Focus onGraduate Education:AFIT�s GEEM Program

Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704-0188

Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering andmaintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, ArlingtonVA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if itdoes not display a currently valid OMB control number.

1. REPORT DATE 2001 2. REPORT TYPE

3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2001 to 00-00-2001

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Focus on Graduate Education: AFIT’s GEEM Program. (Air Force CivilEngineer, Summer 2001, Volume 9, Number 2)

5a. CONTRACT NUMBER

5b. GRANT NUMBER

5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER

6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER

5e. TASK NUMBER

5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Air Force Civil Engineer (AFCESA/PCT),139 Barnes Drive, Suite1,Tyndall AFB,FL,32403-5319

8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONREPORT NUMBER

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S)

11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S)

12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited

13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

14. ABSTRACT

15. SUBJECT TERMS

16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT Same as

Report (SAR)

18. NUMBEROF PAGES

36

19a. NAME OFRESPONSIBLE PERSON

a. REPORT unclassified

b. ABSTRACT unclassified

c. THIS PAGE unclassified

Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18

FR

OM

TH

E T

OP

Are you ready for a Graduate Degree?Are you ready for a Graduate Degree?Are you ready for a Graduate Degree?Are you ready for a Graduate Degree?Are you ready for a Graduate Degree?Graduate Education sponsored by the Air Force is a

Win-Win Situation

Maj Gen Earnest O. Robbins II Each year an exceptional opportunity arises for 30 or more of our best lieutenantsand captains � the chance to receive an Air Force sponsored graduate degree. For thosewho take advantage of this opportunity, the benefits to themselves and to the Air Forceare many.

The program at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) provides officers withan excellent education and a respected degree in the area of Engineering Managementor Environmental Management, provided through AFIT�s in-residence GraduateEngineering and Environmental Management (GEEM) program. A few officers eachyear are eligible to pursue advanced degrees at civilian universities.

This year alone, 33 officers (including two majors) will earn an Air Force-fundedMaster�s Degree. The Class of 02 commenced in August with 23 Civil Engineer officersattending AFIT�s in-residence GEEM program at Wright-Patterson AFB and another 10attending civilian institutions across the country.

AFIT leads the way in meeting the education needs of our Air Force and theDepartment of Defense. We are fortunate to have at our disposal a fully accredited,balanced graduate program that mirrors the support we need in the civil engineer careerfield. GEEM graduates are recognized as having an exceptional educational backgroundideally suited for future duties at the installation and MAJCOM, Air Force and DoDlevels and in each CE core competency. A recent accreditation review team of scholarswho evaluated AFIT�s degree programs came away very impressed by what they saw,describing the graduate school�s focused military-interest programs as �a credit to thenation.�

It is important that we in civil engineering, along with the remainder of the AirForce, maintain a corps of leaders who are prepared to employ our Service�s changingscientific and technical capabilities. Many GEEM graduates have gone on to hold someof the most senior leadership positions in Air Force civil engineering. The selectionprocess for the Class of 03 will begin soon and I encourage those of you with excellentacademic and military performance to step up to the challenge.

Building a BrighterFutureAlaska and New HampshireGuardsmen team up to build aschool in Ecuador.

On the cover ...

Departments

Interview

Education & Training

Views From the Field

Technology

CE World

CE People

Unit Spotlight

6

The Civil EngineerMaj Gen Earnest O. Robbins II

Air Force Civil Engineer Summer 2001 Volume 9, Number 2

AFCESA CommanderCol Bruce R. Barthold

Air Force Civil Engineer is published quarterly as a funded newspaper by the Professional Communications staff at the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall AFB, FL. This publication serves the Office of The Civil

Engineer, HQ U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. Readers may submit articles, photographs and art work. Suggestions and criticisms are welcomed. All photos are U.S. Air Force, unless otherwise noted. Contents of Air Force

Civil Engineer are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Defense Department or the Department of the Air Force. Editorial office: Air Force Civil Engineer, AFCESA/PCT, 139 Barnes

Drive Suite 1, Tyndall AFB, FL, 32403-5319, Telephone (850) 283-6242, DSN 523-6242, FAX (850) 283-6499, and e-mail: cemag@tyndall.af.mil. All submissions will be edited to conform to standards set forth in Air Force

Instruction 35-301 and The Associated Press Stylebook. Air Force Civil Engineer is accessible on the Internet on AFCESA’s home page: https://www.afcesa.af.mil.

Chief, ProfessionalCommunications

Lois Walker

EditorLetha Cozart

Graphics/Production EditorDemetress Lovett-West

4142325273135

Please send story ideas, articles,photos, comments and suggestions tocemag@tyndall.af.mil

�Working Together inthe Millennium�U.S., German firefighters team up fortraining.

8

Air Force EngineeringMade in FranceLittle-known mission a big job forElmendorf engineers.

10

One way the Air Force Institute ofTechnology is meeting the ever-changing and challenging technicalmanagement needs of the Air Forceis through the Graduate Engineeringand Environmental Management, orGEEM, program. See separate storieson pages 16-22.

12 Time for a Change-Out�Power Pro� is a multi-faceted careerfield specialty.

4

The CE: What percent of the Air Force�s total militarycivil engineer capability does the Guard currently pro-vide?

Col Stritzinger: The ANG provides about 29 percent ofthe total engineering force in the Air Force. The Reservehas about 17 percent and the active has the remaining 54percent. About 10 percent of our ANG civil engineerforce is comprised of full-time personnel. The remaining90 percent are drilling Guardsmen who dedicate theirweekends and free time to serving their country throughaugmentation of our total force missions. Combined withthe Reserves, we are a very economical avenue for fulfill-ing wartime requirements, AEF [Aerospace ExpeditionaryForce] missions, construction deployments through ourDeployment for Training program, active duty volunteersupport and homeland security issues. The ANG as awhole provides a good amount of force structure forapproximately 7.2 percent of the Air Force budget.

The CE: The growing threat of nuclear, chemical orbiological weapons against U.S. targets has caused home-land security to become an increasingly important DoDmission. What role do you see ANG civil engineers play-ing in that arena?

Col Stritzinger: Our ability to provide assistance in thehomeland security arena is a by-product of our wartimeconstruct. The equipment and personnel skills availablefor utilization in Chemical, Biological, Radioactive,Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) events are a direct andinseparable result of the training provided by the AirForce. Our dispersed locations in every state and territoryposition us well to respond quickly.

The ANG will continue in its constitutional role asan avenue for state governors to provide relief to on-scene local responders. We will also continue to providesupport to planning and exercise activities of local andstate communities while providing AEF support to theAir Force. This can all be done in addition to our historicrole � augmenting the total force warfighting capability.

More today than ever before, the Air Force relies on daily support from its Guard and Reserve personnel. The air reservecomponents, Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve Command, comprise about one-third of the Air Force. Given thecurrent size of the active duty force, the Department of Defense is increasingly looking to the ARC for help in meeting missiondemands and holding down operations and personnel tempo.

An interview with Colonel Janice M. Stritzinger, The Civil Engineer, Headquarters Air National Guard, Andrews AirForce Base, MD.

Going to the Guard

The CE: As someone who has served the Air Force inboth enlisted and officer positions, active duty and re-serve, and worked as an engineer in private industry,what is your perspective on the Guard�s role in helpingthe Air Force achieve its worldwide mission?

Col Stritzinger: We have highly skilled individuals whonot only provide and apply their Air Force skills training,

but they also provide skills honed and learned in the pri-vate sector. We have enlisted personnel in my old AirForce specialty of site development who are registeredprofessional engineers and architects. We have fire pro-tection individuals who are members of very active localfire departments. We have officers who are productiondesigners and project managers for architectural andengineering firms playing an active role in the everydayconstruction business across the United States and over-seas. This depth of knowledge provides a synergistic,experienced, cost-effective method of adding value to theAir Force mission.

Col Janice M. Stritzinger took the reins as The Civil Engineer, HQ Air NationalGuard, Andrews Air Force Base, MD, in July 2000.

5

CE Magazine Summer 2001

The CE: Is it difficult to balance federal readiness require-ments with individual state concerns?

Col Stritzinger: It is as difficult as balancing federalreadiness requirements for individuals with CINC [com-mander-in-chief] and MAJCOM [major command]concerns. States have unique issues that can and havebeen addressed with the Guard force structure currentlyprovided. Our federal mission is typically our primarymission, with the exception of emergency response. It isthis federal mission that allows us to use our skills tobenefit states and local communities in times of need.These federal opportunities help us to further hone ourskills for support of the state mission and are a highlyvisible demonstration to the local community of the mili-tary capability this nation possesses.

Without our participation in state exercises and mis-sions, the total force would have a harder time recruitingour young men and women into the profession of arms.As a shrinking number of the nation�s population haveany direct military experience, this exposure in localcommunities can strengthen the connection that thecountry as a whole feels toward our military, so we havetheir support when we need it for broader missions.

The CE: Has ANG civil engineering�s culture changed asa result of the increase in real world deployments?

Col Stritzinger: After my recent trip to Southwest Asia,I found that real world deployments have offered ourpersonnel an opportunity to put to use the training andequipment provided by the Air Force. I was refreshed tofind that our culture is still healthy. In general, our per-sonnel look forward to accomplishing real worldmissions. Utilized properly, they come back from deploy-ments with a sense of accomplishment and contributionto the Air Force mission.

Our folks are not in the Guard for the money, but fora patriotic sense of duty to country, accomplishment ofnational and world missions, sharing experiences withbrothers and sisters in arms, and continuing militaryservice while pursuing a civilian career. The caution isthat when our total force military folks get bored or arenot used as they have been trained, they will take theirexpensively attained skills and do something else that theydo find challenging.

Our other concern is to not overuse this resource.The culture within the Guard must always remember thatour troops answer to civilian employers as well. Thesupport of these civilian employers is critical to the suc-cess of the Air National Guard and, in turn, the AirForce.

The CE: The 554th RED HORSE Squadron is on itsway to being a full-up, total force squadron, combiningthe strengths of active duty and air reserve component

civil engineers. Do you expect to see the number of totalforce civil engineer squadrons increase in the future?

Col Stritzinger: I would hope that we could find addi-tional areas to partner in total force squadrons. I thinkthat it is unavoidable and desirable. The National MilitaryStrategy, operations tempo, Quadrennial Defense Review,Total Force Assessment and other comprehensive reviewsmust and will drive unique and innovative partnering formission accomplishment.

We need to do a better job of understanding AirForce issues, strengths and weaknesses, and the activeforce needs to do a better job of understanding Guardand Reserve issues, strengths and weaknesses. The ulti-mate difficulty will be finding the resources for missionrequirements that will allow the special talents we eachbring to the mix to be used to provide the most cost-effective solutions to the Air Force of the future.

Colonel Stritzinger has achieved several historic firsts in both theAir Force and the Air National Guard. When she enlisted in the AirForce in 1971, she was among the first group of women selected toenter the newly opened career field of site development specialist,serving with the 44th Civil Engineering Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, SD,and the 21st CES at Elmendorf AFB, AK. She was the first woman tobe assigned to an engineering specialty in Alaskan Air Command.

She joined the ANG in 1977, and was assigned to the 176th CESat Kulis ANGB, AK. While at Kulis, in 1987, she became the ANG’sfirst female base civil engineer and base fire marshal. ColonelStritzinger later moved to Headquarters ANG at Andrews AFB, MD,becoming the first female to serve as The Civil Engineer in the ANGand the first female major command CE.

As the Air National Guard Civil Engineer, Colonel Stritzinger oversees civilengineer and services force structure, administering a force of more than11,000 personnel. She directs all ANG readiness training, facility plan-ning, programming and construction, environmental activities, and thenegotiation of land leases and airport joint use agreements for 170 ANGinstallations with a combined plant replacement value of $12.6B.

Colonel Stritzinger with total force firefighters on an AEF rotation in the UnitedArab Emirates. Standing opposite Colonel Stritzinger on the P-19 is the ANGChief Support Officer, Col Terry Scherling.

6

by Maj Donna M. Prigmore176th Wing Public Affairs

Nestled in the Pacific coastal lowlands of westernEcuador lies the tiny village of Pacoche en Medio. Adrive down the one and only dirt road that passes throughthe serene, rural village reveals sites of everyday living;mules carrying heavy loads, farm animals scurryingabout, and people looking out from their bamboo homes.

Sounds so familiar to us as city dwellers don�t exist inthis village of 450 people. There are no horns honking,no telephones ringing, and no televisions playing. In-stead, the occasional bray of a burro, the crow of arooster, or the stir of a child playing alongside the roadare typical sounds filling the air.

Life is simple here.Men either fish commercially or farm for a living.

Women stay home to raise children, care for elderly par-ents, and weave baskets and hats for commercial sale.Children attend school for nine months out of the year inthe one schoolhouse (a 30-year-old bamboo structure)available in the village.

The school, damaged over the years by the forces of

El Niño, provides a forum for elementary (kindergartenthrough sixth grade) education. No opportunity beyondthat level exists in the village. Once 6th grade is com-pleted (usually at age 12), boys quickly transition intoadulthood and go to work with their fathers. Girls stayhome with their mothers and help with domestic chores;and so the cycle goes.

But not for much longer. The cycle is about to bebroken and children�s lives changed thanks to Air Na-tional Guard civil engineers from Alaska and NewHampshire who deployed to Pacoche in February andMarch, respectively, to build a much-needed school there.

On February 11, 41 members of the 176th CivilEngineer Squadron from Anchorage, AK, began phaseone of a project to build a two-room schoolhouse, homeeconomics building, water storage tower and latrinesystem for the people of Pacoche en Medio. Two weekslater, on February 24, 35 construction members from the157th CES from Portsmouth, NH, arrived to take overfrom the Alaskan engineers and complete phase two ofthe project.

Over the four-week construction period, the civilengineers mixed more than 55 cubic yards of concreteand 2 cubic yards of stucco, shoveled 15 cubic yards ofrocks and 10 cubic yards of sand, hand placed hundredsof five-gallon buckets of concrete, laid more than a thou-sand concrete blocks, welded scores of steel bars forwindows, and installed more than 2,100 square feet ofmetal roofing.

With temperatures averaging 85-90 degrees, heatexhaustion was of prime concern and proper hydrationthe number one goal for the men and women who spenthours each day sweating from extensive manual labor.Hundreds of bottles of water were consumed by thecrews, an effort that ultimately paid off since no onebecame ill from the heat.

As with most construction projects, however, noteverything went as planned for either team.

For the Alaskans, adversity struck the first day on thejob. They arrived at the site expecting to see a concreteslab in place for the school�s foundation; but it wasn�tthere. Heavy rains a week earlier made it impossible forthe Ecuadorian contractor to accomplish the task in thetime planned.

�Not having the slab in place put us four days behindschedule,� admitted Lt Col Andrew Mamrol, 176th CEScommander. �We were expecting to start laying concreteblocks right away, but instead we had to help the contrac-tor prepare and place the slabs.�

For the New Hampshire engineers, heavy rains dur-ing the second week of their deployment caused the

Building a Brighter FutureAlaska and New Hampshire Guardsmen team up to build a school in Ecuador

MSgt Charles Sutton, 176th CES, pushes a wheelbarrow full ofconcrete during the first phase of construction of a newschool in a village in Ecuador. (Photos by Maj DonnaPrigmore)

7

CE Magazine Summer 2001

project to come to a complete halt for at least a day. Theroad to the village was washed out and, in some areas,covered by up to 3 feet of mud. Six New Hampshireengineers hiked 3.5 miles to the construction site toassess likely damage to the school. Fortunately, the sitehad remained unscathed by the wind and rain, and within24 hours the crews were back at work � but not in theusual way.

For the next two days the village road remained im-passable, so the entire crew had to hike 3.5 miles toreach the site, assisted only by small pick-up trucks whenpossible. Although poor road conditions caused signifi-cant delays in the remaining four days of the constructionproject, the civil engineers pressed on, unwilling to let theforces of nature interfere with their goal to complete themajor construction phases of the school.

Perhaps the greatest challenge for both citizen soldierteams while deployed to Ecuador was the lack of moderntools and heavy equipment. Fortunately, the teamsbrought an assortment of power tools and power genera-tion equipment, all of which helped move the projectalong.

�Without our contingent of tools, this project wouldnot have come together in the time allotted,� said CaptEd Soto, 176th CES project officer.

A concrete truck was perhaps the one heavy equip-ment item sorely missed by all. Having no means to mixand place large amounts of concrete, the engineers had to

rely on two small mixers, several wheelbarrows, and lotsof 5-gallon buckets for placement.

The teams� resource limitations were completelyovershadowed, however, by the graciousness of the vil-lage people. Each day, they waited with excitement forthe bus carrying the engineers to arrive in the village.

�We woke up at 5 a.m. daily, ate breakfast at ourhotel in Manta, then took a 40-minute bus ride to the jobsite,� explained SMSgt Tom Hull, 176th CES. �It waseasy to get up that early knowing we�d be greeted by thewaves and smiles of villagers who ran out of their homesas soon as they heard our bus.�

From day one, the villagers showed excitement andgratitude toward the ANG men and women, showeringthem with kindness and gifts and frequently providinglunches of soups and rice dishes.

According to the village�s schoolteacher, Carlos ViteRodriguez, approximately 20 students will begin 7thgrade in April when the new school year begins.Rodriguez will continue to teach his 70 elementaryschool students and another teacher is set to teach grades7-12.

Knowing that the children of Pacoche en Medio willsoon be able to receive an education beyond the 6thgrade is a feeling of accomplishment hard to put intowords for the civil engineers. They not only helped builda community in a small Ecuadorian village, but helpedbuild a lasting bridge between North and South America.

TSgt Todd Peplow and SSgt John Swearingin, both of the 176th CES, pour concrete mix. No concrete mixer trucks wereavailable in the village to aid in the construction of the school.

8

by MSgt John Olsen469th ABG

U.S. Air Force firefighters from Rhein Main AirBase, Germany, and firefighters from the FrankfurtInternational Airport teamed up to learn and practicetechnical rescue skills during a recent field trainingsession at the German Federal Armed Forces barracks inMainz. Twenty firefighters and five instructors spentthree long and tiring days together, sharing a test ofphysical endurance, strength and mental stamina.

Day OneThe training began on a cold, damp morning

February 20. The crews began beddown operations uponarrival at the site. Knowing that not much time for sleepwould be afforded during this bivouac, they hastily set up�home� and within 20 minutes were back to theirvehicles unloading the remaining supplies. Chain saws,jackhammers, air packs and a variety of other search andrescue equipment, including more than a ton of heavytimbers, was swiftly staged adjacent to the site of acollapsed building.

The building looked like something one would

expect to see in the midst of a battle zone. Parts of theexterior walls were torn down, debris and rubble werescattered everywhere, and massive concrete slabs withprotruding steel segments were partially hidden by anovergrowth of vegetation. The three-story structure,which was built on a concrete foundation with masonrywalls and reinforced concrete floors, was purposelyconstructed to replicate the remains of a collapsedbuilding. It is the center of attraction for a series oftraining evolutions designed to teach firefighters thephysically demanding and technically challenging skills ofsearch and rescue operations.

Air-inflatable tents were strategically located in thenorth and south sectors of the collapse site. One shelterserved as a medical treatment station and the otherserved as the logistics section for breathing air cylinders,respiratory protection equipment and communicationdevices. The training grounds quickly took on theappearance of a natural disaster site. Firefighters werenow ready for action and were divided into four rescueteams.

Team 1, under the instruction of Oberbrandmeister(OBM)/fire crew leader Jan Scheffler of the FrankfurtAirport Fire Department, learned the techniques ofbuilding shoring operations. With hammers swingingand chain saws ripping through heavy timber, thefirefighters precisely erected stabilizing structures toprevent wall and ceiling collapse of the training prop.

Meanwhile, Team 2, under the instruction ofBrandinspektorenanwärter (BIA)/fire officer candidateHarry Trumpler, was busy breaching and breakingthrough 14-inch masonry walls using air-operatedjackhammers, electric hammer drills and gasoline-operated masonry cutting saws.

About 100 yards to the south, on top of a three-storytraining tower, SSgt Joel D. Steffel of the Rhein Main

AB fire department drilled Team 3 on technical roperescue evolutions. Firefighters learned to rappel andperform vertical and horizontal rope rescue operationsusing state-of-the-art equipment from Rhein Main�sTactical Rescue Unit.

At the collapsed structure the lead instructor, OBMStephan Syring, instructed Team 4 firefighters on tacticalconsiderations and hazards of structural collapse rescue.Following a walk (and in many cases, a crawl) throughthe structure, the team donned self-contained breathingapparatus for their first of many journeys through a 70centimeter diameter tunnel.

U.S., German Firefighters Team Up for Training

�Working Togetherin the Millennium�

Firefighters advance a fire stream into the basement to begin an interior fire attackand search the basement for trapped victims. (Photos courtesy 469th ABG)

9

CE Magazine Summer 2001

Two firefighters entered the small opening andadvanced the length of the tunnel. After negotiating about20 meters of the tunnel, the team was directed to turn atthe first opening on the right, which sent them downanother 7 meters in the tunnel system. This branch of thetunnel ended at a 50 centimeter square opening. De-scending through the dark vertical opening took thembetween two series of �lean-to� floor collapses. Once theyexited the tunnel system the three remaining firefighters,who had served as the stand-by rescue team, got to enjoythe same experience.

Throughout the remainder of the day the four teamsrotated through each training station, eagerly learning theskills needed to safely execute and implement search andrescue tactics. Fourteen hours of hard, deliberate trainingtook its toll. The crews returned tired and cold and readyfor a hot meal. By 11 p.m. they were fast asleep, gettingneeded rest for the day to follow.

Day TwoArmed with training and tools, and with confidence

bolstered, the rescue crews were tasked to demonstratetheir technical expertise at a simulated building collapseincident.

The exercise began at 9:30 a.m. when teams wereinformed that a gas explosion had occurred in a three-story apartment, causing parts of the structure to collapsetrapping five residents. Large volumes of smoke, pro-duced by three smoke machines, billowed over theincident site.

The instructors served as incident and sector com-manders for the firefighting and rescue activities. Theirassessment of the site revealed that the structure hadsustained heavy damage from the explosive blast. The eastwall appeared to be heavily weakened and unstable and anuncontrolled gas fire raged in the basement.

Firefighting and rescue teams aggressively combatedthe fire and located and rescued the victims using thestructural collapse rescue techniques practiced the daybefore. After almost three hours of strenuous rescuework, the incident commander declared the situationunder control and ordered termination of the exercise.

Following a 45-minute break and rehabilitationperiod, the instructor staff conducted a debriefing of thefirefighting and rescue activities and directed the recon-stitution of equipment from the incident site, completingthe first half of training activities for day two.

Next, the four rescue teams rotated through anadditional series of training stations where they practicedcutting through structural steel members using oxygen-acetylene torches and other metal cutting devices,continued technical rope-rescue evolutions, and practicedascending and descending the interior shaft of thetraining tower using mechanical advantage haulingsystems and a tripod.

Meanwhile, crews attached to supplied-air breathing

apparatus again advanced through the long and confinedspace of the tunnel system, this time filled with smokecreating zero visibility. When they reached the void spaceof the smoke-filled �lean-to� collapse, they observedsearch techniques and the use of thermal imagingequipment to locate trapped victims.

Day ThreeThe final morning of training was dedicated to

reconstitution of the training site and equipment.General servicing and cleaning of tools and equipmentand loading of vehicles ended the activities at Mainz. Theconvoy formed and returned to Frankfurt Airport/RheinMain AB.

Objectives MetThe test was over, and as a �team� they had superbly

completed all course objectives. Firefighters from twodifferent organizations, countries and cultures had cometogether and achieved mutual goals.

This is just one example where the Frankfurt Airportand Rhein Main AB fire departments joined forces tocollectively enhance their emergency response capabili-ties. The two share a cooperative and productive workrelationship. The technical expertise and mutual supportthey provide each other is highlighted by their motto:�The Frankfurt Airport Fire Departments � WorkingTogether in the Millennium.�

MSgt John Olsen is the fire chief for the 469th Air BaseGroup Fire Protection Flight, Rhein Main Air Base, Ger-many, and was one of the instructors during this field trainingsession.

Firefighters train on techniques to cut through protruding structural steelmembers.

10

by MSgt Kenneth Fidler16th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs

Four Air Force guys, a room full of power tools, andalmost 1 million square feet of working space. TV�s Tim�The Tool Man� Taylor would be overjoyed.

That�s what confronted four engineers from the 3rdCivil Engineer Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base,AK, when they arrived at Istres Air Base, France, inFebruary for a 90-day deployment.

�We thought we were going to meet up with abigger CE unit,� said MSgt Bill Gann, environmentalengineer and CE team chief. �Turns out, we were theCE team for the whole deployment.�

This little-known mission became a big chore forGann and his three engineers, TSgt Aubrey Goff, anelectrician; SSgt John Douglas, a structural craftsman;and A1C Sean Blanchard, a power production journey-man. The 970,000 square feet of real estate comes withenough clogged pipes, power problems, leaks, andgrounds maintenance (even snaring a snake) to keep anyCE crew busy.

The CE team was among approximately 180-200active duty and Air National Guard personnel deployed toa small U.S. Air Force detachment, the 16th Expedition-ary Operations Group, located at this French air baseapproximately 40 kilometers from Marseilles. About 50-60 of the group are active duty personnel on 90-dayAerospace Expeditionary Force deployment orders.

The Air National Guard runs the flying mission,rotating its 17 tanker units every month, with intra-unitpersonnel rotations every two weeks. Three active dutyaircrews and a handful of maintenance personnel fromMcConnell AFB, KS, join them every two months. Thecrews fly KC-135 Stratotankers that refuel U.S. andNATO aircraft patrolling the skies over the Balkan regionunder NATO�s Operation JOINT FORGE.

The U.S. Air Force has had an expeditionary missionhere since 1994. Prior to 1997, U-2 reconnaissanceplanes flew out of Istres. The U-2s moved to southernItaly, but the refueling tankers stayed on French soil.

The engineers won�t soon forget their tour at Istres.The hangar in which the unit operates measures morethan three football fields in length and about one inwidth. The Air Force leases the hangar from the Frenchaerospace company, Dassault Aviation.

�It�s 900 meters all the way around; I walked it with

Little-known mission a big job for Elmendorf engineersAir Force Engineering Made in France

SSgt John Douglas cuts the frame of a metal cage door as partof a project to expand a storage area for the U.S. Air Forcedetachment at Istres, France. (Photo by MSgt Kenneth Fidler)

11

the measuring wheel because I was going to mark off ajogging path when the weather got better,� Goff said.

They were welcomed on their second day, Feb. 19,with a lightning storm that knocked out the power.Looking for the circuit breakers � some hidden �proved difficult. The hangar has 20 main circuit breakersand hundreds of smaller ones.

The next week, they walked 8,000 feet of taxiway toinstall reflectors every 50 to 200 feet for nighttime flyingoperations. They walked in 60 mph winds called theMistral, which are notorious in this region in springtime,and measured the distance with a measuring wheel.

�I was worried about getting here and havingnothing to do,� said Douglas, recalling his deploymentpreparation. �I brought tons of books, thinking I�d havenothing to do when work was over.� The team workedevery day for the first two months, averaging 10-12 hoursa day, taking one Sunday off. They built walls in offices,patched the hangar floor, fixed weed-eaters and lawnmowers, painted parking ramp lines, unplugged bath-room drains, and added 200 square feet of storage areafor the base exchange.

�You name it, we�ve done it,� he said, includingreplacing more than 100 fluorescent light bulbs andinstalling more than 150 smoke detectors.

One project came with the spread of foot-and-mouthdisease in the United Kingdom and other parts ofEurope. �We treated all the food trash with acid,� Gannsaid. �In the beginning, we had to take it over to theFrench side for disposal because they had very strictprocedures; later, we disposed of it ourselves.�

Blanchard handled hazardous waste disposal, keeping

track of used oil, hydraulic fluid and batteries fromaircraft maintenance.

He did other things he probably wouldn�t do atElmendorf, like training incoming units on how to usethe one U.S. and two French-made fire extinguishersnear the maintenance area. �That�s a firefighter area, butwe didn�t have firefighters. So, every Guard rotation Ishowed them how to use the fire extinguishers at theother end of the hangar.�

Col Bill Smith, who�s been the 16th EOG com-mander since December, said the sheer size of the hangaris probably the biggest challenge for civil engineers.

�The hangar is an immense 80,000 square metersand requires extensive maintenance,� Smith said. �TheFrench stopped using this hangar in the mid-70s, so verylittle was done on the building until the Americans tookover in the mid-90s. The plumbing and electrical andwater systems are outdated and need constant repair.�

Smith added that he was �impressed� with how theCE team managed to keep up with a big workload andfind time to volunteer in charitable ways.

On May 16, the unit played host to children from alocal transition shelter for women who have suffereddomestic abuse. �It was the CE folks who built games forthe kids and stayed around to entertain them throughoutthe afternoon,� Smith said. �Truly a great group ofprofessionals.�

As the group prepared to re-deploy to Elmendorf,Gann looked back on the deployment. �We left this placebetter than we found it,� he said, �and the things-to-dolist is ready for the next crew.�

TSgt Aubrey Goff (left) and MSgt Bill Gann cheer a French youngster�s tennis ball toss during a visit to the U.S. Air Forcedetachment at Istres. The boy, Quentin, is affiliated with a local shelter that provides transition assistance to families who havebeen victims of domestic abuse. The 16th Expeditionary Operations Group played host to the children for a day of fun andgames. The CE team built the wooden game boards for the children. (Photo by MSgt Keith Reed)

12

by TSgt Jeff Hufford100th CES

From keeping power facilities up and running tomaintaining aircraft arresting systems (cables and barri-ers) that save lives and aircraft, Air Force civil engineerelectrical power production personnel, or �power pros,�are a multifaceted career field specialty. As in other civilengineer squadrons, the 100th CES power pro sectioninstalls, operates and overhauls electrical generatingpower production plants and equipment along with thebase�s aircraft arresting systems (AAS). They recentlyaccomplished a 10-year overhaul and change-out of theAAS in April.

Generating WorkThe 100th CES� eight-man power pro shop, seven

military and one civilian, supports the entire Royal AirForce Mildenhall, England, community with emergencybackup power. The base has approximately 30 commer-

cial generators,ranging from 8 to350 kilowatts each.These are used tosupport critical facili-ties such as the wingcommand post, basecommunications, theair control tower andothers.

The generatorsare completely auto-matic in that theysense the presence ofcommercial power.When one phase ofpower senses a dropin voltage or fre-quency, the automatictransfer panel (ATP)will start the genera-

tor and transfer the commercial power to generatorpower. Once power is restored and a preset timer timesout, the ATP will automatically switch back to commer-cial power and shut down the generator.

Power production personnel are required to test thesegenerators once a month under building load to ensure100 percent reliability. Because of their minimal manningand the number of generators they support on base, theyalso train the users on how to operate the generators inthe event of a total power outage.

The team also supports numerous scheduled poweroutages each year, while base electricians perform peri-odic maintenance on electrical distributions andtransformers. To ensure no degradation to the mission,they have approximately 30 mobile generators, rangingfrom 5 to 200kw each, that can be installed for affectedbuildings.

Last year the team supported 20 scheduled poweroutages, including ones in the dining facility, the localarea network system and the commissary, and they expectto support about the same number again this year. Theirmobile generators also supported the United ServiceOrganizations (USO) concert tours hosted by the 100thServices Squadron, such as Tonic and Tops in Blue.

The power pros support numerous unscheduledpower outages as well. Last year, after a cable was acci-dentally cut by a contractor, they installed a generator fora dormitory and the Professional Development Center.This occurred at about 4 p.m. on a Friday and it waspouring rain � not the greatest time to install an electri-cal generator. However, the team knew that to ensurequality of life for dorm residents over the weekend, theyhad to get it done no matter what.

Power pros perform the same job in wartime, sup-porting nearly every major operation. Last year the 100thCES sent personnel to Mozambique in support of theAfrican flood relief effort, as well as to Cameroon, Africa,to support Med Flag, a joint military medical exercise.They also provided prime power for operations in Turkeyduring the Kosovo crisis.

Time for a Change-Out

Power pros don’t just keep the electricity flowing on base, they also operate andmaintain the barrier systems that are on ready status anytime an aircraft is in the air.

(Top) An F-15�s tail hook engages the steel cable of theaircraft arresting system on the runway at RAFMildenhall, England. (Photo by A1C Rasheen Douglas)(Above) A1C Trezith Smart removes the clutch from theold BAK-12. (100th CES photo)

13

CE Magazine Summer 2001

An Engaging JobPower pros also operate and maintain the base�s

AAS. These systems are somewhat like the ones used onNavy aircraft carriers. However, whereas the Navy usesan AAS for every landing on a ship, the Air Force usesthem only for emergencies such as total hydraulic failureor hot brakes. The purpose of an AAS is twofold � tosave the pilot�s life and to save the multimillion-dollaraircraft from skidding off the runway.

The AAS at RAF Mildenhall is comprised of twoBAK-12s. They have two rotary friction energy absorb-ers, also called arresting engines, located on each side ofthe runway. Each absorber has two four-rotor Blissbrakes mounted on a common shaft along with a 1,200-foot, 7-inch-wide nylon tape storage reel. The nylon tapeis directed underground to the edge of the runway andthrough a deck-sheave or fairlead beam used to direct thetape path along the runway edge and avoid conflict withrunway edge lights. The tape is then connected to a 1.25-inch steel cable that is connected to the purchase tape andabsorber on the opposite side of the runway. The cable iselevated 2 inches off the runway surface to accommodateengagement with a fighter plane�s tailhook.

In the event of an in-flight emergency (IFE), thepilot lowers the plane�s tailhook before landing. Thetailhook engages the steel cable, paying out the stored1,200-foot nylon tape. As the absorbers� storage reels onboth sides of the runway begin turning, the common

shaft drives ahydraulic pumpand a gear re-ducer throughchains, develop-ing hydraulicbrake pressurethat is controlledby a gland and aneedle valve. The pressure applied to the brakes createsfriction and, much like the system in your car, the energyof the aircraft�s forward momentum is converted to heat,slowing the aircraft to a smooth, safe stop.

After the aircraft is disengaged by transient alert andfire department personnel, the AAS is rewound by gaso-line engines in approximately three minutes, ready for thenext emergency. Total operation time from aircraft en-gagement to complete rewind is approximately 10-20minutes, depending on the length of aircraft runout. Theoperation is a complete team effort, relying on communi-cation between air control tower, fire department,transient alert and barrier maintenance personnel.

The BAK-12 AASs are capable of arresting tailhook-equipped aircraft at a nominal weight and speed of50,000 pounds at 180 knots. Random cable failures occurat speeds exceeding 180 knots.

The BAK-12 energy absorbers are overhauled every10 years as part of their periodic maintenance. They arerecertified each year by aircraft engagement at approxi-mately 90 knots. The annual certification engagement isaccomplished to ensure the integrity and safe operation ofthe system.

The arresting systems at RAF Mildenhall are main-tained to ensure an alternate divert location for RAFLakenheath�s fighter mission. In the event of an IFE onLakenheath�s runway, Mildenhall�s barrier maintenanceteam is given approximately six minutes to rush fromwherever they are on base to the runway to install thecable in case RAF Lakenheath�s fighters are diverted. Theteam has received many accolades from RAF Lakenheathcommanders as well as RAF Mildenhall�s air controltower and base operations for breaking their ownrecords, activating the AAS within three minutes.

Mission ReadyPower pros are always on call. With responsibility for

the base�s emergency electrical power and aircraft arrest-ing systems, that call can come at all hours of the day andnight. But with that responsibility comes great personalsatisfaction in doing what it takes to support the mission.

TSgt Jeff Hufford is the noncommissioned officer in charge,100th CES Electrical Power Production/Barrier MaintenanceSection.

SSgt Andrew Franks, 100th CES Heavy Repair, uses a crane tohoist the old BAK-12 system out. (Photo by SSgt KarlDanforth)

SSgt Karl Danforth connects a load cable to a MEP 7(mobile electric power) generator. (100th CES photo)

14

by MSgt Ron BrownHQ AFCESA

In this time of high operations tempo, meeting train-ing requirements is a top concern for both civil engineercommanders and troops. Between maintaining bases andmeeting Aerospace Expeditionary Force deploymenttaskings, there�s barely enough time to get our workdone, much less focus on accomplishing skills and contin-gency training.

CE has stepped up to the challenge with the releaseof COVER Train, an integrated training delivery andmanagement system designed to deliver the growingfamily of training materials to CE units in a centralized,simple and accessible format.

COVER Train is an acronym for �Contingency,

Operations, and Vocational Engineer Review Training.�The �engine� of this train metaphor is the software, andthe 13 civil engineer Air Force Specialties (AFSs) are its�cars.� This vehicle provides a quick, flexible and inex-pensive way to deliver training materials (�cargo�) to thefield and track trainees� progress.

From paper to plasticIn recent years, civil engineering has seen the advent

of computer-based training to augment both classroomand on-the-job education. The result has been significantcost avoidance, time redemption, and a high-qualityproduct that is convenient, flexible and effective. Accord-ingly, CE�s vision for training promises a shift away frompaper, to plastic, and eventually into the world of elec-trons.

The Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency(AFCESA) has responded by systematically reducingpaper use � delivering training materials such as CareerField Education and Training Plans (CFETPs), Air ForceQualification Training Packages (QTPs) and softwareupgrades to the Certification and Testing Program viathe web.

Despite successes with web-based delivery, we con-cluded that the main thrust of quality training will bestbe served by starting with stand-alone platforms like CD-ROM and DVD (digital versatile disk). Why? Becausewe must meet seven key criteria to ensure training excel-lence:

• Reliability (available on-demand)• Stability (limited interruption while training)• Simplicity (easy to train and use)• Flexibility (adaptable to Air Force and commer-

cial off-the-shelf systems and software)• Capacity (high volume for video, simulations)• Clarity (legible, audible and ergonomic to users)• Accessibility (attainable from multiple locations)

One-stop shoppingAFCESA began developing COVER Train, which is

currently under review for Air Force-wide application, inresponse to the need to consolidate subject and taskknowledge training tools. Considering civil engineereducation and training�s relatively short shelf life (one tothree years) and �intra-disciplinary diversity,� there was areal need to increase standardization in training andeliminate high printing and distribution costs. The solu-tion was to consolidate all training tools, devices andinstruments into one delivery system for �one-stop shop-ping.�

COVER Train will be used to fulfill all training func-tions except, of course, hands-on training. This includesCFETPs, QTPs and Career Development Courses. It hasbeen designed for use at home, in the field, or on deploy-

All Aboard!COVER Train keeps enlistededucation & training on track

15

CE Magazine Summer 2001

ments, and offers Internet links to quickly and effi-ciently capture the most current publications andupdates.

Keeping training on trackThe COVER Train package includes an E-Tutor,

which will be used by unit education and training man-agers (UETMs) to train their assistants. Trainingsessions will also initially be delivered via satellite broad-casts.

The UETMs will load data for themselves and theirshop supervisors into the program database. COVERTrain disks will then be issued to each shop to be loadedon shop computers. Shop supervisors will load their mas-ter task listing (MTL), trainers and certifiers.

Trainees are then loaded by their trainers and areissued a CD or DVD to accomplish training. Traineerecords can be updated daily in the shop by way of e-mailor a 3.5-inch floppy disk from their home computer.

Most training, i.e., subject and task knowledge, oc-curs away from the work center. Trainees will load theirown student version of COVER Train on their personalcomputers and transmit training progress using e-mailand/or a floppy disk.

When COVER Train�s Certificate of Networthinessrequirements are complete, the unit�s server will facilitatethe flow of data from the UETMs to the shops and thento each individual trainee.

When a trainee PCSs to their next assignment, theirdata is transmitted via e-mail and their individual recordsare backed up on a floppy disk.

Everyone�s onboardCOVER Train is intended to interface and exchange

data with other management systems such as the Auto-mated Civil Engineer System (ACES). We�ve teamed withseveral agencies to ensure COVER Train is �on-track�and in concert with Air Force systems: Air Force Institutefor Advanced Distributed Learning, Air Force PersonnelCenter training officials, Systems Support Group pro-grammers, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations andLogistics Maintenance Directorate�s Maintenance Analy-sis Training Advisory Group, and Air National Guard andAir Force Reserve Command functional training manag-ers. We�ve also partnered with the Deputy Chief of Stafffor Communications and Information Force ManagementDivision�s Force Development Branch to accelerate AirForce Portal delivery. We�ve begun preparatory steps tolink with the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel TrainingDivision�s �Personal Trainer,� and interface with the AirForce�s new personnel data (MilMod) and logistics mod-ule (LOGMOD) systems.

So, where are we now?After 20 months of development and testing, the

COVER Train program is ready to leave the stationbound for civil engineer units. In December 2000, wecompleted beta testing of COVER Train in 29 locations,compiled and prioritized feedback, and produced version1.0. In addition, The Civil Engineer, the Deputy Chief ofStaff for Installations and Logistics, and the major com-mand Civil Engineers have all been briefed on COVERTrain and its applications.

The initial release of COVER Train will be deliveredto CE units in CD-ROM and DVD formats. DVDs willonly be delivered to requesting units who meet predeter-mined criteria (accessibility to recommended systems,etc.). We will eventually migrate program distribution tothe web, as bandwidth increases and we can rely on it asa stable environment.

Only five CE specialties (electrical; structural; heat-ing, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC/R);pavements & equipment; and utilities) will be �boxcars�on the initial release. Version 2.0, due for release inSpring 2002, will pull all 13 AFSs. Subsequent versionswill also be web-enabled to maximize accessibility andease of use.

For more information on COVER Train contact Mr.Ralph Gruber at DSN 523-6181, or e-mail:ralph.gruber@tyndall.af.mil

MSgt Ron Brown is a civil engineer enlisted career field man-ager at HQ AFCESA, Tyndall AFB, Fla.

Unique functions and characteristics ofCOVER Train:! Auto e-mail information transfer! Auto updates for forms, records and documents! Digital video! Personal organization system

�Sergeant Cyber� is a 3-D, computer-animated character featured in the �E-Tutor,�part of the COVER Train package.

16

The CE: What are the advantages to an Air Force officerof attending the Air Force Institute of Technology fortheir graduate education versus a civilian institution?

Col Haritos: The fundamental difference that makesAFIT unique is we have one customer, the U.S. AirForce. An Air Force officer attending a quality civilianuniversity can expect to receive a very good education.However, since the university has no knowledge of whowill hire each graduate, it can only provide Air Forcestudents with broad, �generic� if you will, preparation.That�s where AFIT provides a distinct advantage.

Air Force officers who come to AFIT know whattheir assignments will be upon graduation. That allowsus to customize the education in each major, and manytimes for each student, to prepare them for the needs ofthe Air Force organization where they will be working. Ioften say that although there is no �Air Force� differentialequations, physics or electrical engineering, there are

specific Air Force applications foreach. Our professors bring theseconnections to the classroom � howthey are applied to enhance the AirForce mission.

We also require our master�sstudents to complete a thesis. This isbecoming less prevalent at manycivilian universities. The master�sthesis is important because in mostcases it represents the first opportu-nity for the student to be a producer,rather than a consumer, of informa-tion. Aside from the value of theresearch to the Air Force sponsor,attacking and completing a majorindividual research project providesexcellent experience to our youngpeople and represents a significantfoundation for their development for

leadership positions.Nearly 90 percent of thesis topics at AFIT are spon-

sored by the Air Force or the Department of Defense. Ata civilian university, when a student looks for an advisorto do a thesis, the topic has been predetermined. CaptainSmith cannot say, �I would like to work on facilitiesengineering development, the way we do it in the AirForce.� If the professor has no funding support in that

area, he�s not going to help Captain Smith do that. Someprofessors will pick up an occasional student withoutmoney, but usually graduate students work with profes-sors who have already won research grants and need helpexecuting them.

Another advantage we have over civilian institutionsis that half our faculty members are military officers whostay here an average of only four years. This means wehave a constant influx from the field, bringing the latestissues to the classroom. There is no way our program canbecome stale, because we know exactly what the AirForce needs.

Finally, you don�t operate in isolation in the AirForce. You always work with those who are in careerfields that overlap yours. This is the only place in gradu-ate education where you interface with other Air Forceofficers who are in operations research, informationresources management, electrical engineering, logisticsmanagement, or even meteorology, for instance. All ofthese areas have interplay with civil engineering.

The CE: How is AFIT changing to meet the moderniza-tion challenges of the Air Force mission?

Col Haritos: Let me focus here on the areas of greatestinterest to your readers.

The Air Force�s desire to modernize weapon systemsis forcing civil engineers to examine more efficient waysof maintaining and operating base infrastructure. As wecontract out various functions, it is imperative that youngCE officers understand how to manage projects and pro-grams. Project management is receiving increasedattention at AFIT and is being applied to a wide varietyof topics. We�re also developing a research stream toaddress total ownership costs of base facilities, determin-ing the right amount of infrastructure maintenance andincorporating the plant replacement value concept.

In the environmental arena, AFIT students activelyperform research in innovative environmentalremediation methods to help the Air Force clean up con-taminated sites in a more cost-efficient way. We willeventually reach a point where environmental issues aremore commonly understood and contaminated areascleaned up. At AFIT, we will begin to focus more onissues such as sustainable development (an ecosystemapproach to development), efficient maintenance, and CEcontingency requirements, including new responsibilities,

Opportunity KnocksAFIT�s graduate education program boosts Air Force careersAn interview with Col George K. Haritos, Commandant, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AirForce Base, OH.

Col George K. Haritos

17

CE Magazine Summer 2001

training, equipment and structure.We also have a program on space facilities. It is a

structures option under the astronautics program. Stu-dents receive a degree in astronautical engineering, witha specialization in construction and maintenance of spacefacilities. We have a simulation satellite that our profes-sors and students constructed here. It�s operated tosimulate all degrees of freedom, motion, space, and howyou dampen motion so you don�t overshoot when operat-ing a space structure or satellite and keep it oriented in acertain direction. A follow-on assignment to that programmight be with Air Force Space Command or a joint as-signment.

For many years, the Air Force has been concernedwith life cycle costs of aircraft. How about life cycle costsof facilities? For the last few years we have been address-ing the issue of using environmentally friendly materialsto make composites for aircraft, so that when they areretired we don�t have problems caused by hazardouschemicals present in the manufacturing materials. Howabout eco-friendly building materials and finding ways tohelp manage the development of facilities? Here at AFITwe have electrical engineers, computer software develop-ers, structures engineers, aeronautical engineers, and civilengineers, all working toward improving the ability ofthe Air Force to carry out its mission. There�s a lot ofsynergy.

We have a great relationship with The Air ForceCivil Engineer. I think the civil engineer career field isthe best organized in the Air Force when it comes tomeeting its educational requirements. We are workingvery hard to develop similar relationships with the othercareer fields we serve.

The CE: Tell us about the recent accreditation AFITreceived.

Col Haritos: In October 2000, we were visited by ateam of educators appointed by the Higher LearningCommission of the North Central Association of Collegesand Schools [NCA]. We were first accredited by theNCA in 1961, and have received the maximum possible10-year re-accreditations since then. Accreditation isnecessary for AFIT�s continued ability to confer degrees.

The NCA accreditation process considers all �health�aspects of the Institute: the quality of our academic pro-grams, our faculty�s and staff �s credentials, our admissioncriteria, graduation requirements, our management struc-ture and its effectiveness, facilities, library, institutional(Air Force, in this case) commitment, our planning andresources (including budget execution), morale, studentcritiques, evaluation of our graduates by their supervi-sors, and other like factors.

At the exit briefing, the team stated that they werevery well impressed with all three resident AFIT schools:the Graduate School of Engineering and Management,

the Civil Engineer and Services School, and the School ofSystems and Logistics. They were very complimentary ofthe faculty and staff, the new science and engineeringlaboratories building, and the planned campus expansion.Focusing on the graduate school, they said they wereenvious of AFIT�s excellent students, faculty and staff.They remarked on the graduate school�s focused military-interest programs, saying, �� they are a credit to thenation.� Of course, after these remarks, we were notsurprised to again receive the full 10-year re-accredita-tion.

The CE: What else is new at AFIT that you would likeour readers to know about?

Col Haritos: This January we cut the ribbon on a new$8.2 million laboratory building. It�s about 30,000 squarefeet, including 5,000 square feet of clean rooms for mi-croelectronic mechanical systems and fabrication ofelectronic components, with sophisticated air cleaners,air handlers, filters, etc. It�s an outstanding facility. Iremember when I was teaching here from 1982 to 1985,we had most of our students doing their experiments inthe laboratories in Area B of Wright-Patterson. Nowalmost all our students con-duct their experiments andthesis research in our ownfacilities. One of the suitesis an environmental suitewith the latest environmen-tal facilities for civilengineering students to use.

We have also recently gained approval for a majorcampus upgrade plan. Modernizing the Graduate Schoolof Engineering and Management building is the firstpriority because of its age (early �60s era). The numbertwo priority is an addition to the library. We have a greatlibrary, but need more space because we recently com-bined our library with the Air Force ResearchLaboratory�s technical library, accommodating the com-bined people and holdings in our facility. Third priorityis an activities center, what I call a student union, with agym, student lounge, food court and the like. In the outMILCON years, we have planned for a professionaldevelopment center and a VOQ [visiting officers quar-ters] annex.

AFIT offers great opportunities for our Air Forcecivil engineers, both at the degree-granting, graduateschool level, and in professional continuing education. Ihope your readers will continually check out our offer-ings, both in-residence and through the distance-learningprogram, to see what a difference we can make in theirAir Force careers.

Most people have no idea that AFIT ismore than 80 years old. The first civilengineering classes began in 1948, soAFIT has been providing education to civilengineers for more than 50 years.

18

The CE: For those who may not be familiar with theGraduate Engineering and Environmental Management(GEEM) program, what is its purpose and some of itshistory?

Col Thal: The program�s purpose is quite simple: tohelp young civil engineer officers transition from techni-cal duties to middle and senior management positions.Our engineers are some of the best in the world andpossess great technical skills from their undergraduatedegrees. However, engineering and architectural under-graduate programs typically don�t include any courses onorganizational management skills. This is a weakness wetry to address because our engineers are also Air Forceofficers and we tend to place them in leadership posi-tions very early in their careers. Therefore, the GEEMprogram is designed to help bridge that gap betweentechnical and managerial, and provide students with

skills and knowledge they can usethroughout their careers.

As for the program�s history, itwas initially called Facilities Man-agement and graduated its first classin 1973. It was renamed GraduateEngineering Management (GEM) in1980 for two reasons. First, therewas a change in the curriculum inresponse to the career field. Second,it was recognized that very fewschools around the country offereddegrees in facilities management,while engineering managementprograms were becoming moreprevalent. So, part of the reason forthe name change was to increaseacceptance within the academiccommunity. In 1991, in response tothe career field�s desire to developadditional expertise in environmen-

tal issues, the program was given its current title.Over the past three decades, the program has gradu-

ated 677 students with master of science degrees. Thosestudents have made significant contributions to the ca-reer field, and many have gone on to hold some of themost senior leadership positions in the Air Force civilengineer community.

The CE: What other types of changes has the programundergone during this time?

Col Thal: Two important changes were the length of theprogram and focus of the curriculum. From its inceptionuntil the graduating class of September 1995, the lengthof the program was 15 months. For the class that beganin June 1995, the program was extended to 18 months toprovide more of the courses the career field desired andto provide a more realistic timeframe for students toperform and complete quality research.

During the early 90s, the curriculum became heavilyfocused on environmental issues and every faculty mem-ber had received their doctoral degree in that field. Thiswas appropriate at the time and was in response to thecareer field�s needs. However, those needs changed againin the mid-90s as an increasing amount of environmentalwork was performed by our civilian workforce or con-tracted out. In 1995, Headquarters U.S. Air Force civilengineering leadership decided to more fully includegraduate education in its annual review of education andtraining requirements through the Program ReviewCommittee (PRC). As a result, the Graduate EducationSubcommittee was formed in May 1995, with an initialobjective being to focus the GEEM curriculum to moreclosely match the requirements of the career field. Youcould say that the pendulum has swung back to the cen-ter, and there is now a more balanced curriculum.

The CE: How is the career field involved in these cur-riculum changes?

Col Thal: There are actually two ways � informal andformal. By informal, I�m referring to the networking we,the GEEM faculty, do with the career field. Throughfriendships and discussions with our peers, we are able todetect trends and identify areas in which the career fieldis interested. The more formal way is through the Gradu-ate Education Committee (GEC), which makesrecommendations to the PRC.

The GEC guides the program�s content and emphasisto ensure the curriculum evolves with the changing needsof the career field. The committee, chaired by the DeputyAir Force Civil Engineer and comprised of senior repre-sentatives from each major command and field operatingagency, reports directly to the PRC and usually meets

The GEEM ProgramGraduate Education with an Air Force FocusAn interview with Lt Col Alfred E. Thal, Head, Department of Systems and Engineering Management and AssistantProfessor, Engineering and Environmental Management, Graduate School of Engineering and Management, AirForce Institute of Technology.

Lt Col Alfred E. Thal

19

CE Magazine Summer 2001

annually in March. The PRC, chaired by the Air ForceCivil Engineer and comprised of all major command CivilEngineers and agency commanders, meets annually inJune to review all CE education and training needs.

Regardless of the manner of involvement, formal orinformal, the result may be a change in core courses, anew sequence of courses, development of a new course,or simply incorporating a particular topic in one or moreof our existing courses. The bottom line: the GEEMprogram has always been, and will continue to be, re-sponsive to the career field�s needs. Between the reviewsaccomplished by the GEC and PRC, and internal reviewsby GEEM faculty, the GEEM program is ideally suited toprovide graduate education tailored to the needs of theCE career field.

The CE: How is the current curriculum structured, andwhat options are available to students?

Col Thal: A few years ago, the GEC identified threebroad categories in which it recognized that certain abili-ties and skills desired of CE officers are best achievedthrough graduate education. First, CE officers shouldunderstand the behavior of organizations and be able tohelp lead organizations to strategic objectives. Second,CE officers should be able to apply basic analytical tools,both quantitative and qualitative, to help improve produc-tivity and optimize resources. This includes all forms ofresources � financial, material, information and human.Third, civil engineers should understand and comprehendthe regulatory framework in which we operate.

As the name implies, the GEEM program is a blendbetween engineering management and environmentalmanagement. Engineering management is concernedwith providing a proper balance between science, engi-neering and management to make and implementstrategic and operational decisions in technical settings.Environmental management is concerned with the man-agement of environmental programs and may includeapplied science, regulatory and policy requirements, andmanagement skills. By recognizing that engineeringmanagement and environmental management share manyof the same fundamental principles, the GEEM curricu-lum goes beyond other graduate programsby integrating environmental concerns intotraditional engineering management educa-tion. Although the curriculumwas heavily slanted towardenvironmental issues in theearly 1990s, the program nowstrives for a more balancedapproach.

There is still a perceptionthat we are heavily focused onenvironmental topics. I hopeyour readers will see that this

is simply not the case anymore. In fact, this balance isalso reflected in our faculty. Our three civilian facultymembers offer a tremendous amount of environmentalexpertise to the program and our three military facultymembers bring more of a management focus to the table.This management focus will continue to improve as weask our pipeline faculty to concentrate their doctoralstudies in more traditional engineering managementareas.

Students choosing an engineering management se-quence will have about 20 percent of their program comefrom environmental courses. There are currently twospecialty sequences in engineering management. Thehuman resource management sequence reinforces thestudent�s knowledge of human resources in organizationsand emphasizes the importance of leadership, strategicplanning and policy-making. The quantitative decisionmaking sequence allows the student to more fully exploreand understand decision support aspects of statisticalanalysis.

Students choosing an environmental managementsequence will have about 70 percent of their programcome from environmental courses. There are currentlytwo specialty sequences in environmental management.The applied environmental sciences sequence presents thescience and engineering concepts that govern design oftreatment and remediation processes for surface water,groundwater and soils. The environmental systems analy-

GEEM Program. The core courses represent what one might expect to find in any traditional engineeringmanagement program. Students take all of the core courses and then are free to select a specialty applicationsequence that provides depth of study in a focused area of engineering management or environmental managementand prepares the student for research on a related topic.

20

sis and management sequence focuses on understandingecological systems and how these systems are impactedby human activities.

The CE: Is the GEEM program accredited?

Col Thal: I�m glad you asked that. This is another areawhere there are some misperceptions in the field. Thereare two types of accreditation for engineering programs.We are accredited by the North Central Association ofColleges and Schools, one of six accrediting bodies in theUnited States. Without this accreditation, a degree fromAFIT would be essentially worthless. However, with it,an AFIT degree has exactly the same academic standingas a degree granted by other accredited schools.

Accreditation from the Accreditation Board of Engi-neering and Technology (ABET) is an entirely differentmatter. The purpose of ABET accreditation is to ensurethat a graduate who claims to be an engineer has actuallyreceived education in the concepts accepted in this coun-try as fundamental to the practice of engineering.Therefore, it is absolutely critical that a bachelor of sci-ence (B.S.) degree in an engineering field beABET-accredited. Very few schools seek the ABET ac-creditation at the master�s level and above; it just isn�tcommon practice. We have chosen not to pursue ABETaccreditation for a number of reasons. If we were ABET-accredited, we could only accept students who had anABET-accredited B.S. degree, which would eliminatesome of our CE officers from eligibility. Another reasonis that we don�t want to lose our flexibility and respon-siveness to the career field by subjecting ourselves to therequirements imposed by ABET.

The CE: With what types of research efforts mightGEEM students be involved?

Col Thal: The only limitations to the type of research astudent might pursue are their own interests and theexpertise on the faculty to guide the research effort. Thelist of topics runs the spectrum � we�ve had studentsexplore the Aerospace Expeditionary Force, REDHORSE organization, SABER contracts, contingencytraining, landfill performance, and various types of inno-vative treatment methods for contaminated sites. It�susually about a fifty-fifty split, with half of the class pursu-ing a traditional civil engineering topic and the other halfpursuing an environmental topic.

The CE: How does AFIT�s GEEM program differ fromthose offered at a civilian institution (CI) and why wouldyou recommend AFIT over a CI?

Col Thal: The primary difference, the one I think thecareer field is most interested in hearing about, is the AirForce focus we are able to provide. A typical CI does not

have a specific customer; therefore, the programs theyoffer are usually more generic. The CI programs areusually very solid and some are quite good, but they areunable to give the military perspective from which AirForce officers would benefit the most. Here at AFITthough, we only have one customer, and for the GEEMprogram that customer is the civil engineer career field.Thus, we are able to coordinate with the career fieldthrough the GEC and PRC to provide the specific knowl-edge and tools required to meet the challenges civilengineers face every day on the job.

Another difference is the number of hours the stu-dents take in our program. During the six quarters thatstudents are assigned to the GEEM program, they willtake at least 72 quarter hours � 60 coursework hoursand 12 thesis hours. A student would probably only takeabout 48 quarter hours in a typical CI program over thesame 18-month time span. There are two primary rea-sons for this difference. First, we fully understand thepotential career impact if a student is unable to finishtheir program. Therefore, AFIT�s philosophy is that an18-month program is needed to ensure students have ahigh success rate at being able to complete their researchefforts and graduate. Second, to ensure the Americantaxpayers� money is being well spent, we require studentsto be on full-time status every quarter. Since 12 quarterhours is considered full-time, the total for six quarters is72 quarter hours.

Other than these two primary differences, academiclife at AFIT is essentially the same as at a CI. A studentmay have two classes that meet for one hour each onMondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and two other classesthat meet for 90 minutes each on Tuesdays and Thurs-days. Time not spent in class is spent studying, doinghomework, using the library, writing papers, conductingresearch, etc. The academic life is the same, regardless ofwhether it�s at AFIT or a CI, the only difference is thatstudents wear the uniform daily at AFIT and report to amilitary base for their classes.

Why would I recommend AFIT over a CI? Thebottom-line answer is the program is ideally suited toprovide graduate education tailored to the needs of theCE career field. The breadth of the program providesclasses on topics that meet the career field�s needs, andthe depth of the program allows students to apply theirknowledge to a specific research question. The programis highly interdisciplinary and allows students the oppor-tunity to explore specific aspects of research topics byenlisting support from other departments within AFIT.Also, students have an enormous amount of flexibility inchoosing their application sequences and research areas;they are able to customize the professional managementand technical skills they wish to learn while at AFIT.

The CE: If someone is interested in pursuing the GEEMprogram, what are the eligibility requirements and the

21

CE Magazine Summer 2001

application process?

Col Thal: Our eligibility requirements are fairly straight-forward. Our goal is to have students with a 3.0 GPA[grade point average] in their undergraduate engineeringprogram with a 2.5 math GPA. Additionally, applicantsshould have taken math courses through differential equa-tions and have at least one course in chemistry. We alsorequire qualifying scores on the Graduate Record Examof 500 on the verbal portion and 600 on the quantitativeportion. If an applicant does not meet these criteria, theymay ask for a departmental review of their academicrecords. We recognize that there�s not much a studentcan do to make dramatic improvements in undergraduateGPAs and will take other factors into account to considerthe �whole person� � factors such as subsequent successin graduate-level courses, recognition for academic excel-lence at squadron officers school, etc. However, we arevery strict about students having a course in differentialequations � it�s considered a prerequisite for two of ourcore courses and we don�t want to have a student enterthe program and perform poorly right away. If an appli-cant does have a weak area, we will work with them tosuggest steps to improve their academic record. Thebottom line I�d like for your readers to take away fromthis is: please contact us if you have any questions aboutacademic eligibility.

As for the application process itself, it�s actually atwo-step process. First, an individual submits a formal�Request for Evaluation� to be declared academicallyeligible (the form is available on AFIT�s web site). Thenext step is to notify AFPC [Air Force Personnel Center]of their desire to attend AFIT with AF Form 3849. It�simportant that everyone understand that AFIT determinesacademic eligibility and AFPC makes the final decisionon who is selected to attend. Through the GEC, we arediscussing some possible changes to the way the processcurrently works and will let everyone know how thatturns out in the near future.

The CE: When is the right time for an officer toattend, and is there an active duty servicecommitment associated with the pro-gram?

Col Thal: Ideally, we�d like students tohave two assignments and five to sixyears of active duty service under theirbelts. This allows them to develop a goodunderstanding of the CE business andgives them some experience they candraw from and apply to coursework andresearch. As I said, this is what we wouldideally want. For a variety of reasonsthough, most of our students are in thethree- to four-year group. The key is

whether the timing fits well with an officer�s career devel-opment, and that�s another area where AFPC plays acritical role. As for the active duty service commitment(ADSC), there is a 3-year ADSC that begins uponcompletion of the program and runs concurrently withother service commitments.

The CE: What types of follow-on assignments do stu-dents typically receive after graduating from the program?

Col Thal: Most bases have at least one or two positionscoded for an advanced academic degree (AAD). There-fore, there are no limitations imposed by the fact that astudent has just graduated. As with any assignment, theonly limitation is whether there is an opening at the par-ticular base in which the officer is interested. As a matterof information, we usually have one or two people go to amajor command, two or three to AFCEE [Air ForceCenter for Environmental Excellence], five or six volun-teer for a remote, four or five might go on an overseaslong tour, and the rest go to another stateside assignment.For specifics, I would refer any questions to AFPC.

The CE: If an officer has questions about the program,whom should they contact?

Col Thal: The phone number for the Admissions andRegistrar Directorate (AFIT/RR) is DSN 785-6231.Their e-mail is afit.counselors@afit.edu and their webpage is http://rr.afit.edu. For the GEEM program, ourdepartmental phone number is DSN 785-2998 and myoffice number is DSN 785-3636 x4591. My e-mail ad-dress is Alfred.Thal@afit.edu and our department�s webpage is http://en.afit.edu/env.

Civil Engineer Officer Development. According to Colonel Thal, the career field believes graduateeducation should benefit students for the rest of their careers and not simply their next assignment. Tosupport this broad view, graduate education is considered in concert with both Professional ContinuingEducation and Professional Military Education, with all three areas critical to the career development ofCE officers.

22

Capt Manuel Fernandez came toAFIT from the 4th CES EnvironmentalFlight, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC.

Q. Why did you come to AFIT andhow has it worked out for you?A. I wanted my next assignment to beschool, but I really didn�t know whatto expect of AFIT. My impression of itwas that it wasn�t really a well-knownor respected program, until I startedlooking into it more. I�m pretty happywith having come here. I think it�s agreat decision, and the best part of it isnow I know 25 other people in CEwho I�ll run into again and again.

Q. What would you say to others whoare considering AFIT for theirgraduate education?A. If they want to get a quality master�sdegree, I think this is a good programto do it in. A lot of things we do inclass pertain to the civil engineercareer field, and your only job here isto be a student.

Q. Any other advice you�d give topotential students?A. One misconception I had when Icame here was that if I did theenvironmental track that meant I wasgoing to an environmental job when Ileft. That�s not always the case. Lastyear we had people in the managementtrack who went to environmental jobs,while people in the environmentaltrack went to other types ofengineering jobs. So, it doesn�tnecessarily matter what you do here interms of the job you get afterward.

Capt Bill Kale came to AFIT fromLajes Field, Azores, where he wasthe base architect with the 65th CES.

Q. Why did you enroll in AFIT�sGEEM program?A. I wanted a degree in engineeringmanagement. It didn�t really matterfrom where. In hindsight, I�m glad Icame here because you don�t have to

worry about finding your way on your own as in acivilian institution. Here, they grab hold of you, put youthrough a refresher course, and you have automaticfriends because everyone�s in the military. Theyunderstand your circumstances and are willing to workwith you.

Q. Is there anything else you�d like readers to know aboutAFIT?A. It gives you a chance to learn more about the AirForce. If you want to do a thesis on an acquisition topic,an environmental issue, or RED HORSE, you can.Another good thing is three of us were able to take ourPE [professional engineer] exam while we were here.Being here gives you the chance to do things like thatwhile you�re in study mode.

I think you get out what you put into it. If you comewith a lousy attitude and don�t put any effort into it,you�re not going to get anything out of it. If you put inthe effort, you can learn a lot and it should help you reachyour goals.

Capt Laurie Richter is a Civil Engineer and ServicesSchool instructor and recent GEEM program graduate.Prior to attending AFIT, she was the EOD Flight Chief,377th CES, Kirtland AFB, NM.

Q. What advice do you have for those considering theGEEM program? Would you recommend it to others?A. Yes, I would recommend the program to others. Iwould encourage them to talk to students who arecurrently going through the program to get an idea of thetime constraints and academic load. There is free time todo extracurricular things. At the same time, the studiesare hard. The first couple of quarters are the toughesttime-wise, because you have a full load. Then, as you gothrough the program it eases up a little, because you startdoing your thesis work and you have fewer courses.

The quarter system is nice because there are built-inbreaks for you � one to three weeks during certain partsof the class � so you�re able to plan vacations and timewith family.

Q. What should they do to prepare?A. The biggest thing is to talk with students who aregoing through it to get a feel for the types of subjectswe�re teaching now, because it may be different fromwhen some of their commanders went through, even acouple years ago. The program is constantly restructuredand tailored to meet Air Force civil engineer needs.

Speaking of AFIT �

Capt Manuel Fernandez

Capt Bill Kale

Capt Laurie Richter

Interviews with current and former GEEM students

23

CE Magazine Summer 2001

by Col George J. Nixon36th Support Group Commander

The fifth day of October in the year 2000 will forevermark a personal milestone. It was the day of my firstduties as a bona fide on-scene commander.

On-scene commanders respond to incidents wherehazardous conditions exist. They are usually not the firston scene. The first responders are usually fire, police ormedical personnel, and among them is the incident com-mander. In the majority of the cases, the incidentcommander remediates the problem before a more senioron-scene commander is called or even needed.

On this day, the Andersen Air Force Base commandpost received a request from the Guam Police Depart-ment for an explosive ordnance disposal team to disposeof a bomb found at a remote site off base. Permission wasgranted and a two-man EOD team was dispatched: MSgtLarry Senst and SSgt Jack Burleigh of the 36th CivilEngineer Squadron.

Sergeant Senst, the incident commander, located thebomb in dense jungle about five miles outside Andersen�sback gate. He reported to the command post that it wasindeed a live bomb, probably from World War II, withfuse intact.

Since remediation required liaison between the land-owner, the police department and the local mayor, I wascalled to be the on-scene commander. I brought with meCapt Aaron Altwies, 36th CES, Capt Brian Thompson,from the 36th Air Base Wing judge advocate office, andSSgt Robert Pullen, from 36th ABW public affairs.Within minutes we were there, meeting the �heroes ofdefusion,� Sergeants Senst and Burleigh.

Was I impressed! Calm, cool and collected, theyguided me through dense jungle to the bomb site. Fear-lessly, they strolled to within inches of a horrific ordnance

that could explode at any moment at the slightest provo-cation. Sergeant Senst quickly explained the type ofbomb, the potential fuses used, and a strategy to defusethe bomb. All he would need were some C4 explosivesand blasting caps, which I knew nothing about. Havingpreviously reviewed Senst�s personnel folder, I knew hewas qualified to diagnose and remediate the problem.�Approved,� I said.

It was hot, humid, rainy, muddy and a thousandother adjectives for uncomfortable. But the heroes ofdefusion were not even breaking a sweat. They trainedfor this. They lived for this. There was no fear in them,only duty.

I radioed back to Andersen for the needed equipmentand within a short time it was brought to the scene bytwo more EOD professionals, SSgts David Toombs andYsidro Gonzalez. These men gave me a quick tutorial onC4 and explained the specific objectives of the defusingoperation. Together with Senst and Burleigh, theyscouted the site and laid preparatory equipment in place.

Soon it was time for all but Senst and Burleigh toback out to the periphery of the EOD cordon, about one-half mile away. We did. At the outer control point I metwith the mayor of Yigo, Robert Sanchez Lizama. To-gether we marveled at the professionalism and bravery ofthe EOD team. More than 50 times a year they gladlyperform life-saving duties from which others recoil.

Soon we heard a small blast. A small blast is the signof success � bomb defused without bomb explosion.

�It was a successful operation,� came the report.Soon we headed back to base, I savoring my first on-

scene commander experience. In years to come I�llexaggerate and tell of my dangerous trek through thejungle, coming face to face with a dreaded bomb fromthe gravest war of the 20th century. But when I remem-ber October 5, 2000, it�ll really be the heroes of defusionwho leap first to mind.

�Her�Her�Her�Her�Heroes of Defusionoes of Defusionoes of Defusionoes of Defusionoes of Defusion�����

Commentary on Issues Affecting Air Force Civil Engineering

Viewsfrom theField

24

CE Education & Training

Course No. Title Off Start Date Grad DateMGT 101 Intro. to Base Civil Engineer Org. 02A 15-Oct-01 08-Dec-01ENV 418 Environmental Contracting 02A 22-Oct-01 02-Nov-01MGT 423 (S) Project Programming 02A 22-Oct-01 02-Nov-01SVS 101 Services Initial Skills 02A 24-Oct-01 08-Dec-01MGT 412 Financial Management 02A 29-Oct-01 09-Nov-01ENV 020 (S) Env. Comp. Assessment Prog. 02A 05-Nov-01 08-Nov-01ENV 531 Air Quality Management 02A 05-Nov-01 09-Nov-01ENV 419 Env. Planning, Prog. & Budgeting 02A 06-Nov-01 08-Nov-01Sat Seminar HAZWASTE 02A 15-Nov-01 15-Nov-01Sat Seminar HAZWOPER 02A 27-Nov-01 27-Nov-01Sat Seminar HAZWOPER 02B 28-Nov-01 28-Nov-01ENV 022 (S) Pollution Prevention Program 02A 03-Dec-01 07-Dec-01ENG 464 Energy Management Tech. 02A 10-Dec-01 14-Dec-01ENV 222 (S) Hazardous Material Mgmt Prog. 02A 12-Dec-01 14-Dec-01ENG 466 Energy Management Policy 02A 17-Dec-01 21-Dec-01

Course No./Title Start Dates Grad DatesJ3AZR3E051-013/Intrusion Detection Alarm Sys. 03-Oct/25-Oct-01 24-Oct/15-Nov-01J3AZR3E051-012/Fire Alarm Systems 02-Oct/29-Oct/26-Nov-01 26-Oct/23-Nov/19-Dec-01J3AZR3E071-001/CE Adv. Elec. Troubleshooting 23-Oct-01 20-Nov-01J3AZR3E051-008/Electrical Distribution Sys. Maint. 10-Oct-01 06-Nov-01J3AZR3E051-003/Cathodic Protection 15-Oct/31-Oct/28-Nov-01 26-Oct/14-Nov/11-Dec-01J3AZR3E051-016/High Volt. Cable Test. & Splicing 04-Dec-01 13-Dec-01 (tentative)J3AZR3E051-007/Airfield Lighting 02-Oct/23-Oct/05-Nov-01 12-Oct/01-Nov/15-Nov-01J3AZR3E472-000/Liq. Fuels Stor. Tank Entry Spvsr. 29-Oct-01 08-Nov-01J3AZR3E472-001/Liq. Fuel Sys. Maintenance Tech. 30-Oct-01 13-Nov-01J3AZR3E453-003/Pest Management Certification 03-Oct-01 31-Oct-01J3ARR3E453-002/Pest Mgmt. Re-Certification 15-Oct/10-Dec-01 19-Oct/14-Dec-01J3AZR3E052-013/CE Adv. Electronics 15-Oct/26-Nov-01 09-Nov/21-Dec-01J3AZR3E072-002/Troubleshooting Elec. Pwr. Gen. Eq. 15-Oct/28-Nov-01 05-Nov/19-Dec-01J3AZR3E072-113/Bare Base Power Generation 15-Oct-01 08-Nov-01J3AZR2F051-001/Fuels Quality Control 18-Oct/08-Nov/03-Dec-01 07-Nov/30-Nov/21-Dec-01J3AZR2F051-005/Cryotainer Maint. & Support Eq. 01-Oct/22-Oct/26-Nov-01 15-Oct/02-Nov/07-Dec-01J3AZR2F051-006-8/Cryogenics Production 16-Oct-01 17-Dec-01

J3AZP3E571-001/Construction Materials Testing 01-Oct-01 12-Oct-01J3AZP3E571-003/Engineering Design 15-Oct-01 26-Oct-01J3AZP3E971-003/Advanced Readiness 03-Dec-01 07-Dec-01J3OZP32E1D-009/Readiness Flight Officer 22-Oct-01 02-Nov-01

J5AZN3E871-001/Adv. Access and Disablement 15-Oct/05-Nov/03-Dec-01 26-Oct/19-Nov/14-Dec-01J5AZN3E871-002/Advanced EOD Course 15-Oct/03-Dec-01 26-Oct/14-Dec-01

J3AZP3E351-001/Low Slope Maint & Repair 15-Oct/26-Nov-01 25-Oct/06-Dec-01J3AZP3E351-002/Fabrication of Welded Pipe Joints 22-Oct-01 02-Nov-01J3AZP3E351-003/Metals Layout Fab & Welding 01-Oct/29-Oct/26-Nov-01 19-Oct/16-Nov/13-Dec-01

Continuing Education

36

6 T

rain

ing

Sq

uad

ron

Shep

par

d A

FB

Eg

linA

FB

Ft Le

onar

d W

ood

Gul

fpor

t,M

S

AFI

TC

ivil

En

gin

eer

and

Serv

ices

Sch

oo

l

Registration for residentcourses, which are offeredat Wright-Patterson AFB,OH, begins approximately90 days in advance. Applica-tions must go through thestudent�s MAJCOM Train-ing Manager. Registrationfor the satellite offerings,marked with an (S), closes40 days before broadcast.For satellite registration,course information, or acurrent list of class dates,visit the CESS website at:http://cess.afit.edu.

For those not already scheduled to attend the above 366th TRS courses, students can enroll on a space-availablebasis up until the class� start date. Visit the 366th TRS web site at https://webi.sheppard.af.mil/366trs/default.htm orcall DSN 736-5801 for more information.

25

CE Magazine Summer 2001

Technology

by Capt Denise N. ShorbAFSOC Public Affairs

Special operators can now quickly assess the impactof environmental and cultural conditions at deployedlocations in just 30 minutes thanks to a new computerprogram developed by the Air Force Special OperationsCommand Environmental Division at Hurlburt Field, FL.The Global Operational Environmental Review (GOER)computer program streamlines the environmental impact

review process, which can currently take up to threemonths to prepare.

�The Department of Defense is limited in its abilityto quickly analyze and review potential environmental andlegal impacts of a deployment or mission,� said MikeApplegate, AFSOC Environmental Division chief. �Con-sequently, deployments or missions that require shortnotice to plan and execute aren�t getting properly evalu-ated prior to execution for potential environmentalimpacts.�

Developed to provide a required environmen-tal review capability on short notice in a secure ordeployed location, the GOER program can also beexpanded to meet all routine mission and exerciseplanning.

�The program is designed to allow the user toinput information such as base camp location,airframes to be used, activities to be conducted,and duration of these activities; it will then gener-ate an environmental impact statement based onthe provided information,� said Anita Allen, abiologist with CH2M Hill, the primary develop-ment contractor.

According to Mr. Applegate, the program alsoidentifies cultural concerns for the impacted area.�The program takes into account not only environ-mental concerns such as type of soil, endangeredanimals, and climate, but makes cultural consider-ations as well. Once the information is entered intothe program, it will highlight cultural landmarks,no fly zones, and religious holidays that need to be

Going Global with GOER

The U.S. Air Force has launched several new initiatives to provide warfighters with unprecedented awareness of the missionsituation. The Headquarters Air Force Geo Integration Office (HAF GIO) was recently established within the Readiness andInstallation Support Division of the Office of The Civil Engineer to ensure innovative mapping architectures from various combatsupport sectors are integrated to maximize mission effectiveness at minimum cost. GOER can be a vital environmental comple-ment to the GeoBase operational framework that is being assembled by the new HAF GIO to support Air Force basing supportrequirements. The GOER architecture was designed according to DoD guidelines to ensure interoperability with both Air Force andjoint information solutions such as the Global Combat Support System. By tailoring their Unit Type Codes/Equipment and MissionProfile databases, the flexible GOER architecture will deliver situational insights to other Air Force operational elements and deliverthe right information at the right time in the right format to help warfighters make the right decision.

New computer program shortens operational environmentalplanning process from months to minutes

The GOER program can be used during the operational planningphase to quickly and easily review the potential environmental andlegal impacts of Defense Department missions and deployments. Theabove screenshot shows sample inputs. (Courtesy HQ AFSOC/CEV)

26

considered when planning an operation in any area.��We�re trying to operationalize the environmental

process,� said Col Michael Hrapla, The Civil Engineer,AFSOC. �We�re doing this by developing a tool thatautomates a significant portion of the environmentalreview process, streamlines and prioritizes critical infor-mation needed by mission commanders and planners,and provides this information in a seamless, transparentmanner to reduce any additional workload.

�Forces today are required to accomplish their mis-sion in an environmentally sensitive way in operationsworldwide � this tool will provide that capabilityquickly, accurately and efficiently for our special opera-tions commanders.�

Currently, the GOER program has been developedfor the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility(AOR). Applegate hopes to have a fully operationallycapable global GOER program developed by 2003, cov-ering all five AORs.

Why Go with GOER?One benefit of the program is that anyone can use it

because there are only four requirements for input: loca-tion, including latitude and longitude; mission duration;equipment to be used; and the planned activity. After thisinformation is loaded into the computer, the programproduces three separate reports � a commander�s sum-mary, an environmental review report and a synopsis ofapplicable regulations.

The commander�s summary is a color-coded, quick-look report summary that reflects three degrees ofprobable impact significance. Green indicates no signifi-cant environmental issues, yellow represents somesignificant but easily correctable environmental impacts,and red indicates potentially complex environmental or

Several partners and contractors are assisting AFSOC withdevelopment of GOER. Each has a unique role to play. As the propo-nent, AFSOC created the concept and is providing developmentleadership to contractors. AFSOC created and provided the softwarelogic, legal hierarchy and legal analysis to contractors to use inbuilding GOER. Further, AFSOC will test system protocol and con-duct field tests.

The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence is providingpersonnel for direct program management and development supportincluding development planning, troubleshooting, budget estimatingand tracking, and assisting in technical reporting. Air Staff has pro-vided project development and management support money. The ArmyCorps of Engineers is providing GOER contract management overCH2M Hill, the primary development contractor and system integrator.Universe Technologies, Inc, and ANSER Corp. are providing AFSOCwith in-house technical project management and personnel support.Earth Tech Inc. is conducting research on and creating a database ofthe Alpine Biome.

legal issues that would normally require input from anenvironmental professional.

The second report, the environmental review, isproduced in the Air Force Environmental Impact Analysisformat. This report documents the pre-deployment envi-ronmental review required by various DoD and Air ForceInstructions. It provides users with details of the informa-tion provided in the commander�s summary report.

The third report provides any applicable regulationsspecific to the country or AOR in which the operationmay occur.

According to retired Col Jerry Cruit (Anser Inc.), aformer MH-60 pilot who is currently a contractor withAFSOC, the program spans the dividing lines betweenoperational planning and environmental assessments.

�For any given deployment, it provides the opera-tional planners and leadership with solid insight of whatthe environment can potentially do to both their peopleand their equipment. In addition, GOER points outpotential legal and cultural pitfalls that planners and lead-ership need to be aware of,� he said.

�Without timely, accurate and correctly analyzedenvironmental and cultural impact data, AFSOC person-nel and equipment are unnecessarily placed in harm�s wayor potentially left to unintentionally commit internationalincidents.�

Colonel Hrapla believes the computer program andthe data it provides will be useful to other DoD organiza-tions outside the Air Force, serving as a backbone forenvironmental reviews in the planning stages of a deploy-ment. Once completed, it could revolutionize the processfor required stateside National Environmental Policy Actdocumentation by reducing the time required for dataacquisition from months to minutes.

Editor’s Note: Colonel Michael Hrapla retired from the AirForce in June.

A sample of the reports generated by GOER � a combinedissues map.

27

CE Magazine Summer 2001

Although the Cold War is over,its legacy lives on in western SouthDakota. To honor those who heldPresident John F. Kennedy�s �ace inthe hole,� people from Ellsworth AirForce Base, SD, and the 90th MissileWing at F.E. Warren AFB, WY, arepreparing to transfer two decommis-sioned Minuteman II missile sites tothe National Park Service.

About 25 people from F.E.Warren, many of whom served withthe 44th Missile Wing there before itwas inactivated in 1994, placed aMinuteman II in a silo at one of thesites in June as a tribute to the menand women who fought the Cold Warfrom deep within the Great Plains.The missile had been stored at adepot at Hill AFB, UT.

The Strategic Arms ReductionTreaty calls for all missile silos inSouth Dakota to be destroyed orturned into static displays by Decem-

ber. So far, more than 400 sitesacross the Great Plains have beendemolished, with only a few remain-ing.

The two sites near Ellsworthwere selected for the display forseveral reasons. �Over the years, asthe Minuteman II and III weredeveloped and deployed, our sitesremained the least upgraded in theMinuteman system,� said Tim Pavek,manager of the Minuteman IIDeactivation Program and a memberof the 28th Civil Engineer Squadronthere. �Now they are the mostrepresentative of the original Minute-man installations. The two sites arereally the only originally configuredMinuteman II sites remaining.�

National Park officials alsodetermined that the location of thetwo missile sites near MountRushmore and Badlands NationalPark made them excellent candidates

to join the National Park system. Asa result, Congress established theMinuteman Missile National HistoricSite in 1999. It includes the two sitesand a future visitor center.

�The people of Ellsworth,western South Dakota, and Americashould be proud and grateful of therole our intercontinental ballisticmissiles played during the Cold War,�Pavek said. �These two missile sites,representing hundreds of missile sitesdispersed across the rural heartlandof America, will be preserved for allas a reminder of this significantperiod in our history.�

Now that the missile is in place,a viewing enclosure will be con-structed over the partially openmissile silo. The Air Force will turnthe sites over to the National ParkService during an official ceremonythis fall. (TSgt D.E. Manuszewski Jr.,28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs)

Minuteman II Missile Returns to South Dakota

Members of the U.S. Air Force,the Italian Air Force and Army, andthe base Carabinieri teamed up in acooperative effort to remove a WorldWar II bomb found near the baseexchange and commissary at AvianoAir Base, Italy, in April.

The unexploded AM-30 100-pound, general-purpose bomb wasunearthed by members of the 31stCivil Engineer Squadron from abouta 6-foot depth while tracing aleaking water line behind the baseexchange/commissary complex. Baseofficials immediately issued anevacuation order for the entirepotential blast area � includingoutdoor recreation, the veterinaryclinic, and the base exchange andcommissary. Traffic patterns werealso rerouted as a safety precaution.

Representatives from the 31stCES Explosive Ordnance DisposalFlight, 31st Medical Group, wingsafety, and 31st Security ForcesSquadron accompanied the Italian

Army explosive ordnance experts andthe Carabinieri as they moved thebomb from the base to the DandaloRange near Maniago, where it wassafely detonated.

In an effort to ensure no furtherunexploded munitions exist nearHangars 4 and 6, theNavy Regional OfficeIn Charge of Construc-tion is now surveyingthe area.

�The cooperationof the Italian andAmerican militariesensured this potentiallydangerous situation washandled smoothly andprofessionally,� said LtCol Ann Borgmann,31st Support Groupdeputy commander.�The strong dailyworking relationshipwe have with Colonel(Alessandro) Tudini and

Aviano, Italian Militaries Team Up To Remove WWII Bombthe Italian military team was evidentas we successfully solved a problemimpacting the entire Aviano commu-nity. Without a doubt, the way thisdevice was handled was a resoundingsuccess.� (SSgt Dawn Harris, 31stFighter Wing Public Affairs)

An unexploded AM-30 100-pound, general-purpose bomb dating fromWorld War II rests in the spot that 31st CES members discovered it inApril during Aviano 2000 construction. 31st CES explosive ordnancedisposal personnel worked with Italian Army explosive ordnance expertsto dispose of the bomb. (Photo by SSgt Mitch Fuqua)

28

New Horizons 2001 broughtU.S. military teams to Guatemala,Honduras, Paraguay, Saint Lucia andSaint Vincent recently for trainingexercises that focused on engineeringand medical projects. Active duty,Reserve and Guard members repre-senting all the services built schoolsand medical clinics, drilled waterwells, and provided medical anddental care on clinic visits from Janu-ary through June. Several Air ForceRED HORSE and Prime BEEFteams participated in these U.S.Southern Command-sponsored hu-manitarian and civic assistanceexercises, improving readiness whileenhancing the quality of life forpeople there.

Members of the 820th REDHORSE Squadron from Nellis AFB,NV, deployed to Saint Lucia in Janu-ary along with U.S. Army andMarine personnel as the lead unit forJoint Task Force Piton. The taskforce of about 100 personnel con-structed a two-story barracks for theSt. Lucian Coast Guard and refur-bished a community center on the

Caribbean island.The 820th RHS deployed to

Guatemala as well, producing all theconcrete and building the founda-tions for the five schools that werebuilt by follow-on Reserve and Na-tional Guard teams. The 820th RHSalso drilled wells at three locationsthere.

The 917th Civil Engineer Squad-ron, Barksdale AFB, LA, was one ofthe Reserve units deploying to Guate-mala, working on the school at ElPorvenir. According to Col DavidHaulman, 917th CES commanderduring the deployment, the originalschool at El Porvenir was deteriorat-ing. It was held together with wide,rotting planks and had an outhousefor a restroom. The AFRC civil engi-neers replaced it with a three-roombuilding withkitchen andrestroom facilities.Detachment 1,307th RHS, alsofrom Barksdale,built the basecamp for the

New Horizons 2001: Readiness training and humanitarianassistance

Prime BEEF teams.An 823rd RHS team from

Hurlburt Field, FL, deployed toParaguay in March to work withU.S. Army and Marine engineers andArgentine and Paraguayan militarymembers at three construction sitesnear Concepción. A task force of 300engineer, medical and support per-sonnel were there for approximately100 days to hone their engineeringand support skills, building twomedical clinics and four schools anddrilling four wells.

USSOUTHCOM has conductedfive of the six planned New Horizonsexercises this year, with Navy andMarine engineers due to deploy tothe Bahamas later this summer.(Compiled from 917th Wing andUSSOUTHCOM reports.)

TSgt Peggy Abbott, 908th CES, Maxwell AFB, AL, carriescinder blocks to build restroom facilities for the new schoolconstructed in El Porvenir, Guatemala. (Photo by SrAShannon Collins)

(Right) Amn Nathan Geldner and A1C Erik Field, 820th RHS,build stairs for the second story of the St. Lucia Marine Policebarracks. (Photo by SrA Jeanette Copeland)(Far right) TSgt Tim �Doc� Brush (left), 823rd RHS, and LanceMichael Tailer (right), Marine Wing Support Squadron 271,Cherry Point, NC, support a roofing truss while it is nailedinto place during construction of a medical clinic at Tadeo,Paraguay. (30th Communications Squadron photo)

SSgt Daniel Wolfrum, 820th RHS, adjusts the floor plan during construction ofthe St. Lucia Marine Police barracks. (Photo by SrA Jeanette Copeland)

29

Air Force reservists and Guatemalans work side-by-side on a new three-room school in El Porvenir, Guatemala. (Photo by SrA Shannon Collins)

A1C Romeo Peart, 823rd RHS, pulls the drilling steelfrom the water well drilling machine at Estigarribia,Paraguay. (Photo by SSgt Richard Freeland)

SSgt Bryan Manchester, 823rd RHS, uses a bobcat with excavator to fill the well tower basewith dirt after securing it with cement during construction of a well at Las Palmas,Paraguay, in May. (Photo by SSgt Maritza Fernandez)

30

Several members of the 202ndRED HORSE Squadron, CampBlanding, FL, gained valuable on-the-job experience during a pavingproject at Cannon Air Force Base,NM, in May.

27th Civil Engineer Squadronand 202nd RHS members met inJanuary to review the planned pavingprojects, which would require about3,000 square yards of asphalt pave-ment removal and replacement inparking lots, and 2,400 square yardsof asphalt overlay of an existing road.The deployment plan was set inmotion, with the priority focus nowon transportation for the group.

When the two-man advance teamfrom the 202ndRHS arrived atCannon May 14,they were in-formed of apriority change.Due to an ex-tremely roughwinter, a numberof primary roadshad experiencedaccelerateddeterioration. The27th CES hadresponded with acomprehensive,base-wide pave-ment maintenanceplan that includedcomplete removaland replacement

of asphalt on two primary roads. Forthe 202nd RHS, the initial scope ofwork had just quadrupled � and the15-man team was due to arrive inthree days, for a two-week period.

Then, complicating mattersfurther, the C-130 aircraft transport-ing the team had to turn back due toan engine problem. The group endedup at a motel in Jacksonville, FL,awaiting transportation.

This logistical problem waspromptly resolved when the 27thCES provided a fund site for com-mercial airfare. On short notice, theScheduled Airline Ticket Office(SATO) found 15 seats on threedifferent airlines arriving in Lub-bock, TX, within a two-hour period.Now, with a day lost, the team wouldhave to work even harder to accom-plish its mission.

The advance party made arrange-ments with a local contractor toprovide a milling machine and haulasphalt. This allowed the group tosplit up, with one crew hauling offthe asphalt millings, another prepar-ing the surface for paving and the lastcrew placing asphalt.

During the remaining four daysof the first week, the team removedmore than 7,000 square yards ofpavement and placed more than 800tons of new asphalt. The workdaystarted before 7 a.m. and usuallyfinished after 5 p.m., with daytimetemperatures reaching the 90s.

The milling operation far

surpassed the speed of conventionalasphalt removal, leaving a planedsurface requiring only minor cleanupand sweeping before placing the newasphalt. Milling also maximized truckuse, eliminating voids inherent toconventional removal and providing aproduct that could be used later asstabilization.

The second week began, again,with airlift problems. Unsure of thedate or mode of travel for return onMemorial Day weekend, the teamdecided to reduce the scope of workrather than chance not completing aprimary road. Another 2,700 squarefeet of pavement was removed and300 tons of asphalt placed.

In all, considering costs ofcommercial airfare and rentalequipment, the 202nd RHS savedCannon AFB more than $60,000compared to SABER (SimplifiedAcquisition of Base EngineerRequirements) contract unit prices.As a bonus for the 27th CES, themillings were used to stabilize anunimproved section of perimeterroad that becomes impassable duringinclement weather.

In return, 202nd RHS personnelgained valuable experience, not onlyin specialty training, but in respond-ing to unforeseen conditions andmanaging assets to maximizeperformance and minimize costs.(SMSgt Fred Spielmann, 202nd RHS)

Paving Project Provides Training, Saves Money

Readiness Challenge VIII, thebiennial Air Force worldwide contin-gency war skills competition, isscheduled for April 18-27, 2002, andwill be held at the Silver Flag Exer-cise Site, Tyndall Air Force Base, FL.

Civil Engineer and Services maybe welcoming a new functional to thenext competition � Personnel hasexpressed an interest in having itsPersonnel Supporting Contingency

Operations (PERSCO) teams partici-pate in this premier internationalevent, which will showcase Air Force�Expeditionary Excellence� � thetheme for the next competition.

An expanded internationalpresence is expected, with a potentialteam from Germany joining teamsfrom Canada, Japan, Norway, andthe United Kingdom on the list ofinvitees. Senior Air Force civil

engineer officers from Australia,France, Greece, Israel, Italy, theRepublic of Korea, the Republic ofSingapore and Turkey have beeninvited to attend and observe thecompetition. U.S. Air Force AirNational Guard and Reserve teamswill be selected in November 2001,and active duty major commandteams in February 2002. (Maj SeanLewis, CF, HQ AFCESA)

Readiness Challenge VIII Planning Underway

SSgt William Brown, 202nd RHS,clears gutters of excess asphaltduring a paving job at CannonAFB, NM. (Photo by SSgt Paul Cox)

31

CE Magazine Summer 2001

MSgt Christine Clay from the159th Civil Engineer Squadron, NewOrleans, LA, is among the Air Na-tional Guard�s top four enlistedpeople for 2001. Sergeant Clay wasselected as Senior NoncommissionedOfficer of the Year.

Sergeant Clay, who is originallyfrom Sioux City, IA, is the full-timefacility manager and, militarily, theengineering superintendent for the159th CES at the Joint Reserve Baseon the Naval Air Station in NewOrleans. Helping to create thingsfrom the ground up is what inspiresthis member of the Air Guard�s civilengineering team. �I like to managebuildings� explained Clay who joinedthe Air Guard in 1988 and nowsupervises 15 people and manages 67buildings in five locations. �I enjoyprogressing from concept to con-struction to having people actuallyliving and working in a building.�

The other three OutstandingANG Airmen are: SSgt BrandonPearce, Airman of the Year; SSgtPeter Bowden, Noncommissioned

CE Among Air National Guard�s Top EnlistedOfficer of the Year; and MSgt KatieHines, first sergeant of the year.

Maj Gen Paul Weaver Jr., AirNational Guard director, said thefour outstanding airmen �exemplifythe talent, positive leadership anddedication� ofthe U.S. mili-tary and theNationalGuard. �We arefortunate tohave a systemthat allows usto recognizethose who goabove andbeyond in theircareers andpersonal lives,�Weaver said.

The fourwere honoredduring a cer-emony atAndrews AFB,MD, June 12.They also spent

What started as a normal AirNational Guard annual trainingdeployment � two weeks of mean-ingful work and then home to families� ended in tragedy for the 203rdRED HORSE Flight of VirginiaBeach, VA.

Eighteen of its members had justcompleted two weeks of training atHurlburt Field, FL, where they hadutilized their structural, electrical andutility skills on a site preparationproject. They were on their way home

March 3 when their plane, an ArmyC-23 Sherpa, crashed killing all onboard � the 18 RED HORSEengineers and three Florida ArmyNational Guard aircrew members.

Our engineering community hasnot experienced a loss of this magni-tude except during times of war. Wejoin our brethren in their sorrow overthis tragic loss, and in rememberingthose who gave all. May their sacrificeserve to remind us of the high costswe endure in exchange for freedom.

Memorial to Honor Fallen HorsemenThe 203rd RHF has set up a

fund for anyone wishing to donatetoward construction of a memorial atCamp Pendleton, VA. All funds will beused for the memorial, with anyexcess going to the families of thevictims. Donations may be sent to:203rd RED HORSE MemorialFund, c/o Maj Pete Garner, P.O. Box180, Virginia Beach, VA 23458. (ColRaymond H. Willcocks, HQ ANG)

Col Richard P. Parker, formerlythe Deputy Civil Engineer, Head-quarters Air Force Space Command,Peterson Air Force Base, CO, hassucceeded Col Michael F. Hrapla asThe Civil Engineer, Air Force Special

Operations Command, HurlburtField, FL. Colonel Hrapla retired inJune.

Colonel Parker has held variouspositions at base, major commandand Air Staff levels, including chief,

New AFSOC Civil EngineerProgram Development Branch,Engineering Division, Office of TheCivil Engineer, Headquarters U.S.Air Force, Pentagon and commander,820th RED HORSE Squadron,Nellis AFB, NV.

MSgt Christine Clay, 159th CES, was recently selected as the Air National Guard�sSenior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Presenting the award to SergeantClay are Maj Gen Paul A. Weaver Jr., Director, Air National Guard, and CMSgtValerie D. Benton, Command Chief Master Sergeant. (Courtesy photo)

a week in the nation�s capital, meet-ing with National Guard and otherDepartment of Defense officials.(Compiled from news releases by MSgtBob Haskell, National Guard Bureau.)

32

SSgt Stephen Daggett, from the437th Civil Engineer Squadron,Charleston Air Force Base, SC, wasrecently awarded $10,000 for a sug-gestion he submitted to theInnovative Development throughEmployee Awareness, or IDEA, pro-gram.

Sergeant Daggett, a readinesstechnician, said his suggestion toconsolidate readiness materials on aCD-ROM came to him when hisunit deployed to Albania. �We had tocarry our own equipment. We endedup paying more for excess baggagethan we did for our tickets,� Daggetsaid.

Almost all of the publications,forms and checklists needed to per-

form the readiness job were alreadyelectronic, according to Daggett. �Iwas tired of having to download thepublications every time and check forupdates,� he said. �I like to playaround with the Web anyway, it justseemed logical to put all of this infor-mation on a disc and run it in aWeb-based application.�

Submitting the suggestion to theIDEA program wasn�t Daggett�s in-tention, he said. �Someone else toldme I should submit it.�

Daggett has made copies of theprogram already and passed the ideaon to other bases. �Some of the otherbases used it during IG (InspectorGeneral) evaluations and got highmarks for using it,� he said.

Charleston CE Awarded for Good IDEAAs for spending the money,

Daggett said he plans to pay off somebills. �I�ll still have some left over af-ter that,� he said.

All told, Daggett�s suggestionshould save the Air Force $87,602,according to the analysis submittedby HQ Air Force Civil EngineerSupport Agency.

The IDEA program isn�t usedoften enough, according to Daggett.�More people should use it for anyidea they might have that could savemoney. Mine was a pretty straightfor-ward idea, I just put it in there.�(SrA Melanie Streeter, 437th Air WingPublic Affairs)

Offutt Air Force Base, NE, isthe recipient of a 2000 Secretary ofDefense Environmental SecurityAward, which recognizes the bestenvironmental programs in the De-partment of Defense. Eight awardswere presented at this year�s cer-emony on May 3.

The base received the Environ-mental Restoration-Installationaward for saving more than $2.1

Offutt wins DoD environmental awardmillion through new technologydemonstrations and proactive man-agement of their restorationprogram. Included was implementa-tion of a �bio-wall� system thatsuccessfully prevented chlorinatedsolvents from migrating into thegroundwater, abandonment of 51groundwater monitoring wells saving$600,000 per year, and eliminationof the need for a $500,000 subsur-

face investigation through a no-costdemonstration project using laser-induced fluorescence chemical sensortechnology.

Offutt was automatically nomi-nated for the DoD competition as arecipient of a 2000 Air Force GeneralThomas D. White EnvironmentalAward. (From a U.S. Department ofDefense News Release)

Five Air Force bases recentlyreceived the White House�s Closingthe Circle Awards, which are pre-sented to federal agencies thatdemonstrate outstanding achievementin areas including environmentalinnovation, recycling and waste pre-vention. The Air Force winners ofthe Closing the Circle Awards are:� Model Facility Demonstration:

Grand Forks AFB, ND� Recycling: Eglin AFB, FL and

Barksdale AFB, LA� Waste Prevention: Fairchild

AFB, WA and Ramstein AB,GermanyThe five Air Force bases were

among 39 award winners selected

from about 200 nominations fromdepartments and agencies throughoutthe federal government. The winnerswere honored in a ceremony June 12in the Presidential Hall at the OldExecutive Building next to the WhiteHouse.

�This year�s honorees exemplifyour federal workforce commitmentto preserve the environment andprecious resources by increasing thepurchase of green products and ser-vices, reducing the generation ofwastes and establishing highly effec-tive environmental managementprograms at their locations,� saidJuan D. Lopez, acting chief of staffof the White House Task Force on

Recycling. �These local heroes havelooked beyond the status quo to blazenew paths in waste and pollutionprevention that will truly benefit ourfuture generations.�

The awards are presented annu-ally by the White House to the mostinnovative programs implementingthe objectives of Executive Order13101, �Greening the GovernmentThrough Waste Prevention, Recy-cling, and Federal Acquisition.� Theexecutive order was designed toexpand and strengthen the Federalgovernment�s recycling and greenpurchasing efforts. (From an Office ofthe Federal Environment Executiverelease)

Air Force Bases Honored by White House

33

CE Magazine Summer 2001

TSgt Matthew Shryock, 16thCivil Engineer Squadron, HurlburtField, FL, was one of five individualsrepresenting Air Force SpecialOperations Command who wererecently selected for the 2001 AirForce Association Team of the YearAward.

Sergeant Shryock, was honoredat a presentation ceremony in May inWashington DC, along with MSgtBrian Douglas, 24th Special Tactics

Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, NC;TSgt John Sparr, 193rd AircraftGeneration Squadron, HarrisburgInternational Airport, PA; SSgtDanny Hedrick, stationed in thePacific Air Forces theater; and SSgtTravis West, stationed in the U.S.Air Forces in Europe theater.

Each year, the AFA recognizesthe accomplishments and contribu-tions made by Air Force enlistedmembers in specific career fields.

This year, AFA elected to spotlightmembers of AFSOC, specificallythese five who represent the civilengineering, flight engineering,transportation, crew chief andpararescue career fields.

The selections were based onachievements the individuals madeduring the 2000 calendar year, saidAir Force Personnel Center officials.(From an Air Force Personnel CenterNews Service release)

CE Makes AFA Team of the Year

The Balchen/Post award is presented to SMSgt Dale Fowler, 354th CEShorizontal manager, by Mrs. Jeanne Oliver, president, Northeast Chapterof the American Association of Airport Executives. (Photo courtesy 354thCES)

The 354th Civil Engineer Squad-ron, Eielson Air Force Base, AK,received the Colonel Bernt Balchen/Wilfred M. Post Award during theInternational Aviation Snow Sympo-sium April 25th in Buffalo, NY.

The award recognizes outstand-ing achievement in base and airfieldsnow and ice control. The 28th CES,Ellsworth AFB, SD, was runner-up.

Eielson received more than 45inches of snowfall during the 2000snow season, and the 354th CES�snow and ice control team performedan astonishing 70 ice control opera-tions. They kept de-icing chemicaluse to a bare minimum by emphasiz-ing more environmentally friendlymechanical control methods.

Total vigilance ensured basestreets remained open and more than4,500 aircraft launches were gener-ated without delay despite thesubarctic environment, which is themost severe and challenging one for

snow and ice removal in the AirForce.

The team persevered through amajor storm in January when snowfell continuously for fivedays. The result wasmore than 21 inches ofwet, heavy snow � thegreatest single accumula-tion of snow in fiveyears. Personnel worked12-hour shifts, 14 daysstraight, constantly clear-ing airfield and prioritystreets. Their tirelessefforts enabled 120 mis-sion sorties and ensuredsafe base driving condi-tions.

The Balchen/Postaward, which is spon-sored by the NortheastChapter of the AmericanAssociation of AirportExecutives, is presented

Eielson�s 354th CES Named Best in Snow Removalannually to the outstanding snowremoval team in one military andfour commercial airport categories.(SMSgt Clyde Young, HQ AFCESA)

(From left to right) Majors Mike Rits, Scott Bridgeman,Lowell Nelson and Darren Gibbs, all from the Office ofThe Civil Engineer, Headquarters U.S. Air Force,Pentagon, sing the National Anthem at a WashingtonCapitals vs. New York Rangers hockey game inWashington DC in March. The group, known as the “AirForce Civil Engineer Quartet,” got its start at a unitholiday party. (Photo by SSgt Angela Stafford)

NHL Game FeaturesAir Force Quartet

34

The Air Force Center for Envi-ronmental Excellence, Brooks AirForce Base, TX, commemorated its10th anniversary July 23.

AFCEE, a field operating agencyof the Office of The Civil Engineer,Headquarters U.S. Air Force, is theAir Force�s premier environmentalservices agency and center of exper-tise. It offers commanders a fullrange of technical and professionalservices in the areas of environmentalrestoration, pollution prevention,environmental compliance, natural

and cultural resources conservation,facility design and construction man-agement and comprehensiveplanning.

AFCEE is also the center ofexpertise for the Air Force�s militaryfamily housing privatization programand recently instituted a range sup-port unit to study issues associatedwith air training ranges. In addition,its Technology Transfer Divisionfield tests and studies new technolo-gies that may help speed up orimprove environmental cleanup ef-forts.

The center started out with onlya handful of people in 1991 butwithin a year had in place a full arrayof environmental contracts. Its con-centration initially was on cleanupwork at 19 installations affected bythe first two rounds of the Base Clo-sure and Realignment process.

AFCEE has developed into abillion-dollar enterprise, with a pro-gram totaling more than $436million in environmental restorationwork alone during the last fiscal year.It now employs more than 360 civil-ians and 50 military members. Inaddition to its headquarters staff atBrooks, the agency maintains threeRegional Environmental Offices inAtlanta, Dallas and San Francisco.

�Our workload has grown tre-mendously and we�ve got moresignificant work coming in the nextfew years,� said Mr. Gary M.Erickson, AFCEE�s director. �It�s areal healthy sign of the confidencethat the senior Air Force leadershipand our customers have in us.AFCEE also has arrived at a pointwhere we can really offer what ourcustomers need from us.�

Col Sam Garcia, executive direc-tor and military commander, notedthat AFCEE was going through agenerational change, with some of theoriginal center staffers moving on tothe next stage in their careers.

�This summer will be a specialone for us,� he said. �We�re startingto see a change of leadership in ourmid-level management positionswhere much of the creative thinkingthat characterizes AFCEE�s approachto business really takes place.�

The colonel added that AFCEEcontinues to evolve and �get smarter�in the process.

�The environmental mission,obviously, has been our main focus,but AFCEE is seeing ways in whichwe can benefit the Air Force commu-nity more fully. We�re stepping up tothose challenges as well,� he said.(AFCEE Public Affairs)

AFCEE Celebrates a Decade of Service

Tom Billings, RecyclingCenter supervisor for the 48thCivil Engineer Squadron, RAFLakenheath, U.K., showssecond graders fromLakenheath’s elementaryschool what happens to thecans collected around base.The tour was conducted tohelp educate students on theimportance of recycling and tohelp kick off Earth Weekactivities. (Photo by TSgtPaul R. Caron Jr.)

Earth Week 2001

JB Cole, who is known as the �father� ofAFCEE, spoke at the Air Force Center forEnvironmental Excellence�s 10th Anniver-sary Ceremony July 23. Mr. Cole charteredthe field operating agency for the Air Force,and served as its first director.

35

CE Magazine Summer 2001

Unit Name: 203rd RED HORSE Flight(Virginia Air National Guard) Location:Camp Pendleton, Virginia Beach, VACommander: Lt Col Thomas J. TurlipAssigned Personnel: 160 military, 4 stateemployees Federal Mission: Provide ahighly mobile, rapidly deployable, civilengineering response force that is self-sufficient for a limited period of time, toperform heavy damage repair required forrecovery of critical Air Force and utilitysystems for aircraft launch and recovery.Accomplish engineering support for bed-down of weapons systems and theinstallation of critical utility and supportsystems required to initiate and sustainoperations, especially in austere locations.Operate in remote, hostile environmentsas an independent, self-sustaining unit(with re-supply of consumables). StateMission: To provide a unit organized,trained and equipped which, under orderof the Governor, will protect life andproperty, and preserve peace, order andpublic safety.

Base and Unit History: Located in thepicturesque city of Virginia Beach, CampPendleton is a State Military Reservationthat borders the Atlantic Ocean. It wasestablished in 1912 as a rifle range forstate troops, and is still used primarily bythe Virginia National Guard. DuringWorld War II, however, it was a boomingtraining site for new active duty recruits.

The reservation was originally createdin a relatively remote, sparsely populatedarea. Since then, the City of Virginia

Beach has grown and developed aroundthe facility. The 203rd RHF, which wasactivated in 1985, occupies about 60 acresof land and more than 75,000 square feetof real property on Camp Pendleton�s 325acres.

The 203rd RHF has a sister unit inFlorida � the 202nd RED HORSESquadron. If activated to Federal service,these two units would join together toform a 400-man RED HORSE Squadron.

The 203rd is a very active Air Na-tional Guard unit, deploying more than200 people over the last 15 months forconstruction projects in Saudi Arabia,Kuwait, Iceland, Qatar, Azores, England,Florida, Maryland and Virginia.

Recent Accomplishments: The 203rd isparticularly proud of its recent construc-tion projects in support of OperationSouthern Watch in Southwest Asia.During the past few years, teams from the203rd have deployed to the followinglocations: Qatar, twice, for electricalprojects; Prince Sultan Air Base, SaudiArabia, to construct various force protec-tion and quality of life projects; and AlJaber AB, Kuwait, twice, to constructK-Span buildings and various forceprotection and quality of life projects.

Because of these and many othersuccessful construction projects throughoutthe world, it�s no wonder the 203rd RHFenjoys the outstanding reputation it hasearned. �Lead, Follow, or Get Out of theWay!�

203rd RED HORSE Flight

We always seek a reason whyA loved one has to go.We search for answers desperatelyBut still we cannot know.

And Charging Charlie seeks to find,Among the pain and tears,Why God could take these HorsemenSo early in their years.

Perhaps God needs to bridge the starsOr light some darkened day;Or build a framework out of steelTo brace the Milky Way.

Or does He need a pipelineTaking water to the sun?He’s got the Horsemen with Him now;That job would soon be done.

Poor Charging Charlie’s sadder now,His stable’s not as full.And other Horsemen grieve and weep,But deployments they will pull.

Those Horsemen are still with us.They’ll be on every tourTo watch and guide and help us out,On that you can be sure.

SMSgt Gary Rhoads,201st RED HORSE Flight, PaANG

From the203rd RED HORSE FlightVirginia Air National Guard �

Master Sergeant James BeninatiStaff Sergeant Paul J. BlancatoTechnical Sergeant Ernest BlawasStaff Sergeant Andrew H. BridgesMaster Sergeant Eric G. BulmanStaff Sergeant Paul E. CramerTechnical Sergeant Michael E. EastStaff Sergeant Ronald L. ElkinStaff Sergeant James P. FergusonStaff Sergeant Randy V. JohnsonSenior Airman Mathrew E. KiddMaster Sergeant Michael E. LaneTechnical Sergeant Edwin B. RichardsonTechnical Sergeant Dean J. ShelbyStaff Sergeant John L. SincavageStaff Sergeant Gregory SkurupeyStaff Sergeant Richard SummerellMajor Frederick Watkins

From Detachment 1, 1st Battalion,171st AviationFlorida Army National Guard �

Chief Warrant Officer Johnny W. DuceChief Warrant Officer Erik P. LarsonStaff Sergeant Robert F. Ward Jr.

�Some Gave All

In memory of the 21 Guard members who diedwhen their C-23 transport plane crashed

March 3, 2001, near Macon, Georgia.