• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

+ THE BATTLE OF WAGHEZ— VIDEO CLICK HERE TO VIEW Cover: Senior Airman Chris Whitehurst, a TACP with the 227th Air Support Operations FlashbackFlashback PHOTOPHOTO Squadron, models night vision gear. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht A New Jersey National Guard T-6 Texan flies over the Garden State in this undat- ed photo. The T-6 was used by the Army Air Corps and the U.S. Navy as a train- ing aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo) - - - 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 FW, the U.S. Government, the Depart- ment of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Public Affairs Office of the 177th Fighter Wing. All photographs are Air Force photographs unless otherwise indicated. 1 The Contrail uring my short time as your Com- with a professional or- D ganization and the mand Chief, I have taken the time to number is very low. observe, listen and learn. I believe that devoting my time to doing this is nec- The AFI also mentions essary to execute all the duties and re- that we gain compe- sponsibilities entrusted to me and to tencies through educa- tion. An example of all those in our profession. this is the academic degree program. As I was touring all the various units and areas of Starting in fiscal year the base, I noted that as a Wing, the Airmen work of 2015, it will be man- well as a team to accomplish their assigned du- datory for any promo- ties and tasks - in contributing to the overall mis- tion to Senior Master Sgt. and Chief Master Sgt., that sion. With all of the changes and challenges that the member have a CCAF degree. Now is the time to have been presented to them, they continue to focus on earning your CCAF degree. adapt and meet those challenges while complet- ing the job requirements in a timely and efficient As NCOs, we are tasked to recognize and reward those manner. individuals whose military conduct and performance clearly exceeds established standards. We have vari- One morning, while reading my e-mails and plan- ous award programs in place to recognize those de- ning the course of my day, I realized that while serving because of their achievements and exemplary we do a great job in accomplishing some of the work. One example is Airman of Quarter. It has been duties and responsibilities - we are lacking in oth- my experience that we are not taking the time to distin- er areas. This realization prompted me to read guish those individuals that are worthy of this recogni- AFI 36-2618 (The Enlisted Force Structure) to tion. see what areas we could improve. Though there are other areas that need improvement in In AFI 36-2618, it states the following purpose: the Enlisted Force Structure, I believe the above noted "Provide an enlisted force structure that best points are the ones that currently need our attention. meets mission requirements, developing institu- NCOs from the senior level on down to the staff ser- tional and occupational competencies.” As Air- geant must lead by example. We must belong to a pro- men and especially as NCOs, we must ask our- fessional organization and encourage the involvement selves if we are performing the tasks required of others. We need to continue and complete our edu- and suggested in the AFI. As I continued to cation to earn our CCAF degree. We must make sure to read the NCO competencies section, it notes that acknowledge those that are deserving of recognition an NCO should be actively participating in pro- and thank them for their commitment to the mission. fessional organizations. On occasion, take the time to read AFI 36-2618 and I have sat on promotion boards and the question work on the areas which you feel need improvement. of professional organization affiliations is often asked and some of the members admit their non- involvement. I recently reviewed a report on the number of members in our unit that are affiliated JOSE GONZALEZ Command CMSgt, 177th FW The Contrail 2 As the imagery of war unfolds on our television screens bat force and effective communications were established of precisely guided ordnance striking unfriendly targets with F-16C Fighting Falcons from the 177th Fighter Wing on the battlefield, most of us don’t know that there is a while they provided simulated close air support for the select group of U.S. Air Force Airmen on the ground, friendly forces. quickly and accurately acquiring the target, directing those air assets to it and keeping friendly forces in the While the 10 person Air Guard presence was small com- vicinity out of harm’s way. They are Tactical Air Control pared to the nearly three thousand Army National Guards- Party Specialists (TACPs) - game changers. men participating, their role in the Field Training Exercise (FTX) was critical to the overall success of the mission. TACPs, also referred to The New Jersey Army Na- as Joint Terminal Attack tional Guard’s 1-114 Bat- Controllers (JTACs), are talion Commander, Lt. highly skilled and physi- Col. Thomas Hallowell, cally fit individuals who said, “I can tell you that I must be able to operate have used them before, in under any environmental the real deal, and I have condition. They embed dropped some big bombs with U.S. Army ground with their assistance and forces and special oper- they’ve been at my side. ations teams to facilitate They do a great job and communications be- they’re warriors and literal- tween the pilots and the ly, they’re game chang- ground commander, ers.” confirm the location of the target, and help get Hallowell continued, “One the weapons on the right event specifically when we target, at the right time, were in a TIC [Troops In the right place, the right Contact], we were in a firefight and although we angle and on the right U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kane Lawlor (left), and Airman 1st Class Joshua Derins enemy. (right) scout out an insertion zone while riding in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter didn’t have direct close air from the New Jersey Army National Guard's 1-150 Assault Helicopter Battalion support dedicated to the More than just the eyes during training at Warren Grove Gunnery Range in Ocean County, N.J., Aug. 29. mission, we made the call and ears of the pilots on Lawlor and Derins are both tactical air control party airmen assigned to the 227th and within two minutes the ground, they carry a Air Support Operations Squadron, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley) they arrived and ended heavy burden of respon- the troops in contact. The sibility to the fight. A bri- emotional aspect and gade commander gives a JTAC the authority to strike a angst involved with being in a troops in contact situation specific target on the battlefield, with approval to release and being fired at and then watching that house go away a weapon given to them by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. where the enemy was, and the emotions involved with the soldiers, the swing in ninety seconds is incredible.” JTACs from the 227th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS), a detachment of the 177th Fighter Wing, New One evening during the exercise, 227th ASOS members Jersey Air National Guard in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, were onboard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for an air in- participated in field training exercises with New Jersey sertion exercise with the 1-102 Cavalry scouts, one of the Army National Guard’s 50th Infantry Brigade Combat methods for moving them into an area of operations where Team at Fort Pickett, Va. in August. they’ll be performing recognizance. This exercise was unique for the National Guard as New “With the JTAC embedded with the scouts, this brings in Jersey's Air and Army assets combined as a unified com- those force multipliers that allow us to flex the combat pow- 3 The Contrail U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kane Lawlor (right), and Airman 1st Class Joshua Derins (left) go over patrol plans with members of the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat team on Aug. 12 at Fort Pickett, Va. (U.S. Air National Guard pho- to by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht) “...the responsibility in our hands is huge…” - Airman First Class Joshua Derins, 227th ASOS insertion/extraction training mission ers that the brigade combat team has. You have the capa- at the Warren Grove range in Ocean County, New Jersey bility to bring both the reconnaissance piece that we do on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the New Jersey and the lethal fires that close air support brings, in the Army National Guard's 1-150 Assault Helicopter Battalion. case of this exercise, the F-16s,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bill Morris, Squadron Commander of 1-102 Cavalry. This training mission was part of a forty-eight hour test for Derins, referred to as a “check ride”, where he would be ”One of the great things about the New tested on mission-planning and exe- Jersey Army and Air National Guard is cution and certified to be combat mis- that we have these folks organic to the sion ready, the culmination of the typi- State” continued Morris.

Load more

  20

Copy Link