After dedicating almost 33 years to the Air Force Reserve, Chief Master Sgt. Gloria Bennett, 446th Airlift Wing command chief, will retire and pass on her duties to Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Mack, March 31.

Mack, currently the 86th Aerial Port Squadron first sergeant, will begin his new duties April 1.

"Gloria Bennett's leadership, professionalism, integrity, and enthusiasm have set the standard for (Reservists) in the 446th AW," said Col. Bruce Bowers, 446th AW commander. "We will miss her leadership and I will miss her counsel. Senior Master Sgt. Mack, a longtime wing member, has dedicated his life to serving and will be an invaluable asset to all at Team McChord."

Bennett reflected on her experience as she passes the torch.

"Being able to represent the enlisted Reservists of the 446th is an incredible honor and a highlight of my career," the Olympia native said. "The wing has a long-standing reputation for excellence and is well known for its professional and dedicated people, who excel in all facets of its mission. Selected from a broad range of highly-qualified candidates, Sergeant Mack's combination of passion, will, and caring attitude, allowed him to rise to the top. He will continue to make a positive and tremendous impact on the enlisted force in the wing."

Mack discussed his goals for the wing's future.

"Developing Airmen is the core purpose of the enlisted force," the 22-year Reservist said. "Colonel Bowers has entrusted me to collaborate with wing leadership to lead some of the finest Airmen in the world. This new position will also allow me to continue the tradition of honor and excellence in the 446th AW. The ‘weekend warrior' stigma is gone and it's my job to help train citizen Airmen to execute the global airlift mission on a daily basis."

Bennett has spent her entire career, which began in 1979, at McChord. She was assigned to the 446th Field Maintenance Squadron, 446th Military Airlift Wing, McChord Air Force Base, as a jet engine mechanic. She worked on C-141 Starlifter aircraft and was the assistant maintenance superintendent during the transition to the C-17 Globemaster III.

Mack has also been at McChord his whole career. The Lacey resident enlisted in the Reserve in 1986 and was assigned to the 446th MAW as a heavy airlift aircraft technician, working on C-141s. His first sergeant experience started in the 446th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron after spending 11 years in the aircraft maintenance field. He has been with the 86th APS since 2008.

Registration for the spring "Introduction to Culture" course, an online self-paced undergraduate course that helps enlisted Airmen improve their cross-cultural competence, ends Feb. 29.

The course explores subjects such as elements of culture, family, gender, religion, belief systems, sports and other cultural domains. It also helps Airmen operationalize this knowledge through cross-cultural communication, relations and conflict resolution.

"ITC students should anticipate a similar amount of work to any other in-residence college-level course," said anthropologist Patricia Fogarty, the lead course developer. "Some students find ITC challenging, particularly those who expect it to be a computer-based training course. They also tell us it's engaging, interesting and relevant to their work."

Three hundred seats remain for this general education course which fulfills three resident hours of either social science or program elective credit required for CCAF degrees. Only enlisted active duty, Air Reservists or Air National Guardsmen who are eligible to pursue a degree in the Community College of the Air Force program may take the course.

Although the course provides CCAF credits, that's not the main benefit, according to one Air Force noncommissioned officer.

"I liked the in-depth analysis of each of the topics, and the way it related specifically to the military, and actual situations we might face in a deployed environment or overseas assignment..." said Staff Sgt. Russell Delaney, a recent ITC graduate from the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. "It helped me to better understand how this information could be applied to a real-life scenario I might face in the future, both personally and professionally."

ITC is one of two online courses AFCLC offers that result in college-credit. The other course is Introduction to Cross-Cultural Communication. Registration for CCC course will begin April 5.

These courses, including all instructional material, are provided at no cost, and delivered via AU's web-based Blackboard Learning Management System. Internet access is required.

For the latest information on courses and other resources, see the AFCLC's public website at www.culture.af.mil, and click on the "Culture Education/QEP" tab, or follow the AFCLC on twitter at www.twitter.com/afclc.

Air Force Reserve Command recognizes two 446th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Reservists for their outstanding hands-on maintenance work.

Staff Sgt. Francis Aguon and Mr. Michael Harris are 2011 recipients of the Lieutenant General Leo Marquez Award in the Aircraft Maintenance category. An awards board of air and joint staff maintenance managers chose Aguon and Harris as winners of the Technician and Civilian Technician categories, respectively.

"I'm flattered," said Aguon, who works as an aircraft maintenance technician. "My mind was on Airman Leadership School and pinning on staff sergeant, plus I just got my (career development course books) and now I'm focused on that. The award was definitely a surprise!"

Aguon, a Reservist since 2007, is pursuing his goal of accruing more points for his Post-9/11 G.I. Bill with temporary duty assignments and deployments, and completing his 7-level CDC's. He earned his nomination for the Marquez Award thanks to his maintenance work in Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, supporting Operation New Dawn and Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Harris, who also serves as a Reserve technical sergeant, works as a propulsion Air Reserve technician. His expertise during Operation Deep Freeze, Antarctica, along with some skillful troubleshooting during a TDY to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, garnered him the AFRC recognition.

"I had known that I had been selected at the 4th Air Force level, but was shocked to hear I had won at the AFRC. That's pretty awesome," said Harris. "My bosses sure do know how to write!"

The central point of the Marquez Award is to honor Air Force members, both military and civilian, who excel in technological maintenance. The individual's job performance, application of knowledge on the job site, and workplace efficiency are all considered.

The award was named for retired Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and Engineering, whose 33-years of dedication to the maintenance and logistics career field revolutionized the way they do business. Gen. Marquez passed away Dec. 30, 2011, at 79.

The 446th Airlift Wing will recognize both Aguon and Harris at the Annual Awards Banquet in March.

PHOTO: Mr. Michael Harris, 446th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who also serves as a Reserve technical sergeant, positions a flightline fire extinguisher near a C-17 Globemaster III at McChord Field, Wash., Feb. 11, 2012. Harris is a 2011 recipient of the Lieutenant General Leo Marquez Award in the Aircraft Maintenance category. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Rachael Garneau)

By the time Merryl Tengesdal graduated from the Navy's flight aviation program in 1994, the early women aviation pioneers like Bessie Coleman, Janet Bragg, Willa Brown and Mae Jemison had pretty much broken the barriers for race and gender.

But after the Bronx native switched to the Air Force a decade later, she helped rewrite the aviation and Air Force history books by becoming the first African-American to fly the U-2 reconnaissance plane.

Inspired as a young girl by the Star Trek movies of the 1970s and '80s, Tengesdal went on to excel in math and science in high school and took that interest into college where she earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of New Haven, Conn.

After graduating from college, Tengesdal traveled to San Diego where she applied for and was accepted into the Navy's flight aviation program and would spend the next 10 years as a helicopter pilot flying the SH-60B Sea Hawk on missions in the Middle East, South America and throughout the Caribbean.

In 2004 Tengesdal switched to the Air Force where she made a dramatic change from helicopters to flying at altitudes of as much as 70,000 feet for hours at a time flying the U-2 reconnaissance plane. "I was one of five women in my class and the only female that graduated," said Tengesdal. "I just stayed focused as I went through the training process."

Tengesdal said the U-2 is one of the more difficult aircraft to fly, and is designed for high altitude, with a long wingspan and a landing gear with two wheels rather than three. "When you land, you actually have to stall the aircraft at two feet because of the wings." Tengesdal said that some of her best moments as a U-2 pilot have come during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, along with Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa where she was able to provide troops on the ground with information obtained from her flights.

Tengesdal is a senior pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours, with more than 330 of those in combat. She is currently a lieutenant colonel assigned to Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

Ron Limes and Kimberly Scott aren't the first African-American pilots in the Air Force- and their plans are not to be the last.

The lieutenant colonels from the 446th Airlift Wing displayed that goal during a question and answer panel at the 3rd Annual Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson Aerospace Memorial Program Day at the Seattle Museum of Flight, Feb. 4, 2012.

The purpose of the MPA program, also known as "Keep the Dream Alive," is to provide minority students, grades six through nine, exposure to professions in science, engineering, technology, and math through inspiration. But being Citizen Airmen, the colonels also represented the 446th AW as another avenue for the students to take.

"I think serving in the military is honorable," said Limes, who flies out of the 97th Airlift Squadron. "I want to let kids know that. If I can steer a young man or woman toward a life of service to this country, I think it'd very rewarding."

According to Limes, this is only one way to get the Reserve mission out to the public.

"Part of our mission at the 446th is community outreach and this is just one arm of it," said Limes, a pilot with Alaska Airlines in his civilian career. "It's kind of crazy. A lot of people don't even know we're here. We're not only bringing awareness that we're here, but we're also major players who contribute a lot more than people realize. There may be one, two, or three of those kids who will say, 'I can be a Reservist and pursue my civilian career.' There are so many avenues in being a Reservist," he added.

Scott, who flies out of the 728th Airlift Squadron, uses these events to brag about the Reserve as much as she can.

"I really enjoy representing the Air Force Reserve," said Scott, who also flies for Alaska Airlines. "I enjoy my job and enjoy sharing my experience. It's great to share my job with the 446th with young people."

Limes recalls his response to one of the questions during the panel.

"One question was 'what barriers did I have to overcome in my career?'" said the 12-year Reservist. "In the audience we had Tuskegee Airmen, retired general officers, and other African-American military members who had already broken down the (racial) barriers for me. Thankfully, because of them, those paths were already paved for me. My only obstacles were to get it done."
The panel was only a segment of what the day entailed, said Scott, who is only one of two African-American female C-17 Globemaster III pilots in the Air Force.

The youth had the opportunity to learn about who Anderson was, and his vision for reaching out to children in the community, said Scott. Then, they met with aerospace mentors and volunteers, got to learn about space shuttle aviation missions where they got to plan and simulate flight plans, listen to guest speakers from diverse backgrounds, and got to experience the screening of a documentary on the Tuskegee Airmen film, "Red Tails."

"The kids had a private session with Dr. Bernard Harris, a former astronaut," said Scott. "He really engaged with them about how he achieved his dreams, and answered questions about what it is like to travel through space."

Although they weren't able to promote the 446th AW mission as much as they wanted, Limes and Scott feel they still brought awareness to the wing and the experiences of being Reservists.

"I got feedback from a few students who wanted more information on what I do and how I did it," he said. "It sparked more questions about joining the Reserve."

Scott gave the audience an insight of how the pilots balance their military and civilian careers.

"The panel provided audience members with a good understanding of Citizen Airmen, as (Limes) and I discussed how we were in the Reserve and also employees of Alaska Airlines," she said.

In the future, Limes plans on getting more participation from Reservists in the wing.

"Hopefully, we can have more Reserve participation in the future," he said. "We always need volunteers. If we could get Reserve leadership to take part in these events to see what we're doing for community outreach, it would be amazing."

Limes feels Reservists have the obligation to be involved in the community to help shape a better future.

"We touched 60 kids in the community by letting them know they can accomplish their dreams," he said. "My goal is to let them know that professional dreams are available and possible. I think we, as military members, have a responsibility to reach out to kids and this is a great way to do it."

PHOTO: SEATTLE- Both adults and youth who participated in the Keep the Dream Alive event through the Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson Aerospace Program, stand in front of the memorial at the Seattle Museum of Flight, Feb. 4, 2012. One of the activities of the event was the Reaching your Potential Panel which 446th Airlift Wing Reserve pilots, Lt. Col. Ron Limes and Lt. Col. Kim Scott participated in, along with other guests. The purpose of the event was to give youth inspiration and opportunities to achieve their goals, while also bringing awareness to the Air Force Reserve. (photo courtesy of Seattle Museum of Flight)

New recordings of The U.S. Air Force Song are available for use in official military ceremonies. The new recordings, one with vocals and one instrumental-only, respect the original character, lyrics and melody of the song, but are designed to promote more successful performances of our service song by military members around the world.

As of Feb. 6, the old recordings have been removed from the Air Force Portal and the new recordings posted in their place under "Air Force--Sights and Sounds--Air Force Song (Instrumental) and Air Force Song (Choral)." 

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs officials request that all Air Force Bands, the Air Force Public Affairs Agency, and any other USAF or DOD organization with recordings of The U.S. Air Force Song posted on their organizational sites replace the old versions with the new.

Any questions may be directed to Senior Master Sgt. Jessica Wheeldon at (703) 695-0019 or DSN 225-0019.

The Air Force Food Transformation Initiative began at six pilot locations a little over a year ago, and the ground-breaking initiative continues to make progress in redefining how food is delivered to today's Airmen.

In its first year, Airmen at the FTI pilot locations experienced revamped menu options, healthier selections, new aesthetic dining room designs and increased operating hours.

"(FTI) is improving the manner in which we deliver meal choices, food quality, speed of service, and the overall dining experience to our personnel," said Daniel Ginsberg, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. "We will continue working with Congress, the secretary of defense, Air Staff and (Air Force) Services personnel in promoting and introducing FTI to other Air Force locations at the right time, sequence and manner."

Campus-style dining
Air Force Services officials said a top FTI success is the campus dining implementation, which allows Airmen on meal cards to eat at FTI-contracted, nonappropriated-fund food and beverage operations. This gives Airmen in the dorms the ability to eat at locations based upon personal preference and helps save them time if they work far from the dining facility. Pilot installations have served nearly 50,000 enlisted Airmen to date.

"Travis Airmen have embraced the campus style of dining," said Master Sgt. Kevin James, the 60th Force Support Squadron sustainment services flight superintendent at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "Our Airmen enjoy the varieties provided by FTI and have consistently expressed positive comments about the additional options, especially the 'Wingman's' and the Knucklebuster Café."

Campus dining is also a huge hit at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., said Lawrence Hornback, the 45th FSS chief of community services flight.
"Our single Airmen love being able to use their meal card at any one of five food and beverage operations run by our FSS team," Hornback said.

A sense of community
Another FTI success was enhancing a sense of Air Force community at the pilot locations by allowing civilians, families and retirees to eat at dining facilities along with total force Airmen.

"Without a doubt, the number one success since the start of FTI (at Patrick AFB) was allowing the larger base population to eat at our Riverside Dining facility," Hornback said. "Our number of customers have tripled, and our entire workforce raves about the selection, quality and price of food."

Allowing the installation community to eat at dining facilities resulted in an increase of total meals served from 1.42 million to more than 1.95 million customers served for all six pilot locations combined during the first year. Additionally, the number of Airmen using meal cards increased by more than 133,000 meals during the first year.

During the first year, pilot locations increased dining facility hours of operation from an average of 55 hours per week to an average of 110 hours per week, providing more accessibility to customers.

Two pilot locations took accessibility a step further by incorporating food kiosks, called provisions on demand, to provide grab-and-go hot and cold food and beverages for Airmen working far from dining facilities. Officials said they will continue to review additional locations for PODs.

The future
The second year of the initiative includes renovating pilot location dining facilities to further enhance food delivery. Instead of traditional cafeteria-style serving lines, the renovations will add serving stations such as salads, sandwiches and pizza, allowing customers to proceed directly to their station of choice, James said. A "Cooking Light" area will provide made-to-order, nutritious menu entrees for those desiring healthy dining options.

"The days of waiting in line for a sandwich while the chef is busy serving from the snack line are done," James said. "FTI renovations will provide our customer base an improved dining experience and our chefs the resources to provide better service to the Travis community."

Additionally, the pilot locations will implement branded concepts at NAF food and beverage operations including "Wingman's" at the enlisted and collocated clubs, "Tenpins" at the bowling centers and "Fairways" at the golf courses.

Other pilot locations include Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Fairchild AFB, Wash.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; and MacDill AFB, Fla.

For more information about Air Force food service operations and other quality of life programs, visit www.usafservices.com or www.myairforcelife.com.

Congratulations to the following members of the 62nd Airlift Wing and Team McChord who earned a quarterly award for the months of October through December 2011.

Airman of the Quarter

62nd AW: Airman 1st Class Bradley Bardsley, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron
Team McChord: Senior Airman Michael Walter, 627th Security Forces Squadron

Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter

62nd AW: Tech. Sgt. Miles Haroldson, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Team McChord: Staff Sgt. Devin O'Donnell, 373rd Training Squadron

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter

62nd AW: Master Sgt. Eric Daniels, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron
Team McChord: Master Sgt. Donald Hood, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron

Junior Company Grade Officer of the Quarter

62nd AW: 2nd Lt. Joseph Crisostomo, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Team McChord: 1st Lt. Chaola Harris, 627th Force Support Squadron

Company Grade Officer of the Quarter

62nd AW: Capt. Jonathan Dedic, 62nd Operations Support Squadron
Team McChord: Capt. Mica Myers, 627th Communications Squadron

Civilian Category Ia

62nd AW: Janet Johengen, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron
Team McChord: Katrina Hinnenkamp, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron

Civilian Category IIa

62nd AW: Lowell Mooney, 62nd Operations Support Squadron
Team McChord: Karen Van Pelt, 627th Force Support Squadron

Civilian Category IIb

Anthony Bamba, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron


Honor Guard Member of the Quarter

Tech. Sgt. Jason Elliot, 627th Security Forces Squadron

President Barack Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger to the rank of general, and as commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced today.

The promotion would make Wolfenbarger the Air Force's first female four-star general.

"The secretary strongly supports the president's nomination, and he believes that General Wolfenbarger is an outstanding Air Force officer," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today. "The fact that she would be the first woman to wear a fourth star in the Air Force, if confirmed, is a testament to her skills, experience and dedication."

If confirmed by the Senate, Wolfenbarger would become the military's second female officer to receive four stars behind Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commander of Army Materiel Command, who was promoted to general in 2008.

As the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition in the Pentagon, Wolfenbarger is responsible for research and development, test, production, and modernization of Air Force programs worth more than $40 billion annually.

A 1980 Air Force Academy graduate, Wolfenbarger began her career in acquisitions as an engineer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. She has held a variety of assignments at headquarters Electronic Security Command and Air Force Systems Command.

Wolfenbarger has had oversight of the F-22 program at Wright-Patterson and in the Pentagon, and was program director for the B-2 aeronautical systems at Wright-Patterson. She commanded the Aeronautical Systems Center's C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing.

Wolfenbarger was director of the Air Force Acquisition Center of Excellence at the Pentagon, then served as director of the Headquarters AFMC Intelligence and Requirements Directorate at Wright-Patterson. She was the vice commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson before taking her current position.

Wolfenbarger holds master's degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in national resource strategy from the National Defense University.

Team Silver or Team Blue? Actually, it really doesn't matter which team you support, as ultimately it's Team McChord that will benefit from the upcoming operational readiness inspection.

The 446th Airlift Wing, 62nd Airlift Wing, with support from the 627th Air Base Group, will head out to the "war" Feb. 10-17 in the first of three team practices for the October Air Mobility Command Inspector General Operational Readiness Inspection.

This first practice is here on the home field - McChord Field. And it won't be like any operational readiness exercise you've seen before. Team Silver and Team Blue will alternate days between straight up training and working in the "deployed" environment.  Individuals will find out which team they're assigned to next week.

"What will happen is that on Monday of the exercise, work hours are 6 in the morning to 6 at night. So, folks will be arriving into the play area, both Blue and Silver for initial reception and bed down," said Lt. Col. Diego Wendt, 446th AW chief, exercises and evaluations.

Prior to the initial reception and bed down Feb. 13, both Reserve and active-duty Airmen will process for deployment Feb. 11-12.

"The 'war' kicks off Tuesday morning. Team Blue will have 12 hours of war, while Team Silver will have 12 hours of training, to include ATSO (ability to survive and operate), mask fitting, self-aid buddy care; it's a really robust training plan," Wendt said.

Wednesday, Team Silver fights while Team Blue does training. Thursday the teams will switch.

"Friday, we have a shortened war and a shortened training event. Everything wraps up on Friday. The one thing we opted not to exercise, because it's artificial anyway in a local event, is the redeployment. So what we did by giving up the exercising of the redeployment is we bought ourselves an extra day of war and real useful training," explained Wendt.

The main objective of this ORE, according to Wendt, is to fully test Team McChord's initial response and the deployment process. So that means every ORI-tasked function and personnel will process Saturday or Sunday on the Reserve weekend, including active-duty Airmen. About 695 people are expected to process.

"Everyday we'll expect people to be on base between 5:30 in the morning and 5:45 in the morning; whether it's a war day or a training day," said Wendt. "The war days, the warriors will report to the O'Club, where a shuttle will leave at 5:45 to transport people to the 300 area.

On training days, people will go to Hangar 9, where they'll need to be at 6 in the morning."

For the initial bed down Feb. 13, everyone will go to the McChord Field Club in the order of their chalks for deployment.

In the war zone (play area), there will be no cell phones; don't even bring them, according to Wendt.

"And don't bring food, not even snacks. MREs (meals-ready-to-eat) and a hot lunch will be provided in the war area," Wendt said. "Bring cash, because MRE's cost $4.55 each. You can buy them in the initial processing line on Saturday or Sunday (pre-order them), or you can buy them when you check in through personnel in the war zone."

On training days, Wendt recommends people show up with a good breakfast already in them, and to bring snacks. There will be only one hour for lunch.

When working on a training day, Airmen need to ensure they bring with them any computer-based training certificates for the self-aid buddy care and Chemical, Biological, Radioactive, Nuclear and Explosive training.

"We call this our Bang for the Buck plan," said Wendt. "The most valuable objective is to train for the first time, as a joint base with our 627th and 62nd partners. The real value of this is that the Reserve brings an extraordinary amount of experience to the table and we're looking forward to the opportunity to train."

In addition to the training "deploying" Airmen will receive, exercise evaluation team members will receive training as well.

"We're looking forward to the opportunity to train EET members to create a standardized grading process so when we go to the May fly-a-way, we're all grading from the same criteria," said Wendt. "We want to raise up inspectors who will provide an ORI/AMC IG level inspection for the May and September fly-a-ways."

Photo: Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing, McChord Field, Wash., process through a deployment line here before leaving for an exercise. Both Reserve and active-duty Airmen will process much like this for the operational readiness exercise Feb. 11-12, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Grant Saylor).