On the cover: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Rebecca Roberts, an aerial porter with the 177th Fighter Wing, stands after a simulated rinse of her M50 gas mask during a contamination control area exercise on Jan. 10, 2015. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Shane S. Karp) JANUARY 2016, VOL. 50 NO. 1 THE CONTRAIL STAFF 177TH FW COMMANDER COL . JOHN R. DiDONNA CHIEF, PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAPT. AMANDA BATIZ EDITOR/SUPERINTENDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS MASTER SGT. ANDREW J. MOSELEY PHOTOJOURNALIST TECH. SGT. ANDREW J. MERLOCK PHOTOJOURNALIST SENIOR AIRMAN SHANE S. KARP AVIATION HISTORIAN DR. RICHARD PORCELLI WWW.177FW.ANG.AF.MIL 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 Fighter Wing, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Depart- On desktop computers, click For back issues of The Contrail, ment of the Air Force. The editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Public Affairs Office of the 177th Fighter Wing. All Ctrl+L for full screen. On mobile, and other multimedia products photographs are Air Force photographs unless otherwise indicated. tablet, or touch screen device, from the 177th Fighter Wing, tap or swipe to flip the page. please visit us at DVIDS! A clean slate, unconditional trust, Airman to Airman by Col. John DiDonna, Wing Commander vey responses, in 2016 I am going to focus I have high confidence in ALL of you – I comes great responsibility. It is up to YOU, on several areas of improvement within trust all of you have fully committed to ME, each one of us to defend that trust our Fighter Wing; you will hear more serving your country and this Fighter through our actions – actions which are about those areas in the coming months. Wing. rooted in integrity and fairness, do not dis- My commitment to addressing these areas criminate, and are 100% committed to giv- I challenge you to start off 2016 with an (and hopefully improving them) will be but ing our very best effort in serving our open mind, with a clean slate, and ask you one of my New Year’s resolutions. One country and each other, each and every to unconditionally trust each other as fel- specific area I need your help with is build- day. If we do this, and we all preserve/ low Airman to execute the mission. If we ing TRUST; trust in leadership and trust in maintain that trust, Airman to Airman, we start from a point of trust, we can inspire each other. Trust has many definitions, will surpass the excellence you have al- one another rather than be suspicious of one being “a person in which confidence is ready achieved. one another’s motivations and reliability. I placed”. All of us here at the 177th Fight- trust all of you are committed to military Again, thank you for providing me a ton of er Wing have been entrusted to proficient- service in order to defend the Freedoms material to positively communicate – a ly accomplish our federal and state mis- bestowed upon us. ALL of you belong to a perk I will never take for granted! Oh, and sions – a massive responsibility! Each one group comprised of less than 1% of our if you read last month’s article, Santa still of us plays a vital role in successful mission Happy 2016 177 Fighter Wing Airmen! I country’s population – those that serve in intends to grant my one gift of a Super- accomplishment. Many of you have differ- hope all of you had an enjoyable holiday the U.S. military. You should be extreme- bowl 50 win for the Patriots, despite their ent AFSCs, many of you work in specific season and were able to start the New ly proud and honored to be one of the few areas within your Squadrons/Flights, most struggles as of late Happy New Year Year in celebration. My wife was thor- who serve. The least we owe each other, of you are in various Groups, but ALL of us Jersey Devils!! oughly impressed I made it to midnight Airman to Airman, is trust; and with trust make up the 177th Fighter Wing team! this New Year’s Eve; vice my usual, star- Without coordinated efforts from ALL of ing at the back of my eyelids by 2200! I you, our TEAM would cease to function. want to thank you for your service in One perk of being a Wing commander is 2015 and the results driven by your receiving feedback on and communicating efforts– I feel we had a great year with positive mission performance. Often respect to mission accomplishment! times a commander will receive credit for Many people make New Year’s resolu- his or her Wing/Group/Squadron/Flight’s tions this time of year, usually centered performance. But, I promise you, a com- on diet and fitness. If that is you, I wish mander (including me) will have nothing you the best of luck in reaching your positive to communicate without a lot of goals! Based on your recent DEOCS sur- Airmen working together, as ONE TEAM – Lt. Col. Diana Brown Takes Command of 177th MSG Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Andrew J. Merlock, 177th FW Public Affairs ATLANTIC CITY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.J. – Members of the 177th Fighter Wing gathered in the main hangar to take part in the Mission Support Group (MSG) change of command ceremony on December 5, 2015. Col. Patrick Kennedy, vice commander of the 177th FW, turned over command of the group to Lt. Col. Diana Brown from Col. Michael Love, who is retiring later in the month. “Diana couldn’t be more suited for command with her background,” Kennedy stated. “She has grown through the enlisted ranks, became a senior NCO then first sergeant. That type of experience is unbelievable for her to have as a group commander.” been told this change of command is about me, but I'm not Brown, the former deputy MSG commander, addressed the so sure. It’s really about you and the support I can give you to crowd for the first time as their commander. meet your mission and goals.” “I am truly humbled standing here before you chosen to Brown spoke of the mission of the MSG as well as her represent the 177 Mission Support Group,” said Brown. “I've expectations as commander. “We need to be ready and our number one mission is readiness in being prepared to answer whatever call mother Air Force has for us as our goal,” Brown explained. “Whether you are an airman or officer, we surround ourselves with the core values, integrity, service before self and excellence in all we do. And I will expect nothing less of all of you as well as myself.” The MSG consists of the Civil Engineering, Force Support, Logistics Readiness and Security Forces Squadrons, in addition to the Communications Flight. “We are a very diverse group of squadrons, from our training to our mission, but we all have a common goal to support the wing and ultimately ensure the planes can fly.” Story and photos by CONTAMINATION control Senior Airman Shane S. Karp U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ken Emmons reacts after being sprayed with a simulated decontamination spray, Jan. 9. 2016, on Atlantic City Air U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jesse Arnstein, right, helps, decontaminate Senior Airman Rebecca Roberts, left, in a simulated exercise, Jan. 9. National Guard Base, N.J. The simulated decontamination was part of the 177th Fighter Wing's participation in contamination control 2016, on Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, N.J. The simulated decontamination was part of the 177th Fighter Wing's participation in area training. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Shane Karp/Released) contamination control area training. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Shane Karp/Released) More than 20 members from the 177th Fighter Wing Contamination Control “The training was designed to be a ‘walk’ session, but by the end of the day we Team donned their Mission Oriented Protective Posture, or MOPP, gear, Jan. 9 were near ‘run’ mode.” Arnstein said. as part of contamination control area training here. The contamination control area team is a diverse group of Airmen, including troops from civil engineering, communications, flight support, logistics, and Training consisted of several simulated decontamination areas, and ensured security forces, as well as Airmen from the 227th Air Support Operations Airman on base are able to successfully operate a decontamination line in the Squadron. event they are exposed to any type of dangerous chemical agent, said U.S. Air Arnstein further described the team’s efforts as “outstanding,” and with a Force Lt. Col. Jesse Arnstein, the officer in charge of the contamination control wing inspection planned in the upcoming months, it will be important for the area team. contamination control area team to continue with their progress. - Be thorough in your explanation of their state militia duties. Members will be more likely to stay motivated if they know exactly what they will be doing and what to expect. Use this opportunity to teach mem- bers about community issues or issues they may have at home. Trust and confidentiality are critical. May I suggest the following for motivation enhancements for 2016: - The potential impact of their work is always something that they want to hear. Have a member from the community come in and share their story to thank them! - Good communication with our members is essential to helping them - Invite the Chaplain to come in and conduct a service for them or just stay enthusiastic and inspired and should take place as frequently as talk to them.