Air Force Association Chapter 147 General Bernard A. Schriever Chapter Los Angeles, CA From The President……. Greetings, I was told many years ago, for a very good reason, “Steve… surround yourself with good people and you will succeed”. This is certainly the case when it comes to the General Bernard Schriever Chapter of the AFA. I have been involved in a variety of organizations, and clearly Chapter #147 is a cut above when it comes to carrying out their mission. Support of our military space community and related entities has been steady and significant. This is a genuine tribute to YOU and I am very proud to have graduated from ‘sidekick to ringleader’ with all of YOU as partners. Our endeavor to plan 2015 has gone well this first quarter. The Chapter’s solid strategic plan is based on proven activities that generate positive impact. We have 13 well-staffed, effective committees with iron-clad plans. Consequently, I am confi- dent about execution and envision even some new activity in the future. We are very fortunate to have the financial resources that enable the funding of scholarships, events and select philanthropy. More importantly, we have committed folks and ‘many hands make light work’. As you know, last year the chapter assumed total responsibility for hosting the Air Force Ball in Los Angeles. It was a great success and we are planning a repeat performance on 20 November 2015 at the Beverly Hilton. In conjunction, we are increasing our involvement in an adjacent symposia-like event, performed last year by the Mitchell Institute and Rand. Our an- nual Salute to SMC will be held 15 May to honor some very special SMC award winners. Mark your calendars. Additionally, the chapter initiated a program to etch the names of military space icons on the Schriever Wall of Honor, and dis- cussions ensue about how to further illuminate the remarkable work SMC and it’s legacy organizations have undertaken. In the same vein, a handful of our board members have initiated support of the extraordinary SMC Heritage Center, which clearly has a very important purpose. Read more about it in this issue. Recently, I attended a California AFA meeting in El Segundo. There I met a dozen passionate AFA leaders who are com- mitted to delivering much needed support for our nation’s warfighters. Topics put on the table were interesting and informative, and there were several take-aways that warrant sharing. First, I believe we should learn more about the AFA Wounded Airman Program. There are some distinct differences from the popular Wounded Warrior Project, including a 0% administration fee. Second, with the great success of AFA’s Cyber Pa- triot Program, a similar STEM program called Space XPlorers, has been started in Colorado Springs. I realize there is only so much bandwidth for these types of programs, but if this activity is successfully generating more engineering interest in our youth, then perhaps we should track the opportunity. Third, it’s imperative we all be mindful of the need to grow our member- ship so we can continue to deliver value to our Air Force. Our effectiveness can only be achieved through a strong, good sized organization. Consequently, I would encourage each of you to recruit new members that share the resolve to serve. It is abundantly apparent that much has been accomplished and there is much to do! On behalf of AFA #147, I would like to extend a sincere thanks to Ed Peura for his great leader- ship over the last two years. I can also categorically state the chapter is tremendously appre- ciative for Chapter Secretary Marcia Peura’s contributions… and for her willingness to con- tinue serving! Now let’s go Advocate, Educate, and Support! Ed Peura passing the gavel to Steve the new President, Steve Scott Jan, Feb, March 2015 AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT AEROSPACE ORGANIZATION P.O. Box 394 El Segundo, CA 90245 1 Air Force Association Chapter 147 General Bernard A. Schriever Chapter Los Angeles, CA Chairman of the Board: Thomas D. Taverney (Tav), Maj Gen (USAF Ret) 310-218-8903 [email protected] President: Steve Scott Vice President: Steve Pluntze Office: 310-535-3504 Office: 310-653-3480 Mobile: 310-874-4288 [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Marcia P. Peura Treasurer: Rick Reaser 310-643-5906 Mobile: 310-227-5534 [email protected] [email protected] Community Relations: Joe Boyle Website: http://afa147.org/ Community Partners: Level 1 Level 2 Jan, Feb, March 2015 AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT AEROSPACE ORGANIZATION P.O. Box 394 El Segundo, CA 90245 2 Southern California Invitational Drill Meet 28 February 2015 (supported by your Chapter) The Southern California Invitational Drill Meet (SCIDM) is an annual event hosted by USC AFROTC Det 060. The recent SCIDM was an event to see, especially for someone who had never witnessed this amazing ROTC drill competition. It was held in one of the Northrop Grumman parking areas on a Saturday where rain threatened but never happened. There was an incredible sense of energy with all of these young cadets coming together. The competition, which includes four types of teams (full team, four person, color guard, and individual drill down), is judged by US Marine Corps Drill Instructors, who at times even intimidated the visitors observing the competition. This first-time observer watched some of the color guard and full team competition. As each color guard in turn prepared to perform, there was a small support contingent following the four cadets until the last moment, straightening belts, smoothing wrinkles, and removing any minute speck of lint from uniforms. After watching a few teams perform, it became very apparent how every step, ever maneuver, every angle had to be perfectly synchronized as the team marched with the colors and posted the colors. The full team competition consisted of three phases: Registration, Inspection, and Exhibition. REGISTRATION seemed to be just a matter of the team marching and executing various maneuvers. Then I noticed that each team leader was given a small piece of paper as the team stood ready to begin, with the required maneuvers and the specified order listed. The team had no idea what it was required to perform but had to respond to each command issued by the leader as it was given. Some teams performed so superbly that you would have thought they knew exactly what was coming. INSPECTION was definitely the most intimidating, with the Marine Drill Instructors aggressively tried to rattle each cadet with an amazing display of shouting, screaming, and fierce expressions. Each team leader did his or her best to shout back appropriate responses, beginning with “Aye Aye, Sergeant!” Once the sergeants had finished with the leader, they went to each team member in turn and began shouting. Although I’m not exactly sure, the idea seemed to be to stand there with eyes forward and without flinching. EXHIBITION was the third phase, and each team performed an intricate routine, some with rifles or sabers, trying to keep in perfect unison. One team was so good that I didn’t notice when one member must have missed catching his rifle. All I saw was seconds later his team mate very unobtrusively handed off the missed rifle to the first cadet, with both cadets in perfect unison with the team. Talk about teamwork! If you haven’t been to one of these drill meets, consider going next year. Seeing so many young, dedicated, talented people in one place does your heart good and gives you faith that our military is in good hands for tomorrow. read more on Page 11-12 Jan, Feb, March 2015 AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT AEROSPACE ORGANIZATION P.O. Box 394 El Segundo, CA 90245 3 SMC HERITAGE CENTER Did you know??...The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has a Heritage Center. This is a field unit of the Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, National Museum of the Air Force, which allows SMC to display collections of AF Museum artifacts pertinent to the its history and tell the SMC story about the creation and development of ICBMs, launch vehicles, and satellites since SMC’s beginnings in Inglewood in 1954. Since its establishment in 2008, the Heritage Center had been populating the hallways of SMC’s Schriever Space Complex at Los Angeles Air Force Base with historical displays, until it was able to acquire a dedicated space in December of 2013. The SMC Heritage Center then began, with the help of local scientists, engineers, 61CELS, volunteers, historians, and the history office archivist, to create a space for SMC personnel and visitors to come in and learn about SMC’s history. Ever vigilant for worthy causes, Ed and Marcia Peura, General Taverney, Steve Scott, Steve Quilici, and Steve Pluntze investigated this newly created center and determined that the SMC Heritage Foundation needed to be es- tablished to support the fledgling center and went forth to make it so! On 22nd October, 2014 at the Grand Opening of the SMC Heritage Center, Ed Peura, Treasurer for the newly created SMC Heritage Foundation, and Harry Waldron, SMC’s Chief Historian, hold the paperwork from the IRS designating the Foundation as a non-profit in support of the SMC Heritage Center. Already the Foundation has provided a new wall hanging system for the Heritage Center and has been actively col- lecting for the next series of projects. For a quick look at what is available to explore, please see the Foundation’s newly created website: http://www.SMCHeritageFoundation.org To contact the Heritage Center or arrange for a tour, please email: [email protected] or call (310) 653-3009.