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VOL. 45 NO.48 DECEMBER 2, 2005 New commandant takes helm of 34th TRW By Eddie Kovsky Academy Spirit staff Colonel Susan Desjardins takes command of the 34th Training Wing during a ceremony at 4 p.m. in the cadet field house Thursday. Colonel Desjardins, who will pin on brigadier general the same day she takes command of the training wing, replaces Brig. Gen Johnny Weida, who leaves the Academy to become the Director of Capabilities Integration and Transformation, Headquarters Air Force Material Command, Wright- Patterson AFB, Ohio. The new commandant of cadets comes to the Academy from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., where she was the commander of the 437th Airlift Wing. Colonel Desjardins graduated from the Academy in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs/Political Science. She was a member of the first class of women to Photo by Charley Starr graduate from the Academy. There’s no “I” in beam Over the course of her 25-year Cadet 2nd Class John Sparks, Cadet 3rd Class Devin Hart, Cadet 2nd Class Eugene Salazar and Cadet 2nd Class career, Colonel Desjardins has Tyler Streit, members of Cadet Squadron 22, work together during the Centrifuge event at the Commandant’s commanded at the squadron and group Challenge, Nov. 22. Details of the Centrifuge, which was the final event in the three-day training exercise, were levels, and has served as the Deputy kept secret until the last day. Cadet Squadron 9 took first place in the event, while Cadet Squadron 18 earned Military Assistant to the Secretary of top squadron overall for the Commandant’s Challenge. the Air Force and in a variety of staff positions at the Joint Staff, Headquarters United States Air Force and major command levels. Academy welcomes new guards Colonel Desjardins holds a Master of Arts in Industrial Psychology and By the Academy Spirit staff While these services will Human Relations from Louisiana Tech remain the same, some customs University, La.; a Master of Arts in Thirty new contract guards and courtesies will change: the National Security and Strategic Studies from AKAL Company begin contract guards are not required from the Naval War College in providing security at all Academy to salute officers. Newport, R.I; and is a graduate of The gates today. “While some of the guards General Manager Program at Harvard Similar guards have been are retired military personnel or Business School, Cambridge, Mass. stationed at the Academy, Fort have a civilian police background, She is also a command pilot with more Carson and other DoD installa- and some are our returning Army than 3,700 flight hours in a variety of tions around the continental U.S. brethren, all have received 40 hours cargo aircraft. providing security services. of training on visitor control, The current commandant of cadets, “These guards have been vehicle search procedures, gate Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, has been hired to increase home station duties and other various subjects nominated for promotion to major security while our active duty from 10th SFS training section,” general and selected to become the security forces prepare to deploy said Sergeant Stoney. Director of Capabilities Integration to various overseas locations,” The $1.3 million contract is and Transformation, said Staff Sgt. Brandon Stoney, funded through October 2006 and 10th Security Forces Squadron possibly the next fiscal year as the Resource Protection and Crime Air Force has determined secu- Inside Prevention NCO. rity forces will be deploying more The new civilian guards will frequently over the next several Commentary . Page 2 be armed, and will perform duties years. News . Pages 3-12 similar to their security forces “The contractors are a Feature . Pages 13-17 counterparts. They have been Photo by Louis Blanchetti welcomed addition to the Josh Martin, an AKAL contracted security guard, Sports . Pages 18-20 fully trained and equipped to Academy and will ensure the assists Amn. Carlos Martinez, 10th Security Forces Community . Pages 21 provide the same quality of protection of our people and Squadron, in checking IDs at the Academy’s South service the Academy community resources remains at the highest Gate. AKAL is contracted to provide basic security for is accustomed to receiving. level,” the sergeant said. the Academy until October 2006. Academy Spirit 2 COMMENTARY December 2, 2005 Airmen still making the choice to serve By Lt. Col. Steve Matson world has resulted in an approximate 400 percent We made the choice to join the profession of 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander increase in U.S. security commitments — while our arms. armed services have concurrently downsized by The reason is not important. What’s important is SOUTHWEST ASIA — From the onset of the approximately 40 percent. that you made the choice and you are serving with Eisenhower presidency in 1953 — through 1992 — Quite simply, we really are doing more with less. pride and honor. the United States military intervened in world events With this change in responsibilities and increased Our nation has called on the military for involve- some 51 times. operations, it would be easy to explain how numbers ment in more than 100 operations in the last 50 years. From 1992 through 2000, they had an additional of new Airmen are declining. But this is just the And it is Airmen like you that make that mission 51 interventions. opposite. succeed. Notably, throughout the 1990s, U.S. forces were People are still choosing to serve — and choosing Our Airmen place themselves in harm’s way every involved in peacekeeping, peace enforcement, human- to serve in record numbers. day, faithfully defending our nation and our way of itarian relief and extended low-intensity operations — Our military is made up of people from many life. in addition to war-fighting duties. different parts of the globe with widely varying back- Regardless of your reasoning — whether it is a As many Airmen know from personal sacrifice — grounds. However, we all have one thing in common: calling for patriotic duty, a family tradition, desire to since 2001 — the mighty B-52 Stratofortress and its We all made the choice to serve our great nation. learn a trade, or simply that it is the right thing to do aviators and maintainers have been deployed fighting There are as many reasons to serve as the varied — you are the ones that answered the call of our and supporting the global war on terrorism. backgrounds of those who chose to serve. But the one nation. The expansion in responsibilities around the commonality is that we all made the choice. Thank you for your choice to serve. Fallen comrade takes last plane ride home By Tech. Sgt. John B. Gazaway Soldiers being herded into a ceremo- doing so. the rules, and our own expectations, 176th Civil Engineer Squadron nial formation. Twelve men, all Army, accompa- are somewhat different. There are situ- We waited at parade rest for a nied the coffin. I couldn’t see through ations where a multitude of detailed SOUTHWEST ASIA — It was considerable period of time. Then the ranks of heads and arms. I could facts only obscure the central issue. still dark on the runway when we gath- echoing down the ranks, the words only watch the helmet covered heads I’m comfortable with not knowing ered. Most of us were standing on an repeated by each level of leadership, of the pallbearers bearing their burden. the details because the truth is clear. A asphalt runway. I was just one more in came the command “Attention.” And I could see they were young young American died serving his or a milling mass of uniforms. Shortly after came the command, and terribly serious. her country in a foreign land far from It probably would not be appro- “present arms,” as the official party Words were said, the coffin was home. priate to say how many are stationed came past. carefully loaded aboard the airplane Another truth was that I was proud here, but we comprise a small city — From my place — many ranks and the ramp closed. to be there in the desert darkness with about the size of Bethel, Alaska. back in my squadron formation — I We were dismissed. my fellow Soldiers and Airmen, paying One thing the military does well is could only see the heads of the official To this day I do not know who it our last respects to a fallen comrade- organize milling masses. escort between the bent and unwa- was that died. I suspect he or she was in-arms. Before long, the first sergeants and vering arms of the men and women in the Army. They tend to do most of Sometime later my squad mate and officers were calling out. We slowly before me. the dying in this region. Now, clearly, I were driving across the base and we shook ourselves into organized groups If I were a good Soldier, I would this young person was known to the saw the C-130 slowly, like a pregnant — with long ranks of Soldiers facing have, as is proper, only looked at the command and to family and friends. guppy, climb into the early morning long ranks of Airmen across a short neck of the woman before me. Well, But for those of us drawn up in the sky. stretch of pavement leading to the the truth is, I am a willing, but some- early morning dark, this was our own Behind it the bright yellow ball of open bay of the C-130 Hercules. what unremarkable Airman, and so I unknown Soldier. the desert sun was just crawling above I won’t say this was a solemn slyly peaked.

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