TOP STORY >> Q&A: 19th Air Force commander delivers final C-130J

By Senior Airman Harry Brexel

19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

The largest C-130 base in the world recently marked the end of a transition that first began 13 years ago. The 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base received its final, new C-130J aircraft from a Lockheed Martin facility, Feb. 27, 2017. The 19th Air Force commander delivered the C-130J; and spoke about the future of the 314th AW and its international C-130 Center of Excellence training school. The 19th Air Force executes operational-level command and control of all formal aircrew flying training missions within the Air Education and Training Command. 

1. You mention that Airpower starts in the First Command. What does that phrase mean and how does the 314th Airlift Wing play a part in it? 

The First Command is what we call AETC because our command is the first that many encounter when entering the Air Force, the first command to touch the lives of our newest Airmen. From the moment they work with recruiters, head to basic and then to tech school, our Airmen are interacting and part of the First Command, literally, their first command within the Air Force.

But beyond the literal definition, we are their gateway to the Air Force. We mold them and develop them into the Airmen they will become and we instill in them the values as well as provide them the tools and skills for success. 

Here at the 314th AW, you train and prepare Airmen for their first duty. You instill in them the values of the Air Force, the skills to be a pilot and the heart and drive of a Combat Airlifter. When they leave this unit and head into the operational force, they are well-trained, well-prepared and ready to complete their mission and provide combat airlift anywhere we ask them to go.

2. With this C-130J, the 314th AW now has its full complement of C-130Js. How will this help the 314th AW train to better prepare U.S. and coalition forces? 

Now that we have 30 C-130Js in AETC, with 14 of them in the 314th AW, the 314th AW will continue to play a large role in training and educating not only our Airmen but our coalition partners and allied nations to deliver airpower across the globe. The ability to provide interoperability between partner nations has been a key aspect to success in our missions across the world and the unique ability of the 314th to train these partners as well as our own Airmen together. With the full complement of aircraft along with the extensive simulator program, the 314th is able to train students more efficiently than ever before and will continue to produce qualified and committed Combat Airlifters.

3. Why it is so important that the Center of Excellence is co-located with operational C-130J squadrons/mission? 

By having both the training and operational arms of Combat Airlift located in one location, we are able to partner and better strengthen our capabilities to provide Combat Airlift across the world. When our Airmen training within AETC are able to look across the street or even the room and see the application of the training they are currently receiving, they are able to better understand the lessons taught and how they will apply them once they enter the operational side of things. 

The fact that the operational arm is co-located also allows our Airmen to network and find mentors within the operational units that can help tie the lessons and real world applications together. When there are examples of Combat Airlift surrounding our Airmen, their ability to connect the two aspects of Combat Airlift increases and the lightbulb goes off above their head.

4. The 314th AW operates the DoD’s largest international flying training program; how does the academic partnership with other countries strengthen operational partnerships? 

When students are able to train together and learn the functionality of the aircraft from the same source, they are better able to understand how each other thinks as well as speak in the same technical language. In addition, when students return to their home countries, they have networked and know many of the individuals they may work with in the future during coalition exercises or missions. These personal ties and partnerships allow a freer flow of communication when it really counts.

Improving these partnerships through the international training program truly does improve interoperability during exercises, and more importantly, during missions. The 314th AW enables combat airlifters from over 45 different countries to come together as a team and complete the mission efficiently and effectively not only in training but in real life as well.

5. One of AETC’s strategic vectors is “Motivational Mission Accomplishment,” what does this mean to the units and for the students who might go on to another MAJCOM after tech school? 

Although our students may leave AETC, they don’t leave behind the ideals we uphold. We not only train our Airmen, but instill within them a sense of duty, a yearning for a challenge, the understanding that each day brings new learning and that if they push themselves, they are capable of so much. These values are more than just the skill to fly the aircraft; they are the driving force behind why our Airmen continue to soar both in the sky and on the ground.

When Airmen leave AETC and head to another command, they bring with them these values and live them out each and every day. In doing so, they contribute not only to our Air Force as they challenge themselves but as they challenge those around them to strive for more and to push to accomplish the mission. Although they are no longer in AETC, they motivate and challenge those around them to take it to the next level and in doing so, improve our Air Force and our nation.

6. What advice would you give to the C-130 aircrew and maintenance students going through the programs offered by the 314th?

Don’t lose focus. Our Air Force is made great by the hardworking, dedicated individuals like yourself. This constantly and rapidly changing world demands we find innovative ways to meet our mission. We need you.

7. How will the new T-X requirements potentially change undergraduate pilot training process and ultimately the follow-on formal training units such as the 314th AW? 

There are a number of possibilities. The Air Force could stick to two aircraft training tracks, cargo and fighters, or try something entirely different. The real goal is to leverage the fourth and fifth generation technology in our newest aircraft and introduce it earlier in training.

No matter what aircraft is chosen for the T-X trainer, AETC has full confidence the 314th AW will adapt the training to produce world-class aviators who can meet our Nation’s future challenges.

8. How will you take the lessons learned here as a numbered Air Force commander and bring them to your next command? 

If you never try something new, you will never improve your unit. In my next job, I will make sure to delegate authority to wing commanders. If you have a good wing commander, let them be commanders and don’t micromanage. As Gen. Goldfein said, to revitalize a squadron you must empower commanders to take risks and let them do what they think is right. If they fail, at least they tried something new. Give guidance, have them keep you informed, but let them do their job. Most squadron commanders know what’s going on in their squadron better than a wing or numbered air force commander. 

TOP STORY >> 19th CES repairs base roads

By Airman 1st Class Kevin Sommer Giron 

19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Smoke rises from freshly placed asphalt on a newly paved road. A large construction vehicle cloaked in black soot sits at the end of the road signifying the job is almost done. The air is dominated by the smell of hot tar as Airmen from the 19th Civil Engineer Squadron pavement and construction equipment shop work to spread the asphalt evenly. 

Better known as the “Dirt Boyz” for their close relationship with grimy terrain and messy construction materials, they are unsung heroes working long hours in unforgiving weather to maintain the base’s airfield, roads, fences and drainage systems.  

“It’s the greatest job in the Air Force,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Butch Stewart 19th CES NCO in charge of the pavement and construction equipment shop. “It’s very gratifying because everybody benefits from the work we do.” 

From the sweat of a summer’s day to the hardened cement flakes which cling to their uniforms, the Airmen work year-round excavating, pouring cement, paving asphalt, rooting trees, sweeping streets of debris and repairing barbed-wire fences which secure the base. 

While deployed, their main priority is keeping the airfield serviceable for C-130s and other aircraft to take off and provide Combat Airlift capabilities globally.

Overseas and stateside, the “Boyz” work in all environments and with a variety of construction materials that coat their clothes in a day’s work. 

“I’ve been covered in it all: mud, dirt, sand and cement.” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mathew Kanakares, 19th CES pavement and construction equipment craftsman.

Their work is often labor intensive and lengthy, but morale and comradery is never lacking in their shop.

Generations of pavement and equipment operators have made the name (Dirt Boy) a term of endearment for the pride, comradery, hard work and long hours they share. 

“When I hear the term ‘Dirt Boy,’ I get a feeling of pride which flows throughout the career field because once you’re a ‘Dirt Boy,’ you’re always a ‘Dirt Boy,’” Stewart said. 

As experts in all types of heavy machinery, the 19th CES construction equipment Airmen are trained to operate everything from road graders, bulldozers and sweepers to dump trucks, excavators and front end loaders.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” Stewart said. “I grew up playing with toy trucks, and now I get to play with even bigger trucks as a grown man.”  

The “Dirt Boyz” may be known for dirt and soot, but their job is essential to the overall mission and security of Little Rock AFB. They work behind the scenes to keep the base serviceable so members of Team Little Rock can continue to provide Combat Airlift across the world.

TOP STORY >> Preparing today’s maintainers for tomorrow’s C-130 fleet

By Staff Sgt. Jeremy McGuffin

19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

C-130 maintainers worldwide begin their maintenance careers at Little Rock Air Force Base and for select instructors here, they craft those students into professionals supporting rapid global mobility.

The 373rd Training Squadron Detachment 4 instructor team provides state-of-the-art aerospace maintenance training to conduct direct operational support to Team Little Rock, Department of Defense and coalition Air Forces around the world.

Little Rock is the largest C-130 base where students receive mission-essential training and certifications.

The training squadron has a dual role, teaching Airmen returning for advanced training and new pipeline students straight from initial technical school training located at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

“We teach active duty, Guard, Reserve, civilians and international students,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jose Piedra, 373rd TRS Det. 4 production supervisor and instructor. “For every command that has a C-130, we will train their maintenance personnel.”

A vital part of that training is teaching students to understand the “why” of a maintenance malfunction, and not just reading from a technical order.

“I’ll have students that come in confused about a process and just repeat what the technical order says and not really understand what it means,” he said. “As we go through the course building one lesson on top of the last and showing them why an item works this way, I start seeing those light bulbs come on.”

Addressing issues and questions in the classroom that may happen on the flightline allows students the ability to relate to training.

“When they come to class there are no wrong questions because they come here to learn and make mistakes,” Piedra said. “I can easily fix the situation here in a controlled environment. When they are on the flightline, they are dealing with actual assets. If they break that asset, they take down an ability their command should have been able to offer.”

For every class offered at the 373rd TRS, each instructor brings a unique experience and background to the environment.

“The training has been insightful and interesting,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aaron Knight, 373rd TRS student. “The different perspectives instructors bring to the classroom and the value of the information they provide are great resources with the course work.”

Understanding and diagnosing aircraft system problems and teaching other Airmen at their unit is the ultimate goal for every instructor for their students.

“When they take that knowledge back to the flightline it motivates me as an instructor,” Piedra said. “The training and structure remain the same for each student and it keeps up Air Force standards but it’s what each instructor brings to the classroom that really sticks with each of them.”

Providing flexible training worldwide, anticipate and exceed the needs of customers and promoting the highest standards of quality instruction is the goal for the 373rd TRS.

“We train the students how to accomplish their mission, to be more efficient with their time, and resources, and to be more proficient,” Piedra said. “We raise the bar for all of our students to be a better maintainer.”

TOP STORY >> 75 years strong: 41st Airlift Squadron celebrates historic milestones

By Lt. Col. Sarah C. Santoro

41st Airlift Squadron commander

The 41st Airlift Squadron celebrated its 75 year anniversary in February, inviting all current and former Black Cats and friends to commemorate the occasion. 

The 41st AS stems from a long tradition of tactical airlift, which all began in mid-February 1942, with the creation of the 41st Troop Carrier Squadron at Duncan Field, Texas.  Less than a year later, in January 1943, the 41st TCS found itself in the Pacific theater of operation.

 New to the C-47 aircraft, untested, minimally trained, inexperienced and young, the men initially became known as the Jungle Skippers, providing tactical airlift throughout the Southwest Pacific.  This elite group of young men understood the hazards and inherent risk of their profession and pushed themselves to be the best with a “safety first” mindset. 

Then squadron commander, Major Herbert Waldman, stressed the importance of “safeguarding of equipment and flyer” in a belief that it was better for the war effort to ensure both made it to their destination, rather than take a chance and lose both.

Waldman stated “Everybody in our organization was made conscious of one factor … that the plane must be perfect before it left on its flight and the pilot must have every bit of available knowledge of the route and landing field to which he was going.  In this way, every department -- engineering, intelligence, and operations -- was held as responsible as the pilot himself to maintain the safety record.” 

Since its inception, the 41st takes the job of professional tactical airlift seriously and firmly understands that it takes a team to safely and effectively make the mission happen. 

In the young squadron, the unit developed robust training programs and quality mission planning products to ensure pilots were armed with the best knowledge, judgment and aircraft possible to overcome the challenging missions of the day, in a time when fatal mishaps were common. 

The culture of the 41st from its outset is unquestionably one of excellence and it showed in the recognized, impeccable safety and performance record of the 41st TCS during that time.  In a unit Letter of Commendation dated Feb. 18, 1944, the squadron was recognized on its two year anniversary for flying operations without a fatal accident to passengers or members of the crew and also without the loss of an airplane. 

Brig. Gen. Paul Prentiss noted in the commendation that “this record is particularly outstanding in view of the valuable contribution which your squadron and others of the 317th Group have made to the war in the Southwest Pacific, first on the mainland and later in New Guinea.  Flying to Wau in January of last year [1943], dropping paratroopers at Nadzab in September, and carrying the daily loads to the Markham Valley and north have not been the safest assignments for your C-47s, and it is to the everlasting credit of your pilots, crews, maintenance personnel, and yourself that no serious accidents have been sustained throughout the thirteen months of foreign duty.”

The young men of the Pacific earned the unit’s Black Cat name during World War II and built a strong foundation which future generations steadfastly carried forward through Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq, and mostly recently in Afghanistan where the 41st AS, along with 19th Maintenance Group and Operations Support Squadron personnel, completed a highly successful combat deployment in January 2017. 

The Black Cat name and symbolism of the squadron’s patch is derived from the 41st Troop Carrier Squadron’s outstanding safety record during WWII as it frequently overflew the “Black Cat Trail” in New Guinea.  The Black Cat is pictured on our patch carrying its precious cargo safely over the clouds to its destination and has been our designated patch since 1943.

The US Air Force has a rich history with many roots that reach back well before the US Air Force’s creation in September 1947.  From its beginning, the 41st set a high standard of professionalism and excellence which continues today.  Our 41st Airlift Squadron story is only one thread of a rich U.S. Air Force tradition and history, a history we are proud to build upon.

In February 2017 we came together to celebrate our unique tactical airlift heritage, paying tribute to those who have gone before us in a special memorial service held on Little Rock’s flightline and toasting with pride that the extraordinary legacy of tactical airlift continues on here at Little Rock AFB.  Only a select few from our nation choose to serve and it continues to be our distinct privilege to serve alongside such incredible Airmen and honor the memory of those giants that built the foundation upon which we continue to build upon today. 

The 41st Airlift Squadron – Anywhere, Anytime since 1942!

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TOP STORY >> Becoming a Raven

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Timothy Bukovich, 19th Security Forces Squadron patrolman, center, receives motivation from 19th SFS Phoenix Ravens during a rigorous physical training session Feb. 15, 2017, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The Ravens trained other Airmen to see if they have what it takes to graduate the Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Raven Qualification Course. Raven teams protect aircraft, crews and cargo from criminal and terrorist threats while traveling through airfields where security is either unknown or inadequate. 

Story and photos by Senior Airman Harry Brexel, 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

The U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command currently operates a fleet of more than 1,100 aircraft, yet only a small number of elite security forces Airmen are responsible for defending and protecting those aircraft and aircrews in locations across the globe. 

The Airmen are known as “Phoenix Ravens” and Little Rock Air Force Base is currently home to a handful of these first-class Defenders.  

In 2016, four Little Rock Airmen completed the three week long, 12-hour-a-day Phoenix Raven Qualification Course at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. It was the first time in more than ten years that 19th Security Forces Squadron Airmen graduated the course, often called “the House of Pain.” 

“The course was by far the most challenging thing I’ve done in my life, both mentally and physically.” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Taylor Sutton, 19th SFS Phoenix Raven and patrolman. “But it was a huge achievement being among the first from our base to graduate in a long time.” 

After the initial success, the 19th SFS is now preparing more of its Airmen for the notoriously intensive Ravens course. 

Three Airmen were hand selected out of approximately 300 Defenders in the squadron, to be tested and see if they have what it takes to endure and graduate Phoenix Raven training.

The 19th SFS Ravens team constructed a weeklong schedule of intensive physical training sessions, defensive maneuver exercises, as well as classroom lessons on cross-cultural awareness, airfield survey techniques, explosive ordnance awareness and aircraft searches.

“When we first arrived for the Ravens course, we were somewhat blindsided,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Logan Catalfano, 19th SFS Phoenix Raven and patrolman. “We didn’t get an opportunity like this to prepare, but now we’re able to use what we learned to set up other Airmen for success.”

In January 2017 alone, U.S. Air Force mobility Airmen flew more than 28,000 missions. Catalfano and other Ravens from Little Rock AFB have already put their training to use in several of those operational missions by performing security, advising aircrews on force protection measures and conducting airfield assessments. 

“It feels good to assist in bringing supplies and people to troops in need.” Catalfano said. “We have a direct impact on the mission.”

By the end of the initial Raven’s pre-training week, two 19th SFS Defenders passed the course and will head to New Jersey to attend the official qualification course soon. 

If they successfully complete the program, the duo will graduate during the Phoenix Raven program’s 20th anniversary. The Airmen would routinely work with mobility aircrews in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Africa and South America in austere areas with little or no infrastructure.

“We want to build a name for ourselves, keep our graduation rate at 100 percent and generate more Ravens,” Catalfano said. “This is a huge accomplishment for us and it makes us proud of what we do. Above all, it’s fun and exciting.”

TOP STORY >> New fitness area offers safe workouts for injured Airmen

By Senior Airman Mercedes Taylor

19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

 There are many benefits to working out: increased energy, improved mood and reduced weight. Service members may have difficulties reaping the benefits if they’re on a medical profile or restricted from performing certain exercises due to injury.

In an effort to help Airmen remain mission ready, there’s now an adaptive fitness area for injured personnel to work out safely and effectively.

“One of our main missions is to provide an environment for Airmen to be fit to fight,” said Aaron Leach, 19th Force Support Squadron Fitness Center fitness and sports director. “We’re really proud of this new area.”

The new fitness center additions includes an arm ergometer, leg ergometer, combination arm and leg ergometer, ski ergometer, recumbent elliptical, recumbent stepper an air assault bike and a duel adjustable pulley  system. Most of the equipment is located inside the cardio room.

Although the area is directed toward service members on profile, retirees also use the machines to get a workout in.

“Some of the retirees use (the machines) because they can’t put as much impact on their legs and feet,” Leach said.

By creating an adaptive fitness area, Little Rock Air Force Base raises the bar for taking care of those with adaptive needs.

“According to the Air Force Services Activity, we’re the only base that has a specific area dedicated to those with adaptive needs,” Leach said. “It’s kind of an Air Force first.”

Although the new machines make the gym more inclusive, the Fitness Center always keeps the customer in mind.

“The gym is designed for safety and accessibility for the different populations,” Leach said. “We wanted to give people a little bit of everything.”

No matter what one’s physical status may be, the fitness center employees maintain an environment inclusive to all patrons and promotes mission readiness.