RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE
A publication of the 502nd Air Base Wing – Joint Base San Antonio
64th Year • No. 23 • JUNE 11, 2010
Page 9
INSIDE ... WARRIORS EMPHASIZE READING, P3 ... MUSEUMS FOR FREE, P4 ... DBIDS BECOMES REALITY, P4 ... AMPUTEE TRAINS FOR MARATHON, P12

PAGE 2 WINGSPREAD
By Lt. Col. Douglas McCobb
321st Training Squadron
Former Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom James Callaghan said, “A leader must have the courage to act against an expert’s advice.”
The Air Force core values are those values we hold firm and are the foundation on which we conduct our daily business. The Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do are written in black and white; there is no gray area when it comes to abiding by our core values. They are not interchangeable and we cannot substitute or replace one of them with a different saying or phrase. The three core values, though separate and distinct, do share a sense of unity and cohesion. They are the basic fundamentals of how we manage and accomplish our daily business as well as how we interact with our fellow wingmen.
Too many times throughout our personal life as well as in our professional
Air Force career we hear common phrases such as, “let’s get this done and ask for forgiveness later” or “do it now and everything will work out fine.” All policies, Air Force Instructions, procedures and guidance are the results of someone’s blood, sweat and tears. The direction given from our senior leadership in the form of policies and AFIs are based on a better way to successfully and safely achieve our mission objectives. The rules we live by were cultivated by Airmen who went before us.
Their lessons learned are the reason we need to abide by the rules laid out before us. We are fortunate and privileged that we are able to reap the benefits of their past actions.
The next time you hear a statement that ends with, “we can ask for forgive-
“If you are trying to get ahead or do something quickly but are unwilling to follow approved procedures, guidance or directives, you are now placing self before service. You are placing yourself ahead of our core values.” ness later,” take a moment to think how that declaration directly imposes on the core values we champion to live by every day we serve in uniform.
Think about integrity first when someone states it is acceptable to purposefully not comply with an AFI, an
Air Force policy or a technical order just to complete a task quicker. If you or your wingman know there is a procedure, an AFI or a higher directive that must be followed, but you purposefully ignore it to complete the task, you are no longer imbuing integrity first. Integrity should always be above reproach.
If you are trying to get ahead or do something quickly but are unwilling to follow approved procedures, guidance or directives, you are now placing self before service. You are placing yourself ahead of our core values. Sure there may be an easy or convenient fix to your problem or predicament, but this is exactly when you should place careful consideration on our core values – they will serve you well as a moral compass. Set the benchmark standard for all your subordinates and fellow wingman to follow.
Excellence in all we do starts by being a professional Airman. That means being responsible and accountable for all our actions all of the time, doing what is right and setting that standard for all to follow. By shortcutting the standards then asking forgiveness from a boss or co-worker after you have completed a project, assignment or task clearly dismisses the notion of excellence in all we do.
The next time you hear the words,
“let’s just ask for forgiveness later,” it should make you stop in your tracks and have another look at the situation.
You should rely on the proper training that has safely gotten you to that point, not to mention others before you! By skirting the rules you are now playing by your own set and not by the core values instituted by our Air Force.
We all need to be in the mindset that our core values trump any and all personnel desires, wants or needs to ensure mission first, and safety always. In an unstable and insecure world, the Air Force core values are a constant to live by.
Commander’s Action Line e-mail randolph.actionline@randolph.af.mil
The Action Line is the direct path for addressing issues with the 502nd Air Base Wing commander that have not been resolved through chain of command or the appropriate responsible agency action. Items of general interest may be printed in the Randolph Wingspread. Anonymous inquiries will not be published.
JUNE 11, 2010
ON THE COVER
Kami Watkins (left) laughs after falling in the water as her partner Brooke Vlahos wonders what happened during the
Randolph Field Independent School
District cardboard regatta May 27 at the
Officers’ Club pool. For the complete story, see page 13. Photo by Steve Thurow
502nd Air Base Wing
Operating Location Bravo
Editorial Staff
Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick
Commander
1st Lt. Ryan Ernst
Deputy Chief of Public Affairs
Kelly Parsons
Editor
Robert Goetz
Sean Bowlin
Staff Writers
Maggie Armstrong
Graphic Designer
Wingspread Office
1150 5th Street East
Randolph AFB, Texas 78150
Phone: (210) 652-5760
Fax: (210) 652-3142
Wingspread Advertisements
Prime Time Military Newspapers
2203 S. Hackberry
San Antonio, Texas 78210
Phone: (210) 534-8848
Wingspread e-mail news@randolph.af.mil
This paper is published by Prime Time Military Newspapers, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with Randolph AFB, Texas. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of the
Wingspread are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the
Department of the Air Force.
The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the
Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or Prime
Time Military Newspapers of the products or services advertised.
Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to the race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Public
Affairs Division of the 502nd Air Base Wing OL-B in accordance with local policy and style guidance. All photos, unless otherwise indicated, are U.S. Air Force photos.
Articles for the newspaper should be submitted by noon
Thursday the week prior to the desired publication date. Items can be dropped off on a PC- or Macintosh-formatted disk at the
Wingspread office in Hangar 6.
Articles for submission may also be sent by e-mail to news@randolph.af.mil.
For details about submissions, call 652-5760.
JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD PAGE 3
By Army Spc. Natalie Sampson
470th Military Intelligence Brigade Public Affairs
SAN ANTONIO – A group of Army and Air Force servicemembers, equipped with books from the
Pershing Elementary School Library, joined forces
May 27 to read for children in some of Pershing’s kindergarten to fifth-grade classes.
The Joint Base San Antonio military readers program was organized by Chief Master Sgt. Juan
Lewis, 502nd Air Base Wing command chief, and
Bill Gaines, 502nd Air Base Wing Office of Public
Affairs chief of civic outreach. Chief Lewis said his passion for reading to school children encouraged him to recruit Soldiers and Airmen from Fort Sam
Houston, Lackland Air Force Base and Randolph
AFB to join him in his effort to encourage reading in elementary schools. This year’s premiere event was the first one to incorporate all three of San
Antonio’s major military bases.
“We always try to go out to the schools to read for the children when we’re deployed, but we shouldn’t forget the local schools right here in our communities,” Chief Lewis said.
The school’s principal and vice principal gave a warm welcome to the servicemembers and thanked them all for their contributions to impacting the life of the children in her school before turning them over to students selected to escort them to their assigned classrooms.
Students from LaDonna Grant’s third-grade class were treated to a special reading of “Bobby Bear and the Magical Bamboo Forest” written and illustrated by Maj. John W. Howard II, 470th MI Brigade assistant S-3 (operations and training officer) and
Photo by Army Spc. Natalie Sampson
Tech. Sgt. Geovanni Espaillat Felix, a weapons safety course instructor with the Inter-American Air Forces Academy at
Lackland Air Force Base, reads to students at Pershing Elementary School in San Antonio May 27.
Reserve Affairs liaison. Assisting Major Howard was
Master Sgt. Carlton Green, who read two books and continued to engage the students by letting them share their ideas and help make up other stories, which sparked excitement and participation.
Major Howard presented Ms. Grant with an Air
Force commander’s coin on behalf of Chief Lewis for affording them the opportunity to read to her class and for being an excellent teacher and role model to her students.
“The kids loved it. They were very interested in the learning about the Soldiers and Airmen and enjoyed the readings,” said Phyllis Davis, assistant principal. “This was the first time anything like this had ever been done at Pershing, and judging by the positive outcome, it will not be the last,” she said.
By Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON – Most Air Force civilians under the National Security
Personnel System will convert to the
General Schedule by the end of this fiscal year in support of the Department of
Defense goal to convert out as quickly as possible. This conversion out of NSPS was mandated by the Fiscal 2010 National
Defense Authorization Act.
With few exceptions, Air Force NSPS employees will transition between July 4 and Sept. 12, according to Headquarters
Air Force Directorate of Force
Management Policy officials. The remainder are in positions covered by statutory and DoD exemptions and will transition in 2011.
Civilian employees transitioning to GS will have their positions classified and grade assigned according to GS classification rules. The grade and classification will be based upon responsibilities assigned by the supervisor and performed by the employee. Employees will be notified of their GS position classification prior to transition out of NSPS.
To assist civilian employees in understanding the GS personnel and position classification system, the following Webbased training modules are available at https://www.my.af.mil/afknprod/nsps-gstrng: GS-101 and Classifying Positions under GS and Performance Management:
A Tool to Achieve Results.
GS-101 gives an overview of the GS system, including its classification and pay structure. The DoD NSPS Transition
Office Web site at www.cpms.osd.mil/ nsps/transition also contains helpful information regarding the transition from
NSPS to GS.
Employees will not lose pay upon conversion. These general guidelines will be followed when determining an employee’s pay.
If the employee’s current pay:
• Fits within the rate range of the appropriate grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed at a step that equals or exceeds his or her existing pay.
• Is below the rate range for the appropriate GS grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed on the first step of the GS grade upon conversion out.
• Is above the rate range for the appropriate GS grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed on pay retention to ensure he or she does not suffer any decrease in or loss of pay upon conversion.
Upon transition, employees must be placed in GS performance plans within 30 days of transition with an appraisal closeout of March 31, 2011. As with NSPS, supervisors must ensure employees understand their job requirements and how their work aligns with and supports the Air Force mission.
Air Force officials said they are working to ensure the transition continues smoothly throughout this process.

PAGE 2 WINGSPREAD
By Lt. Col. Douglas McCobb
321st Training Squadron
Former Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom James Callaghan said, “A leader must have the courage to act against an expert’s advice.”
The Air Force core values are those values we hold firm and are the foundation on which we conduct our daily business. The Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do are written in black and white; there is no gray area when it comes to abiding by our core values. They are not interchangeable and we cannot substitute or replace one of them with a different saying or phrase. The three core values, though separate and distinct, do share a sense of unity and cohesion. They are the basic fundamentals of how we manage and accomplish our daily business as well as how we interact with our fellow wingmen.
Too many times throughout our personal life as well as in our professional
Air Force career we hear common phrases such as, “let’s get this done and ask for forgiveness later” or “do it now and everything will work out fine.” All policies, Air Force Instructions, procedures and guidance are the results of someone’s blood, sweat and tears. The direction given from our senior leadership in the form of policies and AFIs are based on a better way to successfully and safely achieve our mission objectives. The rules we live by were cultivated by Airmen who went before us.
Their lessons learned are the reason we need to abide by the rules laid out before us. We are fortunate and privileged that we are able to reap the benefits of their past actions.
The next time you hear a statement that ends with, “we can ask for forgive-
“If you are trying to get ahead or do something quickly but are unwilling to follow approved procedures, guidance or directives, you are now placing self before service. You are placing yourself ahead of our core values.” ness later,” take a moment to think how that declaration directly imposes on the core values we champion to live by every day we serve in uniform.
Think about integrity first when someone states it is acceptable to purposefully not comply with an AFI, an
Air Force policy or a technical order just to complete a task quicker. If you or your wingman know there is a procedure, an AFI or a higher directive that must be followed, but you purposefully ignore it to complete the task, you are no longer imbuing integrity first. Integrity should always be above reproach.
If you are trying to get ahead or do something quickly but are unwilling to follow approved procedures, guidance or directives, you are now placing self before service. You are placing yourself ahead of our core values. Sure there may be an easy or convenient fix to your problem or predicament, but this is exactly when you should place careful consideration on our core values – they will serve you well as a moral compass. Set the benchmark standard for all your subordinates and fellow wingman to follow.
Excellence in all we do starts by being a professional Airman. That means being responsible and accountable for all our actions all of the time, doing what is right and setting that standard for all to follow. By shortcutting the standards then asking forgiveness from a boss or co-worker after you have completed a project, assignment or task clearly dismisses the notion of excellence in all we do.
The next time you hear the words,
“let’s just ask for forgiveness later,” it should make you stop in your tracks and have another look at the situation.
You should rely on the proper training that has safely gotten you to that point, not to mention others before you! By skirting the rules you are now playing by your own set and not by the core values instituted by our Air Force.
We all need to be in the mindset that our core values trump any and all personnel desires, wants or needs to ensure mission first, and safety always. In an unstable and insecure world, the Air Force core values are a constant to live by.
Commander’s Action Line e-mail randolph.actionline@randolph.af.mil
The Action Line is the direct path for addressing issues with the 502nd Air Base Wing commander that have not been resolved through chain of command or the appropriate responsible agency action. Items of general interest may be printed in the Randolph Wingspread. Anonymous inquiries will not be published.
JUNE 11, 2010
ON THE COVER
Kami Watkins (left) laughs after falling in the water as her partner Brooke Vlahos wonders what happened during the
Randolph Field Independent School
District cardboard regatta May 27 at the
Officers’ Club pool. For the complete story, see page 13. Photo by Steve Thurow
502nd Air Base Wing
Operating Location Bravo
Editorial Staff
Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick
Commander
1st Lt. Ryan Ernst
Deputy Chief of Public Affairs
Kelly Parsons
Editor
Robert Goetz
Sean Bowlin
Staff Writers
Maggie Armstrong
Graphic Designer
Wingspread Office
1150 5th Street East
Randolph AFB, Texas 78150
Phone: (210) 652-5760
Fax: (210) 652-3142
Wingspread Advertisements
Prime Time Military Newspapers
2203 S. Hackberry
San Antonio, Texas 78210
Phone: (210) 534-8848
Wingspread e-mail news@randolph.af.mil
This paper is published by Prime Time Military Newspapers, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with Randolph AFB, Texas. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of the
Wingspread are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the
Department of the Air Force.
The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the
Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or Prime
Time Military Newspapers of the products or services advertised.
Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to the race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Public
Affairs Division of the 502nd Air Base Wing OL-B in accordance with local policy and style guidance. All photos, unless otherwise indicated, are U.S. Air Force photos.
Articles for the newspaper should be submitted by noon
Thursday the week prior to the desired publication date. Items can be dropped off on a PC- or Macintosh-formatted disk at the
Wingspread office in Hangar 6.
Articles for submission may also be sent by e-mail to news@randolph.af.mil.
For details about submissions, call 652-5760.
JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD PAGE 3
By Army Spc. Natalie Sampson
470th Military Intelligence Brigade Public Affairs
SAN ANTONIO – A group of Army and Air Force servicemembers, equipped with books from the
Pershing Elementary School Library, joined forces
May 27 to read for children in some of Pershing’s kindergarten to fifth-grade classes.
The Joint Base San Antonio military readers program was organized by Chief Master Sgt. Juan
Lewis, 502nd Air Base Wing command chief, and
Bill Gaines, 502nd Air Base Wing Office of Public
Affairs chief of civic outreach. Chief Lewis said his passion for reading to school children encouraged him to recruit Soldiers and Airmen from Fort Sam
Houston, Lackland Air Force Base and Randolph
AFB to join him in his effort to encourage reading in elementary schools. This year’s premiere event was the first one to incorporate all three of San
Antonio’s major military bases.
“We always try to go out to the schools to read for the children when we’re deployed, but we shouldn’t forget the local schools right here in our communities,” Chief Lewis said.
The school’s principal and vice principal gave a warm welcome to the servicemembers and thanked them all for their contributions to impacting the life of the children in her school before turning them over to students selected to escort them to their assigned classrooms.
Students from LaDonna Grant’s third-grade class were treated to a special reading of “Bobby Bear and the Magical Bamboo Forest” written and illustrated by Maj. John W. Howard II, 470th MI Brigade assistant S-3 (operations and training officer) and
Photo by Army Spc. Natalie Sampson
Tech. Sgt. Geovanni Espaillat Felix, a weapons safety course instructor with the Inter-American Air Forces Academy at
Lackland Air Force Base, reads to students at Pershing Elementary School in San Antonio May 27.
Reserve Affairs liaison. Assisting Major Howard was
Master Sgt. Carlton Green, who read two books and continued to engage the students by letting them share their ideas and help make up other stories, which sparked excitement and participation.
Major Howard presented Ms. Grant with an Air
Force commander’s coin on behalf of Chief Lewis for affording them the opportunity to read to her class and for being an excellent teacher and role model to her students.
“The kids loved it. They were very interested in the learning about the Soldiers and Airmen and enjoyed the readings,” said Phyllis Davis, assistant principal. “This was the first time anything like this had ever been done at Pershing, and judging by the positive outcome, it will not be the last,” she said.
By Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON – Most Air Force civilians under the National Security
Personnel System will convert to the
General Schedule by the end of this fiscal year in support of the Department of
Defense goal to convert out as quickly as possible. This conversion out of NSPS was mandated by the Fiscal 2010 National
Defense Authorization Act.
With few exceptions, Air Force NSPS employees will transition between July 4 and Sept. 12, according to Headquarters
Air Force Directorate of Force
Management Policy officials. The remainder are in positions covered by statutory and DoD exemptions and will transition in 2011.
Civilian employees transitioning to GS will have their positions classified and grade assigned according to GS classification rules. The grade and classification will be based upon responsibilities assigned by the supervisor and performed by the employee. Employees will be notified of their GS position classification prior to transition out of NSPS.
To assist civilian employees in understanding the GS personnel and position classification system, the following Webbased training modules are available at https://www.my.af.mil/afknprod/nsps-gstrng: GS-101 and Classifying Positions under GS and Performance Management:
A Tool to Achieve Results.
GS-101 gives an overview of the GS system, including its classification and pay structure. The DoD NSPS Transition
Office Web site at www.cpms.osd.mil/ nsps/transition also contains helpful information regarding the transition from
NSPS to GS.
Employees will not lose pay upon conversion. These general guidelines will be followed when determining an employee’s pay.
If the employee’s current pay:
• Fits within the rate range of the appropriate grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed at a step that equals or exceeds his or her existing pay.
• Is below the rate range for the appropriate GS grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed on the first step of the GS grade upon conversion out.
• Is above the rate range for the appropriate GS grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed on pay retention to ensure he or she does not suffer any decrease in or loss of pay upon conversion.
Upon transition, employees must be placed in GS performance plans within 30 days of transition with an appraisal closeout of March 31, 2011. As with NSPS, supervisors must ensure employees understand their job requirements and how their work aligns with and supports the Air Force mission.
Air Force officials said they are working to ensure the transition continues smoothly throughout this process.

PAGE 4 WINGSPREAD JUNE 11, 2010
By Robert Goetz
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
Gate guards will soon scan the
ID cards of incoming motorists on a trial basis to test Randolph’s new base-entry system.
The 902nd Security Forces
Squadron will begin this “socialization” phase for the Defense
Biometric Identification System sometime this month, possibly as early as next week.
“We want to make sure guards are trained and people are getting used to having their cards scanned,” said Master Sgt. Andrew
Rodriguez, 902nd SFS Installation
Security Section NCO in charge.
“The socialization phase will definitely take place during non-peak traffic hours; it will not create a safety hazard. We want to make
Courtesy graphic
Randolph’s gate guards will soon begin scanning ID cards to test the new Defense sure everybody knows the system and is seeing how it works.”
He said one way people can expedite the process, both during the socialization phase and when DBIDS is fully operational later this year, is to take their ID cards out of their wallets or card holders so there is no delay when guards scan their cards.
Biometric Identification System.
Sergeant Rodriguez also said motorists whose cards are scanned but are not registered for DBIDS will be briefed on the requirement and encouraged to register as soon as possible.
Active-duty and civilian personnel, including contractors, began registering their ID cards for DBIDS in January according to a unit schedule prepared by the 902nd
SFS. Open registration for retirees, dependents and personnel not able to make it during their scheduled time began May 3 and will conclude
June 30; the remaining open registration periods are next week at the
Rambler Fitness Center, June 21-25 at the base exchange and June 28-
30 at the commissary.
However, after
June 30, people will still be able to register their
ID cards at the
Randolph Visitor
Center, Bldg.
1021, or at the ID card office, Bldg.
399. The visitor center housed two permanent stations throughout the registration period while a mobile station has moved to various locations throughout the process.
DBIDS, an Air Force-wide initiative to enhance force protection, employs scanning devices to manage access at
DoD installations. When an ID card is registered for DBIDS, it is imbedded with information that enhances the identification process. DBIDS provides a connection to law enforcement databases and allows guards to spot legitimate versus bogus ID cards, Sergeant
Rodriguez said.
Other benefits are giving guards visual and audible crosschecks to verify identities, allowing ID cardholders to enter any base within the region they have permission to enter and providing retirees with permanent registration, he said.
Sergeant Rodriguez said DBIDS registration is now part of in- and outprocessing at Randolph. People who receive their DoD ID card in Bldg. 399
– or have to obtain a new one – should also get it registered for DBIDS, which requires a waiting period of about 30 minutes.
He estimated that some 20,000 people have registered their ID cards for DBIDS.
“I think we’re doing well for our registration phase,” Sergeant Rodriguez said.
He also asked active-duty personnel and retirees to make sure their dependents’ ID cards are registered.
By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Active-duty servicemembers and their families can gain free access to hundreds of museums throughout the nation this summer, thanks to a partnership between the National Endowment for the
Arts and Blue Star Families.
More than 600 museums in 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed up so far to participate in
Operation Appreciation: Blue Star Museums. The program offers active-duty servicemembers – including activated Guard and Reserve – and up to five of their immediate family members free admission to participating museums through Labor Day.
“The Blue Star Museums initiative is a tangible expression of appreciation to servicemembers and their families,” said Barbara Thompson, director of the
Pentagon’s office of family policy, children and youth. “It warms our hearts to see how other federal agencies and local communities can think creatively to recognize their sacrifice and contribution to the nation.”
People can visit http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index.php for a complete list of participating museums, which run the gamut from children’s and fine
• Austin Museum of Art, Austin
• Fort Sam Houston Museum, Fort Sam Houston
• Frontier Times Museum, Bandera
• McNay Art Museum, San Antonio
• Museum of Western Art, Kerrville
• National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg
• Neill-Cochran House Museum, Austin arts to history and science museums. Participating museums include the Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas
Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the
Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York City. Participating museums around San
Antonio include the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, the National Museum of the Pacific War in
Fredericksburg and the Austin Museum of Art.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for servicemembers and their families to enjoy the cultural experiences that might have otherwise been inaccessible because of cost,”
Ms. Thompson said. “We truly appreciate the generosity of the National Endowment for the Arts and the participating museums.”
While admission is free of charge, some special or limited-time exhibits may not be included in the program, according to a Blue Star Museums news release. People should contact the museum directly for specifics.
“There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum community to military families is thrilling,” Kathy Roth-Douquet, chairman of Blue Star Families, said in a news release.
“Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that.”
“We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer – many of them for the first time,” she continued.
“Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities.”
A group of military spouses formed Blue Star Families in December 2008 to raise awareness of the challenges of military family life in partnership with civilian communities and leaders, according to the organization’s Web site. The nonprofit group has grown to include spouses and families from all services, including National Guard and Reserve, as well as veterans and civilians.
JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD PAGE 5
By Sean Bowlin
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B
Public Affairs
They come from Italy,
Germany and Turkey. They number helicopter and jet pilots, an Electronic Warfare
Officer on board AWACS, a ground control intercept officer and Remotely Piloted Aircraft mission commanders.
They’re student EWOs at
Randolph Air Force Base’s
563rd Flying Training Squadron sent here to learn to deny the electronic spectrum of communications to the enemy forces.
That means there’s much time spent in class, where the NATO students were found late last
Friday afternoon as a lot of
Randolph Airmen and civilians were making homeward-bound drives out of the base.
Capt. Thomas Walker, 563rd
FTS instructor, pressed a point
Photo by Steve Thurow
Capt. Thomas Walker (left), 563rd Flying Training Squadron instructor, answers a question from Capt. Giovanni Nappi, Italian Air Force student electronic warfare officer. home at the end of his class on
Electronic Defense.
“The main thing I want you guys to take away from all of this is that we, as allies, have the capabilities that can jam them
(enemy bloggers, radio broadcasters and other communicators) and take away their spectrum,” Captain Walker said.
“We’re winning today’s war by ballots and dollars, by building schools and hospitals. To fight the enemy we have to enter his OODA Loop quickly. That’s where network attack and network defense operations come in.”
Capt. Simone Scuderi, Italian
Air Force student EWO, had a few positive points to make about his classes.
“I like the structure of the lectures and the classes are always very well-prepared,” the native of Reggiocalabria, Italy said.
“Plus, the doctrine is the same I learned in NATO and at home.
And the experienced U.S. Air
Force guys gave us a big contribution of knowledge to our understanding. All this information is usable to us and it also serves as a vantage point from where we can compare tactics and discuss them.”
Speaking of tactics, his IAF counterpart, Capt. Giovanni
Nappi, a veteran of six
Afghanistan tours and one Iraq tour, said the exposure to
NATO electronic warfare doctrine and interaction with other student EWOs gave him a better idea what he’ll face as a Remotely Piloted vehicles mission commander.
“Thanks to the structure of this course, I know a lot now about electronic warfare. And by now, I have ‘visuals’ of my work,” Captain Nappi added.
Another captain and fellow student, German Luftwaffe Capt.
Axel Wardenga, who has 7900 hours on the AWACS – many amassed during denying airspace over Turkey – said course information was well-presented.
“I flew in support of EW aircraft and know how well they work with each other,” Captain
Wardenga said.”Now I see how it’s all put together.”
By Sean Bowlin
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
Station Chief Scott Ridenour keeps a lot of balls in the air at Randolph Fire Emergency Services’ main fire station. Daily, a lot happens there...and he’s like a civilian version of a first sergeant. He’s the conduit through which all information flows.
That information starts flowing during daily shift change meetings at 7:30 a.m.
“That’s when we do our morning changeover,”
Mr. Ridenour said.”That’s where our day starts. We run anywhere from our minimum manning of 14-
15 people to about 18 people,” he said.
He said the shift has a day off every six shifts.
“How it works,” he added, “is we’re at work 72 hours a week per person. You work three 24-hour shifts a week. Then you’re off for three days.”
The most fun part of his job, he said, is that he looks forward to the interaction with “the guys” every day.
There’s a bond there.
“I live with these guys more hours during the week than I’m with family,” he observed. “Whether it’s just kicking back with the guys here or just horsing around, you never know what you’re going to get each day.”
But each day, one of the things he has to do is figure out the chow roster – who wants to eat at the dining facility and when.
“The problem,” he explained, “is I have to look at who wants to go to chow and we can’t cook here like we used to. These guys can go to the dining facility and eat, while my whole world revolves with staffing my engines with certified personnel for each critical job on each truck. I can have the mere numbers of people present to man the trucks – but if I don’t have the right qualified personnel, I have problems.”
But there are usually no issues with that or the daily schedule he maintains, which encompasses cleaning the firehouse, the trucks, maintaining other critical equipment – and of course, training to extinguish blazes.
“Mainly, we train, but we also get 10 to 12 calls per shift,” Mr. Ridenour said. “The fire prevention program is top-notch and we go out and inspect buildings as lot, so the fires we do have to respond to are usually small.”
Mr. Ridenour noted that for him, each day is kind of crisis management.
“If someone’s sick, I have to figure out things and it all changes,” he said. “Bottom line, we have to put out fires, man the trucks and train and maintain.
Sometimes you just don’t have the manpower to cover the job and you have to tell someone no, they can’t go do something. That’s the hard part – sometimes you’ve got to say no.”
Photo by Don Lindsey
Scott Ridenour (right), Randolph Fire Station manager, and Airman
1st Class John Evans look on as Airman 1st Class Karl Goodwin
(left) unrolls a fire hose in preparation for routine inspection.

PAGE 4 WINGSPREAD JUNE 11, 2010
By Robert Goetz
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
Gate guards will soon scan the
ID cards of incoming motorists on a trial basis to test Randolph’s new base-entry system.
The 902nd Security Forces
Squadron will begin this “socialization” phase for the Defense
Biometric Identification System sometime this month, possibly as early as next week.
“We want to make sure guards are trained and people are getting used to having their cards scanned,” said Master Sgt. Andrew
Rodriguez, 902nd SFS Installation
Security Section NCO in charge.
“The socialization phase will definitely take place during non-peak traffic hours; it will not create a safety hazard. We want to make
Courtesy graphic
Randolph’s gate guards will soon begin scanning ID cards to test the new Defense sure everybody knows the system and is seeing how it works.”
He said one way people can expedite the process, both during the socialization phase and when DBIDS is fully operational later this year, is to take their ID cards out of their wallets or card holders so there is no delay when guards scan their cards.
Biometric Identification System.
Sergeant Rodriguez also said motorists whose cards are scanned but are not registered for DBIDS will be briefed on the requirement and encouraged to register as soon as possible.
Active-duty and civilian personnel, including contractors, began registering their ID cards for DBIDS in January according to a unit schedule prepared by the 902nd
SFS. Open registration for retirees, dependents and personnel not able to make it during their scheduled time began May 3 and will conclude
June 30; the remaining open registration periods are next week at the
Rambler Fitness Center, June 21-25 at the base exchange and June 28-
30 at the commissary.
However, after
June 30, people will still be able to register their
ID cards at the
Randolph Visitor
Center, Bldg.
1021, or at the ID card office, Bldg.
399. The visitor center housed two permanent stations throughout the registration period while a mobile station has moved to various locations throughout the process.
DBIDS, an Air Force-wide initiative to enhance force protection, employs scanning devices to manage access at
DoD installations. When an ID card is registered for DBIDS, it is imbedded with information that enhances the identification process. DBIDS provides a connection to law enforcement databases and allows guards to spot legitimate versus bogus ID cards, Sergeant
Rodriguez said.
Other benefits are giving guards visual and audible crosschecks to verify identities, allowing ID cardholders to enter any base within the region they have permission to enter and providing retirees with permanent registration, he said.
Sergeant Rodriguez said DBIDS registration is now part of in- and outprocessing at Randolph. People who receive their DoD ID card in Bldg. 399
– or have to obtain a new one – should also get it registered for DBIDS, which requires a waiting period of about 30 minutes.
He estimated that some 20,000 people have registered their ID cards for DBIDS.
“I think we’re doing well for our registration phase,” Sergeant Rodriguez said.
He also asked active-duty personnel and retirees to make sure their dependents’ ID cards are registered.
By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Active-duty servicemembers and their families can gain free access to hundreds of museums throughout the nation this summer, thanks to a partnership between the National Endowment for the
Arts and Blue Star Families.
More than 600 museums in 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed up so far to participate in
Operation Appreciation: Blue Star Museums. The program offers active-duty servicemembers – including activated Guard and Reserve – and up to five of their immediate family members free admission to participating museums through Labor Day.
“The Blue Star Museums initiative is a tangible expression of appreciation to servicemembers and their families,” said Barbara Thompson, director of the
Pentagon’s office of family policy, children and youth. “It warms our hearts to see how other federal agencies and local communities can think creatively to recognize their sacrifice and contribution to the nation.”
People can visit http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index.php for a complete list of participating museums, which run the gamut from children’s and fine
• Austin Museum of Art, Austin
• Fort Sam Houston Museum, Fort Sam Houston
• Frontier Times Museum, Bandera
• McNay Art Museum, San Antonio
• Museum of Western Art, Kerrville
• National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg
• Neill-Cochran House Museum, Austin arts to history and science museums. Participating museums include the Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas
Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the
Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York City. Participating museums around San
Antonio include the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, the National Museum of the Pacific War in
Fredericksburg and the Austin Museum of Art.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for servicemembers and their families to enjoy the cultural experiences that might have otherwise been inaccessible because of cost,”
Ms. Thompson said. “We truly appreciate the generosity of the National Endowment for the Arts and the participating museums.”
While admission is free of charge, some special or limited-time exhibits may not be included in the program, according to a Blue Star Museums news release. People should contact the museum directly for specifics.
“There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum community to military families is thrilling,” Kathy Roth-Douquet, chairman of Blue Star Families, said in a news release.
“Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that.”
“We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer – many of them for the first time,” she continued.
“Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities.”
A group of military spouses formed Blue Star Families in December 2008 to raise awareness of the challenges of military family life in partnership with civilian communities and leaders, according to the organization’s Web site. The nonprofit group has grown to include spouses and families from all services, including National Guard and Reserve, as well as veterans and civilians.
JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD PAGE 5
By Sean Bowlin
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B
Public Affairs
They come from Italy,
Germany and Turkey. They number helicopter and jet pilots, an Electronic Warfare
Officer on board AWACS, a ground control intercept officer and Remotely Piloted Aircraft mission commanders.
They’re student EWOs at
Randolph Air Force Base’s
563rd Flying Training Squadron sent here to learn to deny the electronic spectrum of communications to the enemy forces.
That means there’s much time spent in class, where the NATO students were found late last
Friday afternoon as a lot of
Randolph Airmen and civilians were making homeward-bound drives out of the base.
Capt. Thomas Walker, 563rd
FTS instructor, pressed a point
Photo by Steve Thurow
Capt. Thomas Walker (left), 563rd Flying Training Squadron instructor, answers a question from Capt. Giovanni Nappi, Italian Air Force student electronic warfare officer. home at the end of his class on
Electronic Defense.
“The main thing I want you guys to take away from all of this is that we, as allies, have the capabilities that can jam them
(enemy bloggers, radio broadcasters and other communicators) and take away their spectrum,” Captain Walker said.
“We’re winning today’s war by ballots and dollars, by building schools and hospitals. To fight the enemy we have to enter his OODA Loop quickly. That’s where network attack and network defense operations come in.”
Capt. Simone Scuderi, Italian
Air Force student EWO, had a few positive points to make about his classes.
“I like the structure of the lectures and the classes are always very well-prepared,” the native of Reggiocalabria, Italy said.
“Plus, the doctrine is the same I learned in NATO and at home.
And the experienced U.S. Air
Force guys gave us a big contribution of knowledge to our understanding. All this information is usable to us and it also serves as a vantage point from where we can compare tactics and discuss them.”
Speaking of tactics, his IAF counterpart, Capt. Giovanni
Nappi, a veteran of six
Afghanistan tours and one Iraq tour, said the exposure to
NATO electronic warfare doctrine and interaction with other student EWOs gave him a better idea what he’ll face as a Remotely Piloted vehicles mission commander.
“Thanks to the structure of this course, I know a lot now about electronic warfare. And by now, I have ‘visuals’ of my work,” Captain Nappi added.
Another captain and fellow student, German Luftwaffe Capt.
Axel Wardenga, who has 7900 hours on the AWACS – many amassed during denying airspace over Turkey – said course information was well-presented.
“I flew in support of EW aircraft and know how well they work with each other,” Captain
Wardenga said.”Now I see how it’s all put together.”
By Sean Bowlin
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
Station Chief Scott Ridenour keeps a lot of balls in the air at Randolph Fire Emergency Services’ main fire station. Daily, a lot happens there...and he’s like a civilian version of a first sergeant. He’s the conduit through which all information flows.
That information starts flowing during daily shift change meetings at 7:30 a.m.
“That’s when we do our morning changeover,”
Mr. Ridenour said.”That’s where our day starts. We run anywhere from our minimum manning of 14-
15 people to about 18 people,” he said.
He said the shift has a day off every six shifts.
“How it works,” he added, “is we’re at work 72 hours a week per person. You work three 24-hour shifts a week. Then you’re off for three days.”
The most fun part of his job, he said, is that he looks forward to the interaction with “the guys” every day.
There’s a bond there.
“I live with these guys more hours during the week than I’m with family,” he observed. “Whether it’s just kicking back with the guys here or just horsing around, you never know what you’re going to get each day.”
But each day, one of the things he has to do is figure out the chow roster – who wants to eat at the dining facility and when.
“The problem,” he explained, “is I have to look at who wants to go to chow and we can’t cook here like we used to. These guys can go to the dining facility and eat, while my whole world revolves with staffing my engines with certified personnel for each critical job on each truck. I can have the mere numbers of people present to man the trucks – but if I don’t have the right qualified personnel, I have problems.”
But there are usually no issues with that or the daily schedule he maintains, which encompasses cleaning the firehouse, the trucks, maintaining other critical equipment – and of course, training to extinguish blazes.
“Mainly, we train, but we also get 10 to 12 calls per shift,” Mr. Ridenour said. “The fire prevention program is top-notch and we go out and inspect buildings as lot, so the fires we do have to respond to are usually small.”
Mr. Ridenour noted that for him, each day is kind of crisis management.
“If someone’s sick, I have to figure out things and it all changes,” he said. “Bottom line, we have to put out fires, man the trucks and train and maintain.
Sometimes you just don’t have the manpower to cover the job and you have to tell someone no, they can’t go do something. That’s the hard part – sometimes you’ve got to say no.”
Photo by Don Lindsey
Scott Ridenour (right), Randolph Fire Station manager, and Airman
1st Class John Evans look on as Airman 1st Class Karl Goodwin
(left) unrolls a fire hose in preparation for routine inspection.

PAGE 6 WINGSPREAD JUNE 11, 2010
By Sean Bowlin
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
A decorated fighter pilot, West Point alumnus and retired Air Force colonel recently taught some young pilots and weapons systems officers at Randolph Air
Force Base about leadership in war.
Retired Col. Jerry Hoblit, who was famous as a
“Wild Weasel’ for destroying North Vietnamese Army surface-to-air missile sites, received an invitation from the commander of the 435th Fighter Training
Squadron, Lt. Col. David Drichta, to inspire and teach his Airmen as part of the squadron’s “Combat
Heritage Program.”
“Those invited were asked to speak to the Air
Force’s newest fighter pilots and fighter weapons system officers about flying in combat, about the bond forged between a pilot and his electronic weapons officer – who are now called weapons system officers, or “Wizzos,” and about leadership in and out of the cockpit,” said Maj. Scott Cerone,
435th FTS assistant deputy for operations.
At the 435th FTS, Colonel Hoblit briefed key squadron officers about the Wild Weasel program, a group he belonged to during the Vietnam War. The weasels harassed, harried, hounded, battered and destroyed
Soviet-made surface-to-air missile sites that shot missiles at American warplanes.
The Wild Weasel mission was to protect strike packages from enemy SAM sites by searching them out and engaging them.
Major Cerone explained, “It was almost as if these pilots and EWOs were asked to walk into a lion’s den holding two giant rib eye steaks in their hands – and hope to lose only their fingers.”
Colonel Hoblit described the overall strategies and aerial tactics that he and his EWO and other
Weasels used to restore air superiority over North
Vietnam. And in San Antonio later that weekend he and his wife Rosalie subsequently enjoyed a “River
Rats” reunion of pilots who flew over the Red River
Valley in North Vietnam.
It was for his actions during one of those anti-SAM missions over the North that Colonel Hoblit was awarded the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
Unavailable to attend the talk and flight was
Colonel Hoblit’s “Bear,” or EWO, retired Air Force
Col. Tom Wilson, who was awarded four Siver
Star medals.
Colonel Hoblit said it was highly knowledgeable,
Courtesy photo
Maj. Scott Cerone (left), 435th Fighter Training Squadron assistant deputy for operations, flew retired Col. Jerry Hoblit on his orientation sortie May 21. combat-proven, backseater EWOs like Colonel Wilson that compelled him to push for the pilot-EWO Wild
Weasel team concept to be Air Force tactical doctrine.
He also credited Colonel Wilson with most of his twoman team’s success.
Then Captains Hoblit and Wilson flew 100 missions over North Vietnam in their “Thud” aircraft, an F-105
Thunderchief. They were two of the first Wild Weasels in the history of the U.S. Air Force.
While at the 435th FTS, Colonel Hoblit was also given an orientation sortie to expose him to the squadron’s mission, which is to teach the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals course to the USAF’s newest fighter pilots and fighter WSOs.
Maj. Scott Cerone led the two-ship formation of T-
38Cs with Colonel Hoblit in his backseat. The number two aircraft was piloted by Capt. Anthony Isgro and
Maj. Chris Vandersys.
“I flew with one of my heroes when I flew with Colonel
Hoblit. I first met him in 2003,” Major Cerone explained.
Then, the Air Force Academy graduate was an A-
10 instructor pilot in the 357th Tactical Fighter
Squadron, stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson,
Ariz. While there, the major was contacted by several
357th FS pilots from the Vietnam War regarding
Colonel Hoblit finally being awarded the Air Force
Cross 36 years late.
“The paperwork,” Major Cerone explained, “for
Colonel Hoblit’s Air Force Cross had been lost during the Vietnam War and had just been resubmitted and approved. I organized the return of several former members of the 357th, the medal presentation and base tours.”
Today, Colonel Wilson is a successful writer. He’s published a trilogy based on the Wild Weasel experience beginning with the book “Termite Hill.” Colonel Hoblit currently spends his time with grandchildren, golfing and writing military history.
JUNE 11, 2010
WINGSPREAD
Photo by Senior Airman Katie Hickerson
Staff Sgt. Sara Digennaro, from the Air Force Personnel Center, pauses for a photo with daughter, Zoe, after their teary-eyed reunion June 4. Sergeant
Digennaro surprised her daughter on her last day of school at Randolph
Elementary following her six-month deployment to Afghanistan.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air
Force James Roy speaks to students of the Gaylor
Airman Leadership School at Randolph June 3. Chief
Roy emphasized expanding leadership training to include sister service and international students and the role family support plays in enhancing the Air
Force mission.
Photo by Steve Thurow
PAGE 7

PAGE 6 WINGSPREAD JUNE 11, 2010
By Sean Bowlin
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
A decorated fighter pilot, West Point alumnus and retired Air Force colonel recently taught some young pilots and weapons systems officers at Randolph Air
Force Base about leadership in war.
Retired Col. Jerry Hoblit, who was famous as a
“Wild Weasel’ for destroying North Vietnamese Army surface-to-air missile sites, received an invitation from the commander of the 435th Fighter Training
Squadron, Lt. Col. David Drichta, to inspire and teach his Airmen as part of the squadron’s “Combat
Heritage Program.”
“Those invited were asked to speak to the Air
Force’s newest fighter pilots and fighter weapons system officers about flying in combat, about the bond forged between a pilot and his electronic weapons officer – who are now called weapons system officers, or “Wizzos,” and about leadership in and out of the cockpit,” said Maj. Scott Cerone,
435th FTS assistant deputy for operations.
At the 435th FTS, Colonel Hoblit briefed key squadron officers about the Wild Weasel program, a group he belonged to during the Vietnam War. The weasels harassed, harried, hounded, battered and destroyed
Soviet-made surface-to-air missile sites that shot missiles at American warplanes.
The Wild Weasel mission was to protect strike packages from enemy SAM sites by searching them out and engaging them.
Major Cerone explained, “It was almost as if these pilots and EWOs were asked to walk into a lion’s den holding two giant rib eye steaks in their hands – and hope to lose only their fingers.”
Colonel Hoblit described the overall strategies and aerial tactics that he and his EWO and other
Weasels used to restore air superiority over North
Vietnam. And in San Antonio later that weekend he and his wife Rosalie subsequently enjoyed a “River
Rats” reunion of pilots who flew over the Red River
Valley in North Vietnam.
It was for his actions during one of those anti-SAM missions over the North that Colonel Hoblit was awarded the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
Unavailable to attend the talk and flight was
Colonel Hoblit’s “Bear,” or EWO, retired Air Force
Col. Tom Wilson, who was awarded four Siver
Star medals.
Colonel Hoblit said it was highly knowledgeable,
Courtesy photo
Maj. Scott Cerone (left), 435th Fighter Training Squadron assistant deputy for operations, flew retired Col. Jerry Hoblit on his orientation sortie May 21. combat-proven, backseater EWOs like Colonel Wilson that compelled him to push for the pilot-EWO Wild
Weasel team concept to be Air Force tactical doctrine.
He also credited Colonel Wilson with most of his twoman team’s success.
Then Captains Hoblit and Wilson flew 100 missions over North Vietnam in their “Thud” aircraft, an F-105
Thunderchief. They were two of the first Wild Weasels in the history of the U.S. Air Force.
While at the 435th FTS, Colonel Hoblit was also given an orientation sortie to expose him to the squadron’s mission, which is to teach the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals course to the USAF’s newest fighter pilots and fighter WSOs.
Maj. Scott Cerone led the two-ship formation of T-
38Cs with Colonel Hoblit in his backseat. The number two aircraft was piloted by Capt. Anthony Isgro and
Maj. Chris Vandersys.
“I flew with one of my heroes when I flew with Colonel
Hoblit. I first met him in 2003,” Major Cerone explained.
Then, the Air Force Academy graduate was an A-
10 instructor pilot in the 357th Tactical Fighter
Squadron, stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson,
Ariz. While there, the major was contacted by several
357th FS pilots from the Vietnam War regarding
Colonel Hoblit finally being awarded the Air Force
Cross 36 years late.
“The paperwork,” Major Cerone explained, “for
Colonel Hoblit’s Air Force Cross had been lost during the Vietnam War and had just been resubmitted and approved. I organized the return of several former members of the 357th, the medal presentation and base tours.”
Today, Colonel Wilson is a successful writer. He’s published a trilogy based on the Wild Weasel experience beginning with the book “Termite Hill.” Colonel Hoblit currently spends his time with grandchildren, golfing and writing military history.
JUNE 11, 2010
WINGSPREAD
Photo by Senior Airman Katie Hickerson
Staff Sgt. Sara Digennaro, from the Air Force Personnel Center, pauses for a photo with daughter, Zoe, after their teary-eyed reunion June 4. Sergeant
Digennaro surprised her daughter on her last day of school at Randolph
Elementary following her six-month deployment to Afghanistan.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air
Force James Roy speaks to students of the Gaylor
Airman Leadership School at Randolph June 3. Chief
Roy emphasized expanding leadership training to include sister service and international students and the role family support plays in enhancing the Air
Force mission.
Photo by Steve Thurow
PAGE 7

PAGE 8 WINGSPREAD
340th Flying
Training Group
Duty Title:
Commander’s executive assistant
Hometown:
Newport, Pa.
Hobbies:
Relaxing
Goals:
I want to live life to the fullest and continuously strive for greatness.
Personal Motto:
If you don’t love what you’re doing, then it isn’t worth doing.
Greatest Accomplishment:
Learning how to love
Pet Peeve:
People who fish for compliments
Personal Inspiration:
Everyone around me inspires me each in their own way.
Commander’s Comments:
“Staff Sgt. Amanda Ramon is an outstanding Airman who possesses excellent leadership traits. She is the
Airman who is always volunteering to do something extra for the unit. I wish I had more Airmen just like her. She is absolutely a superior performer.”
– Col. Terry Ross
340th Flying Training Group commander
Active Shooter training
Active Shooter training is mandatory for all DoD civilians and servicemembers.
Classes for anyone who has not yet attended Active
Shooter training in the past are scheduled at the base theater as follows:
• June 16 and 30
• July 14 and 28
• Aug. 4 and 18
• Sept. 1 and 15
Two sessions are offered each day – at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Valet Parking at BAMC
Brooke Army Medical Center will offer free valet parking beginning
Monday for all patients with a valid ID card or a scheduled appointment slip.
The service will be offered weekdays from 7:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. at the
Medical Mall entrance near the I-35 gate. For details, call 916-1493.
Retirements
Congratulations to Maj. Patrick
Luna, Air Force Security Assistance
Training Squadron, Chief Master Sgt.
Scott Turner, Air Education and Training
Command chaplain, and Master Sgt.
Charlotte Llenza, Air Force Personnel
Center, superintendent of enlisted assignment issues, and procedures and training, on their retirement.
9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Sunshine Plaza
Apartments, 455 East Sunshine Drive in San Antonio. The project involves light cleaning for senior residents.
To volunteer, call Jane Keller at
573-6702.
TABC certification
The Air Force Sergeants Association
Chapter 1075 will offer a Texas
Alcoholic Beverage Commission certification course tomorrow from 9 a.m.-
12 p.m. in Bldg 747. The cost of the course is $20 and registration is on a first come first serve basis. To register for the class, call Master Sgt. Jeffrey
Brown at 565-2080.
Home Alone Class
The Randolph Family Advocacy
Program and Randolph Youth
Programs is scheduled to host a Home
Alone Class Thursday to prepare children 10-years and older to be left unattended in base quarters for short periods of time.
Children and parents must attend the training together from 5-6 p.m. in the Airman and Family Readiness
Center Ballroom. Call 652-3823 by
Monday to register.
Volunteer Event
The American Society of Military
Comptrollers will sponsor a community clean-up project tomorrow from
Waiting Families
The next Waiting Families event will be held Monday at Rudy’s Barbecue.
For more information and to RSVP call
AFRC at 652-5321 by COB today.
Air Force Marathon
The 2010 Air Force Marathon will be held September 18th at Wright-
Patterson AFB, Ohio. Headquarters
AETC/A1 will support two active-duty males and females for the 10K, halfmarathon and full marathon categories.
Selection is based on past performances. Submit individual nominations via AF Form 303 Specialized Sports
Training, to Rikk Prado by June 20th.
Call 652-7272 for details.
Entertainment
The 902nd Force Support Squadron
Marketing Office is looking for people to participate in upcoming focus groups; the goal will be to find what makes the clubs entertaining and enjoyable for customers.
If you would like to meet with these focus groups in order to bring new entertainment that will bring in new customers, call 652-2052.
NOW SHOWING at the
Randolph Theater
“Furry Vengeance” (PG)
Brendan Fraser, Brooke Shields
Today @ 7 p.m.
Saturday @ 3 p.m.
“Nightmare on Elm Street” (R)
Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner
Saturday @ 6 p.m.
Sunday @ 3 p.m.
$4 for adults
$2 for children 11 and under
Call 652-3278 for details.
For a complete listing of base briefs, visit www.randolph.af.mil and click on ‘Round Randolph
JUNE 11, 2010 JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD PAGE 9
By Robert Goetz
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
A group of budding boat builders at the Parr
O’Club swimming pool May 27 had more than
Archimedes’ principle to grapple with.
They had to cope with material malfunctions and learn how to synchronize their paddling strokes on the fly.
The event was the culmination of an assignment for
Randolph High School physics and pre-calculus students to apply Archimedes’ principle – that the buoyant force on an object immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid that is displaced by the object.
The students were divided into teams whose task was to build a boat that could support two crew members and test the vessel’s seaworthiness in a race two lengths of the pool. What made the job trickier were the materials they had to use.
“They could only use cardboard and duct tape,” said physics teacher Karin Dentino, who timed the students in their cardboard crafts while they raced against each other two boats at a time.
One of the students, junior Shaquille Henry, learned about the importance of duct tape when he rowed his craft without his partner, who recently underwent knee surgery.
“We got some thick cardboard and doubled it up so the boat wouldn’t sink,” he said, looking at the vessel’s damp innards. “But I think we needed more duct tape.”
Despite the lack of a partner and the presence of
Photos by Steve Thurow
The first-place team (right) of Emily Jones and John Vaille completed the final race with a one lap lead during the finale of the Randolph Field ISD cardboard regatta held at the Officers’ Club pool May 27.
a leak, Shaq acquitted himself well using a paddle in each hand, finishing in a respectable 2 minutes,
15 seconds.
Some of the boats were nothing more than big cardboard boxes sealed with duct tape, but the ves-
Bryan Davis (left) and Matt Meyers began sinking as soon as they left the dock, but managed to complete the two crossings of the pool during the cardboard regatta.
sel built by “The Geek Squad” – each team had its own theme – utilized pontoons and a pointed bow and stern.
“We wanted to make it watertight and aerodynamic,” said junior Daniel Keef, whose team of “nerdy” navigators placed second overall. “We knew the pontoons would help it float.”
He said advance planning is the key to success.
“It takes a lot of preparation if you want it to perform,” Daniel said. “You have to plan your boat ahead of time.”
Like many of the 30 teams, The Geek Squad encountered problems keeping their boat on a straight path across the pool.
“Paddling was hard,” Daniel said. “I kept hitting my partner (Sarah Pfeil) in the head.”
Anna Ross, a junior whose “Greek Warriors” finished third, said their plan was simple.
“Just put it together and hope it floats,” she said.
Once they put their vessel in the water, their plan changed somewhat.
“Water started coming in slowly,” teammate
Jacob Walters said, “so we tried to paddle as fast as we could.”
Ms. Dentino, who said the students worked on their projects for about a week, starting with a miniature prototype, said the assignment teaches them about aerodynamics, teamwork and strategy.
She also said it “kept them focused” at a time of year when students’ thoughts drift away from the classroom.

PAGE 8 WINGSPREAD
340th Flying
Training Group
Duty Title:
Commander’s executive assistant
Hometown:
Newport, Pa.
Hobbies:
Relaxing
Goals:
I want to live life to the fullest and continuously strive for greatness.
Personal Motto:
If you don’t love what you’re doing, then it isn’t worth doing.
Greatest Accomplishment:
Learning how to love
Pet Peeve:
People who fish for compliments
Personal Inspiration:
Everyone around me inspires me each in their own way.
Commander’s Comments:
“Staff Sgt. Amanda Ramon is an outstanding Airman who possesses excellent leadership traits. She is the
Airman who is always volunteering to do something extra for the unit. I wish I had more Airmen just like her. She is absolutely a superior performer.”
– Col. Terry Ross
340th Flying Training Group commander
Active Shooter training
Active Shooter training is mandatory for all DoD civilians and servicemembers.
Classes for anyone who has not yet attended Active
Shooter training in the past are scheduled at the base theater as follows:
• June 16 and 30
• July 14 and 28
• Aug. 4 and 18
• Sept. 1 and 15
Two sessions are offered each day – at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Valet Parking at BAMC
Brooke Army Medical Center will offer free valet parking beginning
Monday for all patients with a valid ID card or a scheduled appointment slip.
The service will be offered weekdays from 7:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. at the
Medical Mall entrance near the I-35 gate. For details, call 916-1493.
Retirements
Congratulations to Maj. Patrick
Luna, Air Force Security Assistance
Training Squadron, Chief Master Sgt.
Scott Turner, Air Education and Training
Command chaplain, and Master Sgt.
Charlotte Llenza, Air Force Personnel
Center, superintendent of enlisted assignment issues, and procedures and training, on their retirement.
9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Sunshine Plaza
Apartments, 455 East Sunshine Drive in San Antonio. The project involves light cleaning for senior residents.
To volunteer, call Jane Keller at
573-6702.
TABC certification
The Air Force Sergeants Association
Chapter 1075 will offer a Texas
Alcoholic Beverage Commission certification course tomorrow from 9 a.m.-
12 p.m. in Bldg 747. The cost of the course is $20 and registration is on a first come first serve basis. To register for the class, call Master Sgt. Jeffrey
Brown at 565-2080.
Home Alone Class
The Randolph Family Advocacy
Program and Randolph Youth
Programs is scheduled to host a Home
Alone Class Thursday to prepare children 10-years and older to be left unattended in base quarters for short periods of time.
Children and parents must attend the training together from 5-6 p.m. in the Airman and Family Readiness
Center Ballroom. Call 652-3823 by
Monday to register.
Volunteer Event
The American Society of Military
Comptrollers will sponsor a community clean-up project tomorrow from
Waiting Families
The next Waiting Families event will be held Monday at Rudy’s Barbecue.
For more information and to RSVP call
AFRC at 652-5321 by COB today.
Air Force Marathon
The 2010 Air Force Marathon will be held September 18th at Wright-
Patterson AFB, Ohio. Headquarters
AETC/A1 will support two active-duty males and females for the 10K, halfmarathon and full marathon categories.
Selection is based on past performances. Submit individual nominations via AF Form 303 Specialized Sports
Training, to Rikk Prado by June 20th.
Call 652-7272 for details.
Entertainment
The 902nd Force Support Squadron
Marketing Office is looking for people to participate in upcoming focus groups; the goal will be to find what makes the clubs entertaining and enjoyable for customers.
If you would like to meet with these focus groups in order to bring new entertainment that will bring in new customers, call 652-2052.
NOW SHOWING at the
Randolph Theater
“Furry Vengeance” (PG)
Brendan Fraser, Brooke Shields
Today @ 7 p.m.
Saturday @ 3 p.m.
“Nightmare on Elm Street” (R)
Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner
Saturday @ 6 p.m.
Sunday @ 3 p.m.
$4 for adults
$2 for children 11 and under
Call 652-3278 for details.
For a complete listing of base briefs, visit www.randolph.af.mil and click on ‘Round Randolph
JUNE 11, 2010 JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD PAGE 9
By Robert Goetz
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
A group of budding boat builders at the Parr
O’Club swimming pool May 27 had more than
Archimedes’ principle to grapple with.
They had to cope with material malfunctions and learn how to synchronize their paddling strokes on the fly.
The event was the culmination of an assignment for
Randolph High School physics and pre-calculus students to apply Archimedes’ principle – that the buoyant force on an object immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid that is displaced by the object.
The students were divided into teams whose task was to build a boat that could support two crew members and test the vessel’s seaworthiness in a race two lengths of the pool. What made the job trickier were the materials they had to use.
“They could only use cardboard and duct tape,” said physics teacher Karin Dentino, who timed the students in their cardboard crafts while they raced against each other two boats at a time.
One of the students, junior Shaquille Henry, learned about the importance of duct tape when he rowed his craft without his partner, who recently underwent knee surgery.
“We got some thick cardboard and doubled it up so the boat wouldn’t sink,” he said, looking at the vessel’s damp innards. “But I think we needed more duct tape.”
Despite the lack of a partner and the presence of
Photos by Steve Thurow
The first-place team (right) of Emily Jones and John Vaille completed the final race with a one lap lead during the finale of the Randolph Field ISD cardboard regatta held at the Officers’ Club pool May 27.
a leak, Shaq acquitted himself well using a paddle in each hand, finishing in a respectable 2 minutes,
15 seconds.
Some of the boats were nothing more than big cardboard boxes sealed with duct tape, but the ves-
Bryan Davis (left) and Matt Meyers began sinking as soon as they left the dock, but managed to complete the two crossings of the pool during the cardboard regatta.
sel built by “The Geek Squad” – each team had its own theme – utilized pontoons and a pointed bow and stern.
“We wanted to make it watertight and aerodynamic,” said junior Daniel Keef, whose team of “nerdy” navigators placed second overall. “We knew the pontoons would help it float.”
He said advance planning is the key to success.
“It takes a lot of preparation if you want it to perform,” Daniel said. “You have to plan your boat ahead of time.”
Like many of the 30 teams, The Geek Squad encountered problems keeping their boat on a straight path across the pool.
“Paddling was hard,” Daniel said. “I kept hitting my partner (Sarah Pfeil) in the head.”
Anna Ross, a junior whose “Greek Warriors” finished third, said their plan was simple.
“Just put it together and hope it floats,” she said.
Once they put their vessel in the water, their plan changed somewhat.
“Water started coming in slowly,” teammate
Jacob Walters said, “so we tried to paddle as fast as we could.”
Ms. Dentino, who said the students worked on their projects for about a week, starting with a miniature prototype, said the assignment teaches them about aerodynamics, teamwork and strategy.
She also said it “kept them focused” at a time of year when students’ thoughts drift away from the classroom.

PAGE 10 WINGSPREAD JUNE 11, 2010
Seventeen Air Force aviators will receive their wings during a combat systems officer graduation today at 10 a.m. in the base theater.
During the combat systems officer course, students learn fundamental, system and intermediate navigation. Students spend about
12 months in training, including an Introductory Flight School.
2nd Lt. Andrew Beasley
C-130
Yokota AB, Japan
2nd Lt. Andrew Erlandson
RC-135
Offutt AFB, Neb.
2nd Lt. Jonathan Fredrick
E-8
Robbins AFB, Ga.
2nd Lt. Charles Gaylord
RC-135 (EWO)
Offutt AFB, Neb.
2nd Lt. Kevin George
U-28
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2nd Lt. Matthew Hogg
EC-130 (EWO)
Pennsylvania ANG
2nd Lt. Corwin Lemon
C-130
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
2nd Lt. Walter Mitchell
C-130
Pope AFB, N.C.
2nd Lt. Kasey Newcomer
B-52 (EWO)
Barksdale AFB, Fla.
2nd Lt. Brent Pankau
C-130
Missouri ANG
JUNE 11, 2010
2nd Lt. Nichloas Rayl
MC-130
Cannon AFB, N.M.
2nd Lt. Jacob Gilliam
C-130
Tennessee ANG
Ira J. Husik Award Winner
2nd Lt. Mark Shiffrin
B-52
Barksdale AFB, La.
Why did you decide to become a
CSO?
My decision to become a CSO is directly linked with my desire to serve as an officer in the
Tennessee Air National Guard and as part of a multi-person crew. Being part of the ANG means that you are a citizen and a soldier, something that I believe is distinct and important. You act locally but also possess the ability to serve in whatever role your country needs. Serving in that capacity while flying around in an airplane with likeminded people may well prove to be the greatest job in the world. When the opportunity presented itself, the choice was easy.
2nd Lt. Stephen Telano
C-130
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
2nd Lt. Anthony Walenz
RC-135 (EWO)
Offutt AFB, Neb.
2nd Lt. Caitlyn McKay
MC-130 (EWO)
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
Jack Donovan
Award Winner
2nd Lt. Todd Webb
E-3
Tinker AFB, Okla.
What has been the most challenging aspect of the course? Why?
Keeping motivated throughout the entire program was the most challenging. There were times where I felt burned out, but needed to stay focused for the next challenge. Working with my flight mates helped with motivating each other.
Why did you decide to become a CSO?
I enjoyed my incentive flight when I was in ROTC, but knew that I did not want to be a pilot.
Being a CSO seemed challenging and while having a wide range of opportunities. Having the
EWO background helps in opening more doors to new challenges.
WINGSPREAD
ADVERTISEMENT
902nd Force Support Squadron Briefs
A class designed to prepare children ages 10 and older to be left unattended in base housing for short periods of times takes place at the Airman & Family Readiness Center on June 17 from 5-6 p.m.
Children and parents MUST attend this training together.
Call Mitzi Wood at 652-3828 for more information and to sign up.
PAGE 11

PAGE 10 WINGSPREAD JUNE 11, 2010
Seventeen Air Force aviators will receive their wings during a combat systems officer graduation today at 10 a.m. in the base theater.
During the combat systems officer course, students learn fundamental, system and intermediate navigation. Students spend about
12 months in training, including an Introductory Flight School.
2nd Lt. Andrew Beasley
C-130
Yokota AB, Japan
2nd Lt. Andrew Erlandson
RC-135
Offutt AFB, Neb.
2nd Lt. Jonathan Fredrick
E-8
Robbins AFB, Ga.
2nd Lt. Charles Gaylord
RC-135 (EWO)
Offutt AFB, Neb.
2nd Lt. Kevin George
U-28
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2nd Lt. Matthew Hogg
EC-130 (EWO)
Pennsylvania ANG
2nd Lt. Corwin Lemon
C-130
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
2nd Lt. Walter Mitchell
C-130
Pope AFB, N.C.
2nd Lt. Kasey Newcomer
B-52 (EWO)
Barksdale AFB, Fla.
2nd Lt. Brent Pankau
C-130
Missouri ANG
JUNE 11, 2010
2nd Lt. Nichloas Rayl
MC-130
Cannon AFB, N.M.
2nd Lt. Jacob Gilliam
C-130
Tennessee ANG
Ira J. Husik Award Winner
2nd Lt. Mark Shiffrin
B-52
Barksdale AFB, La.
Why did you decide to become a
CSO?
My decision to become a CSO is directly linked with my desire to serve as an officer in the
Tennessee Air National Guard and as part of a multi-person crew. Being part of the ANG means that you are a citizen and a soldier, something that I believe is distinct and important. You act locally but also possess the ability to serve in whatever role your country needs. Serving in that capacity while flying around in an airplane with likeminded people may well prove to be the greatest job in the world. When the opportunity presented itself, the choice was easy.
2nd Lt. Stephen Telano
C-130
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
2nd Lt. Anthony Walenz
RC-135 (EWO)
Offutt AFB, Neb.
2nd Lt. Caitlyn McKay
MC-130 (EWO)
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
Jack Donovan
Award Winner
2nd Lt. Todd Webb
E-3
Tinker AFB, Okla.
What has been the most challenging aspect of the course? Why?
Keeping motivated throughout the entire program was the most challenging. There were times where I felt burned out, but needed to stay focused for the next challenge. Working with my flight mates helped with motivating each other.
Why did you decide to become a CSO?
I enjoyed my incentive flight when I was in ROTC, but knew that I did not want to be a pilot.
Being a CSO seemed challenging and while having a wide range of opportunities. Having the
EWO background helps in opening more doors to new challenges.
WINGSPREAD
ADVERTISEMENT
902nd Force Support Squadron Briefs
A class designed to prepare children ages 10 and older to be left unattended in base housing for short periods of times takes place at the Airman & Family Readiness Center on June 17 from 5-6 p.m.
Children and parents MUST attend this training together.
Call Mitzi Wood at 652-3828 for more information and to sign up.
PAGE 11

JUNE 11, 2010 PAGE 12 WINGSPREAD
By Deborah Silliman Wolfe
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
Ten thousand people are expected to participate in this year’s Air Force
Marathon and 1st Lt. Ryan McGuire is planning to be one of them. Lieutenant
McGuire, a 47th Operational Support
Squadron student pilot at Laughlin Air
Force Base, Texas, has run a marathon before, but this event will be different. This time, he will be running as an amputee.
On Sept. 6, 2009, Lieutenant McGuire and a few of his student pilot friends rented a boat at Amistad Reservoir, located just a few miles from Laughlin AFB. After a day of tubing, the group started back to the marina.
Lieutenant McGuire was holding a rope attached to a tube, making sure it was secured inside the boat. Without warning, the tube caught some air, flying off the back of the boat, taking
Lieutenant McGuire with it. The slack of the rope was on the boat floor and wrapped around Lieutenant
McGuire’s right leg, crushing bones in his ankle and foot. He was slammed into the side of the boat, fracturing his pelvis and dislocating his hip, and then was dragged into the water, barely missing the boat’s propeller.
“It is one of my goals to be able to do everything I could do before the accident. No one at the hospital ever told me there was something I couldn’t do. It was always what I was going to be able to do and how quickly.” student pilot at Laughlin AFB, Texas
“I flew out of the boat, over my friend’s head and landed in the water about six inches away from the propeller,” he said. “When the rope unraveled, it cut really deep into my skin and damaged a lot of my arteries and veins [in my leg]. When my friends pulled around, I was in the water screaming.”
With a fractured pelvis and dislocated hip,
Lieutenant McGuire was only able to pull himself onto the back ledge of the boat, with his feet still in the water.
“I knew something was wrong, I have never been in that much pain,” he remembered. “I couldn’t move either direction. There was no cell phone service, and my feet were too close to the propeller to start the boat, but I couldn’t move. I was in too much pain.”
The group waited for a half hour before flagging someone down. It took another hour and a half for medical personnel to arrive on scene because of the group’s remote location.
And then another two and a half hours before the ambulance arrived at a hospital in Del Rio.
“When we got to the hospital, the doctors were really concerned about my ankle and foot,” Lieutenant McGuire said. “They called a helicopter to get me to San Antonio to see an arterial specialist. I remember telling a friend, ‘I think I am going to lose my leg.’
There was something wrong, I couldn’t feel my foot.”
After his medical flight was delayed because of a storm, Lieutenant McGuire finally arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center where they stabilized his condition. Over the next six weeks, a metal plate was inserted in his pelvis and doctors desperately tried to save his foot with six separate surgeries. But the tissue in his foot kept dying off. The decision was made to amputate Lieutenant McGuire’s right leg six inches below the knee. Eight days after the amputation,
Lieutenant McGuire was discharged and started outpatient rehab at the
Center for the Intrepid at
Fort Sam Houston.
“I was in a wheelchair at first, then crutches, and then I got my leg in
1st Lt. Ryan McGuire
47th Operational Support Squadron
December,” he said. “I had lost 40 pounds of muscle in the hospital so I had to build back up. It’s crazy, the team there pushes you pretty hard. I get to work with guys who were injured in
Iraq and Afghanistan. I am with a lot of great people in all stages of training and seeing their progression helped me get motivated.”
Alicia White, Center for the Intrepid physical therapist, has been working with Lieutenant McGuire since he arrived at the center.
“The majority of our population are males ages 20 to 26 years old,” she said.
“Ryan is in our average demographic, but what makes him exceptional is he always works extremely hard, and is always asking for something new to do.”
Currently, Lieutenant McGuire does physical therapy four days a week. At the beginning, the therapy was more regimented, but now Lieutenant McGuire has branched out and is doing a huge variety of activities including running, cycling, swimming and playing tennis.
Photo by Deborah Silliman Wolfe
1st Lt. Ryan McGuire, 47th Operational Support
Squadron student pilot at Laughlin AFB, Texas, trains for the Air Force Marathon.
“My therapist is unbelievable; she helps me every step of the way,” Lieutenant McGuire said. “And my prosthetist, John Ferguson, he sees me working hard in the pool, and he is like, ‘Hey, want a water leg?’ When I was trying to run with my regular leg it hurt my pelvis, so he got me a running leg, which is fantastic. I am probably more active now than I was before the accident.”
See AMPUTEE P18
Lifeguarding classes
Lifeguarding classes will be offered at
Randolph June 19-25,
July 17-23 and Aug. 14-
20. The cost for the class is $200 and includes eight hours of CPR training, four hours of first aid training and 21 hours of lifeguard training. The class is limited to 10 participants at least 16 years old.
Those interested should sign up at Outdoor recreation/ITT office, Bldg. 897.
Water aerobic classes
Water aerobic classes are offered Monday and
Wednesday from 10-11 a.m.
at the center pool Classes cost $3.
For more information contact the Fitness Center at 652-7263.
Women’s golf league
A women’s 9-hole golf league starts June 29. If interested, call Troy Gann at 652-4653 for more details and to sign up.
Youth registration
Registration for flag football, cheerleading
(ages 5-15 years) and volleyball (ages 9-15 years) runs from June 15 through Aug. 13. The cost is $40 per youth and all sports and cheerleading participants must have a current sports physical and Youth Programs membership at the time of registration.
In addition, all participants must present valid proof of age, i.e. birth certificate or military ID card.
JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD
AMPUTEE from P17
Discovering new physical talents through rehab, such as swimming, helped Lieutenant McGuire win a gold medal for the 50-meter backstroke and a bronze for the 100-meter freestyle at the Warrior Games held in
Colorado. The Warrior Games is an event where injured, wounded or ill servicemembers from all branches get together to compete in a variety of sporting events.
Maj. Chiafei Wu, Randolph AFB 99th
Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, is Lieutenant McGuire’s family liaison officer. She met him two days after his accident and says that his improvements have been remarkable.
“Ryan has proven that he can overcome odds that most people could not even fathom,” she said. “He is an outstanding officer and I am proud to serve with him in our Air Force.”
According to Major Wu, Lieutenant
McGuire has taken his whole ordeal in stride and she says he hasn’t let his injury prevent him from doing anything
– physically and mentally.
“It is one of my goals to be able to do everything I could do before the accident,” Lieutenant McGuire said.
PAGE 13
“No one at the hospital ever told me there was something I couldn’t do. It was always what I was going to be able to do and how quickly. I am so lucky to have such a strong support group around me – my family, my friends, my commander, and the physical therapy staff.”
One of the things Lieutenant McGuire was able to do before the injury was run a marathon. So this September at the Air Force Marathon, look for
Lieutenant McGuire, with his physical therapist Alicia White by his side, crossing the finish line.
June
$3 per class. For details on class passes or holiday class schedules, call the Rambler
Fitness Center at 652-2955.
Equipment orientation available upon request for all patrons.
MONDAYS TUESDAYS WEDNESDAYS THURSDAYS FRIDAYS SATURDAYS
9 a.m. - Step
10 a.m. - Water aerobics
11 a.m. - Step
11:15 a.m. - Cycling
5 p.m. - Step
5:15 p.m. - Cycling
6 p.m. - Yoga
7:15 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Yoga
10 a.m. - Senior Strength
11 a.m. - Step
5 p.m. - Zumba
5:15 p.m. - Cycling
6 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Step
10 a.m. - Water aerobics
11 a.m. - Step
11:15 a.m. - Cycling
4 p.m. - Power Yoga
5 p.m. - Step and Kick
5:15 p.m. - Cycling
6 p.m. - Sets & Reps
7:15 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Step/Weights
9 a.m. - Yoga
10 a.m. - Senior Strength
11 a.m. - Step
5 p.m. - Zumba
6 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Step
10:15 a.m. - Cardiofusion
11:15 a.m. - Cycling
5:30 p.m. - Yoga
9 a.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Pilates
10:15 a.m. - Zumba
SUNDAYS
1 p.m. - Yoga

JUNE 11, 2010 PAGE 12 WINGSPREAD
By Deborah Silliman Wolfe
502nd Air Base Wing OL-B Public Affairs
Ten thousand people are expected to participate in this year’s Air Force
Marathon and 1st Lt. Ryan McGuire is planning to be one of them. Lieutenant
McGuire, a 47th Operational Support
Squadron student pilot at Laughlin Air
Force Base, Texas, has run a marathon before, but this event will be different. This time, he will be running as an amputee.
On Sept. 6, 2009, Lieutenant McGuire and a few of his student pilot friends rented a boat at Amistad Reservoir, located just a few miles from Laughlin AFB. After a day of tubing, the group started back to the marina.
Lieutenant McGuire was holding a rope attached to a tube, making sure it was secured inside the boat. Without warning, the tube caught some air, flying off the back of the boat, taking
Lieutenant McGuire with it. The slack of the rope was on the boat floor and wrapped around Lieutenant
McGuire’s right leg, crushing bones in his ankle and foot. He was slammed into the side of the boat, fracturing his pelvis and dislocating his hip, and then was dragged into the water, barely missing the boat’s propeller.
“It is one of my goals to be able to do everything I could do before the accident. No one at the hospital ever told me there was something I couldn’t do. It was always what I was going to be able to do and how quickly.” student pilot at Laughlin AFB, Texas
“I flew out of the boat, over my friend’s head and landed in the water about six inches away from the propeller,” he said. “When the rope unraveled, it cut really deep into my skin and damaged a lot of my arteries and veins [in my leg]. When my friends pulled around, I was in the water screaming.”
With a fractured pelvis and dislocated hip,
Lieutenant McGuire was only able to pull himself onto the back ledge of the boat, with his feet still in the water.
“I knew something was wrong, I have never been in that much pain,” he remembered. “I couldn’t move either direction. There was no cell phone service, and my feet were too close to the propeller to start the boat, but I couldn’t move. I was in too much pain.”
The group waited for a half hour before flagging someone down. It took another hour and a half for medical personnel to arrive on scene because of the group’s remote location.
And then another two and a half hours before the ambulance arrived at a hospital in Del Rio.
“When we got to the hospital, the doctors were really concerned about my ankle and foot,” Lieutenant McGuire said. “They called a helicopter to get me to San Antonio to see an arterial specialist. I remember telling a friend, ‘I think I am going to lose my leg.’
There was something wrong, I couldn’t feel my foot.”
After his medical flight was delayed because of a storm, Lieutenant McGuire finally arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center where they stabilized his condition. Over the next six weeks, a metal plate was inserted in his pelvis and doctors desperately tried to save his foot with six separate surgeries. But the tissue in his foot kept dying off. The decision was made to amputate Lieutenant McGuire’s right leg six inches below the knee. Eight days after the amputation,
Lieutenant McGuire was discharged and started outpatient rehab at the
Center for the Intrepid at
Fort Sam Houston.
“I was in a wheelchair at first, then crutches, and then I got my leg in
1st Lt. Ryan McGuire
47th Operational Support Squadron
December,” he said. “I had lost 40 pounds of muscle in the hospital so I had to build back up. It’s crazy, the team there pushes you pretty hard. I get to work with guys who were injured in
Iraq and Afghanistan. I am with a lot of great people in all stages of training and seeing their progression helped me get motivated.”
Alicia White, Center for the Intrepid physical therapist, has been working with Lieutenant McGuire since he arrived at the center.
“The majority of our population are males ages 20 to 26 years old,” she said.
“Ryan is in our average demographic, but what makes him exceptional is he always works extremely hard, and is always asking for something new to do.”
Currently, Lieutenant McGuire does physical therapy four days a week. At the beginning, the therapy was more regimented, but now Lieutenant McGuire has branched out and is doing a huge variety of activities including running, cycling, swimming and playing tennis.
Photo by Deborah Silliman Wolfe
1st Lt. Ryan McGuire, 47th Operational Support
Squadron student pilot at Laughlin AFB, Texas, trains for the Air Force Marathon.
“My therapist is unbelievable; she helps me every step of the way,” Lieutenant McGuire said. “And my prosthetist, John Ferguson, he sees me working hard in the pool, and he is like, ‘Hey, want a water leg?’ When I was trying to run with my regular leg it hurt my pelvis, so he got me a running leg, which is fantastic. I am probably more active now than I was before the accident.”
See AMPUTEE P18
Lifeguarding classes
Lifeguarding classes will be offered at
Randolph June 19-25,
July 17-23 and Aug. 14-
20. The cost for the class is $200 and includes eight hours of CPR training, four hours of first aid training and 21 hours of lifeguard training. The class is limited to 10 participants at least 16 years old.
Those interested should sign up at Outdoor recreation/ITT office, Bldg. 897.
Water aerobic classes
Water aerobic classes are offered Monday and
Wednesday from 10-11 a.m.
at the center pool Classes cost $3.
For more information contact the Fitness Center at 652-7263.
Women’s golf league
A women’s 9-hole golf league starts June 29. If interested, call Troy Gann at 652-4653 for more details and to sign up.
Youth registration
Registration for flag football, cheerleading
(ages 5-15 years) and volleyball (ages 9-15 years) runs from June 15 through Aug. 13. The cost is $40 per youth and all sports and cheerleading participants must have a current sports physical and Youth Programs membership at the time of registration.
In addition, all participants must present valid proof of age, i.e. birth certificate or military ID card.
JUNE 11, 2010 WINGSPREAD
AMPUTEE from P17
Discovering new physical talents through rehab, such as swimming, helped Lieutenant McGuire win a gold medal for the 50-meter backstroke and a bronze for the 100-meter freestyle at the Warrior Games held in
Colorado. The Warrior Games is an event where injured, wounded or ill servicemembers from all branches get together to compete in a variety of sporting events.
Maj. Chiafei Wu, Randolph AFB 99th
Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, is Lieutenant McGuire’s family liaison officer. She met him two days after his accident and says that his improvements have been remarkable.
“Ryan has proven that he can overcome odds that most people could not even fathom,” she said. “He is an outstanding officer and I am proud to serve with him in our Air Force.”
According to Major Wu, Lieutenant
McGuire has taken his whole ordeal in stride and she says he hasn’t let his injury prevent him from doing anything
– physically and mentally.
“It is one of my goals to be able to do everything I could do before the accident,” Lieutenant McGuire said.
PAGE 13
“No one at the hospital ever told me there was something I couldn’t do. It was always what I was going to be able to do and how quickly. I am so lucky to have such a strong support group around me – my family, my friends, my commander, and the physical therapy staff.”
One of the things Lieutenant McGuire was able to do before the injury was run a marathon. So this September at the Air Force Marathon, look for
Lieutenant McGuire, with his physical therapist Alicia White by his side, crossing the finish line.
June
$3 per class. For details on class passes or holiday class schedules, call the Rambler
Fitness Center at 652-2955.
Equipment orientation available upon request for all patrons.
MONDAYS TUESDAYS WEDNESDAYS THURSDAYS FRIDAYS SATURDAYS
9 a.m. - Step
10 a.m. - Water aerobics
11 a.m. - Step
11:15 a.m. - Cycling
5 p.m. - Step
5:15 p.m. - Cycling
6 p.m. - Yoga
7:15 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Yoga
10 a.m. - Senior Strength
11 a.m. - Step
5 p.m. - Zumba
5:15 p.m. - Cycling
6 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Step
10 a.m. - Water aerobics
11 a.m. - Step
11:15 a.m. - Cycling
4 p.m. - Power Yoga
5 p.m. - Step and Kick
5:15 p.m. - Cycling
6 p.m. - Sets & Reps
7:15 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Step/Weights
9 a.m. - Yoga
10 a.m. - Senior Strength
11 a.m. - Step
5 p.m. - Zumba
6 p.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Step
10:15 a.m. - Cardiofusion
11:15 a.m. - Cycling
5:30 p.m. - Yoga
9 a.m. - Kick Boxing
9 a.m. - Pilates
10:15 a.m. - Zumba
SUNDAYS
1 p.m. - Yoga