Hundreds gathered here Sept. 15 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the C-17A Globemaster III's maiden flight -- from a manufacturing plant in Long Beach, Calif. to Edwards -- that took just over two hours.

Millions of flight hours later, the Globemaster has lived up to its name -- delivering its payload just about anywhere in the world.

"It allows us to deliver hope, fuel the fight and save lives," said Col. Andrew Ingram, C-17 System program manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

McChord Field received its first C-17 July 20, 1999. The aircraft at McChord Field are flown by Airmen from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings. The 7th AS was the first active-duty squadron to fly the C-17 out of McChord Field and the 728th Airlift Squadron was the first Reserve squadron at McChord to transition from the C-141 to the C-17.

Team Edwards has been a key to the success this airframe has had and continues to have.

Lt. Col. Clifton Janney, commander of the 418th Flight Test Squadron, which is responsible for testing the airlifter, said none of this would have been possible without the vision and innovation of a special team "dedicated to making sure those we send into harm's way have the best possible chance of returning to enjoy those liberties we call upon them to defend."

George London, co-pilot on T-1's first flight, also talked about that special team.

"When we made that first flight Sept. 15, 20 years ago, there was a shining light. That light was a C-17 taking off from Long Beach," he said.

And the power behind that light is the team -- comprised of the C-17 Combined Test Force at Edwards, the C-17 System Program Office, the Air Force, the Army and contractors McDonnell Douglas and Boeing, he said.

Calling the C-17 a national treasure, Ingram said the aircraft is America's airlift capability of choice.

"The Globemaster [since it became operational] has supported every major combat contingency that our nation has been involved in," he said.
C-17s are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan bringing needed supplies to the war fighter and airlifting wounded warriors to medical facilities and safety. The C-17 fleet also supports those who respond to disasters around the world.

During the last two decades, the workhorse transport started fast and shows no sign of slowing.

"Ten years in, the Air Force was operating a fleet of 81. Today seven countries and NATO operate 236 C-17s; 204 of those are employed by the Air Force," he said.

He said in the past 10 years the fleet of C-17s has flown 500,000 sorties, delivered more than 4.5 million passengers and transported just over 3 million tons of cargo to locations around the world.

"It took 15 years for the fleet to achieve its first million flight hours , but only five more years for it to achieve its second million. Last year the U.S. C-17 fleet flew an average of 599 flight hours a day," Janney said.

The C-17 continues to prove itself. Just last month it set a new airdrop world record with the delivery of an 85,000-pound Aries rocket test article.

When considering what the aircraft requires to meet the nation's challenges in the future, Janney said he's confident the C-17 team will meet those challenges and continue to advance this incredible weapon system.

For the first time in history, a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to McChord Field successfully completed a mid-winter nighttime airdrop at the South Pole.

Airmen from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings teamed up to airdrop urgently needed medical supplies Sept. 1 at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.

The supplies will augment a South Pole medical team's treatment of an ailing civilian wintering there with the U.S. Antarctic Program.

"The mission went exceedingly well," said Lt. Col. Robert Wellington, 62nd AW Operations Group deputy commander. "This was basically a culmination of all the training we've completed over the past several years."

After being notified of the mission, Wellington established the Team McChord resources.

"Of course, my immediate feeling toward this mission was excitement," he explained. "We needed to find out the exact requirements for the mission to see if we would fulfill them. The most work came during the coordination stages."

Wellington assigned Maj. Rick Kind, C-17 weapons and tactics instructor pilot, to plan the mission with his crew.

"After we got the phone call," said Chief Master Sgt. Dave Masura, "we spent three days planning it. This is the first time we did a drop out of the door (rather than out the back) over Antarctica."

Masura, a Reservist with the 446th Airlift Wing, was one of four loadmasters on the mission.

Wellington, Kind and the Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica team worked closely with the National Science Foundation planners to execute the mission. Kind's prior experience benefited the mission.

"We usually do a South Pole airdrop mission during the summer months when conditions are ideal," said Wellington. "With all the training, we were more than prepared. Two years ago, Kind was on that flight. When this mission came around, he was already trained, certified and experienced in South Pole air-drop."

In addition to Kind, other experienced personnel were hand-picked to support the mission.

"We took the best of the best down there," said Staff Sgt. Kent Koerner, 4th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. "Everyone really came together and operated as a team. We were working off of a good plan, and executed it as well as we could."

Other Reservists on the crew were Lt. Col. Rob Sawyer, a pilot, and loadmasters Masura, Senior Master Sgt. Terry Wolford and Master Sgt. Kathleen Disney.

The plan included a parachute-enabled C-17 air-drop of medical supplies in bitter cold and complete darkness using night-vision devices. Although JTF-SFA plans for such missions and trains for this requirement during the summer season, this is the first time a C-17 has attempted a mid-winter, nighttime airdrop at the South Pole, according to officials.

Since the South Pole has 24 hours of darkness during the polar winter, the use of night-vision goggles was essential for the mission, officials said.

"The routine use of night vision goggles is being exploited to overcome the operational challenges in Antarctica," said Wellington. "The plan we developed mirrored all of our previous training flights, except for those obstacles. And when we met those obstacles, we find solutions to work with them."

According to Kevin Schriner, an NSF contractor and network administrator at the South Pole, the air drop was a complete success. Both packages were dropped and recovered without damage. (Sandra Pishner, 446th AW Public Affairs, contributed to this report)

Minot Air Force Base, N.D., is now a non-concurrent travel location because of a continuing off-base housing shortage, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

Minot AFB is still under the stop movement order established when heavy flooding occurred in June, so this designation gives Airmen more family options when planning a permanent change of station to Minot AFB, said Bill Warner, the AFPC chief of assignment programs and procedures.

The order does not impact technical training graduates and new accessions who do not have dependent family members, but all others must get authorization to proceed. Authorization messages, which will be e-mailed from Minot AFB's military personnel section to the member's servicing personnel section, will also provide the concurrent travel decision and anticipated family travel delay.

Airmen's options depend on how long their families' travel will be delayed and on whether they are moving from a stateside or overseas location.

For members moving from a stateside location, if family travel is delayed for less than 20 weeks, family members are expected to stay at the current location until their travel is approved, Warner said.

"If they move," he added, "the government will not pay for that move."

Members whose families are delayed for more than 20 weeks have a couple of options, though. They may either stay at their current location or relocate to a designated location at government expense, Warner said.

Overseas returnees who are approved for non-concurrent travel have two options regardless of the length of their travel delay. Families can stay at the overseas location (which requires an approved dependents remaining overseas request), or they can move to a designated location at government expense.

Whatever their situation, family travel information will be spelled out, so Airmen must check their travel orders to ensure their situation is clearly identified and matches Minot AFB's designation.

"Regardless of family travel status, once Airmen are authorized to proceed to Minot AFB, they must meet their established reporting dates," Warner said. "Airmen must not move their families to Minot (AFB) without authorization reflected on their PCS orders or amendments. Once they have secured housing, they can work with the Minot (AFB) MPS to get an amendment to their orders."

Airmen who do not follow these procedures may lose government travel entitlements, Warner stressed.

Airmen who were authorized before Sept. 12 to move with their families may still proceed to Minot AFB, Warner said. All others must follow the new travel restrictions.

For more information about the stop movement order and non-concurrent permanent change of station to Minot AFB, Airmen should contact their current personnel section.

For information about other personnel issues, visit the Air Force Personnel Services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.

Voluntary retirements have resulted in the removal of two competitive categories from the upcoming October 2011 selective early-retirement board, Air Force officials announced Sept. 12.

Lieutenant colonels in the Chaplain and Medical Services Corps competitive categories are eliminated from meeting the fiscal 2011 selective early retirement board. Lieutenant colonels in the Line of the Air Force competitive category who were twice deferred for promotion will continue to meet the SERB scheduled for Oct. 24 to 28.

The SERB is part of the Air Force's Force Management program, which blends voluntary and involuntary programs to meet the Air Force's congressionally mandated ceiling of 332,800 Airmen. The program is necessary because of a 16-year high in retention.

The deadline to apply for voluntary retirement passed on Sept. 2, but applications are still being processed for those who applied before the deadline.

Officers selected for retirement by the SERB will be required to retire effective no later than Mar. 1, 2012.

For information about specific skills needed by the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard select embedded links. Detailed SERB eligibility criteria are on the AFPERS website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil/app/login; do a keyword search for "SERB." Additional information on FY11/12 Force Management Programs is also available on the site. First time users will need to create an account with a username and password.

In 2010 the Air Force's Air Mobility Command launched the Comprehensive Airman Fitness concept to be what Air Force Gen. Raymond E. Johns, Jr., AMC commander, said would be "not a program, but an approach to better equip you to handle stress." Joint Base Lewis McChord's continued dedication to joint readiness carried on his vision as Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing joined Soldiers from multiple Lewis-McChord Army units for Military Resilience Trainer instruction at John "Bud" Hawk Education Center, Sept. 12 through today.

Servicemembers received special insight on the training as Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of the Army Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, served as the master instructor and led the initial plenary session.

Cornum said CSF has been well accepted for several years within Air Combat Command but this Spring Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff, decided that Comprehensive Airman Fitness would be the model for the Department of Defense, and the Army is motivated to support that effort in joint environments.

The CSF director, who in 1991was a prisoner of war while held by Iraqi forces in the closing weeks of Operation Desert Storm, said training the Airmen and Soldiers received was based on CSF's beliefs in being proactive, rather than reactive in dealing with adversity.

"The whole point of the program is to treat psychological health and fitness the way we treat physical health and fitness," she said. "For example, it's important to know CPR when someone has a heart attack, but a more beneficial thing to do would be to teach people about exercise, lipids, and blood pressure so that they never have a heart attack to begin with - that's what resilience is."

Technical Sergeant Monique Dubose, an Airman from the 62nd Airlift Wing and NCOIC of the First Term Airman Center at McChord Field, said one of many things she enjoyed about the course was that though the trainers and facilitators were Soldiers, the curriculum was universal.

"It's been very enlightening as these are skills you can use in both your personal and professional life," she said. "It's for all military members, as well as those at different ranks and levels. It'll be good for the Airmen because there's a focus on being proactive in dealing with different obstacles they may have early on."

The First Term Airman Center staff helps new Airmen transition from basic training and technical school environments to their first duty stations. Dubose said because of her leadership position at the center, which is a starting point for all of McChord's new junior Airmen, she'll be able to spread good practices and play an important part in building a culture of resiliency here.

"I get almost 30 new Airmen every week and I can see where these skills will help them along in their careers," Dubose said. "For example, with ‘real-time resilience' we've learned about using evidence and or optimism when we have real-time instances and start getting negative thoughts."

To overcome a challenge a veteran Airman like herself may have "evidence" of past accomplishments from which she can draw determination, but even younger servicemembers can apply "optimism" toward overcoming a task. She said she's motivated to pass on these newly-acquired skills.

A former drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Ga., Staff Sgt. David Larson, a squad leader from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, said he started to hear about Army CSF in the training lanes as fellow drill sergeants returned from other MRT courses.

"They had good things to say, but I figured it was just ‘the Army was trying something new,'" Larson said. He admitted he was skeptical about the effectiveness of CSF's "whole person" care approach, but soon realized he was wrong and said he's looking forward to applying resilience skills in many areas of his life.

"Here we are after Day 3 and I've learned a massive amount of things about the program, and about myself," he said. "I've already been thinking about how I'm going to integrate these approaches into my squad, my battalion, my Family and my personal life."

He said he fully believes CSF teachings will be absorbed by junior Soldiers, making it important for NCOs and leaders to remain open-minded - starting with himself.

"I think that as a leader, if I effect change in myself, I'll effect a change in the Soldiers around me," he said, adding that he feels CSF fundamentals can better servicemembers' lives "as long as people at the top believe in it and implement it."

Cornum said there are currently more than 6,000 facilitators and trainers throughout the Army and CSF's plan is to almost double that number in FY 2012.

For more information on CSF, visit www.csf.army.mil.

The U.S. Air Force Academy is ranked top in the nation by high school guidance counselors, second in the nation in aeronautical and astronautical engineering and came away with several more top-tier rankings in the U.S. News & World Report's Best College Rankings for 2012.

The magazine released its rankings Sept. 12.

A new category added this year, high school counselor rankings, ranked the Academy No. 1 among liberal arts colleges. 

"In spring 2011, we asked guidance counselors from all the high schools in U.S. News's 2010 Best High Schools rankings as well as from the largest private independent schools nationwide, to tell us which national universities and national liberal arts colleges they think offer the best undergraduate education to their students," According to U.S. News and World Report. "They rated the universities on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the top score) or marked 'don't know' if they were unfamiliar with that particular college."

The Academy ranked second-best in the nation in aeronautical and astronautical engineering among undergraduate programs, for the 11th consecutive year. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's main campus in Daytona Beach, Fla., retained the top spot, while its Prescott, Ariz., campus came in third this year.

The Academy tied for the No. 5 ranking of best undergraduate engineering programs, with California Polytechnic State University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

One of the Air Force Academy's other engineering programs, electrical engineering, also earned the No. 5 slot in this year's rankings of undergraduate electrical engineering programs.

The Academy also received several other rankings. It's tied for No. 33 in the national liberal arts colleges rankings and under that category came in at No. 3 for Top Public Schools. The Academy also ranked No. 55 among best undergraduate business programs.

"The school has 74 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students, and the student-faculty ratio at United States Air Force Academy is 8:1," according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

This is the third time this semester the Academy has been ranked among the top universities in the nation. Forbes ranked the Academy No. 10 in the nation on its 2011 America's Best Colleges List that was released Aug. 3.

Also, the Princeton Review released their The Best 376 Colleges book Aug. 2, which ranks the Academy No. 5 in the nation in professor availability and ranks the Academy's administration as No. 9 in the nation.

Loyalty and pride carry different emotional meanings for people. For instance, fully restoring an older automobile to its original showroom stature and then taking it out for a long drive is what makes a car enthusiast beam with pride. For others, it's volunteering at a local homeless shelter, tutoring underprivileged children at the local elementary school, or for some it could be serving in the military. 

The meaning of loyalty for six Reservists from the 86th Aerial Port Squadron is extending their deployments at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey after already helping to move 24,000 tons of cargo, 15,500 passengers, 13,000 pallets, and loading about 450 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

Master Sgt. Alfredo Navarro, Tech. Sgt. John Garrelts, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Cunanan, Staff Sgt. Daniel Wheeler, Senior Airman Eric Braun, and Senior Airman Daniel Henderson deployed in April to support the 728th Air Mobility Squadron, Incirlik AB and instead of coming home, they have added another six months to their current tours of duty.

"I want to be able to contribute in any possible way to get the job done and bring our troops home," said Navarro, 86th APS security manager. "I miss home and my family, but I'm doing my best to serve my country and make them proud."

The University Place resident serves as the night duty officer for the Air Terminal Operation Center at Incirlik AB.

"I volunteered to extend because I enjoy the mission here," said Navarro.

For Tech. Sgt. John Garrelts, an ATOC senior controller with 86th APS, the deployment was about selfless service.

"It was a tough decision," said the father of three. "But a chance to help the new individuals coming into my section have a smoother transition, as well as letting someone else remain home with their family through the holiday season were my reasons for extending."

Senior Airman Daniel Henderson, 86th APS ramp journeyman, lengthened his deployment for continuity; not to mention being part of something larger than him.

"I know the job and the people here," said the Spokane resident. "Plus, I am proud to be part of something that is going to help in the world and not just my backyard. I signed up knowing that I would be away from home a lot and I would do it all over again."

Navarro uses his experience for personal growth that he can bring back home.

"The job I'm doing is a new experience for me," said Navarro, who works for the Social Security Administration in his other life as a civilian. "I have never worked in ATOC before, so it is a new skill that I can bring home with me. I also want to get more technical and leadership experience."

Helping ensure cargo gets where it needs to be in a timely manner is what helps keep Garrelts going.

"I get the chance to send life-saving equipment to people who need it and allow them to return home safely," said the Springfield, Ore., resident. "It makes me feel good and full of pride that I'm allowed to help my country."

Garrelts credits a strong supporting cast and an internal drive on assisting his fulfillment of the additional deployment time.

"Without the support of my family and home unit, none of this would be possible," he said. "It is an honor to serve."

As the KC-135 Stratotanker carrying patients landed on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, two 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron Reservists were there to provide care and comfort. 

Maj. Timothy Kelly of Portland, Ore., and Master Sgt. Michelle Anderson of Spokane, Wash., are both deployed to the 86th Airlift Wing's Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility. They are serving three and six month tours as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The wartime mission of ASTS is to provide command, nursing, and specialty functions for up to a 250-bed CASF, rapidly deploy resources for mental health triage and traumatic stress management, critical care expertise, and support assets augmenting aeromedical evacuation missions.

"Our job here is to receive and send out patients currently serving downrange," said Anderson. "At my home station I'm a medical administrator. Here everyone works with patients, it doesn't matter the career field."

"We are actually doing the mission here versus training," said Kelly, a pain management specialist in civilian life. "We are performing the duty that we train for."

Kelly and Anderson met an aircraft carrying patients that arrived from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. They helped transport the injured from the aircraft to the ambulance that would take them to the hospital.

"The patients we receive here are far from home and they are scared," said Anderson. "It warms my heart to be able to provide them some comfort once they arrive."

"Our home unit provided us with excellent training for this deployment," said Kelly. "It is a very rewarding job."

Policy changes concerning the use of the Air Force's new Controlled Spend Account cards were spelled out in a policy letter from Headquarters Air Force Aug. 26.
 
Effective immediately, personal use of the CSA is not authorized.

The CSA is the program the Air Force implemented this year to replace the Government Travel Card. Initially, personal use of the new CSA card was allowed if there was a residual balance remaining on the card after the travel voucher was filed.

As of now, the CSA card may only be used for expenses related to official government travel. After an individual has filed a travel voucher within five days after their official travel (per Joint Federal Travel Regulation, appendix O) or during inprocessing following a permanent change of station, any balance remaining on the card can be obtained by the traveler through one of the following options:

- Electronic transfer to a personal account through Citi's on-line access system or by calling them directly
- Withdraw the balance via an ATM (there is a two percent fee)
- Request a check by mail by calling Citi, or a check will be automatically mailed to the cardholder after 60 days of account inactivity

Any questions or problems can be handled through individual unit agency program coordinators.

From Air Force Times:  What started as a half-hour jam session for airmen working the night shift in Afghanistan has landed a staff sergeant an audition for the reality show "The Voice."

Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson has YouTube to thank for all the attention.

Johnson is part of Air Forces Central Command's band Sidewinder. The band performed a quick acoustic set - without microphones or sound equipment - for 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron airmen Aug. 8.

The next day, fans posted a video of Johnson belting out Adele's hit "Rolling in the Deep." By Aug. 18, the video had logged 900,000 views.

It quickly garnered attention from cable and network news. Talk show host Carson Daly called on Twitter for Johnson to audition for NBC's "The Voice," a singing competition Daly hosts and featuring celebrity judges.

Watch the video here.