Airmen ride to nation’s capital for Memorial Day (+ a few other current AF efforts)

Airmen ride to nation’s capital for Memorial Day


	HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Motorcyclists from the Sentinels of Freedom, Hurlburt Field's motorcycle club, ride out the gate here on their way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington to honor all those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. They are participating in "Rolling Thunder," an annual procession that draws people from across the country to the memorial. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Oliver)
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by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Oliver
16th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

5/26/2004 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- Fifteen motorcyclists from here started a three-day road trip May 26 to participate in Memorial Day activities at the nation’s capital. The team will join thousands of other riders paying tribute at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

They will be part of the annual Memorial Day “Rolling Thunder” procession that draws people from across the country.

The Hurlburt riders are part of Sentinels of Freedom, a base motorcycle club dedicated to road safety, camaraderie and mentorship. The ride will take three days with scheduled stops at military installations along the way. They are expected to return here June 2.

Airman 1st Class Matthew Short said the journey to the memorial has a strong family connection.

“My father and uncle served in Vietnam. They asked me to take photos of certain names on the wall,” he said.

This is Airman Short’s first visit to Washington, and he said he plans to visit all the war memorials and other national landmarks.

Other riders also said they want to show respect for those warriors who have paid the ultimate price to their country.

“I want to show my respect at the wall for those heroes,” said Airman 1st Class Jonathan Smither.

Tech. Sgt. Tanya Stevens, vice president of the club, said the road trip is a first for the Hurlburt riders.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase our club and also pay respect to those who lost their lives,” she said.

The first leg of their journey will end at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.

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Airmen destroy grenade launchers

by Lt. Col. Dave Maharrey
407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron

5/25/2004 - TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- More than 600 rocket-propelled grenade launchers collected by coalition forces throughout southern Iraq, were recently destroyed by Airmen of the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here.

Normally destroyed using explosives, this amount of weapons required too much.

“In order to destroy these launchers explosively, it would have completely exhausted our C-4 resources,” said Capt. Doug Tippet, EOD flight commander. “With unexploded ordnance littering the ground everywhere at Tallil, it would not have been a wise decision to deplete our entire supply of plastic explosives.”

The cost of C-4 is $7.50 per block, but acquiring and receiving the explosive is difficult because of current demand and manufacturing limitations.

After some experiments with a welding torch, structural craftsmen determined the optimum point for demilitarizing the launchers for the EOD flight.

The craftsmen made a work table to hold the launchers while they were torched.

After the weapons were rendered useless, they were buried.

A structural craftsman from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron destroys a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. The squadron's Airmen here destroyed more than 600 launchers collected by coalition forces throughout southern Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Fernando Adams) Download Full Image

Airmen from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here destroyed more than 600 rocket-propelled grenade launchers collected by coalition forces throughout southern Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Fernando Adams) Download Full Image

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Pilots train on gunnery marksmanship

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Retired Lt. Col. Jim Pressick counts the number of holes shot into a banner used for target practice by F-15 Eagle pilots during a training exercise May 20 over the Nevada Test and Training Range near here. The banner was pulled behind a plane Colonel Pressick flew to give pilots air-to-air gunnery training. The banner was shot 422 times. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brian Ferguson)

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	• F-15 Eagle

by Staff Sgt. Chris Stagner
Air Warfare Center Public Affairs

5/26/2004 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) -- Firing on a banner pulled behind a slow-flying aircraft, F-15 Eagle pilots worked on their gunnery marksmanship near here May 17 to 21.

The training simulates air-to-air combat by using a Learjet 35 to drag a 68-pound banner 1,500 feet behind the aircraft. Pilots shoot at the banner as it is pulled through the air at about 288 mph.

“The purpose of the training is to let the fighters simulate an offensive attack against a fighter that is flying at low airspeeds,” said Maj. Terry Scott, 366th Operations Support Squadron’s weapons and tactics flight commander.

Flying their missions from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, pilots received training over the Nevada Test and Training Range near here as part of Combat Banner air-to-air gunnery training.

To support the mission, Mountain Home AFB officials created a mobile banner team.

“We can go anywhere they’ll allow us to shoot and support the mission,” said Tech. Sgt. Eric Webb, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 390th Fighter Squadron’s aircrew life support.

Aircrews will train every six months for one week at a time. During this time, the banner will fly twice per day allowing eight to 10 aircraft to fire on it.

“The banner was hit 422 times May 19,” said retired Lt. Col. Jim Pressick, the pilot who flies the banner.

“This is a great program that’s very beneficial to the Air Force,” Major Scott said. “It increases our combat capability, marksmanship and weapons reliability. This makes our warfighters more lethal.”

Banner training is also offered at Eglin AFB, Fla.; Tyndall AFB, Fla.; and Langley AFB, Va.

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Ronald Reagan
July 25, 1894
If the sons and daughters of this nation can risk their lives to protect our freedom in a dangerous world, then we have a moral obligation to give them, in the way of protection, the finest we can in weaponry, in machinery.
I want to tell you something. When you see one of those young men or women out on the street in uniform, if you haven't done it already, give them a smile and maybe ask them where they're from and tell them, maybe, you're a little grateful for what they're doing. I have to tell you that nothing in this job has made me more proud than the young men and women who are representing our country in uniform. They have the highest level of intelligence and education of any who have ever represented our country in the past in uniform. They are the best trained. They have an esprit de corps that just won't stop.
And I know -- I was an officer once, and I know that in civilian clothes you're not supposed to salute. But I also know that if I'm Commander in Chief and when they started throwing those highballs at me, I'm going to salute 'em back.

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