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Semour Johnson AFB News
Strike Eagle demo team showcases capabilities,
says 'thanks'
by Staff Sgt. Heather Stanton, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Thousands of eyes are looking toward the sky; everybody is waiting, hold
their breath. A soft buzz rapidly turns into the roar of engines as an F-15E Strike Eagle passes over thousands of spectators.
Wowing crowds is only a small part of what the F-15E Strike Eagle Demonstration Team at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
does.
The demonstration team, comprised of 17 Seymour Johnson officers and enlisted Airmen, performs between 20 and 35 shows
a year, showcasing the Air Force and letting people know there is more to the service than flying airplanes.
"Our job is to show the capabilities of the aircraft through demonstrations," said Maj. Mike Maeder, 4th Fighter Wing
demonstration team pilot.
Displaying the Strike Eagle's capabilities is one of six aspects of the team's mission. Another is demonstrating the
professional competence of U.S. Air Force personnel.
"There are three main Air Force specialties on the team," said Tech. Sgt. Marc Rodriguez, 4th FW demonstration team assistant
chief. "There are the crew chiefs who complete the maintenance of the aircraft, ensuring it is flight-ready for a show, and
perform the main show launch. Then there are the specialists and engines Airmen who (not only perform their normal duties,
but also) are the narrators and videographers during a show."
Of course there is also the pilot and weapon systems officer who perform the spectacular maneuvers in the sky.
"We couldn't do our job without (the maintenance Airmen)," said Capt. John Cox, 4th FW demonstration team WSO. "They
keep the jet in top condition so we can fly."
Each member is hand selected to be a part of the team.
"The enlisted members are screened for their capabilities and how they excel in skill level and job performance," said
Master Sgt. Michael Pate, 4th FW demonstration team chief. The selectees from the screening process must apply for the position,
then go through an interview process before final selections are made.
As for aircrew members, there is a call for volunteers and the 4th Operations Group commander decides who is the best
fit for the two-year tour.
"The primary difference between us and (non-demonstration) flyers is the job," Maeder said. "Their focus is on tactical
employment whereas ours is showing off the aircraft's capabilities for recruiting and public affairs purposes."
Other aspects of the demonstration team's mission are to positively affect Air Force recruiting and retention efforts;
promote community and international relations; maintain the public's trust in the armed forces; and display the technological
advancements in U.S. military airpower.
The team accomplishes these aspects of their mission by not only performing at airshows and expositions around the world,
but talking with people and media outlets about Strike Eagle contributions in overseas contingency operations.
"Quite often we will be scheduled where we will have the most impact," Cox said. "Take Laredo, Texas. There is no military
installation around. That show is the only military exposure they may have."
"Airshow season" begins in February and comes to a close in November. Scheduling for the team, to include flyovers for
sporting events, funerals and other local military-affairs events, is filtered down from Air Combat Command aerial event coordinators.
"Their job is to know how best to supply single-ship teams (to all those who requested support for an event) and schedule
for each weekend," Cox said.
Team members' hometowns are also taken into consideration during scheduling, allowing members a chance to show-off what
they do on a daily basis to family and friends.
The team's first show this season is Feb. 10, in Laredo.
"The demonstration team is here mainly to serve the public," Pate said. "It
is the military's way of saying 'Thank you for supporting us.'"
U.S. Forces In Haiti To Grow To 20,000
By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2010 – Roughly 20,000 U.S. troops will be supporting relief efforts in Haiti by Jan. 24, military
officials said, adding to the 13,000-strong American force currently there.
Comprising the force will be the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade and thousands
of other troops operating afloat off the Haitian coast and on shore, distributing provisions, assisting in medical operations
and helping to maintain security. Some 2,200 Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are slated to arrive within 48
hours, military officials said.
“The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is a huge part of enabling us to extend
our reach to places around the country that may need our assistance but we just haven’t been there yet,” Army
Lt. Gen. P.K. Keen, the top U.S. commander in Haiti, said on The Pentagon Channel today.
The additional forces come
as international aid continues pouring into Haiti following a magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Jan. 12, creating what an
official called one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas.
About 2,000 Marines of
the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit that came ashore earlier this week have zeroed in on an area west of Port-au-Prince where
much of the larger destruction occurred, according to Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, the commander of U.S. Southern Command.
In the meantime, some 1,400 flights are waiting to land at the congested Toussaint Louverture International Airport
in the capital of Port-au-Prince, where the United States is overseeing upwards of 140 flights daily as officials look to
open additional airfields, Fraser told Pentagon reporters today. Reports of bottlenecking at the airport have emerged as its
capacity has swelled from an average of 13 commercial aircraft daily arrivals before the quake.
As of yesterday, an
airport about 30 miles southeast of the Haitian capital in the city of Jacmel became operational in addition to the San Isidro
airport in neighboring Dominican Republic, where officials are looking to open a third airport in Maria Montez.
Officials
say the disaster has killed between 100,000 to 200,000 people and the Red Cross estimates some 3 million people have been
affected. To date, the United States has delivered 1.4 million bottles of water, 700,000 meals and 22,000 pounds of medical
equipment, which are being disbursed among some 100 distribution sites, Fraser said.
While the cost of relief efforts
is difficult to estimate given its scope, Fraser placed the figure at $100 million. The Defense Department pledged up to $20
million in emergency relief funds in days for Haiti, and sprang troops into action following the quake.
Off the Haitian
coast are 20 U.S. ships, with the floating hospital vessel USNS Comfort among them, adding medical capabilities and supplying
about 600 medical personnel and 1,000 desperately needed hospital beds. As of yesterday, roughly 270 U.S. medical personnel
on the ground had treated more than 5,100 people in Haiti.
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Armed Services News
Soldiers’ Work Helps Iraqi Children
By Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Griffo
Special to American Forces Press Service
BASRA, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2010 – While working to revitalize a southern Iraq community, a platoon of soldiers came in
contact with local children who have none of the things Westerners take for granted. So a platoon leader made a phone call
to make a difference.
Just over five months ago, soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, left Fort
Lewis, Wash., for a yearlong deployment to Iraq. Their mission is to work with the Iraqi police and military to rebuild infrastructure,
create a safe environment and improve relations with Iraqi communities.
Noticing almost immediately the conditions in which the village children live and play, 2nd Platoon, “B” Battery
soldiers agreed that creating a safe environment meant something more.
The platoon enlisted the help of Jennine Griffo, wife of Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Griffo, to organize a toy and school-supply
drive in the Washington state auditor’s office for the local Iraqi children.
In a month, the drive raised more than 60 pounds of school supplies and toys, as well as enough money to ship them to Iraq.
In addition to art supplies, coloring books, crayons, stuffed animals, baby toys and general school supplies, the platoon
also received 15 soccer balls donated by Wembley Soccer Shop.
Over the course of a few weeks, the soldiers handed out the supplies to various villages in the Basra region, including
Abu Skeeris. The village is within the platoon’s patrol area. The soldiers have been working with a civil affairs team
there to build a soccer field and repair the water plant.
The villagers in Abu Skeer and other towns in the area were grateful, and they invited the soldiers to visit the area often.
The smiles on the children’s faces when they received something as small as a stuffed bear will be a lasting image
in their minds, the soldiers said. And the generosity and compassion of the soldiers, the workers in the state auditor’s
office and all the people who donated items to the toy drive have greatly improved the relations and trust the soldiers enjoy
with the villagers, they added.
Jennine Griffo recently presented certificates of appreciation from the 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment and
the 17th Fires Brigade to State Auditor Brian Sonntag at the state capital of Olympia in recognition of the help and support.
(Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Griffo serves with 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment.)
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