Archive

Jan 2017 Red Tail R-Review

USE YOUR LEAVE WHEN YOU ACCRUE IT: Military leave will be scheduled and taken during the tour it was earned unless urgent mission circumstances do not afford the member the opportunity to do so.

AMENDED DUTY ORDERS: When orders are modified in AROWS with a pay-affecting amendment, the amendment must be promptly submitted by the member to the Reserve Pay Office.

USE YOUR LEAVE WHEN YOU ACCRUE IT: Military leave will be scheduled and taken during the tour it was earned unless urgent mission circumstances do not afford the member the opportunity to do so.

AMENDED DUTY ORDERS: When orders are modified in AROWS with a pay-affecting amendment, the amendment must be promptly submitted by the member to the Reserve Pay Office.

			January 2017




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477 FSS

Immersion Tour

525/477 Raptor Keepers

	U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas S. Walter, who will serve as the 477th Fighter Group Deputy Commander, Maintenance at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, toured the 477th Fighter Group December 15, 2016. “Airmen are the future of the Air Force. It gives me the energy to continue in this profession knowing that these Airmen are happy and enthusiastic to be here working as a part of the Air Force Reserve.”


Except from an article by Airman 1st Class Denise Nevins Tips to start off your resolutions strong: 1. Be realistic: The quickest and surest way to fall short of your goals is to make them unattainable. 2. Don't keep your resolution a secret: Tell family and friends who will support you. 3. Plan ahead, don't wait until the last minute to make your resolutions. 4. Detail how you will avoid the temptation to break your resolution, such as talking to a friend. 5. Reward yourself for small successes toward your larger goals. 6. Don't beat yourself up, do the best you can each and every day, taking it one day at a time. 7. Keep trying. Experts say it takes 21 days for a new activity to become a habit, and six months for it to become a part of your personality.	Click here for more ammo photos.		The Christmas star lights up the sky on Mount Gordon Lyon in the Chugach Mountain Range at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The star is 300 feet wide with 350 60-watt light bulbs. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman Valerie Monroy) By Staff Sgt. Mike Campbell Since the Cold War, a giant star of lights set up on the side of a steep mountain between Anchorage and Eagle River can be viewed from many angles around Anchorage. The star sits at the mercy of avalanches and harsh weather conditions from late November until the last musher in the Iditarod crosses the finish line, as well as on September 11. According to an article by Craig Medred in the Anchorage Daily News, U.S. Army Capt. Douglas Evert, commander for B Battery, fourth Missile Battalion, 43rd Artillery, had his men construct a 15-foot star that first shone May 5, 1959. It rested atop the gatehouse of Site Summit, the location of a Nike Hercules missile battery until 1979. Read more here.

	By Maj. Carla Gleason, 477th Fighter Group Public Affairs A glimpse into the world of munitions involves warehouses full of ammunition, bombs, trailers and trucks. It includes Airmen who spend their days working with their hands in all kinds of conditions and supervisors who know their way around base defense ammunition and air defense munitions with equal amounts of agility. At first, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ammunition operations seem massive. Ten duty sections and more than 270 service members are spread across four flights of operations including a $137 million munitions stockpile. But that’s not even very big compared to other Air Force ammo organizations. Some stockpiles reach upwards of billions. It’s a huge mission with national implications; and its spread thin. As JBER grows the infrastructure grows, but real estate and time don’t expand; instead, major renovations and additions compensate for the speed and scale and reservists have been there every step of the way. In just a short period of time, the Arctic ammo reservists have gone from not flying any munitions at all to leading munitions for TDYs. According to Staff Sgt. Austin Shippy, 477th Fighter Group member who works as a munitions controller, leadership and increased stability can be invaluable for a mission that is as broad and technical as munitions. “That’s where joint and integrated operations really get to work. The TFI and joint operations have been great here,” he said. “We work hand in hand with the Army ASP and the Guard helping with assets and infrastructure.” Read full article here.

	The Coin: A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion (usually military), bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale. In addition, they are also collected by service members. The History: According to mentalfloss.com, although no one is certain how challenge coins came to be, one story dates back to World War I, when a wealthy officer had bronze medallions struck with the flying	squadron’s insignia to give to his men. Shortly after, one of the young flying aces was shot down over Germany and captured. The Germans took everything on his person except the small leather pouch he wore around his neck that happened to contain his medallion. The pilot escaped and made his way to France. But the French believed he was a spy, and sentenced him to execution. In an effort to prove his identity, the pilot presented the medallion. A French soldier happened to recognize the insignia and the execution was delayed. The French confirmed his identity and sent him back to his unit.	The Challenge "Coin Check": The challenge is initiated by firmly placing your challenge coin on the table or floor stating, shouting or otherwise verbally acknowledging that you are initiating a coin check. If you accidentally drop your coin and it makes an audible sound upon impact, then you have just "accidentally" initiated a coin check. -All those present then draw their coin in a like manner -If you are challenged and are unable to properly respond, you must buy a round of beverages for the group being challenged -If everyone being challenged responds in the correct manner, the challenger must buy a round of beverages for those challenged


By Staff Sgt. Michael Campbell ,477th Fighter Group, Public Affairs Last month I talked about the importance of diet and nutrition when preparing for the Air Force Fitness Assessment. Of course that is only one component of achieving excellence. This month I'll address another important piece of the puzzle - physical activity. The FA is designed to measure your individual fitness level but how do you get to that excellent score? Let’s talk about who we are and what works for each of us independently by exploring some views and experiences of Airmen and professionals that have made fitness transformations both in themselves and for others around them. Technical Sgt. Baker of the 477th Fighter Group Aircraft Maintenance Squadron set the group run-time record in 2016 with a time of 7 minutes, 39 seconds. I asked him what his tips for training were. "Make a plan, follow that plan and be flexible with your plan," he said. “I believe the first thing to understand about physical training is that it isn't something that you do just because you have a scheduled fitness assessment test. I believe that is the wrong mentality. Physical fitness should be a part of your daily routine and life." According to Baker, making a plan for each week, deciding what you want to accomplish ahead of time, being reasonable and starting easy will help you build up your fitness levels and prevent you from burning out."Next, you have to follow through with that plan. The more consistent you are about following through, the easier it becomes," Baker said. "When you miss a workout don’t try to make it up. Just pick up where you left of and stay focused on the remaining goals for the week.”		That's advice from a fitness buff, but what do the experts have to say? Nicole Goss is a certified personal trainer for the Elmendorf Fitness Center on JBER, and she suggested getting and keeping motivated are some of the most important aspects of physical training. “Some things I like to have my clients do is write down SMART goals,” she said. SMART is an acronym that stands for: S - Specific, significant, stretching M - Measurable, motivational A - Attainable, achievable, acceptable R - Realistic, relevant, results-oriented T - Time-based, tangible, trackable “The list of ways to keep yourself motivated goes on and on," said Goss, who points out there is no one-size-fits-all type of fitness plan. "It's ultimately up to you to be proactive and get creative to maintain your own motivation." The final advice from Goss? Hire a qualified trainer if you're really struggling. Following the lead from Goss, I spoke with a professional trainer for military members, Airman Shannon Darby from the 477th Force Support Squadron who works as a trainer in the Elmendorf fitness center. Read the full article here.	MILITARY LEAVE REQUESTS: Requests for leave (AF Form 988) must be submitted to the 477th Fighter Group Reserve Pay Office BEFORE leave begins. And the leave form, part III, must be completed and forwarded to the RPO when the leave ends. E-MAIL ADDRESS IN MYPAY: Periodically the Defense Finance and Accounting Service attempts to contact members and employees about important pay matters. If you’d like to be contacted, ensure your Air Force and/or personal e-mail addresses are current in your myPay account. TRAVEL DAYS ON ORDERS: When you perform active duty that involves TDY travel your order, AF Form 938, must reflect the correct number of travel days in block 11. If the order shows more or less days than you actually used during the TDY, the order must be amended before the final tour certification and travel voucher are done. Orders must include all amendments when submitted for military pay and travel pay. You will receive pay and allowances for the duty days and travel days.


477th Commander's Call Topics 477 FG News AFRC News	Air Force Reserve Snapshot AF News New officer and enlisted evaluation system	By Master Sgt. Keri Mejias Williams 477th Knowledge Operations If you find yourself struggling with the Enlisted Evaluation Form (AF 910), here are a few tips to ease the process: You must answer and complete all sections as you go line to line; otherwise the form will not allow you to move forward and populate additional fields. You may refer to the prescribing publication AFI36-2406 for instructions on completing the form. The form must be completed before the signature element is activated. Section I through Section V, must be filled in and tabbed though in order to have the digital signature activate. Three things to remember when working with smart forms: 1) complete all blocks (don't leave anything blank) 2) tab through the form instead of clicking in and out of blocks 3) do NOT use future dates in block 8 - the form will not activate/open as required if you use a close out date past today's date
477 FG Lt. Col Thomas Walter 477 MXS Staff Sgt. Jesse Crew 477 AMXS Senior Airman Francis Slusser	Senior Airman to Staff Sgt. Erin McFadden - 477 AMXS Staff Sgt. to Technical Sgt. Zachary McCann - 477 AMXS Lt. Col. to Col. Jennifer Page - 477 FSS Kevin Sutterfield - AFRC Thomas Walter - 477 FG




The world is shaped by two things — stories told and the memories they leave behind. — Vera Nazarian Send us your story, share your pictures. If you have a story to tell or a 477th member to recognize, we'd love to hear about it. Send us your photos or video, and tell us about it. E-mail photos and video to carla.gleason@us.af.mil.	Limited space left for 2017. Help give back to the community, contact Angela Earle, 302nd Fighter Squadron Unit Program Coordinator at 907-551-6421. December's volunteers: 477th Operations Support Flight, let by Master Sgt. Justin Woolverton January's Volunteers: 302nd Fighter Squadron Current List of Fisher House needs	The 477th Fighter Group will interview and consider commissioning a deserving Airman in the coming months. January UTA - packages due February UTA - formal board interview and possible selection POC: Chief Master Sgt. Garry Briner, 551-4741. Reference AFI 36-2005 and our 477th Applicant Guide available here.	By Master Sgt. Keri Mejias Williams 477th Knowledge Operations The Air Force has slowly been changing from IBM Lotus and IBM Forms Viewer software to Adobe's PDF format. Come March 2017, the Air Force will begin removing the IBM Forms Viewer software from all networked computers. This means any old forms, ones that are already filled out and signed, will no longer be viewable on a government computer. This is scheduled to occur between 1 Jan - 31 Mar 2017. Click here to learn more about saving your valuable records.


General Dave Goldfein, Chief of Staff-- This paper is the second in a series to share my thinking behind three key CSAF focus areas over the next four years. As stated in the first paper, "Revitalizing Squadrons - the Heartbeat of the Air Force," these ideas are neither revolutionary nor a significant vector change. Each align with our Air Force Future Operating Concept and Strategic Master Plan -- our strategic vision documents. They also nest perfectly under Secretary James' three priorities: Taking Care of Airmen; Balancing Readiness and Modernization; and Making Every Dollar Count. Said another way, these ideas are about evolution ... not revolution.	Today's national security challenges come from a combination of strong states that are challenging world order, weak states that cannot preserve order, and poorly governed spaces that provide sanctuary to extremists who seek to destabilize world order. From China's actions to militarize the South China Sea...to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe...to Iran's continued malicious activity...to nuclear aspirations of an increasingly unstable North Korea...we have returned to the era of state-on-state competition even as we counter violent extremism in the Middle East, prevent its spread to other regions, and disrupt attacks worldwide.	Given we will be facing the challenges listed above for the next several years, it is essential we strengthen the development of Airmen who are not only steeped in the business of Airpower, but also knowledgeable in how to optimize every component as part of a Joint Task Force. Airmen, leveraging the same leadership used to blend joint and coalition partners into a synergized air campaign, must be ready to lead and work in JTF HQs designed to synergize all components. Airmen, embodied with the global perspective natural to the speed and range of airpower, have much to contribute through leadership at the highest levels of joint command.	To better prepare our officer, enlisted, and civilian force to stand up, lead, and support a JTF, we must reinvigorate our development to purposefully and systematically gain proficiency in joint warfare earlier in the careers of Airmen. Our Airmen should continue to serve in joint positions, both on the staff and operationally, and capitalize on joint experiences, education and training.Our culture must value those who serve in these joint positions. We then must promote what we value and invest in Total Force Airmen who are joint warfighters. Read full CSAF paper here.


			December 2016 302 FS Maj. David Balmer - 100 Maj. Caleb Haley - 94.8 477 AMXS senior Airman David Barringer Technical Sgt. Brendan Carroll Maj. Rebecca Daugherty Technical Sgt. Patrick Debano Staff Sgt. Peter Hall Staff Sgt. Kurt Powell Senior Airman Anton Rozvodovskiy Staff Sgt. Aaron Witt 477 FSS Airman First Class Adrian Coombs Senior Master Sgt. Heidi Venable 477 MXS Senior Airman Robert Wagner
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