4:3 Slow Death of the Military Club System

I remember growing up as an AF brat in the 70’s/80’s and having a sitter come over or heading to a sitter because the parents were going to “the club.” Then, as I entered the AF and arriving at my first base, being “encouraged” to get my club card from my peers and leadership. An indoctrination to some extent, the club is where we would head every Friday and some Saturday nights. Nevertheless, the club system in the early 90’s began its slow death as bases began their consolidation of clubs to save money and more and more personnel moved off-base. Some would even argue that this “slow death” began in the 70’s. Regardless of when it began, I firmly believe that consolidation of the clubs was the “nail in the coffin.”

I can recall a few great clubs in my travels, the Top of the Rock Club, Lajes; The Wagon Wheel, Incirlik AB Turkey; and The "G" Club, Mildenhall, England. The latter, Mildenhall Galaxy Club sat off the main base allowing an open invite to civilians and was quite the place to visit. On a Friday, there were would be a line leading around the corner and down the street of civilians waiting for an unsuspected rookie to get them in. The club was packed, one-in/one-out policy and bouncers turning some away. The same was to be said at my home base, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. The NCO club on a Friday or Saturday was slammed full of people. I was such a regular that even on nights when there was a one-in/one-out policy, the bouncer with the “curls” would let me in. The club was a place that a supervisor would ask you out, buy a few drinks, and talk about your career. A promotion ceremony would depart the squadron and head to the club to continue the celebration. The club was the place to be.

The Air Force is really big on the consolidation concept, while other branches such as the Marines, in my opinion do not fully believe in it. Marine Corps Air Station Club(s) share the same roof for kitchen purposes, yet still divide the club into a Junior Enlisted, NCO, and Officer club. A sign in the NCO Club states “embers must be E-6 and above and/or escorted by a member.” This particular club is packed on Wednesdays and I have seen the parking lot packed during happy hour. Still, the club doesn’t draw nearly as many personnel as it did in the past. With the crackdown of drinking and DUI’s in the military, the club system will continue its slow death. Compounding that is the continuous decrease in funding of clubs and other activities on base. On the other hand, with the privatization of housing attracting more personnel back to the installations, could the system possibly survive?

Source Story:  Self


Photo Source:  Club Photos

4:2 Pick of the Week, WC130J "Hurricane Hunter"

This weeks "Pick of the Week" (27 Jun-03 Jul) is the United States Air Force’s own WC130J, aka the “Hurricane Hunter.” This week, the first hurricane of the 2010 season, Hurricane Alex made landfall late Wednesday (30 Jun 2010) as a Category 2 storm. Prior to it making landfall, the WC130J’s were tracking the storm system as it made its way across warm waters, over the Campeche Peninsula, and into the Gulf of Mexico. Without the data that the WC130J's collect, the National Hurricane Center located in Miami, Florida, would not be able to make their predictions as accurate or timely.

The WC130J, assigned to the 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, an Air Force Reserve Unit stationed at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi, is a one-of-a-kind unit of 10 aircraft and crews. Flying missions into the heart of tropical systems since 1944, the WC130J collects movement, size, and intensity of storms. Launching a GPS Dropsonde from the aircraft, it descends into the heart of the storm system from an altitude of 5000-38000ft, at speeds of 2500 feet per minute. On its descent, it measures current pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed/direction, and GPS data. The Dropsonde transmits this data twice per second to the computer suite located on a pallet within the aircraft.

After the Dropsonde has terminated its transmission, the data is collected and analyzed by the ASPEN (Atmospheric Sounding Processing Equipment) software. Once the ASPEN has completed its format to standard code, the data is immediately ready to be transmitted via SATCOM to the ground station. This process will most likely be repeated several times so that the ground stations and its operators (NOAA, NWS) can evaluate the data and issue the appropriate warnings and forecasts.

The WC130J is a rather new aircraft, arriving to the Air Force inventory in 1999. New turboprop engines with composite 6-bladed props, stretch versions allowing an additional 15 feet to the former fuselage, and an impressive and updated cockpit suite are some of the new features of the WC130J. The 53d WRS and it’s impressive mission are an invaluable resource to the US Air Force and the weather community.

Source Story: Pentagon Channel, Air Force News

Photo Source: All photos, Air Force News

4:1 Arlington National Cemetery, The Story Continues (Part II)

The sacred grounds of the hills of Arlington, VA, have become less of a news story, yet increasing prior practices, lack of leadership, oversight, and discrepancies are increasing. The story of the gravemarkers in the streams of ANC even skipped my attention a couple of weeks ago (News Video Below). On the other hand, behind the scenes, within the confines of ANC, behind the windows of the Pentagon, and in the halls of the House of Representatives, the story of ANC continues at full steam. Today, the Secretary of the Army, Honorable John McHugh and Inspector General of the Army, LtGen Steven Whitcomb gave testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on the Army Investigation of Arlington National Cemetery (Video will be added once the DOD releases the official copy).

In the first half of the testimony ending at 1100 this morning, Secretary McHugh commented that of the 211 graves in the Inspector General Report released 09 Jun 2010, 27 have been thus far resolved. Twenty-one days later, this is an average of 1 per day—you could expect another 6 months in this process of just locating and identifying the missing/misplaced Veterans. The other issues at hand are sight maps, burial cards, and records that need to be transformed from paper to digital media. With 330,000+ Veterans interred at Arlington, the US Army is looking at outside sources to assist with the digitization of those records. An effort that is well worth it!  


In the second half of the live streaming testimony ending at 1305 today, Honorable McHugh commented in reference to the news reports of the gravemarkers in the streams of Arlington and the Patuxent River Refuge. “Prior to 1994, it was an accepted practice to use damaged, excess gravemarkers for stream or structural stability.” “This practice is no longer utilized, I find it distasteful to say the least, and now the practice is to ground and discard them in an appropriate manner.”

I have been following as closely as I can, the ANC Investigation and the Army’s current role in the post-investigation. I am deeply pained by the actions with the previous leadership at ANC but have high faith with Secretary McHugh, The House Armed Services Committee, and the forward movement in correcting the wrongs. Let me remind all of you that read this, although there have been deeply disturbing wrongdoings at ANC, keep in mind the US Army, US Navy, US Marines, US Air Force, US Coast Guard, and the ANC Internment Employees have and continue to provide the utmost honorable funerals without controversy. With an average of 100+ ceremonies per day, these Honor Guard Units and ANC Staff have a high Operations Tempo unmatched. In the words of the United States Air Force Honor Guard "In Honore et Dignitate," To Honor with Dignity.

Source Story: Arlington Investigation/House Armed Services Committee

Photo Source: Hills of Arlington, Publisher of Blog, Headstones found lining stream bed, Arlington National Cemetery Map of Locations of Headstones in Streams, Honor Guard, Publisher of Blog

3:3 Pick of the Week

In an effort to provide different and interesting content in my blog, I’ll begin “Pick of the Week.” Pick of the week will be a brief history/story on anything from an Airman, aircraft, systems, units and so forth. Completely random, it should be a great source and read!

This week’s (20-26 Jun) pick of the week is the United States Air Force’s RC-135 Cobra Ball—not listed on the US Air Force Official Website, in their aircraft fact sheets section. I first heard about this aircraft from a fellow crewdog that cross-trained from the Cobra Eye to AWACS. Darby Perrin, now a Reservist with the 507^th Air Refueling Wing in Oklahoma City is also a renowned aviation artist, shared a 20 second brief on the Cobra Ball. "It takes pictures and the wing is black to provide anti-glare," that was his brief. To the right, Darby painted the nose art on the only Cobra Eye in 1989. Above, top left, one of Darby's prints.

The Cobra Ball, visually similar (standing on the ground) to the RC-135 Rivet Joint, but if you were to stand atop a building and look down on a Cobra Ball and an RJ sitting side by side, you would notice that one just doesn’t look like the other. On the right side of the Cobra Ball, you cannot help but stare at the black wing. This black wing, now not of any significance other than tradition was used in the past to provide anti-glare capability for multiple spectral and optical sensors/systems inside the aircraft. The evolution of the Cobra Ball began with the “Nancy Rae,” RC-135D, 1961-69; the “Lisa Ann/Rivet Amber,” RC-135E, 1963-69; the “Wanda Bell/Rivet Ball,” RC-135S, 1966-69; and the present “Cobra Ball,” 1969-present.

Cobra Ball is a measurement and signal intelligence (MASINT) collections airframe/system. It utilizes electronic-optical systems, designed to exploit the enemy electromagnetic spectrum to observe ballistic missile tests/flights at long-range. Cobra Ball tracks ballistic missiles for arms treaty compliance/verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation. A significant asset to the Defense and Security of our nation, it has also been an asset to other customers as well. With the proliferation of nuclear arms, it is clear that the two tails that exist will continue to serve our nation for quite a few more years.

The RC-135 Cobra Ball, based at Offut AFB, Nebraska, with it’s secretive nature, and peculiar exterior is an interesting aircraft to say the least. Good luck on finding any in-depth information concerning this weapons system and if you’re one of the lucky ones to serve aboard this aircraft, my hat is off to you.

3:2 Caution In The Wind, Post 9/11 GI Bill

The Post 9/11 GI Bill is a wonderful fund overshadowing its predecessor, the Montgomery GI Bill. Amazingly enough, the 9/11 GIB can be transferred to spouses and/or children so that they may utilize it for higher education. At its full potential of 100%, the recipients education is fully funded, a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and book stipend is also supplied. BAH in the Northern Virginia area for instance is in excess of $1450+ and the book stipend is $1000 per year. If the recipient can truly be dedicated to schooling, a Bachelors Degree is well within reach in the 36-month time limit.

There is a catch though that many families are either unaware of or have been steered in the wrong direction. After speaking with fellow students who are receiving the 9/11 GIB as spouses or children, and accomplishing a bit of research on their behalf, there is a disconnect with the College Veterans Affairs (VA) Field Offices and the Regional VA Offices. The Field Offices have been informing “everyone” that they are eligible for the BAH and Book Stipend, when in fact some are not. Regardless if the student/recipient should be well aware of the VA policies and regulations regarding BAH/Book Stipend, it should be the responsibility of all VA Offices and its agents to also be aware of their own policies and regulations.

Some recipients, even after informing the field office that they are not eligible for the BAH and Book Stipend because their spouse is active-duty, have been told, “yes, you are eligible and you’ll receive the monies.” What about the few that are not aware of the policy concerning active-duty personnel with a transfer of the Post 9/11 GI Bill to spouse or child? What kind of situation does this put everyone in? Here are two cases:

Spouse “A” 1) Was well aware of the rules and regulations concerning BAH and Book Stipend, regardless of what the VA agents told him/her. 2) Field office was not aware of the rules and regulations, and/or neither offices was aware and the monies were sent to Spouse “A.” 3) Spouse “A” and Active Duty Spouse talks about this and decides to put the $1500 per month in BAH and $100 per month in Book Stipend in a savings account. 4) Five months later, Spouse “A” receives a letter stating “there was an overpayment” and your BAH and Book Stipend have been cancelled because it has come to our attention that your spouse is Active-Duty. 5) The total amount owed is $8000. 6) They are prepared.

Spouse “B” 1) Was not aware of the policies/regulations concerning BAH and Book Stipend—VA Agent not aware as well. 2) Spouse “A” is excited to receive some additional income, pays off bills and so forth with the additional income. 3) Five months later, Spouse “B” receives a letter stating “there was an overpayment” and your BAH and Book Stipend have been cancelled because it has come to our attention that your spouse is Active-Duty. 4) The total amount owed is $8000, yet the money was utilized for other issues and this family Active Duty person is an E-4. 6) Now, for the next two or three years, this family will be paying the VA the money back and has added another bill to their already strapped finances.

Who’s to blame here? I believe it is a shared accountability with the majority of the accountability on the VA. The VA is notorious for either “short changing” and/or overpayment. Yes, the families that are eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill should and need to be fully aware of your rights and policies/regulations regarding the Bill. On the other hand, when the VA informs the recipients that, “you are getting the additional monies regardless,” who is really at fault?

So, “Caution In the Wind” to all of you recipients of the 9/11 GIB and have active-duty spouses—Read the fine print, contact your regional offices, and/or begin filing your grievances/appeal. As a recipient of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, I recommend to all that if you haven't participated in the program, transferred it to a family member, do so. It is by far a great program that should be taken advantage of--you've earned it! The link for the 9/11 GIB is in the first paragraph.

3:1 Does This Mean Burger King is Back in the AOR?

In recent events that broke late Monday evening/early Tuesday morning (21/22 Jun) about General Stanley McCrystal’s and staff’s comments about President Obama and his Administration in a Rolling Stone news report was shocking to say the least. On the flip side of the coin, I cannot name one person who hasn’t done something to that effect—in private conversation though. I believe General McCrystal and his staff showed flagrant disregard for conformity, professionalism, and military decorum. Now, we will only know of what the reporter supposedly dictated as his word in his report and I’m sure that there was at least some embellishing. Needless to say, General McChrystal’s resignation was the right thing to do--General Petraeus, "batter-up!"

I mean that in a very professional way. If he had not resigned and/or did not at the minimum be fired for his actions, it would have undermined the entire Military Judicial system. The Uniform Code of Military Justice, Article 88 explicitly states:

“Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department,
the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

In other words, “shut up and color,” or at least that is what I was told when I served. Nevertheless, I shouldn’t have to delve further, if what happened was correct or incorrect. Morally, ethically, professionally, it was incorrect. It’s not okay for a military member to do what was done in Gen McCrystal’s camp, plain and simple.

Now, for the lighter side of this situation… does this mean that the Burger Kings, Pizza Huts, and other restaurants and MWR activities will return to some FOB’s like Kandahar and Bagram, now that Gen McChrystal is departing? Late last year to earlier this year, the famed BK and Pizza Huts had to pull out due to an order given by the Commanding General in an effort to free up funds, cargo, and so forth. “This is a war zone, not an amusement park,” wrote Command Sergeant-Major Michael T. Hall in a military blog—What it comes down to is focus, and to using the resources we have in the most efficient and effective ways possible.” I agree with him to some extent and I also understand that there are troops in the outposts/more remote bases that can’t even get the essentials (food and water). On the other hand, there’s nothing like coming in from those remote bases, or after “humping” it all day and un-wrapping that “Whopper.”

I wish the best of luck to all the men and women deployed and to the new Commanding General, General David Petraeus. The road is long and arduous, our country and our military men and women are all too familiar with that road--we will succeed!

2:3 "Living History Books"

I have considered those from previous generations, “living history books” for quite some time. In 1999, I interviewed a WWII Veteran, SSgt Holtzclaw in his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for a short biography needed to award him the WWII Victory Medal, Air Medal and POW Medal for his actions as a crewmember aboard a B-17 (if I remember correctly). I couldn’t believe how vivid his memory was—recalling events and details like the exact time of his last flight, the weather, and of course his parachute landing after his plane was hit by flak. A “living history book” is what I called SSgt Holtzclaw, he laughed, and said “I have not thought about these things in years Chris, until I found out the US Air Force was going to give me some medals.”

I planned his ceremony—every minute of it. From he and his family’s arrival to the reception in the wing headquarters building. The weather that day was not well. It was a wintery day and personnel were being told to head home and/or not come to work. I called his home informing them of the weather and the status of the base, yet he and his family wanted to “press.” His health wasn’t the best and his wife and family wanted this for him. Later that day, he received his medals, with great pride and he walked up those stairs to get them. I don’t know if SSgt Holtzclaw is still alive, but I thought of him today when I came across a story of another Tuskegee Airman passing on 11 June.

Retired LtCol William H. Holloman, famous Tuskegee Pilot during WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the US Air Force’s first black helicopter pilot passed. Known for breaking the military’s color barrier during WWII, LtCol Holloman continued his military service as a Reservist with the Air Force and finally retiring with the US Army in 1972. Another living history book has passed. It is estimated that over 1000 WWII vets pass per day and with them, they take the memories, and all that generation offered to their country, and we now live in their legacy.

Some suggest that only 50-60 Tuskegee pilots and approximately 240+ ground personnel from the Tuskegee groups remain alive. Tuskegee Airmen during WWII suffered sixty-six killed in action and another 32 became prisoners of war. One of the most decorated units during WWII, the pilots were awarded 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars, 8 Purple Hearts, 744 Air Medals, and 2 Presidential Unit Citations. The Airmen have an astounding 112 air-to-air victories and 150 planes destroyed on ground.

Many novels, biographies, videos, documentaries, and movies have been made about our Veterans in WWII. Yet, all of those resources will never replace the thoughts, memories and stories that Veterans keepin their hearts and minds. Take a moment to first thank he or she for their service, offer a coffee or a moment of your time. Listen to their story—it’ll beat any book you’ve ever read or any movie you’ve ever seen. Nothing beats a “living history book!”