Vol. 47, No. 24 Thursday, June 13, 2019 WWII vets honored during CORONA South - page 8 News/Features: page 2 A lesson in building alliances News/Features: page 3 Training saves Airman Top shots: page 4 Images from the week News/Features: page 7 Citizen Airman Key Spouses Photo by Senior Airman Scott Warner MacDill Air Force Base Honor Guard team presents the colors at the 75th D-Day Commemoration at MacDill June 6. With Community: page 15 Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright as guest speakers, Events, Chapel, more... MacDill AFB honored local World War II veterans who participated in the D-Day invasion, a monumental turning point in World War II. MACDILL THUNDERBOLT u Thursday, June 13, 2019 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u 1 NEWS/FEATURES Chairman: Alliance building is a lesson of Normandy invasion by Jim Garamone Defence.gov The success of D-Day was the result of the co- operation among the wartime allies, and that is one of the lessons from Operation Overlord that still resounds today, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford spent the 75th D-Day anniversary June 6 paying respects to those wartime allies, meeting British, Canadian, Dutch and Norwegian D-Day veterans at ceremo- nies in Bayeux and Juno Beach, France. The 1944 landings at Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold and Sword beaches and in drop zones in the area involved service members from 14 al- lied countries. The United States alone lost more than 6,000 service members that fateful day, but the allies had made the first breach in Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. In an interview in London, Dunford said watching the veterans placing memorial wreaths at the British memorial in the Bayeaux grave- yard was “particularly powerful.” The men — now Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro in the mid-90s — were helping each other walk to the memorial and place their remembrances. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with his British “You could see how meaningful it was for them to counterpart, Army Gen. Sir Nicholas Carter, as both men walk from the British memorial service at be back,” the chairman said. “You could see how Bayeux Cathedral to the war cemetery in Bayeux, France, June 6. close those guys were to each other yesterday.” The veterans were the most important aspect reminder of the fact that we assume that we are mon ground and worry less about areas where of the ceremonies, he said, noting that it is impor- never going to be at war without allies, without we have divergence.” tant to recognize them for what they did 75 years partners,” Dunford said. D-Day should remind people that nations with ago. It also is important to recognize what it took Developing and sustaining those relation- common values can come together to advance to bring the whole operation together, he added, ships in peacetime is important, the general said. their interests despite any differences, Dunford because alliance warfare is hard work, and there One message from the 75th anniversary obser- said, pointing out that all of the nations involved can be many pitfalls. vance, he said, is that allies and partners “have in the planning of Operation Overlord had a com- “The 75th anniversary ceremonies were a good to emphasize those areas where we have com- See NORMANDY, Page 13 COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE MacDill on the web Website: www.macdill.af.mil The Action Line provides two-way communication between the Facebook: www.facebook.com/ 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. Per- sonnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to MacDillAirForceBase [email protected] or Facebook @6thAirMobilityWing- Instagram: macdill_afb CommandTeam Twitter: @macdill_afb MacDill Thunderbolt U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department factor of the purchaser, user, or patron. of the Air Force or the 6th Air Mobility Wing. News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submitted Publisher: Joe DeLuca The appearance of advertising in this publication, including to the 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs office, 8208 Hangar inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by Loop Dr., suite 14, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Call the Thunderbolt Editor: Nick Stubbs the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, at 828-2215. Email: [email protected]. 6th Air Mobility Wing or the TImes Publishing Company of the Deadline for article submissions is noon, Wednesdays to The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by the Times Publish- products or service advertised. appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received after ing Company, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. For retail advertising, call (813) 226-3318. deadline may be considered for future use. All submissions are Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an autho- Everything advertised in this publication shall be made considered for publication based on news value and timeliness. rized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. mili- available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clar- tary services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, ity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Stylebook are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101. 2 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u Thursday, June 13, 2019 u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT NEWS/FEATURES Firefighters and Cable Dogs save lives by Airman 1st Class Shannon Bowman my leadership,” said Woods. “As we came to- 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs gether with the various stakeholders of the pro- gram we discussed the importance of General Last summer, the Air Force suffered the loss Allen’s message not being just for CES but for of a civil engineer squadron Airman who was op- all AF personnel.” erating around an entry to a confined space in a All agencies conducted simulated confined deployed location. U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John space rescues, with Woods concluding that all J. Allen the director of civil engineers, ordered safety criteria was met. that all civil engineer squadrons conduct a safety “The fire and emergency personnel who re- stand-down day to deter these types of incidents. sponded did a very thorough and precise re- The 6th CES observed Allen’s order by host- sponse to the emergency scenario,” said Woods. ing a Safety Stand-Down Day at MacDill Air “The willingness of the CSPT members facili- Force Base May 28. tated an amazing and successful stand-down, The exercise was mandated to provide train- identifying the need to revamp the program.” ing in local confined space entry protocol, ad- Staff Sgt. Christopher Bailey, a cable and dressing the incident and any general safety is- antenna maintenance supervisor with the 6th sues within the squadron. CS, led his team, who face hazardous confined Representatives from the 6th CES, 6th spaces in order to perform their duties. Bailey’s Communications Squadron, 6th Maintenance team trains annually to ensure they can per- Squadron, Wing Safety, bioenvironmental engi- form their job in confined spaces effectively and Photo by Senior Airman Ashley Perdue efficiently. neers and additional contractors were present U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Keith Hickson, a This is the first time in three years that all at the trainings. 6th Communications Squadron cable mainte- units trained as a whole and according to Bailey, Tech. Sgt. Matthew Woods with the 6th CES nance and antenna technician, stages himself the goal is to incorporate more regular train- developed the schedule of events. in a confined space during a mandated civil en- ings. “The first thing I did was reach out to the in- gineer squadron safety stand-down day at Mac- stallation’s Confined Space Program Team and See LIFE SAVERS, Page 14 Dill Air Force Base May 28. Airman credits PPE for saving life in motorcycle crash with truck by Staff Sgt. Dana J. Cable hind a van too closely, and when the van moved 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs over into the straight away lane he didn’t see me there waiting to turn left and thought he LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark.— was still in a straight-away lane.” A lot of people have said the phrase, ‘I feel like Diaz was then hit from behind by a truck I got hit by a truck’ in a figurative sense, but traveling around 40–45 mph. when U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gabriel Diaz, “He didn’t react at all and didn’t see me sit- 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flight line ting there,” Diaz said. “It happened so fast, expeditor, says it, he says it from experience. and I didn’t even know he was coming. I didn’t Monday, May 6, started as a normal day off hear squealing of brakes, no horn, he just drove for Diaz. right through me.” “I didn’t have work that day because I had Diaz recalls, it sounded like a shotgun going just had weekend duty, and my boss gave me off in his helmet and remembers seeing his feet the day off,” Diaz said. “It was just a typical up in the blue sky before landing on top of his day. I woke up, did some yard work, kissed the motorcycle, which was laying down sideways in wife goodbye, and then hopped on my bike.” the middle of the road.