Army, Air Guard units blend expertise, train for emergencies

by By Airman 1st Class Samantha Saulsbury
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

3/19/2014 - Erie, Colo.- -- Colorado Army and Air National Guard service members pry through pounds of wreckage, investigating every inch of rubble in a determined search for survivors.

The National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package Team spend a weekend once every three months combing through a mock incident site.

According to the National Guard website, the CERFP duties include extracting and rescuing casualties trapped in rubble, decontaminating them, and performing medical treatment to stabilize them for transport to a medical facility.

Each drill weekend, a different real-world situation is executed. From tornadoes to chemical attacks, the Soldiers and Airmen of CERFP are trained to respond quickly. During the most recent drill, CERFP members were called in for a simulated explosion at Sports Authority Field, home of the Denver Broncos. Members practiced donning chemical gear, chemical alarm procedures and how to decontaminate and medically treat victims.

"This past weekend was an event to practice our mission skill set and set us up for success when we participate in the National Guard Bureau Vigilant Guard Exercise in Salt Lake City, Utah," said U.S. Army Capt. Timothy Trimbur, 147th Brigade Support Battalion CERFP decontamination commander.

The sum of all their hard work and training has allowed the CERFP to respond effectively to several real emergency situations in the past few years. Recently, the CERFP deployed two search and extraction teams during the Colorado floods to assist in search and rescue.

"While no one ever wishes for an emergency incident, it is very gratifying to be a part of a response that helps," Trimbur said.

Although the mission can get difficult, Trimbur explained the most fulfilling part of his job is the utmost appreciation of the people he helps.

"Just a simple 'Thank you for what you do,' makes everything we do on a day-to-day basis worth it," Trimbur said. "It's why I get up every morning and put on the uniform."

Face of Defense: Helping Others Motivates Navy Officer

By Army Cpl. Clay Beyersdorfer

Regional Command South

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 19, 2014 – What he originally thought was “cool” has turned into a passion and a formidable career for Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Chris Neal.

Neal, a neurosurgeon at the Role 3 NATO medical unit here, said he has “seen it all” when it comes to neurology.

“I thought [neuroscience] was cool, and after I got some experience with surgery and really being able to be hands-on, I have loved it, and haven’t looked back since,” he said.

It all started when Neal graduated from high school and was immediately accepted into medical school to study neurology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, before eventually being accepted into a program to become a Navy doctor. His home station is the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Working there, he said, he grew to love working with service members, especially in a joint-service environment.

“I enjoy the joint-service environment we have at Walter Reed,” he said, “because at the end of the day, medicine is medicine, no matter what service you are in. You’re stronger together.”

Before his current assignment in Afghanistan, Neal served a tour at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. It was there, Neal said, where he was faced with the most memorable moment in his career. A soldier came into the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, requiring immediate surgery to survive.

“He was not doing well at all,” Neal said. “We had determined that we needed to take part of his skull off to let the brain swelling go down without causing damage to it, and with that always comes complications.”

Before continuing his story, Neal elaborated on the intricacy of brain surgery, emphasizing that it always is a difficult decision to go ahead and perform surgery.

“It is hard, because you are unsure how that person’s quality of life will be,” he said. “Will they be able to get up and walk around, and function like a normal person if I do this surgery? It is the hardest part of my job, because you want the best for them and to have the best life possible.”

Neal said he decided to go ahead with surgery for the wounded soldier, but the initial results were not looking good. “I had to tell the family, ‘He may very well die. The injury he sustained was a very serious one,’” he said.

The soldier continued to live, but Neal soon was headed back to Walter Reed, as his tour in Landstuhl was coming to an end. He was unaware of the soldier’s condition until his first day back at Walter Reed, where he saw a familiar name while reviewing the rehabilitation list.

“I said, ‘Wait a minute, I know this guy,’” Neal said. “So I went up to the rehab floor and who do I see -- the soldier and his family.” The soldier had pulled through and was gradually progressing.

“His mom came up and hugged me and cried,” Neal said. “But the soldier had no idea who I was; [he] didn’t recognize me. He didn’t know I was the one who performed surgery on him.”

It is memorable moments like that, Neal said, that keep him motivated and passionate about his job. “I guess that is why I do this stuff,” he said with a smile.

Neal went on to volunteer for a deployment to Afghanistan, where he is the top neurosurgeon at the Role 3 facility here, seeing every service member who comes in with head-related trauma or injury. On top of that, he has operated on local Afghans who have been taken to the hospital, including one man who was severely injured and “made us question ourselves whether or not he was going to make it,” Neal said.

Much like the soldier in Germany, the man gradually progressed.

“For a week or so, we really weren’t sure,” he said. “But then one day his eyes opened up, and he progressed enough to where his brother could come in and spend time with him.”

The man’s brother, with tears in his eyes, gave Neal something he said he will never forget. “He came up to me and said, ‘This is worth a thank you,’” Neal recalled.

Neal credits all of his experiences to his work ethic. “I am a workhorse. I take pride in being a hard worker,” he said. “And doing some of the things I have been able to do, this has all been worth it.”

Face of Defense: Four-time Iraq Vet Serves in Afghanistan

By Army Sgt. Antony S. Lee

Regional Command South

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 18, 2014 – After four deployments in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Lakeesha Terrell said, she felt prepared for her fifth and current deployment here.

“It prepared my mindset for what could happen when I came over here,” Terrell said. “I had experience, so I knew even though I had never been to Afghanistan, I knew what to expect a little.”

Terrell, a supply sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, is now nine months into her deployment here. She has been stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., since 2009, and her fourth deployment, in 2010 to Iraq, also with 4th Infantry Division.

The Columbus, Ga., native said she has learned life lessons and gained valuable experiences from all of her deployments.

“The best experience [from] deployments is meeting new people,” she said. “Every place you go in the military, you should always get something out of it.”

It was early in her Army career when, as a private first class with 3rd Infantry Division, Terrell served during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. She joined the Army in 2001, and said leaving her family for each deployment has been difficult.

“I think that’s the hardest part – to leave your family behind,” said Terrell, who has an 18-month-old son. “You take the bad, and you make something positive out of it. I knew there was something good at the end of it all, and that’s why I’ve stayed in the military.”

She deployed to Iraq four different times in a seven-year period before deploying to southern Afghanistan in 2013 as the supply sergeant of Company C, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, as the division took charge of Regional Command South headquarters. Seeing Iraq grow and learning something from the culture there helped to prepare her for her first deployment to Afghanistan, Terrell said.

As a supply sergeant, Terrell manages property worth millions of dollars. She also supports different sections within the division, supplying them with equipment they need to accomplish their various missions. She said she has had outstanding leadership throughout her Army career and during her fifth deployment.

“You always hear about the bad, but there are good leaders out there,” she said.

Army 1st Lt. Israel Rubio, Terrell’s supervisor and company commander, said Terrell is the “best supply sergeant in the battalion.”

“She’s a hard worker [who] doesn’t take no for an answer, meaning she won’t accept mission failure,” he said.

During her free time, Terrell said, she often volunteers at the morale, welfare and recreation center here, where she is a familiar face. She is scheduled to return to Fort Carson early this summer.

“When I step foot off the plane, I will thank God for another completed journey,” she said.

Robins first benefits Afghan Air Force

by Jenny Gordon
78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

3/14/2014 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Teams from across the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex gathered March 6 to witness a first -- the complete nose separation of a C-130H from its fuselage.

This particular mission at Robins is significant not only politically -- it will be one of two C-130H models scheduled to be delivered to the Afghan Air Force this year -- but once again showcases the experience and capabilities here when it comes to a structural undertaking of this magnitude.

"I was extremely pleased with the teamwork and coordination between the system program office engineers, quality, safety and our maintenance personnel during this Herculean effort," said Jim Russell, 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron director. "They once again proved this complex can safely and expertly handle any maintenance task."

Due to a hard landing, the C-130H experienced major structural damage to its nose.

An engineering team from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group C-130 maintainers is moving ahead to remove another nose from a second donor aircraft which was scheduled to be retired. The nose from that donor aircraft will be installed on the AAF-bound aircraft within the next few weeks.

The nose repair -- unscheduled depot level maintenance -- was delicately disassembled at the factory break. The 360-degree nose section included a labyrinth of electrical and hydraulic components, engine cables, oxygen lines and air conditioning systems.

Maintenance crews were scheduled separately to remove their responsible areas.

"We had a lot of homework to do before we started this project," said Scott Latimer, 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron's Center Wing Box Fixtures team lead. A total of 364 bolts -- what held the 9,000-pound nose section to the fuselage -- were manually removed, some more easily than others.

While the disassembly process took nearly three weeks, it only took about 90 minutes from the time the final bolts were removed until the nose completely separated.

Teams will assess the aircraft's mating surfaces for corrosion and cracks, clean and polish the holes where the bolts were, and perform nondestructive testing techniques to inspect the aircraft for any unknown conditions. When all the criteria have been met on the removal and inspection of the second donor nose, the next major event will be marrying that to the AAF-bound aircraft. A team from Robins visited Lockheed Martin in Marietta to learn how maintainers there performed that operation.

Both 1974 airframes arrived at Robins last fall. In order to prepare them for the work ahead, active duty personnel from the 402nd Expeditionary Depot Maintenance team first removed large pieces of the aircraft, including its wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, ramp, engines and cargo doors.

"This project wouldn't be moving along as quickly if not for the team efforts of active duty Air Force and civil service," said Latimer.

Considering the aging fleet of the aircraft, this C-130H will be better than new when finished. It will not only have a new nose but a recently replaced center wing box prior to its delivery overseas.

The remaining parts of the donor aircraft will be used for aircraft battle damage and repair training.

While a lot of attention has been focused on this project, there is a second C-130H on station scheduled for a standard programmed depot maintenance package. That aircraft is also bound for Afghanistan. The AAF successfully received its first two C-130H aircraft in October 2013, according to the Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force. The move will help boost the country's military capabilities as they lead their country's security.

Face of Defense: Marine Brothers Reunite in Afghanistan

By Marine Corps Cpl. Cody Haas

Regional Command Southwest

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, March 17, 2014 – After being separated for more than a year and a half, two brothers were reunited while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Donald Rucker, a maintenance administration clerk with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466, Marine Aircraft Group - Afghanistan, Regional Command Southwest, and his brother, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ian Smith, a mortarman with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regional Command Southwest, reconnected with one another here March 11.

“It’s definitely cool having a brother in the military,” said Smith, a 20-year-old native of Edmond, Okla. “Having shared pretty much everything growing up: sports, food, parents, the Marine Corps, it’s just one more thing.”

The two were not always so close. Rucker was adopted at age 15 and moved in with Smith’s family. The brothers really got to know each other as teens and have been great friends ever since.

“I found myself going in the wrong direction and wanted guidance and discipline in my life,” said Rucker, a 21-year-old native of Edmond.

“I can definitely see the difference in him,” Smith said. “He’s disciplined, patient and all-around a great Marine. Our parents couldn’t be prouder of our decision to be Marines, and we couldn’t be happier.”

Though the brothers both wrestled in high school, Smith also played football and Rucker practiced martial arts in his spare time. The two grew up in a rural Oklahoma town where the ideals of love and service to country were instilled at a young age. Both joined the Marines straight out of high school.

“I think we both knew we were joining the military at some point after high school,” said Smith, regarding his decision to serve despite football scholarships to Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma State University. “My father and grandfather were Marines, and I wanted to be the third-generation Marine in my family. Tradition is very important to the both of us, which made the decision of what branch we were going to join an easy one.”

Reuniting in Afghanistan has been bittersweet; Smith is four days away from completing his first tour while Rucker just started his.

“He’s given me a lot of tips,” Rucker said of his brother. “It was great seeing each other again. I’m looking forward to my deployment, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Threats Continue to Evolve, Officials Tell Congress

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 – The threats the United States faces are continuing to evolve, the military’s top special operations officials said on Capitol Hill yesterday.

Michael D. Lumpkin, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Navy Adm. William H. McRaven, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, testified at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee.

“The threat we face, especially from al-Qaida, is continuing to change,” Lumpkin said. “Although the scale of the threat to the homeland has diminished, threats to our interests overseas are increasing. With their leadership depleting, al-Qaida still retains sanctuaries in remote areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.”

With threats also evolving with terrorist organizations expanding in Syria, North Africa and the Sahel, he said, the United States must maintain pressure on such organizations to protect the nation.

Lumpkin said practical realities will make this task harder. “We are in a time of transition. We face a yet-undetermined drawdown in Afghanistan and new fiscal realities,” Lumpkin said. “It may become more difficult to maintain pressure on al-Qaida and their traditional safe havens.”

Lumpkin said he closely monitors how cuts to the military services affect Socom’s readiness, and Socom is assessing the impact on “critical enablers” In light of the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2015 budget request and fiscal uncertainty beyond next year.

“We’re ensuring the cuts to the [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] fleet will not erode our capabilities to find, fix and finish targets,” he said. “As we transition in Afghanistan and redistribute special operations forces into other theaters, we need to ensure our operations and maintenance accounts are resourced to support operations.”

As the United States moves toward a global-network perpetual engagement, Socom’s efforts are grounded in experience that demonstrates the success of such an approach, Lumpkin told lawmakers. In Columbia, for example, Socom has provided counterinsurgency training and humanitarian help to prevent narcotics traffickers from developing sanctuaries, he said.

“This effort not only resulted in a far more secure and prosperous nation, it has emerged as the great exporter of regional security,” Lumpkin added.

The same opportunities exist in Africa and the Middle East, he said, adding that “discreet activities and operations” constitute a global special operations force network, which is required for perpetual vigilance.

“I am committed to do everything I possibly can to ensure these brave warriors have the best training, equipment and support we can provide,” Lumpkin told lawmakers. “Working with Congress, we will surely have the right strategies and policies in place to employ them effectively.”

Socom has made great strides dealing with existing conflicts, preparing for future conflicts and taking care of its people, McRaven told subcommittee members. As DOD’s synchronizer of the war on terrorism, Socom coordinates its activities locally, regionally and globally with the Gulf Cooperation Council and U.S. ambassadors, he said.

“I believe the future of U.S. special operations will be in helping to build partner capacity with those willing nations that share our interests,” McRaven said. “This will mean strengthening our existing allied relationships and building new ones. No nation alone can stem the rise of extremism. We need our friends and allies more now than ever before.”

Socom’s future as a special operations force also is “inextricably linked” to the general-purpose force and other agencies, he said.

“The past 12 years have shown us that the whole-of-government effort is required to be successful against extremism, and in the special operations force, we have always relied heavily on our fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines for support around the globe,” McRaven noted.

The admiral said people are the command’s most precious resource, and that Socom officials have gone to great lengths to take care of the force and their families.

“The Preservation of the Force and Families Task Force has already seen a marked improvement in the morale and well-being of those who serve in [the special operations forces],” he said.

After more than 10 years of combat operations, Socom launched the task force in 2012 to make resources available to its service members and families who felt the strains and pressures of multiple deployments and busy training schedules.

“While we still suffer from the tragedy of high suicide rates, I believe we have laid the foundation for keeping our force and their families strong and resilient in the future,” McRaven said.

Afghan Security Forces Focus on Upcoming Election

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 – The presidential election scheduled April 5 is the main focus for Afghanistan and its national security forces, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said here yesterday.

“For those that have followed Afghanistan, the elections are the main event right now,” the general told reporters at the Pentagon. “We’re just weeks away [from] the 5th of April.”

Dunford emphasized that the coalition is not responsible for securing the elections, but will provide support when needed. ISAF and partner nations are providing limited logistical support in the distribution of materials, he said, and the vast majority of tasks are being done by Afghans.

The general said he will provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, some quick-reaction-force capability, and perhaps some close air support capability, if needed, to support the election.

“We know that both the Taliban and Haqqani as a subset, if you will, of the Taliban, are absolutely determined to disrupt the elections,” Dunford said. “They said it publicly, [and] we’ve seen indications of that for some months now.” They fear inclusive elections, and don’t want them to take place, he added.

As he did in earlier engagements with Congress, Dunford praised the Afghan national security forces for their transition to handling their country’s security.

“When I took this job, we had over 100,000 forces -- coalition -- on the ground in Afghanistan,” he said. “We’ve got about 45,000 today, [and] security hasn’t changed.

“On the one hand, you might say, ‘Well, security hasn’t changed,” Dunford continued. “I’d say, ‘Yes, that is exactly right, and that’s pretty extraordinary that it hasn’t changed, because the Afghans have provided the security in 2013. We provided it in 2012, and it hasn’t changed.”

The general said the Afghan forces have been doing an “extraordinary job” of going into traditional enemy support zones and conducting operations to dislocate them.

They are setting conditions in that regard to make sure the enemy is not in a position to disrupt the elections, he added.

“They also will probably, about a week or 10 days [to] two weeks before the elections, have their final security posture set,” he said. “They’re in a process now of doing final rehearsals and coordination and so forth.”

Emphasizing again that coalition forces are playing a “very, very minor role” in the security of elections, Dunford provided contrast for reporters.

“The last point to that is that in 2009, we had 250,000 forces securing the elections,” the general said. “That’s a combination of coalition and Afghan alike.” This time, 425,000 troops will provide security for the elections this year: 375,000 members of the Afghan army, national police and local police, supported by 45,000 NATO forces.