The Day Was Coordinated by US Air Force Capt. Janelle
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On the cover: U.S. Air Force Lt. Col Neal Snetsky, F-16 Fighter pilot with the 119th Fighter Squadron, stows his aircrew flight equipment after landing with 3,000 hrs. in the Fighting Falcon on Oct. 13, 2015. (U.S. Air National Guard photo illustration by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley) OCTOBER 2015, VOL. 49 NO. 10 THE CONTRAIL STAFF 177TH FW COMMANDER COL . JOHN R. DiDONNA CHIEF, PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAPT. AMANDA BATIZ PUBLIC AFFAIRS SUPERINTENDENT MASTER SGT. ANDREW J. MOSELEY PHOTOJOURNALIST TECH. SGT. ANDREW J. MERLOCK PHOTOJOURNALIST SENIOR AIRMAN SHANE S. KARP EDITOR/PHOTOJOURNALIST SENIOR AIRMAN AMBER POWELL AVIATION HISTORIAN DR. RICHARD PORCELLI WWW.177FW.ANG.AF.MIL This funded newspaper is an authorized monthly publication for members of the U.S. Military Services. Contents of The Contrail are not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the 177th Fighter Wing, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Depart- On desktop computers, click For back issues of The Contrail, ment of the Air Force. The editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Public Affairs Office of the 177th Fighter Wing. All Ctrl+L for full screen. On mobile, and other multimedia products photographs are Air Force photographs unless otherwise indicated. tablet, or touch screen device, from the 177th Fighter Wing, tap or swipe to flip the page. please visit us at DVIDS! Total Force Integration and the Future by Col. Bradford Everman, 177th Operations Group Commander If you ask Airmen To position the wing for future missions, we must work aging aircraft with modern F-35 jets. The 177th Fighter around the wing this as a team to embrace TFI. First and foremost, we must Wing is ideally positioned for many new missions, to question, “When did prioritize readiness at all levels, down to the individual include the F-35. To preserve the 177th of the future, it is Total Force member level in each unit. Historically, the 177FW has a imperative we continue to embrace TFI by excelling at Integration (TFI) first laudable track record passing readiness assessments. readiness and mission accomplishment now. begin?” You are likely The wing routinely excels at deploying and executing the to receive answers combat mission, while regularly impressing the ACC or ranging from the mid- NORAD IG team during inspections. The single best way 1990s to the early to continue the upward trajectory and contribute to 2000s. However, readiness is to know and do the job. Every single AFSC is researching Total important, from paying travel vouchers to hiring Force, you find the personnel to generating F-16 sorties. concept originated in 1969, with the Office of the Just last month, the first Air National Guard unit Secretary of Defense ordering the services to integrate transitioning from F-16 to F-35 aircraft received pleasant, the Active, Guard, and Reserve forces in 1973. The but unexpected news. Due to manpower shortages and impetus for the Total Force, or Total Force fiscal constraints in the active duty AF, the F-35 arrival Management as it was called then, was simple – The would be moved FORWARD by one year. You heard that DoD was experiencing a manpower shortage with correctly -- an Air National Guard wing is moving forward rising costs, but receiving fewer dollars in the budget in the priority – due to that wing’s ability to maintain process. However, the integration of the Total Force readiness, while accepting a new mission. didn’t begin in earnest for almost 10 years, due to The 177FW is fully integrated into the TFI program. An another very simple reason; a DoD study of Reserve active duty pilot is currently assigned to the operations Component units found them severely lacking in group as the initial step in Total Force Integration for the readiness. 177FW. The follow-on step is 3 additional pilots and 40 42 years later, either nothing has changed, or maintenance personnel from the active duty; timeframe everything changed and it has come full circle. The is yet to be determined. So far, the integration has DoD is struggling with a manpower crisis, high functioned smoothly. operations tempo, constrained budgets, and a The DoD is likely to decide in the next 12 months which challenging need to maintain readiness. Further, it’s two Air National Guard units are next to replace their no secret the 177FW F-16s are due to sunset (move towards retirement) in the next 5-15 years. More than 40 Airmen from the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Fighter Wing greeted Ron “Junior” Citta, onto Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey, Oct. 8, 2015, as he took part in the “Pilot for a Day” program here. “Awesome turnout this morning,” said U.S. Air Force Col. John DiDonna, 177FW commander. “Ron and his family were overwhelmed by (the 177FW’s) welcome.” Ron is 11 years old, diagnosed with leukemia, and currently undergoing chemotherapy. “Junior” got the full-pilot treatment, which included his own flight suit and call sign, a briefing on the day’s events from the wing commander, the opportunity to watch an F-16 Fighting Falcon takeoff from the runway, and a base tour. The day was coordinated by U.S. Air Force Capt. Janelle Baron, a NJANG fighter pilot with the 119th Fighter Squadron. “Ron and his brother Sam said it was the, ‘best day ever’, and I am honored to be a part of it,” Baron said. “Ron and his family get to take their minds off of the serious struggles they deal with daily, and instead spend the day enjoying a completely new experience.” The day was not only enjoyed by Ron and his family, but also the 177FW and its members, Baron said. “This program is just as important for us as it is for the community we are a part of,” Baron said. “It is inspiring to see these young kids and their families face extraordinary circumstances with courage and bravery. It’s an honor and privilege to welcome them into the 177FW family.” Ron “Junior” Citta talks to inbound F-16 fighter pilots at the operations desk at Atlantic City Air Na- tional Guard Base, N.J., as part of his, “Pilot for a Day” experience, Oct. 8, 2015. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Andrew Moseley) Energy Savings through Retro-Commissioning Photos and story by Master Sgt. Andrew Moseley ivil Engineering at the 177th Fighter Wing “The construction project implements the C is doing amazing things to help save recommendations of the Retro-Commissioning energy by retrofitting and replacing old and Report and adds de-humidification coils in dilapidated structures, boilers and Heating, front of the entry/return units which will Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) dramatically improve the conditions while equipment. They’re also preparing to install saving money,” added Sherry. state of the art solar powered lighting fixtures While the improvements have an estimated at the fitness track, so unit members can cost of approximately $75,000, eight workout more safely in the evening and early conservation measures are estimated to Small, wall-hung energy efficient boilers in the Rodger C. Neumann Munitions Administration Bldg. at the 177th Fighter Wing. morning hours, according to 2d Lt. Natalia provide a yearly energy savings of over $ 8,000 Rojas, 177th FW Deputy Base Civil Engineer. with a simple payback of 9.2 years. In Bldg. 407, a modern system designed to “Another improvement on base are the two bring in a percentage of fresh air contributed small, wall-hung Lochinvar boilers in the to a very humid and uncomfortable working Rodger C. Neumann Munitions Administration environment in the summer months and Bldg. that heat the whole facility and what’s caused the existing equipment to operate nice about them is that they’re not just on or continuously. off,” said Sherry. “Instead they are variable “In 2013, the base had an engineering firm speed and have modulating gas valves, so if it come in and do a Retro-Commissioning Report only calls for a little bit of heating, they’ll only where they take a look at how the HVAC run at 20 percent and if it calls for 40 percent, systems are running, known issues and what they’ll modulate, so they’re only each running can make the users more comfortable and at at 20 percent.” the same time conserve energy,” said Kirk Sherry, 177th Fighter Wing Civil Engineer. The USAF CMSgt Richard L. Etchberger Team Achievement Award is given to the AF Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy Flight that collectively exceeded academic, physical fitness, and community excellence by demonstrating warrior ethos and exceptional leadership of their team. AF SNCOA Class 15E was made up of over 300 students in 22 flights. U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael F. Garcia, ALS Class 15-8, receives The U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Gendron, right, receives the Distinguished Graduate Award for NCO academy class 15 Commandant Award from the 14th EPME Commandant CMSgt Walden and Guest -6 from Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Whitehead, command Chief Master Sgt. for the Air National Guard Readiness speaker Command CMSgt Whitehead. Sep. 30, 2015 at McGhee Tyson ANGB, TN . Center, Sept. 30, 2015, at the I. G. Brown Training and Education Center. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jerry D. Harlan/Released) The Commandant Award is presented to the student who has displayed all the characteristics of “Technical Sergeant Gendron earned a an effective and superior leader, but is not based at Distinguished Graduate Award for ranking in the all on academic standings.