Vol. 47, No. 4 Thursday, January 24, 2019 Commentary: page 2 Honoring Martin Luther King Brandon Clinic expanding to better serve - page 8 News/Features: page 3 Special warfare center opens News/Features: page 3 Virtual training tool at work Week in photos: page 4 Images from the week Photo by Airman 1st Class Frank Rohrig The Brandon Clinic will relocate to a new, larger facility in April to better serve more than 95,000 regional joint service Community: page 14 members, families and retirees. Events, Chapel, more... MACDILL THUNDERBOLT u Thursday, January 24, 2019 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u 1 COMMENTARY Continuing the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Airman 1st Class Caleb Nunez 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs “I have a dream…” When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke these famous words to that crowd of over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he delivered a speech that has captivated generations since with its vision of racial equality. As the third Monday of January approaches and we take a day to recognize and honor Dr. King and his philosophies, we must remember his dream of existing in a diverse society where the benefits of equality are enjoyed by all, re- gardless of race or circumstance. As I reflect upon this, I question myself: “Why does this speech continue to resonate almost 60 years later?” For me, it is because it captures the spirit of hope, even during difficult times, which remains as relevant as ever. From national security concerns to winning the fight, the challenges we face today as a coun- try are significant and the consequences of fail- ure are dangerous. It is because of this that we need not forget Dr. King’s ideals and utilize our greatest asset – people – to its full potential. Photo by Airman 1st Class April McAnally I believe our best measure of success in the A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sits on a table during the 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lun- Air Force is not the war we win by fighting, but cheon at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. the war we prevent by defending the sky, space judging people through an objective and profes- words, valuing diversity promotes innovation and cyberspace.We should be entirely dedicated sional lens.What should matter is their con- and thus, strengthens the force. tributions to the strength of the team. In other to accomplishing this mission, which means See MLK, Page 13 For information about base operations during emergencies or natural disasters, call the Straight Talk Line at 828-4163 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, January 24, 2019 u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT NEWS/FEATURES Special Warfare TISC opens to solve tomorrow’s problems by Senior Airman Joseph Pick 24th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS)—The Special Warfare Technical Inte- gration Support Center opened its doors during a ribbon cutting and dedi- cation ceremony in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Jan. 11, as the newly named Col. John T. Carney Center of Excellence. With the name of “Coach,” Carney embodied within the 25,000-square-foot facility, the roots of special tactics aim to inspire employees of the SW-TISC every day. “Every special tactics leader strives to give their men the best equipment and training to fight our enemies,” said Col. Spencer Cocanour, 24th Special Operations Wing vice wing commander. “Coach Carney pushed the enve- lope to get the very best for his people. He fought the bureaucracy with the same ferocity he fought the enemy.” The wearable communication equipment that special tactics operators car- ry in the field needs to be the best that the Department of Defense can offer Photo by Senior Airman Joseph Pick to fight tonight and tomorrow’s battles and this starts with the work of the The Special Warfare Technical Integration Support Center opened its men and women within the SW-TISC. doors during a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony in Fort Walton “This building is unique It will bring together a diverse group of profes- Beach, Florida, Jan. 11. The 25,000-square-foot facility is tasked with inte- sionals with different backgrounds to collaborate, develop, test, field and grating technologies, ensuring interoperability and providing updates and training on communication equipment that Special Tactics operators use. See WARFARE, Page 11 Virtual, augmented reality may hold key to future Air Force training by Tech. Sgt. Daryl Knee Air Combat Command Public Affairs JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS,Va. (AFNS)—A demonstration of how virtual real- ity and augmented reality (VR/AR) can benefit Air Force training processes took place Jan. 8. The demonstration was geared toward Air- men within the aircraft armament systems and munition systems, and gave a glimpse of how VR/AR applications can aid in providing an en- hanced experience to Airmen preparing aircraft for combat missions. Aircraft armament systems Airmen are re- sponsible for maintaining launch and release devices on aircraft. This means that when a pilot pulls the trigger,the devices successfully launch away from the aircraft toward the intended tar- get. Munitions systems Airmen are responsible for the assembly and processing of non-nuclear munitions. They handle, store, transport, arm and disarm weapons systems to ensure the safe- ty of all Airmen involved in preparing aircraft Photo by Tech. Sgt. Daryl Knee sorties. A demonstrator shows how augmented reality can be used to view floating dialogue boxes for These two groups of Airmen operate in a com- individual parts of a mock missile during a demonstration Jan. 8 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, plex work environment where aircraft up-time Va. Augmented reality is one way Airmen could use advanced technology to enhance their train- See VIRTUAL, Page 15 ing in the field. MACDILL THUNDERBOLT u Thursday, January 24, 2019 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u 3 WEEK IN PHOTOS Photo by Senior Airman Cory W. Bush Airmen assigned to the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds” conduct the first official launch of the Thunderbird Dia- mond formation Jan. 9 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. This training flight represents a key milestone for the 2019 Thunderbird team as it prepares to showcase the pride, precision and professionalism of the Air Force during the upcoming show season. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys Photo by Senior Airman Thomas Barley Staff Sgt. Samantha Gassner 386th Expeditionary Security Forc- A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mis- es Squadron military working dog handler, bonds with her dog souri, and two F-22 Raptors from the 199th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Pearl LLoren after an MWD Expo at an undisclosed location in South- Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, fly in formation near Diamond Head State Monument, west Asia, Dec. 27. During the expo, military working dog handlers Hawaii, during an interoperability training mission Jan. 15. Three B-2 bombers and their dogs demonstrated a confidence and basic obedience and more than 200 Airmen deployed in support of U.S. Strategic Command’s course as well as the six phases of controlled aggression that se- bomber task force mission. Bomber aircraft regularly rotate through the Indo- curity forces members use when training their K-9 partners. Pacific region to integrate capabilities with key regional partners. 4 u WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM u Thursday, January 24, 2019 u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT NEWS/FEATURES CSAF lauds combat RPA innovation by Senior Airman James Thompson 432nd WG/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.