same tailor or the same Krispie Krème for their flight suits, still undecided. He would be a dead beat Dad but his girl lives with him. Just make a commitment to something besides food. Put a ring on it already! SSgt John Brooks- John is a new 2013 (T)Sgt select, guess that year plus DNIF paid off. Congrats!!!! A1C Sean Brown – Sean the Muffin Man wears his flight suit so tight you can see Hanes stitched on his underwear. You know it’s bad when you have a muffin top in a flight suit. SrA Travis Burnett – TBurd is one of our newest instructor booms with a pretty comb over. Instantly recognized by his slow Texan drawl, Trav takes great pride in his neutered Mustang and his ability to grill up his signature Diablo delicacy. You can usually find him at the gun range or the local honky tonk, showing the newbies how to dance to Copperhead Road. SrA Chris Cannon – The vulnerable Kung-Fu Panda has been a long-standing scheduling guru of the 91st. Just zip up your flight suit for God sakes! SrA Steven Caron - An avid video game and firearm enthusiast, Darth Funnels is more than willing to teach proper light saber handling. He has also made it a personal goal to ensure that blue jean shorts never go out of style and Mountain Dew will never go out of business with his 12 can a day habit. SrA Bobby Cash – (S)Sgt Bobby Cash is off the market ladies after doing his own internet shopping he found himself a wife. Not sure if it was EBay, Amazon, or Craig’s List. But hey who can pass up a good deal, it only cost him a new car and he got a new gun in return. A1C Crystal “Young Money” Cash – Followed her love Millan to MacDill but he quickly Cashed Out with no refund. Heard she is putting in her OTS package to the academy. SrA Darren Clever- Former ATC control with a 5 pack a day habit, decided to become a boom after a Nicotine Incident (kidding I think) Over heard him say he married an Army Girl he met at the Lawton, Ok mall who keeps him in line and fixes the car. He also just had a little one not too long ago. SrA Nate Coburn – Don’t call me Stifler, my name is Paul Finch so Hide your Kids, Hide your Wife oh NO not with Nate you need to Hide your Grandmothers! Nate doesn’t cruise the local high school, he likes the nursing homes and the over 55 communities.

SrA Shaun Conners – Never seen a woman he didn’t like. He is Coburn’s alter ego by taking the high school girls by storm. One would think he is a KC-10 Gucci with his Coach Man Purse. SrA Leslie Davis – Just upgraded to instructor and turning over her RA reigns/budget to Bahner & Caron. Leslie was turned down by State Farm, Allstate, and Geico due to her demolition derby driving skills. She fits in perfectly here in Florida.

SrA Mike Dunn – Quantum Physics Jimmy Neutron minus the huge head. Currently working in mobility doing awe-inspiring work. He is very happy Mullaney has left so he can stop being his secretary. SrA Ryan Dyes - Ryan is working on getting requal'd after a short break in the Penalty Box for not playing well with others. Now working in scheduling he is keeping crews out of the penalty box. Doing a good job. SrA Josh Eidson – Mr. Automobile OCD, loves his car more than his girlfriend and himself. Got pissed when Jake left a sweaty ball print on his nice clean leather seats. Traded in his car a week later for a new one. Now no one gets to ride in this one, thanks Jake! SrA Shawn Gallagher - Shawn suffers from narcolepsy, he was diagnosed by the AMC CUI team when they found him fast asleep back in the boom pod when he went to go pick the team up to come do our Wing Inspection. We think The Sup gave him a nice prescription to help cure his Ailment. A1C Dahron “Dee” Hambrick – Mr. Clean, we failed to find local dirt on him. But we heard at Altus you need to close the crew entry chute behind you. Hey four eyes you should have seen it coming. TSgt Jack Hester – New guy from the Travis CRW. Welcome to MacDill where we don’t wear flight suits, looks like its blues for you. Better get your ABU’s quick. SrA Jessica Hinkle- Just arrived and in MCT. Good to have another instructor in the fold. No dirt yet or hasn't been uncovered! Intel please! We just got word that her and Conners are BFF’s. With Conners as a friend there has got to be dirt!! SrA Bobby (Booby) Jones – AKA Mr. Silent, The Ninja, All Business: Bobby is doing great things and has been promoted to evaluator to help out Bobby Cash in Stan/Eval. That’s right we got the double Bobby. SrA Jaymee Logan – Jaymee is silent with crazy drawing styles. If you need an original Jaymee masterpiece you better have a week’s supply of Cheetos and Mountain Dew or else. SrA Castulo Lucero – Milan’s silent partner in crime.

A1C Shane “McLovin” McDonald – Has no game but tries to holler anyways. You might want to join the Conner’s academy on how to pick up girls. He is the only boom that gets a broken foot when the jet hits turbulence. A1C Christian McPeak - Altus dirt but we will give him a fresh start, but sounds like you're well on your way to become an old school Chief. All of them had a record or shady past. SSgt Patrick Muckey - The Muckmastah breathes, eats and dreams NASCAR. He will forever sing to you the praises of Bojangles' chicken n biscuits. Paddy is also a Star Wars enthusiast. When he isn't studying the Dash 1, he studies the ways of the Force. SrA Sean Mullaney - Mr Mobility. Sean has moved on to new Horizons after hurting his hand saving lives. Sean got his wish to retrain into Intel and welcoming his first child with his wife. Good luck in your new endeavors we know your do great things! SSgt Chris (CareBear) Ramey – Where you at? Chris had to have a GPS added to his uniform because he’s almost always MIA in tactics and for classes. Once he had to be tracked down at the airport to come back to complete end of the year beans. He reminds me of my creepy uncle that likes to hug. A1C Matt Sadler - There's nothing Sadler would like more than to spend the rest of his life on a boat with an endless supply of beer. Another boom who finds it hard to hold on to vehicles, Matt recently began budgeting 80% of his paycheck for upgrades to his Jeep. I admit it looks pretty badass when it’s getting passed by minivans on the freeway.

A1C Kyle Sinkler – Failed to show up to work because he thought that he needed crew rest for an hour long BOWST training event. SrA Matt Scott - Another southerner, Matt flies under the radar from his Safety office and likes it that way. A family man, he will happily share his opinion on football with you, including a "got-dang" or "dadgum" in every other sentence. Always creeping in the CC’s front office. SrA Jake Seibert – AKA Mister speaks out of turn: Jake managed to get every flyer on the base mad when he told the OG/CC that he could not afford ABU’s. But when asked about his annual clothing allowance, he responded “is that what’s that’s for?” Also best known for letting everyone know how many times he has deployed, and by deployed he means he went to Curacao. Jake AKA jug head has to grease his head to get through the crew hatch. SSgt Ryan Stewart – Currently at Altus getting initial qual. Gave up his donuts for the boom and better TDY’s. You can sleep on duty and not get in trouble. SrA Phil “Frenchy” St Pierre- Oh la la just came back to the squadron and running for his life.

TSgt Aaron Widener – Guess what? Widener got promoted to MSgt, oh wait that’s Kim. Aaron is still trying to figure out how to get his pants back. Stood up for a 6th month deployment when everyone’s favorite uncle so conveniently found out he had a sleeping disorder. SrA Alex VanBuren – Slim shady is not that tough now because he almost got knocked out by a drunken neighbor. But even though we know VanBuren as to be heartless, he surprised us all and dropped all charges that would send his neighbor to prison for life. All because the guy came over for dinner and said sorry. Will the real slim shady please stand up? SSgt Derrick Wagner – With his buddy Stewart at Altus getting initial qual. Made him a boom flight supervisor without ever seeing a military aircraft or an deployment in his many years. SrA Danielle “Baby Gap” Warren – She has been on the road teaching Jersey fashion sense to people all over the world. Danielle and Snoop Lion have quickly became BFF’s. So she changed her name to Dannizol Lion. But her daily BFF Maria won her back with a 10 pack of nuggets that they share in her car in the parking lot at work. SrA Maria “ Super-Size Me” Wilson – Maria has taking on a new diet. She is known by her deep breathing in the local McDonalds speaker when she orders her daily #15 consisting of a 10 piece nuggets with a side of nuggets and a chicken nugget shake to wash it all down.

6 OSS MSgt Nancy Primm – Perm gone bad and it’s not from the Florida heat. She can be found in the OSS hiding from Uncle Walt. Told us she was doing LOSA observations, but we're pretty sure it was an excuse to make aircrews think she was an evaluator and go traipsing around the globe on Uncle Sam's dime SSgt Brandon Roberts – Just got upgraded to instructor after his 7 year instructor upgrade plan. Added a wife as part of his upgrade. SSgt Corey Dufresne – Just recently got kicked out of the 91st to the OSS. Could not drop the EPR’s for his 15 person flight fast enough. Dew-frez-knee is another one of the slow-talkers at the 91st. When he's not writing award packages and changing tires on the Critter (they're still on backwards, btw), he's on the road to some sweet locations. SSgt Sandy Fernandez – Boom to be or not to be that is the question? Oh la la don’t follow the light.

SSgt Josh Kirkland - Totes stoked to be a new NCO, Joshua recently asked his girlfriend to marry him and she was all like "yeah, bro." If you ever have a training related question, you can count on him to make fun of you as he tells you the answer.

Reassigned/PCS’d SrA Andy Millan- Drank the kool aid and wanted to cross over to the O side at the academy. Thought he was a ladies man but was always caught with something in his hand. AKA the sneaky pimp. A1C Evan Simpson – Inbound, don’t wash out.

Mr/Mrs or Ms Booms: SMSgt Ed Penton (Ret) – SMSgt Penton has raised the white flag and said uncle to Big Blue aka the Air Force. Ed packed up the Dually, the Harley, the Hiabusa and the family is heading to Panama City, FL where Ed will be the new Panama City Harley Davison Manager . Enjoy retirement and keep them wheels on the ground.

MACDILL AFB, FL 63 ARS ARRG! (Air Refueling Reserve Guys)

The 63 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

MACDILL AFB, FL KC-135 ATS BOOM INSTRUCTORS

The KC-135 Boom Instructors did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

MADRID, SPAIN CASS/ADSI Madrid Team “Excellence through training”

ADSI has completed 4 years of training development, and flight test activities supporting the newest and most advanced Tanker on the market, the A330-MRTT (including the RAAF KC-30A http://www.airforce.gov.au/aircraft/kc30a.aspx) and the A330 Voyager FSTA for the RAF https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-uks-fsta-an-aerial-tanker-program-with-adifference-03356/ Our project is covered under a U.S State Department approved Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA). The project has moved into the execution phase and we have been taking our show on the road. We have been contracted to provide on-site support to our clients. It has been very challenging year, we have provided services in Spain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Canada, can you say frequent flier miles and Hilton points! I can tell you it’s very cool to fly a brand new airplane, and help an Air Force develop procedures and policies that will be in place long after we are gone. Business is booming and not showing sign of slowing down, in fact it’s picking up. If you find yourself in Madrid (and hopefully someone is there) and want to share some war stories and a few cold ones drop me a line. Cheers Pete Abraldes Madrid Site Manager and Instructor/Flight Test Boom Operator [email protected] Here is our Cadre Jake Benscoter, Executive VP and Project Manager (Retired, KC-10/KC-135A Boomer) Jake is our “senior” (Chief) Boom; No AARP jokes please. Jake is the man to contact if you’re interested in a possible future position. Was the Boom Signal co-author from 1993 to 1995 with Chief Scott Harris and 1996 with Chief Mike Mawhorr. Thanks for keeping the tradition going!! Pete Abraldes, Madrid MRTT Site Manager, Team Leader (Retired, KC10/KC135 Boomer) Currently pulling a tour in the kingdom, and you can bet he is missing the wine and the sights of Madrid! Has found a use for profanity during the 1.5 hour drive on the highway to hell every morning in Saudi, between Riyadh and PSAB! Gary Plain goes by G (Retired, KC10/KC135 Boomer) He is still trying to learning Spanish from a nice Spanish teacher. Just got back from a Saudi tour was spotted in SOL kissing the ground. He was admitted into the hospital for an over dose of Ham and Wine. He is our resident Apple IT support had his skills tested during his Saudi tour. John Reigelsberger, (Retired, KC10/KC135 Boomer) Goes by Cosmo, He is currently on a tour in Saudi. Our walking calendar Spends the day looking at the calendar, we think he has a master plan. He has gone totally native, sprouting a beard and passing cars at 150kph in the Allah lane. Cosmo has been spotted at a local mall shopping for a Burka. John Brannen, (Retired, KC10/KC135 Boomer) goes by Bravo, Shadow, of EXO. Bravo has been doing a bang up job keeping his Wing CC straight. He has a frequent flier card at Viva. He is still our resident bouncer. Keith Van Camp, (Retired, KC10/KC135 Boomer) goes by Jiffy or ANTI-DATA

He just completed a Saudi tour. Jiffy has been doing a great job with the students, they really miss his coffee. Keith put our IT expert to the test this last tour, we still do not know who won. His MAC book is battle weary. Dave Francey Part timer aka Country – (another Retired Boomer, but with time in all these jets: KC-10, KC-135A, NKC135E, KC-135R/Q, NKC-135B) Dave came into town (big city) on a six month contract putting his Flight Test Boom Operator skills to use in helping certify the KC-30 with INTA for the RAAF and did a great job. Still working full time for QuantaDyn Corporation in the world of simulators and is maintaining a homestead in Lawton, OK. Because of his mastery of Spanish, Dave was known as the "Friendly Gringo" who doesn't like squid." He told a lot of jokes got a lot of laughs, but they did not understand a single word.

//Signed// Jacob “Jake” Benscoter Executive VP and Chief Boom CASS/ADSI Skype Phone 570-266-7678 [email protected] www.cass.aero

MARCH ARB, CA 336 ARS “THE FIRST AND THE FINEST”

Greetings from the 336th ARS. Another busy year has rushed by. As usual, I am humbled by the hard work and dedication I see from the booms in both the 336th and our brothers and sisters in the 912 ARS. Thanks to MSgt Erin Zoccoli for her efforts in putting this year’s Boom Signal together. It’s always best to find the most sarcastic boom operator you have to help with this sort of stuff!! Enjoy!!! Deb McGuane

CMSgt McGuane, Deb “The meanest boss ever”- [email protected]. (ART/Chief Boom) She has managed another year of whipping the booms into shape. It is okay most of us like that sort of thing. SMSgt Canada, Nicole “Covergirl” – [email protected]. (Traditional) She is our most recent glamour girl as she was in the May 2013 issue of Boeing’s Frontiers magazine. SMSgt Horner, Kenneth “The (newest) Silver Fox” – [email protected]. (ART/UDM). Ken really enjoys his private office, too bad he has to do all the UDM functions that go along with the job. SMSgt Sammons, Brian “The Brain”– [email protected]. (ART-OP STAN/EVAL) Since this year ends in an odd number, he has relented and decided to accomplish his Group Stan/Eval ART duties as opposed to Wing IDO stuff. We are glad to have him back. SMSgt Scott, Aaron “Almost Mr. Scott”– [email protected]. (Traditional). Now accepting 120 day deployments AKA “Will work for retirement points” SMSgt Stidham, Phil “When is the next time you are flying, wha ha ha” – [email protected]. (ART/SQ STAN/EVAL). Getting close to retirement and we will miss his way of striking (no-notice checkride) fear in the booms.

MSgt Allen, Michael “VNCO Hammer”– [email protected]. (ART – VCO/Flightline DL). All you see are Mike’s teeth these days cuz he is soooo happy not being the UDM anymore!! Since taking the wheels of the VCO, the trucks have never been prettier nor have we had so many people slip on the amour-all floor mats. MSgt Irish, John “I Got Nuttin”– [email protected]. (Traditional) Since retiring from the RSO, John, um, Mr. Irish has been living the dream and playing with his nuts, um, fruit trees. MSgt Johnson, Dorian “Can you do this for me?” – [email protected]. (Traditional). Truly a magician with the ability to balance his civilian employment with his Reserve duties. MSgt Preston, Tim “On the road again”– [email protected]. (Traditional). In addition to taking any additional duty or TDY, Tim is now pimping himself out to the active duty folks. MSgt Ramirez, Robert “Hey Hey Hey” – [email protected]. (Traditional). No matter what mood you are in, Rob can always brighten your day with a big smile and a hug! MSgt Sell, Yvonne - [email protected]. (ART/Squadron Pay). THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK MSgt Zoccoli, Erin “Formally known as Brotsch” – [email protected]. (ART/Training). With retirement so close, what better way to prepare than going back to school (again)? TSgt Bradbury, John “Blackberry”– [email protected]. (Traditional). Another boom close to retirement, measuring his remaining days in the number of beans left to accomplish. TSgt Castro, Osvaldo “Just Oz”– [email protected]. (ART/Scheduling). Enjoying the care-free, kick back life of unit schedulers. Seriously, if you make changes to your availability, let him know. You won’t like him when he is angry. TSgt Long, Bob “What About Bob?”– [email protected] (Traditional). Still our gentle giant. Always there with a smile and a “how can I help” attitude. TSgt Parker, Joe “The Next Big Thing To Happen To (insert genre)” – [email protected]. Joe is living the dream in West Hollywood. He has been talking about being in movies. Movies? West Hollywood? It all makes sense now! TSgt Mossbarger, Terry “I Don’t Want To Grow Up”– [email protected]. (Traditional). In between studying anatomy (yeah, right for exams), TJ helps out in the scheduling shop. Thankfully, he has slightly relaxed since IB school. We no longer have to refer to him as “Mr. IB.” SSgt Kline, Apphia M. “Ph Ph Ph Phia” – [email protected]. (Traditional). Proud mamma and Crossfit junkie. Also a squadron body-scheduler helper. SrA Beverly, Corin “Boom In A Box” – [email protected] (Traditional). Works with the ALCF and flies with us. We don’t get to see her near as much as we’d like. SrA Frailing, Rob “Mister Intensity”- [email protected]. (Traditional). One of 3 baby booms the 336 ARS has at Altus right now. He even stepped up and went to Airman Leadership School in-residence. That makes his Chief Boom very proud. Way to go Kiss-Ass!!! 

SrA Middleton, Erik “No nickname yet” – [email protected] (Traditional). Erik is our newest baby boom. He has already watered the eyes of our Senior Evaluator Phil Stidham. Phil showed up with his black hat for Erik’s first no-notice and ended up with an “EQ”. Nice work Erik! SrA Valencia, Armando “Airman Pukesalot” – [email protected] (Traditional). Armando is another baby boom we currently have at Altus. All of his prep work at the 336 ARS set him up for complete success at Altus. He has already earned an “EQ” on his first –ever cargo evaluation. We are just hoping that the folks at Altus also teach Armando that the urinal on the KC-135 is for URINE. If we used it for what Armando used it for, it would be called a “Vomital.” Just sayin’ A1C Calderon, Luis (Traditional) – Luis is so new – he doesn’t even have an email address yet. We hired him right off the street. Poor Luis is in the “pipeline” abyss. We think he is at Altus right now…maybe survival school. Actually, we don’t really know where he is. His on our manning doc though. He must be okay.

MARCH ARB, CA 912 ARS “Hollywood Tankers”

Greetings to all from sunny SoCal! Let me start off by saying to all you Active Duty Booms with March ARB on your dream sheet, Don’t Do It! Just kidding. We’ve been fully operational for almost two years now and even though the ops tempo just seems to keep getting heavier, we love every minute of this assignment. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re lucky to be integrated with such a phenomenal unit, “The First and the Finest” 336 Air Refueling Squadron, aka the RRATS. The combination of great people, great weather, and a great mission keeps moral high for Booms here at March Air Reserve Base. If you find yourself in Southern California, please pay us a visit. We usually have two beers on tap…unless it’s right after a UTA, in that case, the reservists drank it all for breakfast. But beware, if you hang around too long Chief McGuane will use her Jedi mind tricks to transform you into a 336th Boom. Take Care! And we’ll see you on the road. SMSgt Paul Jacobs - Superintendent, Chief Boom How can you write about a man who has done it all? I guess we should start by saying, he is fluent in all languages, including three that he only speaks. He is left-handed and right-handed. On every continent in the world, there is a sandwich named after him. His business card simply says “I’ll call you.” He has won the lifetime achievement award, twice. His passport requires no photograph. He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it feels. If he were to punch you in the face, you would have to fight off the urge to thank him. Simply put, he is the most interesting man in the world. When he's not hosting pool party dive competitions you can find him around the office playing foosball. He is our self appointed foosball champion, but he normally crushes any peon co-pilot who challenges him. He recently started his own motorcycle gang, I believe it was called wild hogs. That being said if he's not at the office you can find him at home with his wife and two great kids. But don't challenge his kids at any games, they are equally as awesome and will win. MSgt Dan “Dirty Dan” Beecher - NCOIC OGV Dan is the self proclaimed best Boom Operator in the AF. All that time he spent at Altus must have gone to his head. He was one of the first Booms to PCS to March and start setting up the squadron. Dan’s seen us through a lot in the last few years and has contributed greatly, even though he’s still hiding over in OGV. Like most other Booms here in the 912th, Dan is a skilled home-brewer. He also spends his time training for marathons and driving up to the Bay area, we’re not sure why though. Dan does a great job of keeping us on top of our game and we’re lucky to have him here at March.

TSgt Jon Brown - NCOIC Stan/Evil Jon is currently deployed to a sweet sought after location in the Middle East fighting for world peace and battling worldwide hunger…Yea, he’s a badass. Back at home he’s recently transitioned to Stan/Evil. I guess that’s what you call a job “too well-done.” Aside from working in the scheduling and Stan/Evil shop and sharing his enthusiasm for his job on a daily basis, he likes to spend his free time running and prepping for marathons. His running abilities would make any gold medalist at the Olympics quiver at thought of a face-off. We’re proud of Jon and glad to have him as a member of our squadron.

TSgt Pat “Crossfit” Martin - NCOIC Training This man continues to make the rest of us look bad. He made Staff, Tech, and now Master all on the first time testing. He has a bright future ahead of him. Do I hear wedding bells? Future Patrick Davila? Congrats to Pat and Kim on their engagement. With that being said, if anyone would like to see a SSgt boss around a MSgt, come down to our squadron. TSgt JonPierre "Lil’ Frenchman" Castech - NCOIC Scheduling When he’s not spending his time robbing cradles in San Diego, he’s one of our most respected, and avid homebrewers. We hear he's planning on crossing over to the RRATS for some reason. At the time of this writing, JP is trying to retain his sanity at the NCOA. After tormenting us as our Stan/Evil Boom for the better part of two years, JP has changed gears and is now the NCOIC of Scheduling. He passed the DOV torch off to TSgt Jon Brown. SSgt Levi “Sideburns” Knepper - NCOIC Mobility Levi is the Flight Supervisor of Mobility. He has somehow made managing Batman into a full-time job. He has now fully recovered from surgery to lower his ears... finally, his sideburns are completely legal! When he is not explaining the finer points of the laws of hydrodynamics to some poor, disinterested soul, he is knocking the OG's socks off with his superior boom operating skills. Congrats to him and his wife on the arrival of their second little Knepper. Levi, please don'tdraw sideburns on your baby. She can decide later in life if she wants them. SSgt Bruce Wayne "Batman" Freed – Mobility Batman recently returned home after a stint as ALS class leader at Edwards, we hear he did a great job. Bruce’s favorite past-times are brewing incredibly delicious beer and drinking everyone else’s. Bruce is also a competitive eater. Bruce once ate an entire tri-tip with his bare hands, although this didn’t end well for JP’s carpet. SSgt Matthew Nelson – “FNG” Scheduling Matt is a fast burner that’s just getting reacquainted with good ole’ USA after spending a few years in the land of sushi. It took Matt just one sortie to prove that he’s a quality Boom Operator. Matt and his wife Jen will fit right into the 912th family. He just pinned on SSgt and lucky for him, it’s time for CFIC. A1C Justin “The Mad Scientist” Davis – Training Bill Nye's protégé and our finest airman boom here at March, A1C Justin Davis has B.S. in Chemistry. In a recent home-brew batch effort, he offered assistance around calculations and chemistry, by assistance I mean he stirred the big wooden spoon while other booms did the math. He is the most useless, yet greatest pipeline boom to ever come to the 912th at March, and he keeps talking about becoming a doctor, or testing, or going to a doctor for a test: we think he has something. Besides his other pitfalls such as not being able to hug all the cats, eating the bones, telling everyone terrible sloth jokes, and being legally blind, we are actually happy to have Justin and his wife Lindsay

here. Justin has done a great job for us in training and is maybe the first boom to complete his CDC's before a deployment, while pulling his Airman card to get 'experience' on all of the awesome 336th Reserve missions. Justin is a smart guy who will accomplish great things for himself. ps. still not sure if he looks like an old man or a baby

INDOUND SSgt Jeremiah "Blue" Ibarra YOU’RE THE 912th’s BOY NOW BLUE! SrA Kenneth Arcibal PCSing this fall from rainy Mildenhall to sunny Socal.

OUTBOUNDS

SSgt John Fleming We imagine John is living in his parent’s basement playing World of Warcraft and eating Cheetos 24 hours a day. Living off of our tax dollars. SSgt Shawn Racchini Shawn has opened another chapter in his life. He lives in Minnesota with his wife Jess and their baby girl. He’s a full time student and just closed on a house. Things are going well. SSgt Steven “Ruff” Felger Constantly in motion, it’s tough to find a place to begin with Steven. He’s been homeless (multiple times), he started a portable fruit company, he bought a best friend and he’s co-founder of Liza’s Sweet Shine to name just a few things he’s been up to. His current undertaking began when he separated the AF in May. Now free to indulge his hippie side, Steve moved to San Diego and will be starting San Diego State’s MBA program this summer. It’s been a blast Steve, good luck!

MARCH ARB, CA Headquarters 4th Air Force

CMSgt Martin, Russell E. Jr. (RJ)

[email protected]

Arrived on station Feb 2012, still attached to the 79 ARS, staying current and qualified thanks to a fine scheduling office.

MCCONNELL AFB, KS 22 ARW Ducemus – “We Lead”

CMSgt Lonny Hall (CCC) – Chief Hall...spends countless hours working on EPRs, decorations, awards packages, mentoring the wayward, and breaking in new bosses and Squadron Commanders; however, despite very little time left to fly, he is still an awesome aviator! In early summer, he completed, according to him, his first and last half marathon. CMSgt Todd Daniels (CEM) – Chief Daniels arrived from MacDill last summer to take over as the Operations Superintendent and Boom Operator Functional Manager. Since Chief Hall takes care of the administrative side of the house, Chief Daniels pretty much does whatever he wants to…he especially likes irritating the Squadron Superintendents! SMSgt Howard Gibson (OGV Superintendent) – Returned to the career field in July after First Sgt duty…made his Senior stripe the tough way…as a First Sgt…well done! Mr. Ken Crowe (IB retired) – Ken is the gate keeper for SOAR building and must be a distant relation to Gandalf the Grey. Nobody and I mean nobody gets past Ken. He has even jacked up the Wing CC. He loves regaling the Lt’s with his “back in my day” stories. He made it across Kansas on the bike, now he is tackling 14K+ peaks on foot! On the slower side, he has also tackled astrophotography...because we never really do stop looking skywards, do we? Mr. Mike Sage (IB retired) – Backbone of the SOAR shop and, yes, he's gotten grouchier. He still spends his days planning all of our local SOAR missions and trying to keep the Captains in the shop in line. Key word, trying. Crew’s may not have learned to be on time for one of his mission briefs, but he hasn't dealt with it in months. Crews, you're safe...for now.

MCCONNELL AFB, KS 344 ARS RAVENS ANYTIME…ANYWHERE!

SMSgt Don Breitkreutz -- Squadron Superintendent: Arrived at the squadron over a year ago and still walks around mad…or at least looks mad. Secured so many awards for the squadron the other supers have asked for him to quit writing for at least a quarter. He has finally achieved #1 status in his career...as non select for Chief. MSgt Liv Hoornstra -- Operations Superintendent: Booms don’t scatter like roaches when she walks in the room anymore, but she is still raising hell and “calling the baby ugly.” (Her words, not ours) Liv just returned from downrange standing up a FOB. That small part of the world will never be the same. A Flight: TSgt Jonathan Haas -- Flight Super. Known around here as “What is in it for me Haas”…need I say more. Jonathan just walked across the street to take over OST. SSgt Blazej Masiak -- Is Blazej a boom, not sure. He’s been DNIF longer than he has actually been qualified, so the jury is still out on this. SSgt Darrin LaFever -- This guy bought a house even before signing into the base and prior to graduating Altus as a retrainee. He has also found that when you are a supervisor you are required to perform those duties regardless of your location on earth. Guess they didn’t do that in the missile silos up north. SrA Zach Dailey -- Superstar Dailey has been begging for deployment after deployment. He is unstoppable, or just stupid. We have not figured that out yet. We are hoping for the unstoppable thing. One of two BTZ selects for the 344th this year.

A1C Tim Ware -- Ware arrived here with a pregnant wife and wandered around lost in thought, we think. He is still wandering but at least now he has a general direction and a place to live. Returned from his first deployment with a mustache that looked like an endangered species of caterpillar. Thankfully it disappeared quickly.

A1C Alex Woosley -- One of the unlucky booms to have met MSgt Hoornstra when arrived as a casual. He didn’t even get to set his bags down when he got off of the plane before she had him on a flight back to San Antonio. Lucky for him he is now a fully qualified boom from Altus and Liv can’t send him anywhere but on a deployment. A1C Forrest Parks -- Another former construction worker. So new to the AF and boom career field he relates everything to a carpenter’s square or a hammer. Flew through MCT and is already on the road downrange probably ensuring the aircrew trailers are up to code. A1C Gianni Dossman -- So new most of the leadership hasn’t met him yet. Literally showed up hours before this signal was finished. B Flight: TSgt Kevin Toney -- Flight Super. Ghetto supa-star keeping it real in the 344th! Kevin is in charge of training, scheduling, awards and decs and anything else we can think of. He da man! SSgt Nick Gidaly -- Scheduling Guru. Nick is still shell shocked by the two hour aircrew lunches. After his time in finance he isn’t sure how to adjust to aircrew life. What’s even worse is he can’t even tell you why Finance is so screwed up. Smart enough to find a new career field though. SSgt Catherine Norcom -- Arrived late in the year. Still waiting to see what comes of Norcom. SSgt Dustin Confer -- Made Staff, completed ALS, and is now doing all he can to avoid getting an assignment to Altus. Discusses the options on a daily basis to anyone not quick enough to depart the area. SrA Ashley Roames -- Roames, Roames, Roames. When she is not filing reports for her car break-ins, she is filing report of surveys for her pro gear. You would think after the 1st time she would learn. SrA Loraine Ermel -- Still living in her shell, speaking just loud enough for the front row to hear she is the most cynical person in the squadron. SrA Robert Fuller -- Fuller constantly relives his days as a construction worker. We are lucky when he doesn’t come to work with a hard hat on. Something took as he secured our other BTZ promotion. A1C Kyle Jackson -- “Hands” required six stitches for trying to field a softball with the hand not wearing the glove. Apparently he wasn’t big into sports growing up. Sharp kid just looking to prove his worth. A1C Mark Harnish -- Looks like a twelve year old playing Air Force while in reality he is older than most of our SrA and SSgts. Going through MCT and finding out that communicating in any manner with the receiver is actually necessary to perform air refueling.

C Flight: TSgt Joe Cofield -- Flight Super. Brought Joe back from the SOAR shop. He thought actual squadron work would be like his last gig where just short bursts of work and brilliance were needed. He walks around at times looking a little dismayed at what he gave up. SSgt Kenneth Heerman -- Since his arrival to McConnell he has hit more speed bumps than can be found in a shopping mall parking lot. Slowly but surely he is seeing the light…could be a train or he could be grasping the way this military thing works.

SSgt Adam Joachim -- Attended CFIC and was the talk of Altus for a while. He has turned out to be an excellent instructor…Just ask him. Is a role model to Kevin Berneburg on how to wear a smeedium shirt. His story is that he just grew into all of his shirts that’s why they are so tight. SrA Chance Italiano -- Under the radar Chance. He thinks we don’t see him, but we know exactly what is going on. When he is not on leave, he is hiding in the boom pod hoping no one finds him. He’s not very good at hiding. SrA Jacob Burton -- Only instructor in the unit that hasn’t been to instructor school. Throws a baseball like a pro pitcher. Having him mentor young Kyle Jackson in how the sport works. A1C Kevin Berneburg -- When Berneburg is not grading “Air Force Chicks” he is inflating escape slides in the jet. He has a ways to go, but at lease he is on the right track. God help us. Still taking pointers from Joachim on where the sales are on smeedium shirts. A1C Rose Rials -- Arrived not a boom (remember the casual status debacle), finally left for Altus, and came back a real boom. Now we can’t figure out is she the secretary or a boom. Stan/Eval: SrA Rob White -- Pyramid Evaluator. Upgraded to evaluator status, got married and didn’t tell anyone and reenlisted. I don’t think there is anything he didn’t do. SSgt Steve Mertens -- Another IB upgrade. We never really know that Mertens is here. We just know that he kicks butt and gets the job done. Exec Support: SrA LJ Monahan -- Successfully completed CFIC, but not without leadership’s help in ensuring he could find Altus. Missing his first date, erasing his EFB and a million other stupid mistakes snapped him back to reality. He is on the road to recovery! SrA Liahna Childs -- Quiet little Childs. She went kicking and screaming to Altus for upgrade. She conquered! SrA Corey Targos -- Always on leave Targos. For anyone in a leadership position, there is nothing more important than the leave Targos submits. It must be approved immediately! Attached/On Loan: MSgt Anthony Hardesty -- Has been hiding out in the vault for the last year, or at least that is where he says he is when he is not wandering the BX doing shelf checks. Seems kind of lost since his shelf check buddy Jared Norden PCS’d. Departed the windowless vault to take over as SOAR Superintendent…also windowless. TSgt Chris Titsworth -- Rough year for Titsworth. He was sent to wing scheduling after being at squadron scheduling forever. When he is not dodging his family, he is chasing trains. TSgt Jesse Wright -- Many thought this guy had separated years ago and then he shows up on the flying schedule. Apparently the secret squirrel gig in the SOAR shop provides you with a cloaking device from the schedulers. The only boom we currently have who actively talks about going back to Altus…if the situation is right. SrA Marcus Hudson --When he is not politicking for a new job outside the squadron he can be found at OST attempting to do great things.

Recently Departed: (T)Sgt Matt Hunsinger --After a long stint at OST, Matt crossed over to the 344th to Stan/Eval. After giving the big taco on his first eval, booms scattered when he came around, which wasn’t very often. He is the new HAMMER and now wields his perceived power at the FTU in Altus! SSgt Nathan Bahr --Stolen from the 384th, Nate took over training and then Altus came a callin’. When he was not being called out by Matt, he was sticking his own foot in his mouth. Doesn’t have a line number to Tech but that is a story for him to tell you. SrA Chris Reed -- Afraid of instructor school so he opted for civilian life instead. He mentally out processed before actually leaving. Thought he was going Guard...Nope. Thought he was going Reserve…Nope. All we do know is he secured a lease on a $2000+ per month apartment in the San Francisco area with no job lined up. Hope that works out.

MCCONNELL AFB, KS 349 ARS “Los Banditos”

Superintendent: MSgt Prothe, Brett (Ron Burgundy), EB – This salt-n-pepper haired fox just came to us from USTRANSCOM, none of us really know what that is but he likes to remind us that it was an important job and people knew him; his office smelled of rich mahogany with many leather-bound books. Late at night, he can be found in his office filing Article 15 paperwork and sculpting his guns…he did over a thousand! Operations Supt. MSgt Hollaway, Jeff (Top Gun), EB – When he’s not in his office, which is often! He’s probably working on his bump, set, or spike and watching crucial game film “Top Gun” for new techniques. In preparation for his next assignment (Travis) he was spotted on the “ladies dance machine” (the elliptical) trying to tone up before he hits the Cali beaches and plays Slider and Ice Man in a doubles match. You will be missed. Operations Supt. when he returns MSgt Southern, Casey (the Hulk) - Some people might call him “door frame challenged”, you would find him getting his pump on in the gym, or roaming office to office trying to find his stolen protein powder. This newly upgraded IB is always a fun and well respected member of the squadron. But be sure you know your job or he will have no problem taking it “old school” on you in the boom pod while sipping his Carnivore protein shake…assuming he found it! Attached MSgt Baughman, John (Crazy Uncle) – This super-sized, sexy, husky piece of sub-human flesh can be found at the base gym jumping rope while killing a Freddy's burger. After being appointed to the SOAR shop he was involved in the planning of Operation dfjlfjasdfldjaljsdfjdkl He coordinated the logistics for asdlfjasd asdlfjaslf and the alksdjflaksjf adslfjlsd assets. The Crazy Uncle is in fDFSDFJSjdjd for the next fjfdh in support of jasdlfkjlajsadskfjsj ops! Think twice before crossing the Crazy Uncle! He’s been known to aflsdjflasjfj; sdlfalsfs in public and alsdjfal asdlfjasf in the woods! John recently moved over to the Ops Group Fuel Efficiency Office to crunch numbers.

OGV MSgt Clifford Bond – Cliff retired after 24 years of service…best wishes to you and your family in the next chapter. MSgt Hoffman, Ralph (GIMP) – the words “Bring out the Gimp” never applied to MSgt Hoffman. But this OGV boom has been down for the count for the past few years. However, after several trips to the German for “progressive procedures”, Ralph recently won the Tour De France, only to have his title stripped for doping. Keep fighting Da Man and cycle on! SrA Hadden John (CHOP) – This young aspiring competitive eater; dreams of taking down Joey Chestnut at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating contest! Furthermore, CHOP has joined the Honda S2000 mafia…racing around downtown Wichita with Toretto and the rest of the Fast and Furious gang! In an attempt to ensure that he can never give blood again; CHOP frequents the many tattoo parlors, adding to his collection of ink. His latest tat simply says, “MOOM”

OGX SSgt Lyles, Derek (Jack Daniels the Ripper) IB- This up and comer is one of the youngest NCOs I’ve ever known to fall over backwards and face plant the landing while attempting to moon people on Chat Roulette. Additionally, Derek can be found petting his miniature version of Mr. Bigglesworth…the cat is so evil he’s lost all of his hair is secretly plotting to hold the world hostage for MILLIONS…while hiding under his bed. Furthermore, Derek gets his kicks by forcing young booms to Hot Roding around in his “Chick” car…because “that’s cool!” Either way, he’s a good time! Execs A1C Mitchell, Alexis (Maverick) – Directly related to Lt. Pete Mitchell, one of the best gosh darn instructor pilots that the Navy’s elite fighter weapons schools has ever seen! She often feels the need for speed and goes by her famous uncle’s philosophy that “when in the danger zone, in the air, you think, you die”. (In case you haven’t caught on, this is a Top Gun movie Reference). Great team player and unbeatable with her movie trivia, she makes for a formidable and fierce boomatition. Mobility SSgt. Martinez, Samuel (El Jefe)–Lives by the philosophy of Booming like a rock star by drinking 5-6 energy drinks a day. When not requesting to be oiled down before going to the gym; he likes hanging with all his fans, the lovely Twin Peaks staff…no, not them, the cooks in the back; the guys he plays COD with. They call him “El matador”, while on the other side, the waitresses call him…EL RON JEREMY (poor tipper) you get the point. SSgt Cohea, Andrew (Steps), MB – Currently DNIF. His wife pushed him down the steps because he wouldn’t take out the trash when she told him to…jk! Fun Fact: Andrew is an aspiring poet despite his large stature and need for violence in the ring. He claims he won the T.V. show Ultimate Fighter. However, due to a technicality they couldn’t televise his season; coincidently, he’s been permanently DQ’d from ever fighting in MMA again, because he killed a guy in the ring. We suggested that he move in with a family member and lay low for a while. A1C Buchannan, Michael (Torreto) – It is rumored that he once killed a guy with a socket wrench; however, Buchanan was still able to obtain a TS. All that aside, this solid Boom is learning how to deal with authority while being sentenced to attend IB upgrade at the lovely Altus by the sea. Due to his third blown engine in 2 years; this Tokyo Drift racer, doesn’t allow LARGER females in his car or an unqualified mechanic! Baby booms, watch out for this future IB…he’s dangerous!

A1C Fallows, Ronald (The Hair) - Famous for wearing skinny jeans under his flight suite, cause, and I quote, “it gives me an extra layer of flame retardentness.” He is very Proud of his North Korean car, and his Columbian background, but even more so, about his look…being the only one at a rodeo wearing slacks, button-down shirt and tie (no pocket protector). He can be found riding a stationary bike at the gym or shopping for new tank tops and jeans at JC Penny. SrA Thurman, Michael (MacGyver) – “Listen, listen” probably one of the best people in the squadron at giving impressions; too bad the only thing he can’t impersonate is a good boom operator (burn!). The man can build almost anything from scratch, he is the Bandits very own MacGyver. He once fixed an engine starter valve with a toothpick, a 4 inch strip of duct tape, a nine iron and the cased flag he acquired from Wake Island. His future plans are to deploy to anywhere but the Deid! He’s one of the lucky few who may never have the pleasure of visiting the sand box; this guy must have friends in high places. Safety SSgt Dedon, Don (Tiny Dancer) – Q: What to you get when you cross an Oklahoma native, a reflective belt and hula dancer? A: Double D or tiny dancer. That right, not once, but twice, this former POL troop has won the Deid’s pool side hula contest, sponsored by the Wing Safety office. Due to his dedication to the hula contest and safety in general, he has been granted his dream job and is working in the Sq Safety office. “Reflective belts aren’t just a fashion statement, they’re MANDATORY!”

Scheduling SSgt Lee, Malcolm (EL Swavaa/Malee) – This Teflon covered NCO is so smooth, NOTHING sticks. MaLee has been known for frequent the SMA establishments with BLEE, “BLEE’s girlfriend has five mouths to feed” he said. El Swavaa might be the most popular Boom in the squad at the moment. He’s currently serving a hardship tour…in Puerto Rico. Make sure that when you see him you thank him for his selfless service…or punch him. SrA Voorhees, Michael (Jules) – When asked what the initials on his wallet stand for, Voorhees replies, “That’s my BOOM Mother Trucker!” Jules, has been known to make MBs cry in the BOWST and provide no positive motivation during the BOWST debrief. Loved by some and feared by most; this extremely knowledgeable IB can will either leave a letter for your house keeper or quote you Ezekiel 25.17…! Followed by (LOOK IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!) SrA Gerlach, Codey (Milton) – This quiet and reserved Boom gets upset when someone steals scheduling swingline stapler! Additionally, this young West Virginian can be found eating his lunch in his car while mumbling obstinacies about those Bandits that stole “his” stapler, fixed the glitch and/or moved his desk in the base Honor Guard office. Stan/Eval: TSgt Hunter, Justin (Big Truck), EB – Well, he started the year off with a GMC 2500 crew cab…that wasn’t big enough, so he purchased an even bigger truck! When he’s not cruising for chicks in Big Foot he’s probably….well, no one really knows. My guess is that he’s seeing how the other half lives, walks around in his twin’s (Pilot) flightsuit and making fun of the sweaties, just to push some buttons. SSgt Miller, Justin, EB – Here lays the desk that was once occupied with SSgt Miller. He was a great boom, loving husband, father and adopted son of MSgt Baughman. Sadly, he is now up at Scott AFB…loving every minute flying at “Ground Speed Zero.” Have fun up there buddy!

Support SrA Lee, Bryan, (Casper/BLee) IB- The phantom of the 349th, no one really knows what he does all day but he always seems to show up when there is free food and beer. When he’s not making his charitable donations to the local SMA chapter, mostly at establishments like Jezebels, he enjoys borrowing people’s video games for weeks on end and never playing them. BTW, his Dad is an Air Traffic Controller, which means he’s SUPER cool! A1C Anderson, Spencer (The Grey Fox) – Picture Napoleon Dynamite’s brother Kip. He’s obviously the most knowledgeable and charismatic Boom in the Sq. Though juggling countless tasks such as washing the OGs car and providing escort duties at changes of command (just to name a few), he still finds time to do some Rex Kwon Do, peddle some Tupperware, work on his guns, all while dating beautiful women off the internet. A1C White, Bria (Blanca) – Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls…the streets are NOT safe! Bria, a native of the Big Easy, who recently learned to drive at the ripe old age of 22, is already better than some Booms..because A) she learned how to drive stick quicker than you can say “Jambalaya and B) she’s learned the importance of applying the E-brake while parked on an incline. Bria just finished her first deployment and is already looking forward to instructor upgrade, with her bedazzling characteristics and sharp as a spoon personality, we’re all sure she will be a shoe-in for the job. A1C Langs-Hunter, AJ (Evil Knievel) – This young dare devil hails for the great state of Arizona, where the men are men and illegals are running for the boarder. Not only is this trend setter progressive (hyphenated last name), but this rocket rider likes to make the occasional fashion statement on base (helmet and leather jacket on, while walking to his 250cc scooter). Sorry Ladies, this “progressive” guy is taken and we all know who runs that family. Tactics SSgt Yow, Justin (I’m mad at everything) – Currently deployed and reenlisting for a PHAT SRB, this Bama native spends his day beating down our MBs with GK and Bama football trivia. While at night, he can be seen starring at the moon and stars thinking of his beloved Jenny and reminiscing about his bestest good friend Bubba. Needless to say, this southern belle has a dark streak, especially when Bama football loses…he can be heard all throughout the halls of the Sq, “bla bla bla mur mur bla Alabama!!!!!” A1C Rambo, Zac (First Blood) – Hide your daughters, dogs, cats and sons…nobody is safe when “They” draw First Blood! However, instead of running around the jungle looking for a mad man with a bow and arrow, the indigenous people of downtown Wichita often wonder where this U-Per (Upper Peninsula) goes. Where’s Rambo!? It’s time to go…lol! He’s probably skinning a cat and fashioning a hat from tree bark and fishing line. Additionally, he also enjoys tanning and cooking while wearing his volleyball spankies, “they provide great support and have a slight sliming look,” he explains. Training (T)Sgt Carino, Sherwin (Big Brain), IB – When asked why he would want to come back to McConnell for a second time? He simply replied, “Why not Minot...I mean, Why not!” Even with a CRG gig in the books, he claims to have more flying hours and IQ then all of our baby booms combined! In his spare time he likes to disprove the scientific theory of Quantum Entanglement, whatever that is, and has found a way to divide by zero! SrA Epperly, Barb (Barbara Jo), MB – After a stellar tour with the 22nd ELITE Honor Guard, Barb set out to single- handedly crush the Taliban by hosting 0600 “girl-time” chit-chat with the natives. Currently, she can be found flying local sorties, working in training and dominating the local pub trivia leagues!

SrA Cook-Leotaud, Vanya (Smiles), MB – A recent BTZ alumni, Master’s recipient, and voted 2nd in the Biggest Brain contest. Vanya seems to always have a smile on her face. I’m not sure if she’s always happy, or quietly planning on doing what she does every night with her friend Pinkie, “TAKE OVER THE WORLD!” Just remember, 2nd place is the first loser…but at least she smiles about it…HAHA!

MCCONNELL AFB, KS 350 ARS “RED FALCONS”

SMSgt Jeff “Hand Foot & Mouth” Bishop – Our superintendent is still trying to get the IG stink off him from his tour at AMC. He was our inside man during the NORI and kept everyone in good shape for the inspection. He came back with an awkward rash after 2 weeks in Puerto Rico. He claims it was from the food, but I guess we’ll never know what really happened at that mysterious beach resort. MSgt Lori-Lyn “Mom” Froehlich – It’s a good thing she got all that sun deploying last year (not really, it was all SOAR) because she has turned into a vampire after being banished to the vault to become our 8010 expert. Rumor has it she had to arm-wrestle the CMSAF himself to get her MSgt stripe awarded. TSgt Alan “Angry Al” Pelletier – Our new Operations Superintendent. When a process is screwed up, we can always count on him to argue with someone until it’s fixed. Al, try to limit your fights with the DO to once a week. TSgt Logan “Root Beer” Berry – On his second tour in training after finishing his third tour in scheduling. The root beer at the Manas DFAC was removed after it passed its expiration date, so he got the bio-environmental guys to approve a waiver. He was last seen stocking up on cans of Mug and A&W for his emergency war reserve stash. TSgt Ken “Thriller” McLeod – When our squadron did a tour of the local jail, he felt so comfortable there with his homies, he volunteered to wear an electric-shock anklet. Hey Ken, 1984 called…it wants its Michael Jackson jacket back. SSgt Cody “Chief” Beverly – Scheduling NCOIC. When he’s not hammering the young airmen about some regulation, he’s telling stories in the drug-test room about drunken weekends passed out on strangers’ couches. That’s exactly how it happened, right, Cody? And what happened to your other shoe? SSgt Ryan “Proud Poppa” Cornell – Decided he didn’t want to be bested by any other booms in the squadron, so he got his vasectomy reversed and has kid #4 on the way. SSgt Aaron “John Hancock” Davis – He’s been running the mobility shop like a champ. He likes writing his name on deployment checklists so much he decided to carve it on the back of a B-2.

SSgt John “Turtle” Ertle – He decided he likes flying real planes better than toy ones, so he rejoined us in the tanker world as our Stan/Evil boom. He’ll drive you to Twin Peaks for lunch as long as you’re solo, he doesn’t have any extra seats in his Beemer. SSgt Justin “Ginger” Walsh – Came to us from Japan and eventually convinced his wife to join him. He knows more about Stan/Eval than most evaluators. He’s finally at BIQ at Altus and should be coming home with a Form 8 of his very own. SrA Cory “Becky” Beck – Scheduler extraordinaire. He tried to Palace Chase to Indiana but the active duty side loved him so much they wouldn’t let him go. Now he’s headed to CFIC and we expect great things from him in the future. SrA Steven “Rowdy” Bowdich – Listening to him speak is entertaining. You might disagree with everything he says, but you keep listening because you’re curious what randomness is going to come out of his mouth next. Ask him about his philosophy on child rearing (or sex), you’ll get an earful. He also recently learned where the right keel beam bay is NOT. SrA Josh “Moustache” Garrett – Spends more time reading stuff on IMDB than he does in his dash-1. He can quote any movie from the last 47 years. He came back from his last deployment with a combat moustache which he kept for a while. The wifey actually got upset when he shaved it so it’s back on a more permanent basis. SrA McHarry “Mack” Michel – Still in readiness flight. No one told him he would actually have to instruct to upgrade to IB. SrA Travis “Milk Man” Moore – Decided to grow his beard out so he can look like “the most interesting man in the world” but the only ones that are impressed are, uh, hmm. Stay thirsty my friend. SrA Jesus “J-Rod” Rodriguez – A recent ATC transplant from Eglin. He tries not to stand next to Capt A-Rod so we don’t get confused. SrA Justin “Not so Mustang Sally” Schultz – Our newest instructor boom. He just blew his third engine on his Mustang after taking it up to mach 0.2 on the I-35. He decided to get rid of it and replace it with a rice burner. SrA James “Diesel” Shaffer – He seems to annoy just about every high ranking individual he runs into with his Skrillex haircut and full sleeve tattoo. He drives a different truck to work every month. Don’t irritate him or he’ll “black smoke” you on the way out the gate with his big ol’ diesel pick-em-up truck.

SrA Killian “Killianaire” Stone - Sorry gentlemen…this lady is off the market! Someone finally appreciated her charm (or as she calls it 'belching, swearing, dipping, and drinking') enough to put a ring on it…the poor bastard. After a whole year without deploying she had to find SOMETHING to do. Unfortunately the ring didn’t last long, after she managed to sauté both hands “making tea” the paramedics had to cut it off with the Jaws of Life. A1C Seth “Preggers” Corliss – Killing it in training flight. He’s the only A1C we know that’s eligible for a senior citizen discount. When our resident “Mature” A1C isn’t trying to pick up chicks in his Camaro, he can usually be found giving relationship advice to all the dorm dwellers. As for the preggers comment, yes it means what you think it means. A1C Jameco “Contrails” Edwards – Finally got to deploy and spent some time at the FOB. He was DNIF for several months due to a broken finger. We’d tell you how he broke it but we don’t want to get SARC involved. He recently discovered that contrails are in fact not fuel leaks.

A1C Justin Elliott – Just got here so we don’t have any dirt on him yet. A1C Jake “Freshy” Frisch – He had to endure a whole year of Altus horror stories before heading there for BIQ. A1C Katie “K-Wow” Kuhar – Hails from New Jersey. Between her Honor Guard duties and the ninja lessons she has been taking from Killian, we haven’t really seen much of her around here. A1C Tyler “No Callsign” Rutledge – Went to Puerto Rico and got so sunburned the first day he holed up in his hotel room for the next 3 days, curled up in the fetal position with a bottle of Aloe Vera. He looks forward to the day someone else has to take out the trash around the squadron. Amn Tim “Tiny Tim” Neff – Always seems to break something on the plane to conveniently get stuck in nice locations. Currently on his first deployment (kind of) we see him smoking his reds out in the smoke pit while strumming on his guitar. Oh yeah, what’s the bottle to throttle rule again? Capt Neil “Goob” Godwin – Tanker navigator now but still a boom at heart. He’s logged more combat time in the past year than the rest of the squadron combined, and is still trying to get used to green flight suits again. Attached: SSgt Jeff “Old Broke Back” Wall – Lives in OG Mobility now. He may be the only boom on base who actually knows how the deployment sequence of events is supposed to work. Apparently a pretty lady asked him to marry her, but he’ll take credit for it. He plans a long engagement while he saves for the dowry. Departed the Fix: MSgt Jason “This isn’t spicy enough” Hall – Left us to become the assistant cheerleader at AMC Training. He already has his next trip to Wichita planned to satisfy his Bangkok Thai craving. MSgt Jesse “Rhymes with ha-ha” Meagher – wanted to avoid Altus so he volunteered for TACC. All the MCT booms no longer have the privilege of getting whipped into compliance by Meagher. MSgt Jerod “Nordo” Norden – Enjoyed the Travis CRW so much he decided to return there as a boom this time. MSgt Warren “Dotcom” Weldon - He enjoyed vault life so much he moved to Scott AFB to take over things at AMC/A3N. MSgt Drew Sottovia – Had his line number for MSgt all of 15 minutes before he got his orders to McGuire. SrA Landon “I can fix that” Iverson – He separated, realized painting nuclear reactors wasn’t his thing, so decided to join the reserves. Also known as “Mr. Way Too Proud of Texas.” SrA Thomas “Bounty Hunter” LaRousse – Just went on terminal leave and is crashing in Corliss’ basement. He might stay there a while depending on how fast the broadband connection is. He can tell you exactly what you need to do to a Saiga shotgun to make it 922(r) compliant. SrA Waino “Steampunk” Yrjanainen – Right when we were finally figuring out how to pronounce his name, he decided to finish his active duty tour and head over to the reserves, but got rid of his fabulous moustache. We think he should grow it back, and get a monocle and bowtie to complete the look. We see him downtown sometimes, riding his tandem bicycle solo…how sad.

MCCONNELL AFB, KS 384 ARS “SQUARE PATCHERS”

SMSgt Tom “Lighthouse” Ireland Not sure why he was dubbed the “Lighthouse” possibly due to the guidance he offers people, leading them down the right path. But let’s get real, it’s definitely from that reflection off his freshly polished head; even SSgt Page can’t contend with the years of experience SMSgt Ireland has attained. Legend has it that the hair was lost due to the vast amount of Initial Qual students at Altus AFB. MSgt Cesar “Gump” Flores If you see MSgt Flores, you better not look away, he promotes as fast as he runs. Having made SMSgt, he is leaving us to improve Mildenhall. Let’s not forget the honor of working with a true hero; his Purple Heart should say it all. Good Luck in England (S)MSgt Flores. MSgt Rob “Bangs” Hansen Coming to us from XP, we didn’t know what to write. All anyone could think of was his phenomenal bangs that he sports. MSgt Hansen is creating good waves as our Chief Boom… oh, oops Operations Superintendent. TSgt Jason “Brain” Burianek When not giving the Q3 stare of death, Brain is passing his knowledge as the NCOIC of DOV down to all the Airmen. The guy is like a walking dash 1. Brain will most likely be able to train the next KC-46 pilots better than the instructors. TSgt Jeff “Sparky” Sparks I’m sure if you have talked with (M)Sgt Sparks you will hear something about your mom. Even though the joke comes up a lot sometimes it’s perfect for the moment. “Howdy”. He now works in OGV. TSgt Doug “Swag” Boren Nuff said: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljSPvR83L6s

TSgt Davie “Mouthpiece” Hobbs When Davie is in the building, you will know; his voice carries like a klaxon! Seems like nothing can wipe that smile off his face, except when you bring your mobility folder in for review the afternoon before it expires. Expect some sly remarks with a few “sentence enhancers” thrown in for good mix as well. SSgt Marcus “Vespa” Barnes (T)Sgt Barnes never thought he would make Tech this year with the lowest promotion rate in a decade but low and behold. I think being a leader comes naturally to him here at work because at home he never had a chance. Being the only male in a household of five… you get the idea.

SSgt Clint “Lawdog” Laughman If you see this guy, immediately go out and buy a lottery ticket. He works in the SOAR shop which is perfect because you never see or hear of him when he is around. SSgt Adam “Lashes” Mosier Revlon models have nothing on this guy! If you ever meet him, I dare you to stare at anything else. Coming back to McConnell from the CRW and getting requal’d, if we can ever get this guy on a sortie that doesn’t canx. He’s going to be running things in the training shop. SSgt Joel “Dr. Morningwood” Bowman SSgt Bowman is looking to be a doctor someday, and well, let’s just say don’t wake him too early in the morning. You may get to know more than he realizes you want to know. This guy will surely be missed; he will be living up the civilian life later this year, but not after one more deployment (his request!). Best of luck out there buddy! SSgt Dustin “2 Cents” Page Dustin is heading back to school in sunny California later this year. Seems like this guy always has something to talk about, and if you are game to listen, make sure to bring some Rip-It’s because it’s going to be a long journey. Since his recent back surgery he is officially half cyborg. SSgt Colin “Milky” Gregory The only grown man we know that drinks milk on a regular basis! In Colin’s world legs are the only body part you ever need to work out, EVER! Colin is now an assistant flight supervisor providing “workout” tips to his new troops. SSgt Grant “Staff Sergeant/Popcorn/Dream Crusher” Ringenberg Most know by now that he is a Staff Sergeant; however, no one knew that his many talents included popping popcorn. I mean who knew anyone could pour kernels in a bowl and press a button? Wow, we are speechless. As the current B-flight supervisor, Grant is just as quick on the pen as he is with his popcorn making skills and crushing dreams of the Airman. SSgt Jon “Boom Wife” Britton If you have never met his wife, “She is kind of a big deal”, and acts more like a boom then he does most of the time. If you don’t believe us just ask about his truck. Jon is enjoying life as an OST instructor grooming baby booms. SSgt Ky “Huevos” Larkins So when this guy heard about free eggs out in the desert he went crazy. Seeing him take down 30-40 eggs daily was quite interesting. He has made great strides in becoming one of our newest instructors to the 384th. SSgt Jason “Bane” Coffey Arrived from Mildenhall, took over scheduling after finishing ALS; currently fixing the scheduling/training relationship whenever he isn’t correcting SARM. “Bane” is quoted as saying “It doesn’t matter what you’re scheduled for, what matters is that you will do it.” SrA Royce “Waldo” Bluford No one knows where this guy is half the time, hence the name “Waldo”. More than likely he’s out hustling money on the side, because we know for a fact that SrA pay will not support the purchase of a Range Rover AND a new Cadillac CTS-V! (Let us in on the secret) SrA Kyle “Shaky” Engasser If Kyle took care of the squadron Parana tank as well as he takes care of his salt water tank back home then those would be some happy fish! So far he’s been a fast burner, making SrA BTZ and already finishing CFIC, he is working on a ROTC package to get commissioned as well. So watch out, you may be saluting Lt Engasser one day (Lord help us…). SrA Samantha “Grande” Large Worked here at McConnell for about 3 years now--broken for most of it--but working again and deploying every chance she can get! Great person to be around with a positive attitude, too bad she’s going to be a traitor by joining the reserves… SrA James “Blades” Michel This guy is cooler than a battle between Han Solo riding a dragon and Wolverine piloting a Klingon Bird of Prey. WARNING: May contain sharp objects… Favorite Quote: “Use the Force Gandalf” –Morpheus (LVL 29 LARPER now)

SrA Adam “Thor” Clark If you find this name on the flight orders as EB you might want to find a way to fall down some stairs. Dubbed “Thor” because Adam swings that Q3 hammer with a vengeance! Only one person so far has been able to escape his wrath. SrA David “Desk Pop” Avery So watch the movie “The Other Guys” and you’ll get how he got his name. He is also one of the only guys in the Air Force with a Capri flight suit. They just don’t make a large XXXLong flight suit yet… maybe one day. SrA Sam “Silky” Johnson As a new IB, Silky has definitely come out of his shell. Finally out of the shadow of his brother Kueffler, Silky is the backbone of the Scheduling shop! As a newly certified taxidermist, Sam is well on his way to stuffing more “deer” than he can handle. SrA Andrew “Golden Boy” Willard SrA Willard just put in his OTS package, but we are not sure if they will hear it. If his big boy voice doesn’t come out we will not be able to hear his “thank you” speech. He just took over the safety shop and ensuring we don’t drink alcohol and light fireworks… because alcohol is flammable. SrA Roslyn “Hazel” Longmire Why Hazel… IT’S HER EYE COLOR!!!! SrA Longmire aspires to be a doctor someday. Currently doing school and flying the line; when she is not raising money for charity. SrA Sean “Ducky” McAliney Is it McAliney or MacAnaly? Oh well. When he is home being one of the tallest booms in the squadron and with his Texas personality, you can’t miss him. Flying the line and prepping for his upcoming possible re-enlistment; hope he makes the right choice for himself. The call sign… it was just funny! A1C Adrian “Snorlax” Snelson When this guy is actually awake, he’s actually a great boom! Currently working on Picasso’s next big masterpiece; he is painting the squadron patch on a wall in Mobility. We expect to see big things coming from this guy! A1C Alex “Faceplate” Ortiz When Alex talks to you have fun trying to figure out the words that are coming out of his mouth. He is notoriously known for having items planted on his face in mid conversation (LOL). Anyway, as an up and coming boom, he is headed in the right direction. A1C James “Lowtrotter” Walker Standing a staggering 4 feet tall don’t let this guy fool you, he’s the right stuff. Nothing seems to take that smirk off his face, not even the “Dirty Deid”. An evaluator once told me he has an interesting way of closing the crew entry door. Hmm… A1C Miguel “Magic Mike” Perez Another new guy on the block, he definitely hit the ground running once he arrived at McConnell. Being one of the older “Baby Booms” he is quiet and reserved until that one small thing sets him off. Watch out when he gets his angry face on, we’ve seen what he can do in the gym. A1C Casey “Simple Jack” Hoium Let me tell you about myself, UUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH???????? What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, about myself, UUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH?????? A1C Autumn “Holdover” Hedrick-Cox She has been in the Air Force for almost 2 years now and is still in MCT but well on her way to becoming a great boom! Let’s be honest, she’ll probably have one of the only tech school marriages to last more than a week.

MCCONNELL AFB, KS 18 ARS “NO SCAB IS TOO SMALL”

CMSgt (ART) Kathy “K-Low” Lowman: Chief helps out with the Group Command Staff when she can. She goes out of her way to help everyone out at the drop of a hat. Always a master chef, you never want to be caught touching anything in or around a grill, it doesn’t pan out well for you. MSgt (ART) “Bear” Bearup: When not releasing the most toxic gases in the jet, you can always find Bear in his Michigan truck that looks like a parade float.

SMSgt Brad Beyer: Still working for the 22nd OSS. When not playing with his 2 little ones he is always helping people with their sprinkler systems. Until Mindi calls and tells him to come home! SSgt John Bui: Kim John Bui makes sure we try new Asian restaurants at every TDY location. He says we don’t get enough culture in our lives. He finishes up his degree in a month and will start to put his pilot package together. SrA Sarajo Danis: Still living the tree hugger’s dream of burning gas. She is a full time student and seems to go on every TDY SMSgt (ART) Darren “Darnell” Demel: No one can seem to get Darren’s name right. Darnell took an ART job this year and has made a huge impact in the squadron. When he is not at work he is in an Arms Race to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. SrA Serria Dopfel: Serria is one of our best up and comers. She helps out in the orderly room and is a wiz at cutting orders. She is also working on finishing up her Bachelor’s Degree so she can put in a pilot package. TSgt Clay Dotson: Clay is down at Altus doing CFIC. I think he is really enjoying himself since he does not have to answer an efinance or DTS question down there. Who would of though a guy would rather go to upgrade then deal with all those vouchers? MSgt (ART) Jay Guldjord: Old Super Boom is still around and making us all look bad. He works in the Training shop and has about 20 additional duties. He seems to always have a smile on his face due to working on his new project, a 1973 Land Cruiser.

MSgt (ART) Tonya “Little T” Halenka: Tonya is trying to find things to do now that she is an empty nester. When she is not working in Current Ops she can be found hanging out with her new puppy. MSgt Mark “THE HOFF” Heithoff: Still doing the Fire Capitan job in Nebraska. You can always find The Hoff talking Nebraska football and how they are going to win the National Title. SrA Landon “Lando” Iverson: Lando is a new hire we stole from the 22nd. When he is not working in his Shop you can see him driving around his Rat Ride. SMSgt Ray Lewis: Still working in STAN/EVAL and doing a fine job. Ray can be seen in his nice new blacked out BMW jamming out to some 80’s rock. Some guys just never grow up. TSgt (ART) John McIlvoy: Just became an ART this year. He found time between trips and deployments to get married to a great gal. They are expecting soon and John couldn’t be happier. MSgt Mark “Mac Daddy” Mcintosh: Mark is still working at Dyess AFB in their scheduling shop. He makes the trip up for UTA’s and even then he is still scheduling A/R tracks. I swear the man never sleeps. TSgt Aaron Meadows: Aaron has only been with the unit for a month and has probably said 5 words total. TSgt Gabe Miller: When Gabe is not using the TDY’s as his personal dating service, he is flying all over the place. Recently got back from his first deployment and wants to go back immediately. Upgrades to Capitan with his airline job sometime in November.

MSgt Chris Norris: Chris has been troughing for over a decade. Maybe sometime soon he will get a real job, grow up, and stop flying so much. Chris and his wife have a little girl, so that means he only talks about his daughter and rugby. SSgt Brian Olson: Brian is still doing the Fire Fighter gig in Missouri. When he is not shooting the neighbors goats he is spending time with his family. Brian is our resident DD and has no problem picking anyone up. MSgt Mike Stahl: Mike is a true TR. He shows up to fly once a week and is always happy to be at a UTA. His Job at AGCO takes him all around the globe but yet he still likes going TDY. He and Dana still live in Halstead and love every minute of it. TSgt Matt Tener: I think he still misses the C-5 but is doing really well with us. He has about five additional duties that keep him really busy, when he is not taking care of his dog. SSgt J.D. Utash: JD still works at Spirit. He recently married and has the hardest time making it to UTA’s. For some reason he always has a wedding to go to. SMSgt (ART) John Wallman: John still has a knack for making you cry at any time. His tough love approach has helped produce some of the best booms around. He still goes up to Nebraska to farm every year. MSgt Jim “J-Yo” Yokom: When he is not keeping the troughers paid he is keeping pilots off his desk. Jim always seems to have the answer for everything. Resident computer genius always seems to be working on ways to make things easier. If he could only get Booms to fill out their Bid sheets.

SrA Waino “Patches” Yrjanainen: Came to us from across the street. He showed up to meet the Chief with no patches on his uniform. Since no one can say his last name we just call him Patches. TSgt Matt Ziegelbein: Matt still is one of the quietest people in the squadron. He walks around like the new guy at every UTA. Even the new hires congratulate him on getting hired every UTA. IN SCHOOL SSgt John “Tiny Dancer” Melton: Picked him up from Tinker and will always find a way to make you smile. Should be done with school BIQ soon and can’t wait to start going on TDY’s SrA William Baker: A series of unfortunate events has caused him to get injured a month before he was supposed to go to school. Finally got cleared to go and is waiting for a class date. Former BOOM’s Lt Col Travis Clark: He is our current ADO and never seems to answer his phone. Recently he and his wife had a baby boy. Maj. Trey Forrest: Left us to go back to Topeka. He must like it up there or something. He will be missed and always welcome back. Capt. Dave Seeman: Dave went back to his home state of Washington and joined the Guard. When he is not riding his motorcycle all over the place he has been seen in the Deid. Lt. Greg Braisher: Greg is happy to be back from Altus so he can go back to teaching teach people how to fly Cessna’s. He was a great Boom and an even better Pilot.

Lt. Brandon Bloggett: He is currently at Vance AFB and should be joining us in a year. TSgt Tom “Hell Yea” Wicks: Tom left us for Tampa Reserves early this year. H will be missed and I’m sure the wait staff at Twin Peaks misses him even more.

MCCONNELL AFB, KS KC-135 ATS BOOM INSTRUCTORS

Greetings from the CAE McConnell Boom Operators,

Well it has been a year and the Air Force’s first BOWST has been very busy. Active, Guard and Reserve boom operators have logged nearly 1600 hrs in the BOWST this year. This year also saw the development and introduction of the formal MCT, CT and Pre CFIC courseware for the BOWST. Been busy helping Altus to bring up new courseware for BIQ, CFIC and Requal. We hope to begin training boom operators this summer with the courseware. The BOWST has proven itself in reduction of training time for Pre CFIC and MCT. The reduction in flying hours will help to keep the booms trained and combat ready.

The current lineup of CAE booms here are: Mike Adams: [email protected] : Mike has been busy heading up the writing of the courseware. I tell you this guy has a 5000 lbs brain. When he is not writing, he is patiently showing Jim and I how to file a travel voucher. Stay away from Mike if there is any potential for hail in the area. Jim Morman [email protected]: (QA/Test Boom) Jim worked hard with Mike and Glen to bring the new courseware online. Judging by Jim’s frustration with Microsoft products, we hope he never meets Bill Gates in a dark alley. Glen Stallard [email protected] : (Yes I work here too) – After a year Glen is finally full time. Glen has been busy with his kids multiple activities. In the process of selling a house and buying new one, we hope that he has hair by the time the process in finished. Has been busy helping Mike and Jim bring the courseware on line.

MCGHEE TYSON ANGB, TN 134 ARW / 151 ARS “Home of the Tennessee Volunteers”

Greetings from the 151st ARS / 134th ARW located at McGhee Tyson AB Knoxville, TN. We just made it through our ORI and got an excellent overall with Operations receiving one of the outstanding grades for the base. Please stop by and visit us if you are ever out our way for the Smokies or for a graduation. We love to talk shop, drink beer, and tell lies. Bo Sunderland: Bo is the new chief in town. He finished up an illustrious 26 year AGR career by stealing a technician job from the rest of us and holding up promotions for a few years. To make things even better he keeps taking LWOP and sucking up all the active duty tours from our Guard Bums……………….congrats on the new “jobs” chief. Mark Allen: Yes, he is still here after 40 something years and still holding up all the promotions. Rumor is he is retiring soon but we have heard that for a decade now. He shows up around here occasionally when AT&T lets him off. Wayne Atkins: Pops almost had his one year patch then he went to Scott for a one year stat tour. He should be returning to us soon so there is still hope he can get it. It is rumored he may be leaving us soon for greener pastures but if it involves him having to learn something new I don’t believe it. He has done NOTHING but boom for the last 30 years. Ronnie “Crash” Dixon: Crash is our new Training NCOIC. He replaced Randy “for president” Keener. With his new training duties, he is slowly shedding the UDM stuff. All this really means is he now walks around complaining about training items instead of his UDM duties. That being said he still smokes a mean Boston Butt. Randy Keener: Randy was elected to be our new “Mayor”……..He recently replaced Jeff Dyer in Stan Evil and still runs the base golf league. He says he doesn’t want to run it….but I think he just can’t resist all the power that comes with being the “golf commish?” Brian “Trigger” Thomas: I am not sure why he is still on our list. I don’t think he even works here anymore since he started working on the BOSS system. Seriously, I run into Brent Seymour more than Trigger

Lennie Tipton: Lennie found out this year that he is going to be a dad again…even Lennie says, “Holy Shit!” Eric Jones: EJ finally escaped scheduling and “works” in Stan Evil now. At least I think that is where he is assigned. He was at the track last time I saw him. Bo Rogers: Bo is the new master of getting paid to do anything but fly. Rumor is he got married recently but the truth is, we haven’t seen him in about six months so I can’t confirm that. Brent Seymour: Brent has turned over a new leaf now that he feels his time is short out here. He flies at least four times a semester now. JJ Davenport: You probably read last year that JJ had left us for a Command Post job. Well, that lasted all of about two weeks and he came back. He said he missed flying but I haven’t seen him take a trip since his return so go figure. Tyler “Tater” Ott: Tater has settled into his fulltime job quite well. I hear him curse the part timers at least once a day. HE just isn’t quite the same since Atkins went to Scott last year. We are hoping the old Tater will show up once Wayne comes home. Shannon “Blue” Price: We are pretty sure Blue is still employed here but honestly between fishing/boating season and his repeated trips to Centcom and various other locales, I am not so sure of that. Rumor is he is an evaluator now but unless you are on the road you probably aren’t going to get a checkride from him! Melvin Brandenburg: Melvin decided to leave us recently but then changed his mind and is going to stick around a while longer. I think he is still going to go to Instructor school but I am afraid to ask him because of how long it would take him to answer. Jody McKee: Our newest fulltimer in scheduling. Jody recently “came out” to our boom party dressed in a silk shirt with large wooden buttons. Read into that all you want. I’m just saying………………. Tommy Cole: In the tradition of past downtown firefighters, Tommy is finding a way to suck up all the temp tech and AGR tours from our bums. Not sure what he has on the Chief but it must be a good one. I found a pair of knee pads under his desk from when he last worked in scheduling if anyone is looking for some……….. Terry “Rev” Mull: The Rev is still keeping the wheels on but barely. He is an engineer for some polymer company in town. He has told me several times what they do but between his incoherent scientific ramblings I tend to space out and lose interest. John “Abe” Whaley: Abe recently got promoted and is starting to act responsible all of a sudden. It is hard to take him seriously since he came home with a combat stache and chose to make it a permanent fixture. With upper lip plumage like that he is going to have trouble getting anyone to listen to him. Andrew Burress: “Burress County” will be leaving us later this year for pilot training. Not sure how that hire was made but we wish him the best. Rumor around here is if you need a few 1000 acres of forest burned down he is your guy. Nick Pierce: Nick went and got into trouble……..got married is what I meant to say. It hasn’t slowed down his guard bumming. He stays gone ALL THE TIME….Hey Nick, does your wife need help mowing the lawn while you’re gone???

Josh Lane: “DB” is still taking trips regularly. I usually hear about them upon his return from all his fellow crewmembers. Evidently he has a penchant for complaining about the food and service at every meal. (DB stands for Disgruntled Boom) Anthony Flores: We still don’t have any dirt on Flores but if you never take any trips it is hard to get any. I do still know his sisters are hot though! Chris O’Donnell: Sponge Boom just got married last year and then welcomed his first child into the family recently. Supposedly he plans on having a bunch of kids. I am just amazed he found someone to sleep with him.

Demoted to Pilot Lt Col. Kelvin Kuwik: Kelvin went thru Castle in 1976 at the tender age of 17, and was commissioned in 1982. Heretired a few months ago…I think. Lt Col. Liz Matthews: Liz came to us from Forbes a few years ago. She was an engine shop troop until 1993 when she went to Castle. She was commissioned in 1996. Maj. Jeremy Taylor: Jeremy was a crew chief from 1988 to 1995, went thru Altus as a Boom in 1995 and was commissioned in 1997. He recently left the Tanker world to go fly Reapers in Nashville. Maj. Hiram Williamson: Hiram was a crew chief from 1991 to 1995, went thru Altus in 1995 and was commissioned in 1999. Hiram is now fulltime in Stan Evil and is currently enjoying a trip back to Altus for instructor school. Capt. Jason Reed: Jason went thru Altus in 2000, and was commissioned in 2005. He is one of our fool time pilots in Current Operations. Capt. Erik Swanson: Erik, like Liz, came to us from Kansas a few years ago. The Swanson family just welcomed their second child into the world! Maj. Chad Cheatwood: Chad went thru Altus in 1998 and was commissioned in 2002. He is recently came HOME from flying C-17’s in the Charleston Reserve Unit. He is one of our “new” guys now.

Moved On

SMSgt Jeff Dyer: The “Mayor” just took his final flight and put on his ABU’s. He is our new training manager for our command post controllers. TSgt Jared Morgan: “Beef” just moved to Nashville to become a sensor operator. Not sure what that means but he is an avid video game player so I am sure he will be okay. 1st Lt. Richard Alan Potts: R.A. is still at the 119th Command and Control Squadron here on base. We occasionally see him at lunch wearing his Spwings around. TSgt. Dennis Greenwood: Dennis always has a home in Knoxville at the 134th but for now we have loaned him out to the active duty AWACers at Tinker as a flight engineer. No more four hour FTPs for Dennis.

1st Lt. Bryan Rollins: Peabody left us in 2010 and is now a true space weenie with Richard Alan in the 119th.

Retired in the Local Area James Quagliana, Nancy Martinek, Greg Waters, Todd Derrick, Joel Lewis, J.J. Mehall, Karen Jansen, Wes Beaver, Jerry Roberts, Robert Hampton, John Miller, Ronald McKinnon, Robert Brown, Marty Everett, Ted Wright, Ben Long, John Sumpter, Clinton Haley, Bill Witt, Ed Hatton, Ralph Chambers, Chester Harper, Durell Howard, Lloyd Costner, Dean Gambill, Denny Buchanan, Steve Sampson.

Final Fly By MSgt Sonny Murrin (1985), CMSgt Billy C. Lindsay (1995), SMSgt Jimmy “Flash” Harris (2007), MSgt D.W. Harris (2009), MSgt Harold Bishop (2010), SMSgt Mike “Buck” Buckner (2011), and TSgt Ted Wright (2012 )

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 2 ARS “Second to NONE!”

Greetings from the Duce! Just like everyone, we are feeling the effect of sequestration. Crewmembers are taking longer to become mission ready (fighters don’t fly/ fly at night) which keeps putting a strain on the deployment lineup. On a good note we have more time to do total force/ground training and we are almost all SAPR/Resiliency trained! This year the Duce celebrates 90 years of air to air refueling. On 28 June 1923 the first aerial refueling occurred over Rockwell Field, CA. The flight consisted of past and future members of the 2nd Aero Squadron, this was the original designation of the Duce. During the test they managed to remain aloft for 37 hours. If you are ever in NJ and want to share a cold Yuengling come join us in the Duce ready room! LEADERSHIP CMSgt Mark Redden (CEM): Mark showed up to McGuire with a lot of big plans—just ask him he will tell you all about them. You know he is coming when you see his Barbie car and his metro-sexual hairdo! Once he realizes that Chief’s can’t tell jokes about making E-10, there may not be as many awkward laughs. He is filling in as the OG super, so we are thinking of getting him a phonebook to stand on so he can see all his peeps! SMSgt Todd McPeak (Superintendant): Recently back from his AMC assignment, “the Geek” is back at McGuire and still has his Evaluator cert, which means half the boom force in the 2nd is getting Q3’d. When he’s not sending back broken EPRs, he spends his free time with his son, baseball glove in one hand and 11-2KC-10v2 in the other. SMSgt Jeremiah “Doc” Love (Operations Superintendent): Doc will stop you from destroying things on the Jet with a simple look. One finger up like he’s about ready to sneeze! Doc is also quite the ladies’ man and refuses to take class 1 cargo because he can’t text all of them with explosives on board. He’s a man of many hats, acting first sergeant, chief boom, or super, there is no job he can’t handle. A-Flight TSgt Heath “Hambone” Hampton: Heath used to be a 135 guy and is having a hard time letting it go but we’ve managed to quell most of that nonsense… He’s the only boom in the Squadron who hands out random unsolicited weather updates during lunch. In fact he’s very random. He also has great hair. Ask him about his blues shoes? Talk about a hard charging NCO… SSgt Michael Marquez: The mighty Mike Marquez has come to us from the MX world. He’s a good dude, but I think he’s the only Marquez on the planet that doesn’t speak Spanish. What’s with that Mike? SrA Samantha “Sam” Rogers: The 2nd’s weapon smuggler, Sam made it through base security with weapons hidden in her backpack. Unfortunately for her it didn’t quite work out the second time… Recently fired from the Scheduling Office, she spends her time slapping other booms in a drunken rage at parties and placating her annoying new neighbors.

A1C Tyler Ploof: The Jiggle Ploof is waiting to turn 21 so he can finally have that first beer! Right Ploof? Just one of those new guys, Ploof always seems to find a way to bleed on the jet. We have to call AFE to stock up on first aid kits every time he flies. He’s also adding an extra hamster to his car and had the most errors on the squadron softball team. A1C Ian Sweaney: Wannabe PJ and the only boom this year that had to be babysat on St Patty’s day. Known to pass out and be rescued by his wife. Other than that, Sweaney is a squadron superstar with several leadership positions on speed dial. It’s ok to be a kiss ass brother. That still works in the Air Force. Keep up the good work. A1C Jeremiah Sims: On the road a lot, TDY or deployed, Sims gets the job done, except when it comes to paying off a $6.71 GTC bill. Just don’t ask him to make a BOT because that’s not going to happen. It’s cool Sims, remember the scheduling shop works for you! SSgt Marcus Mitchell: Came to us from JSTARS. Now that he’s a real crewmember he has some pep in his step. Now we just need to show him the checklist for manual garage door operation… We have plenty of room on the deployment schedule, and glad to see him as a mission boom. SSgt Brian “Farva” Mould: Brian is the only boom at McGuire to lose his iPad and notify the entire Sq about his mistake, only to find it under his bed a week later. A hard charging NCO that showed up to a housewarming party with an open handle of Captain Morgan as a gift, then drank the whole bottle by himself. Stay classy brother… A retrainee from Vehicle Ops, he may be our next TJ Sinclair. He’s also the only white dude in the air force with a shaving waiver. SrA Kyle Bean: As it turns out, failing dive school three times in a row isn’t how you become a Combat Controller. When he’s not shoving 30 lbs. of protein in his mouth and abusing steroids in the gym, he spends his time scratching his head in the classroom. A1C Sterling Hogan: Sterling is married and expecting a child soon… When he’s not skipping out on work and pretending to be good at softball, he’s clearing his home of invading mutated squirrels, scouring Google for the meaning of a wetsuit, and attempting (badly) to conquer his fear of water. Speaking of which, his water survival refresher is next week. A1C William “Shrek” Gribakaus: “Shrek” is another recent addition to the 2nd. Looks are deceptive though, as this green giant is actually quite friendly and knows the books! When he’s not brooding in his room listening to Goth music and painting his mirror with black lipstick, he spends his time at the round table studying cargo. I think he’d be able to life cargo from the ground and place it on the jet. A1C Stephanie Hodge: Stephanie is yet another new addition to the 2nd and comes from a Navy family, but we try not to hold that against her. Incredibly nice and gracious to just about everyone (except Dahl), rumor has it she’s an “undercover meanie” and is likely to use her soon-to-be-completed psychology degree to analyze everything we say and compare it to Sigmund Freud’s “Interpretation of Dreams”. B-Flight MSgt Shawn Lightner: Fresh off the Center of Excellence boat, Shawn still has that monotone FTU IB voice that puts all his students to sleep. He spends all his free time fantasizing about football teams and ways to go home before all the Airmen in the 2nd disappear for the day. He’s going to do the chief boom gig in Dharfa so he’s really excited about that. SSgt John Darby: It’s been several years since that stripper incident in Guam and it looks like his chest has recovered, but the mental damage must be there as he still can’t write a decent EPR. He must be recovering though, and maybe by the time he retires he will have it mastered. You should ask him sometime about things you shouldn’t say to the DO or exactly what is the “Darb-Eye?” SSgt Patrick Murray: This guy is super tall. I think he may be the tallest dude in the squadron. That’s all I know about him, so here comes the made up stuff. He loves to wear unitards. Although It’s hard for him to find them in his size; that doesn’t stop him from stocking up when he does come across some. He loves to combine his unitard with some great leg warmers. A1C Brian Doane: Heavy like Tyson blows to the Doane! Wannabe Pilot in the works, Brian spends his time criticizing the way FTU pilots fly, land, and talk, and has made a lot of friends because of it (none of them are Pilots though). SrA Turner Foote: Older than most of the Pilots in the 2nd, Turner is nevertheless a new-ish boom with two deployments under his belt. When he’s not listening to how much his daughter hates him (the current record is 15 times a day), he sits

quietly in the corner like a cat, plotting his much-needed revenge on all of us. Security Forces are frequent house guests, courtesy of his wonderful neighbors. A1C Joseph Edmonson: I had to tell him that now that he was out of basic, he could grow his hair out on the side of his head. He said “Ooh-Rah Staff Sergeant!” and walked off. Joe is a quite dude, and I believe he may have a few skin suits in his closet. “It puts the lotion on its skin, or it gets the hose again!” He also loves to macramé mini boots for stray cats that frequently urinate on his pillow. All of this stuff except the hair was completely made up. Maybe… A1C Uriah Johnson: Uriah is the only known Airman to get his license (complete with a beater car) and drive from Florida to NJ in less than a week. When Martonik isn’t knocking him down in the dorm parking lot, Uriah sits in his room playing old PS2 games and wondering he will actually start training. SSgt Jeffrey Benson: OMG, where to start. Jumping off walls, LARPing, and on line gaming is just the tip of the iceberg. I kid, Jeff is a good dude. I haven’t even gotten into his twin brother Jennings. If fact, when I started his piece, I actually thought I was writing about Trevor! Jeff, you know I’m kidding. Thanks for doing all the hard work with this year’s boom signal. Oh, and Jeff said he doesn’t LARP. SSgt Juan Upegui: The second-most interesting man in the world, Juan is here illegally from Columbia and can’t speak English without that accent coming through. When he’s not boasting about Columbian coffee bean dominance, he spends his time in the Squadron boom section trying to better his understanding of the English language so he can open a chain of fast food schnitzel houses. SrA Christopher Foley: The Squadron’s resident ginger, Foley actually gets to test for Staff this year since he finally finished his CDCs! When he’s not wrecking his jeep in the Pine Barrens, he spends his time shuttling Kale around the state for all his personal appointments. A1C Marco Ayala: The official 2nd sketchy ninja, nobody seems to know Ayala very well, other than he’s a student in FTU. If anyone can actually find him, we’ll be able to throw him on all those Friday night locals, valve jobs, and 4+ hour pattern only sorties. You can also hide in the shadows of his massive eyebrows. A1C Ashley Brundige: A new addition to the 2nd, Brundige spends a very large amount of time arguing with AMN Dahl. Everyone is wondering when they’re going to admit their love for each other and get married, and on that note, the bets are starting at $100. Striving ever forward, she’s normally very, very quiet (except when she’s singing loudly in her car) and talks quite a bit when she’s nervous. A1C Kurtis Martonik: Currently has the weirdest name in the Squadron; the Commander still can’t pronounce it! Kurt came to us from RAP over in backwoods PA and spends his free time hunting deer and cleaning his arsenal. He’s also known to shred his ax like wheat and is possibly the worst softball player in the world. It’s a toss-up between him and Hogan. SSgt Adam Ingan: Adam “I don’t wana work” Ingan was turned down for sensor operator. That’s ok Adam; you know there are plenty of underutilized lines to be filled in Dharfa where you call polish your COD skills. By the way welcome to the CRW. SSgt Mitchell Drummer: New dude to the squadron and boom force. Not any dirt of him so I’ll just make something up. He’s trying to develop a vectored thrust system using his own flatulence. He is also really into collecting rocks. SrA Patrick Reynolds: Call me maybe? Pat has fuzzy hair, but I don’t know if it’s as fuzzy as Jennings. Other than that, Pat thinks he is a good boom who keeps his nose clean. A1C Shawn Aldrich: Shaun Claude doesn’t say much. This is cool because we really wouldn’t care about anything he would have to say. I do know that L- Rod gave him a tongue lashing for absolutely no reason. This was after Aldrich bought L-Rod a bottle of wine. “F**K YOU ALDRICH”! Shaun is also know to get the occasional tummy ache. Nice job dude!

Amn Dylan Dahl: The only one-striper in the 2nd, he leaves work early every day to pick his girlfriend up from daycare. Just like Hogan, Dylan is scared of the water and can’t swim. He also can’t grow a mustache, but for some reason he thought it was a good idea to try. I can respect that. We’re all waiting on that note from his parents telling us it’s OK for him to be playing Boom Operator. A1C Aaron Scott: Super quite, this dude can grow hair, but refuses to do so, and that’s really all I know about him. Let’s make up some more stuff. Scott is working on a purification tablet that will enable him to drink his own urine. When asked about it, he stated “I just love the way it tastes”! Don’t we all brother, don’t we all…? This guy is also a Ohio State fan. That’s crazy. STAN/EVAL MSgt Kevin Hill: Back to the squadron and now sitting in DOV. I don’t know anything about Hill, so here are some things that I think. I think MSgt Hill is a powerful break dancer. There isn’t a safe piece of cardboard, or linoleum anywhere on the planet because he will just break it down all over that s**t! Also, he’s most likely skilled in the robot and the completive world of miming. TSgt Mike “Smitty” Smith: “Smitty” recently got picked up for an MTI slot and is leaving in February. That sucks because he’s an awesome boom. He spends a lot of time on the road as one of the only boom evaluator in the 2nd. He’s also training up all the young booms to slay the competition in the OG Softball tournament he put together. Good luck with that dude because we suck. Mike has better waves than the north shore in the winter. You will be missed brother, but I can always call you on your giant phone. TSgt Chuck “The Hit Man” Taylor: Chuck is a Pats fan, so he’s ok in my book. Chuck also taught me in FTU how to sleep in any phase of flight. I can see why, you need to be well rested to instruct students in the ARO. Well, he’s not instructing anymore, he’s an evaluator. I’ll be honest, he I never saw him sleeping during AR TRAINING FLIGHT MSgt Luis “El-Rod” Rodriguez-Asad: Luis is still the most interesting boom in the world! “I don’t always drink wine, but when I do, it’s everyday…” His most recent accomplishment is showing up to Rogers & Rivera’s housewarming party with a “suspicious package”; the police were involved within 15 minutes of his arrival. Also a brand new IB, L-Rod is earning his pay on the road with all our new students. SSgt Trevor Jennings: Trevor is a relatively new IB in the 2nd. Dubiously known for failing to pick up women worldwide, he’s also the only one to ask a girl to the AF Ball via Facebook message. When he’s not inviting women over for hamburger helper, he spends his time on the road making sure our new booms are good to go. He also has fuzzy hair. SrA Clay Wonders: I think he may be El-Rods long lost son—except he doesn’t like wine or speak Spanish. However, they do a lot of things together. They go DNIF together, have long dwell times and like to eat at the same diner. Clay hit the ground running in training flight and that’s good because El-Rod needs a lot of help! SrA Joshua Chrisman: Our newest IB, which means he can finally shove his dictionary-level book knowledge and lack of social grace in our faces and get away with it. He spends a lot of time keeping his (automatic) GTO immaculately clean and posing for more Combat Camera photo ops. Favorite past-time? Cooking those horrible chicken nuggets in the jet after each desert sortie. SCHEDULING TSgt John Rickenbach: John came to us from the 135/CRW world; he’s better now. Known for arguing with everybody’s favorite SARC Instructor (who promptly asks him to leave), he brings up valid points such as “my wife likes it when I get her liquored up and take advantage of her” and promises a “beat down of epic proportions on the airman that gets between me and my wife when I’m getting her liquored up”. Remember, if it’s not in G2, it doesn’t exist! SSgt Javier Mendoza: Fresh off his most recent cruise, Javier just deployed (again). He can’t seem to make up his mind what he wants to drive, and has another new Jeep to prove it. ETA on this one is two months before it gets wrecked or traded in. If he’s not fixing Darby’s EPRs he’s looking for the next tax-free trip.

SrA Matthew Giles: Beer Man! Matt is the S**t! Making beer and supplying the squadron with fresh kegs of home brew. Holding down the shop and dealing with Rickenbach is more than enough to keep him busy at work. The Kale is living with him, but was disappointed with the lack of mirrors and protein supplements. SrA Rodney Kale: UMK, or Ultimate Male Kale. Rodney wants nothing more than to leave the 2nd and to be a TACP, but the Scheduling Office had other ideas. For the Rod, being huge is not a choice, but a way of life. No mirror is safe in the gym, and I believe that he and Foley are taking applications for new oil boys. The Rod is trying to get out of the Air Force and it’s my goal to stop that. SrA Julia Rivera: Julia spends a large amount of time at off-base appointments. She is trying to cross of to the dark side via the Air Force Academy, but we don’t know if that will work. She can be seen with her BFF/roomie Rogers. The last report from their neighbors is that they are government spies. The CIA must be really hurting… SAFTEY MSgt Todd Patesel: Yep. Patesel is still here and flying again. You know what that means? Back to the sand box! Patesel also just had a new kid. Congrats brother. You’ll be the lone 80 year old at their high school graduation! Just came back to the squadron from current ops. MOBILITY SrA Joseph “SDT” Deltoro: Yeah, I look good. The Bull has “Sexy and I know it!” on repeat every day for his morning/late morning/afternoon commute to work. Deltoro is another Latin dude it the squadron that for some reason doesn’t speak Spanish. What’s with that ese? But he does have the trademark bull tat! SrA Jeremy Robinson: Another dude that I just don’t know. I do know that he’s doesn’t say much. Maybe that’s because he’s a North Korean spy? Maybe that’s it Malay Robinson! Malay is mister in Korean. I didn’t know that. I had to look it up. Anyways, it’s time for you to come clean. PCS’D/PCA’D MSgt Dan”Not the Man” Phillips: I think Dan is the only boom that was still a FB when he got assigned to OGV . I think it took Dan a year to get requal’d in the aircraft—“Really, It’s not my fault!” He rules over all of us with his EB ways and Jedi mind tricks. He can really shake a leg! This guy flows like water on the dance floor. TSgt Eric “Woody” Cox: Woody is a recent arrival from TACC. He hasn’t been in the Squadron long and he’s already got an FTU IB slot! He spends his time having SSgts help him write his EPRs/TAPRS (senility sucks huh?) and not studying for MSgt. SSgt Chad Piel: Chad recently PCS’d to Lackland to teach at the COE. Training flight will never be the same—of course we mean that in a good way….maybe! SSgt Dan “The Man” Flenniken: Dan also PCS’d to Lackland and has a child on the way! Hope his students understand him cause he can talk faster than a Texas tornado! We all wish him and his wife the best of luck. You will be missed! SSgt Curtis Clawson: Curtis was an IB for a whole week before he got picked up for an FTU IB slot—had to find some way to get rid of him..well not really. He did go down there kicking and screaming, but that was quickly fixed by the FTU Chief! Have fun on all those pattern-only locals and valve jobs. SSgt Larry Cawley: Larry got picked up for Sensor Operator in Vegas. With a brand new wife and a kid on the way, Larry will have his hands full for a while! SSgt Adam Sigman: – Adam is sitting over in Current Ops and trying to find all the good-deal fighter drags. However, he decided it was in the best interest of the Air Force to go let his Qual evaluation expire and go unqualified. If you ask him what he did before becoming a boom he will tell you he was Security Forces. Ask him how he could be Security Forces while working at supply? He recently got an assignment to the Travis CRW. Enjoy the California Sun.

SSgt Melissa King: Melissa made Staff and got picked up for Current Ops, where she enjoys not being in the desert 10 months out of the year. Now she goes on all the good deal fighter drags to the desert! She is known throughout the 2nd as the best drunk bartender ever.

RETIRED

SMSgt Stacey (Black) Tansits: Left us in the middle of the night to accept a job at Boeing to write the KC-46 publications. So when anyone starts flying the aircraft you now know who to blame. Good luck up in Washington, hope you have a good umbrella! MSgt LeRoy Robinson: “Leroy, tell us again how your pubs bag ended up in Dharfa and you are still at McGuire?” Maybe you are in Dharfa because we haven’t seen you around here. Oh that’s right you retired in May!

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 32 ARS “LINKING THE CONTINENTS”

Hello from sunny New Jersey. As I say this, we have broken the record for the most rain in the month of June since 1930 something, then we followed that up with the most days in a row over 90 degrees. The KC-10 community has been a very busy community with the constant state of being deployed to the desert and somehow trying to train new boom operators that keep showing up on our door step. And just as we start to get caught up, we get a new round of assignment notifications to TACC and/or the COE. As of right now, here is what I have for the 32 ARS boom operators. In about 3-5 minutes, this list will be outdated but I will update on next year’s boom signal. SMSgt Evans, Gary M., Chief Boom - Gary went to IB upgrade and completed his training a few months ago. Now he is an instructor who gets stuck at his desk reviewing 1206s, EPRs, and other awards packages as before he was a mission qualified boom reviewing 1206s, EPRs, and other awards packages. SMSgt Brown, Damien J., Aussie Boom Operator - Damien is our exchange boom operator and currently going through training. The other booms are learning very quickly that Aussies are either messing with you or asleep. So, if he is awake, chances are he is messing with you. SMSgt Piazza, Paul A., OG/OGV – Paul is one of the few Travis to McGuire transplants. He came to us after doing some time at Scott and Travis did not want him back, so our gain. He is currently working on getting re-qualified after not seeing the airplane in over 4 years. MSgt Palmisano, Doug M., Asst. Chief Boom – Doug has done great things here and really stepped up when we needed him to. He upgraded and immediately started working with the students to get them up to speed. He was rewarded for his hard work by dropping an assignment on him to TACC. We are going to miss Doug! MSgt Barnette, Mark C., Asst. Chief Boom – Mark is the only guy on the face of the planet that took a one year remote to Osan AB to get out of Travis and go to McGuire. He just arrived and is itching to hurry up and complete his requal so he can fly with the brand new young booms and pass on his experience. A real sucker he is. MSgt Dorsey, Rick L., Chief DOV – Rick just got to us coming back from TACC where he had done great things. When he showed up, we knew we had a very experienced KC-10 boom operator so we put him in DOV. He celebrated by getting his wife pregnant and now he will have a new addition to his family in the next few months. MSgt Rohan, Blaise A., Group Training – Blaise (coolest name ever) is seeing the writing on the wall and knows he has been here too long and good things do not happen to people that have been at the same base for 8 years. While

trying to look for a good assignment, he is trying to piece together something of a cargo program to get all of the booms in training qualified. MSgt Pascoe, Justin W., Chief Training - Justin just arrived to us from TACC and was thrown to the wolves by being put in charge of training the baby booms on how to load cargo and the ultimate task of getting MSgt Barnette requalified. He is still trying to get requal’d himself and should be back up in no time. TSgt Barnard, Darrell J., Current Ops – Our sole input to the current ops world so that we can get night fighters put on the schedule. I think he found out that he can go over there and demand more night fighters and eventually the beau racy wins and we do more pattern work. TSgt Cykewick, Daniel E., Mobility Office – The many years of being in the Air Force are starting to catch up to Dan and he is currently broke and long term DNIF. However, if you Google his name, you will see that he is the biggest Jets fan and was rewarded for his dedication. TSgt Dieter, Jacob M., Scheduling – Jacob always has a Mountain Dew can in his hand, it is his security blanket. He is also one of our walking wounded that we seem to have right around intra mural soccer season. TSgt Land, Timothy S., Safety – Tim likes to throw himself out of perfectly good airplanes, repeatedly. We put him in the safety office since he already knew all of the required documents as he has filled them all out before. The safety briefs he gives on Fridays is what he plans to do during the coming weekend. TSgt Porter, Steven M., Training – Just got himself engaged after a desert deployment and we are hoping to receive the wedding invitations soon. Steven has himself a sweet Trans-Am that he babies the heck out of. I see a future possible conflict, Trans-Am and new wife usually do not go together well. SSgt Houston, Joshua K., Scheduling – Joshua and his wife just welcomed a new baby and he has been spending a lot of time sleeping on the scheduling desk. Joshua is also well known for having a good goofy story to tell. SSgt McFadden, Ryan P., Training, Ryan is one of the few instructor booms so he is used very heavily. He leaves on a trip, gets home, goes on another trip before he has time to complete the TAPRs from the previous trip, and then gets notified he has to go to the desert in two weeks. He does all of this with a smile on his face. SSgt McLaughlin, Keith D., FTU – Keith drives his Camaro and loves to do burn outs leaving the parking lot. Between burn outs, he drives to the dorms and revs up the engine to show all the airman what his car can do. Since he loved the airman so much, we sent him to FTU to be closer to them. SSgt Meeds, Alexander N., In-training - Alexander is waiting for night fighters to complete his training. He is a prior Electro/Environmental C-17 troop that decided to become a boom operator. He is scheduled to get qualified here in the near future and will probably be in the desert very shortly after. By shortly, I mean about 10 days. SSgt Mellein, Jason T., Scheduling – Jason is our local stock broker who wants to get rich quick. He keeps showing up every day so I am thinking he has not made it to being rich as of now. He is a prior A-10 crew chief who had never deployed, so we deployed him as soon as he got qualified. SSgt Nelson, Steven A., - Steven has left the career field and decided to be a sensor operator. Good luck Steven, I hear Creech and Cannon are great places to be stationed. SSgt Pryor, Kenneth D., Stan/Eval – Kenneth has the record for the fastest beer drinking. We left a 6 pack in front of him, turned to get something, and turned around and there were 6 empties sitting there. Now if we can just get him to impress the young kids with his airplane knowledge instead of his drinking ability. SSgt Pugh, Alex W., Stan/Eval – Alex is the only evaluator in town right now and that has kept him a little busy. He is also an avid poker player who has established himself as a man not to play poker with because you will lose. The young guys have learned to hide cards when he leaves every 15 minutes for a smoke.

SSgt Siegler, Aaron P., Training – He is so quiet and reserved the only thing I know about him is that he is a good instructor, he runs fast, and the students like him. Good qualities to have in my book. SSgt Van Timmeren, Trvor A., Tactics – Trvor works in tactics in the building with a locked door and no windows. We don’t know much about what he does over there other than shows up every few months to fly and stay current. SrA Calvin, Ryan A., Training Flight – Ryan is all over the building doing something and he is a tough one to keep track of. I will see him at his desk and then 2 seconds later, he is at the scheduling desk. 5 seconds after that he is standing in front of me telling me he was in Stan/Eval. I really have to put a bell on that guy, he is just everywhere. SrA Fenton, Terryl D., Scheduling – Terryl is my “Don” on the scheduling desk. In order to get on a good trip, you must kiss the ring of the “Don”. Other than that, he keeps the schedule somewhat sane during the busiest times, which has been a lot lately. SrA Fredrick, Derek R., Line Boom – Once Derek got himself qualified, I never see him. He is on the road all of the time either deployed or TDY. Keep it up while you can. SrA Gordon, Philip J., Awards and Decs – No matter how much paperwork I bring to Phillip for my Air Medal, I did not do it right. He points out all my errors, I fix them, and then he submits. It really is a good process that he has mastered. SrA Greco, Hannah C., Outbound – Hannah is leaving us to go do something else with Intel. She explained to me what she was going to do and how exciting it was going to be but she lost me at “imagery analyst”. She is currently in her new tech school and we wish her the best in her new career field. SrA Keiser, Andrew G., In-training – Andrew is a recent addition to our career field from the C-5 crew chief field. I would love to say that he is on a more reliable airplane but that does not work. I would love to say that he can go TDY more but that doesn’t work. Now he can deploy to the desert is all I really could find to say that is relevant. SrA Phelps, Victoria F., Mobility Office – Victoria comes to work, gives people grief when they don’t do their mobility folder correctly, and then goes home at the end of the day knowing she has fulfilled her duties. She is looking into the future and she knows she wants to be ATC after her current enlistment. SrA Register, Christopher B., Mobility – Reggie does whatever is asked of him and always smiles at the end of the day. The lack of training opportunities for the students has made deployments very tricky for scheduling. Reggie was notified about 3 weeks prior to his last deployment and he went willingly. I will have to make sure he gets a short notice good TDY next time. SrA Sochia, Adam B., Scheduling – Adam does what scheduling boom operators always do. He deploys, schedules for a few weeks, flies a local, then deploys again. He is a part of the endless cycle that we call being a KC-10 boom operator in the past few years. A1C Byers, Hannah L., In-training, Hannah is currently in cargo training. Hopefully she will be up and ready in the near future. Currently, her southern drawl is confusing people when she says “nine” and they think she said “none”. A1C Donavon, Patrick M., Scheduling – Patrick is so devoted to being a boom operator that he deployed for a few months, then returned and took his open book test while he was on his post mission crew rest. Now that is dedication! A1C Draft, Deandra L., In-Training – Currently in training and we will see her in the next few months to continue her cargo training. A1C Hartle, Elliot R., ADPE – The oldest A1C in the Air Force. He is our BBQ expert that guys are still talking about. He currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance so he explains to us how to make money the easy way. The only answer we got out of him though is “Go TDY”.

A1C Johnson, Challis, In-Training – Challis has a mind dirtier than most of the men around here which around boom operators is a real good thing. Currently in Flight Safety training and will move on to FTU soon. A1C King, Daniel N., In-Training – Daniel is in cargo training and moving along smoothly. He does have a tendency to laugh at his own jokes and sometimes has to explain his jokes before anybody else will laugh at them. A1C Krueger, Joshua M., Line Boom – Joshua just got his cargo check and he is now only waiting for night fighters to complete his training. Once he accomplishes that, I definitely see a desert deployment in his very near future. A1C Lanusa, Miguel E., In-training – Miguel broke himself shortly after arriving here and is a part of our walking wounded. No problem though, he was sent to us with a class date about a year after his arrival. He will have plenty of time to recover. A1C Revell, Alyxander D., In-Training – The best way I can describe Revell is that he is a 12 year old with a dirty mustache. Revell also has a complete lack of ever cracking a smile which makes his mustache that much more creepier. A1C Ruan, Andrea M., In-Training – Andrea makes a mean sweet and sour taco. She is currently in FTU and will join us for cargo training in the next month. A1C Sears, Jeremy O., In-Training – Jeremy has about 400 pairs of shoes and each has its own outfit attached to them. One day I saw him with three different pairs of shoes in a 1 hour time period. He is currently in cargo training and should be done in about 2 months. A1C Smith, Bryce E., Line Boom – We have had no problems with Bryce and he has done very well of everything we have asked of him. Funny how an airman that does everything you ask and does it well is worth an input in the Boom Signal. .A1C Velasquez, Anthony J., In-Training – He does not like it when you call him Tony and that has now become the only name we will call him. In cargo training and will be mission ready in the next few months. A1C Witherspoon, Christopher L., In-Training – Christopher was another input to our base with a class date of 10 months later. We can only keep an airman busy for so long so we sent him to Honor Guard to give him something to do other than check e-mail all day. Amn Mensah, William S., In-Training – Another one of our walking wounded that we have to keep away from any activity. Being DNIF though allows him to plan parties in the dorms so we really need to keep him busy. The last party was a 6 keg party that makes college students blush. Currently in cargo training.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 76 ARS “Freedom’s Spirit”

The 76 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 78 ARS “FIRST AND FINEST!”

The 78 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 108 CRG f

SMSgt Joe “Lamchop” Lamantia: Chop is our resident RC pilot, MacGyver specialist that still works for Verizon. He is a bit older, but still wild and crazy as ever. A special thanks for all the help with “Hillary” on those all night roasts! SMSgt Ray Otto “The Mayor” Petersen: The mayor is still lobbing for a seat with congress,( the pleasures of being the CE Plumber) but in the meantime, he is still roasting pigs in the local area only and working the system to allow him to take the hog roaster with him on the road….. MSgt Ed “BBJ” Montalvo: Ed is our go to guy full timer at the CRG for all exercises, C2 flight issues and a hundred and one extra duties! In his spare time, he repairs boat motors and bartends at the Jersey shore…..He knows his alcohol! SSgt Gus “Gus” Alvarado: One of our newest booms here at the CRG. Gus Gus came to us from the SFS squadron. He is a Deputy Sheriff on the outside and likes to spend time listening to Pitbull and Kesha and occasionally listening to what we have to stay. In his spare time…. If he has any, goes to his family….Enjoy them they grow up so fast! A1C Jeff “ Wonder Boy” Jeff is our newest of the booms here. He likes to spend time flying his Cessna and dreaming of someday being a pilot at the unit. The rest of his time, he spends annoying the rest of the booms by answering questions with a question. I don’t think we have met anyone with more questions than Jeff! Hopefully, he is storing all those answers somewhere in his coconut for future usage.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 141 ARS “TIGERS”

Chief Marvin “The Great and Powerful Oz” Nichols- Well, the time has finally come! Chief Nichols has decided to retire at the end of the year. It has been a long road but you can’t stay here forever. I’d like to say that his shoes will be hard to fill, but his feet just aren’t that big. We will make sure we send him off with a proper Tiger goodbye- ‘So long asshole!’ Brian “Killer” Kilpatrick- Loving life in Current Ops. Thought he was going to get away from the OSF and all its craziness but the “Crazy” still manages to find him. He tries to play deaf but it doesn’t seem to matter. Wish I had a dollar for every time he says “what?” Killer is, however, still anxiously awaiting the day he can retire and enjoy life flying his own plane. Dave “Good Deal” Falkowski- Our newest Evaluator – God help us all. We’re gonna have to take extra vitamins just to make it to the end of the debriefing! His current hobby is trying to teach the rest of us Spanish. REALLY should have mastered English first, Dave! But while you’re at it, see if you can teach Jose something! Mike “Sly” Sylvester- Well, a year would not be complete without Mike going DNIF, once again. The only person I know to severely injure himself on a motorcycle… at a safety course! Luckily, he walked away. Unfortunately, his pinky did not fare so well. You see, Mike rides like he drinks his tea; pinkies out!!! SO OUT! I think he asked the shop doing the work on his bike to put training wheels on til he learns to ride like a big boy. Tom “Tron” Miller- Still holding down the fort in the Tactics shop. Tom’s working on creative ways to make tactics ‘Come to Life’ for all of us. I think it must be working – we all seem to be not as bored as we used to be during those briefings! Thanks, Tom! Jose “Hose B” Rodriguez- Still with us! I think he’s been here, with the Chief, since we had airplanes with propellers on them! You’d think he’d be slowing down by now, but noooooo…….. Deploying all over the place and STILL talking faster than anyone can comprehend. I just don’t know what the hell he’s sayin’! Samantha “Curly” Gerofsky- Second one to be breaking up the three stooges, Sam is going to AMS this summer to become an Intel occifer. Luckily she is not going far, just downstairs to our SQ Intel shop. Hmm, I wonder if you can still hear her laugh from behind those secure doors? Jennifer “Moe” Bowen-The last remaining stooge. Not sure how she will get along without her sidekicks. Jen is out newest Instructor Boom - I’m sure Altus is still in recovery mode! But she obviously wowed them out there, because she came back with an ‘EQ’! Guess who’s getting the next Baby Boom?!

Marshall “Minute” Rice- In our last episode, Marshall was about to head off to Altus to become an IB. After a couple of bumps and bruises, he came back as an IB and was thrown right into the fire – a brand new baby Boom from Altus. His protégé, Brian Kelley, just got a No Notice, and did very well. As the great Scotty Brown would say, ‘Good Job’, Marshall! Miguel “Billy” Badillo- When you look at Miguel sitting in scheduling, he looks like HE thinks the room is moving at 100 mph. His eyes seem to be spinning around like a pea in a whistle. Welcome to the fast-paced and exciting world of Squadron Scheduling! Don’t walk past there unless you want to be ambushed! Don “I can’t find my glasses” Smith- Still our resident crime fighter, Don comes and goes, plugging along and filling holes in the schedule. He’s got some good stories, if you’re a fan of the ‘true crime’ genre! Patrick “O Canada” Ogle- Pat seems to move as fast as Jose talks! He’s always going. Still commuting from Canada, still deploying, still working the Bravo line, and still doing a great job for us. We have GOT to get him to bring us some of those free vitamins from the Canadian health care system! Shawn Foren- As I write this, Shawn (our former Cmd Post Controller) is on his first deployment ‘over there’ as a Boom Operator. And…… Loving it! No, really! Shawn’s our Jack-of-All-Trades, helping out with Boom stuff, in Crew Comm, and occasionally with Cmd Post stuff. AND he’s got a newborn at home. Doesn’t seem upset that Sly has wrested the ‘Evel Knievel’ title from him! Ken Stoddard- Ken’s ‘over there’ for a second time this year, and might make a 3rd deployment…. Just a glutton for punishment! When he’s not wearing the ‘away’ uniform, Ken helps out with the Bravo line. Brad “Seriously” Caruso- Brad is still living up to our expectations, when it comes to making a name for himself. He enjoys telling the ladies that he is an F-22 pilot. Sometimes it works and sometimes he finds himself talking to the daughter of the Commander of the local F-22 Sq. Think it may be time to get a new line Brad! Vince Stokes- Vince just got back from ‘over there’ on HIS first deployment. Doesn’t sound like he had as much fun as Shawn, though. But it’s all good now – he’s back home and happily hopping curbs in his new KIA ‘stereo-on-wheels’. How much do one of those cute little tires cost, Vince?! Brian Kelly- Been back from Altus for 8 months or so, and all indications point to him being a keeper. Helping out a lot in scheduling. Very quiet around here……starting to think he may be up to something.

Former Booms

“Downtown” Scotty Brown- Scott is now retired (thank you) and is working with Seamen. Navy people, that is. STILL knows more about what’s going on around here than the rest of us! Miss you, Bud!

Marilia (Larry) Rodriguez- Marilia was the first stooge to leave. We miss her, too! Found a better and colder life up in Maine and is now (choke) a Mainiac. It is quite sad around here without that contagious laugh but every now and then she makes her way back home for a quick visit.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 305 OSS/FTU “SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL REACH”

MSgt Christopher Ottenwess: Recent addition from Scott AFB as THE premier IG Inspector! Titles include: Chief Boom of FTU, FTU Enlisted Superintendent, First Sergeant, Fast Burner, Delegator, Motivator, -Manager. Great leader and boss, we’re happy to have him here. Micro

TSgt Justin Taydus: Great mentor and boom operator on to “bigger and better” things at Scott AFB. He still somehow has control over most things in the office. TSgt Phillip Culotta (76 ARS): He doesn’t always know when he’ll get his next set of orders but his spirits are high. Started working out recently, we guess he wants to get his pre-teen figure back. TSgt Kenneth Essick: Training to become the next Chief Boom of FTU. Resident instructor who actually instructs in the classroom. He has a steel trap of a mind and also the lowest ASVAB score of all the boom instructors. (T)Sgt Charles Taylor: AKA “Charles Wess-Otten”. He’s leaving us for the 2d ARS as their newest evaluator. Just remember Ducers, he’s right 60% of the time, every time! SSgt Lawrence Scott: “PCS”-ing down the road to the Expeditionary Center on Ft. Dix. Duties include: Boom scheduler, snack bar supervisor, lithogram expert, resident FTU token and Instructor Boom office DJ. SSgt Debbie Marks: Also another victim to Scott AFB. Her time here was short but she’ll definitely be missed. SSgt Shane Lester (76 ARS): New addition to the FTU Instructor Core! Yet he still can’t fly with students, access their folders or the schedule. SSgt Curtis Clawson: FNG trying to get the swing of things down here but still has no idea of what’s going on. Arrived to FTU with a total of 9.3 hours of instructing. Not sure who thought that was a good idea.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ 621 CRW EAST “DEVIL RAIDERS”

The CRW (your puzzled look tells me we should define it…Contingency Response Wing) continues to face challenges. The least of which is the combination of the CRW on the west coast with the east coast. We are now one big “Happy” Wing together. The Code 50 changes continue to have an effect on our manning. We were able to mitigate the “damage” by requesting a 1 year extension for a few “lucky” ones. Great news for most of the booms...AMC has decided booms will not be coming to the CRW for the next 3 years. A loud sigh of relief is heard from boomers everywhere…It looks like we will be getting an influx of C-130 Loadmasters and a few Flight Engineers. There goes the neighborhood. But one thing remains the same…we will continue to Deploy versatile mobility Airmen, Disciplined to solve problems in complex environments...Mobilize the Fight, Provide Relief, Advance the Peace.

MOVED ON: MSgt David Megill (KC-10) – Dave’s last official boom duty last year was the 2012 Boom Signal inputs. He then bought a HUGE family RV and moved to Travis. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.

MSgt Leslie Yarbough (KC-135) – LA left us for the sunny mission at MacDill and the long lines at the Commissary waiting on the “Blue Hairs.” We hear he got there and muscled his way in to the superintendent job. Actually, I don’t think it was his idea. Good luck LA.

SMSgt David Coggin (KC-135) - Has been the Superintendent of the GSS, so it’s been a year of staff meeting slides and trying not figure out the EPR system. He is currently deployed to Kandahar AB, Afghanistan because the AF ran out of SrA to be TCN watchers. Be safe brother; we hope you make it back soon. MSgt Phil (Drew) Sottovia - Drew came to us late in 2012 from McConnell and every day since then he tells “back in the day at McConnell” stories and dreams that one day he can go back to Altus and drink coffee and harass students. He is the Squadron Resource advisor because; well he shows up to work! TSgt (MSgt-select) Kevin Wilson - Decided that going back to Fairchild was his best option because MSgt Sottovia told him stories about McConnell. Kevin led a team to Afghanistan where he taught loadmasters how to do work. Great job Kevin! TSgt Jeffery Gordy (KC-10) - Gordy moved over to the UDM shop in the GSS a while back and is known for his greatest work by saying “Hey you need to do SABC, before your trip.” He longs to go to the KC-10 in 2016 when they actually have a training slot for a boom operator. TSgt Robert Poole (KC-10) - Is the loudest guy we have in the Squadron and you can find him working in our UDM shop. He has the sweetest ride in the squadron. We are still trying to figure out how he gets all of his 5 kids in that car? SSgt Parker McElroy (KC-135) - Just PCS’d form McConnell and is already telling glamorous McConnell stories. His initial assessment when he got here was; “What is the CRW and how did I get here?!?!” SSgt Eric Flanders (KC-135) - Once hailed as the coolest dude to walk in Tampa is now known as the guy who formally used to be the coolest guy to be in Tampa. He is currently concerned with his next assignment which will be McConnell because someone made a phone call. SSgt Casanova Geary (KC-10) - Has the most Call of Duty time of anybody in the CRW, and is known for coming to the squadron and being proud of Xbox points. He also made being a RAMPCO the coolest job ever to exist in the 1 Alpha community. SSgt Desiree Dell (KC-135) - Got promoted from “that one girl in the squadron” to the “Commanders Exec.” She currently spends her days taking photos and reading the really, really, really, really, really long citations for a boom operators 9th Air Medal from tanker squadron they just came from. SSgt Luke Mailander (KC-135) - Has been spending his days ducking promotion testing because of some trip he was on. He is most notably known as “the dude that has a giant diesel truck with obnoxious noisy stacks on it.” He went to Afghanistan a few months back and fell in love with the Poo pond on Kandahar.

MOVED ON: SSgt Adam Mosier (KC-135) - Adam conned the AFPC functional into letting him leave early from his code 50 and return to McConnell. Really, hope all continues to be well with Adam back at the “ranch.”

MSgt Chris Maleski (KC-10) - Just got back from a really tough deployment to the CAOC. So if you were in the AOR recently and had to consolidate from the KC-135 into the KC-10 you know who to blame it on. TSgt Jason Grant (KC-135) - He came here from Fairchild and we immediately got him started on making going away gifts for others in the squadron. At some point he will have to do work but for right now he is doing very, very important TSgt work. TSgt Tyler Stone (KC-10) – Came from really far away in New Jersey and is from the KC-10 FTU. So after they had enough of the students he was producing, we brought him over to the 21st AMOS, where he can really mess with the tanker world. Just wait until he is the tanker planner at the next global hot spot. MOVED ON: SMSgt Stacey Tansits (KC-10) – When Stacey found out she couldn’t fly anymore she landed the highly coveted job of Joint Base Safety Superintendent. I am sure she is always dealing with people not understanding why they can’t ride on base in the back of a pickup truck. Keep them honest Stacey. MSgt Reggie Hammond (KC-10) – Retired last year. Best wishes and thank you for your service. Once a Boom Operator, Always a Boom Operator! MSgt Kevin Hill (KC-10) – 16 Years at McGuire now and it was time for him to move on…Right back to the 10 here at McGuire and into the 2nd ARS. Looks like PCAing for KC-10 Booms will be the trend for a while. Our loss is their gain. MSgt Bobby Ryan (KC-135) – Bobby landed back at Seymour Johnson around September of last year. Yes, still making left turns.

MSgt James Dudgeon (KC-10) - Is retiring at the beginning of next year after 24 years of service. We appreciate your service and thanks for all you have done. MSgt Dudgeon is actually retiring because they will let him carry a gun as a civilian and never has to do a CBT ever again. TSgt David Drain (KC-135) – Another gain from MacDill and is the newest CRT upgrade, but MSgt Dudgeon was the one that did that upgrade with his “I am retiring attitude!!” His sweet Camaro will be complete some time in late 2015!!

TSgt Michael Thomas (KC-10) - Wants to go back to the KC-10 but knows that he will probably get a 135 to somewhere that’s not a KC-10. He has been doing affiliation training anytime he is allowed to go TDY, because the 818th is always ready and on “ALERT!” TSgt Terrell Frideger (KC-135) – Transplanted to us from RAF Mildenhall and because Chief Opie Flax mentored him, we played “pass the new TSgt around” and he finally ended up in the 818 GMS. He is currently spending his days on all the JRTC and ALERTS that they have. MOVED ON: TSgt John Rickenbach (KC-135/KC-10) – John snuck out and snagged a KC-10 cross-flow slot. What is it like doing it sitting up John?

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ KC-10 ATS BOOM INSTRUCTORS

MEMO TO 2013 BOOM SIGNAL TO: FROM:

All Booms Worldwide John Page, KC-10 ATS McGuire AFB, NJ

Greetings to each of you, doing a difficult and rewarding job throughout this great, big world…a world that is ever getting smaller thanks to the reach you provide our military’s aviators and allies alike. Year after year we have remained pretty much static at this training site. Then the Year 2012 broke loose on us. Let me give you a review/update of personnel at McGuire AFB. Andy Miller – Flight Check Airman Andy’s retirement home is under (ext. 107) construction in Sims, NC. ETA to the bass boat dock is this summer. He is ready to be fully employed/engaged on his own clock after a long career. Drives a Dodge Semi-Hemi. Steve Fromm - Former Check Airman. Steve had a rough 2012 dealing with (ext. 131) diabetes-related illness. He’s back with us now, driving to and from work in an OSU color-schemed CTS-V, a/k/a CaddyVette. Also has a Silverado. Greg Heffron - Greg continues duty as an instructor and our union president. (ext. 127) Good-natured and long-suffering in our Ego Reduction Center. Owns a Ford pickup. Recently took his Cooper in for an oil change and a wash job. It went in a Cooper, it came out a BMW! Please note (!!) further on in the letter. Mike Cardina - Future Check Airman, will assume the position (!) when Andy (ext. 129) departs later this summer. FCA position isn’t all that big a deal for the one in the Check Airman Hot Seat; it’s more a fecal magnet. Drives a Toyota Tundra.

Steve Smith Ext.142)

Stills limps from injury sustained during Tet Offensive, 1968. Go ahead, please ask him about it…he’s waiting to tell you. Also had a rough 2012: surgery, had to buy

another BMW, occasionally has to get up before the crack of noon to instruct. He’s very stressed. Needs a boost to get into any truck. James ‘JC’ Coleman - Our resident golf pro, pro-bowler. A front line instructor (ext. 128) who is steady as a rock for the team…any team. Drives a new Toyota Tundra. Mark Schumman - After 9 years he is settling into his position here and is, as we write this, is having a huge garage built on his land. No word yet if there’s a cot in there, but there will be a minifridge. Drives a GMC 4WD. Steve Custis (ext. 141)

Steve’s son is awaiting a class date for the state police academy and his daughter is hoping to begin a doctor’s training program this fall; she’s already a fully licensed nurse. We wish Steve’s wallet a full and speedy recovery. Drove a truck but it’s wrecked.

Eric ‘ET’ Thomas - Forever the new guy, ET has been a full timer for 3 years or (ext. 125) so. He drives a Nissan pickup so old it has Datsun on its hood emblem. He started the candy wars here, keeping sweets on his desk for the starving flight engineers; they can’t tell chocolate from Ex-Lax, even after reading this. John Page (ext. 127)

It’s been my honor to cover our staffing and boom-related stories over the years. I recently bought my land for imminent retirement outside Knoxville, TN. Just a little more in the retirement fund and that will do it for this second career. Drives a Toyota Tundra. (!!) Recently took Tundra for car wash at dealership like Greg did…all I got was a broken radio antenna!

We’re here for you almost every day at 609-723-6070 (Commercial). Believe me, we have an answer for you. Whatever the question, we’ll make it fit. We are proud of each of you and hope you’ll drop in to see us soon. Until next year…

OSAN AB, ROK 607 Air Operations Center SABRES “Fight Tonight”

The 607 AOC did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

PEASE ANGB, NH 133 ARS / 157 ARW

CMSgt Tony Casella [email protected]: Chief has been busy with ANG BOSS program, CEA Council, Resource Advisor, and sometimes the unit lets him fly in the jet and go on a trip. He’s made more contacts in the simulator than all of us combined in the tanker but unfortunately none of them count yet. SMSgt Glen Starkweather [email protected]: Glen was instrumental in setting up our new Readiness Flight office. Now that it’s running smoothly, he will transfer to Stan/Eval as Evaluator Boom. He’s a proud pop….his son Kyle was accepted to fly for us and will head off to pilot training shortly. SMSgt Mike “Mick” George [email protected]: Mike will get a break, moving from Training into Readiness. He leads the squadron in Guam deployments! Is he looking for a retirement spot there? Maybe, but he’ll never tell… MSgt Gary Howard [email protected]: Gary will be transitioning out of Stan/Eval into Long Range Scheduling. He continues to supplement his technician pay with various alerts and temp AGR tours. His kids are growing up; the oldest just graduated high school! MSgt Mike “G-Rod” Girouard [email protected]: Mike is very busy in TTF with tdy’s all over the world yet still finds time to deploy downrange with the unit AND continues to be a dedicated family man. How does he do it? P.S. Anyone looking to buy a beach house in Hampton, contact him! MSgt Alan Beaulieu [email protected]: Al will finally get a breather with his transition from Long Range Scheduling to Training. MSgt John Lennon [email protected]: John is a true guardsmen with dedication like no other. He keeps busy with his full-time civilian job, but is always willing to help out when needed. John keeps his currency flying the Thursday night line. MSgt Dan Luter [email protected]: Dan is now an Evaluator Boom. He is still faithfully flying the Thursday night RODD 99. Oh…and he’s a grandpa! MSgt Jim Doyle [email protected]: Jim has this Airbridge gig under his thumb. He continues to fly the alert line and work as a contractor building homes and such. He is also working on our “social area” in the new Ops building. We have no doubt it will look fantastic!

TSgt Mark Brophy [email protected]: Mark is still plugging away in Scheduling but he doesn’t let it get him down…not with his fancy new boat! He spends quality time with his wife & twin daughters sailing up and down the Seacoast. TSgt Christie Tetley [email protected]: “Who’s this new Tetley girl?” Yep, Christie (Rouleau) is finally a kept woman! She & her husband, as well as her chocolate lab Guinness, ‘enjoy long walks on the beach’. Christie is also our newest AGR hire, working on the iPads & Pubs. TSgt Eric Diaz [email protected]: Eric is a busy man juggling multiple jobs. When he isn’t flying with us, he’s protecting the lakes in NH as a Fish & Game officer or saving lives as an EMT with the Fire Dept. Eric recently wed a sweet polish girl he met at an airshow. Those flight suits really do work at attracting women! TSgt Jamie “Shrek” Marier [email protected]: Jamie returned from IBO school & hit the ground running (with a healthy heart, thankfully!). He is very enthusiastic, to say the least. Jamie continues to work in the training office and hops on as many trips as possible. TSgt Daryl McPhee [email protected]: Daryl has been working the Airbridge, often driving down a few times a week from his home WAAAAAAAAAAY up north. He is a true helper…whatever you need, Daryl can fix. Or at least try to. SSgt Samantha Yeanish [email protected]: Sam is still commuting back and forth from AL where her husband is studying to be a rotor pilot. He’s just about finished and they should all be home for good by fall. Sam will then start her education in nursing. SSgt Kevin Johnson [email protected]: Kevin swaps from the Airbridge to temp AGR tours, assisting the Scheduling office. He will take a hiatus from the tour to attend a culinary school to learn organic baking. SSgt Brett Peterson [email protected]: Brett has fully embraced being a boom and couldn’t be happier in his new position. I don’t think he’s ever walked around the squadron without a big smile on his face. SrA Matt “Puppy” Pongrace [email protected]: Matt who?! Matt is still living the dream, flying the airbridge when he isn’t trapping lobstah, surfing the waves or snowboarding down the mountains. A1C Chris Storm [email protected]: Chris is our newly trained traditional boom who has a full-time career as a State Trooper. Got a promotional flight? Chris is your man; he just LOVES the camera!

Recently Retired/Separated: N/A

PEASE ANGB, NH 64 ARS / 157 ARW

We are proud to be working side by side with our Guard brethren, the 157th ARW, the very first Guard Base to acquire the new KC-46A. We are patiently waiting to move into our new Ops Building. Hmmm, maybe next year. (M)Sgt Justin Poteet –The “hammer” will be back in business as they finally approved him to be an evaluator once more. He will be working at Stan/Eval once he gets back from his deployment. Hopefully, the guard has bled into him that he will not be handing Q3’s like pancakes. [email protected] TSgt Geoff Schultz – Nobody knows what Geoff does anymore. He hangs out in the vault. When he’s not busy trading stocks, he writes some Tactics Reg, that no one has ever seen. He is still walking on water…. and still gets the good trips. [email protected] TSgt Rob Kawasaki – His hair is still flawless. Now works at Scheduling. Furlough has put a big toll on Rob. After the budget cuts, his monthly Hawaii trip has been taken away. He now makes homemade spam musubi at home instead. [email protected] SSgt Antoine Nguyen – He loves being called Tone (toh-nee). He’s a brand new addition to the 64 th and a crosstrainee from Med Group, (yeah, one of those guys). Tone works in Pubs. And he will let you know that he owns a Honda Accord, and it’s a 2013 Honda Accord Sport, which he actually got in 2012. He is so cool. [email protected] Inbound: MSgt Mike Webster – From our understanding, this guy loves tropical weather so much, that he decided to come to Pease, where we all know that the weather is quite the same as Kadena. We also heard that his transition here will not be quite as hard since he looks just like Pat Ingram. We are definitely looking forward to his arrival. Retired: SMSgt Keith Jauss – Has recently retired. He’s probably lost in the middle of the Gulf Coast kayaking. MSgt Pat Ingram – Is back in New Jersey and has auditioned for the new season of Jersey Shore.

Cross Training: TSgt Ron McKinney – Ron just had his fini flight. His very last contact was the exact same contact he had on his National TV Debut, Do Something Amazing video. He is now cross training to be a dot watcher, back ender on a JSTAR… nah, just kidding it’ll be on an AWACS.

PHOENIX ANGB (SKY HARBOR), AZ 197 ARS

The 197 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

PITTSBURG ANGB, PA 146 ARS

TSgt Tommy “Tired Tom” Armour – Tom’s a PA State Trooper when he’s not on tour at the Guard, medically incapacitated, or in his current state, both. We’re hoping he’s back in the saddle soon, as he’s our most reliable spreader of unreliable intel. SSgt Justin “Blink 182” Blinkey – Another traditional and recent crew chief cross-trainee, Justin is enjoying the good life as a bum here and if his monster truck is any indication, it’s a pretty damn good life at that. TSgt Dan Moretti – Dan’s a former air traffic controller and new technician. While a man of few words, it’s clear from his monosyllabic grunts that he’s happy here. SMSgt Joe Morris - Joe’s one half of our Morris Brothers firefighting/boom operating team here at the ‘Burgh. We’re helping him cope with his feelings of inadequacy in the wake of his brother winning the Red Erwin Award this year. SSgt Scott Nagle – Scott’s another new addition culled from the crew chief ranks. We’re proud to say that Scotty no longer requires GPS guidance to navigate the halls of ops, but we still keep his address pinned to his shirt just in case. SSgt Andrew Neely – Andy’s a new guy, having evolved from the Security Forces. Currently making rare appearances around ops on a Bravo tour and managing his no-doubt sizeable offshore accounts. SSgt Randolph “Reggie” Reese – Yep, you guessed it, yet another reformed crew chief. Currently Bumming out here, and by the magnitude of but-kissing he’s doing, running for some sort of public office. MSgt Mike Schanck – Big Mike’s another city fireman and a recent graduate of CFIC. Occasionally still a bull in a china shop, but he’s come a long way and we’re proud of him. MSgt Pat Sharkey – One of our few remaining AGRs, Pat has inherited the Daunting task of monthly AR scheduling from Scotty Trowbridge. MSgt Ryan Conley – Another AGR, Ryan is filling huge shoes as the new Stan-Eval Boom here. He’s also giving dog whispering a try with a stable full of beagles that he uses to control the Tri-State rabbit population. MSgt Jon Gift – Ahh, Jon. Our most-inked up full-timer and training boom is currently on the mend medically, but we’re hoping to have him back soon to traumatize our new guys into fine instruments of war with his unique charm.

SMSgt Yale “Perkules” Perkins – Hail to the Chief! Yale recently took the reins of the 146 th and is doing a great job. He’s also a family man now, with a lovely bride and baby boom of his own. He did, however, manage to avoid the minivan curse and still has his Harleys…well played, sir. MSgt Mike Worthington – Starting to look like an old guy here. Recently moved back to Stan Eval to back up Ryan and keep the guys honest.

PITTSBURG ANGB, PA 147 ARS

CMSgt Gerry Levato – Gerry’s an intstitution in the Tanker Business, and is now rightfully presiding as Chief of the 147th. Decades of propping up the entire Stan Eval shop have taken their toll though, and he’s currently rehabbing a bum shoulder. Should be back in the game soon, though. TSgt Scott Amrose – Scott’s a traditional working for the local electric company. Scott recently totaled his Harley to avoid the pain of having his wife-to-be tell him to sell it to free up capital for new curtains, or something equally humiliating. SMSgt Eric Aplelskog – Eric’s an attached flyer from Fairchild, via the Guard Bureau. Once we realized he wasn’t wearing a wire we warmed up to him and are glad to have him aboard to help out. SSgt Dominique “Dom Guam” Clerkley – Dom went from pumping gas on the ground to passing gas in the air. POL’s loss is our gain, and we’re glad to have him out here bumming and filling up deployment rosters. CMsgt Steve “Tree” Grindle – Steve’s a new Chief promotee slaving away in Current Ops…long way from snoozing in a patrol car behind a billboard. TSgt Erik Larson – Yet another former crew chief success story. Despite his major appliance-like build, he’s surprisingly agile, having gone from traditional boom to full-time to instructor in record time. TSgt Mychal “Mykeafoose” McAfoose – Myke’s another ATC retread enjoying the sweet life on Bravo. Now that yachting season’s nearly over and the polo grounds are closed, I’m sure we’ll see more of him. MSgt George Meszaros – Some of us had rattles as babies, George had a slide rule. George is our resident rocket scientist. Engineer by day, boom by night…pretty good work if you can get it. MSgt Casey “Pie” O’Connor – Still the undisputed champion guard bum. Casey’s had an impressive career out here, living a lifestyle that Mick Jagger would envy. He could retire, but Europe’s economy couldn’t stand the hit. TSgt Dan “Zick” Zickefoose – Dan recently came to the realization that UPT was for sissies and came back to the fold as a technician performing humanitarian aid feeding needy bums as a boom scheduler.

MSgt Marc “Barney” Barna – Soon-to-be retired AGR in Current Ops. Barney can’t wait to launch his new career as an actor. He recently scored a gig as an extra for the next Hobbit sequel. TSgt Kirk Boring – Kirk’s another up-and -comer, having joined the full time ranks and completed CFIC. He’s currently serving as a somewhat inadequate counterweight to Larson in training. SMSgt Jeff Morris – What more can we say? Red Erwin recipient says it all pretty well. Great boom, great guy. TSgt Bill “Not Small” Paull – In a shocking twist, Bill recently joined the city fire department (pause to absorb sarcasm). Bill’s also about half the man he used to be, having lost approximately one Yale Perkins of mass. MSgt Robert “Bo” Winovich – Bo’s an AGR in training and our newest evaluator. He’s also about to become our newest daddy, so if he appears distracted, it’s probably because he’s agonizing over which crib goes best with the diaper genie.

RAAF BASE AMBERLEY, AUSTRALIA 33 SQN “ENDURING”

TSgt Lindsay S. Moon: Training & Standardizations - Time has flown as I reach the home stretch of this international exchange in Brisbane, Australia. The KC-30A has continued to slowly progress while bonds have continued to grow through work, sport, and social interactions. Although I have grown fond of things like the backwards game of rugby and morning tea, it has also opened my eyes to the awesomeness of the Unites States Air Force. Any Booms travelling through the area, don’t hesitate to contact me and visit the unit. Cheers - [email protected]

RAF MILDENHALL, UK 100 ARW, 100 OG, 351 ARS, 100 OSS “THE

BOOM ASSOCIATION” 2012 SMSgt Albert L. Evans

“Most Outstanding Air Refueling Section of the Year”

100th Air Refueling Wing MSgt Max Morkin (IG) – When he’s not busy processing IG complaints he can be found in London supporting the “Rainbow” coalition…Max has been fielding complaints for over a year now, and is counting the days till he comes back from the dark side.

100th Operations Group CMSgt Paul Wallace (Group Superintendent) –Finally, he finished his first marathon. We’re not sure what his official time was, but it’s rumored they got tired of waiting and shut everything down. Chief recently PCA’d to the group and now it takes him 4 hours to give that 3 second answer. MSgt Michael Ingram (OGV) – Has been on the EPA’s watch list for years, so in an effort to cut down on air pollution he decided to switch to electronic cigarettes. I guess smoking anti-freeze is better for the environment and his health. Mike has being doing a great job in OGV, when not on smoke breaks. (M)Sgt Joe Koch (OGT) – Joe finished up a stunning 18 month stint in wing scheduling with amazing results, and has moved into OGT. Since Joe aimlessly wonders the building with no work he will deploy to Moron for a few months and fill the Chief Boom slot. Sorry Joe, no vegans where you’re going, or is it vegetarians?

351st Air Refueling Squadron MSgt Michael “Roddy” Rodriguez (Operations & Interim Superintendent) – When he’s not busy keeping us motivated and in-line, Roddy likes to spend his free time chasing long-haired 60 year-old men around London. He claims it’s just Iron Maiden, but who is he kidding. MSgt Clint Slick (First Sergeant) – Slick is on the downhill of his last ride. It’s been a good run and for those of us who’ve had to work with him, WOW. It’s been fun, but in a few months he will close out a 24 yr. run of the good life. He still has no idea where he wants to retire to, but he’ll go where Susan tells him. Yes Dear… Stan/Eval TSgt Joseph D. Blakley (NCOIC) – Just arrived from Altus and looking for a house big enough to house alllllll his family… TSgt Dave “Abs of Steel” Thoresen – Dave is a new dad and the party life is over, but to ensure some kind of excitement he rekindled his bromance with “Auggie” and life is once again “Fulfilling.” Recently returned from Moron and did a great job standing up the deployed location. SrA Drew Parsons (SELE) – Thinks himself a card shark, but spends more time arguing that there’s 3 red fives in a deck of cards than actually playing. The newest addition to the office, who has big shoes to fill, but is ready for the job, when not on the road. Training Flight TSgt Auggie “Hook “Em Horns” Marshall (NCOIC) – Another Altus transplant whose sideburns will match any 70’s movie star. Even though he wears a hat that’s an advertisement for a purple ATM machine, we expect great things from him. SrA Kenny Arcibal – After 3 yrs. of avoided a real deployment, other than France, Spain, or Greece, Kenny just returned from Manas. When not found at work, usually most of the time, he can be found ripping the waves down at Cornwall, according to Kenny, “Best surfing in England”. Poor kid still thinks 2 foot waves make a competitive surfer. He will be PCS’g to March in Oct. SrA Amanda Ampey – If you didn’t know she was a boom operator you’d swear she was a maintainer, as she usually can be found hanging out with them in her spare time. Amanda did such a great job in Stan/Eval we upgraded her to IB and rewarded her with a job in training. She continues to excel and currently is deployed to Manas. A Flight SSgt Serjey Ficeli (Interim NCOIC) – Cross trainee who figures his plates not full enough learning a new job that he wanted to add more chaos, so he got married. Serjey has been on the go since his MCT and is a great addition to the boom force. A1C Michael Robinson – New boom who flew through MCT and deployed in support of Mali Operations, right out the gate. A1C Kyle Cleis – Ehh, nothing excites this fella, but he’ll probably PCS before he’s MCT’d… A1C Danielle Repp – The legacy continues, one Repp retires and another one joins the boom force. Danielle has hit the ground running and when not babysitting Cleis, she’s flying through MCT. We think she might be better than her dad... B Flight

SSgt Eric “Sonic” Sonnennberg (NCOIC) – Sonic has proven himself as the squadron’s go to guy for any task big or small. If only we could get him to slow down and keep calm as we would hate to lose him to a heart attack at age 30. SSgt Michael “Hemi” Eiland – Famous words of an I-dot, “My Station Wagon is legit, it goes 0-60 in 4 seconds and the booms need to know what I’m pushing out there.” When Hemi isn’t driving his “Mom-mobile” he can be found pillaging the offices keeping our computer accounts squared away. A1C Anthony Ellsworth – Priorities, still working on which order they should be in…No longer afraid of ghosts…sleeps in his dorm room every night, so he says. A1C Devon Granger – We might have a closest plane spotter on our hands. He is always first to volunteer for plane spotter tours and is on a first name basis with most of them. Doing great things and recently elected as treasurer for the Bloody Boom Association. A1C Amy Lizauckas – Has a BA in travel and tourism, and figured the best way to see the world was join the AF. Filling the spot of squadron make-up queen since Jinx’s departure and working to finish MCT. C Flight SSgt Matthew Ohle (Interim NCOIC) – Ohleee Ginger! Cross trainee who couldn’t wait for his first deployment, so we granted his wish and sent him to Manas. SSgt Michael “D-Low” Danilowski –D-low was enjoying all the relaxation in the Safety office a little too much so we sent him down to Moron. Recent distinguished graduate of ALS. D-low will be off to Altus in October and will be sorely missed… A1C Eric Dashner – Spends more time playing “MTG or Magic” with Tuna in his spare time. The two engage in powerful battles attacking each other’s “Mana”, to see who the best “Planeswalker” is… Eric has been a very busy boom since his MCT, with numerous deployments, and has been a great addition to the squadron. A1C Kayla Whorley –Able to out smoke, drink, and wrestle any of the other new booms in the squadron. Following the Tennessee family tradition, her grandpa was an old SAC boom operator.

Safety SrA Gabe King – BTZ winner and new IB. Gabe continues to enjoy his beverages and while deployed to Manas found true love at Pete’s with a dental tech. We guess he’s concerned with his oral hygiene. Mobility SSgt Everett “Marbles” Marshall – Is he going to join the reserves? Is he going to reenlist? Is he going to be non-vol’d to MacDill? Questions, questions, questions. Currently on his way to McConnell and he scammed his way back into the Squarepatchers. This flying machine will be sorely missed and is on track to pick-up his 50 th air medal at McConnell. SSgt Kris Echols – It’s been rumored that he deploys so much to avoid reality, but the shirt still field’s complaints about him being gone so much…Just moved into mobility…it’s in his veins. SrA Tristan Henthorne – Tristan has deployed numerous times with the goal of buying a right hand drive 300ZX. He says it’s to send back to the states and that it’s a chick magnate and girls just jump in…we told him there called “Working girls.” He is currently at CFIC and looking forward to his new job in mobility when he returns. SrA Damon “Tuna” Tunender – Traded out his Elvis love seat for a life size Justin Beiber poster above his bed. Doing great things in mobility, and has definitely grown as a boom. Tuna will be off to McConnell this Oct.

100th Operations Support Squadron Tactics SSgt Tom “The Mom” Vesser – Waiting to see if he recertified as a SSgt. Hated doing work so much he volunteered to go to tactics to avoid writing EPR’s. Yes, Tom Tom’s still our mom.

Current Operations MSgt Pat “Dentures” Denson (OSOS) – Just moved into the flight planning shop. So far he enjoys it a lot. This new job might actually allow him enough free time to finally finish the model airplane he’s been working on for the past couple years. He’s a perfectionist TSgt Roger Vula – Woger wecently stahted wooking in wing scheduwing. He hit the ground running and quickly started walking. So far they’re impressed. Hasn’t been non-vol’d to Altus yet, but it’s gonna happen! SSgt Andrew Valence – After spending his first year at Mildenhall in wing scheduling, Andrew is anxiously looking forward to moving down to the squadron to fly a lot more. Despite being Morkin’s CCTS student, we think he’ll do a great job.

SSgt Pete “P-Rod” Rodriguez –Pete’s doing a great job keeping the flight planning shop running smoothly. After 20 years. of service, Pete will be retiring this coming February. Look out Charleston, SC…

USAFE Stan/Eval MSgt Greg Patterson – Is doing a great job keeping us in-line. Unfortunately, due to sequestration he’s not allowed to come and play with us as often.

Departed CMSgt Christopher Powell (100 ARW/CCC) – Retirement is now a reality. Good luck and God’s speed. CMSgt Gregory Warren (OG Superintendent) – Chief’s stay was short, as he was selected for Command Chief at Manas. Thanks for the mentorship and guidance. MSgt Jonathan Taylor –PCS’d to Altus, and after all that 8-second riding on Austin Arnold’s sister they are awaiting their first born, congrats. (M)Sgt Mike Russell (NCOIC) – PCS’d to Altus. SSgt Austin “Calvin” Arnold – PCS’d to Travis. SSgt Neil Patras – PCS’d to Fairchild. He’s all yours… SSgt Jason Coffey – The little guy PCS’d to McConnell. His mom still owes Slick some $. SrA Leigh-Ann Schuster – PCS’d to Birmingham. Jerseylicious in the South, what a combo.

SrA Jessica “Jinxs” Hinkle – PCS’d to MacDill. Probably owes TMO $ for going over weight due to all those hair products. A1C Nathaniel Hammond – Did a great job as a boom, but unfortunately all the little things caught up with him. Good luck Mr. Hammond.

Inbound (S)MSgt Cesar Flores – McConnell TSgt Danielmark Mass – Altus CCTS A1C Bryan Flory – Pipeline A1C Jacob Dunsmore – Pipeline A1C Warren Handshumaker – Pipeline

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, GERMANY HQ USAFE/A3TV STAN/EVAL

MSgt Patterson Greg: It has taken a year but ‘They’ have stopped referring to me as ‘The New Walt’… mostly because the bulk of ‘They’ have PCS’d. Clark W. Griswald is the name I have been given, I forget how many times around the Italian traffic circle I went before Betty (GPS) tired of her joke and provided me with the correct exit to take. I hear that Germany is a great place to be, perhaps there will be a lull in the workload allowing me to find out first hand. We finally sunk our claws into an E-6, I begrudgingly gave up my SNaCO duties. Prior Booms ‘kickin it’ at the RAB: SMSgt Robert ‘Spike’ Spychalski – HQ USAFE/A4MA (The Maintainers Maintainer) is still up to his practical-joke shenanigans.

RANDOLPH AFB, TX HQ AETC/A3VM

Hello from Randolph AFB! Finally got to go somewhere different after 2 tours to McConnell, still on the I-35 corridor though. Excited to be doing something else, but not too crazy about wearing blues 4 days a week. Just getting started and have already worked some BOWST training, KC-46 planning, and about to give Altus their CUI. We have lots of things to look forward to including the new reduced training for BIQ and CFIC syllabi and everyone’s favorite upcoming KC-46 program. It should be an interesting and busy couple of years for me down here. Don’t know how long I will get to stay in San Antonio, if you come through give me a call.

//Signed// SMSgt Justin Johansen AETC/A3VM Command Evaluator Boom Operator, KC135 Randolph AFB, TX. 78150 DSN: 487-7336 COMM: 210-652-7336 [email protected]

RANDOLPH AFB, TX HQ AETC/A3ZM

Hello from sunny Joint Base San Antonio - Randolph. We’ve had another great year working many KC-135 training changes with many more to come. To start we coordinated a new Initial Qualification (BIQ) syllabus, reducing 3 flights and adding 3 BOWST profiles, as well as adding MPRS familiarization. The BIQ “Small Group Try-Out” students are currently on the flight-line and should be graduating soon, thanks to our outstanding CAE and 54th ARS instructors! Second, the new Instructor Boom (IBC) syllabus is in “coord,” reducing 1 flight and possibly adding 2 BOWST profiles, possibly including MPRS instructor training and an IOS training course. The new Transition Course (BTX) syllabus is being drafted, which proposes a 2 flight reduction and a 2 BOWST profile gain. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their tremendous efforts with the new syllabi, especially MSgt Jason Hall (AMC/A3T), MSgt Dave Hardwood (AETC/A3Z) Steve Comeaux (CAE ISD - Little Rock), Chastity Scarle (CAE ISD - Altus), and TSgt Patrick Haney, TSgt Trevor Halpain, and SSgt Lucas Treat (Altus TRS/TRK). As always, if you are ready to take the next step and bolster your leadership skills, the KC-135 Schoolhouse at Altus and the Center of Excellence (COE) at Lackland are great places to make a difference. Both have demanding schedules, but are very rewarding. Positives include producing the next generation, spending more time with friends and family, and completing your CCAF/Bachelors/Advanced degree! Check AMS for the advertisements. Altus, as you already know, was named as the future sight for KC-46 training with Flight Safety as the ATS contractor. A lot of prep-work is going on behind the scenes with AMC/AFMC/AETC to ensure timeline success, and if all goes well several Booms will be identified in the next year as “initial cadre” for the KC-46 FTU. The first batch of students is scheduled to start training in Feb’16. If you’re interested, let your Chief Boom know. *Departure* SMSgt Larry Lewis (L3) has transitioned from HQ/A3V to the civilian sector after 26 years of honorable service to our country…sources say he’ll be teaching the next generation of Air Force (potential) recruits at a JROTC unit in the DFW area. Congrats, again, on your retirement and best of luck Larry! *Arrival* Welcome to SMSgt Justin Johansen (Jo-Jo) who recently arrived from McConnell (OGV). He is perfect for the HQ/A3V team and will be heading up to Altus on a regular basis to ensure the “Best remain the Best!” If you have any questions or are in town, give me a shout. Booms Clear… //Signed “Gumby”// William “Tony” Edwards, SMSgt, USAF Command Boom Operator Functional Manager Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4325 DSN 487-9655 Comm (210) 652-9655 [email protected]

RICKENBACKER IAP, OH 121 ARW/145 ARS “TAZZ”

The 145 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

RICKENBACKER ANGB, OH 166 ARS

The 166 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

SALT LAKE CITY IAP, UT 191 ARS “SLARCO”

Greetings from Salt Lake City Utah ! It has been a tough year on SLARCO, as I am sure it has for all of us. We retired a Chief, two MSgt’s, and lent our SMSgt to the Guard Bureau and in the process lost an ass load of experience and let’s not even mention stripes!! (Come on CMSgt Pishka) help our career field out! But through CENTCOM, PACOM, deployments, trips, and a punch in the mouth (furlough) we are back on our game. Question, is anyone else having a hard time getting new boom recruits that can pass an eye test? WTF! Here is the list of the latest and greatest, which I believe are the finest men and woman enlisted flyers in the Air National Guard, and am proud to serve and fly with them. No punches held back in the Signal this year, all in fun. Thanks for playing, enjoy.

CMSgt Daniel B. Williams (Technician) - Jethro (the newly appointed God), holds the record for fastest from MSgt to CMSgt in the history of the guard, DICK !! Jury is still out on him, but we are willing to keep giving him chances. My favorite quote from the new Chief every morning is “Seen Jarvis”? Enjoying his view from the top. SMSgt Brian D. Lawson- Bugs also just put on another chevy. Currently is the NCOIS (non commissioned officer in charge of shit). Great dude and a promotion well deserved. However there are at least two of us counting down his retirement date ! Ha SMSgt James L. Zaelit (Technician) - Z is the man! He just got moved back into StanEval after the ASEV was over. WTF !! It is his second or maybe third time around and has never been through an ASEV. Hmm? Avid University of Utah Runnin Ute football fan, and my babysitter at the games. I also had to claim him on my taxes this year after kicking my ARSE in Fantasy NASCAR!! SMSgt Joseph R. Mace (Tech/AGR)- Spank is currently on loan to the Guard Bureau, and what I am sure is a pain in Pishka’s ass, no wait Pishka is a pain in our ass. Whatever the case may be, when Papa Joe gets back from DC we have a term for it RED LINE !!! You can also enjoy seeing Joe on late night TV in reruns of Goonies! Original member of My Three Sons. Spank !!

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MSgt Kurt A. Armstrong- Kurt has more toys than an adult bookstore! He bought a diesel tractor truck to haul his boat and camper around. Funny story about Kurt, at one of our boom parties he brought his boat up to the lake. Because of this, I had to explain to my 9 year old son what the name of Kurt’s boat meant. “Soak it in Cider”!! Classic story. MSgt Jason D. Blood- J Blow has more lives than a cat. Red Lined, not Red Lined, Red Lined, Not Red lined. He just recently broke his collarbone in a motorcycle crash. He has avoided the desert tour his whole career. Short of another motorcycle mishap, Merry Christmas from the Dirty Deid! MSgt Jarvis T. Brown (Technician)- Shrek is being put out to the shire. His Olympic athletic physic has finally been given the 10 count. Medical Retirement is around the corner. He is currently the Unit Career Advisor and an expert in….well whatever he does of course. He is getting rich one quarter at a time from the sweat shop her runs. Thanks for your 30 years of military service. Original member of My Three Sons, and the Championship Foozball team. MSgt Charles D. Hudson (Technician)- Dirty has just recently moved in to the cushy Current Operations shop from Scheduling. I admire the Shiz out of his devotion to the Birds of Baltimore. He would bet his last dollar (and he has) for a championship. The future is bright for the current teacher’s pet! David has also developed into quite the Ball Crusher in the game of Fooz, and a Championship could be on the horizon (once SHREK leaves of course). MSgt Brian K. Jensen (Technician)- Grumpy is still well….Grumpy! Currently serving as the Long Range Scheduler and Fit Test Policeman. Jens recently graduated from Weber State University. He seems much smarter, but then he has to go and open his mouth! Ha! Seriously though Jens is trying to utilize his degree, anyone out there looking to hire a trailer park manager. Please let us know if you are. Another one of the guys counting SMSgt Lawson’s last days. MSgt Timothy L. Molder (Technician)- Just moved from Stan Eval to the Unit Training Manager position. Very weird job, but enjoying the less hectic Stan Eval office. I am out of material so this will be my last installment of the Boom Signal. Original member of My Three Sons, and Championship Fooz Team member. TSgt Santiago J Avila (AGR)- J Dawg is are one and only AGR. He is our Boom Training Manager/ Cargo Load Manager. Dawg is one helluva instructor and loves to teach the new Booms. Can always here him coining the phrase “DFIU” ! There are women all over the world in morning these days, as Jay has joined the ranks of the Ball and Chain Club. TSgt George A. Kalakis (Technician)- Stinky is our newest full time hire. Tony George is assigned to the Epubs at the squadron. He recently returned from Instructor School this year. He likes fast cars, motorcycles, Rock Star, and 2-3 packs a day of cigarettes. Which is where the nickname hales from. Dude can clear a room in seconds !! TSgt Derek R. Larson- D Rock was an AGR for about an hour, then quit and went back to his cushy contractor job. He’s always trying to fit 25 hours into a 24 hour day. NOT !! Don’t even think about robbing his house, it’s a weapons cache for the military! TSgt Vincent M. Littlejohn- We sent Vinny to instructor school this year and I think he got a little wakeup call during his first few flights. Guess we were desperate. Vincent loves to argue about anything and everything, and princess loves his Red Sox. Rumor has it he got all tanked up and was running around the Golf Course in Guam with his putter in his hand! There is video proof! He has since went back to his Hill Air Force Base Base Ops job. SSgt Brad Harris- We just got him back from Altus and he is the new peg boy. He is another one of LTC Boyack’s cult. He gets all the crap trips we don’t want. He is currently my plant watering and pop machine filling boom.

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Should be a good Boom if we can get him to do the little things like wrap the Boom cord up and clean up after himself. The Chiefs would be happier. SSgt Sean G. Price (Technician)- SP is our current scheduler. He loves to ride his Mountain Bike up in them there hills, and is a GREAT skier when he is sitting in the middle of us at drill or in a van. Ha! We will be sending him to Instructor School hopefully sometime this fall if he can fit it into his schedule. SP is doing his part to help feed hungry guard bums and needy technicians. SSgt Patricia Rich- Girl Boom is our permanent party planner. Seems to always have a smile on her face, we are not sure why or what the hell she is thinking about though! Takes a special girl to be able to roll in and fit in with this bunch. So far she had been a good addition to the club. SrA Brandon M. Molder- Toucan Sam is a plant killing BEE OTCH and the worst Pop Machine Filling BEE OTCH ever!!! Luckily he is turning out to be a pretty solid boom (and has a cool uncle). Brando was hired off the street and is now pulling alert and loves to be on the road. Crappy Fooz player, but very good at the game of drink.

Boom Stowed CMSgt Douglas A. Cline (32 years of service) MSgt Eric Henderson (27 years of service) Boom Stowed and Latched MSgt Don Hackman (RIP)

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SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC BOOM OPERATOR CFM

Fellow Booms, It’s great to be back in the fold! Prior to arriving at Scott back in January, I spent three years in ACC as the 4th Operations Group Superintendent at Seymour Johnson. While I enjoyed the career broadening opportunity working in the Strike Eagle community, I definitely missed the boom union and camaraderie. When asked, I’ve always said being a boom operator is the best job in the Air Force. Being outside the career field for a couple of years only made me appreciate being a boom that much more. For those that don’t know me, I started off in A and Q models at Barksdale from 1989 to 1994, transitioned to the R and T model at Fairchild from 1994 to 1996 and then moved to Edwards to fly multiple variants of the -135 from 1996 to 2005. I was also fortunate to get qualified on the KC-10. I then went to Mildenhall from 2006 to 2009 and Seymour Johnson from 2009 to 2012. We currently have over 750 active duty booms serving around the world making significant and lasting contributions to our nation’s interests. Our current manning level stands at 103% but this number is somewhat skewed by an influx of younger boom operators over the last couple of years. We are experiencing a shortage of TSgts, MSgts and SMSgts but we were fortunate again this year to be deemed a chronicle critical career field, so we can expect additional promotion opportunities. Several things, both good and bad have happened in the short time I’ve been in the seat. Mildenhall was recognized as the 2012 Al Evans Award Winner, Altus hosted another successful Boom Symposium and Lincoln NB has graciously accepted to host the event in 2014. Boom operator CDCs have been deactivated, a new KC-10 weight and balance app has been released (-135 version should hit the streets soon), initial KC-46 basing was announced and we tragically lost the crew of Shell 77. Unfortunately it often takes a tragic event to remind us our line of work can be dangerous and freedom isn’t always free. I am grateful for all the outpouring of support shown to the family and friends who lost loved ones. Finally, I want to thank each one of you for your service. I appreciate all you do and the sacrifices you make to our great nation, the Air Force and the boom union! //signed// TODD N. COLE, CMSgt, USAF AMC CEA Functional Manager

SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC/IG “BUZZARDS”

Good Day from the home of the Cardinals, Rams and Blues… or better yet the place where Jeff Bishop wishes he still called home. It has been a busy year in the IG, we did our final ORI in February and are working toward a new inspection system that is soon to hit the streets. The NORIs will not change though… Lots of changes in the line-up this year but we are still “here to help” MSgt Nathan Hackney: I got the golden ticket to replace Bish in the IG! Yeah ME!!! I am really hoping my hair does not go grey like his. Jeff left me a very thorough checklist on how to do inspections…. “Blank Stare” 1 st rule don’t screw up the timing. Yeah that has worked out well, remember folks if you send stuff to command post expect your inspection to go south at some point. Also when the SFS inspectors ask to help out, you may end up either eating pavement or have an M-4 pointed at you in a truck that you did NOT STEAL! MSgt Jason Prosser: I asked Jason to write something about himself…. Here is what he emailed me… “Is my Three Years Up yet?” Jason comes to the IG from the Garden State, and after 11 months is still looking for a great place to get some good Pizza. Got rid of the GTO for a new Big ole truck, GTO didn’t really leave the family though Chris picked it from the Dealer the next day… what no family discount?? Jason is going out on NORIs this fall, I guess if Justine taught one Gucci boy everything he knew about NORIs she can teach Jason Right??? MSgt(Sel) Justine “P2” Pescetello-Parr: Justine sent me input for the signal… so Jason and I came up with this. Justine finally decided to study the CDCs and made Master, guess she didn’t know as much as she thought last year... Due to her lack of ability to drive she has “literally” been disqualified from driving ANYWHERE. If you need tickets to the Opera, Dinner plans, or Rams tickets Cruise Director Julie is the go to! Looking to spend even more than your per-diem on dinner? Good cause Justine is willing to find a dining location to spend it. Buzzards that have left the Nest SMSgt Jeff “Zulu” Bishop: After 4 years on the IG team Jeff flew the coup to McConnell. The term “with that being said” has been drastically reduced since he left. Additionally all pre-departure briefings have had correct General on it every time. MSgt Chris “Otto” Ottenwess: Chris headed back to the land of Big Sexy to run the FTU in Jersey. We missed him so much we brought him out for the Travis ORI in February. Guess he is having fun because he hasn’t called to complain.

SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC/A3C COMMAND AND CONTROL

ALCON Greetings from Scott Upon the Cornfields. The HQ is busy as ever, and like everyone else doing more with less. With sequestration and budget cuts, we are actually making program cuts of a significant nature… for the first time in decades. The last cut of this magnitude is probably when we cut 120 KC-10’s to 60. Ironic, yes? KC-10: $80120M ea (1979-1996 dollars), KC-46: $228M ea (avg, 2012 dollars). Mr. Christopher “Dr. Hoctor”, AMC/A3CG, Global C2/FAM for TACC and AMC AFFOR… combined pay for my three jobs still adds up the same way active duty pay, instructor pay, and alert pay did. Presently fighting the proletariat of the People’s Republic of Chicago, and their ridiculous gun laws. Looking for work in Tampa and hoping that by the time this is published I am living there. In the meantime, looking forward to Sequester Fridays – motorcycling and recreational shooting days. Mr. Greg Conrad, AMC/A3CC, Theater Command & Control Branch Chief…Oversight for all Theater Command and Control functions. Been retired 10 years now and just turned 50 Years Young. Hot and Heavy into Boys Scouts, Scout Master for Troop 35, spends many weekends at local campsites. Happy to be working right now and proud to Serve, looking forward to the civilian furloughs, this will solve the world’s problems being off one day a week for 11 weeks. Mr. Anthony Nicholson, AMC/A3CC, Theater Command & Control Program Analyst…. Still oversee AMD exercise program for 2 active, 4 guard and, 2 reserve units. Likes the GS career, have almost five years now. Planning to run 1000 miles this year, 3 Marathons and 8 Half Marathons scheduled along with some shorter races and training runs. Still holding the Spring and Fall Boom Campouts at Scott, stop in some time and spend the night or have a drink with us. Ms. Fran Nicholson, AMC FM/FMFFS, Foreign Military Sales… Still enjoys taking care of fuel bills for the Foreign Jets. Fran has over 10 years now as a Civil Servant. Fran is training for 2 Marathons in the Fall and has 8 Half Marathons scheduled throughout the year. Boys are growing up fast, Justin is now 17 and just finished his junior year and is working at Schnucks since August 12, Wyatt just finished his freshman year and is already taking his drivers training, both boys are on the High School Robotics team and had a very completive year. MSgt J.D Langley, AMC/ACCM, Expeditionary Operations Branch…

SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC/A3TK “Tanker Training”

MSgt Jason Hall: Sort of quiet when he first arrived to AMC/A3TK in October. Come to find out he was quietly observing the situation quickly realizing he was in over his head (not really). Jason hit the ground running and is affecting change on the 135 side of the house. A SMSgt select who will make a decision and is all about the people, mission and family (not necessarily in that order). He will represent us well when he makes Chief!

MSgt Shane Haney: Shane is the only person that I know of who went through three positions in less than a month and wasn’t fired from any of them! He is currently our A3TK SME for the KC-46. Shane is an excellent Staffer who continually impresses the leadership in A3. He should be on the SMSgt list in March 2014 and will go onto do great things for the Boom career field.

SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC/A3N PERFECTION DRIVEN

Greetings from the basement! Booms continue to lead the way as times get tough. We suffered what was considered the worst one-day rain storm at Scott AFB history. We manned the buckets and bailed water until ordered out. The Nuclear Enterprise rolls on!

SMSgt Derrick “D-Rock” Grant [email protected] Still referred to locally in the Office as “Boom 3,” has put on his Senior stripe and continues to entertain the division and tanker units everywhere. Check your calendars, he may be visiting a base near you (except Al Udeid) with some of the best stories and one-liners. Tops in Blue may not have a travel budget, but we still do! MSgt Tim Blackburn [email protected] This poor soul has continued denial of sunlight by having a workspace in both of the Vaults. Referred to in the office simply as "Boom", MSgt Blackburn is still our only resident "Gucci" but is somehow armed with the insider knowledge of The Enterprise. Boom 3 and Boom 4 are scheming to lure him back to the 135 community with the occasional promise of parole to the outdoors for NSAV visits. MSgt Warren “Dotcom” Weldon [email protected] Arrived in January and has been locally dubbed “Boom 4” in the office to de-conflict communications in the office, and now working with his Altus Initial Qual instructor (SMSgt Grant wonders if “Warren G” will hold on to his Man Card for more than two weeks!) bought a house, became a dad, and still has time for a story or two.

In the Area: MSgt (retired) Lance Quenga Lance “Boom 1” officially left Uncle Sam behind on 1 February, and has put all his energies into growing a full-length chin warmer (we suspect he was trying out for the role of “The Manchurian” in Iron Man III, but over-did it) and riding his Harley with his wife. His only concern now is decent riding weather.

SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC/A3VK

KC-10A SMSgt Chris Prosser, KC-10 AMC Command Evaluator. Chris is spreading his steel fisted rule from on high now making all KC-10/46 booms bow to his eternal reign. Boom operators everywhere want to strive to be known as Prosser worthy. His Future endeavors of leaving a lasting legacy behind for the upcoming KC-46 booms will not go un-noticed. MSgt Jason Trussell, KC-10 AMC Command Evaluator - PCS’d to AMC/A3VK recently from Travis AFB replacing recently retired MSgt Scotty O’Neil. Wound tighter than a cat leaping into a tub of water, Jason brings a fresh KC-10 field perspective to AMC Stan/Eval and the infamous “Land of Cubicles”. When he is not busy bragging about riding his bicycle (with the flower basket and little bell attached to the handlebars) 600 miles in 30 minutes or running 1.5 miles in 4:32 (a world record), he is devising a plan to avoid all aspects of the KC-46 acquisition program. Now, if we can just find a cubicle big enough to fit his ego then we can actually get some work done! In all seriousness, we are glad to have him on the team. MSgt (Retired) Scotty O’Neil (aka…The KC-10 Boom Deity) – An immortal! A Leader of Men…Lover of Women…Friend to Animals! A beast on the cargo powered rollers, unmatched by any human. The ground behind him is littered with booms who have failed trying to match his precise air refueling contacts and cargo loading skills. Like Atlas, he effortlessly shouldered the evaluation burdens of the KC-10 Boom community without flinching. A myth and a legend who will not be forgotten! Good luck in retirement.

KC-135 SMSgt Craig Eyre: After leaving Stan/Eval hanging for a cake walk deployment, Craig returned to an unfortunate DNIF. With no flying in his near future, he was always taking on administrative duties (so he could hand them off to the other booms in the office). Craig recently returned to the market and is seeking someone who appreciates him (good luck with that). He is still trying to figure out why the bosses will not let him no-notice one crew for ten days to Puerto Rico. Though 2013 started rough, he is finding his niche. Someone noted his CAC expires in March and his future is TBD. We wish him the best wherever he lands.

MSgt JL Smith: - After his time in Mildenhall, Altus, and Scott, JL decided he missed the desert enough to volunteer for a rotation. As luck would have it, he rolled the dice and won a lovely six month vacation, I meant deployment, to the embassy in Muscat. Rumor has it, he has fought off numerous Al Qaeda operatives (with his bare hands) and even stared one down through the embassy walls. All this while enjoying five star accommodations. We can't wait to have him back at Scott.

MSgt Rafael Cruz Oyola: Cruz still works here. There are occasional sightings here to substantiate that claim, although the field seems to sight him frequently at base ops when he notifies them he is jumping on. With JL making sandcastles and Craig mastering spellcheck, Cruz spent a lot of time on the road. Cruz took his share of the admin load during the A3V exodus of ’11 and has managed, very well, to stay afloat in spite of his duties on the road. You could say he has been the face of our -135 Q prefix boom force…we could have done worse, or better.

CMSgt Dan Smith: Dan bailed (finally) in January. Kicking and screaming gives a hint on how he went out as well as how we expect he counsels his instructors at Altus. Undoubtedly, he is enjoying all three curves in the road riding his scooters between Altus and Lawton. Chief left a legacy behind at A3VK…the stains will be out soon. Good luck to him, the family and their Vespas.

SCOTT AFB, IL HQ AMC/A5QX HQ AMC Tanker Requirements Branch

SMSgt Sean Rix - Life is good here on the staff. The KC-46 will be more than a plan after July. The Critical Design Review is in July and then the airplane will start becoming a piece of iron. The plan is for power to be applied to a 767-2C in January of 2014. If you have any questions about future requirements for the -135 or -10, give me a call.

Take care and fly safe. Sean

SCOTT AFB, IL USTRANSCOM

Scott Konieczka, SMSgt (Ret) (EC/KC135A/D/L/G/RT Grissom; KC10 Barksdale/McGuire) - Still working for Tapestry Solutions now in TRANSCOM J3. KB and I are doing great; married 20 years this fall. Matt is a senior this year and Bryan is married and a teacher in Springfield, IL.

Dave Monk, SMSgt (Ret) (KC135A/Q/R Barksdale/Altus; KC10 Barksdale/McGuire; KCdesk Scott) - Traded the uniform for a shirt/tie 5 years ago, on my third contract with the same company. It’s been amazing watching our military machine move all kinds of crap, and people, to all corners of the world whether by air, ship, rail, or truck. The “Joint” world took a little time to get used to, lots of new acronyms and simple words don’t always mean the same thing! So you’re looking for a tanker, do you mean refueling tanker, fire fighting water tanker, tanker ship, OH you are looking for COL “Tanker” Clancy who used to drive a tank…… Family is all good, doing the empty nest thing for the last year since Drew moved up to the Quad City area. Kim is still in third grade! It’s been nine years since she started teaching full time and she still dislikes summers, really?

Mike Trace, MSgt (Ret) (EC/KC135 Ellsworth/Minot; KC10 Barksdale/McGuire) - Can’t believe it's been 20 years since I arrived here at Scott. Never stayed in one place so long. Not much has changed over the past 20 years. Well not really. Married off my two girls last year three months apart. Have a new grandson too. Still married to the same girl I met in high school and still working on the Base but now in the SDDC (Army). Gave a briefing to an out of town Colonel recently who came up to me afterwards and said, "It's great to see a boomer in a tie once in a while". Found out he was a tanker driver out of the Forks. I'm also a vice president of the In-flight Refueling Association (IFR) and getting ready for the reunion in Ft. Worth 17-19 Oct. If anyone is going to be in the area, stop by and share some stories with the gang.

SCOTT AFB, IL 618 AOC (TACC) XOBK “Tanker Barrel”

Mr. Norris, Jim: Jim just rehabbed his boat, put new hardwood floors in the house, bought a 5 th wheel and a fleet of jet skis…not to mention a brand new truck. It seems like the furlough is working out very well for him. He’s still upset the government restored half the furlough days; which meant: less time at the lake. Mr. Garrett, Doug: Doug is finishing up his degree in computer “something.” Whatever makes the VA checks continue to roll in. He wasn’t as excited about the furlough as Jim. However after a few 4 day weekends he’s beginning to come around. He continues to enjoy riding his motorcycle on the days with no pay. MSgt Hopp, Ben: Once a Boom, always a Boom. Ben just returned from USTRANSCOM after serving a year as the Executive Assistant for the Command Senior Enlisted Leader and Brig Gen John Michel. His services have now been requested elsewhere and he has a package in for the ALS Commandant position here at Scott. It’s been phenomenal having him here but it seems certain that he is leaving for good this time. TSgt Noriega, Luis: Luis arrived here a few months ago from Travis and is still getting his feet wet. From first impressions, he is going to be a great asset. TSgt Taydus, Justin: Justin has also just arrived and the same can be said for him. He is currently attending the NCOA and soon we will get him back from his vacation.

Departed (Ret) MSgt Lambert, Donnie: Currently enjoying his bench and box of chocolates in Alabama. Donnie retired last fall and phone calls into the Barrel have dropped off by over 80%. Donnie has been working full time for his wife in a leadership role. He is in charge of vacuuming, window washing, dishes (wash and dry), washing clothes (except the whites), ironing, dusting, lawn mowing, lawn edging, hedge trimming, fence building, and chicken coop restoration. Word is that he is to be receiving his 5 level in Domestic Homemaker and Official Farm Hand certification.

SCOTT AFB, IL 108 ARS “HOME OF THE MID AMERICA MILITIA”

SMSgt Bill “Bucky” Buckwalter – Decided that 13 is his lucky number, and has elected to retire. Considering he’s been a member of the 108th since the KC-97 rolled off the assembly line, and has a personalized autographed photo from the crew from the ‘Question Mark’, no one argued this decision. His contribution to the squadron has been immeasurable, and he will be greatly missed. MSgt Steve “Mister” Butler – TACC across the ramp decided they no longer wanted him, so he was banished back to his old desk in Training Shop, only to realize Training no longer wanted him either. Planning Shop lost the coin toss, and has stuck him in a back corner cubicle. Steve is planning a revenge involving the Chicago Bears logo, red balloons, and baby oil. TSgt Mark “Don’t Kill My Buz” Buzenski – Since marrying a younger woman in the front office last year, this old man’s ticker hasn’t been working right. He went DNIF after returning from the honeymoon, and has been out ever since. He’s tried to get a waiver, but the doc said the only way he’d sign off on it was if he got a divorce, which Mark saw as a ‘Buz-kill.’ Sightings of him in recent months have been rarer than sighting an albino unicorn in the wild, and we’re not sure if he even still works here. Jaime “Mr. Big” Castillo-liceaga – Maintains a quiet man persona until entering an Enterprise rental office, where he attempts to surreptitiously rent a mid-sized tan sedan. After the red carpet has been rolled out, the employees stop staring, and he is upgraded to a fire-engine-red Audi, he non-convincingly attempts to claim that his near CEOstatus still means he is not very high up in the company. MSgt Doug “Double Dipping Dougy” Doeding – The master of doing 1 job and pulling in 2 paychecks for it, ‘D 4’ is the up-and-coming money expert in the squadron. With Meinken officially retired, the position of Squadron Money Guru is wide open, and Dougy is making his bid for it. Hold on to your wallets ladies and gentlemen, and watch what a highly motivated prison guard can do! MSgt Paul “Fusebox” Fusek – Is still holding onto a full-time civilian gig, so we assume that the nickname has not cost him employment on the other side of the ramp. Guess he has cut back on the beers, though there are those that thought that was impossible. Beware; this may be that silent moment, just before the nuclear explosion…

CMSgt Sam “The Chief” Gerros – Is so sick of us knocking on his inner sanctum…er, office door, asking stupid questions, that he has started his retirement countdown. It may be over a year away, but thoughts of rocking away on the front porch with his lovely wife, in peace and quiet, are all that get him through the day anymore! SMSgt Arie Shonn “Boss Man” Latimer – Had to have a pacemaker put in after his 5 year old daughter brought home her first boyfriend; is DNIF until his heart can recover from the trauma. Also the new enlisted head-honcho in Stan Eval – jury is still out on how well he fills the shoes of (now retired) Rizzo and Meinken. SSgt Jameson “Wannabe” Liggett – Got picked up for a coveted fulltime AGR position, and then promptly went DNIF for hemorrhoids. Is back up on status now, and has been unceremoniously removed from scheduling and shoved into the windowless UDM office to fend for himself. Good luck! TSgt Kate “Shoe-Low” Lowry – Everyone wants to know, “Who the heck is Lowry?!?!” Was active duty…Palace Chased into Guard bumming…just snagged a full-time AGR gig. Somehow found a husband in the process…guess we can dismiss that rumor… Now one of our SMEs in Training Shop…hopefully she can hold down the entire office while everyone but her is deployed/TDY next month! TSgt Pat “Silver Tongue” McCauley – After pulling a vanishing act last year, has made the comeback of the century. Got back up to status expeditiously, and then caught a ride over to the exotically tropical Deid. Rumor on the wind is his many years in the unit are coming to an end, so we are enjoying time spent with the skirt-chasing, Eskimo-ice-selling, master-storyteller while we can. MSgt (Retired) Chris “Going, Going, Gone” Meinken – The rumors are true: Chris’ many years of promising/threatening to retire have actually come true. (Kate thought she’d need a crash ax to get his AGR position if he pulled another mysterious extension.) He made it to 7000 hours by having 2 fini flights. His airplane experience, as well as his knowledge on how to milk all government agencies for every legitimate dime they owe, is already missed. MSgt Nate “The Tank” Moore – No recent sightings of “Nate the Tank,” but stories from a recent Germany trip have yet to surface. He just returned from a thrilling desert tour to his new office as Head Scheduling Guru. The question posed is this: Is Jen pregnant with their 4th child? Every extended TDY or deployment seems to produce a child, and we know Nate secretly garners a hope to have enough kids for a synchronized swimming team… MSgt John “Mine!” Reed – Decided to not only deploy to the beautiful Deid, but complete his PME as well. He was starting to get a bit nervous, as all the young pups have started salivating over an open stripe that he views as his. Just moved into Training Shop for the umpteenth time, and is using his vast knowledge to keep the shop afloat. TSgt Chris “C-Turtle” Slater – Ranks in the top 3 of the “Will Say Yes to Exercises/Deployments” List of Booms in the squadron, but has moved to the Disabled List for a shoulder injury. Apparently, he locked himself out of his house, and being too cheap to call a locksmith, attempted to charge the door and break it down with his shoulder. This mode of entry failed…multiple times. He found out later his garage was still open. TSgt Kate “Shoe-Low” Shoemake – See above, “Lowry.” SMSgt Keith “Hot Stuff” Wagner – Seriously considered sacrificing 3 stripes to trade in his Technician slot for an AGR position, but even a higher salary was not worth the blow to his pride. Apparently he was kicked out of a hot yoga class for being too good looking. Is currently working on his tan in the Deid. SSgt Jason “FNG” Wheeler – Former 135 chief, has recently crossed over to the dark side. Seems like he’ll fit in, but that was before the experience known as ‘Altus.’ He completes his training soon, so standby to standby…

MSgt Chris “Z-Man” Zahner – Has his nose back to the grindstone, and is stepping up to deploy to the Deid rather than his usual Caribbean locales. It’s amazing what a man will volunteer for when he’s outnumbered by the women at home 2 to 1! Chris, if you want to even up the numbers, you’re going to gamble on having another kid…is it worth the risk??

SCOTT AFB, IL 906 ARS

SSgt Jamie “Strongman” Almquist – Has been DNIF since last August for a back injury sustained while lifting a box of Styrofoam popcorn. Attempted to fly 4 out of 5 days the first week he was off DNIF, which was quashed. The appearance of being eager to return to flying was not the image the squadron wanted conveyed. The dark hole known as Tactics has fingernail marks on the door from him trying to claw his way out… SrA Richard “Richy-Rich” Bradford – Has recently realized it’s better to make money before you spend it, so he leapt at the chance to fill a last minute desert rotation. We managed to convince him not to sell his body to pay for his addictions: shake weights, and pieces of toast with images of Justin Bieber on them. A1C “FNG” Joseph Brendel – Inbound from Altus schoolhouse. Probably doesn’t know how lucky he is to get a TFI as his first base! SSgt Jarrett “Crawfish” Crawford – Recently graduated from CFIC and ALS…our little boy is growing up! Once this is published, he will be a sparkly new SSgt. Not quite sure what his address is currently, as he is in the process of moving for the 3rd time in 3 years. Is looking forward to his next rotation in the desert, and a break from PME. A1C Brandon “FNG” Cutrer – Inbound from Altus schoolhouse. Another lucky duck… TSgt Othello “Sneakers” Harris – Skating on his wife’s controlled tour, and thereby being connected by jointspouse, his active-duty squadron mates silently resent him for being “ineligible for PCS” from a guard unit. Looks like we’re stuck with him until retirement, and his daily count of how many hundreds of pairs of sneakers he has. Also wondering how much “O” pays the schedulers for trips to Key West… Kurtis “Poker Face” Hinson – Still figuring out how he pulled a TFI unit straight out of teaching down at Altus. (Still working on scrubbing the stink off of him.) Flies so often leadership is convinced he’d rather be a line Boom then a supervisor, though his EB face leaves the new airman shaking in their boots on check rides. MSgt Ricky “Wave runner” Martin – A squadron spotlight, Ricky is again making waves. His talent at writing awards packages was highlighted upon winning the ‘Redd Erwin Award’… for himself. Just recently sweet talked his way into a cushy, non-flying job at the 18th AF across the ramp. The flying world will never be the same once he retires in 20??.

MSgt Mark “I Got This” McCaughtry –The MSgt on his nametag occasionally allows us to forget that he’s basically still a wannabe baby boom. This lack of experience explains why when asked for inputs to this document of shame, he had only a vague idea of what the Boom Signal even was. Shows up in ABUs on random days, just to freak out the baby booms. Is managing to make great waves within the squadron, while being a newlywed with a new baby less than 2 months away.

A1C Nate “Really?” Smart – Wanted short notice leave on the thought that his visiting grandparents had expiration dates. (Turns out grandparents aren’t regulated by the FDA.) When not deployed, he milks the Recruiter’s Assistance Program for the free leave you can get from it. How many times can you participate in the RAP within a 12 month time period?? Also recently bought stock in alarm clocks… SSgt Brandon “FNG” Williams – Due to arrive soon. Last year’s Signal mentioned tanning booths and waxing, so we are a bit worried…

SELFRIDGE ANGB, MI 171 ARS “SIX PACK”

The 171 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal

SEYMOUR-JOHNSON AFB, NC 77 ARS "Home of the Totin' Tigers"

A big "Hey Y'all" from the booms here at the 77th, "Home of the Totin' Tigers". We will have our BOWST up & running this next year, so come & check it out. We are right around the corner from our next Deployment. Our sister Squadron the 911th ARS & us fly 60+% of our sorties as mixed crews & typically both squadrons have crewmembers on each others deployments. We have discovered that the active duty gets a lot of time off, although they typically deploy more. We are making more changes to our new combined Squadron building, adding square footage to the 911th side & a new addition for a BOWST. If you're in town, stop by & we’ll give you a tour. If you brave enough time we'll take you out for some Carolina barbeque & sweeeeet tea! So if you’re thinking about leaving active duty or want to come to a real Reserve unit, want to go to school and still want to be a Boom Operator, give us a call. Keep this in mind also. We've got some great schools like NC State, UNC, Wake Forrest, East Carolina, Campbell University, Duke, and Meredith all within an hour and a half of the unit. Carolina Blue Skies, SMSgt Barry Bradley 916 OGV Superintendent

TSgt Sena “The Boom Princes” Alfaro- Apr 09 - Present She’s a Reserve Bum & enjoying the sweeeeet life here at Shady Reserve resort. She’s had her 2nd baby girl, yes #2, it’s in the water here! She’s still reminding her Marine husband that the Air Force is #1 & trying to talk him into joining the Reserves. She’s still studying for her nursing degree. Sena favorite saying “Family time is a great thing” then she laughs. SSgt Jeremy “Tin Man” Bennett- Apr 07-Present Still keeping the tin straight on those Helo’s at Cherry Point Depot. FINALLY made SSgt after 20 years, he’s shooting for 15 years to make TSgt! He comes up about once a week and a few trips here & there. He’s loving life on the beach with his new ski boat. He’s always looking for friends to ski with so give him a call if you’re on the NC coast. SMSgt Barry "Stan Evil" Bradley- Nov 93-Present Barry is our group Stan/Evil “The Hammer” boom! He’s been flying with some of the 911th baby booms trying to instruct, evaluator trying to instruct, something different. Most of his flying has been PDM & OCF flights on planes with boom issues. He’s much more relaxed now that we passed our ASEV, CUI (UCI) & our NORI. Wants to buy a new Harley to travel on but sequestration has put a stop to that.

MSgt Rich “Bowl O’ Chili” Bonicelli- Oct 04-Present He’s assisting the Boom & pilot scheduler running down crews members to fly, (just like herding cats). He is still our veteran building manager trying to get people to stop taping everything to the walls & windows in the building. “Stop Taping Things To The Wall!” MSgt Jorge “Habi” Brewer- Jan 04-Present Jorge is working with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol pulling everyone over that he thinks has a bad attitude! He comes in from time to time to fly & wants to write tickets to the pilots for doing 300 knots at 26k above I95! Don’t get him excited unless you speak “Spanglish and Troopereze”. If you see NC Blue Lights behind you pull over & ask for some SWEEEEEET TEA! MSgt Keny “Dammit” Fallin- Aug 06-Present Keny is in Scheduling STILL (feels like 250 years now), he has gone mad & he thinks the unit will stop flying if he leaves. Besides he also thinks he’s “The Boss”! He still believes that Budweiser is the only beer in the World & everyone else is has no taste! Keny’s still has his “Trailer Park Empire”, expect to see a reality show soon. MSgt Kevin “Ticket” Hughes- Jan 03-Present He still has his estate & castle with plenty of room for his friends. His big Coca Cola 600 tail gate party has now turned into a camping trip. Give him a call and “Let’s Go Racing”. Need insurance? He’s now the Big Cheese in the insurance biz, his new cliental are NASCAR team, if it’s Big he’ll insure it! Watch for a complete takeover of NASCAR! “The HUGHES NASCAR Series”. TSgt Tara “Scratch ‘n Dent” (formally known as Hopewell) Kirkpatrick- Sep 00 – TBD & May 13 - Present Tara has her own business “Herbal Life Club” in Asheville and will soon takeover the Fortune 500 Magazine. Need to lose weight or look good for your PT test call Tara. Tara traded in her Boom Operator Card to work in Family Readiness, and then reality hit has come back to the Boom world. Thankfully that phase is over. MSgt Mark “Beerman” McElmurry- Apr 97-Present Mark is the Acting Boom section chief he just wanted a parking spot close to the door. He has stopped making beer for us the Feds were getting to close to finding his Still. Once he goes legit & his stock goes public he’ll sell you some. SrA Mitchell “Miller Lite” Miller- Mar 10-Present Stanton’s new go to Boom for everything now that he is the Trougher King (must work to get paid). He’s now the official “King of Delayed Disconnects”; if you haven’t had one he’s had yours. He’s also a new Daddy to a baby girl. MSgt Lori “TDY” O’Connell- Sep 04-Present Lori is our Training Flight Boom & squadron UDM. She still doesn’t go TDY much & she’s very cranky about that. She’s hasn’t had enough of the ART world yet (or she drink too much of the Kool-Aid), so she’s trying something different, she’s going to be headed to AFRC (following her husband who’s the NORI king). Her husband is now our Wing Command Chief & now he’s the “Sugar Daddy”! CMSgt Tony “Frank the Tank” Parris- Nov 93- Dec 03 & Apr 08-Present Chief Parris is the acting OG Superintendent but still the boom program manager Chief has slowed down as the new car test GURU; he has had 2 Volvos, 2 Jeeps, 1 Prius, & is sticking with a VW Jetta, BUT he has finally drank the Barry & Rowdy Kool-Aide and bought a brand new Harley Davidson. Is this a new challenge testing Harley Davidson’s? Can’t wait to see what’s next. MSgt Jeremy “GE” Reynolds- Apr 08-PresentYes he has put on another Strip, but then told he has to deploy. Fortunately GE thinks he’s already saved the company a few times (or at least that’s what he told them) so they will let him deploy (telework Jeremy telework). He’s enjoying the extra time with the family & he always has a smile on his face. SMSgt Billy “Mr. Thursday Night” Somerville- Dec 00-Present BJ is Cheer Point’s weight & balance guy, he’s the one that weigh’s the aircraft. B.J. is our regular Thursday night flyer (hence the nickname). He’s the senior Boom in the Boom shop by rank & age. Rides his Harley in all weather

(except snow) occasionally dragging a bad boom behind! Bj still goes on every deployment & fights the rest of use for the Good TDY’s. MSgt Steven "Butter-bean, aka Loverboy" Stanton- Jan 06-Present Steve is our Body Scheduler & ground safety rep. Steve has a new 2009 Harley Davidson, it’s new because he doesn’t ride it unless it’s sunny (exactly) 75 degrees it’s an odd day, on an odd month, of an odd year & there’s a ¾ moon ! Steve is still our Squadron chef making us all work harder on our PT test, but the food is just too good to pass up. SrA Andrew “Ricky Jug’s” Steuart- Nov 07-Present He’s one of our brightest Booms just ask him. He’s a full time student working on his degree, hoping to become dumber & become a Pilot or the next President. Still buys cheap cars makes them look tricked out then they blowup! It’s entertaining for us! TSgt Travis “Swine King” Swinson- May 11-Present He’s still our newest accusation from active duty, & is one of the rare Booms who received an ART position right away. He has been fully inducted as an ART; he now wears civilian clothes as much as possible. He’s working in Current OP’s accomplishing mission planning for both squadrons. As our local squadron pig & chicken farmer we are still waiting for his reality show to be picked up by a major TV network “Swine Kingdom”.

Booms of Yore & the date they were here Listed by departure Date: 2012 2011 SSgt J.R. Bravo – Jun 08 – Jul 11 - He was one of our new Booms that cross trained from the Sky Cop world. He has officially lost his mind & all common sense; he has gone to the ARMY Guard & will become a Helo Pilot, didn’t happen. 2010 MSgt William “Grandpa” Norris- Dec 85-Dec 87 & Oct 91-Jun 10 - Retired - Now an ROTC Instructor. O-Boy look out baby O’s. SSgt Bill Frazer – Mar 07 – Sep 10 - He’s back at work with his civilian employer has gone IRR (Inactive Ready Reserve) to work on his civilian career for awhile. 2009 SrA David “Chando” Chandonnet- Aug 99-Apr 09 – Last rank MSgt - Dave is now IRR (In active ready reserve) & ihe & his wife are now drug dealers, the politically correct word is “pharmacist”. He now makes more money then all the boom combined. Unless you’re an ART then he make 20% more then all of us combined. Sgt Sean “Bimmer” Martin – Sep 91-Jun 09- Now a retired CMSgt. He is “The KC-46 tankers Boom Extraordinar” & still training Booms but as Mister for Boeing. If you want to buy one give him a call. 2008 SSgt Rodney “Rowdy” Smith – Apr 97-Oct 08 – Now a MSGT - at “TWISTER AFB” (Tinker) as a Test Boom. Wishing for better weather to ride his HD. Rowdy in the past year has gotten married. The twisters missed leveling his house by 10 feet but received a lot of damage, hopefully able to move back in by this fall.

SrA Brice “Surfer” Hayden- Mar 86-Dec 08 - last we heard is in the Savannah National Guard as C-130 pilot. I mean Navigator... 2007 2006 CMSgt Jerry Snyder – Jun 90-Aug 06 – Retired - is retired and riding one of his Harley’s as much as possible. TSgt Don Templeton – Jan 96-Nov 06 – Retired – Retired as a SMSgt, now working / living in the Raleigh area as a Computer Guru. 2005 2004 2003 SSgt Tony Parris – Oct 93 – Dec 03 – Went to Andrews AFB to become the Chief Boom. Returned to SJ in 2008. MSgt Randy Palumbo – Nov 96-Jul 03 - Retired - Done retired. SMSgt Rick Powell – Apr 95-Oct 03- Still at Tinker AFB, OK doing the depot thing. Now a proud owner of a Harley Davidson. He will retire this year. TSgt Al Rigdon – May 00 – Jul 03 – Now a C-5 engineer at Martinsburg WV looking for a new job. 2002 SMSgt Brad Baxter – Apr 90-Aug 02 - Retired – Still a Scott AFB. 2001 TSgt Betty Matthews – Feb 87 – Oct 01 – Retired – living in NC SSgt Mike Harston – Jun 98-Jun 01 - is pilot Capt Mike Harston now back at Shady J. 2000 SMSgt Ronnie Wade – Oct 85-Mar 2000 - Retired - moved back to Kansas. TSgt Kerry Vanausdall – Nov 87 – Nov 00 – Left as a SMSgt moved to Grissom AFB SSgt Jamie Ward – Jun 88-Dec 00 - now SMSgt is at Scott AFB, IL SSgt Carl Sisco – Apr 93 – Oct 00 – Retired as a MSgt working as a security guard at a military installation in NC. 1999 SSgt Tom Glosser – Dec 97 – Apr 99 – Retired – Civilian work at Altus AFB. 1998 1997 1996 SrA Corey Brown- Dec 91 – Jan 06 – had a lobotomy & became a pilot and now the 916 OSS/DO TSgt Jon Calcote – Mar 93 – Jan 96 - Unknown 1995 SMSgt Andy “Virgil” Anderson – Oct 85-Mar 95 – Retired in Texas MSgt Don Askren – Jan 86-Jun 95 – Retired – Retired as the McConnell Chief Boom.

SMSgt Tim Holt – Jul 86-Jun 95 – Unknown MSgt Randy Rinehart – Jul 87 – Aug 95 – Living in Atlanta as an airline pilot SSgt Mike Boozer – Sep 89 – May 95 - Retired Chief at Robbins AFB TSgt Donna Dobbins – Oct 91 – Jun 95 – Deceased – Went to McGuire SrA Steve Dolan – Aug 92 – Sep 95 - unknown 1994 SrA Felicia Anderson – Jul 91 – Jan 94– Went to McGuire MSgt John Young – Apr 86-Jul 94 - Unknown TSgt Ricky Helt – Sept. 86 – Jul 94- Unknown SSgt Jeff Garland – Jan 87 – Jun 94- Unknown SSgt Anthony “TACO” Cleaver – Oct 91 – Sep 94 – Last known location McGuire AFB MSgt Bobby Drinnen – Jun 87 – Oct 94- Unknown TSgt Rand Sanders – Dec 88 – Nov 94 – Went IRR- Unknown Sgt Paul Dube – Feb 90 – May 94- Went IRR- Unknown TSgt Dave Brock – Jun 91 – Oct 94- Unknown SrA Jim Harris – Jan 92 – Oct 94– Went to McGuire SSgt Duane Slusher – Sept 92 – Jan 94 - Unknown SrA John Mercer – Sep 93 – Oct 94– Went to McGuire – Now at McDill, still a Bum SrA Gary Towles – Sept 93 – Oct 94 – Went to McGuire

1993 MSgt Paul Jorden – Feb 86 – Jul 93 - Unknown Sgt Greg Keeter – May 86 – May 93 - Unknown MSgt Dale Wilner – Dec 86 – Sep 93 - Unknown SSgt Jeff Carter – Feb 89 – Mar 93 - Unknown SSgt Mike Block – Feb 89 – Feb 93 – Became a KC-10 Pilot 1992 TSgt Larry “Lighting” Brown – Mar 86-Jan 92 - Unknown TSgt Phil Crain – Jun 86-Jun 92 – Retired – Lives in the local area TSgt Randy Norris – Sep 86 – Sep 92 - Unknown SMSgt John Powell – Oct 86 – Mar 92 - Unknown SrA Jon Rion – Oct 90 – Mar 92 - Unknown

1991 MSgt Ed McGowan – Jun 86-Jan 91 - Unknown SSgt Eric Lomascolo – May 89 – Oct 91 - Unknown SSgt Bonzie Wherry – Sep 90 – Aug 91 - Unknown 1990 CMSgt Steve Fromm – Jul 85-Oct 90 –Retired – Retired from his KC-10 Boom SIM Instructor at McGuire AFB is now back in NC. TSgt Don Gwinn – Apr 87 – Mar 90 - Unknown TSgt Craig Shackelford – Feb 88 – Jul 90 - Unknown TSgt James Dean – Feb 88 – Aug 90 - Unknown TSgt Mike Kramer – Apr 88 – Mar 90 - Unknown

1989 TSgt Kevin Holmgren – Jul 86 – May 89 - Unknown TSgt Mike Kibler – Oct 88 – Apr 89 - Unknown

1988 SMSgt Andy Miller – Nov 85-Jul 88 – Retired - Unknown MSgt Chris Burkhart – Jul 86 – Sep 88 - Unknown MSgt Dave Brock – Dec 86 – Jul 88 - Unknown TSgt Mike Wetzel – Apr 88 – Aug 88 - Unknown

1987 MSgt William “Grandpa” Norris- Dec 85-Dec 87 & Oct 91-Jun 10 - Retired - Now an ROTC Instructor. O-Boy look out baby O’s.

SEYMOUR-JOHNSON AFB, NC 911 ARS

The TFI is alive and well here in Goldsboro, North Carolina and the Boom Operators of The 911 Air Refueling Squadron are some of the best out there. We stay busy here in our small corner of the KC-135 world and spend most of our time on the road. Even with all the trips and deployments over the last year we were able to cruise through an ASEV and NORI. The Booms of The 911 ARS made it look easy!! The 911 Booms have earned recognition & awards from AMC inspectors, IG team inspectors, deployed locations and right here at home station; OG, Wing and Base level (HQ awards are pending). Two of The 911 Boom Operators were promoted Below the Zone over the last year. Raise your glass to SrA Kijuan Amey, (S)SrA Daniel Frost and all the boom operators of The 911 ARS!

The 911 Boom Force: SMSgt Jeff “Mudbug” LeDoux - EB: Superintendent: Our fearless leader who scares the “Living Hell” out of ……. Well everyone. If you want your vehicle fixed ask his wife because he won’t be able to help. We’re trying to keep him here as long as possible but all of these baby booms are taking years off his life. MSgt Bill “Lightning” McQueen - IB: Programs & Resources: Squadron innkeeper ran one hell of an alert facility. MSgt Bobby “Ricky” Ryan - MB: Current Operations: He wants to go fast and sometimes thinks he’s on fire. TSgt Bruce “Soultaker” Berglund - IB: Chief Boom: Still known for handing out Q3’s, in the words of chief Morris “Maybe he’s just a thief because he will take from you what you prize the most, your soul!” TSgt Nate “Tankermeister” Gibbs - EB: NCOIC, Stan/Eval: Thank God for Nate “Damn” Gibbs, he puts the “A” in SeAmour Johnson. TSgt Earl “Opsec” Mayhew - IB: NCOIC, Squadron Scheduling: Be careful what you take photos of Earl, oldy but a good one. SSgt Tony “Scarface” Montani - IB: NCOIC, Training Flight: He logs about 46 miles on the track 2 weeks before his PT test and about a half mile the rest of the year.

SSgt Andrew “Hea-Who” Heacock - MB: Boom Flight: We’re not even sure if this guy can talk but it’s not a bad idea to give him a snickers every once in a while to stay on his good side, just in case…….. SrA Kijuan “Kiwi” Amey - MB: Squadron Scheduling: Best boom in the Air Force just ask him, and an even better football player ask him again. A1C Kevin “Beaker” Morrison - MB: Squadron Scheduling: Logs frequent “Night Contacts” and squeaks like a “mouse” during his P.H.A. A1C Daniel “Frosty” Frost - MB: Stan/Eval: Great guy, always has groups of men in and out of his room or “mancave” as he called it while deployed, whatever they did must have made a mess because he had to rinse the floors with lots of water. A1C Austin “G.P.A (Chris)” Seale - MB: Boom Flight: New boom from Altus, finished MCT and promptly deployed. When “Chris” isn’t burning his porch down he’s losing fights with his shower. A1C Everett “Bernie” Bottass - MB: Boom Flight: Has an invisible friend. Rumor has it he is learning to be a Boom Operator. We hope he doesn’t own any rifles. A1C Shelby “On Hold” Yenke - MB: Boom Flight: Five units of trim and you can’t reach your lower limit? A1C Geordon “Soft G” Miller - MB: Boom Flight: Gordon is one of our many new booms, he was qualified to fly a plane before he could drive a car, also loses fights with inanimate objects. A1C Casey “Slackie” Lackie - MB: Boom Flight: Soft Gs personnel driver. Hardly see him; he likes to hide in the corner of the boom pod….. slacking off. A1C Brian “McGillicutty” Loudenberg - FB: Boom Flight: Ganz neu auf dem Gerät, und getan hat absolut nichts würdig und sinnvoll ... Told SMSgt LeDoux, würde er sich betrinken und blasen shit up für den 4. Juli.

Departures: MSgt Jayson “ J-Dawg“ Chatam – Altus TSgt Jessica “ Jesseralla“ Elmore – Altus SSgt Chris “Arafat“ Yontz – Altus SSgt Adam “Face Shot“ Craft - Reserves

SIOUX CITY ANGB, IA 174 ARS / 185 ARW “THE BATS”

Proud to help out our brothers from the “Magnolia Militia” back into the Stratotanker community this year! We were fortunate to take in their initial cadre of instructors and complete their requalification syllabus training here at KSUX. Great working with those guys! “Y’all” will be a tremendous asset back in the tanker community! Unit history and nickname: Unit stood up shortly after WWII. We have a proud tradition in military aviation flying the P-51, F-80, F-84, F-100, A-7, F-16, & KC-135E&R. The unit’s nickname was adopted during the 185 th Fighter Group’s deployment of F-100s to Viet Nam. The missions the unit was tasked to fly were almost exclusively at night, leading to “The Bats” nickname. All contact info: DSN 585-XXX COMM (712) 233-XXXX Sioux City ANGB – 1-800-582-5718 (then press last four extension) Email – [email protected] Sq. Admin. – DSN 585-0202

CHIEF BOOM CMSgt Phil Frank, AGR – ext. 0205 – Kids are gone to college and he’s truly an “empty nester”! He finally went “all in” on a new set of golf clubs in hopes he could buy a better game! A boat, camper, or motorcycle purchase would seal the deal on a mid-life crisis & imminent retirement from the military? STAN/EVAL SMSgt Al Mast, OGV Boom, AGR – ext. 0244 – Al is not really “angry” so much anymore. Unless of course you don’t finish your testing in a timely manner or let your checkride expire. He is currently deployed along with the rest of our Stan/Eval shop showing the folks in CENTOM how to do it by the book (ATOATT = All Tech Order All The Time)! MSgt Chuck Heald, EB, Technician – ext. 0235 – Chuck is continuing to drag our aircrew community into the IPAD age against our will & his! He’s doing great work which will eventually lead to the extinction of the term “page count”. Our loan Boom Technician, he is making the best of our country’s budget crisis by initiating “Furlough Friday” and taking some rare time off (probably to shoot things?)

TRAINING MSgt Lee Phelps, IB, AGR, – ext 0259 – “Buddy Lee” just moved into training after nearly a decade of work in Current Operations. What was his last official act in Current Ops? Circle his name on the GK trip board one last time. He moved into

Training just in time to execute a requal training program for Meridian’s IB Cadre. May not be a great idea to have 2 “road warriors” in training = empty office!

TSgt Jason Stoos, IB, AGR, – ext 0262 – Jason has recovered from his bad wheel and is back to being a “road warrior”. Took some time off from TDYs and deployment to help train Meridian Dudes and complete the annual bike ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI). Will now have to de-conflict training booms TDY volunteerism to ensure the office is not overrun with crickets! CURRENT OPERATIONS SMSgt Jay Doran, IB, AGR, – ext 0234 – “Jaybird’s” parole was finally approved after serving a solid 9 years in the scheduling “big house”. He’s really a part-time boom operator as we force him to spend the majority of his time as our CSA fixing the computers we keep breaking. He just completed his COMP Tia A+ certification (if you know what this is = you’re a damn nerd!) and some other “Tri-Lambda” computer certification test that nobody else on this base can pass. So, as a reward, we decided to throw more info assurance additional duty “BS” his way for the upcoming UCI. SCHEDULING MSgt Dave Dietrich, IB, AGR, – ext 0261 – Dave was caught up in the “Trifecta” move when Jay received his scheduling parole & Lee finished his decade in Current Ops. Dave moved to scheduling because he had mastered the whole training gig and this will make it easier for him to schedule himself less time TDY and more time at home! He does great work and will master the scheduling thing very quickly when he returns from the deployment the Chief forced him to go on.

TSgt Misty McNamara, MB, AGR – ext 0249 – Misty is completely trained & fluent in the ways of scheduling now (trained by the scheduling Jedi = Jaybird). She is still the most active volunteer to hit the TDY road & would likely boom operate for just food (although the tax free pay is nice too). In fact, as I write this, she is covering a CENTCOM shortfall for another ANG unit. TRADITIONAL BOOMS SMSgt Tim Ireland, IB – “T.I” is still putting in a lot of days with the “Guards” in and around his teaching gig. The EGR (Enlisted Grade Review) and subsequent UMD changes have put his continued work with us in jeopardy. Hopefully we can work an angle to slow down his retirement and keep him around to continue to educate & mentor our younger boom force! SMSgt Dudley Joines – Dudley is still a Sioux City Policeman & spends a lot of his days off looking for work with the ANG. He picked up an EPP (Exceptional Promotion Program) stripe earlier this year which came with what could be considered a 3 year contract extension to keep flying here at KSUX. He’s shooting for flying until he turns 60; I would not bet against him.

MSgt Marshall Hill – Marshall finally had to bite the bullet and go back to working at the post office this year. His 5 years of LTMPA work with us was consistently putting him 365 days above the 1095 rule. So, he decided to take some time off from the military gig and is back with team USPS. We’ll certainly miss his smiling face and positive attitude around here every day. TSgt Mike Dunlop – Mike is well on his way to being an accountant, I think. He moved to the other side of the state a couple years back, so we don’t see as much as we used to. He is spending his time working on his degree at UNI, doing some “counter drug” work with the ANG and flying with us on drills and once a month. Kids are getting older (even has one in the AF), and he’s enjoying time with the ones he has at home utilizing their RV. TSgt Andy Pick – Andy is still busy with insurance company. Thought he was going to get a chance to get on the LTMPA gravy train for a month this summer; but his civilian job pulled the carpet out from under him and he decided it was best to just come to drills and be our designated Tuesday Night Flyer. TSgt Angela Flanagan – Angie was picked up by the Sioux City Police Department the end of 2012 and graduated from the Police Academy earlier this spring. She is currently finishing up her local training and certification here in town and will then be on probation for a year. She is doing a good job of staying current with us while focusing on her new career. I’m sure she will be ready to put the police work aside for a bit and get out on the road and enjoy a few beverage with aircrew soon. SSgt Melissa Wulf (formerly Keith) – Melissa is hard at work as a temp tech taking care of our scheduling shop this summer because our dumb ass Chief Boom let both boom schedulers deploy the same month (along with a scheduling pilot)! She is

finishing up her nursing degree soon, been married for a little while now, may not be long until some “little boom barbies” are running around. SSgt Matt Prosser – Matt has this boom gig figured out now and splits his time with us and as a “state fireman” for our airfield. He has gotten a few good trips under his belt now and will be ready to get back out on the road after he becomes a daddy this fall. When in the squadron, he spends a lot of time with Stoos (I can’t decide whether this is a good thing or not… his good influence on Stoos, or Jason’s bad influence on him)? SRA Kevin Meinecke – Kevin also has this “booming for money” thing figured out. He has stayed very active with us while simultaneously working towards his Bachelor’s Degree. He should be school complete next summer and hopefully he will throw his name in for the next pilot board so we can get him back as “Lt Snacko” in a couple more years. RETIREES / MOVED ON: CMSgt Tony Fortney CMSgt James Hill MSgt Ben Davis MSgt Chuck Griminger MSgt Noreen Skelton TSgt Jeff Lindemann TSgt Ryan Surber TSgt Scott Anthone SSgt Matt Wulf

TINKER AFB, OK 10 FLTS “FIGHTIN’ TENTH”

Greetings from Central Oklahoma, The saying around here still is “If you don’t like the weather now wait an hour and it will change”. Oklahoma continues to be an interesting place to survive. Not only are we ducking for cover from the weather, we now must keep the breakables off the walls due to the earthquakes! Oil fracking may be shaking things up a bit…but the money is good for the rich folks (aka: not us). The 10th’s mission is to FCF nearly all KC-135’s of different series (E, Q, R, O, N, and W) on either a 4/8 year cycle, or the traditional 5 year cycle. The 10th also FCF’s B-1B, E-3A/G, and B-52H aircraft variants, so we keep quite busy trying to keep the O’s in line. We pride ourselves in sending the “Best airplanes back to the War Fighter”. SMSgt Rick Powell (AGR): Rick is down to counting days till becoming what others refer to as a “grey hair” down in Florida. With Rick moving his vast arsenal down to Florida, we’ll be waiting on news of the South being invaded again! He’s still riding his 1978 KZ1000 and races his Camaro at the track once in a while. Rick and Rowdy are still “collecting” ammo, which is probably why there’s a national shortage! [email protected] MSgt Michael Kissire (AGR): Our recent transplant from San Antonio, Mike has more hours on Interstate-35 than in the tanker so far this year. In addition to setting up a new house, Mike is trying his hand BBQ with a massive new smoker. We’re not sure who’s more scared, the local cattle or his new neighbors! [email protected] MSgt (Rowdy) Smith (AGR): Rowdy our resident hillbilly, which he proudly states on his ’76 Chevy half-ton. Rowdy keeps occupied by either spending money on guns, ammo, or his Corvette, so in other words…be nice to Rowdy! [email protected] MSgt Frank Valley (TR): (“Excessive use of Force, Valley”) Frank has recently taking on a new habit of buying “goods” from our local drug dealers. Fortunately, he has no problems passing the urinalysis test! Frank is a newly appointed NARC officer and SWAT team member for the Mid West City Police department. Frank still lives up to his nickname “excessive force” now he kicks doors down with the SWAT team. We’re just glad he’s not a traffic cop…! [email protected]

Booms of Yore: SMSgt Quinn Janke (Retired): (CTR) Quinn works at the Tinker ALC as a Contractor for the KC-135 Flight Manual Manager. We see Quinn every now and then. We usually try to turn and run, but he sometimes out wits us. [email protected] CMSgt Brian “Brain” Buss (AGR): (“BB”) Brian “Aren’t you a little young to be a Chief” Buss is the 10th’s long lost prodigal child. Now molding the minds of young booms at Altus, we’re not sure what to think about the future of the KC-135! [email protected] Ron Poe (Retired): The last we heard, Ron’s still living in the local area. Quinn Janke may know his whereabouts. MSgt Beve Katus (Retired): Still living in the local area and working at the ALC on his second retirement. Ask Quinn, he knows all the old guys! [email protected]

TINKER AFB, OK 185 ARS

The 185 ARS did not provide an input for the 2013 Boom Signal.

TINKER AFB, OK 465 ARS “Home of the SH OKIES”

CMSgt Steve “Bif” Robinson, ART/Program Manager: Greetings from the Heartland, another great year working with the best the AF has to offer. One more AEF down, who knows how many more to come. The new Mobilized Reserves has been both a blessing and a curse, while we have more turnovers we somehow find the most amazing talent to replace them; but we do so at the expense of some great dedicated reservist that have real lives and jobs. With that said here is our lineup of dedicated, complaining, never satisfied, spoiled, BEST BOOM in the AF. CMSgt Phil “X-Man” Brand- ART/Stan Eval: Phil is holding the fort down in Stan Eval and working on his tan, new pool owner. Phil states we should have access to 96 AFTP for training? I think maybe pools are more expensive than boats. He is doing a great job in Stan Evil. SMSgtDarby “Jose Darbo” Perrin- TR: Darby is our resident artist actively trying to get on with Wyland Galleries. This single hunk of Instructor Boom Operator likes working out, spending time in his gallery, and wrestling with his kiddos, long walks on the beach, romantic candle lit dinners, and watching “The Notebook”. Oh, and drinking. We don’t call him Jose Darbo for nothing! Careful though, if you get him too drunk he will dive into the nearest patch of bushes giggling like a school girl. MSgt Steve “StubHub” Switzer ART/Chief of Training: Need Tickets? Steve is the man to ask! With Sam Presti on quick dial, he can basically get you seats anywhere in the arena. As a matter of fact, the two are frolicking around the Chesapeake Arena right now! Steve is still our Training Manager and we personally believe that he has promised Presti that he will teach him to refuel in exchange for court side season tickets. Thunder Up! MSgt Mark “McGoo” McGougan- ART/BOOM NCOIC: When he isn’t helping out the unit with good deal flights he’s helping find cars and giving deals like a mad man. Outside of work he can be found hanging out with his wife and son. SMSgt Justin “Mayo” Hopkins: Hopkins? Hopkins? TR: Do I know a Hopkins? OH!! The dude that comes in sometimes?! Got it! Justin spends a majority of his time in his civilian job, so a Justin sighting are rare and special. When he isn’t at the squadron or working hard on the civilian side he’s spending time with his two boys. Editor note: OUR NEW SMSGT he’s buying for a long time so hit him up. MSgt Charles “Shatz” Dalton: ART/Mobility Guy: Shatz is the proud papa of a bouncing baby boy! He still enjoys spending time with his wife. Give it time. He runs our Mobility shop and happily recruits the Airmen to help him

out. Want to see someone get spun up in .02 seconds? Ask him his political views or how easy it is to keep his boy happy. He’ll keep going all day. Msgt Ben “Flaps/Rooster” Brent: ART/Long Range Scheduler: Ben currently resides in current ops, where he buys the trips for the Okies. Weighing in at a buck fifty and 4’ 2’’, Ben is commonly mistaken for a bantam rooster (i.e. shoulders raised, air lats and bobbing head). Don’t get on his bad side, cause you never know when the bird will strike. On a side note, he likes to hunt/poach in Arkansas, and is a big fan of Terry’s taxidermy. Just ask him about it. No really, you HAVE to ask him about it. MSgt Jeff “350” Bass- Newest ART/IB not sure what office to put him in: This guy is probably the most upbeat person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Our newest addition to the Training Office is learning the ropes with so much ease that he can still smoke his electronic cigarette while he’s doing it. He enjoys spending time with his family and is always routing for our Thunder. TSgt Scott “Whistle Britches” Montgomery- TR: Our resident AT&T guy turned to Sprint and Dish Network! The world must be coming to an end! Scott is bordering on a new call sign. He may just become the new “Fancy”. Why do I say this? Well, when you wear bedazzled jeans AND shirts and get hit on by two men in one night, it tends to explain itself. Editor Note: Their was a confirmed sighting on the two dudes hitting on him by several SOBER Okies! TSgt Terry “Ritalin” Allen TR/ Left Us for Command Post Job: Having just gotten back from his deployment, Ritalin and his sister are currently trying to get back into the mix of things. Terry has currently been pursuing a job with our command post to help him reach that ultimate day of retirement! He knows the exact day that will put him at his 20yr mark, too bad he can’t use some of that memory to remember to pull the down-lock handle. OUCH! Good thing attention to detail is not required in Command Post….UH OH TSgt Ron “Lil’ Brown Bear” Davis- TR left us for the C5 World: Our little cuddly teddy bear went off to be an FE in San Antonio. He will be missed. TSgt Sean “Oral” Gilson- ART/Scheduling: This newbie is our Photoshop expert currently residing as an ART in Current Ops. Whether you’re a pilot, boom, or the writers for this year’s Okie Signal no one is safe from his mad photoshopping skills. One day, Sean…one day. When he isn’t busy pranking his fellow booms he can be found spending time with his wife Amanda in their brand spankin’ new big A$$ house! No one told us he was RICH before we hired him! SSgt Matt “Lil’ Spike” Tompkins- TR/Future ANG Pilot: This opinionated marathon runner and pizza flipping boom extraordinaire has made the conscious decision to go to the dark side and join the 185 ARS to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. Wtf, traitor?! Try to remember the “little people” eh, Matty? Michaelle “Frodo” Sallee- TSgt/TR: Do you see Sallee anywhere? Look a little bit lower. There she is! Standing at about 3’2” Red is one of the newer booms in the Okies. She is currently running between here and Spokane, WA to run a family company and still meet her training requirements here. In her extremely small amount of spare time she likes to go out of fire exits in restaurants, but only the ones that set off alarms. Oh, and working out. I think they’re going to start naming equipment after her if she doesn’t tone it down. SSgt Michael “Big Balls” Moore- TR: Ladies, I apologize. This one just got married. His call sign? Oh, he has a waiver for large umm… kahunas. When he isn’t spooning hobos on the beach, or making all of us question whether this wedding is just a cover-up for his “special” relationship with Dibs, he enjoys hunting and spending time with his wife. Rachael “Flo” Jordan- SRA/A1C TR: Flo could be called anything that involves sugar, niacin, or taurine, have you met her? With being one of our newest booms, she has become FMC and dangerous. Sometimes she even refuels water towers, but only at night! Oh yea….and…. did I mention she loves COX?

Dalton “Dibs” Williams: A1C/SRA TR: AKA: Sling Blade, Big Country, and God knows what else. Dalton is following in his Daddy’s footsteps, only because he wasn’t good enough to be a PJ. He just got back from his first “deployment” in Qatar where he received his newest nickname “Dibs”. Ask him how he received it, and he will tell you. But, good luck understanding him. UUHHHHHHHHHH! Boom Signal brought to you by FLO and Big Balls Moore

TRAVIS AFB, CA 6 ARS “VIS EXTENSA”

Squadron Superintendent CMSgt Derek Cantre – [email protected] – The Chief is still going strong, he has a wealth of knowledge, and has been a driving force in making the 6th the best Refueling Sq in the AF. Recently started riding motorcycles and bought his 1st Harley (well a Sportster). Swapping positions with CMSgt Drummond on 1 Aug 2013. Boom Superintendent SMSgt Randy Kay – [email protected] – Still talks very loud, and only mentions the other plane a few times a week. Finally settled into the 6th and helping the Chief make it the best Refueling Sq in the AF. Also rides a Harley (Full size model). Becoming Sq Superintendent on 1 Aug 2013. MSgt Dave Megill – [email protected] – Assistant Chief Boom, got a short notice 5 month deployment to Dahfra after getting requaled from his 4 years in the McGuire CRW. He gets back in August then moving to OG Stan Eval. Duty Shirt MSgt Christian Leon – [email protected] – Recently finished instructor requal, after getting paroled from Sensor operator duties, Sq keeps him busy as the acting 1st Shirt. Tackles every job, and can be heard looking for his next minion. Becoming Boom Superintendent 1 Aug 2013. Flt Chiefs TSgt Kenny Harwood – [email protected] – Another 135 convert though he mentions it way less than SMSgt Kay, just finished his first KC-10 deployment. TSgt Jamie Morton – [email protected] – Jamie came back from the CRW with a fresh look on the AF and has been doing great work with all the Booms in the 6th helping get all the new booms fully qualified, going on his first deployment in a couple of years. Does great photo shoots and his art work can be seen on every wall in the 6 th.

TSgt Pavel Del Monte – [email protected] – Newest TSgt in the Sq, fresh return from being an FTU instructor where he did great work. Getting ready for his first deployment in a couple of years. TSgt Corvus Lowry – [email protected] – Freshly back after 3+ years in the CRW, EQ’d his requal check. Runs the training section and is doing a great job getting the Phase II students mission ready. Also rides a Harley. MSgt Roy Galloway – [email protected] – Roy has been on station for 16+ years, looking for an assignment, just took over the safety office and awards and decorations. Stan Eval MSgt Carl Wise – Just arrived from the EC at Fort Dix, starting in-unit requal then will take over the Stan Eval shop. TSgt Ed Soto – [email protected] – Freshly requaled, after his parole from Sensor Operator, helped the Sq make great strides as a Flt Chief and now the acting Stan Eval Chief Boom. Another great mentor for the young booms. TSgt Kevin Gregory – [email protected] – Kevin does great work as both an instructor and evaluator. Getting ready for new challenges as an FTU instructor, just finished instructor methodology will be a great FTU assest. SSgt Aaron Burk – [email protected] – Aaron has been all smiles since we moved him to Stan Eval does great work for the Sq. His smile got bigger when he asked for an assignment to the CRG in Guam and got orders, he will be missed. Line Instructors SSgt Rachel Wentland – [email protected] – Rachel is a great IBO, makes a mean cookie. Moving to Stan Eval, will be a great EB. SSgt Kate Ingram – [email protected] – Kate loves to go TDY/deploy and has volunteered to go to the CRW in Dec. SSgt Drew McGarrell – [email protected] – Recent ALS graduate, waived the requirement to pin-on SSgt prior to ALS so that he would be in charge of his ALS class. Does great work. SrA Ken Barber – [email protected] - Mr. All American and the Wing Airman of the Year hoping to be selected for SSgt in a few days. SrA Andrew Bear – [email protected] – Bear, is another all-star hoping to be selected for SSgt in a few days. Also rides a Harley. SrA Jon Jackson – [email protected] – Johnny is another great Sq asset and brand new dad, hoping to be a SSgt select very soon also. Line Booms SSgt Vince Montojo – [email protected] – Vince is a great line boom that plans on heading to the reserves when his enlistment is up, also hoping to become a local law enforcement office after he gets out. SSgt Titus Holman – [email protected] – Titus is one of the Sq’s newest SSgt’s and Boom Operators almost fully qualified then we will send him to the desert.

SSgt Jason Vance – [email protected] – Jason just finished ALS and was a Distinguished graduate, just finished A/R training and starting cargo, then off to the desert. SrA Arriel Bromley – [email protected] – Arriel, is all smiles and willing to do anything for the Sq, she will be heading to IB upgrade next month. Also hoping to be a SSgt select soon. SrA Josiah Harris – [email protected] – Josiah, has came on strong, looking to upgrade to IB soon, hoping to be a SSgt select as well and was just recently named the 2 nd strongest man in the AOR with a combined lift of 1115 pounds. SrA Justin Murphy – [email protected] – Murphy is seen every so often throughout the Sq, likes to be on the road, somehow his name is on the trip list very often, works in scheduling. SrA Dan Long – [email protected] – Dlong is also on the road all the time trying to max out points prior to testing for promotion as a Boom, volunteered/told to be a Honor Guardsman for the entire month of Aug. SrA James Stanley – [email protected] – James, is a very quiet guy and can be seen traveling to Stockton 3 or 4 times daily to see his girlfriend. We are trying to break him out of his shell. SrA Uriel Escamilla – [email protected] – Uriel, supposedly works in scheduling, but I think he was trained by Murphy. His NAME is on every trip listed, until he finds out the per diem is $3.50 a day then he cant go. He just volunteered to be a Base Honor Guardsman for the Entire month of October. SrA Nicholas McKinney – [email protected] – Nic, was recently selected for SrA BTZ and became a brand new dad. We sent him to help the OSS scheduling section with sequestration taking a large toll. SrA Jared Sanchez – [email protected] – Jared, just recently became a fully qualified boom operator, likes to take leave to play video games. SrA Rashond Edwards – [email protected] – Ras Hound – finds many new avenues to get out of work, then gripes about not getting any good deals. Leaving the AF shortly, we are trying to decide if we will miss him. (TBD) A1C Abbey Braunstein – [email protected] – Abbey, is another Sq scheduler that loves to be on the road, never gripes about anything and always has a smile. A1C Cory Peterson – [email protected] – Cory, is the newest fully qualified boom in the Sq. Can be seen walking Hawaii with shorts and AF boots on. Likes to txt the fire department during an IFEs, and has his own personnel Marines throughout PACAF. A1C Steven Karall – [email protected] – Steve is another go to Boom, never really gripes and goes on the road when ever asked. A1C Jalen Hutchinson – [email protected] – Jalen, another new boom, gave himself the nickname “Brolic” and somehow got the Sq to buy him name tags with it. That lasted about a week. “Brolic” is nomore. A1C Justin Lewis – [email protected] – Justin, is another rockstar that never gripes and will go on the road anytime he is asked. Getting ready to pinon SrA and working on his Masters degree. A1C Ashley Brennan – [email protected] – Ashley, is also a rockstar and never gripes. She just finished her B.S. and starting on her Master’s as well, I am afraid we will lose her when her time is up.

A1C Eriberto Lopez – [email protected] – Ernie, swears that he is 5’8 but I think someone has been lying to him. Loves to go TDY, and thinks the greatest team is the Dallas Cowboys. A1C Jessica Kirstein – [email protected] – getting ready to be a SrA, does great work in Awards and Decorations and loves to be on the road. On-Loan Attached TSgt William Blanton – [email protected] – Will is probably the oldest TSgt in the AF, enlisted in 198?, just moved to XP and loves to volunteer for the good deal TDY’s and swears those are his only days to fly! Scheduling hook line and sinker. SSgt Josh Burns – [email protected] – Josh just moved to FTU after a long DNIF. Bought a TT and turned in his man-card. He will make another outstanding asset for our future booms. Separated SrA Brett Browne – Separated after not liking the AF PT testing. Brett moved back to Nebraska with his Harley and if you ever see him ask to see his special tattoo. InBounds SSgt Sean Scott – Arriving in Oct fresh from the COE at Lackland. SSgt Cook – New FTU student A1C Doyle – New FTU student A1C Moore – New FTU student A1C Jacobs – New FTU student A1C Fleurant – New FTU student A1C Gooch – New FTU student

TRAVIS AFB, CA 60 AMW/9 ARS “Stay Gucci”

MSgt Jayson Brady: Shady Brady is a newly minted flight chief, and member of the Boom Master Triad (BMT). You can find him moving more furniture than TMO. A1C Tonia Catalano: Tonia is a newly qualified boom that earned an EQ on her mission check. When not blowing the minds of her evaluators, she can be found sitting in the stan/eval office doing, what I am told, is called “work”. MSgt Somkit Chittakhone: A member of the BMT, Kit can be found with Brady and Cooper diligently working on some sort of awards package or EPR. Another fun fact, the man is a pretty good boom operator as a secondary job! SrA Alexander Coakley: Downtown Coakley Smooth is a little too cool for an office job. The young Airman is keeping the Line Boom tradition alive, with or without permission. MSgt Casey Cooper: The final member of the BMT, Cooper can be found running ultra-marathons, making Airmen cry, writing an awards package, and frowning at SSgt Durham. MSgt Cooper has freshly returned from the UAV program in Nevada, where pilots go to die. SrA Rachel Cook: Rachel Cook lives in the deep and dark supply closet, along with Ferguson, Terry, and Golem. When not lurking in the shadows, she can be found anywhere but Building 187. A1C Laurel Cummins: Laurel received an EQ on her very first Mission Qual. Ya, an EQ! She is now a certified war veteran and 9 ARS scheduler. A1C Joseph Diver: Ann Arbor, MI native Joe Diver recently qualified as a real life boom operator. Now, we are waiting on the ever evasive night fighter certification. SSgt Michael Durham: Instructor Boom Mike Durham is the most attractive, handsomest, most awesome guy who also authored this boom signal. He is so great at so many things, etc, etc.