MCAS Miramar hosts educators during Educators Workshop

A Marine with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., assists an educator with using a fire hose during an Educators Workshop aboard MCAS Miramar, April 6. Educators from recruiting stations Lansing, Mich., and Twin Cities, Minn., visited MCAS Miramar to learn about the aviation side of the Marine Corps and life for a Marine after basic training

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar / 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story by Cpl. Kimberlyn Adams

Educators from high schools within recruiting stations Lansing, Michigan, and Twin Cities, Minnesota, districts visited Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, to learn about the aviation component of the Marine Corps and life for a Marine after basic training during an Educators Workshop, April 6.

The Educators Workshop Program is a recruiting initiative that gives educators from across the country the opportunity to see the Marine Corps from the inside.

During the weeklong workshop, the educators also visited Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, to give them the full Marine Corps experience, from recruit training to serving in the operational forces.

While at MCAS Miramar, educators are given the chance to ask Col. Jason Woodworth, commanding officer of MCAS Miramar, and enlisted Marines questions about the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, MCAS Miramar and the Marine Corps.

“The educators are provided the opportunity to speak with Marines and learn about the Corps through their experience,” said Sgt. Michael Thorn, community relations chief with the Consolidated Public Affairs Office aboard MCAS Miramar and a Miramar, Florida, native. “This gives them something to bring back to their respective schools, which is great, even if it ends up being a better personal perspective on the Marine Corps.”

For the rest of the educator’s time aboard the station, the enlisted Marines joined them for a trip to the Hub, which houses the library, education center and Single Marine Program, where they learned about the educational benefits and the recreational activities the Marine Corps offers to service members. Then educators were taken to the flight line where they got a closer look at an F/A-18B Hornet, an MV-22B Osprey and a P-19A Firefighting Emergency Vehicle.

“I think [the Educators Workshop] is a fantastic opportunity for the educators to see what the Marines go through and the fantastic job that they do so we can bring that back to the students that don’t know anything about the Marines,” said Meghan Olsen, a guidance counselor from Williston High School in Williston, North Dakota. “I believe that the presentation of the Marine Corps that I have seen will make a positive impact on my students looking into the military,”

JTF-Bravo supports Honduran firefighting efforts

Members of the Honduran Air Force, Army, the Honduran Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and U.S. Service Members with Joint Task Force-Bravo, pose for a photo Apr. 2, 2016, Tela, Honduras, after working together to extinguish an out of control fire nearby. The various units worked together over the course of four days to bring the fire under control. During the firefighting operations JTF-Bravo CH-47 Chinooks and a UH-60 Black Hawk dropped more than 390,000 gallons of water on areas affected by the fire, helping bring it under control. (Courtesy photo by Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Johnson)

Joint Task Force Bravo
Story by Capt. Christopher Mesnard

On March 30, 2016, a fire near the town of Tela, Honduras warranted a large scale reaction from Honduran firefighting forces, to include the National Fire Department, Army and Air Force.

The initial response involved Honduran ground and air assets in the Jeanette Kawas National Park working to contain the fire, however, due to dry conditions, shifting winds, and dense vegetation at the location of the fire, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez requested U.S. support to assist in the effort to prevent the fire from quickly spreading throughout the park and potentially threatening local communities.

Joint Task Force-Bravo air assets supplemented two Honduran UH-1N Huey helicopters, beginning March 31, with Bambi Buckets to carry water from the nearby lake, Laguna de Los Micos, to the fires and a hoist capability, in case a need to retrieve personnel on the ground arose.

During the operation, Honduran and U.S. command and control elements reviewed inputs from the ground forces and surveillance from air assets, to determine where the fire, which had split into three separate fires by March 31, needed the most attention.

“The team, consisting of Honduran and U.S. personnel and capabilities, conducted joint planning to continually assess the situation and synchronize an effective, combined response to the fire – working as one to quickly gain control and extinguish the fires throughout the park,” said Col. Rob Harman, JTF-Bravo commander.

After the majority of the efforts wrapped up on March 31, only one fire still remained burning, though it was considered mostly under control by those on the ground.

“It’s always a good feeling to use our training and resources when a real-world need arises,” said Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Johnson, 1-228th Aviation Regiment CH-47 pilot. “It’s not often we get to work side-by-side with our Honduran hosts in a situation like this, but this was an opportunity to work together on a common goal and everyone performed excellently.”

Both teams suspended flight operations on the evening of March 31, due to potentially unsafe night flying conditions and crew-duty days, and would reassess the situation the following morning.

The next day, the team noticed that one of the fires, which was previously extinguished, had re-ignited, and they had to orient their efforts toward two fires on April 1.

“When the Hondurans sent their helicopter up to assess the fires, they discovered one of the fires they put out the day prior was ablaze again,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Moore, 1-228th AVN commander and officer in charge of U.S. response forces on the ground. “We quickly went to work on refueling aircraft and putting them in the fight against the two blazes.”

After continued operations on April 2nd, a joint assessment by Honduran Col. Barrientos, Air Force Chief of Staff met with Moore and concluded the fire was contained to the point that U.S. support was no longer required.

“It’s satisfying and rewarding to see that our efforts resulted in total mission success,” said Johnson.

During the time frame of three days the 1-228th AVN dropped over 390,000 gallons of water over the course of 55 hours flight time, earning thanks from President Hernandez, Ambassador Nealon and local community officials.

MEDICINE LODGE, KS, US Fighting fire with flight

Four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters piloted and crewed by Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment (two from Army Aviation Support Facility #2, Salina, Kansas and two from Army Aviation Support Facility #1, Topeka) joined the Anderson Creek wildfire fight March 26. The helicopters arrived in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, Saturday morning, and are dropping water from Bambi Buckets™ on active flames and hot spots as directed by incident officials. The fire in south central Kansas has burned more than 400,000 acres. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Zachary Sheely/Released)

Kansas Adjutant General's Department
Story by Sgt. Zach Sheely

The Anderson Creek Fire scorched approximately 400,000 acres of rural Oklahoma and Kansas land, with approximately 273,000 acres affected in Barber County located in south central Kansas, making it one of the wildfire in Kansas history, according to the Kansas Forest Service.

With the help of scores of professional and volunteer firefighters; the Kansas National Guard and an advantageous snowstorm that dropped nearly three inches of snow on the burn zone the morning of March 27, the fire is nearing full containment.

"We were fortunate enough to have the National Guard aircraft mobilize to help out here on the Anderson Creek fire - Kansas side," said Mark Masters, fire operations director, Kansas Forest Service Incident Management Team.

The rugged terrain made it difficult for ground-based fire crews to access all of the areas affected, and that's why the Kansas National Guard aviation assets were needed.

"This terrain is pretty challenging," said Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. "Much of Kansas is flat, but here you've got canyons and a lot of our fire trucks can't get into these areas. The troops have done this in other states so they get to use that experience here in Kansas."

Four Black Hawk helicopters equipped with Bambi buckets and approximately 20 Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, Kansas Army National Guard, arrived in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, the morning of March 26 to assist with aerial fire suppression and reconnaissance. The fire was approximately 15 percent contained at the time, according to Gaten Wood, agency administrator for Barber County.

"The ground crews are stating that we knocked the teeth in on this fire and beat it down pretty good," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steve Hood, KSARNG, who served as the flight control manager. "The civilian agencies in this part of the country do not have any aviation assets, so it's all ground.

"When you get fires this big all the ground guys can do it is try to contain it. With the aircraft and the Bambi bucket, we can really put a lot of water where these guys can't get to. So we can do a lot of cooling of the fire, so the ground crews can get in and knock it down."

The Guard dumped an estimated 124 buckets of water on the hot spots and areas in need, as directed by the incident management. Col. Dave Leger, state Army aviation officer, KSARNG, estimated an approximate 68,000 gallons of water were dumped March 26-27. As of the evening of March 27, the fire containment was estimated to be above 80 percent by incident officials.

Each Black Hawk, which is manned by a four-person crew, scooped water into the Bambi buckets from local water sources to dump on the flames and hot spots. In addition to the aircraft, the 108th sent a fuel tanker truck and another ground support vehicle with two crew members each.

All of the crews fighting the fire received a much-needed break from the windy and dry weather as south central Kansas, including much of the burn area, received an accumulation of up to three inches of overnight snow March 26.

"The timing of the weather was super helpful," said Masters. "We got more moisture than we expected and the timing of getting the National Guard aircraft here and dropping water was helpful. I'm hopeful to be able to put this thing to bed and try to get the local community back to some sense of normalcy."

According to Masters, the teamwork between the fire crews, incident management team and Guard Soldiers came naturally.

"We were working seamlessly as one air team," said Masters. "That cohesion and teamwork was instant as soon as the aircraft landed."

"The integration between us and the guys on the ground has been phenomenal," said Maj. Kevin Kennedy, 1-108th operations officer Black Hawk pilot. "They've been able to zero us in on some of the spots that are inaccessible as well as some of the areas where the fire is just so big it makes more sense to attack it from above."

Many of the Kansas aviation Soldiers have assisted with wildfire suppression in other states, but for most, this was their first fire control mission in Kansas.

"As Guardsmen," Kennedy said. "This is one of the reasons that we joined. We joined so that we could help our brothers and sisters in the event that something happened. The ability to take our training and use that training to help our neighbors is why we got into this business to begin with."

Kennedy was quick to credit the ground crews for the majority of the containment.

"Even though our contributions are probably the most visible," said Kennedy of the Kansas Guard aviation Soldiers, "the people who are making the most difference are the firefighters that are on the ground."

The Guard Soldiers departed Medicine Lodge March 27 to return to their respective home stations in Salina and Topeka.

"Our highest gratitude goes out to the Kansas National Guard for their expertise and professionalism," said Wood. "We couldn't have done it without them."

109th Airmen Call South Pole Home as they package old equipment for shipment north

(From left) Two contractors with the National Science Foundation helped New York Air National Guard Tech. Sgts. Adam Myers, Justin Carkner and Caleb Brumleve build pallets of retro-cargo at the South Pole Station in January 2016. The team was tasked to build and inspect pallets of excess and obsolete materials currently stored at the South Pole Station as part of the newly established South Pole Retrograde Initiative. Myers, Carkner and Brumleve are assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing. (Courtesy photo)

New York National Guard
Story by Tech. Sgt. Catharine Schmidt

AMUNDSEN-SCOTT STATION, Antarctica – Three members of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing called the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station home base for almost two weeks in January as they tackled a new mission for the first time.

The 109th's LC-130 has been flying cargo and people around Antarctica for 28 years using the NSF's McMurdo Station as home base as part of Operation Deep Freeze, the military’s logistical support for the National Science Foundation managed U.S. Antarctic Program.

This year Tech. Sgts. Justin Carkner, Caleb Brumleve and Adam Myers, members of the 109th's Logistics Readiness Squadron's Air Transportation Operations Section, were handpicked for the task of building and inspecting pallets of excess and obsolete materials currently stored at the South Pole.

Their mission was part of the South Pole Retrograde Initiative in which equipment that is no longer needed at the South Pole will be airlifted out to McMurdo and eventually taken off the continent by sea.

The three Airmen were given a goal of building 70 pallets in 12 days. They built 73 in 11 days.

Carkner is assigned to the 109th Logistics Readiness Squadron's Air Transportation Operations section, the section that received the tasking, and has deployed to McMurdo Station as a joint inspector in previous years.

Brumleve, who works with the 109th LRS fuels section, and Myers, who is a firefighter with the 109th Fire Department, were brought on the team as augmentees; neither had ever built a pallet or been to Antarctica.

"The first pallet we built was used as a training aid," Carkner said.

Carkner trained Brumleve and Myers along with two civilians with the NSF who helped out as needed. The team took the first few days to get acclimated to not only the process of completing the job they were sent to do, but also to the harsh environment. Not only are the temperatures well below zero, the station sits at over 9,000 feet of elevation.

"After the first day of work we all said the same thing - the most simple of tasks seemed difficult," Carkner said. "Just by netting the cargo our arms hurt. We chalked it up to not getting the oxygen we normally get so the recovery isn't the same. ... Back home it's a simple task of building a pallet, it was much more strenuous [than at home]."

The team went to the South Pole toward the end of the season, in late January, to have the outgoing “retrocargo” ready to be airlifted at the beginning of next season, when the 109th's LC-130s are already flying missions to the South Pole.

"The pallets will sit on the snow berm over the winter, and when the season starts, they'll start pulling out the cargo we built this year, and it will be a continuous cycle," Carkner said.

Once they had their process streamlined and each had their own task, the pallets they built in their 10-hour work days increased from seven to 10. On Day 11, the team headed back to McMurdo.

All agreed that the new mission is a tremendous opportunity for the 109th to continue demonstrating the wing's value to the U.S. Antarctic Program.

Brumleve said this mission is a great way to retain people who normally don't get to support the unique missions the wing is known for.

"When I first joined, what attracted me to this base was the missions that we do," Brumleve said. "Unfortunately the career field that I held, we don't have a hand in it. ... This is a great opportunity to get a chance to be part of it."

Carkner and Myers said this is a great way to build on the unit's relationship with the NSF and the people working at the Pole.

"It helps the people at the South Pole Station get to know us," Carkner said. "Having a military presence living among the 150-200 people who live at the station, this was an eye opener for them.... We're not just there anymore flying people and supplies; now there's a military presence working among them every day."

The team agreed that the overall experience was a great one.

"The Aerial Port is a great group, and I learned a lot on the trip," Myers said.

"It was a great experience," Brumleve said. "I would go back again and do it, but at the same time if I go back that means someone else isn't getting the opportunity. It's great that the leadership was willing to share [this mission] - we need more people working together."

Leaders within the 109th Mission Support Group said the team did an outstanding job at completing this first mission.

"As [air transportation] we go anywhere, anytime, to get the mission accomplished," said Chief Master Sgt. Mark Mann, 109th ATO superintendent. "Deploying members to the South Pole Station just goes to show what we are capable of doing, from doing a site survey in 2015, to having boots on the ice in 2016 building cargo, shows the dedication our members have to getting the job done."

"Chief Mann and team did a lot of planning and coordination with NSF leading up to this first season of support for the South Pole Retrograde Initiative, and it paid off," said Lt. Col. Tammy Street, 109th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander.

"Our team on the ground surpassed all expectations. The lessons learned from this successful first trip will form the groundwork to plan for future seasons of this multiyear effort. I'm proud of our team's hard work in the harsh Antarctic climate, their flexibility, and their outstanding results," she said.

"We're proud that the 109th is able to support polar research in dynamic ways that demonstrates our commitment to meeting programmatic needs of the National Science Foundation," said Col. Jeffrey Hedges, 109th Mission Support Group commander. "The effort by this select team of Airmen exceeded all expectations and highlights the diverse capability that our wing offers."

Cherry Point firefighter earns Marine Corps Civilian Firefighter of the Year Award

Dustin J. Schneider, left, accepts the Marine Corps Civilian Firefighter of the Year Award from fire chief Rodney T. Wade at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., March 3, 2016. Schneider earned the award for excellence in his job performance. Schneider was chosen from firefighters in fire departments across the Marine Corps. Schneider serves with Cherry Point Fire and Emergency Services. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mackenzie Gibson/Released)

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Story by Lance Cpl. Mackenzie Gibson

Dustin J. Schneider was named the Marine Corps Civilian Firefighter of the Year during a ceremony, here, March 3.
“You can see that it comes naturally to Dustin to take a leadership role, and that’s what sets him apart,” said Jimmy A. Sanders, assistant fire chief of operations with Cherry Point Fire and Emergency Services.
After four years in the Marine Corps, and later as a police officer, Schneider found his calling as a firefighter with CPF&ES in 2008.
According to Schneider’s command, he constantly sets the example for both newer and more senior department firefighters.
Schneider has been interested in firefighting since he was young. He wanted to be a firefighter because he enjoyed helping others, and because firefighting is so dynamic, he explained.
“There is always something to learn,” said Schneider. “As soon as you learn something or master one particular area, another update is coming.”
According to Sanders, Schneider is a trustworthy co-worker who knows what needs to be done and successfully carries out his duties.
“If I give him an assignment, I don’t have to go back and check to ensure it is complete,” said Sanders. “I know it’s done, and it’s done correctly the first time.”
Applications from fire departments across the Marine Corps were submitted for selection. Schneider’s application stood out among his peers because of the many outstanding contributions he made to the fire department during 2015.
Examples include completing more than 360 hours of in-service training, and more than 2,700 duty hours as a driver/operator of the department’s ladder truck with no incidents. He also regularly completed non-assigned duties outside of work, including maintaining the firefighting equipment and taking courses to further his knowledge of his job. Schneider said that he is simply doing his job, and credits the award to his teammates.
“The extra team push makes it enjoyable to come into work,” said Schneider. “No matter what you’re doing that day, you’re going to have a good time while you’re doing it.”
According to Schneider, he wants to stay with CPF&ES until he can retire. Until then, he plans to continue serving his community and make the fire department one of the best in the Marine Corps.
Schneider will go on to compete against the top applicant from each DOD component for the DOD Civilian Firefighter of the Year Award.
“It’s great for him,” said Sanders about Schneider receiving the award. “It’s people like Dustin that make my job a lot easier.”