Vol. 48, No. 5 Thursday, January 30, 2020 Pitch Day - page 8 News/Features: page 2 Full-spectrum readiness News/Features: page 3 First refueling accomplished News/Features: page 3 Virtual reality training Week in photos: page 4 Images from the week Photo by Airman 1st Class Shannon Bowman Dan Rini, the Rini Technologies president, presents a proposal for a personal cooling system to 6th Air Refueling Wing Community: page 15 leadership, during MacDill Pitch Day in Tampa Jan. 22. MacDill Pitch Day provides an opportunity for MacDill Air Force Events, Chapel, more... Base to partner with small businesses to find solutions to challenges on base. NEWS/FEATURES Financially prepared: emphasizing full-spectrum readiness by Airman 1st Class David McLone 6th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Staying mission ready is essential for service members across all branches, and being finan- cially prepared for any circumstance is just an- other step in a continuous process to achieve mission success. The Military and Family Readiness Center at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, provides brief- ings throughout the year about different aspects of finances to include topics such as Thrift Sav- ings Plans, first duty station financial readi- ness, promotions, permanent change of station, and leaving the dorms as an Airman. If a briefing doesn’t answer a specific ques- tion, the MFRC provides one-on-one counseling for service members to dive deep into under- standing their finances. “Setting goals for yourself can help you see where you are financially, whether it be on a year-to-year basis or a six-month basis,” said Angie Fields, a community readiness consultant at the MFRC. “It can help you plan ahead to en- sure you are able to save up for things.” Along with the MFRC, there are multiple re- sources for financial advice and services, includ- ing Military OneSource and the base legal of- Photo by Airman First Class David D. McLoney fice, who recently opened their doors to provide free counseling for military members to get a Angie Fields, a community readiness consultant at the Military and Family Readiness Center more in-depth look at their tax refunds. (MFRC) assists a U.S. Marine Sergeant Federico Garciacruz, an admin specialist at Special Op- erations Command Central, Jan. 22 at MacDill Air Force Base. The MFRC offers military mem- See FINANCIAL, Page 13 bers assistance with a large variety of financial and career-based guidance. For information about base operations during emergencies or natural disasters, call the Straight Talk Line at 828-4163 COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE MacDill on the web Website: www.macdill.af.mil The Action Line provides two-way communication between the Facebook: www.facebook.com/ 6th Air Refueling Wing commander and the MacDill community. Per- sonnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to MacDillAirForceBase [email protected] or Facebook @6thARWCommandTeam Instagram: macdill_afb Twitter: @macdill_afb MacDill Thunderbolt U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department factor of the purchaser, user, or patron. of the Air Force or the 6th Air Refueling Wing. News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submitted Publisher: Joe DeLuca The appearance of advertising in this publication, including to the 6th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs office, 8208 Hangar inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by Loop Dr., suite 14, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Call the Thunderbolt Editor: Nick Stubbs the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, at 828-2215. Email: [email protected]. 6th Air Refueling Wing or the TImes Publishing Company of the Deadline for article submissions is noon, Wednesdays to The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by the Times Publish- products or service advertised. appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received after ing Company, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. For retail advertising, call (813) 226-3318. deadline may be considered for future use. All submissions are Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an autho- Everything advertised in this publication shall be made considered for publication based on news value and timeliness. rized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. mili- available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clar- tary services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, ity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Stylebook are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101. 2 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u Thursday, January 30, 2020 u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT NEWS/FEATURES Fairchild’s newest squadron completes first mission by Senior Airman Lawrence Sena 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash.— Team Fairchild’s 97th Air Refueling Squadron successfully completed its first mission by sup- porting a 97th Air Lift Squadron C-17 Globe- master III from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Jan. 14. The 97th ARS reactivated in October 2019, in order to support 12 additional KC-135 Stra- totankers and an estimated 1,000 Airmen and families being transferred to Fairchild. “We are the center of excellence for the KC- 135 here at Fairchild,” said Master Sgt. Dillon Poole, 97th ARS operations superintendent and boom operator. “With the activation of the 97th ARS, we now have more capability here at Fair- child to extend the reach of our receivers and effectively enable them to complete their mis- sion.” Refueling JBLM’s C-17 served as a training mission for Airmen aboard both aircraft to prac- tice air refueling connections, simulated emer- Photo by Senior Airman Lawrence Sena gency separation procedures and low-visibility A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing performs an air refueling mission with landings in icy weather. The aircraft was com- a 97th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III during the 97th Air Refueling Squadron’s first mis- manded by Capt. Steven Suhrie and was also sion over the skies of Washington, Jan. 13. Refueling the C-17 served as a training mission for crewed by the squadron commander and super- aircrew Airmen from both aircraft, and included air refueling training contacts as well as simu- See MISSION, Page 10 lated emergency separation procedures, ensuring mission readiness. VR: Modern solutions for modern training by Airman 1st Class Aaron Irvin 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark.—With technology con- stantly changing, the Air Force is actively seeking innovative methods to train today’s Airmen with tomorrow’s technology. The Air Force is committed to world-class training for Airmen by pre- venting stagnation in education through constant innovation to meet the needs of a new generation through a continuum of learning. Headquarters Air Force, Air Mobility Command, and Air Education and Training Command have been working on a virtual reality platform for maintenance training through Mass Virtual, a contractor that scans real world objects to create virtual environments. The C-130 enterprise established a working group with airlift wings from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas; Dyess AFB, Texas; Yokota Air Base, Japan; and Ramstein Air Base, Germany; in order to collabo- rate and eliminate duplication of effort while crafting a VR platform fo- Photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Irvin cused on visualizing the ins-and-outs of the C-130H and C-130J to benefit U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kenneth Renfro, 19th Maintenance Group main- maintenance Airmen. tenance qualifications training instructor, uses a virtual reality headset “We pulled together with other wings to develop work tasks that would at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, Dec. 19. Initially, each VR unit be most beneficial to invest in for Airmen – allowing us to establish a will have a virtual hangar where the trainee can complete one of five VR platform with a focus on the C-130,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. tasks. Among the tasks, which are based on necessities and pre-estab- See VR, Page 14 lished training opportunities, are propeller, tire, and brake replacement. MACDILL THUNDERBOLT u Thursday, January 30, 2020 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u 3 WEEK IN PHOTOS Photo by Samuel King Jr. Airmen take the Polar Bear Plunge into Choctawhatchee Bay, Jan. 17, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Nearly 100 “plungers” completed the annual Reso- lution Run prior to their quick dip in the bay. Photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Snider Photo by Terry L. Atwell A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 28th Ten A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter aircraft, flown by pilots of the 107th Fighter Squadron, Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron refuels a U.S. Air depart from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 21, during the Snowbird Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 34th Expedition- exercise. ary Fighter Squadron in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. 4 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u Thursday, January 30, 2020 u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT NEWS/FEATURES Military OneSource offers free tax prep by Terri Moon Cronk Defense.gov WASHINGTON (AFNS)—Tax season can be a dreaded time of year for many people, but the Defense Department’s Military OneSource offers the MilTax program to ease fil- ing stress for service members and their families. There is no need to worry about costs in tax preparation because the services are free. MilTax kicks off on Military OneSource Jan. 22, offering electronic filing via do-it-your- self software and personalized support from a tax consultant. Those who qualify to use the free MilTax program are active duty service members and their families, National Guard members and Reservists, survivors and veterans who have left the service in the last 365 days, said Kelly Smith, DoD’s Military Community and Family Policy program analyst.