Flight Line Air Force Association Chapter 105

2017-4 Tucson, Arizona October 2017

FROM THE COCKPIT….. “Thunder & Lightning Over Arizona” Air- Chapter Officers show. Mark your calendars: the Airshow President Well, I THOUGHT Fall was here when will be held next 17th and 18th of March. Mark Koechle [email protected] we dipped into the 80s in late September, We held our Chapter Board Elections at but it looks like we have summer temper- our September Luncheon. While most of the Vice President Wally Saeger atures for a little while longer. Between names are the same, there has been a little [email protected] monsoons and the heat, your AFA Chap- shuffling of positions. Our new Chapter ter continues to be active in many activi- President is Wally Saeger, and the new Vice Secretary Mark Lindsay ties supporting our Airmen, and we have a President is Mark Koechle. Replacing [email protected] newly elected Board as well! It’s time to Sandy Spoon as Chapter Secretary is SSgt put together our plan for the rest of this Mark Lindsey, and Marie Lankford remains Treasurer year and what we want to do as a chapter on as the Chapter Treasurer. CONGRATU- Marie A. Lankford [email protected] for next year. Hopefully you had a great LATIONS to all board members! They will “summer vacation”, whether you traveled certainly be reaching out for help on the VP Aerospace Education the world or stayed here in Tucson, but VP CyberPatriot many appointed positions we need to fill to Wally Saeger now we need your input! Over our continue our support to our Air Force Fami- [email protected] “summer vacation”, your Board Members ly. In addition to our regular events over the attended several Changes of Command, VP Government Relations coming year, we will also need help with the Joseph Cuffari Airman Leadership School Graduations, Annual Golf Tournament in April and the [email protected] supported a Senior NCO Induction Cere- Southwest Region Conference, which will be VP Leadership Develop. mony, a Quarterly Awards Ceremony, Air in Tucson in June. After the elections, we Force Retirements, the annual POW/MIA received an outstanding mission brief from VP Membership Ceremony, a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremo- Major Carl Chen on the 55th Electronic Vickie Jo Ryder [email protected] ny, and the 9/11 Tower Challenge at U of Combat Group, to include some capabilities A stadium, as well as other support activi- of the EC-130 and the future airframe and VP Veterans Affairs ties for Davis-Monthan’s Airmen. The Bill Goodall mission for the group. AFA National Conference and Conven- [email protected] Our next luncheon is planned for Friday, tion was held in Washington DC a few 27 October at Club Ironwood (normal loca- VP Military Liaison weeks ago, and our own Chapter Vice Maj. Carl Chen tion), and we are very privileged to have President, Wally Saeger attended as part [email protected] Congresswoman Martha McSally as our of the AZ delegation of 12 individuals. VP Programs / Communication guest speaker. Look for an announcement Our previous State President, Ross Lam- Marie A. Lankford soon that will ask for an RSVP and provide [email protected] pert from Cochise Chapter was elected as more details. This is a unique opportunity the AFA National Secretary. CON- VP Community Partners and should be very interesting. Dave Carrell GRATS Ross!! [email protected] There is always plenty of opportunity for Our AZ State Convention was held in you to help our chapter, so please get in- VP Community Outreach August in Prescott, attended by Mark and volved. Check out our website at https:// Heidi Goldman Carol Koechle and Wally and Joan Sae- [email protected] afatucson105.wordpress.com/ for more in- ger. Among all the administrative busi- formation and keep your eyes open for an- VP Aerospace Education ness covered, we elected our State Board nouncements of special events and opportu- (ROTC) Cadet Dylan Brummett for the next year. Joe Marvin will remain [email protected] nities. The new CyberPatriot season is just as State President, with George Castle kicking off, and you can find information VP Awards stepping in as Vice President. Our own Larry Herndon from anyone on the board or at Capt Sandy Spoon will start her tenure as [email protected] www.uscyberpatriot.org. Remember, EDU- the State Secretary. Congratulations, CATE, ADVOCATE, and SUPPORT!! VP AFA Golf Fundraiser Sandy! And rounding out the board is Bob Scott Van Valkenburg [email protected] Curry as State Treasurer. Then one week later we held our monthly Chapter Mark Koechle, President VP Public Affairs / Newsletter Dick Roberts Luncheon, where Lt Col “Tucker” Kump, [email protected] 355th Fighter Wing Chief of Plans and 2018 Airshow Director gave us an in- depth look into plans for the DM Tucson Chapter’s August Meeting Presentation Lt Col Michael “Tucker” Kump, USAF Director, 2018 Open House & Air Show Davis-Monthan AFB Tucson Chapter’s Sept. Meeting Presentation Major Carl “Snickers” Chen, USAF Thunder & Lighting Over Arizona Maj. Carl “Snickers” Chen, a 2006 graduate of the Air Force Featuring: The Blue Angels Academy, is a pilot on the EC-130H Compass Call aircraft in the 55th Electronic Combat Group stationed at Theme: Honoring the Past…..Inspiring the Future D-MAFB. The 55th is part of Air Combat Hero Day: March 16, 2018 Command and 25 AF. Their job is to Event Dates: March 17 & 18, 2018 deploy combat-ready EC-130H crews to Lt Col Kump noted that the mission of the air show is “To safely exe- unified combatant commanders: CENT- cute an open house and air show (OHAS) that highlights military air- COM & EUCOM. craft/capabilities and displays other civilian aviation-related performanc- es while providing exciting entertainment to friends The EC-130H Compass Call is an elec- and guests” and with a vision “To create excitement for military and civilian aviation while highlighting tronic attack aircraft flown by the USAF. Based on the Lockheed the stellar Airmen and Joint Partners at Davis- Martin C-130 Hercules, the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt Monthan AFB.” enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counter information operations, and It is expected that over 150,000 will attend the show that has an economic impact to Tucson of over do other kinds of electronic attack. $500,000. Also Food Bank donations during the Based at Davis-Monthan AFB in show are expected to bring in close to Arizona, EC-130Hs can be deployed 3,000 lbs of food along with cash donations. worldwide at short notice to support Over 1,600 volunteers, along U.S. and allied tactical air, surface, with 200 of the OHAS team, will and special operations forces. be on hand to run the air show that is expected to have 72 There are presently 14 EC-130s in the Compass Call fleet and aircraft, 11 flying acts, 53 static are all from the 1973 era. It is anticipated that Compass Call will displays, and 1 ground act (jet- be transitioning to the Gulfstream G550 within the next couple of powered truck). years. Plans for the air show are: Confirmed: The Electronic Combat Group trains “Professional Aviators” in 11 different crew positions and instructor upgrades as the Air USN Blue Angels Forces sole EC-130H formal training unit. The Group graduates USAFA Wings of Blue approximately 200 students a year and provides qualified experts USAF KC-135 Static Display to support AF & DOD requirements.

USAF MQ-9 Static Display Compass Call has been involved in many operations, including USAF T-1 Static Display Just Cause, Desert Shield/Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom Desert Lightning Capabilities Demonstration and Inherent Resolve. Requested: Heritage Flight INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN A USAF Single-ship Demonstration MEMBERSHIP SURVEY CBP Capabilities Demonstration As you may have read in our August newsletter, we’d like your participation in our member survey so that we can learn Other Warbird and Civilian Acts more about our readers’ interests and demographics. Ground Events: It is important for every organization to periodically update the Desert Lightning Team History/Mission Display information they have about their membership at large. This EOD Display information helps us shape our many programs, communications, member benefits and even impacts our success in attract- Jet-powered Truck ing the vital support of sponsors and advertisers. MWD Demonstration The link below will take you to the short survey. The survey Recruiting Booths should take less than five minutes to complete. Be assured that the link is not a scam and your personal information will Ground Venues: never be associated with the survey results. Concessions To show our appreciation for your time we are giving away $25 Beer Garden (expanded) gift cards in a random drawing to members who complete the Kid Zone survey and choose to enter. You’ll see instructions at the end of the survey. Programs and other Vendors Thank you in advance for taking your time to complete the Reserve Seating (expanded) survey to help make AFA even better!

Larry O. Spencer President http://go.afa.org/e/285922/r-MNAFA/6d13n/123157445 2 AFA Announces 2017 National Teacher of the Year September 01, 2017 - McKinnon Pearse

AFA is proud to announce Benjamin Barkey of the Warsaw Community School System in Warsaw, Indiana, as the 2017 National Teacher of the Year Presented by Rolls-Royce. As part of AFA’s mission to encourage education in Aerospace Education and STEM, the Teacher of the Year program ensures America ’s aerospace excellence by supporting the teachers that carry out that mission in the classroom. “We congratulate Mr. Benjamin Barkey on his recognition by the Air Force Association for exemplary efforts to further Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education”, said Phil Burkholder, Rolls- Royce President of Defense Aerospace, North America. “STEM is crucial not only to the future of the US Air Force, but also to Rolls-Royce, as we design and manufacture some of the most advanced propulsion systems in the world. We are proud to sponsor the AFA National Teacher of the Year program and offer our sincere thanks to all the teachers around the US who work every day to educate the engineers of tomorrow.” Barkey’s passion for STEM education was instilled by his own childhood teachers. Now, he is a dynamic STEM educator and mentor to everyone in his school system, students and teachers alike. Numerous STEM opportunities are now available to theWarsaw Community Schools because of Barkey’s enthusiastic efforts, to include; a mobile STEM Laboratory that takes STEM learning to all elementary schools in the district. “Ben is a consummate professional. He has made contributions as a leader, a teacher, a mentor, a role model, a coach, and a partner in our system and community. As the educational environment continues to respond to new challenges, Mr. Barkey develops creative approaches so that students continue to Benjamin Barkey, left, achieve excellence in the years ahead. His service to our schools has led to the creation of a roadmap of with student K-12 STEM education through the Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institute, which will impact many future generations,” said Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent, Dr. Davi Hoffert. Dr. Hoffert has dubbed the growth of STEM education in the school system as the “Ben factor”. Teaching middle school science and math is where Barkey’s 15-year educational career began. His inquiry-based instructional style yielded impressive student achievement results, leading him to become the lead facilitator for the transformation of a K-8 school into the first Indiana STEM certified school, Washington STEM Academy (WSA). While at WSA, he was the STEM Instructional Coach where he mentored students and teachers in a variety of new STEM programs and helped them integrate project-based learning into their classrooms. “Teachers need not be masters of content, but, rather, masters of learning. Teachers need to be facilitators of learning and model their own learning for students; they need to take risks and join their students in exploring new things that interest the m. STEM is not just a four-letter acronym—it is an educational style; the tool for today to prepare for tomorrow”, said Barkey. While Barkey has lead 5 student teams in AFA’s CyberPatriot Program and 72 F.I.R.S.T Robotics Lego League teams, he is dedicated to training other educators to become team coaches and integrate STEM into their curriculums. Some of the programs he provides guidance and training for include: Lego, F.I.R.S.T., and Vex Robotics; 3D printing integration throughout curriculums; Projects Lead the Way, Wet, and Wild; Hoosier River Watch; Vernier Probes; Lego Simple Machines; Apple iPad Creativity; Aleks; and Dreambox.

The top three AFA National Teachers of the Year presented by Rolls -Royce are as follows: Benjamin

Barkey 2017 AFA National Teacher of the Year L.D. Bell Museum Chapter 411, IN Caroline Little First Runner Up General E.W. Rawlings Chapter 213, MN

Nancy Parra-Quinlan Second Runner Up Frank Luke Chapter 151, AZ

The Air Force Association is grateful to Rolls-Royce for their continued sponsorship of the AFA Teacher of the Year program, allowing the program to continue honoring educational innovators in STEM. The AFA Teacher of the Year program dates back to the early 1990’s where the mission to recognize classroom teachers (K-12) for their innovative and successful instructional programs originally began.

Air Force Association Tucson Chapter 105 Annual Golf Tournament Haven Golf Course—Green Valley Friday, April 13, 2018

9:00 AM Shotgun/Scramble Registration Form Individual players are welcome and will be matched with a foursome Name: Phone: Name: Phone: Name: Phone: Name: Phone: Registration Fees: $70 per player or $260 for a foursome, if registered prior to March 17th. $80 per player or $300 for a foursome, if registered after March 17th. Registration deadline: April 6, 2018 All registrations include lunch following the tournament. For lunch only, cost is $10. Amount enclosed: $ Please make out checks to: AFA Tucson 105 Mail to: Dick Roberts, Chair, 1319 W. Mariquita St., Green Valley, AZ 85622 For tournament information: 520-648-5749, [email protected]

4 Know Your Tucson Chapter 105 Officers “A Little Bit of History” Secretary: Staff Sergeant Mark Lindsay Northrop SM-62 Snark

th Staff Sergeant Mark J. Lindsay is assigned to the 355 Communications Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. He is 32 years old and married with 2 chil- dren and a dog. As a Cyber Transport Supervisor he maintains $45M of network infrastructure devices and manages the base unclassified and classified networks. He has also served as the Node Site Coordinator for the Defense Information Systems Agency. Sergeant Lindsay is an avid runner and has completed 6 mara- The Northrop SM-62 Snark was an early model interconti- thons. He was recently awarded the nental range ground-launched cruise missile that could carry a Air Force Achievement Medal for W39 thermonuclear warhead. The Snark was deployed by the rescuing the National Air and Space United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command from 1958 Intelligence Center from a significant network outage by through 1961. It represented an important step in weapons tech- identifying errors in unique system parameters and restoring nology during the Cold War. The Snark took its name from the encrypted communications. His decisive actions aided in author Lewis Carroll's character the "snark". the capture of four high value targets and enabled the flow of 11,000 intelligence reports in support of Operation IN- The Snark missile was de- HERENT RESOLVE. Sergeant Lindsay was recognized as th veloped to present a nuclear the 355 Communications Squadron’s Airman of the Year deterrent to the Soviet Union in 2016. He received his Electronics Systems Technology and other potential enemies Associates Degree from the Community College of the Air at a time when Interconti- Force in 2016 and attends Bellevue University, working nental ballistic missiles towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Sys- (ICBMs) were still in devel- tems. opment. The Snark was the only surface-to-surface cruise missile with such a Wounded Airman Program long range that was ever AFA remains committed to taking care of our wound- deployed by the U.S. Air ed, ill and injured Airmen that have given so much to Force. Following the de- our Air Force and our nation. Under a formal Memo- ployment of ICBMs, the randum of Understanding with the United States Air Snark was rendered obso- lete, and it was removed Force, AFA operates our Wounded Airman Program from deployment in 1961. (WAP) in partnership with the Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) program to provide much needed Specifications: support to our wounded Airmen. Examples of support include prosthetics, financial aid, caregiver support, on Weight: 48,150 lbs without boosters, 60,000 with boosters -site support at adaptive sports camps and the Depart- ment of Defense Warrior Games and much more. Length: 67 feet

Wingspan: 42 feet 100% of funds donated to AFA's Wounded Airman Program are used in direct support of wounded Air- Warhead: W39 Thermonuclear (explosive yield 3.8 megatons men. The WAP is operated and administered by AFA with staff time and overhead fees covered by AFA's Engine: One P&W J57 jet and two Aerojet solid propellant general fund. In other words, if you give $100 to the rocket boosters WAP, that $100 will go toward the support we give our wounded Airmen. Operational Range: 5,500 NM Currently, the Wounded Airman Program has suffi- Flight Ceiling: 50,250 feet cient funds to operate for several years without addi- Speed: 565 nautical miles/hour tional donations but you can help support it and other family programs by donating to AFA’s “Airmen & Guidance System: Astro-inertial guidance with CEP* of about Family Programs”. 8,000 feet Launch Platform: Mobile launcher

*Circular Error Probable 5 2017 National Convention The 2017 National Convention was held September 16-17 at the Gaylord Conference Center & Resort, National Harbor, Washing- ton D.C. The Annual Nation Convention is held the weekend before the Air, Space and Cyber Conference at the same location. The Air Force Association is governed by its National Convention body which passes its authority to an elected Board of Directors for required actions between National Conventions. Each state organization is represented by chapter members that serve as delegates to the National Convention. The delegates receive briefings during the 2-day National Convention on the state of the AFA and key issues facing the AFA and the Air Force. The delegates are also asked to vote on positions for the Board of Directors, National Officers and policy proposals that require delegates’ approval. Each state is apportioned delegates based upon the number of members in each chapter. Arizona was authorized 12 delegates of which 11 attended the Convention. Represent- ing Arizona were (Chapter #s in parentheses): Harry Bailey (151), George Castle (107), Kathy Jagiello (418), Ross Lampert (107), Ed Logan (151), Joe Marvin (151) (State President and Head of Delegation), Sharon

Marvin (151), Wally Saeger (105), Paul Smiley (151), George Weil (418) and Heather White (418).

Of significance is that AFA is working towards a balanced budget after 10 years of deficit spending. To eliminate the $2 million deficit has required some changes in program funding, chapter funding and reduced

expenses in other areas. In addition, there has been increased emphasis on revenue generation, new member recruitment and member retention. Convention delegates (from left) - Ed Logan, Luke Chapter; George Weil and Heather White, Prescott; Sharon Marvin, To aid in this effort, the delegates approved a modest increase in the cost Luke; Wally Saeger, Tucson; Mike Espiritu, Holloman N.M.; of annual and 3-year memberships and eMemberships; the elimination of Harry Bailey, Luke; Ross Lampert, Cochise; John Toohey, Life memberships with a hard copy magazine; and, continuing the eLife Albuquerque (SW Region president); Kathy Jagiello, Luke; Membership at its current rate. This was the first increase allowed since George Castle, Cochise; and Joe Marvin, Luke (Arizona AFA 2010. president) The delegates were also called upon to vote on the following positions with the results as noted:  Chairman of the Board: F. Whiten Peters (Second 1-year term)  Vice Chairman of the Board, Field Operations: F. Gavin “Mac” MacAloon (Second 1-year term)  Vice Chairman of the Board, Aerospace Education: Richard B. Bundy (Third 1-year term)  National Secretary: Ross B. Lampert (First 1-year Term)  National Treasurer: Steven R. Lundgren (Second 1-year Term)  National Director At Large: Richard W. “Rick” Hartle and Mark L. Tarpley  National Director, Central East Area: Tyler Johnson (3 Year Term) The biographies for all of the candidates can be found on pages 68-70 of the September 2017 Air Force Magazine or at http:// www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2017/September% 202017/0917_W_Reeves_Nominees_REV68.pdf. Numerous chapter and individual awards were presented Saturday night at the Awards Dinner. Cochise Chapter 107, Sierra “Vista, won the Outstanding Small Chapter of the Year while the Frank Luke Chapter 151, Phoenix, won the Jack Gross Award for chapters larger than 1,100 members. The Jack Gross Award recognizes chapters with the highest number of NEW chapter recruited members as a percentage of chapter size. Our chapter was fifth in the Extra Large Chapter category (651 – 1099). The awards can be found on the AFA web site under Field Awards: https://www.afa.org/afafieldleaders/awards/fieldawards. The awards are found by clicking on the Unit Achievement Awards, Individual Awards and Unit Membership Awards. Note that the Medals of Merit and Exceptional Service Awards were not presented but will be presented at the local level at a later date. The briefings and presentations from the National Convention will be posted on the AFA web site at some future date. An email with the link will be sent to our chapter members when the link is available. It was a long but fulfilling 2 days at the Convention but I was glad to be home. - Wally Saeger, V.P.

It is hard to believe that another summer has come and gone and STARBASE Arizona is already in the second session of students. We kicked off the year on August 01st with nearly 135 fifth grade students from Sycamore Elementary School in the Vail School District. Each class came to Davis-Monthan five different times for a total of 25 hours. During those 25 hours, they learned about engineering, chemistry, robotics, physics, geospatial intelligence, 3D computer-aided design and were also able to see working squadrons on base and learn how they use S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and math) on a daily basis.

After Sycamore completed the program, we moved straight into another wonderful group of fifth graders from the Amphitheater and Sunnyside School Districts. We are about to wrap up the 25 hours with them and then will we bring in another group. It is non-stop here at STARBASE and we love every minute of it and every student that comes through. Overall this year, we are slated to see 31 classes from the city of Tucson. That usually works out to between 900 and 1,000 fifth grade students.

A big part of our program is partnering with DM and active military to ex- pose the STARBASE students to positive role models in the Air Force. We call up the Airmen to volunteer with our program in a number of ways; as career guide briefers, who come and talk to the students about what they do here on base and how they use STEM, and as rocket launch volunteers as- sisting the students with their water bottle rocket launch after learning all about Isaac Newton and his three laws of motion. We are grateful to be a part of the DM community and all the support we receive from the base. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact STARBASE Arizona director Mikelle Cronk at (520)591-6680 or via email at [email protected].

Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Association

The Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Association (TC/TAA) will be placing this Memorial to all Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlifters lost in combat in America’s wars at the U.S. Air Force Museum, Fairborn, OH, October 13, 2018. The memorial will be 72 inches tall and 34 inches wide on a 12 inch high base. The USAF and Arnold Wings emblems are waiting approval from the USAF Trademark personnel in San Antonio, TX. This memorial dedication event will be part of the October 11-14 TC/TAA Reunion at the Holiday Inn, Fairborn, OH. Shortly there will be a link to the hotel to register and also a registration form to attend.

So far, we have collected $31,504 of the $32,850 memorial cost. We are almost there and thanks and a shout out to the Professional Loadmaster Association (PLA) Little Rock, AR Chapter who recently made a $2,000 donation. The TC/TAA donated $5,000 to this memorial and it would be nice to recapture some of that into our financial coffers for other items and events. You too can donate to the Memorial and important plan on being in at the USAF Museum in October 2018. Donations can be sent to our Treasurer, ralph Bemis, 248 Valley View Dr., Kerrville, TX 78028. - Mike Welch, President, TCTAA

Community Partner Program

For more than 40 years, businesses have been joining the Air Force Association to support both AFA National and local AFA chapters. Becoming a Community Partner is a great way to get your business involved with your local Air Force Community. Community Partners are partnership businesses that want to assist both AFA National and the local AFA chapters by becoming involved in Community efforts to support the United States Air Force.

By forming a partnership with your local AFA chapter, your business will help AFA fulfill their mission to promote a dominant Unit- ed States Air Force and a strong national defense. Any business or organization can become a CP and have two options for membership:

Category One (CP I) $90.00 annually- Business can designate one person to receive AFA Membership and enjoy all benefits thereof.

Category Two (CP II) $180.00 annually- Business can designate two people to receive AFA Membership and enjoy all benefits thereof.

Not only does a Community Partner receive all the benefits of an AFA membership, such as a variety of product and service dis- counts, insurance programs, and much more, but the partner will also receive the following upon joining AFA:

Date Medallion

Wooden Plaque

8”x5” “Our Business Supports Our Troops" Window Decal

If your business is interested in becoming a Community Partner, you should first contact your local chapter.

For questions or for more information on the program, please contact: Dave Carrell, [email protected], (520) 305-4407

Have your business become a part of a great cause and show your patrons that you support our Air Force!

Tucson Chapter’s Community Partners

A & E Specialty Marketing Chick-fil-A La Posada Lodge & Casitas Elliott M. Klahr Matt Hountz Juan Loo, Sales & Catering Mgr P. O. Box 4423 3605 E. Broadway Blvd 5900 N. Oracle Rd Rio Rico, AZ 85648 Tucson, AZ 85716 Tucson, AZ 85704 520-281-1369 (P) 520-321-4232 520-887-4800 (P) 520-980-0515 (C) 520-293-7543 (F) [email protected] Ciruli Brothers ascendcollection.com 5 Calle Cristina Chick-fil-A Rio Rico, AZ 85648 Dave Carrell 520-281-1456 6675 E. Grant Rd. Tucson, AZ 85715 520-305-4407 Jackson Oil Company Robert Ferretti Chick-fil-A 623-217-8005 Jim Paine 4885 N. Oracle Rd. Tucson, AZ 85705 520-408-2456

8 Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS)

On Monday, July 24, I had the unique opportunity to travel to Phoenix with Ellen Jimenez, President of the Tucson Military Affairs Committee, to visit the Phoenix Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and our very own chapter member Captain Sandra Spoon who is assigned there. The following is an explanation provided by Captain Spoon of what the MEPS is and does to in- process new military recruits for all four services. Prior to July 1983, the Phoenix MEPS, or AFEES (Armed Forces Entrance and Examination Station), was located in downtown Phoe- nix. In July 1983, it was relocated to a national historical site, the Monroe School Building, at 215 N. 7th Street. The tall columns supporting the front of the building and the rustic wood and glass entrance etched a lasting impression upon everyone who entered. In June 1998, the Phoenix MEPS moved to 1 North First Street, in downtown Phoenix, where it operated until January 2013. The Phoe- nix MEPS moved to its current location at 2800 N. Central Avenue in February 2013. The 2800 N. Central Tower is a 21-story Class A office building located in the heart of the Phoenix Midtown submar- ket. The Phoenix MEPS is one of a network of 65 MEPS located nation- wide and in Puerto Rico. As a separate Department of Defense (DoD) agency, United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM) is com- prised of two geographical sectors and staffed with personnel from all military services. The mission of USMEPCOM and the Phoenix MEPS is to process individuals for enlistment or induction into the armed services, based on DoD-approved peacetime and mobilization standards. The Phoenix MEPS has 47 military and civilian personnel assigned, and together processed 9,349 applicants in 2016. Three primary areas are considered in determining an applicant's qualifications for enlistment: aptitude for military service, physical qualification, and background evaluation screening. The USMEPC is the vital link between recruiting and training today’s armed forces. The command’s motto, “Freedom’s Front Door” symbolizes the command’s mission of determining the physical, mental and moral qualifications of every member of the armed services. There is no other door. Knocking on and walking through “Freedom’s Front Door” isn’t easy. While the door is open to everyone, only qualified applicants succeed. Thousands of new service members proudly walk through that door each year to fill the ranks of our nation’s armed forces. USMEPCOM, with headquarters in North Chicago, Ill., is a joint service command staffed with people from all five branches of service. The command, through its 65 Military Entrance Pro- cessing Stations, determines whether applicants are qualified for enlistment based on standards set by each of the services. Two geographic sectors and twelve battalions provide intermediate management in operating the MEPS. The Eastern Sector Headquarters and Western Sector Headquarters are collocated with the command headquarters in North Chicago. “From green walls to red carpet” is an accurate description of how the examination process has evolved through the years. Reflecting the command’s “Red Carpet” treatment for applicants, processing at the MEPS is tailored to the needs of today’s applicants. This is a radical departure from the old practice of herding young people through a maze of examination stations in painfully drab, musty, green-walled military buildings. Today’s applicants are treated with dignity and receive a relaxed first military experience thanks to a combination of individual customer orientation and modern, efficiently designed facilities. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, known as the ASVAB, is an integral part of the qualification process. The command administered 391,000 enlistment ASVAB tests during fiscal year 2016 at the 65 MEPS and more than 230 Mobile Examining Team (MET) sites throughout the country. The ASVAB is offered as a pencil and paper test at MET sites and as a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT- ASVAB) at the MEPS. Either version of the ASVAB provides basic qualification and assurance that enlistees have a strong chance of success in specific technical training and occupations. Additionally, 704,000 high school students were tested under the Department of Defense Student ASVAB Testing Program during the 2015-16 school year. The student ASVAB provides a counseling tool for guiding students in their academic and vocational program while furnishing a “talent pool” of qualified potential enlistees to the military recruiting services. Thorough medical examinations are used to determine applicant’s physical qualifications for enlistment. Near the end of fiscal year 2016, more than 450 MEPS physicians administered 289,000 medical examinations. These examinations help ensure that applicants can meet the demanding physical challenges of basic training and military service. Background screening of applicants is equally important to military entrance processing. It includes pre-enlistment interviews, finger- printing and initiating Entrance National Agency Checks. (Continued on page 10)

9 MEPS (continued from page 9) By determining applicants’ qualifications for enlistment, USMEPCOM provides military training centers with fully qualified, motivated, top-notch recruits. During fiscal year 2016, 221,000 young people met those rigid standards in route to serve in the armed forces. In the event of mobilization, the USMEPCOM mission would adjust to meet the requirements for induction and deployment of forces. If our national security is threatened and mobilization is required, the number of people processed would quadruple, with most individuals reporting through the Selective Service registration system. Processing today’s armed forces requires USMEPCOM to have a highly competent, technical and motivated team of professionals. Each MEPS’ military and civilian member is a vital part of attaining the ultimate goal ... bringing the nation’s best young people on to the country’s defense team. - Wally Saeger, V.P.

Arizona AFA State Meeting The Arizona State AFA Annual meeting was hosted by the Prescott Chapter in Prescott Arizona on Saturday, August 19. State Presi- dent Joe Marvin presided over the meeting and all four Arizona chapters were represented. The meeting is a chance for all of the chapters to get together and share ideas on how to improve their chapters.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by C/Col Christopher Partida from AFROTC Detachment 28, Embry-Riddle University, Prescott, AZ.

The first order of business was to present the State Teacher of the Year Nancy Para-Quinlan, with her award as the Second Runner-up at the National Level.

The AFROTC and Silver Wings cadets from the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle University then presented a briefing on how they would like to improve their relationship and interaction with the Prescott chapter.

The following were elected as state officers for 2017-2018, effective 1 October:

President – Joe Marvin (Frank Luke Chapter)

Vice President – George Castle (Sierra Vista Chapter)

Secretary - Sandra Spoon (Tucson Chapter)

Treasurer – Bob Curry (Frank Luke Chapter)

The next order of business was to discuss the AFA National Convention to take place September 17 in Washington DC. Ross Lam- pert from the Sierra Vista chapter provided an overview of several key initiatives that the delegates should be voting on.

There were discussions on ways to improve each chapter’s Community Partner program as well as Aerospace Education programs.

Finally, each chapter president, or their representative, was given the opportunity to highlight their chapter’s programs and successes.

The final order of business was to emphasize the need to support our chapter’s efforts to put on a successful 2018 Southwest Region Conference in Tucson.

Before closing the meeting, Joe Marvin announced the following National Level awards:

Medal of Merit: Judy Logan (Frank Luke) and Wally Saeger (Tucson)

Exceptional Service Award: Stu Carter (Sierra Vista) and Ed Logan (Frank Luke)

= Wally Saeger, V.P.

10 Upcoming Events Look for future “field trips” to different squadrons on base; if you have something specific you want to see please let us know! There are MANY events supporting our local Airmen listed below and more to come! As a Chapter, we try to attend all that we can. If you are interested in represent- ing our AFA Chapter at any of these, please inform Mark Koechle ([email protected]), and he will coordinate it. You just have to show up and enjoy these traditional military ceremonies and gatherings. First come, first served!! SAVE THE DATE

October -2nd: Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!) -13th: 355th TRS Change of Command, 357th Fighter Squadron Yellow Bay Hangar (Bldg 5430), 1500 -27th: Chapter Monthly Luncheon, 1130 Lunch, 1200 Program; Guest Speaker, Congresswoman Martha McSally

November (no luncheon this month due to Thanksgiving) -6th: Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!) -11th: Veterans’ Day; Thank you to all our Veterans and their Families for their service and sacrifice! -TBD: Look for information on a Veterans’ Day Ceremony sponsored by Davis-Monthan and Tucson’s Veterans’ Day Parade -23rd: Happy Thanksgiving!

December -4th: Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!) -7th: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day -7th: Annual Daedalian/AFA Christmas Banquet and Scholarship Presentation, 1800, Mirage Club

January -8th: Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!) -26th (tentative): Chapter Monthly Luncheon, 1130 Lunch, 1200 Program (Program TBD)

SAVE THESE DATES: -2-4 March, Annual Heritage Flight Conference -10-11 March, Tucson Festival of Books -10-11 March, Luke AFB Airshow featuring The Thunderbirds -17-18 March, Davis-Monthan Airshow “Thunder & Lightning over Arizona” featuring The Blue Angels - 13 April, AFA Chapter 105 33rd Annual Golf Tournament, Haven Golf Course, Green Valley

Air Force Association Air Force Association Means Americans for Air Power Non-Profit Org. U. S. Postage Tucson Chapter 105 Paid P. O. Box 15057 Tucson, AZ Tucson, AZ 85708 JOIN AFA Permit No. 1278

AFA’s Mission Our Mission is to promote a dominant USAF and a strong national defense and to honor airmen and our AF heritage. To accomplish this we Educate the public on the critical need for unmatched aerospace power and a technically superior workforce to ensure US national security, Advocate for aerospace power and STEM education, and Support the total Air Force Family and promote aerospace education.