Face of Defense: Airman Designs White House Christmas Tree Ornament

Face of Defence ^ | Tech. Sgt. Luke Johnson, USAF

[SandRat]

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. , Dec. 24, 2008 – A reservist with the 940th Air Refueling Wing here was selected by California's 2nd district congressman and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander to design an ornament for the White House Christmas tree.

The ornament for the White House Christmas tree designed by Chief Master Sgt. Stuart Bisland, an Air Force reservist at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., showcases the emerging intelligence missions performed there. Bisland was asked by California's second district congressman and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander to design an ornament for the White House tree. (Courtesy photo)  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The theme for this year's White House Christmas celebration is "Red, White and Blue Christmas," and the ornaments featured on the tree were decorated by artists around the country to represent the unique patriotic spirit of each artist's state.

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Stuart Bisland designed the "Team Beale" ornament for the White House Christmas tree. At the request of first lady Laura Bush, Bisland was present for the unveiling of the tree.

"Back in September, I was contacted by Brig. Gen. Robert Otto and his staff and asked to paint the White House ornament," Bisland said. "They asked me to depict the emerging intelligence missions we perform at Beale Air Force Base."

On one side of the ornament is the curvature of the Earth, space and the moon, with an RQ-4 Global Hawk flying on the edge of the atmosphere and a satellite in the distance.

On the other side of the ornament is a U-2 "Dragon Lady" flying through lightning with the Sutter Buttes in the background. The ornament also features the Team Beale logo surrounded by new and old Air Force insignia.

The chief also managed to include a personal touch to the ornament.

"In dedication to my late father, Richard Bisland, a Grumman aerospace lunar module engineer, I airbrushed a very small gold lunar module launching from the moon," Bisland said.

The experience and the opportunity to represent Beale and the Air Force at the unveiling of the White House Christmas tree was overwhelming, Bislund said.

"What makes this tree so special is that every inch of the 20-foot Fraser fir [from North Carolina] is decorated with red, white and blue decorations and the ornaments painted for Mrs. Bush and our congressmen," he said. "Standing in its presence, you get a real sense of the honor to be a chosen artist for your state. This was quite an experience, and I was proud to represent the 9th RW, the Air Force Reserve, the 940th ARW and all of the airmen of Beale.”

(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Luke Johnson serves in the 940th Air Refueling Wing public affairs office.)

[DoughtyOne]

I like the orb, and wouldn’t mind have one made of acrylic. I’m not quite sold on it as a Christmas tree ornament. It does look nice.

[fish hawk]

But...what the hell is it. What is that big gray thing that looks like a tongue sticking out the front. This will not win any awards.

[DoughtyOne]

Just above the Black circle at the base is written Global Hawk. This is his rendition.

[Yo-Yo]

Maybe this photograph of the RQ-4 Global Hawk will let you see what is on the ornament.

[Harley]

It's a good thing the Special Ops guys weren't asked to come up with their design. It would probably be a Spectre gun ship with guns blazing on an al queda training camp with the saying “Guaranteeing Peace on Earth.”

[Yo-Yo]

Or:

[fish hawk]

Thanks. What a weird looking thing. I guess the artist was not on drugs after all. LOL I've never seen this aircraft before. Thanks for the info. Aloha from Maui

[DoughtyOne]

It’s an unmanned vehicle. Here’s a link to a photo of one.

They’re for surveillance and I believe they are capable of firing missiles as well.

http://ccn1.net/POTD7/unmanned-aerial-vehicles/global-hawk-reconnaissance-uav.jpg

[Always Independent]

Sorry to dissapoint you, but the RQ4-A nor the RQ4-B have been weaponized yet.

[DoughtyOne]

I wasn’t sure. I appreciate the mention. I realized some of the unmanned aircraft had been weaponized, but wasn’t sure if this one had been or not.

Are you of the opinion they should be, or are you satisfied with the ones that we have that are?

[Always Independent]

You aint seen nothing yet. The GH is a good recon platform and probably be modded to carry weapons. But its expensive, flys high and slow so its probably not a good platform. Its long flight duration makes it a valuable asset for what it does best. IMHO, the next generation of UCAVs will be able to take a fight to an enemy, be cheaper to deploy and be able to overwhelm an enimies defenses. They’re almost scary.

[Ronzo]

Wish I had one of those for my tree!

[DoughtyOne]

After I had sent you that response, it dawned on me the mission the Global Hawk is tasked with. As you state, it’s not a good candidate for your run of the mill mission sortie or whatever you want to call it.

I can see some types of missions down the road for this. If you had a fleet of them, you probably wouldn’t need the B-52 fleet any longer. Perhaps I am a little overly optimistic though.

[fish hawk]

Thank you. After I got the note from Yo Yo I went on the web and looked it up. Really a strange looking machine.

[Always Independent]

It won’t bring the kind of devastation a BUFF will bring. But using precision type weapons, it would bring a big suprise from up high.