Military: Bakersfield.com

US Naval Aviation Centennial Kickoff - NAS North Island, San Diego, Feb 11 and 12, 2011

100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

     The weekend of February 11 and 12, 2011 was nothing short of one big ‘color-fest’ at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. This was because 2011 is the 100th Anniversary of US Naval Aviation and beginning in mid 2010, the United States Navy began to paint twenty seven different aircraft with various ‘retro’ paint schemes, mostly representations from the early 1940s era. Twenty-two of these ‘heritage’ aircraft were on the ramp at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, as well as a handful of other commanders’
aircraft, more commonly known to aviation photographers as ‘color birds’. Some of the more popular displays included VAQ-129’s blue EA-18 Growler, the blue EA6B Prowler from NAS Whidbey Island, the blue S-3 Viking from VX-30, the six color helicopters including SH-60 Seahawks and MH-60 Knighthawks, and last but not least, the VMA-214 commander’s aircraft flown over from MCAS Yuma, an AV-8B Harrier, which features Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington’s name on the nose, as well as some nice
“Blacksheep” squadron graphics. The aforementioned VX-30 also flew a second S-3 Viking in the flying portion of this celebration, - a colorful S-3 Viking known as “Bloodhound 700”.   The aircraft is a beauty - white overall, complemented with patches of dark blue and yellow trim. VX-30 is a squadron nicknamed the “Bloodhounds” and is located at Naval Base Ventura County on the California coast. Colorful aircraft like the ones I’ve mentioned are a big hit with photographers because we simply do not see them very often.

Why San Diego?
        San Diego is recognized as the birthplace of US Naval Aviation in 1911 because the Navy ordered their first aircraft from Glenn Curtiss in May of 1911. It was later designated the A-1 Triad. A bit earlier, in February of that year, Mr Curtiss operated one of his hydro designs from the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania, with a bit of help from cranes of course. The first Naval Aviator, Lt Theodore Ellyson received his training (from Glenn Curtiss) in the area. It became official in July of 1911, several months after Curtiss’ recommendation. On display at the event were two replicas of the A-1 Triad
airplane, and both are in flying condition. Even more exciting was the fact that one of them put on a short demonstration in the water. Two aircraft carriers were made available to the media and public, but I’ll get to that later. For photographers, this event was probably going to be the airshow of the year and I am sure Naval Base Coronado’s public affairs office was absolutely swamped with requests for media credentials for the celebration. I was fortunate to be one of about 150 people who gained access the Friday
before the show, to roam the flight line without the crowds.

Base Access
       Traffic getting off-base for media day was the worst congestion I’ve seen in years, and that includes heavy metal concerts, but then again this area really wasn’t designed with airshow traffic in mind. You had to feel sorry for anyone using the Coronado bridge going out Friday, or in either direction Saturday. As one of my buddies said, “it was evil!”. Entering and exiting the base via the southern route, known as Silver Strand, to Imperial Beach was going to be the best bet. Media day was a fantastic, no, make that a once in a lifetime opportunity, and yet there were fewer photographers than expected, which meant, for us early birds, that there would not be as many arms and legs in the
background to clone out with photo editing software!   After media day was over, nearby Brown Field in Chula Vista proved to be a pretty good side trip. This is where most of the participating warbirds, and a few military aircraft, were staging from. One of the highlights on the ramp at Brown Field was a Pittsburgh-based AF Reserve C-130 with fantastic Desert Storm related nose art. The military iron operated out of nearby MCAS Miramar.

Coming back to the base on Saturday about 8am, I passed the already gridlocked spectator traffic and local beach spots (already filling up with locals), checked in with public affairs, then made my way to the parking lot and the static displays. Having shot most of the ground stuff Friday, I was looking forward to an easy day’s shooting - concentrating on the aerial action only - and hoped to maybe even time to just sit and watch the show as opposed to obsessively photographing every important sight out there. As it turned out, however, there was another handful of static aircraft that had either been
late arrivals Friday afternoon, or had been towed out to the ramp late after the media had left, so there went my plans for a light work day!

        We were offered rooftop access on Saturday, on one of the squadron buildings, and I managed to get up there just in time to see the A-1 Triad demo. One surprise for both media and spectators on Saturday was the fact that the Triad actually took to the air for a brief time. All signs leading up to the event pointed to a simple ‘taxi around the water’ routine. I don’t think anyone was complaining though!

Military and Warbird Statics:
         There were about sixty-one aircraft on the ground at North Island for this event. The oldest, in terms of the era they represented, were the two replica A-1 Triads. Both of them are flyable. There was also an old Jenny biplane inside one of the hangars. Next to these, probably the rarest were the E-6B Mercury and the PB4Y Privateer. There was a second E-6B in the skies later that day. Many of us expected to see the popular Commemorative Air Forces’s Curtiss SB2C Helldiver on display, but it did not make it. It is a one of a kind aircraft and rarely leaves its home state of Texas. Another rarity was the arrival of a flying A-4 Skyhawk. But most of the media photographers headed for three aircraft in particular, that were grouped together in what appeared to be what you might call “blue row” - this included the blue Growler, the blue Prowler, and the blue S-3 Viking. The San Diego Bay provided a very nice background for these three. The S-3 and EA6B both looked like something out of the Battle of Midway with their classic World War Two markings. There was one aircraft in particular that I’ve been waiting
about two or three years to photograph, and that was the colorful VFC-111 “Sundowners” F-5, with its red and white rising sun tail art. The squadron also had an F-5 flying in the aerial parade. Speaking of F-5s, there were a total of eight F-5s that flew in the airshow itself - and one of them was a very rare two seat model. Three P-3 Orion variants were on display - an EP-3, a Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii-based P-3C in heritage markings, and a Canadian version, also known as an “Aurora”.   China Lake’s VX-9 “Vampires” test squadron brought two aircraft over in heritage schemes - a green tailed F-18, and a black tailed Hornet - the latter’s markings reminiscent of the old VX-4 “Vandy One” tail art. Other heritage birds included two specially marked T-34Cs, a TC-12, an F-18 from the “River Rattlers”, another Hornet from VFC-12, and an odd-looking “pixelated” digital F-18 (some airshow fans might have seen this at the 2010 Miramar airshow). VFA-122 from NAS Lemoore brought down their two tone gray aircraft, which again, was on display at the last MCAS Miramar show, however I do not believe this is one of the ‘heritage’ aircraft. The future of Naval Aviation was covered as well, with an X-47B,
Global Hawk and Fire Scout on the ramp. Shockingly, there were no F-4 Phantoms of F-14s on static display!

The Parade of Flight
       What was billed as the largest flyover since the 1950s turned out to be a slow paced airshow. But many of the delays were caused by local boaters who kept getting too close to the safety zone on the bay. These individuals were chased off by aggressive naval security forces. Another delay was caused by an wayward. Once these were taken care of, it was back to the business at hand. In spite of heavy promotion indicating a huge two hundred aircraft flyover, the airshow’s only mass flyby turned out to be the forty-one
aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Nine at the show’s finale. Opening the show were the US Navy’s Blue Angels, crossing right in front of the rising half moon. After the playing of the National Anthem, the crowd saw a demo from the US Navy Leap Frogs skydiving team, and then came the vintage warbirds, one at a time and very far out over the bay. Photographers began to get restless and were murmuring amongst themselves about the disappointing proximity of the aircraft, until finally some larger aircraft flew by, or we saw some formations big enough to fill our frames. Some of those formations included Cobras and Super Cobras with the newest Huey helicopter variant, the “Venom”.   We also saw a Prowler leading two Growlers, two separate groups of F-5 adversary aircraft, two color-tailed C-2 Greyhounds, two Prowlers, two VMFC-232 Hornets, four Hornets from NAS Lemoore, four Harriers including a color bird, groups of CH-46s and CH-53s, a pair of Ospreys, four more Hornets - two from VMFA-232 and two from VMFA-112, three Hornets from VMFA-314, two aggressor F-16s from NAS Fallon and the famous Top Gun school, two T-45 Goshawks, two T-6 Texans, a UC-12 / UC-35 pairing, and a two-ship C-130 formation.   Individual passes included C-9, E-6B, E-2C, C-130 from the Coast Guard, S-3, F-18 mini demo, Harrier mini demo, Osprey mini demo, a Gulfstream,
P-3, HC-144A, T-39, T-2, B-17, B-25, an N3N3 biplane, Hellcat, SBD Dauntless, PV-2 Harpoon, Grumman Albatross, and four T-28s.

      You also want to be alert for anything unexpected. In this case, since we were on the shores of San Diego Bay, there were plenty of birds around to photograph. During the airshow, the group of photographers I was with – we were offered rooftop access on a squadron building rooftop - was surprised by an Osprey coming up from the water with its lunch, a rather good sized fish! The bird flew right at us, then swerved to our side at the last moment, but those of us who were fast enough, managed to get four or five decent shots of it.

Ship Tours
            One of the ships available for tours was one of America’s most advanced aircraft carriers, the USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74. People were taken aboard to see the flight deck and the hangar deck. Two aircraft above, on catapults one and two, were an EA6B Prowler (VAQ-138 “Yellowjackets”), and an F-18 Hornet from VFA-14.   From the flight deck of the Stennis you could look east and see the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and a handful of other Navy ships in port, including a third carrier. Looking north you could look right at the USS Midway museum, and Lindbergh Field.   If you turned to the northwest you saw mostly residential areas and the USMC recruit depot. The USS Pelileu, a light assault carrier, was also open to tours.   As the show went on, naval security forces continued to keep the local boating public at bay (pardon the pun), and after the initial interruptions, everything seemed to go pretty smooth for the remainder of the day. This being a big Navy town, the boat traffic certainly could’ve been as bad as the vehicular traffic on land.

       Now we’ll all have to wait and see what the United States Marine Corps does for their 100th Aviation Centennial next year. As for the US Air Force, well, see some of you in 2047!

   Thanks to the Naval Base Coronado Public Affairs Office staff for their
assistance during the event. Thanks to Ron for information on some of the aircraft, as well as advance info on local traffic. And thanks also to photographer Ned Harris for identifying the feathered Osprey for me. Many thanks to whoever it was who decided to crank up the Judas Priest song, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” over the PA right as I entered the static display area on Saturday. That was an absolutely perfect way start the
day!

Versions of thiis report will also be in World Airshow News magazine and Today's Photographer magazine.

MILITARY OFFICER ISSUES AN ILLEGAL ORDER

Major Richard Jackson is a district attorney in Kern County, California. He is also a JAG officer at the California Air National Guard in Fresno, California. He issued an illegal order to a subordinate & blackmailed this subordinate, attempting to force her to follow the illegal order. The email containing the evidence was forwarded through the chain of command at the 144th Fighter Wing, CA Air National Guard, Fresno, CA & they simply ignored it. Major Richard Jackson ordered his subordinate to commit a form of child abuse against her young child. The chain of command ignored the issue.

Verizon Supports Expansion of Domestic Violence Prevention Program for Bakersfield Veterans

More military families in Bakersfield will receive the skills and resources they need to lead safer, healthier lives, thanks to an expanded domestic violence prevention program to be offered by the American GI Forum and funded by Verizon.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Men and Woman of Honor (MWH) program, which helps returning military veterans cope with the stress they face after deployment and shows them ways to prevent violent situations from developing at home. Bakersfield is one of six communities in California where the MWH program will be available; the others are Lompoc, Modesto, Sacramento, Santa Ana and Santa Maria.

“It’s fitting that we make this announcement on Veteran’s Day,” said Willie Galvan, state commander of the American GI Forum. “It is critical that we provide military families with the tools and support needed to effectively address the issue of domestic violence. Our continued partnership with Verizon will allow us to develop a program that empowers families to lead healthy lives.”

The MWH program promotes violence prevention using techniques including anger management and conflict resolution, while teaching participants how to find and use support resources, should they need them.

“Domestic violence is a personal issue, but the solutions to end it are not,” said Gene Eng, Verizon vice president of strategic programs in California. “Verizon is proud to support the work of the American GI Forum to provide military veterans and their families with the resources necessary to help build safe and healthy lives.”

Verizon has a longstanding commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence and aiding in its prevention. Through Verizon’s HopeLine® program more than 7 million phones have been collected and recycled or refurbished to support domestic violence survivors, generating $8 million that has been given to local agencies since 2001. For more information about HopeLine from Verizon go to www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

The Verizon Foundation supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational website, Verizon Thinkfinity (www.thinkfinity.org), and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded $67.9 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $26.1 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 5 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

For more information about the Men and Women of Honor program, please call (805) 478-6230, email HELEN.GALVAN@GMAIL.COM or visit http://www.menandwomenofhonor.com/

Special Performance Honoring Veterans

All Veterans are invited…

to attend a special music in motion performance presentation by the Frontier High School Marching Titans titled Belated Honor.

Tuesday, November 16^th at Titan Stadium

Frontier High School - 6401Allen Rd. (at Olive Dr.)

6:15 pm- Veterans in uniform, with military id, dog tags, or a photo in uniform will receive a complimentary “All-American” hot-dog dinner w/chips and drink (while supplies last), served in the parking lot.

7:00 pm- Performance in the stadium. You do not need to be a veteran to attend. All are welcome. Seating will be on the “home” (west) side of the field.

This season, the Marching Titans have chosen to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots of WWII, by telling their story through music. We are grateful for, thankful to, and proud of all the men and women who have served our country in uniform, however, we chose to honor the Tuskegee Airmen specifically. Without their contributions to the war effort in Europe and their war against discrimination in this country, the United States could have lost both struggles. Some of these fine men were treated worse than prisoners of war by their own countrymen, but still stood tall and protected our freedoms without complaining. Their story -and this performance- has been so moving to audiences all over Southern California that tears and applause have followed every show.

Please join the Marching Titans as we honor all veterans with our award winning performance.

Sponsored by the Frontier Blue Crew Band Boosters, Inc.

For more info, contact Mike O’Hearn @ 661.319.0053

Local Iraq Vet, and Future Soldier Stand Out in 9/11 Rememberance

At ‎5:30 AM September 11, 2010, PFC Raymond Herron (ARMY) and LCPL Santino Anaya (USMC) arrive at the Kern County Superior Court. They have with them 3 memorial signs, "HONK TO REMEMBER THE SACRIFICES." "IN MEMORY OF 9/11/01." "PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN."

At 5:46AM local time is when the first of 2 hijacked airliners slammed into the World Trade Center North Tower. LCPL Anaya stands in his Dress Blue uniform and gives a proper salute. At 6:03AM, the second plane hits the South Tower, again, LCPL Anaya gives a salute. 6:37AM, another salute to the airliner flown into the Pentagon. 7:03AM a final salute to those lost in the fourth flight, crashing near Shanksville, PA.

Between the hours of 5:30 and 9:30AM about 1 in 50 vehicles recognize the two young men for what they are, a two man memorial service, and honk for rememberance. At about 9:45, they move to 24th/Chester, where the 178 hits downtown Bakersfield, and take up position on the southwest corner. It is later in the morning, more people are awake, and aware. They start recieving a complete commotion as drivers all around see the signs. Horns are honking, engines are revving, people are yelling, they are making a great racket. One man walks from the 24th Street Cafe to bring the two young men bottles of water. This motivates them further, and they begin to cry out, "Never forget, those we lost this day 9 years ago. Never forget, those we have lost in the fight in the 9 years since. And never forget those who STILL fight to keep this country as free, and as strong as ever."

At 11:30 they move to 23rd/Chester, where downtown turns into Highway 178. These two are doing great, people are coming and shaking their hands, bringing them water, and thanking them for their service, and for the memorial. About 12:20 a guy yells from a truck, "Hey Marine, you only salute Officers, not these nasty civilians." To which LCPL Anaya replies, "Roger that, They give me a honk, I give them a salute." That pretty much killed the joy, pride, and FUN these two men had spreading the word of rememberance for this day.

At about 12:30 the young men walk into the Jack In The Box on the corner, cool off, and wait for their ride to come pick them up. LCPL Anaya is stopped by a young girl, looks to be about 15-17 and requests to have a picture taken with him. "Of course," he replies, squares himself away, and poses with the girl while her godmother takes the photo with her iPhone.

Long day comes to a happy ending with a little photo shoot. Sadly, however, ALL LOCAL NEWS STATIONS, AND PAPERS were contacted multiple times, and given names and locations of where they were. NO ONE SHOWED UP. They said " Were covering other stories, we'll try to get out there." LCPL Anaya calls shenanigans, because he called the day before, and asked a local station if there was anything going on. VillageFest doesn't start for another 5 hours, and the only other things going on were car washes.

Must be nice to know that a carwash is better news than two young men working hard to get a little support from the community. BPD, Sheriff, Highway patrol, Hall Ambulance, NONE OF THEM gave the two the time of day. Big thanks to all those random drivers that honked their horn for 9/11.

Personal message from both LCPL Anaya, and PFC Herron "HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF YOU RANDOM, AMERICAN, PATRIOTIC, HORN HONKERS!"

America's Birthday and the "Bombs Bursting in Air"

As everyone knows, our Nation's birthday is right around the corner. It is a day for celebration, especially for veterans who have risked everything for our country. For us it is not just a day to remember the birth of our country, but it is also a day to remember what we fight for, and to be thankful that we are still here to celebrate with our friends and family. And while I am happy to celebrate with the people I love, it can also be a little difficult.

This Sunday, the air will be alive with the smells of barbeque, watermelon, and gunpowder. The fireworks display on the 4th of July is the most identifiable part of the celebration. The colors, the sounds, the smells: these are all magnificent and dramatic reminders of the "bombs bursting in air" from our National Anthem. As much as I enjoy celebrating the 4th of July, I still have trouble with the fireworks.

The funny thing about fireworks being used to represent bombs is that they actually do sound like bombs. Hearing that loud boom and smelling the gunpowder has a different association for me now. I have struggled for years to get past my discomfort with fireworks. Two months ago, I actually stood through a fireworks display at a local event. I found out that if I stood behind something, I felt a little bit better. I took my place behind a tree, and watched the display. On the very last boom, there was an incredibly loud bang accompanied with nothing but a white explosion. I fell to the ground and tucked myself in, ready to absorb the shock. It was instinct, nothing more than muscle memory. The crowd cheered and clapped, and were very entertained. And while I was proud of myself for standing as long as I did, I still felt that I wasn't quite over the fear completely. This Sunday will be another test, and I will see where I am at from there. I have no problem when I am in control, lighting them myself. When I am out at a display the sound still bothers me, especially when there is a shockwave from the larger explosions.

Even with these issues on my mind, I am prepared to celebrate this Sunday. I love this country, and I am proud to call it home. I will be outside, lighting sparklers in my backyard, grilling out, and thinking about how great it is to be here (or back here as the case may be). As uncomfortable as I may be with fireworks, I will not let it stop me from remembering what Independence Day is all about. I want to wish all of my fellow veterans out there the best of luck this 4th of July, and I hope that all of you and your families have a wonderful, fun, and safe holiday weekend.

~J.R. Browning, Iraq veteran

Local Army Reservist returns from service in Afghanistan

On Feb 18, 2010, LTC Daniel Harmuth will return from a year long deployment in Afghanistan, where he was both a Detachment Commander and also an embedded mentor to the Afghan Basic Warrior Training Commander, Colonel Amandulah Mobin.

During this year him and his detachment spent 3 months training on Combat Advisor skills at Fort Riley, Kansas, and then spent 8 months in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, LTC Harmuth developed a schedule and program of instruction that will facilitate the goal of reaching 134,000 soldiers in the Afghan Army by October 2010. His detachment was made up of 32 U.S. Army Drill Sergeants and two Italian soldiers, that mentored the Afghan Drill Sergeants and Instructors in the Basic Warrior Training in Kabul, Masar E Shariff, Herat, Khowst and in Kandahar.

LTC Harmuth and his detachment planned and took part in multiple humanitarian missions handing out clothing, toys and needed supplies to villages around Kabul. Many boxes of supplies were collected by his wife, Athena, from many donors to include Almondale Elementary school, the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints - Olive Knolls Ward, and many local stores.

LTC Daniel Harmuth is an employee of the Kern County Sheriff's Office as the Technology Services Manager since 2003. He resides in Bakersfield with his wife and four children.

AAA Mini Storage Thanks Bakersfield and the Military!!!

AAA Mini Storage would like to say Thank You to our Military by offering a 50% discount on our rental rates to anyone that is deployed or deploying. Also any veteran may get 10% discount. We are also a drop off point for Cell Phones for Soldiers. Drop off any used cell phone and it will be refurbished and sent to a soldier that can call home for free.

Plus we are in our second year of Blankets for Bakersfield drive. We accept new or gently used balnkets, we will partner with Crossroads to Recovery to hand the blankets out to the homeless.

Any questions stop by 201 4th st (Union and 4th) or call 322-8644 Mon thru Sat 9am to 6pm.

Thank you

Memorial Day

Memorial Day.

      To some it means a day of no school, a day to play. To others, it’s a break from a hectic day at work, a great day to break out the grill and cook up some burgers. And to others, it is a day of remembrance, a day to honor those who so selfishly gave their lives to make our country a better and safer place.
         Over the course of my life, the way I observe Memorial Day has evolved from a day of play, to a day of rest, and now to a day of remembrance. It’s amazing how much your perspective can change once you are married to a member of the military and watch them go off to war, not knowing if they will ever come back.
           For me, a little over ten months has passed since I stood with my daughter (who was fifteen months old at the time) and said good bye to my husband, CW2 Cameron Nowell, a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, and watched him leave for his deployment to Iraq. Ten long agonizing months of watching the news, reading the papers, praying that each time a helicopter goes down, a soldier is killed, that it is not my husband.
             And yet, upon learning that it was someone else, some other brave soldier whose life was ended so abruptly, I can’t help but feel guilty. Yes guilty. After all, it might not have been my husband, but yet it was someone else’s husband or wife. While my daughter’s daddy lives to see another day, someone else’s daddy or mommy does not. While I hold tight to the thought that my husband will be home in less than two months, some one else has just learned that their beloved will be home in just a few days -- to be buried with honor for services rendered in the line of duty.
             I understand now that it is because of these brave men and women who have died for us (and those who will continue to die for us) that with each passing day I am that much closer to being reunited with my husband.
             So on this Memorial Day, let us not forget just why exactly we have this day off of school or work. Why we are able to play outside, have a BBQ with friends and family, enjoy another day of living free.
             Memorial Day is day meant to celebrate and honor those who have sacrificed their time, their family, and most importantly their lives. So please, on Monday take a moment out of your day, and in your own special way remember them, pray for them, and let us never forget to honor the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have sacrificed everything so that we may live free.

Local Man In afghanistan

This is not my article, but only a repost about a combat outpost with a man from bakersfield serving in Afghanistan published in the NY times. His name is SGT. Zachary R. Reese. Well Done Men!

Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban With Swift and Lethal Results

By C. J. CHIVERS

Published: April 16, 2009

KORANGAL OUTPOST, Afghanistan — Only the lead insurgents were disciplined as they walked along the ridge. They moved carefully, with weapons ready and at least five yards between each man, the soldiers who surprised them said.

Behind them, a knot of Taliban fighters walked in a denser group, some with rifles slung on their shoulders — “pretty much exactly the way we tell soldiers not to do it,” said Specialist Robert Soto, the radio operator for the American patrol.

If these insurgents came close enough, the soldiers knew, the patrol could kill them in a batch.

Fight by fight, the infantryman’s war in Afghanistan is often waged on the Taliban’s terms. Insurgents ambush convoys and patrols from high ridges or long ranges and slip away as the Americans, weighed down by equipment, return fire and call for air and artillery support. Last week a patrol from the First Infantry Division reversed the routine.

An American platoon surprised an armed Taliban column on a forested ridgeline at night, and killed at least 13 insurgents, and perhaps many more, with rifles, machine guns, Claymore mines, hand grenades and a knife.

The one-sided fight, fought on the slopes of the same mountain where a Navy Seal patrol was surrounded in 2005 and a helicopter with reinforcements was shot down, does not change the war. It was one of hundreds of firefights that have occurred in the Korangal Valley, an isolated region where local insurgents and the Americans have been locked in a bitter stalemate for more than three years.

But as accounts of the fight have spread, the ambush, on Good Friday, has become an emotional rallying point for soldiers in Kunar Province, who have seen it as a both a validation of their equipment and training and a welcome bit of score-settling in an area that in recent years has claimed more American lives than any other.

The patrol, 30 soldiers from the First Battalion, 26th Infantry, had left this outpost before noon on April 10, and spent much of the day climbing a ridge on the opposite side of the Korangal River, according to interviews with more than half the participants.

Once the soldiers reached the ridge’s crest, almost 6,000 feet above sea level on the side of a peak called Sautalu Sar, they found fresh footprints on the trails, and parapets of rock from where Taliban fighters often fire rifles and rocket-propelled grenades down onto this outpost.

The platoon leader, Second Lt. Justin Smith, selected a spot where trails intersected, and the platoon dug shallow fighting holes before dark. Claymore antipersonnel mines were set among the trees nearby.

At sunset, Lieutenant Smith called for a period of absolute silence, which lasted into darkness. Then he ordered three scouts to sit in a listening post about 100 yards away, 10 feet off the trail.

The scouts set in. Less than a half-minute later, a column of Taliban fighters appeared, walking briskly their way.

Sgt. Zachary R. Reese, a sniper, whispered into his radio. “We have eight enemy personnel coming down on our position really fast,” he said. He could say no more; the Taliban fighters were a few feet away.

More appeared. Then more still. The sergeant counted 26 gunmen pass by.

The patrol, Second Platoon of Company B, was in a place where no Americans had spent a night for years, and it seemed that the Afghans did not expect danger.

The soldiers waited. The rules of the ambush were long ago drilled into them: no one can move, and no one can fire until the patrol leader gives the order. Then everyone must fire at once.

The third Taliban fighter in the column switched on a flashlight, the soldiers said, and quickly switched it off. About 50 yards separated the two sides, but Lieutenant Smith did not want to start shooting too soon, he said, “because if too many lived then we’d be up there fighting them all night.”

He let the Taliban column continue on. The soldiers trained their weapons’ infrared lasers, which are visible only with night-vision equipment, on the fighters as they drew closer. The lasers mark the path a bullet will fly.

The lead fighter had almost reached the platoon when Pvt. First Class Troy Pacini-Harvey, 19, his laser trained on the lead man’s forehead, moved his rifle’s selector lever from safe to semi-automatic. It made a barely audible click. The Taliban fighter froze. He was six feet away.

Lieutenant Smith was new to the platoon. This was his fourth patrol. He was in a situation that every infantry lieutenant trains for, but almost no infantry lieutenant ever sees. “Fire,” he said, softly into the radio. “Fire. Fire. Fire.”

The platoon’s frontage exploded with noise and flashes of light as soldiers fired. Bullets struck all of the lead Taliban fighters, the soldiers said. The first Afghans fell where they were hit, not managing to fire a single shot.

Five Taliban fighters bolted to the soldiers’ left, unwittingly running squarely into the path of machine-gun bullets and the Claymore mines. For a moment, the soldiers heard rustling in the brush. They detonated their Claymores and threw hand grenades. The rustling stopped.

Two other Taliban fighters had dashed to the right, toward an almost sheer drop. One ran so wildly in the blackness that his momentum carried him off the cliff, several soldiers said.

Another stopped at the edge. Pvt. First Class Brad Larson, 19, had followed the man with his laser. “I took him out,” he said.

The scout at the listening post shot three of the fleeing fighters, and dropped two more with hand grenades. “We stopped what we could see,” Sergeant Reese said.

The shooting had lasted a few minutes. The hillside briefly fell quiet. The surviving Taliban fighters, some of whom had run back up the trail, began shouting in the darkness. “We could hear them calling out to one another,” Specialist Soto said.

Lieutenant Smith called the listening post back in. After two Apache attack helicopters showed up, an F-15 dropped a bomb on the Taliban’s escape route, about 600 yards up the trail. Then the lieutenant ordered teams to search the bodies they could find on the crest.

Sergeant Reese gave his rifle to another sniper to cover him while he tried to cut away a Taliban fighter’s ammunition pouches with a four-inch blade. The fighter had only been pretending to be dead, the soldiers said. He lunged for Sergeant Reese, who stabbed him in the left eye.

In all, the soldiers found eight bodies on the crest. They photographed them to try to identify them later, and collected their weapons, ammunition, radios and papers. Then the patrol swept down a gully where a pilot said he saw more insurgents hiding.

Four scouts, using night-vision gear, spotted five fighters crouching behind rocks, and killed them with rifle and machine-gun fire, the scouts said. The bodies were searched and photographed, too. The platoon began to hike back to the outpost, carrying the captured equipment.

Second Platoon, Company B has endured one of the most arduous assignments in Afghanistan. Eight of the platoon’s soldiers have been wounded in nine months of fighting in the valley, part of a bitter contest for control of a small and sparsely populated area.

Three others have been killed.

In a matter of minutes, the ambush changed the experience of the surviving soldiers’ tours. The degree of turnabout surprised even some the soldiers who participated.

“It’s the first time most of us have even seen the guys who were shooting at us,” said Sgt. Thomas Horvath, 21.

The next day, elders from the valley would ask permission to collect the villages’ dead. Company B’s commander, Capt. James C. Howell, would grant it.

But already, as the soldiers slid and climbed down the mountain, word of the insurgents’ defeat was traveling through Taliban networks.

Specialist Robert C. Oxman, 21, had put a dead fighter’s phone in his pocket. As the platoon descended, the phone rang and rang, apparently as other fighters called to find out what had happened on Sautalu Sar. By sunrise, it had been ringing for hours.

Almost "home" (even if it's only for just a little while)

Home. Some say, home is where the heart is. For me, home is usually wherever the military sends my family. For the past two years, my home has been Fort Wainwright Alaska (the Army base my husband has been stationed at). However, since his deployment to Iraq this past July, my home has been here in Bakersfield with my parents. And when my husband returns to the U.S. for his two weeks R and R (Rest and Recuperation) … he will be coming “home” to Bakersfield.

Yes, I can finally say it -- In just a few more weeks, after eight tiring, sometimes good, sometimes bad, extremely long (and I’m talking l-o-n-g) months – I will actually get to see my husband and hold him in my arms once again!

Of course, I must remind myself he won’t be home “for good,” but at least he will be home, even if only for a little while.

Even though he will be coming to Bakersfield, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to spend his two weeks hanging around the good ‘ol town of Bakersfield (especially after spending the last eight months in a not so lovely town in Northern Iraq). I’m quite sure we will be taking a few trips to the beach, venture down south, and probably do some quality family time at Disneyland. Of course, the best part is that he will be here to celebrate our daughter’s 2nd birthday at the beginning of April. This celebration will actually be a family first since he was away on a training exercise on her 1st birthday.

Sometimes I wonder if two weeks is long enough for him to actually “rest and recuperate,” especially since we have a lot of catching up to do. After all, he has missed every holiday since July (including my birthday, which I personally like to consider a holiday), endless trips to the doctor, visits to the park, crazy errands around town with a toddler in tow, and do I dare attempt to count the number of diaper changes that have occurred since he left?

And when it comes to our daughter -- now there is a lot of "catching up" my husband will have to do. After all, she was barely 15 months old when we said goodbye. Then, she was still so baby-like, no hair, and barely walking around. Now, she has grown into a rambunctious 2 year old, with a head of hair, climbing, running, jumping, talking, and trying really hard to test my limits nearly every moment of the day.

In the end, however, I have a feeling that in a few weeks, when he arrives “home” at the Bakersfield airport, and steps off the plane in his Army uniform with Iraqi dust still on his boots, our daughter will run, skip and jump her way to him as if he hasn’t been gone for a single day these last eight and really (really) long months!

Vietnam hero to be honored in Wasco

In 1965 most of America was embroiled in civil rights and anti war marches. The cold war with Russia was in the front of everyone’s mind and American forces were sent to Southeast Asia to stop the expansion of the socialist giant. Sergeant Larry Pierce was part of this initial show of force in Vietnam.

Sergeant Larry Pierce was the first 173rd Airborne Brigade sky soldier to receive the Medal of Honor in Vietnam. Sergeant Pierce enlisted in the Army in 1958 and was initially assigned to the 101st Airborne Brigade and later to the 173rd. Pierce’s tour of duty as an infantryman took him to the Republic of South Vietnam. America was on a mission to stop the spread of Communism and a multinational force was assembled to support and train indigenous forces in that endeavor.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was one of the most decorated units of the Army during the war in Vietnam. The brigade yielded 13 Medals of Honor from 1965 to 1970. The unit also received over 6,000 purple hearts. 1,647 brothers in arms lost were also added to the Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

On September 20, 1965, Pierce was assigned as a squad leader with the 1st Battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Pierce was leading his squad of 29 soldiers on a long range reconnaissance patrol near Ben Cat South Vietnam after troops from the north were seen operating in the area. The 173rd set out to protect their area of operation.

The squad came under machine gun fire later in the patrol and under the leadership of Pierce, the squad quickly repelled the initial assault. Shortly after routing the opposing force, Pierce gave the order to pursue and dispatch the remaining enemy. While in pursuit, Sergeant Pierce discovered an anti personnel mine. Rather than have his troopers’ main body be destroyed by the mine, and with complete disregard to his own safety, Pierce sacrificed himself by throwing his body over the mine as it exploded. Pierces action saved the lives of the 29 other men in his squad. For his act of heroism, President Lyndon Johnson, in the name of the Congress of the United States, awarded Pierce the Medal of Honor, our nations highest honor for bravery. Pierce was also posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

On February 24, 1966, President Johnson personally awarded the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Pierce’s wife, Verlin, as his three young children: Teresa, Kelley, and Gregory, looked on. The hero of Ben Cat was laid to rest in his family’s then hometown of Wasco.

On Tuesday March 3rd the City Council of the City of Wasco approved a resolution requesting the State of California designate Highway 46 through Wasco the “Staff Sergeant Larry S. Pierce Memorial Highway.” “I think it would be a great honor to be able to dedicate that highway in honor of Larry Pierce,” said Mayor Fred West of the resolution.

Staff Sergeant Pierce has not been forgotten by his comrades in arms. A group of fellow 173rd members Vietnam veterans, the AMVETS, and VFW organizations all recently joined forces to make sure the sacrifice of Pierce would always be remembered in the city where he was laid to rest.

One of the airborne sky soldiers mottos is “Loyalty”. That proved true recently when a contingency of veteran’s traveled to Wasco in order to acknowledge the heroism of Larry Pierce and the 173rd airborne brigade.

Fellow 173rd sky soldier and Vietnam veteran Ray Ramirez said, “I came to honor a Kern County hero”. He went on to add, “If we don’t honor Staff Sergeant Pierce now, then when, if not us, then who?”

Retired school Principal and airborne trooper Wambi Cook also spoke in favor of the resolution, “There are many of us that have been forgotten. We can not; we shall not let our efforts and memories in Vietnam die.”

The resolution passed by a unanimous vote and the measure has now been forwarded to the State Assembly and Senate for further action.

The troops California sent to Afghanistan

In November I went to Bagram, Afghanistan as a photojournalist and author. I wanted to experience life of the base and write other stories of interest and while there I met up with many members of the armed forces who were from California and asked them about their experiences in Bagram.
Major Martin Valles is from Bakersfield and lived there for 23 years before joining the air force. He was deployed from Langley AFB in Virginia. Valles is a PAD flight officer, patient administrator at Craig Military Hospital in Bagram. “I’m in charge of patients from the time they go through the emergency room doors until they fly out to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. I work with 20 people tracking patients. We inventory their equipment, notify their unit about their condition, and prepare and work with the joint patient movement center. I feel good about being here. I’m proud to support this mission. There is so much bravery displayed by the individuals coming through the hospital.
David Cummings from Tehachapi is a member of the Joint Task Force Paladin Counter IED, Improvised Explosive Device. He has been to Bagram numerous times to work with the army. He is an electric warfare engineer. He helps build and deploy equipment in military vehicles to counter radio controlled mines. Due to the efforts of his task force there has been a 70% reduction in the radio activate mines in the last 18 months. He explained to me that when the Soviets occupied Afghanistan they left behind so many UXOs, unexploded ordinates, and these can be dug up and converted into IEP. That way a radio operator can wait for the desired target to trigger the device. Cummings’ job is very rewarding because troops tell him that his team has saved their lives. When Cummings first got to Afghanistan in September of 2006 he was shocked at how poor and under developed the country was. “There is no local infrastructure, no water, sewer. People are dirt poor raising goats. There is basically one paved road running through the country and the rest are dirt roads.” The job of ISAF, International Security Assistance Force, which Cummings is a part of as well as an estimated 52,000 troops from 37 countries with approximately 35,000 of the troops being from the United States, is to create that infrastructure for the country. They have built seven to eight thousand schools and gotten girls back into school, improved and paved hundreds of miles of roads, rebuilt town and mosques, provided guidance and support to Afghani women through U.S. female soldiers, trained 70,000 Afghani soldiers to provide the country with an armed force and as well as training a police force. Their efforts are often sabotaged by the Taliban who blow up the bridges and roads they build and kill the police chief to put fear into the citizen not to participate in the changes implemented. “There is so much corruption in the country. Opium is a cash crop there with about 92% of the world’s supply being produced in Afghanistan. A farmer can make twice as much growing Opium than corn.” Opium supports the Taliban who at first tried to ban all farmers from growing it when they took over stating that it was against Islam to produce the drug but that didn’t stop the Taliban from taking over the crop, the sale of which has financed their operations ie. provided them with cash for weapons and such.
Officials can also be bribed to look the other way. For example, if a police chief makes forty dollars a month he could be offered a thousand to let the drug pass through. A lot of goods are hijacked. 40 to 50 percent of good come in from Pakistan and they must have armed guards abroad or else they never make it.

Colonel Steven Sabo is from San Jose and stationed at Travis AFB. He is the chief of flight Medicine, aerovac and medevac. He is one of three flight doctors working with the 452nd flight and as such is a critical team member. He goes out on flights with the army injured. “I’m proud of the mission and honored to be taking care of injured soldiers. But I remember that for every American injured approximately eight Afghans get hurt partly due to the body armor we use and that the Afghans are taking over more and more of the fight. And we medivac them all even combatants. We patch them up and send them to jail. The number one injury I see is from the IED, improvised explosive device, set to bomb a target. The number two injury is the gunshot wound. I have a four month tour here. People need to remember the war is still going on and people are injured every day mainly the Afghan National Army members. Fifteen years from now when my son, Joe, is an adult the world will be safer. If we don’t fight here, we will fight on our own soil. I’m doing a valuable service here although I do miss Southern California and the beaches.”
Lt. Micaela Lewis is from Sacramento. She is a hospital administrator and her job is to process people in and out as well as being in charge of personal and the mailroom. “I love what I do. My job varies wherever I go unlike the people I work with, like a medical technician who does the same thing wherever he goes. I have worked supply, budget and manpower at other posts. When you are deployed especially to a combat zone they try to base your job on your training. I didn’t want to come. I left my two-year old son, Zackary at home. But I’m touched by what I have seen. Docs do outreach, helping people in Afghanistan to deal with rebuilding their lives and their health care system. If what I do helps keep it off their backs then I feel I have accomplished something. When I leave here my husband will be coming. I’m not happy that he has to be here for a year.”
Matt McDonald comes from Atwater near Modesto and Fresno. He is a biomedical equipment technician who takes care of, calibrates and fixes equipment as well as performing facility management. “This is my second deployment. My first was in Balad, Iraq. At this job I was excited that I got to go outside the wire, leaving to go on a mission. I went with the Army SG, Surgeon General. It was a humanitarian mission. A rich Afghan man built a hospital, Danejarf Hospital, for the people. He donated all this equipment. The hospital is now empty but I went in to assess the equipment, see what was working and what was not. I flew in by helicopter and my next mission will be to fix the equipment that needs repair. The coalition forces are doing a lot of good for the people in the area aside from looking for the Taliban or Al Qaeda. We are doing our best to build relationships with the Afghan people and increase their infrastructure. There is a lot of sickness here and we are improving overall health. It is hard to be away from home. I miss my sister Brandy, brother, Shane, and friend Chris Sandoval. I’d like to say hi to all and tell Chris it’s not too late to join.”
Ryne Ritchie is from Chino and is with the security force as Ops superintendent’s assistant. “I like supporting the country. My job is to process statements and security analysis for Camp Cunningham, the air force camp. If I do my job, I keep everyone safe and able to do their’s. I think as a nation we need to stay patient and supportive. At home I miss my niece, Morgan who was born the 14th of November and I can’t wait to get home to see her.
Captain Emil Popov is from Orange County. He is the commander of the 12 CH-46D Chinooks and he goes on some missions. These missions are mainly to resupply American, Afghan and coalition bases. Popov said, “I believe our mission is for a good cause. In the 8 ½ months we have been here we have done good work moving millions of pounds of cargo from food, water, machinery to soldiers, even an Afghan tribal elder. Because of the terrain and the weather, air travel is more conducive than ground.” Popov would like people back home to know that morale is good and that a vast majority of soldiers believe in the cause. “We have amazing diversity here in the national guard. Back home I build hospitals and here I work with people who do all sorts of things like correctional officers. At least 50 to 60 percent of the troops here are national guard or reservist.”
1st Lt. Adam J. Thomas is from Fresno and is one of the pilots with the unit as well as being the executive officer. He said, “I have a lot of pride in the mission and do so much support that is mission essential. It is very rewarding. I work in a great unit which is so diverse. The experience is great. What we do is so essential to the country. I do miss my family and look forward to seeing them soon.”
1st Sergeant Marc Kellam is from Stockton and is responsible for overseeing the welfare and health of his people. He is also a part time door gunner on the CH-46D Chinook. He said, “We are doing a good service. This is my second deployment. The first was in Iraq. That was a different mission. We save lives because every blade hour (flight hour) equates to 7 hours driving and driving puts soldiers in danger. I support the mission.” When asked what he would tell people at home, he quipped, “Stop sending toilet paper.” Then he laughed and added, “We get a lot of care packages, and we appreciate them all. It is nice to know people are thinking of us.”
Captian Popov added, “Back home Americans are so supportive of the soldiers. They send unbelievable amounts of goodies and we are very fortunate. But we are a good facility, well stocked. However the smaller bases are not. They have it tough and live on very little. Therefore we take boxes to the less fortunate bases. We are able to see what they need, repackage items and get it to them through the generosity of the American people. And we do get a lot of toilet paper.”
Private Jessica Baker is from Denair, twenty minutes south of Modesto. She works in flight ops and is responsible for mission packages which are booklets with radio frequencies, time flow charts, maps and pictures of landing zones. She said, “I like working with good people. It is a new experience for me and I have grown in my job.” She wanted to let everyone know, “we are doing what we can here, and we will be home soon.”
Spc. Chris Meek is from Clovis. He makes the Chinook resupply missions and said he thinks being in Afghanistan is, “pretty cool. I do the job and get to go home. I’m playing a small part in something greater.” By this he referred to the fact that when supplies are flown they not only get to the forward troops that really need them but save lives that could be lost as every blade hour, flight hour equated to 7 driving hours.
Sgt. Todd Packard is from Elk Grove, next to Sacramento. He is part of the Chinook crew, and he said, “It’s tough missing family and home. It was hard returning from home leave.” Many of the troops don’t get home leave while in Bagram because you have to have orders for at least 12 months in order to get home leave. Bravo Company, the company my crew is from, had two months training in the US and then 10 months in Bagram. “We get 15 days leave for 12 months and if we had 15 months we’d get 18 days leave,” Rosamond said. He added, “We can’t take home leave until we have been deployed at least 60 days and we must take it at least 60 days before we are scheduled to leave.” When asked what he’d tell people at home Packard said, “I don’t tell my family much so they don’t worry. I would like people to keep up the support.” And because more and more troops are being deployed to Afghanistan in a conflict that promises to take some time that support will come in handy. “We do feel the support and we really do appreciate it. All the letters and care packages. We get a lot of stuff from Operation Gratitude, [organization that sends care package to the soldiers all the time] and we feel it here. It is hard to understand what it is like here for someone who has never been. The poverty and hardship the Afghans endure. I don’t take my life for granted. I’m thankful for all I have.”
CW3. Joe Rosamond is from Manteca. He is a pilot on the Chinook. “I feel a sense of pride to support the ground guys. If we don’t fly the guys don’t eat or drink. They are putting themselves at risk every day. We go in 6 ½ hours once a week. They live out there. I love doing my job. Being away from home sucks for anyone. Even when I’m in the US I’m away from home with the Guard quite a lot. My wife has gotten used to it. And this is an easy place to be.
Ssg. Ian Brown is from Granada Hills. He is a gunner on the Chinook crew, who joined Bravo Company for deployment. “I don’t mind being here. I have been in for 21 years and to 13 or 14 countries. I volunteered to come here.” When Bravo found out they were going to deploy they were assigned 12 extra people. The company has approximately 50 people originally. Ian is one of the 12 who volunteered to go with Bravo. “I’m an infantry guy and I wanted to get into a helicopter. This job is actually a tremendous relief. I’ve been to Iraq and I would have gone back if I hadn’t taken this deployment. My wife had a baby girl 30 days before I deployed and if I had gone to Iraq it would have been in March. I’d rather be home when the baby is doing more interesting things in the second year. And they needed people skilled with the machine gun so I fit right in here.” He added, “people back home say we are losing this war. But we are in the beginning stages of doing something here that no one has done before. We are doing wonderful things here. Talk to the Afghans. Most want us here. No one is being forced to be here. You’re a fool if you think we could ignore this. If we hadn’t done something here we would see it at home. We aren’t conquers; we are here to help.”
Sgt. David Hagler is from Ripon outside of Manteca. He is a member of the Chinook crew. “This is my second time in Bagram. It will be over soon for me and I’ll probably be back again. It is not bad here. We are doing what we are supposed to do and it is working.
Lt. Dennis Wiebe is from Jamestown up in the foothills. He is a pilot for the Chinook.
When asked what he would tell people at home he said, “Thanks for the support. I look forward to seeing you in the spring and I miss home. Everyone here has family whether it be wife, kids, nieces, nephews and parents. People we are concerned about. We have to trust all is well.” About being here he added, “this is a good job. It is easier being here than back home.” That surprised me because 50 to 60 percent of the troops in Bagram are reservist or guard meaning they were asked to interrupt their civilian lives to be in Bagram. I imagined it would be hard having to live in two worlds. Most days it all I can do to balance my own. But the guys agreed it is easier if you have a job that is supportive. Wiebe added, “I have no bills here. I’m supported by maintenance. They get everything ready and I show up to fly. Food is in the mess hall and I don’t have to do the dishes. Life is good and the fresh air.” At that I had to stop him and ask if he could smell the diesel in the air. “We just had 120 days of wind and that meant dust in the air.”
Now these guys were just making me look like the spoiled American, so I had to interject. “What about these mattress? Mine looks like it should have been discarded two years ago.”
Brown laughed and said, “Mine looks like it was here when the Russians were here. In fact I think it is a Russian mattress.”
“But,” I protested. “I almost got my eye out from the coil that was poking through.”
At that Brown produced a pair of wire cutters. “You need a pair of these. And I have a great mattress story for you. In my B-hut [a B-hut is a single story wooden structure that houses 8 in cubby-style housing]. The Afghans who built it didn’t have any construction experience so they failed to measure. The first two rooms are spacious, then the third set is small but the last set is closet size and I’m a tall guy. When I got to the room my mattress was off the floor on plywood and took up the whole room. I acquired a Russian bunk bed which was only about 5 feet and my mattress sloped in the center. I then acquired a Russian mattress and though I hang off the end it fits. In fact I have to sleep curled up to fit in the room at all. At home my wife and I just bought a king sized bed, I haven’t been able to use yet. She teases me saying ‘my poor giant’. Here you have to make due with what you can or you scam, search and acquire what you need.” And I am left impressed with their gratefulness, ability to see the bright side and to adapt.

Least we forget during this holiday season

     With all the business of the holidays, I must admit time has been rolling right along while my husband is deployed (and trust me – the faster time goes by the better my life will be).

     Correction on that – time was rolling right along up until about a week or so ago when I got an email from my husband that brought time to a screeching halt. “I’m fine” the email began, “but something has happened and we just lost two of our guys. Heaven now has two more angels. I will call you when I can.”

      I couldn’t believe my eyes…did I just read what I thought he said? Here we are almost six months into this deployment, weeks away from Christmas, a time when everything finally seemed to “slow down” and get “quiet” over there (recent words from my husband), and for the first time during his units deployment – two very brave and talented men (both helicopter pilots my husband worked and lived beside every single day) had suddenly died in a helicopter crash.

      Now, to my ever-growing list of Christmas cards, I find myself more importantly adding writing “sympathy cards” to the top of that list. Instead of the typically hustle and bustle of writing “Merry Christmas with love” over and over…I will now sit down and write some of the hardest letters I will probably ever have to write to two very dear families.

      At a time when we are so caught up in the moment, decorating the house, sending out cards, fighting the crowds at the mall, busy finding that one last perfect gift, let us not forget the families of the brave men and women who are not here to celebrate the season. The families -- such as those in my husbands unit -- who will never again be able to celebrate any season with their dearly beloved. I certainly will not forget the two courageous souls who recently gave their life so that we may live free in this country. Free to celebrate the holidays with our families, wherever they may be…

Saint Ann School honors America's troops

On Monday, November 10th, Saint Ann School held a Veteran’s Day Ceremony at morning assembly in front of the flagpole at the Parish Center. Students proudly raised their flag in honor of veterans of the United States. During the flag ceremony, students and guests learned what each fold of the flag means. Student Council Vice President Sam McDonald acted as master of ceremonies. Adison Blubaugh and Chandler Welsh, who are in 5th Grade, unfolded and raised the flag. The flag ceremony brought special meaning to the recent gift of the flag to the school. The flag was received from Lt. Commander Mike Stokes in thanks to the Saint Ann School community for their generous support through letters, gifts and prayers for soldiers serving in Iraq. The flag was last flown over a palace in Iraq where he is stationed.

Honored veterans in attendance were Tom Pearl (former Navy Lieutenant), Lt. Colonel Pat Blubaugh, Jim Janson (retired Marine CWO-3), Sr. Chief. Rick Johnson, Steven Busby (former Army Sergeant), and Frank Youngblood (retired Air Force and Navy). Also remembered were Lt. Commander Mike Stokes and Specialist Mike Rogers who are currently deployed to Iraq.

Tom Pearl talked to the students about the meaning and importance of service and the different ways military and civilians can be of service to their community. Lt. Col. Pat Blubaugh gave an energetic speech regarding how he serves the United States as a Marine pilot. Both guests were very engaging and their messages were well received by the enthusiastic students.

Veterans Day: Henry Sherman

Who is He? Henry Sherman was born to Monroe and Jamima Sherman July 30, 1917, in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. He lived in Oklahoma until he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Things were different then as he served in a still segregated platoon. Henry served 2 years as an ammunition handler. He was honorably discharged with character of excellence at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas in 1944. In 1946 Henry moved to Oklahoma where he met and married our mother, Myrtle Haskins. They had four children: Henry, Thomas, Loistene and Earline. In the mid 50’s our family moved to Sacramento, California. Then my father hitch-hiked from Sacramento to Ventura County looking for work. He first found work as a farm laborer, and later worked at the Ventura Sanitation Department. Our father worked hard and was a good provider for his family. Henry Sherman was a wise man; he knew how to get along with everyone in difficult times. Memories of my father include his delight to dance and have a good time. My fondest memories include my father building my sister and I a play house with an old rug thrown over a wooden fence. My father passed away in 1961, I was only eight years old. Only his death separated my mother and father. Every Veterans Day Henry Sherman’s flag is unfurled and his story is retold. Although his grandchildren never met him, they received his legacy of hard work, patriotism, and passion for life.

--Loistene Parks & Melonie Parks

Veterans Day: Bakersfield patriots

PATRIOTISM CAN BE SHOWN IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, ONE OF THE EASIEST IS TO SHOW THE FLAG AND VETERANS DAY IS A GREAT DAY TO HONOR OUR VETERANS AND SHOW THE FLAG, AND THIS VETERANS DAY, MANY SHOWED AND WAVED THE FLAG IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AND HERE ARE PICTURES OF SOME OF BAKERSFIELD'S PATRIOTS.

Veterans Day: Gerald Harp

Gerald Harp is pictured at the east Bakersfield train station in 1951 with
his wife, Imogene, and their son, Doug, and daughter, Sharon.

Gerald, a Marine, is saying goodbye to his family before heading off to
fight in the Korean War.

Gerald fought in World War II, and when the Korean War broke out he was
called back into service.

Veterans Day: Ernest T. Roberts

Ernest T. Roberts

Branch of service: U.S. Army

Years of service: Inducted February 1943; discharged April 1946 as a private first class.

Ernest T. Roberts recounts the horrors of Omaha Beach in disturbing detail. He recalled landing craft blown apart before anyone could get off, sending arms and legs flying. As he struggled to reach shore, the water surging around him was red with blood. He ditched his weapon and crawled onto a beach so thick with dead there was hardly room to move. He came across a dying soldier, entrails strewn on the sand, who handed him a rifle and told him to shoot as many Germans as he could.

Roberts' eyes welled with tears.

"You have to be in it to ever really know what combat is," he said. "It's bad."

At St. Lo, on D-Day plus 28, he was shot six times at nearly point-blank range. Roberts fired his rifle at the German but doesn't know if he died.

"I don't know if I ever killed one, and I don't care," he said, "but I saw a lot of them fall."

He went on to fight in Brest, France, and into Germany, where he ended the war as part of the occupation army in Bremen. He came back to Oklahoma and married his sweetheart, Lola, raising two boys in Bakersfield after moving here to work as a painter with his brother.

Roberts said he's willing to talk about his experiences because of the lessons they carry, lessons that he said have made him question the war in Iraq.

"War is bad. War is bad. I think it's a good thing to let the kids know," he said.

(this article first appeared in The Californian in 2004, 60 years after D-Day)

Veterans Day: Charles M. Brown

MY LATE HUSBAND, WAS A WW2 MARINE VET, 2 PURPLE HEARTS, SILVER STAR, BRONZE STAR, HIS OBIT WAS IN THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN WITH HIS PHOTO, HE DIED ON JULY 8 , 2001 HE WAS A TRUE HERO. HE SURRIVED PELALU IN THE FIRST MARINE DIV, ONE OF 9 SURRIVORS. I WISH I HAD HIS PHOTOS SO I COULD TELL YOU MORE. HE DESERVES A MENTION FOR HIS VALOR AND HIS SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY.

Veterans Day: Joshua Hudnall

I read in the paper about posting pictures and stories for Veterans day.

My fiance` Petty Officer Third Class Joshua Hudnall is Proudly serving his country overseas in Kuwait, This is his first tour and he is very excited and Proud to have the chance to serve his Country. I am so proud of my sailor and all the other men and women who are, and have served our country. God Bless America and God Bless our Troops!

Home for the Holidays

     Like many people during the holidays, do your memories take you back to your childhood? For me, those remembered times come together in one particular place. It’s a place that once held the voices, people, animals, music, food, and all things I knew and loved. The place I’m talking about, of course, is called home, and comes to life in my thoughts…of Bakersfield. When my attention drifts there, as it always does at this time of year, I know what I want to do: thank those who brought me the banquet at my Thanksgiving table.

                                   The Men And Women Of Our Armed Forces

I once wrote an essay that took me on a trip to Holland. We were an eclectic group of Americans, made up of scientists, researchers, professors, writers, and politicians. Invited to a small church by the sea to hear a welcome speech from the mayor of Urk, we sat in the pews and watched a short, red cheeked, balding man with a big smile rise to address us.

“I welcome you here from the bottom of my heart,” he said, in his thick Dutch accent. “I always wanted to meet an American to say, ‘Thank you,’ for helping us in World War II. To think that you would send your sons to save our lives… I tell you—we never forget you for that. You are a truly amazing people.”

I remember my uncles who went off to war in Europe, India, and Korea. Some made it back and some didn’t. The Bakersfield High School class of ’58 lost our Student Body Vice-President, the gifted Jimmy Mills, in Viet Nam. Another classmate, Roberta Ralston, lost her stepson in Afghanistan. Many more families and friends from Bakersfield made sacrifices to make our homes safe. This Thanksgiving I want to remember them in my prayers, and thank them for the freedom I treasure.

Americans are big-hearted people, no matter what their political persuasion. We care, we try, and we give. And so, from the mayor of a little Dutch village; from the extended family in Bakersfield and beyond; and from many more people around the world; thank you veterans and enlisted men and women for your contributions. You are a truly amazing people.

My Country – My Home

Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until you leave home. Standing in a 14th century stone church in Europe once, the organist began to play the Star Spangled Banner. The sound reverberating through the columns and arches was enough to give me deep chills. It caught me off guard. I couldn’t believe how much I missed home. I yearned for the sight of the cowboys and the smell of my dad’s stockyard; I missed the original sounds of Cousin Herb, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens; I wanted the aroma of pinto beans and cornbread, wafting from the kitchen in the country.

Standing alone in this church in England, I remembered the Thanksgiving that my mother, a product of the Great Depression, wanted to save money. She caught an old rooster that had been walking around in the driveway with the dogs for over five years. Without telling anyone, she cooked it. When she put it on the table, it was grizzled, stringy, and buzzard-like. None of us said a word. But my father, rarely known to be speechless, stared at it in disbelief. Finally, catching his breath, he said, “Alma? Did this turkey have a disease?”

Some sounds and sights can’t be replaced. You can only find them at home.

                                                            Gita Lorenzi

My close childhood friend, Adrienne Lorenzi Smoot, still lives in Bakersfield.   We grew up in the country, between Pumpkin Center and Greenfield. She was down the road, only a farmhouse and a cotton field away. From the age of seven, we made mud pies, rode horses, jumped and burrowed in the full cotton trailers, and went crawdad fishing in the irrigation canals.

Every day of fun was made possible by her enchanting mother, Gita. Even though Gita’s son had Cerebral Palsy, unable to walk or talk, I never saw her entertain a minute of self-pity. She and Adrienne’s grandmother lavished us (and all living things) with love, as well as Bocce Ball games, trips to Strelich Stadium, a laughing parrot, conversations with the Basque sheepherders in the fields, sun-suits made from feed sacks, and summer days at Lakeside pool where Gita did a swan dive off the high board.

She’s 94 now, still living in the house where she was born. When I saw her last month— blue eyes as brilliant as ever—she kissed me over and over and said, “I love you. Never forget that, my sweet girl. I love you with all my heart and soul.”

I’m not sure what made me cry more: the constancy of her love, or the fact that there was someone in my life who still saw me as a girl.

These are the moments that only happen in a special place. A place called home. For me, that will always be…Bakersfield.

Tonja Evetts Weimer, M.A., is a Master Certified Relationship Coach, Life Coach, and newspaper columnist. Born and raised in Bakersfield, she attended school at Panama, Greenfield, Bakersfield High, and Bakersfield Junior College, before receiving a B.A. at San Diego State University, and a fellowship endowed M.A., at San Francisco State University. She lives in Greenville, South Carolina. To contact her, email tonja@tonjaweimer.com or visit www.tonjaweimer.com .

Marine who lost legs in Iraq runs the Volkslauf

I have been hearing about the Volkslauf mud run ever since I joined the
Marines. I used to read about it in the Marine Corps Times, and upon moving
to Bakersfield I often saw the bumper stickers out in town. This year I was
given the chance to be the guest of honor by race director and former Marine
Glen Pruett. Glen invited me out to say a few words and offer my
encouragement to the runners, but having been competing in triathlons for
some time now, I thought that it would look kind of silly if I didn’t at
least try to race, even though Volkslauf is unlike any triathlon out there.

I went out to the course on Saturday morning knowing full well that there
would be some adaptation required for me to complete it. I was planning on
running the course with a specialized running leg on one side, and an
everyday walking leg on the other (the running legs don’t offer a heel to
stand on). The first muddy obstacle filled my walking prosthesis with murky
brown water, causing it to slide off of my leg. From that point on any
running would produce too much inertia and pull the now slimy prosthesis
right off of my leg. So, I had to use a combination of walking, swimming,
and “butt walking” (scooting along on my hands and bottom) to complete all
of the obstacles and finish the race.

Nearly every person who passed me out on the course offered words of
encouragement and praise, a testament to the kind of support that
Bakersfield has for our veterans. I was motivated by watching the speed of
some of the serious competitors out there, and inspired by the heart of some
of the competitors who were really challenging themselves. I plan on
competing again next year, and every year after that that I am up for it. So
if I saw you out there this year, I hope to see you again next year.

Volkslauf 2008

The twelfth annual Volkslauf Mud Run was held Saturday October 11^th near the Kern County Sheriff’s Facility off of Lerdo Highway. This is the tenth year this location hosted the race, with its miles of trails, obstacles, millions of gallons of water, and mud.

Over 3,000 runners and an estimated 6,000 spectators swarmed over the grounds on a morning where low temperatures hovered in the mid 40s at daybreak. High temps for the day rose to a cool 65 degrees with clear skies & a light breeze. Those are generally great conditions for running, but when you add the fact that these runners were soaking wet, the physical and mental challenges are magnified by the cold to the point where your brain is trying to convince you to give up.

The Volkslauf began in 1997 near the town of Arvin, as a fundraiser for the Kern County Toys for Tots program, and two years later moved to the larger facility off of Lerdo Highway that is used today. Race Director Glen Pruett along with a dedicated group of people on the Volkslauf Committee spend the entire year planning and coordinating the logistics and hard work involved in pulling off a successful event of this magnitude.

“Our guest of honor this year was Marine Corporal Evan Morgan, who lost both legs during combat operations in Iraq”, stated Pruett. “The man completed the race and is the most inspiring and positive individual I have ever had the honor of knowing”.

The race has gained national attention with some Marine Corps publications touting it as the best race of its kind in the nation. With over 75 Marine Corps-inspired obstacles on the course and both 5 and 10 kilometer versions, the event draws runners from California, Nevada, and Arizona. There is even a website you can visit at www.volkslauf.com .

Many organizations and individuals played a role in the success of the 2008 Volkslauf. Pruett added, “We’re grateful for the assistance provided by the Kern County Fire Department, and I’m confident that this year’s race wouldn’t have been as good without them”. And with ominous obstacle names like Happy Valley, Stairway to Heaven, Devil Dog’s Ditch, Tenaru River Crossing, and possibly the mother of all obstacles, The Wall, successful completion of this race is another reason it has become known as “The Ultimate Challenge”.

In the pre-dawn hours of the day of the Volkslauf, this writer was introduced to Marine Cpl. Evan Morgan, his family, as well as his buddy, Marine Sgt. Travis Harless. If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting them, both Travis and Evan are strapping young men who have answered the call to arms for our nation to wade into the precipice of combat. Both of these fine men returned with honor. Evan came back minus both legs and was fitted with prosthetics.

My wife Cheryl thanked Evan for his service in the course of shaking his hand. His response was something like, “Hey, thank Sgt. Harless here, he actually did something over there (in Iraq). All I did was get blown up”.

Wow. About four hours later as I was working at “The Wall” obstacle as a motivator, here come Travis and Evan. Evan greeted me by name as he navigated his way over The Wall and then ran on the finish the race. Are all of his days a walk in the park? Do traffic lights simply turn green for him as he approaches? Unlikely. He exudes a positive attitude about life; exemplifies what is right with this country and inspires those around him to never give up and to keep our chins up when life throws us a curveball.

Little things people do in life are very telling of one’s character; what they say, what they do, and their demeanor. I, for one, am proud to count myself as one of Cpl Evan Morgan’s friends, and to have been exposed to his contagious drive to do our best, no matter what.

Friends of the Kern County Library Used Book Sale

Books on U.S. military history from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War will be featured at the Friends of the Kern County Library's fall Used Book Sale at the Beale Memorial Library auditorium from October 16 through 20.

The military collection, which includes books on medieval warfare and general military history, was donated by Dr. Robert Howard of Tehachapi, who became interested in military history as a teenager.

Howard spent 30 years combined in the Active and Reserve U.S. Army, beginning in the 1960s. Every summer from 1978-1993, while a professor of geography at Cal State Northridge, Howard joined the Adjunct Faculty at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he taught military history, as well as offensive and defensive tactics. Howard retired from the U.S. Army Reserves with the rank of Lt. Colonel.

Pre-sale for members will be October 16 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Individual memberships for $10 and family memberships for $15 will be sold at the door. Public sale hours will be Friday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Monday, October 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday will be HALF-PRICE DAY!

The money from our sales goes to support the library, including summer reading programs for children, teens and adults.

For more information, call 833-1491.

Welcome Home Son

I would like to congradulate my son, LCPL David Cole Lang, for his honorable discharge after serving in the Marines for 4 years. Cole has served two tours in Iraq and his last deployment was in Afghanistan, where his platoon, 2/7 Weapons Company out of 29 Palms is still deployed. Cole is just like many of your sons. He was a pistol growing up, gave me a few grey hairs, made some wrong choices at times but stood proud and "took the oath" when our Country was attacked. He'll hate that I'm writing this but I want you all to know of a true hero that lives here in Bakersfield. While on his second tour in Iraq, he got the news that his wife, Monique, was having their first child. God is good and Cole came home 2 months before his daughter, Daisy, was born. The last tour was hard for him. He left behind a 6 month old baby and his wife, again. Monique is strong. She is a TRUE military wife.

Cole is home now, walking among all of you. You may have passed him in the store and never even knew you were in the midst of a hero. Cole lost 21 friends in 4 years. He's not bitter. He knew this was going to be the job of his life and he passed.

The next time you see a soldier, shake their hand and say "Thank You". Tell a Vet "Thank you". They've earned my friends.....

So, congradulations LCPL David Cole Lang. Job well done Marine. Semper Fi

Remembering those who have served our country

PROJECT D.E.F.T.
DON'T EVER FORGET THEM

Don't Ever Forget Them is what my heart tells me every day.

Project D.E.F.T. is something that was started two years ago. At that time, my daughter and I mailed approximately 200 Christmas cards to a Veteran's Hospital here in California. Last year, thanks to the efforts of many wonderful people, we were able to send almost 6500 cards to Veterans in 34 different locations around the western US. This means that almost 6500 Veterans in VA hospitals and other care facilities knew that they were not forgotten.

Project D.E.F.T. is committed to remembering the ones that have served our country in the past, whether it be WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, or served in times of peace - these brave men and women sacrificed for us and now we need to let them know that they are not forgotten. So many of the men and women that bravely served receive not a single card during the holidays. This project is dedicated to changing that.

We would like to ask for your help. Just a box, or two, of signed and unsealed Christmas cards is all it takes. The guidelines are simple - nothing political, nothing religious, no personal information (other than name), and PLEASE NO GLITTER (glitter can cause complications for those who have had surgeries or open wounds). If you wish, a simple "Thank You" or "Thank you for you service and sacrifice" written in the card would be great. We heard back from every facility last year, and the cards were received with joy and tears. Some have even requested multiple cards for each resident this year.

Project D.E.F.T. has NO PAID employees - just me and my daughter, and all the generous people who donated cards and/or helped cover the cost of mailing. WE NEED YOUR HELP. These cards need to be collected no later than the first week of November, and they need to be mailed no later than the week of Thanksgiving. Please call if you have any questions or wish to help. We also have created a "my space" page - www.myspace.com/projectdeft. We are working on several locations as drop-off points. Please contact us via email at sushismith@bak.rr.com, or by phone at 661-398-5582 for more information.

2nd Annual Support our Troops Ride

Harleys, Hondas and Heroes. All were gathered Thursday evening for the Second Annual Support our Troops ride from Bikersfield Leather and Accessories at 2622 Fairhaven Road to Chuy's on Rosedale Highway. The reason? To support our troops who defend our liberties daily.

"I want the same freedoms for my children and grandchildren that I had," said Sgt. Tonna Mullens. Tomorrow marks her twentieth anniversary serving our country. She came back from Iraq last year. "It was a great tour, I have no regrets."

When asked why she joined the service five years ago, Spc. LeeAnna Tameny said, "My father was in the military, and I felt it was my calling. I'm just a patriotic person." Tameny served in Kuwait.

Watching the motorcycles drive in, several of them with American flags attached to their bikes, one couldn't help getting a chill thinking about the day that the world stood still seven years ago.

The band Really Big Midgets played a variety of music, keeping the crowd entertained, soldiers showed several military vehicles to interested people, some bikers stood and admired other bikes.

One bike that really stood out was owned by Jim and Bonnie Padgett of Bakersfield. It was a Russian Military Bike, Ural. It was painted camouflage and had a side car and two seats that looked like seats from a beach cruiser bicycle.

At the time of this post it is unsure how many people showed up for this event, but I will be conducting an interview tomorrow with the man who set all this up and will likely update this post.

The next run will be the Returning Heroes Poker Run II on Saturday, September 20, 2008. Registration starts at 9:00 am at Bikersfield Leather and Accessories, 2622 Fairhaven Road (behind Budget Bolt off Rosedale Highway). Run ends at Ethel's Old Corral, 4310 Alfred Harrell Highway.

Cost: $20 for Rider, $15 for Passenger and additional hands

There will be live music, a 50/50 raffle, raffle prizes, biker games, food (Beefy Boys BBQ) and drinks, 2008 Soldier Babe contest, and a vintage and modern military vehicle display.

All proceeds will be used to support our soldiers and their families. For more information on supporting this even or what you can do to assist our soldiers, go to www.ridefreeus.com.

Ridgecrest resident named officer of national veterans group

Ridgecrest resident Richard Eubank has been elected as an officer for America’s largest organization of combat veterans.

As the new Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief for the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Eubank will be part of a supreme governing body of influence to lobby Congress on behalf of the 1.6 million VFW members.

Eubank, who served with the Marines during the Vietnam War, was selected in his new role during the VFW’s national convention in Orlando, Fla. in August.

Obtaining a national post with the VFW is no easy task. Many of the officers have had to be active at a local, regional, and state level prior to their national elections. Eubank, like many others in national leading roles, served in a number of leadership positions prior to his newly elected post.

He is a member of a number of veteran clubs including all the local Ridgecrest organizations. Ridgecrest’s VFW Ship 4084 was one of Eubank’s largest supporters, a gesture that will not go unrewarded promises Eubank.

During his yearlong term, Eubank will log thousands of miles to promote the VFW as well as veteran’s issues and quality of life initiatives for active-duty, Reserve and Guard members.

Two other Ridgecrest residents also attended the 109^th VFW convention as appointed delegates. Laura Dobbins, an Army veteran and member of Ridgecrest Ship 4084, as well as Rita Gable, Ridgecrest City Clerk and Ship 4084 Ladies Auxiliary officer, were both selected as West Coast representatives.

Eubank’s family, including his daughters and wife, participated in the events and were in attendance during several of the week-long functions. One of the highlights included a banquet dinner in which legendary actors Mickey Rooney and Ann Margret were honored by the VFW Convention. Both Rooney and Margret have contributed a lifetime of service toward veteran causes.

The VFW convention also heard from President George W. Bush and presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

Dobbins is an award-winning journalist currently residing in Ridgecrest.

One month down...

I can’t believe it has been a month since I said good-bye to my husband. I can now say I have officially survived one whole month of deployment. Wow! One month … gone just like that, oh sure -- I can handle this.

Wait….did I say ONLY ONE MONTH? As in ONLY one month down, and ONLY fourteen more to go before this deployment is over?

One month spent writing those “oh-so-special and loving” handwritten letters. One month spent carefully shopping for and mailing two extremely filled to the top “care-packages.” One month spent writing dozens of daily emails written extremely carefully as to not forget to include every last little daily detail. One month spent taking hundreds of digital pictures so I could give my husband a daily play by play of nearly every “thing” our 16-month-old daughter has done that day (i.e. eating, crying, sleeping, walking, laughing, playing, watching TV, staring at me for the thousandth time wondering why I still have the camera in my hand).

Yes, one month to mark off the calendar. One month to be thankful my husband is still safe, still doing his job, still defending the freedom of our county.

One month down…fourteen more to go. I guess I better pace myself (and stop by Costco to buy batteries in bulk for my camera!)

Russian-built Su-30MKI Fighters Over Nellis AFB / Red Flag 8-4

NELLIS AFB - AUG 18-21, 2008:

High heat and humidity couldn’t stop the usual group of diehard aviation photographers from attending the fourth Red Flag of fiscal year 2008 at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nv. The highlight this time around was the presence of eight Russian-built Su-30MKI fighters and three Ilyushin 76s brought over by the Indian Air Force. Developed jointly by Sukhoi and India, six of the lethal-looking, versatile Su-30s flew, with the other two apparently on stand-by as spares. Other foreign guests included F-15K, or ‘Slam’ Eagles (a new version of the Strike Eagle) from the Republic of Korea’s 122^nd fighter squadron, and a few French Dassault Rafales. American participants included F-15E Strike Eagles from Lakenheath, England, C-model Eagles from Eglin AFB, A-model F-15s from Jacksonville, Florida’s 125th fighter wing (159^th fighter squadron ‘Jaguars’) of the Air National Guard; EA6B Prowlers, an E-3 Sentry from Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, KC-135s from the 319^th Air Refueling Wing at Grand Forks AFB; and several Misawa, Japan-based, 35^th fighter wing’s F-16CJ Wild Weasels (of the 13^th / 14^th fighter squadrons, the ‘Panthers’ and ‘Samurais’). Playing the ‘red team’, were the usual ‘bad guys’ from the Nellis aggressor squadrons, the 64^th and 65^th, who fly C and D models of the F-16 and F-15 respectively, were, of course, out there to teach some valuable lessons to the ‘blue team’.

Noticeably absent from this round, was the F-22 Raptor. Originally scheduled to fly in this Red Flag, the Raptors were eventually scratched from the flying schedule.Some say it was because the government wanted to prevent a certain radar information from possibly getting back to the Russians, others claim it was because of how well the Indian AF pilots did against the US last time they flew against each other. As it turned out, the Indians disallowed themselves from using that particular type of radar in the war games. Other aircraft present, but participating in separate ‘Air Warrior’ exercises were F/A-18E Hornets from VFA-143 ‘Pukin Dogs’ and both C / E model Hornets from VFA-83, the ‘Rampagers’. Several Seymour Johnson-based F-15Es were present as well. The USAF fighter weapons school was very active with many of their F-15s and F-16s using the Nellis ranges; and the “OT” tail coded Eagles and Vipers, including some from Eglin AFB, were flying as well.

The Red Flag exercises at Nellis AFB provide realistic air-to-air, air-to-ground, as well as search & rescue training for American and allied pilots during several periods each year. This was the first time that South Korea and the Indian Air Forces have participated in Red Flag. The original Su-30 was designed as an air defense fighter, but this newer MKI version is a long range, multi role, air superiority strike fighter.The SU-30s are from Lohegaon Air Base, near Pune. (thanks to Richard for confirming that info for me). India plans to deploy them to Tezpur Air Base, near their border with China, by December 2008.

Douglas C-133 "Cargomaster" last flight

On Aug. 30th a historic chapter will come to a close when the last airworthy Douglas C-133 "Cargomaster" transport will make it's final flight from Anchorage to Travis AFB in California. (see attached photo) This flight will co-inside with the Travis' airbase open house and airshow over Labor Day weekend. The C-133 is scheduled to arrive at 10:00 am.

        The C-133 was designed for the Military Air Transport Service (M.A.T.S.) to carry large, outsized cargo such as missles and other hardware. It was the only transport that could carry the early ballistic missles in the late 1950s and ' 60s until replaced by the Lockheed C-5 in 1971.

         Fifty C-133s were manufactured with most of them based at Travis AFB or Dover AFB in Delaware. The type was known for it's heavy droning sound in flight from it's four Pratt & Whitney T-34 turboprop engines and Curtis-electric propellers.

         Many people over 40 residing in the Kern County and Edwards AFB area recall the imposing sight and sound of the C-133 as they flew up and down the San Joaquin Valley. One C-133 was based at Edwards for flight testing in the 1960s.

         For more information, contact MSGT. Terry Juran, director of Travis AFB museum at terryjuran@travis.af.mil or (707) 424-4760

Last of the Nighthawks Leaves Palmdale (F-117A retirement now complete)

Monday, August 11^th, 2008, marked the true end of the F-117A program, with the departure of aircraft 'ED' #85-0831, from Palmdale. Originally rumored to be departing on Thursday the 14^th, the last Nighthawk taxied out at about 9:30am, with takeoff on runway 25 occurring a little after 10am. The pilot did three low passes over the 410^th FLTS operations facility, before turning north and heading towards the Tonopah Test Range, where the aircraft first made its home before being revealed to the public in 1988. Tonopah is located west of the mysterious Area 51 / Groom Lake airfield, north of Las Vegas.

Last April, a retirement ceremony was held for the last remaining ‘operational’ F-117A Nighthawks. However, four test aircraft continued to operate from Palmdale, with the 410^th FLTS, until now. The squadron stood down on August 1^st, with three of their remaining airplanes being sent into storage the following week. The aircraft is being placed into ‘retrievable’ storage, which means their wings are being removed, and they are being placed, five at a time, into hangars at Tonopah.

Out of the fifty-nine aircraft built by Lockheed, there are currently four Nighthawks on permanent static display - one at Nellis AFB (YF-117A #79-10780), one at Wright-Patterson AFB (YF-117A #79-10781), one at Palmdale’s Joe Davies Heritage Airpark (YF-117A #79-10783 - one of several airframes to have been painted gray for daylight testing), and the most recent, #85-0816, is on display at Holloman’s Heritage Park.

The last appearance by an F-117A, at an American airshow, was in October of 2007, at Holloman AFB, in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Devil Pups Get Marine Corps Lessons on Growth Through Challenge

Preparing young men and women, ages 14 to 17, for what life will bring them may seem like a valuable goal for a summer camp, but it takes on a new meaning when it is instilled by sweat and by screaming Marine Corps Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs).

That’s exactly what happened for 300 teenagers from California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton this summer. The 10 day program ended with a graduation and awards ceremony at the base on Saturday August 9^th, attended by hundreds of family members and friends. The Devil Pups Youth Program for America was created in 1954 as a better way for young individuals to spend part of their summers in a military environment.

U.S. Marines were referred to as “Devil Dogs” in World War I by enemy troops for their battlefield accomplishments and ‘never give up’ spirit. The Devil Pups name is derived from this Marine Corps heritage.

The program is tailored to build self confidence and discipline, through a series of mental and physical challenges, and that is putting it lightly. Under the watchful eyes and “encouragement” of Marine NCOs, camp participants achieve a myriad of tasks like beach runs up to 5 miles, tower jumps into a swimming pool, and a formidable hike up ‘Ole Smokey’, a foreboding mountain overlooking the School of Infantry and the Pacific Ocean. They also learn teamwork, and respect for others, their family and their country.

One of those NCOs, Sergeant Douglas A. Hawks, is a Devil Pup Platoon Commander and an active duty Marine from Craig, Colorado said, “It’s not just building our youth, it’s building our Country. If you have squared-away citizens, you’re going to have a squared-away Country”.

Twenty four graduates of this year’s program were selected from Kern County: Joseph Armijo, Arthur Bermudez, Jordan Finch, Tyler Hayes, Daniel Hernandez, Rene Hernandez, Michael Machado, Brandon McClay, William Mosley, Denzil Nutall, Christian Peterson, Charles Porter, Aaron Ramirez, Wesley Ruments, Alejandra Tarango, Mitchell Taylor, Felix Trevino, Emilio Valdez, Warren Williams, Shanisha Wandick, Ali Willingham, Tommy Willingham, Charles Wise, and Matthew Wright.

At graduation, three young men and women from Kern County were presented additional awards for their accomplishments at camp by Colonel J.B. Seaton III, Commanding Officer of Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. Joseph Armijo and Felix Trevino were recognized for scoring in the top five percent of the 300 participants for their exceptionally high physical fitness scores; Ali Willingham was selected as the female platoon Honor Graduate; and Joseph Armijo was presented the Robert Petersen Award for demonstrating extraordinary leadership skills.

Retired Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael A. Rhodes, an instructor in the program says, “There’s a better way for kids to spend their summer and this is it. It’s the mentorship, the goal setting and dealing with difficult situations that makes a difference in these kids. Everyone experiences fear, but it’s the choice of what you do with that fear that sets you apart from your peers”.

For additional information on how to apply, visit the Devil Pups website at: www.devilpups.com

Day 5 of the USMC Educator's Workshop

The 5^th and final day of the USMC Educator’s Workshop began with a colors ceremony just outside the General's Office. It was the first time we were able to see General Salinas who is the commanding officer of the depot. General Salinas is a female. She seems to have a great sense of humor as she addressed the crowd. There were many parents in attendance who were awaiting the graduation of their Marine later in the day.

After the ceremony we went to breakfast where General Salinas met with us and had a question and answer session. She was the most laid back and relaxed of all the Marines I had met that week. I guess when you are in charge you do not have to be as rigid and proper as all the others were. She was very open and candid with our group. She said that her wish is to get the best and brightest to enlist in the Marines. She wants our valedictorians and football captains who want to go to college and also do great things for our nation. She told us that her job out of boot camp was a court stenographer. That is quite a progression from court stenographer to General.

One fact she said that I found interesting is that 75% of Marines leave after their 4-year duty and become community leaders. She also said that it does not matter where you come from, you can be anything as long as you follow the passion of your heart and the USMC can aid you in your journey. This is what she wants us as educators to pass on to our students and colleagues. She was a very interesting woman and I enjoyed listening to her.

We then had a photo session with our groups before heading to the parade deck to watch graduation. I have included some of these pictures.

The graduation ceremony was very organized and meticulous. I would have expected nothing less after all I had seen the past week. The Marine Corps band played and the young men of Echo Company marched neatly for all their friends and family to cheer them on. It was a fitting finish to our week with the Marines and I left there with a new respect for all those who serve our country. It made me even more proud to be an American.

Day 4 of the USMC Educator's Workshop

Day 4 of the USMC Educator’s Workshop started at 0515 as our weary-eyed group boarded the bus for Camp Pendleton. For those of you who are not familiar with military time, that translates to 5:15 am. We had about an hour’s drive to the base.

We were offered a continental breakfast while Lieutenant Colonel Looney, who was the commanding officer for Camp Pendleton, gave us an overview of the field training that takes place there. He also showed a presentation, which detailed the specific activities that are part of the Crucible. The Crucible is the Marine Corp’s idea of a “final exam” for recruits.

Our next experience was the most emotional of our week at the workshop. We went to a staging area where we watched a battalion of recruits marching off the Crucible. This is the final stage of their training and upon completion they earn the title of Marine. These young men had survived about 29 miles of hiking, the 12-stall course, and the final hike called the Reaper, which is a 10-mile hike up a hill. This is done over a 3-day period in which the recruits receive approximately 4 hours of sleep and 3 pre-packaged meals total. It is a huge test of endurance and training for the recruits. It also tests their leadership and teamwork skills in the 12-stalls.

These young men we observed coming down off the Reaper were dirty, tired, and many of them looked to be not so steady on their feet. However, the pride in their faces was obvious. After dropping off their 80 pound packs, the recruits got into formation to receive their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, medals which are the Marine Corp’s practice of confirming the recruits’ attainment of completing all requirements to become a Marine. It was a heartwarming and emotional ceremony for all in attendance.

As observers, we had seen examples of the hardships the young recruits had been through in the past 11 weeks and as Americans, we were proud to have the privilege of watching the recruits get their reward of becoming an official member of our armed forces.

We were later allowed to speak with some of these young men in the mess hall, as they were finishing up their much-deserved special breakfast of steak and eggs. The three young men I spoke with were happy and openly proud of their accomplishments and were looking forward to starting their careers in the Corps. They agreed that it was not easy, but they enjoyed the challenges.

From here we went to the rifle field range. In order to pass the marksmanship part of their training, recruits must qualify with an M-16 rifle from 200, 300, and 500 meters. We were able to witness the rifle range today. Also we were able to participate in the practice range with M-16s and 9 mm handguns. The practice area is a video game format. We were taught how to hold the rifle in four different positions and fire at targets on the screen. These rifles are replicas but are the same dimensions and weight as a real M-16. They even have recoil after firing. It was clear to me that it is very difficult to become an expert marksman as were many of the Marines I met this week. I did OK, but would need a lot more practice than the 45 minutes we spent on the range. The moderators at the practice range were good teachers because after they worked with me on proper form and aim I did much better.

The last activity at Camp Pendleton was the 12 Stalls. Here we got to experience first hand what the recruits go through at the beginning of the Crucible. We were placed into teams and sent to a stall where we were given a mission. We had to complete the mission in a specific amount of time. Each mission required planning and teamwork and each person had to participate in order to be successful. We were also dressed in flak jackets and helmets which were both very heavy. And it was hot and humid just like all the other days. My team completed our first mission successfully. Our second mission was not as successful.

When a team member is “killed” by stepping on the danger areas, that team member becomes a casualty and has to run to an area where you pick up two 20 pound ammunition boxes and run 100 yards across the dirt with them while still wearing the gear. This was a difficult task and the drill instructor is encouraging you all the way by yelling at you. I did it, and was hot and exhausted when I finished. I still enjoyed it though because it gave me a hands-on feeling of what the recruits have to go through. I wished we had the time to try all 12 of the missions, but we were out of time and had to move on.

The last part of our day was spent with the amphibious vehicles. We were given overviews and tours of the four different types of vehicles and were able to see a demonstration of one of them in action. I have included some pictures of the vehicles both on land and in water. They were pretty amazing. After the demonstration, we went into the classroom for a question and answer session with the people involved in maintaining and operating the vehicles as well as the instructors who teach Marines how to operate them.

It was a full day and the group was tired, but all of the things we experienced today will stay with us for a lifetime.

Local Marines get top honors

Rarely if ever does a recruit come out of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Boot Camp a Lance Corporal and almost never do two recruits achieve top honors and come from the same hometown. It's nice to know that we have some great youngters living in Kern County that deserve our congratulations and recognition.

On Aug. 1, Stephen Donald Felix Brewer received the Company Honor Graduate Award and the Meritorious Promotion from Bravo Company, 1st Marine Battalion. Stephen lived in McFarland until recently and moved to Bakersfield with his family, Pastor Donald Brewer and Nancy Felix Brewer . They head a small congregation at Kern River Church which meets each Sunday at 10 a.m. at Hodel's Country Restaurant. Stephen comes from a big family, eight brothers and sisters. Among Stephen's many talents, he has a beautiful voice.

The Meritorious Promotion Award is earned by the Marine that has demonstrated a high degree of proficiency and has shown exceptional leadership ability and may be promoted meritoriously to the grade of Private First Class. Stephen was promoted to Lance Corporal. Also, Stephen was homeschooled by his mom, Nancy Felix Brewer. Way to go mom. Way to go Escuelita Del Rey.

Stephen is 25 years old and left Sunday, Aug. 10, to report to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton for an additional nine weeks of training. He will then be moved to Washington, D.C., with possible deployment to the Middle East.

Also on Aug. 1, Eric B. Medrano took the Iron Man Award or the Company High Physical Fitness Award. He is also from McFarland and was a runner at the high school. The Iron Man Award, you would think, would go to a barrel chested giant. Eric is a runner and slightly built. To achieve the Company Honor Graduate Award you most demonstrate the highest degree of discipline, proficiency, bearing, physical fitness and basic leadership traits that exemplify the highest standards of the United States Marine Corps.

The The Iron Man Award or Physical Excellence Award goes to the Marine that has received the highest score on the physical fitness test and is awarded a certificate from the Company Commander denoting that he is the most physically fit Marine in his company. Way to go Eric B. Medrano.

These fine young Marines were congratulated by The Hon. Govenor (Texas) Rick Perry. At the end of the ceremony, a tough old gnarled Marine from Bakersfield came up to the parents of Lance Corporal Stephen D. Felix Brewer with tears in his eyes and said that this achievement has never been accomplished before where two men from the same hometown especially a small farming community would received the Marine Corps highest recognition. I was priviledged to welcome Stephen home and visit with him and family at dinner.

At the bottom of the graduation program is this quote: "Among all the honors, among all the postings, promotions, medals, that have been awarded me, the one in which I take most pride is to be able to say, I am a Marine." Maj. General John A. Lejeune.

Day 3 of the USMC Educator's Workshop

Day three of the Marine Corp’s Educator’s Workshop started at 0715 in the morning again. We loaded onto the bus and headed out for Marine Corp’s Air Station Miramar. The public affairs person who accompanied us throughout our tour of the base greeted us at the gate. Our first stop was in the classroom where we were given an overview of the operations at Miramar. Then we were able to interview a group of Marines that work on the base. One of them was an East High graduate from Bakersfield.

Most of the men we interviewed were mechanics that build and repair the aircraft engines at Miramar. They were also in charge of checking the equipment that the flight personnel use on missions. They have to make sure everything is in excellent working condition to assure the safety of the personnel and the success of the mission.

Each of them came from different backgrounds and had different reasons for joining the Marines, but a unifying theme that they all shared was their love of the work they do and how much they enjoy their Marine family. This is one common idea that has been shared by each Marine I have spoken to. They have a great love of “Corps and Country,” After the education session, we got to tour the barracks where the base Marines live. It was similar to a dorm room but a little larger and nicer. It was perfectly neat, too, in true Marine inspection ready form.

Next, we went to the flight deck to look at some aircraft. We saw a CH-53 (I am not sure of the name of it) helicopter, an F-18 jet, and from a distance a C-130. We were able to get an up close and personal tour of the F-18 and the helicopter. It was really cool to see these aircraft and actually touch them and sit in the cockpit of the helicopter. Also, we were only about 200 yards from the runway so we were able to watch about a dozen F-18s take off and land. The Marines provided us with earplugs and they were needed because those active planes were very loud.

There was a group of fire rescue personnel on the flight deck also and we were able to see all of their equipment and were given demonstrations of how it is used. Aside from interviewing personnel, this was a highlight for me because I love aircraft.

This was the end of our tour of Miramar so we headed back to the recruiting depot.

Our first activity back at the depot was a trip to the Marine gift shop. The government made quite a cache from our group of about 70 educators. We then stopped at the barracks again to listen to a former Marine tell his story about his experiences with the Korean and Vietnam wars. He was an excellent speaker and gave some illustrative examples of what it is like to fight in a war as well as to be a career Marine. He gave the recruits in attendance some good advice as to what not to do as they make their way through their tours of duty.

Our last experience of the day involved observing recruits out on the bayonet course and combat training course. I have included pictures of the harsh regiments that the boys on the course were suffering through. One group was doing barrel rolls through a rubber pit over and over again. They would then move to the dirt and crawl about 25 yards on their bellies. Then they would repeat the routine over and over again.

Another group was doing lunges back and forth and then would get martial arts pads and punch another recruit repeatedly until the drill instructor blew the whistle.

The third group had to drag another recruit across the dirt on their hands and feet while the other person held on to their waist. Then they would lie side by side with martial arts pads and kick the other recruit repeatedly.

The last group was doing fireman carries back and forth. This was the first time we were able to see the harsh reality of what boot camp really means for these young men and their training. They were all red-faced and soaked with sweat and the dirt was stuck to them like an extra layer of skin. However, as the drill instructors explained to us, these were all skills that the men may have to use in combat so despite the severity, they will be better soldiers because of it. No one ever said boot camp is easy.

One thing very apparent to me was the watchfulness of the head drill instructor. One recruit was having difficulty and he immediately stepped in and checked on him to make sure he was not suffering from heat or dehydration issues. They push the boys hard, but still protect them from any serious harm.

Day 2- Marine Corps Educator's Workshop

Day two of the USMC Educator’s Workshop in San Diego was a very full day. We loaded the buses at 0715 in the morning and headed to the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, which is right by the airport. We started our day by experiencing the first thing that a new recruit experiences — the yellow footprints. At the entrance to the building are hundreds of sets of yellow footprints painted on the sidewalk. We were also able to get the full brunt of the drill instructors as we exited the bus and lined up on the footprints. It was a pretty intense feeling having those men in uniform screaming instructions at us as we walked by.

After entering the building, we went in to the room where the recruits empty out all of their belongings. There is a list of things that are not allowed and if they have any of this stuff, they must relinquish it. They also pick up a bag with their personal supplies for boot camp.

After that, Col. Maben briefed us on what each of the 13 weeks of Boot Camp include. There were other speakers in this session including the chief of staff of the San Diego Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, Col. Huenefeld, It was very well organized and well presented. After this we went to the Marine’s Swim Tank, AKA the pool. Here, recruits have to traverse the pool on foot as well as floating on their backs wearing a full uniform, full gear, and carrying their weapon. As it was explained to us, you must be able to swim well to be a Marine. That was demonstrated in this exercise.

The highlight of day 2 was eating lunch with the recruits. We were able to sit and chat with recruits in Phase 2 of their training. I spoke with a couple of young men from the LA area. Each had a different reason for joining the Marines. One joined to get out of a gang-ridden neighborhood and to avoid that lifestyle. The other one said he was bored in his second year of college and wanted a change. It was not only a privilege for us to be able to chat with them and get their perspectives on Boot Camp; it was also a privilege for them to get to sit at a relaxed meal and talk. They do not get but a few minutes for each meal during their training and talking is not allowed. Also, they got to eat special treats like ice cream with sprinkles, which was much appreciated by them.

One thing that they said that stood out most to me was how much they have enjoyed their experience with the Marines so far, despite the hardships of boot camp. Also they both said that they have learned to appreciate all the little treats in life like ice cream or special letters from home. These two were in a platoon that had won a contest on the rifle range against other platoons and they were looking forward to their rewards of two movies and an extra 10-minute call home. They were fine young men and I know they will make excellent Marines when they graduate in September.

The afternoon was spent watching first-hand what hardships the recruits have to go through. We were supposed to be able to experience some of the courses, but there was a heat advisory in the area so we were unable to do so. Our government was trying to protect us. The only part we were able to participate in was the martial arts training. We finished the day off by watching a special demonstration on the bayonet obstacle course where young men who had already completed their training duty crawled over, under, and around obstacles with full gear and weapon. It looked very dusty and exhausting.

There are several different training aids on what is called the Confidence Course. I have included pictures of many of them. They all involve some sort of serious physical exertion. These boys were working HARD and the drill instructors were pushing them every step of the way. It was a long day of walking around and seeing things and standing in the sun. However, no matter how tired we all were, there were about 1,000 young men who were working their tails off and were much more tired.

Local teacher learning what it takes to be a Marine

My name is Karen Roberts. I am a teacher at Central Valley Continuation High School in Shafter. A few months ago, someone in the Kern High School District e-mailed a flyer to all KHSD employees for the United States Marine Corps Educator Workshop. I did a little investigating and it sounded like something that would be interesting. It is a way for the Marines to educate educators on what it means to become a Marine and be a Marine. I thought it would be something of interest to the people of Bakersfield so I decided to start a journal with my activities to show all those at home what it's like to become a Marine.

I arrived at the hotel in San Diego at about 2 on Monday. It is on the San Diego Bay, across from downtown, and very nice; the USMC pays for all expenses by the way. I hung out by the pool since I arrived early and the activities did not start until dinnertime. Keep in mind that I left 100 degree Bakersfield in August. It was a “balmy” 85 in San Diego. The people here at the hotel were apologetic about it being so hot and hoped it would cool off during the week. I did not complain.

We arrived at dinner at 5:30 and were met by several Marines from recruiting stations from Portland to San Diego. At this time I found out that there were attendees from as far north as Alaska. I sat with some counselors from Oregon and we had some great conversations. After dinner, all of the Marines spoke and introduced themselves. It was very interesting to see the many different backgrounds of the men and women who were there. Some were from troubled backgrounds and needed to get out of their current situations. Others were in college or finished with college and decided that they were interested in joining the service. There were also a few who came from military families and thought that the Marines would be best for them.

What I found most interesting was the reasons they each gave as to why they joined the Marines. I saw so much passion and patriotism from these men and women. It was refreshing. They were very happy and proud of what they do. Unfortunately in today’s society I think a lot of people lose sight of the real people involved in our military and all the sacrifices they make to keep this country free. Most of the Marines in attendance had done at least one tour in Iraq.

We had some high ranking officers at the dinner and I was almost able to distinguish what the ranks mean and how they are different. The gentleman who sat at our table was Sergeant Major Simburger- which, he explained, is the highest rank for enlisted men. There were also a couple of officers- Majors Shepard and Zetno, who are in charge of recruiting, and the highest ranking officer I met was Lieutenant Colonel Cromwell who was responsible for all of the Marines that were there.

It was at this time when we got our very full itinerary for the week and I am looking forward to all the behind the scenes tours we get to take. Tomorrow at 0715 we have to be on our bus to go to Miramar. Our drill Sergeant Angel said he will make sure we are there on time. I am not going to test him. I get to stand on the famed “yellow footprints” that all recruits start their Boot Camp experience with and I “get to” try the obstacle course. I will write about all that we experience in tomorrow’s post.