http://www.peterson.af.mil en-US Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:02:02 GMT Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:02:02 GMT Air Force Link RSS Generator http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289563 The Chinese zodiac chart may have referred to 2011 as the year of the Rabbit, but in Air Force Space Command it was definitely the year of the Cobra; the 16th Space Control Squadron Cobra that is, Air Force Space Command's first defensive counterspace unit.

The Cobras had many accomplishments in 2011, which included making history, achieving unit milestones, changes in command, awards and promotions.

Starting the year off strong, the 16th Space Control Squadron and its reserve associate unit, the 380th Space Control Squadron, became part of AFSPC history by participating in the annual Red Flag exercise.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Staff Sgt. Patricia Montez) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289563 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:07:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289560 Not a day off, but a day on -- that is how Wynona James, 21st Space Wing special emphasis program manager, says everyone should spend holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"He would expect us to be proactive and engaging," James said. "It's a nice day off, but can you imagine what could be done if we engaged in something civically?"

The equal opportunity office hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. walk-through display Jan. 19 in the chapel as an opportunity to learn and reflect on history. "We decided on that format because people are being challenged today with position cut backs, doing more with less," James said. The walk-through ran from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. so those attending the exhibit could do so at their leisure.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289560 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:55:41 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289098 After popping in and out of the 21st Space Wing several times during the week, Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, 14th Air Force commander, called members of Peterson Air Force Base to the base auditorium Feb. 3.

Helms gave the wing a peek into the future by summarizing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's budget priorities and strategic choices for the defense budget.

Those five priorities, Helms said, are a smaller, leaner, more flexible force; a rebalancing of the global posture to focus on Asia-Pacific and the Middle East; the development of innovative partnerships and alliances to ensure quick confrontation of aggression; and protection of key investments.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289098 Tue, 7 Feb 2012 16:18:48 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288985
Disposition or amnesty boxes for clothing, such as those found down range, allow you to turn in unwanted items such as boots, blouses, pants or any unwanted military clothing item. The boxes, once full, are emptied, and the items are destroyed either by shredding or burning, but there is not one located on Peterson AFB.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (21st Security Forces Squadron) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288985 Tue, 7 Feb 2012 10:24:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288982
"We've had a couple of our providers deployed. We've also lost some contract providers and it's made us short with our provider manning," said Maj. Michelle Montgomery, Family Health Clinic flight commander with the 21st Medical Group.

The 21st MDG's Family Health Clinic has 15 provider (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) authorizations, however, due to unforeseen circumstances (deployments, position vacancies and difficulties in hiring contract staff), the clinic has been functioning with only nine to care for more than 15,000 military, retiree and family members in the area.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288982 Tue, 7 Feb 2012 10:16:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288981
The online system is meant to alleviate long wait times by guaranteeing customers a certain
appointment time without the customer having to wait in the MPS prior to their scheduled time. Customers are now able to schedule an appointment to come into the MPS at their convenience.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Peterson Military Personnel Section) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288981 Tue, 7 Feb 2012 10:12:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288594
Although these concepts are correct, true leaders are not necessarily those specifically appointed to a leadership position. In my opinion, true leaders are those Airmen who inspire others around them to be better. There is no rank or job requirement to be a leader; each and every one of you has the potential, and this is applicable to military and civilian alike.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Col. Kimerlee Conner) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288594 Fri, 3 Feb 2012 12:07:24 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288593 Grappling with how to prevent sexual assault, we rightly focus on the positive impact of appropriate bystander/wingman intervention as well as how potential victims can reduce their risk. Another important avenue is to understand a significant barrier to prevention. That barrier is the denial that the offender may be one of our own.

To address the problem, the Air Force commissioned Gallup to do a survey about the incidence and prevalence of sexual assault specifically in the Air Force.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Jeanine Arnold) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288593 Fri, 3 Feb 2012 12:05:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288480 For 35 years, Cavalier Air Force Station has led the way in the fields of missile warning and space surveillance, with its powerful Perimeter Acquisition Radar Characterization System, or PARCS.

The PARCS radar is the most powerful of five missile warning and space surveillance radars operated by the 21st Space Wing. These include systems located at Clear AFB, Alaska, Beale AFB, Calif., Cape Cod Air Station, Mass., and Thule AFB, Greenland. PARCS can more effectively track and discriminate multiple objects in low-earth orbit. The 10th SWS detects and tracks near-earth man-made objects at a range of nearly 3,300 nautical miles for the Joint Space Operations Center and provides space object identification data for the space surveillance network in the course of its missile defense mission.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (2nd Lt. Jim Godfrey) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288480 Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:06:02 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288084 The Gold Knight recipient for December is the diverse Fitness Center emergency response team, who leapt into action, aiding a patron suffering a heart attack at the fitness center.

Six members, including fitness center staff, patrons and the 21st Civil Engineer Squadron Emergency Response Team, responded to a patron having a heart attack. The team worked together to save the man's life, calling 911, administering CPR and using an automated external defibrillator to establish a heart rhythm until emergency response personnel arrived.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil () http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288084 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:40:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288079 Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley received a warm welcome from the local community here Jan. 27 during remarks at the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce to approximately 40 local community, military and business leaders.

Donley said his trip to Colorado Springs provided a chance to visit with local leaders and highlight the strategic priorities and choices made by the Air Force and Department of Defense for fiscal 2013 and beyond.

"We will reduce our force structure," he said. "We will prioritize readiness, and we intend to preserve our investments in key programs that are crucial to future Air Force capability."
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Auburn Davis) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123288079 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:26:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287888
They were both scheduled to PCS from Thule Air Base on the weekly rotator flight Dec. 30. The senior NCO excitedly described how we could marshal the forces of the group, out-process both Airmen in hours instead of days and get them a seat on the Dec. 23 rotator flight so they could spend Christmas with their families. The SNCO, who had already done a lot of the leg work, determined the last scheduled duty day for both Airmen and produced an executable plan when we first spoke.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Col. William Uhlmeyer) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287888 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:40:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287703 Acclimating to the altitude in Colorado Springs can take several months, but even after the acclimation period fitness assessment scores can still suffer.

Effective Jan. 1, Airmen taking a fitness assessment will have an altitude adjustment added to their run or walk time.

"It applies to any of the bases that are over 5,000 feet," said Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Brembah, Air Force Space Command's command functional for food, fitness and lodging.

The Air Force Academy's Human Performance Laboratory initiated a study of the cardio-respiratory performance at sea level versus 7,200 feet, the altitude at the Academy.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287703 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:06:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287702
According to Tech. Sgt. Amanda Callahan, 21st Space Wing Public Affairs NCO in charge, the wing and the airport had an informal agreement for years that in case of an aircraft emergency, the wing and the airport would work together to respond to media questions.

This inventive agreement was put to the test in 2011. Jeff Bohn, 21st SW PA chief of community outreach, was on call for the PA office that Sunday. Calls starting pouring in from local media outlets about a C-130 with a landing gear problem.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287702 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:32 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287532
While written history has not always been recorded it in its entirety, whether in foreign countries, on our own soil, or in the skies, the battles to gain and maintain our freedom have included, and in many cases depended upon, the efforts of African-Americans.

Since 1641, there has never been a time when African-Americans were unwilling to sacrifice for America. Black men and women have willingly served and died for their country.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Rex Jones) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287532 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:09:14 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287531 The next step in establishing full Rapid Attack, Identification, Detection and Reporting System capabilities is underway at Peterson Air Force Base.

The 16th Space Control Squadron and 380th Space Control Squadron, a Reserve Associate Unit, formally broke ground near the east gate Jan. 17 for the new RAIDRS space control facility.

"This has been an incredible feat, especially when you consider the very challenging fiscal and manpower age in which we live," said Col. Chris Crawford, 21st Space Wing commander.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287531 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:19 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287424 Following last week's Air Force civilian reduction announcement, the 21st Space Wing is making plans to deal with the changes.

These reductions respond to the Secretary of Defense's direction to target civilian funding at fiscal year 2010 levels.

"We value our talented and experienced workforce and are trying to do everything possible to manage these reductions with as little impact to our people as possible," said Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force.

more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Staff report) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287424 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:51:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287212 Hundreds of military and civilians from across the region gathered on Jan. 20 to celebrate the life of Airman 1st Class Matthew R. Seidler, 21st Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance technician.

Seidler, from Westminster, Md., entered the Air Force in November 2009 and arrived at Peterson in January 2011. He was killed in Afghanistan from injuries suffered from an improvised explosive device on Jan. 5, just two days after his 24th birthday. He was the first Airman from the 21st Space Wing killed in action since the wing's inception in 1992.
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287212 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:04:00 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287198
In no aspect of our lives is this truer than in our roles as leaders and supervisors, especially in the direction we give our subordinates and teams. Our direction carries the weight of authority, and by virtue of its source has the power to redirect, reprioritize, correct course and even disrupt other important work. There is no doubt that subordinates and teams should respond professionally and promptly to legal and moral direction from their leaders. However, in this age of technologically-enabled immediacy, what is in doubt is the increasing need for "now."
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lt. Col. Shawn Smith) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287198 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:02:34 EST http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287081 Despite tough economic times, Airmen and civilians at Peterson Air Force Base gave a record amount to the Combined Federal Campaign this year.

"The 21st Space Wing, including our (52) tenant partners but not including the two major commands, raised a record for the second consecutive year -- $326,000," said Col. Chris Crawford, 21st Space Wing commander.

The wing exceeded its goal this year by more than $11,000.

To kick off the CFC event in October, a five-kilometer fun run/walk and pancake breakfast was held at the fitness center, Crawford said. "We had participation of over 44 tenants at that one event. It was just a great time."
more...]]> stephen.brady@peterson.af.mil (Lea Johnson) http://www.peterson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123287081 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:04:00 EST