CHECKLIST Folios OK NO Headlines OK NO Cutlines OK NO NA Mugs OK NO NA Graphics OK NO NA Stories end OK NO Jumplines OK NO NA Ads OK NO NA NO=Not OK; NA=Not applicable Reprint Y N Initials 1 TW Pest management keeps Travis … Travis keeps READY PAGES 14-15 Tailwind | Travis AFB, Calif. Friday, November 22, 2019 | Vol. 44, Number 47 z Hellhound saves service time, funds PAGE 3 z Exercise works to keep Airmen prepared PAGE 27 CHECKLIST CHECKLIST Folios OK NO Folios OK NO Headlines OK NO Headlines OK NO Cutlines OK NO NA Cutlines OK NO NA Mugs OK NO NA Mugs OK NO NA Graphics OK NO NA Graphics OK NO NA Stories end OK NO Stories end OK NO Jumplines OK NO NA Jumplines OK NO NA Ads OK NO NA Ads OK NO NA NO=Not OK; NA=Not applicable NO=Not OK; NA=Not applicable Reprint Y N Reprint Y N Initials 2 Initials 3 2 TAILWIND COMMENTARIES NOVEMBER 22, 2019 NOVEMBER 22, 2019 TRAVIS TAILWIND 3 Veterans are heroes for Reserve officer Hellhound innovation saves time, effort, money Tech. Sgt. David W. Carbajal EESLER AIR When you look at me in awe of what all veterans of a few Phillies baseball games, Commander’s 621ST CONTINGENCY RESPONSE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS FORCE BASE, each aspect of what we have done for their country. and after we landed, we would Commentary KMiss. — From do, when taken by itself, I truly understand that I am rush over to the stadium to at- “Knowledge is power and should be one veteran to anoth- it is not unique. one of the lucky ones, because tend the remainder of the game shared democratically.” er, I want to thank Military duty can I have served in a time where in uniform. It was during these This is the quote you will find at the you for your ser- come with extended threatening situations. But we my service is appreciated by the times when I was more and desk of Staff Sgt. Timothy Miller, 821st vice and the sacrific- time away from home aren’t the only ones, police and general public, and I know that more proud of how my home- Contingency Response Squadron tactics es you have made for on temporary duties and fire fighters also put themselves not all veterans had that privi- town welcomed my fellow Air- flight. And this isn’t just a quote he appreci- this great nation. deployments. Some oth- in harm’s way. lege during their service. That men as one of their own, simply ates; it’s something he lives by. When I am thanked er professions have to We finally concluded that is why it is important to say to based on their decision to serve Commentary Miller finished in the top five of 64 Air- for my service, it re- spend time away, such what makes those who have those veterans that our nation their country. men who submitted their innovation to the minds me of a recent by Lt. Col. as international busi- served, and those still serving, does appreciate everything you But the most memorable ex- Stuart Rubio 2019 Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix conversation I had with ness men and women. so special is the combination of did and are thankful to you for ample of appreciation that I Spark Tank competition. 403RD WING my wife, who is also Military duty in- all of these sacrifices and many your service. have experienced was not in “Finding solutions to everyday problems PUBLIC AFFAIRS an Air Force Academy cludes the possibili- more unnamed by both the ser- I grew up in a suburb of Phil- the United States, and it wasn’t should be everyone’s goal,” said Miller. graduate. She served on ty of being on-call at all vice members and their family. adelphia, a city that has a repu- directed to me. This experi- Over the last year, Miller and his team active duty for six years as an times. And again other profes- Each have agreed to give up tation for being hesitant to wel- ence occurred during one of of problem solvers came up with a new astronautical engineer. sions have on-call duties that a portion of their individuality in come in outsiders, especially the D-Day memorial events way to power tactical airfield lights that The question I asked was, they perform, medical profes- order to join something so much if you aren’t an Eagles, Flyers, in Normandy, France, where are used to guide aircrews in low-light sit- “Why do military members get sionals for one. bigger than themselves or their Phillies or 76ers fan. During the the 815th Airlift Squadron was uations in austere airfields. These lights singled out and thanked for sim- Military duty includes family. And it is that “Service past few years I was given the aren’t just used by the 621st Contingency ply doing our job?” the possibility of being in life before Self” mentality that has opportunity to perform fly-bys See RUBIO Page 23 Response Wing, but by a number of units through the Air Force. Historically, these airfield lights were powered by four AA batteries. “When using the batteries, there ICBM recognizes 60 years since first time on alert was a lot of uncertainty,” said Miller. Commentary by Troy A. Hallsell Commentary Finally, the power plant housed “These scientific accomplishments “We never knew how long the batteries 341ST MISSILE WING HISTORIAN three large, diesel generators and water of theirs have provided us all with re- would last and the weather conditions pumps in a 63 foot by 65 foot single-sto- newed evidence of Soviet competence wreaked havoc on them.” ALMSTROM AIR FORCE It had a range as far as 9,000 ry concrete block building. in science and techniques important to The AA battery approach gave the air- BASE, Mont. — On Oct. miles and was equipped with a W49 Despite the weapon system’s short modern warfare,” said President Eisen- field lights enough power for a few hours at M31, 1959, the United States 1.44-megaton warhead. Given the mis- lifespan, it paved the way for the Min- hower. “We must, and do, regard this as best, but in February, Miller was motivat- U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. David W. Carbajal ed by members of the 821st CRS to find a Staff Sgt. Timothy Miller, 821st Contingency Response Squadron, plugs in a power bank into Phantom brand tactical airfield lights at the Air Force’s first intercontinen- sile’s size, its launch site resembled a uteman ICBM. a time for another critical re-examina- better solution. 821st CRS building Nov. 14 at Travis Air Force Base, California. As part of Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Spark Tank, Miller and a team of tal ballistic missile, the SM-65D At- small village. President Dwight Eisenhower be- tion of our entire defense position.” las, went on alert at Vandenberg The launch operations building, lieved the Atlas could plug the per- “Just like in any brainstorming ses- innovators came up with an idea to modify the lights to increase the effective battery life to use while in austere environments. From 1955 to 1957, Congress and the sion, we began by just throwing ideas Air Force Base, California. which housed the launch crew, was a re- ceived missile gap between the Unit- U.S. Air Force increased the ICBM re- Assigned to the 576th Strategic Mis- inforced concrete two-story structure ed States and the United Soviet Socialist out there. Some ideas stuck, some connector and positive and neutral wires. Phoenix Spark lab. a TDY to Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. Af- search and devolvement budget from didn’t,” said Miller. “That was our ‘Eureka’ moment,” said “Luckily, for us Sergeant Perry has ex- ter field testing, the team made more sile Squadron, the U.S. Air Force de- measuring 73 feet by 78 feet. Republic. $161 million to $1.3 billion, with a $1.3 ployed Atlas ICBMs above ground in a Following the USSR’s launch of the During one of the sessions, Tech. Sgt. Miller. perience with 3D printers,” said Miller. improvements to the design and tested The guidance operations building billion supplement in 1959 to ramp up 3-by-1 launch configuration. The mis- that sent course corrections to the mis- world’s first artificial satellite, the Sput- Stephen Stafford suggested the team try The team’s next hurdle was to make Staff Sgt. Jared Perry and the rest them again in September 2019. ICBM production. sile was 82.5 feet in length, 10 feet in di- sile in flight was a 75 foot by 212 foot nik-I, on Oct. 4, 1957, the U.S. acceler- using a universal serial bus or USB to an adaptor that would complete the cir- of the team came up with a design that “The lights worked well during our test- The U.S. Air Force rushed to deploy ameter and weighed 276,136 pounds one-story building with a reinforced ated its ICBM program aboard an R-7 power the lights, said Miller. The team cuit the same way the batteries would. would replace the batteries in the lights. ing at Mobility Guardian,” said Miller. when fueled. concrete basement. Semyorka ICBM. See HALLSELL Page 21 did a quick experiment with it and the They decided to experiment with the 3D In June 2019, the team had a working lights worked, using an impromptu USB printers at the Travis Air Force Base version of the lights and tested them on See HELLHOUND Page 22 The Tailwind is published by the Daily Republic, Fair- tus, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other Table of contents field, California, a private firm in no way connected with nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron.