A publication of the 502nd Air Base Wing – Joint Base San Antonio RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE 65th Year • No. 19 • MAY 13, 2011 PAGE 8 INSIDE ... BASE TOBACCO USAGE DROPS, P3 ... DAEDALIANS HONOR LT. KELLY, P4 ... HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR SHARES STORY, P6 ... AAFES SAVES MONEY, P7 ... PAGE 2 WINGSPREAD MAY 13, 2011 MAY 13, 2011 WINGSPREAD PAGE 3 COMMENTARY ON THE COVER First Lt. David Brandon, 435th Fighter Training Squadron, performs a final walk- Randolph’s tobacco usage rate drops to below 12 percent around safety check of a T-38 Talon Pros do not outweigh cons of tobacco use aircraft prior to a training mission Monday. By Robert Goetz said. “They’re proactive in working with the tobacco our tobacco cessation class say when they get a cold, For the complete story of the squadron’s 502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs cessation program.” it takes them longer to get over it.” By Airman 1st Class Kenneth Norman expanded mission, see Page 8. Ms. Tibbetts said the Air Force’s overall tobacco Ms. Tibbetts said there are various reasons why 97th Air Mobility Wing public affairs Photo by Rich McFadden Randolph Air Force Base’s active-duty tobacco usage is also declining. She attributed the decrease to people decide to quit smoking or using smokeless “He then challenged me to write down two lists, one usage rate is the lowest in Air Education and Training “the availability of programs that help people stop tobacco. ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – list of the positive effects of tobacco and one of the Command and fifth-lowest in the Air Force, according smoking, people being more health-conscious and the “The vast majority are just tired of it,” she said. The use of tobacco is a constant battle. I to statistics compiled by the Air Force Corporate cost of cigarettes.” The price of a package of ciga- “You have to want to quit. You’re tired of it and have struggled with on and off tobacco negative. I accepted the challenge and wrote down the Health Information Processing Service. rettes often exceeds $5. you don’t want to do it anymore. But it has to be use since I was 15 years old. Quitting two lists. When I had finished my lists, the negative WINGSPREAD Randolph’s tobacco usage rate dropped below Statistics show higher tobacco usage among for you, not for someone else.” tobacco is not an easy battle to win, but 12 percent in March and stood at 11.3 percent as younger members throughout the Air Force. Smoking Ms. Tibbetts said the four-session tobacco cessa- with the right weapons it is possible. effects outweighed the positives 3 to 1. “ of Monday, compared with 23 percent Air Force- is highest in pay grades E1 to E3 at 40 percent, com- tion class at the HAWC, which is based partly on Mark Twain said, “To quit smoking 502nd Air Base Wing Operating Location Bravo wide. The rates include smoking and the use of pared with pay grades E4 to E6 at 36 percent, O1 to the American Cancer Society’s Freshstart pro- is one of the easiest things in the Editorial Staff smokeless tobacco. O3 at 10 percent and O4 to O10 at 5 percent. gram, and the American Lung Association’s Lung world. I must have done it over a Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick “We do very, very well at Randolph,” said Lorri Although usage at Randolph has dropped below HelpLine at 1-877-695-7848 can give smokers the dozen times.” Anyone who has been a function and visual acuity. lowest lows. It becomes a routine dur- Commander Tibbetts, 359th Aerospace-Medicine Squadron Health 12 percent, Ms. Tibbetts said there is still more tools they need to kick the habit. tobacco user for a long period of time The drivers that cause people to con- ing times of intense emotion such as Promotion Flight chief. “In 2006 our rate was 15.7 work to do. She said quitting yields nearly immediate benefits. knows exactly what Mark Twain was tinue using tobacco are physical addic- celebrations or coping with life’s hard- Marilyn Holliday Chief of Public Affairs percent, so we’ve come a long way.” “People who use tobacco will have more medical According to the American Cancer Society, smokers’ saying in this quote. tion, habit and emotional events. ships; a stress reaction whether it is a The only entities with lower rates are the Pentagon, costs than non-smokers,” she said. risk of having a heart attack begins to go down 24 One day a friend of mine who was not • When nicotine is taken into the body, positive or negative stress. Airman Alexis Siekert Editor 7.4 percent; Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., 8.9 per- Ms. Tibbetts said tobacco usage can not only hours after their last cigarette. In a year, their risk of a tobacco user asked me, “why do you within seconds it reaches the brain The good news is quitting tobacco is cent; Air Force Academy, Colo., 9.8 percent; and Los Robert Goetz, Brian McGloin lead to cancer, but to diseases such as emphysema heart disease has been cut in half and in five years do that?” I responded with the usual where it literally changes the way the not impossible and there are people Angeles AFB, Calif., 10.9 percent. and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also their risk of dying of lung cancer has been cut in half. Airman 1st Class Precious Yett response, “It calms me down, and it has brain works. Nicotine is not a habit. It is and programs available to help you kick Ms. Tibbetts, who also facilitates the Health and known as COPD. Tobacco usage also elevates cho- Fifteen years after quitting, their risk of heart disease Staff Writers become a habit.” He then challenged an addictive drug. Every time a drag is the habit. Wellness Center’s tobacco cessation class, said dental lesterol and blood pressure levels and accelerates is as low as if they have never smoked. me to write down two lists, one list of taken off a cigarette, that addiction is At Randolph AFB, the Health and Maggie Armstrong clinics throughout the Air Force track tobacco usage the aging process. For the most up-to-date information at the the positive effects of tobacco and one reinforced a little more. Smokeless Wellness Center offers a variety of Graphic Designer by active-duty members. “When people use tobacco, they seem to have more Randolph clinic, visit https://kx.afms.mil/randolph or of the negative. I accepted the challenge tobacco is actually more addictive than options for tobacco cessation: “The Randolph dental clinic is very involved,” she respiratory problems,” she said. “People who come to search for the 359th Medical Group on Facebook. and wrote down the two lists. When I cigarettes due to the continual absorp- • Freedom from Smoking is an online had finished my lists, the negative tion through the mouth tissues. Studies program offered by the American Lung Wingspread Office 1150 5th Street East effects outweighed the positives 3 to 1. have shown that even after individuals Association designed to help adults quit Randolph AFB, Texas 78150 According to Gayle Kenyon, 97th have had no nicotine in their bodies for smoking and is available to individuals Phone: (210) 652-5760 Base BRIEFS Medical Operations Squadron health two years, the brain cells are still unable to attend group classes. Fax: (210) 652-3142 promotion educator, changed. This is why the cravings per- • For help in developing a specialized Wingspread Advertisements Movie matinee for special needs children Randolph High School blood drive • Tobacco use has a serious affect on sist; the brain is telling the body that it cessation plan, call the ALA Tobacco Prime Time Military Newspapers The Exceptional Family Member Program and Airman and Family Randolph High School hosts a blood drive May 20 from 8 a.m. to NOW SHOWING at military readiness. In a 1997 United needs a nicotine fix. Quitline at 877-695-7848 and identify 2203 S. Hackberry Readiness Center here host the first Special Needs Movie Matinee 4 p.m. in Room 21. Anyone as young as 16 years old with parental States Air Force study, tobacco use • The habitual component is separate yourself as a Randolph AFB member. San Antonio, Texas 78210 Saturday at 1 p.m. at the base Theater. consent who meets all medical standards can donate. For more the Randolph Theater accounted for 3,573 lost man-years from the nicotine affect. This has to do • A four-part smoking cessation class Phone: (210) 534-8848 The movie will be “Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Rodrick Rules” information, call Suzette Nolan at 357-2402. due to sick time, breaks and other lost with daily routines. The ritual of using is offered by the Randolph HAWC Wingspread email duty time, which is equivalent to one tobacco becomes engrained into peo- every month. [email protected] and admission is as follows: Children 4-11: $2.25; Adults 12 and “Limitless” (PG-13) Air Force base, one Army brigade, one ple’s lifestyles. It becomes a part of • San Antonio Military Medical up: $4.50. A medium popcorn and drink special will be $3. Memorial Day concert Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish Navy carrier, or one Marine Corps what is done automatically every day, Center Tobacco Quit Line Research The movie will be sensory friendly with low lighting and lower The United States Air Force Band of the West and the United This paper is published by Prime Time Military Newspapers, a infantry regiment.