8 The Cargo Courier,Sept. 14, 2002

123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XVIII, No. 9 • Sept. 14, 2002

123rd Airlift WingPublic Affairs OfficeKentucky Air National Guard1101 Grade LaneLouisville, KY 40213-2678

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

2 STS troops killed in MC-130 crashUnit remembers late comrades as great men, patriotsBy Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

A sea of blue filled the Base Annex Aug.16 to remember the lives of Tech. Sgts.Christopher Matero and Martin Tracy, com-bat controllers here in the 123rd Special Tac-tics Squadron.

The men were killed Aug. 7 when the MC-130H Combat Talon they were aboardcrashed in Puerto Rico while on a trainingmission.

They will be remembered for their bigsmiles, senses of humor and a pursuit forphysical fitness excellence, according tofriends and co-workers.

The loss is great, said 2nd Lt. Sean

The following individuals have beenpromoted to the rank indicated

as members of theKentucky Air Guard and reservists

of the United States Air Force:

SENIOR AIRMAN (E-4)

TECHNICAL SERGEANT (E-6)

•Adam Barker,123rd Communications Flt.

•Wendy Haight,123rd Services Flt.

The following individualshave retired as members of the

Kentucky Air Guard andreservists of the

United States Air Force: The following individualshave separated from

the Kentucky Air Guard:

•Senior Airman Brandy Allen,123rd Logistics Sq.

•Airman 1st Class John Walton,123rd Student Flt.

•Senior Airman Gary Warford,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

STAFF SERGEANT (E-5)

•Heather Boyd,123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Jonathan Coulter,123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Sheldon Cowley,

KyANG State Headquarters•Lawrence Hamel,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Christopher Lockwood,

123rd Maintenance Sq.•Daniel Marks,

165th Weather Flt.

•Anthony Berold,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Jeffrey Bryant,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Thomas Hagan,123rd Communications Flt.

•Jody King,123rd Airlift Control Element

•David Nichter,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•James Tongate,165th Airlift Sq.

•Lt. Col. Robert Abell,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Maj. Catherine Brown,123rd Operations Support Sq.

•Lt. Col. Douglas Butler,123rd Medical Sq.

•Lt. Col. Joseph Charbonneau,165th Airlift Sq.

•Tech. Sgt. Timothy Duncan,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Senior Master Sgt. Ronald George,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Tech. Sgt. Larry Hill,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Senior Airman Stephen Johnson,123rd Services Flt.

•Staff Sgt. Barbara Kolb,123rd Airlift Wing

•Master Sgt. David Pierce,123rd Logistics Gp.

•Tech. Sgt. Donald Pierce,123rd Communications Flt.

•Lt. Col. Christopher Reymann,165th Airlift Sq.

•Tech. Sgt. James Skaggs,123rd Maintenance Sq.

Promotions, retirements & separations Kentucky Air National Guard

McLane, director of operationsfor the special tactics squadron.

“It’s hard to quantify,” hesaid. “As combat controllers,it’s not unusual for us to losefriends in the career field be-cause of the dangers associatedwith the job.”

What makes this more tragic,McLane said, is that both menspent time in war-torn Afghani-stan for Operation EnduringFreedom and survived only tocome home and be killed on atraining mission.

“We’ve just lost two of ourbest operators, guys with real-

world experiencewho have beenshot at and still didtheir job. That’s arare commodity.

“We know theyhave courage un-der fire becausethey’ve been un-der fire.”

Most of all,McLane added,“we just lost two really greatguys.”

Tech. Sgt. Martin Tracy, 33,had been in the Kentucky AirGuard for nearly six years andhad served in the military since1987.

After leaving the active-dutyAir Force as a survival schoolinstructor, he joined the unithere and made a careerchange to become a combatcontroller. In his new job, Tracy,like other Kentucky Air Guardcombat controllers, stayed de-ployed nearly 200 days a year.

Tech Sgt. Martin Tracy

His friends remember him as the man theywish they could be because of his attitudeand dedication to physical fitness.

“He was everything you could ever wantto be in person,” said Tech. Sgt. Bill Sprake,also a combat controller in the 123rd.

“He was the most physically fit, and hehad the personality that nothing ever both-ered him. He was the most fun to be around,and you could always count on his laugh toliven things up.”

Tracy was, Sprake said, the kind of per-son who didn’t let the little things get to him.

“When things get stressful in the field,

See MATERO AND TRACY, Page 5

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Matero

Airman of the Yearpackages dueOctober drill

Nominations are now beingaccepted for the 2002 KentuckyAir Guard Outstanding Airmenof the Year Awards.

Packages for all categories—airmen, NCOs and SeniorNCOs— are due to the 123rdMilitary Personnel Flight nolater than Oct. 5.

A selection board will be heldduring the November drill. Ifpossible, all nominated should bepresent to meet the board.

More information on theprogram and the nominationprocess can be found inKyANGI 36-2801, chapter 5.

For questions, contact ChiefMaster Sgt. Mike Mitro at ext.4465.

2 7The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002

COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS

Col. Michael Harden123rd Airlift Wing Commander

Wing Commander..............................Col. Michael HardenWing Public Affairs Officer.....................Capt. Dale GreerEditor................................................Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerStaff Writer.............................Senior Airman Mark Flener

This funded Air Force newspaper is an authorized pub-lished for members of the U.S. military services. Contentsof The Cargo Courier are not necessarily the official viewsof, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department ofDefense or the Air Force.

The editorial content is edited, prepared and providedby the public affairs office of the 123rd Airlift Wing, Ken-tucky Air National Guard, Louisville International Airport,Louisville, Ky. 40213-2678.

Our office is located in room 2118 of the Wing Head-quarters Building. Deadline for the next issue is Sept. 23.

How to contact us:Phone: (502) 364-9431Fax: (502) 364-9676E-mail: amy.ziegler@kyloui.ang.af.mil

An electronic version of the Cargo Courier is available at the Kentucky Air Guard’s Web site — www.kyloui.ang.af.mil

123rd Airlift Wing Editorial Staff

By Master Sgt. Ron TullAir Force Print News

WASHINGTON—More than 100,000 ofthe Air Force’s government travel cards willbe canceled in early October for lack of use,according to the service’s travel card pro-gram manager.

The move, said Michael Weber, is part ofa service-wide effort to “clean up the booksand will affect those people who have notused their card for a year or more. He addedthat precautions are in place to ensure noone is caught empty-handed in a time ofneed.

“We won’t leave anyone stranded,” We-ber said.

“If for some reason an individual didn’thear about this (policy) and is checking intoa hotel and the card is rejected, (he or she)can always have the hotel staff call the num-ber on the back of the card to have the bankoverride the transaction. We can force au-thorize restaurants, rental cars and airlinetickets, but not automatic teller machines.”

The actions come as a result of a recenttask force formed in response to congres-sional hearings on government credit cards.

USAF officials to cancel 100,000 travel cardsThe task force confirmed that the Depart-ment of Defense has too many cards in thehands of people who are not using them,Weber said.

The Air Force has the largest travel cardprogram in the Department of Defense withapproximately 532,000 travel cards issued,or 37 percent of the DOD total, accordingto Weber.

“It’s not as bad as it appears on the sur-face. A lot of these cards are already ex-pired,” he said.

“We estimate that out of the 100,000 cards(subject to cancellation), 80,000 of them areexpired or unused.”

The card cancellations, set to begin Oct.3, will help the Air Force and Bank ofAmerica clean up their databases, Webersaid.

Those who have their card canceled butstill need one for Air Force travel will haveto go through a re-application process.

New applications should be available inSeptember on the Web.

“This could inconvenience some people,but we know of no easy way to do it,” hesaid.

Commanders and agency program coor-

dinators will receive lists in early Septem-ber of cards expected to be canceled.

If anyone on the list is traveling in thenear future, he or she can call the bank toget an authorized override on the account.

It will still require a phone call by themerchant at the point of purchase.

The government travel card remains anintegral part of the Defense Travel Systemand represents the best option for Air Forcetravelers, Weber said.

“I still get people who tell me they don’tlike the travel card,” he said.

“But I’ve yet to have someone suggest amore modern way to travel.”

Furthermore, Weber said, the proper useof the card relates to military readiness.

“If we need you to travel and you don’thave a card, your travel will have to behandled special,” he said.

“We no longer have the manpower or fa-cilities to do that for a person.

“Gone are the days when we had peoplein uniform behind a counter, looking at yourorders and handing out cash. The travel cardhelps the Air Force to use manpower in morepressing areas, such as the war on terror-ism.”

Air Force Print News

WASHINGTON—The Anthrax VaccineImmunization Program, on hold since June2001 because of supply concerns, will likelyresume this month for people in selected ar-eas overseas.

The vaccine will initially be given topeople assigned or deployed to “high-threat”areas for more than 15 days, according tothe office of the assistant secretary of de-fense for public affairs. The message notedthat the program will expand as supplycatches up with demand.

Brig. Gen. Mike Gould, the Air Force’sdirector of operational plans at the Penta-gon, said that the program is an importanttool in the force protection arsenal.

“This is all about readiness,” he said. “It’sabout taking care of our people who arefighting the war on terrorism. The key thingto remember is that, first of all, the threat isreal and, secondly, the anthrax shots…areproven safe and effective.”

Manufacturing of the anthrax vaccine wastemporarily halted in January 1998.

The Food and Drug Administration ap-proved renovation of the BioPortCorporation’s Michigan-based vaccinemanufacturing facility in December 2001,and the National Academy of Sciences af-firmed the safety and efficacy of the vac-cine in its March report.

Gould said the job of Air Force command-ers and senior leaders is to take care of theirpeople, and that is what the anthrax vacci-nation program is all about.

“We don’t want to send anybody intoharm’s way or to do a mission without thefull protection that we can offer,” he said.

“A football coach isn’t going to send anoffensive lineman onto the field without thesame protective equipment and training andconditioning as his star running back andquarterback. It’s the same exact thing here.

“We want every member to have everyopportunity to survive should (he or she)encounter a threat like this.”

Anthrax shots to resume this month

WASHINGTON—The lastofficer and enlisted specialties werereleased from Stop-Loss on Sept. 1.

Secretary of the Air Force JamesG. Roche said the release will bephased in during a one-monthperiod to allow both the Air Forceand affected personnel time fortransition.

“We have arrived at a newsteady-state,” Roche said. “Stop-Loss most certainly helped us gethere successfully, but we hadpledged all along that we wouldn’thold onto anyone longer thannecessary.”

The release does not apply toairmen who are currently deployedin support of operations NobleEagle and Enduring Freedom.

All specialtiesreleased from

Stop-Loss

t has been one year sinceour nation was brutallyattacked and since westarted our military, eco-nomic and diplomatic re-sponse to this attack.

Our president told us this was going to bea long and arduous struggle—that liveswould be changed, and lives would be lost.

Nothing has changed since then to leadus to think this thing is over.

I’m afraid we have been lulled into a falsesense of well-being in the past six monthsor so and just might have forgotten what adespicable act this was.

We hear the attack described as a trag-edy, much the same as a hurricane or flood,and we call our response a “War on Terror.”

Well I choose to view it differently.The actions of Sept. 11 were indeed tragic,

but let’s call them what they were—a coldblooded attack on the citizens of the UnitedStates carried out by evil men who intendedto kill as many Americans as they could inan attempt to change our foreign policies anddestroy our way of life.

This should not be called a tragedy—thiswas a blatant act of war and should be re-ferred to as such.

War is waged on people and the countries,or institutions, that they represent.

To call this a “War on Terror” only servesto lessen the importance of our task and thepossible impact on our population.

Terror is a feeling or state of mind. Youdon’t wage war on a feeling; you wage waron people and nations.

There are a lot of folks out there who aretrying every day to kill, maim and disruptour citizens.

These people believe that we subscribe tothe wrong foreign policy, they want us outof the Middle East, and they believe that kill-ing our people will convince us to do that.

So our response is not a “War on Terror,”it is a war on every person who plots or car-ries out an attack on us, and against thosewho give financial or other aid to them.

We have to find these people, and we haveto eliminate them before they attack us again.

We have to make it so miserable for themthat they don’t have time to plan attacks.

All they have time to do is run and hide—and when they stick their heads up we cutthem off.

It is the responsibility of our president and

our government to protect and defend ourAmerican way of life and the citizens whoenjoy its freedoms.

As military folks we are the instrumentsthat are used to protect and defend.

As Guard members and members of theThoroughbred Express we have respondedmagnificently to the call thus far.

We must not let down now.I believe it is not an accident that there

hasn’t been another attack since Sept. 11.The actions of our government, the mili-

tary, civilian law enforcement and othershave been the reason.

This war is far from over, and we mustall stay prepared to once again answer thecall. Everyone in the 123rd is a player inthis war.

You may not be the guy who personallykills the enemy, but you may fly him there.You may fix the aircraft that got him there.You may order the part to fix the aircraft.You may build or protect the base fromwhich our aircrews operate. You may cookthe meals or type the orders.

But you all have a vital roll, and you willbe called upon again.

It is imperative that we all maximize ourtraining. Pay a little more attention to theclass, or to the briefing.

Check out your gear and make sure it’sin proper working order.

Take care of your personal obligationsand be ready. Your nation depends upon it.

Thanks Loads!

The war is not over—stay prepared

I

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002 3The Cargo Courier

Sept. 14, 20026

KyANG NEWSKyANG NEWS

“First In… That Others May Live” is the motto of Air Forcespecial tactics personnel.

The military community is expected to take care of others first.But who takes care of you, the care-giver?

Self-aid and buddy care includes taking care ofyourself, especially in stressful times.

Barney Self, a licensed therapist, warns us againstburn out or compassion fatigue.

We cannot hear other people’s pain without being affectedby it in some way.

Some of the effects include sleep difficulties, irritability,depression, aggression, pessimism, cynicism, quitting the joband poor work performance.

Discovering how to restore your batteries is good self-aid. Hereare some helpful tips:—Disconnect from accessibility during your “off time.” Let some-

one else get the phone.—Prune some activities from your “urgent” schedule. If you add

an activity, drop another.—Learn to laugh. It’s like internal jogging.

—Minimize time with negative people. You’ll start to think like them.—Stay with “good enough.” Do you really need a new car, boat,

etc.? Sometimes, what you have is good enough.—Take a break from media and electronics. Turn off the TV and

leave it off for a week.—Establish routines that refresh. Enjoy breakfastwith the family weekly.

—Adjust your expectations with yourself. You arenot Superwoman or Superman.

Avoid things that deplete you—they usuallyonly make you feel worse: Caffeine, eating for

comfort, alcohol, pornography, compulsive buying, nicotine andworkaholism are a few examples.

Instead, try things that replenish you—like storytelling, music,exercise, couples’ relationship time, hearing stories of healing, me-diation, spiritual growth/Bible study/worship and connecting withfriends.

—Lt. Col. Tom CurryWing Chaplain

Chaplain’s

olumnC

Remember to care for yourself even when caring for others

Story and photo by Jennifer Turner437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Nearly 35 Kentucky Air Guard aerial portmembers joined with four other Guard unitsat Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., July 21-Aug. 3 to hold the first all-Guard PatriotPartner exercise.

With Kentucky’s 123rd Aerial PortSquadron serving as the lead unit, the troopsassembled and took over aerial port facili-ties at the active-duty base, said Chief Mas-ter Sgt. Tommy Downs, who served as su-perintendent for the 703rd ConsolidatedAerial Port Squadron during the exercise.

It’s purpose was to free up active-dutytroops for training and annual leave whileproviding Guard troops with additional ex-perience and training, the chief said.

The annual exercise usually is run by bothAir Force Reserve and Guard personnel.What made this event different is that is wasthe first national exercise of its kind with allGuard participants, said Maj. Doug Rose,commander of the 123rd Aerial Port Squad-ron.

“We had 144 personnel deployed fromfive units providing around-the-clock sup-port for a vital strategic port,” Rose said.

“I was thoroughly impressed by the pro-fessionalism, skill level and attitude of eachof the members of the 703rd.”

The Guard units mirrored active-duty’s

123rd APS leads 1st all-Guard Patriot Partnerdaily activities and provided 24-hour cover-age seven days a week, with three daily eight-hour shifts.

During Patriot Partner, approximately 75to 80 percent of the active-duty unit’s activi-ties were handled exclusively by the Guardmembers.

Guard units also took advantage of the op-portunity to train with unfamiliar equipment.

“We have been able to train with a Tunnerloader, operational software and oversizedcargo that aren’t available at our homebases,” said 1st Lt. Kevin Thornberry of theKentucky unit, who served as officer incharge of air freight for the 703rd.

Ultimately, Patriot Partner allows guards-men to train with other Guard units and ac-tive-duty personnel and achieve completework-force integration.

“The Air Force considers the Reserve andGuard as a Total Force component,” Rosesaid. “Distinctions are rarely made these daysbetween the active duty, Reserve and Guard.

“All the gaining commander cares is thathe has a fully qualified group of aerial por-ters who can safely and effectively run hiscargo, fleet, passenger and Air Terminal Op-erations Center operations.

“Patriot Partner offers us a unique oppor-tunity to further refine the skills we will needwhen we are called to duty anywhere in theworld.”

Both active-duty and Guard personnel re-

Five Air Guard units took over aerial portoperations at Charleston Air Force Base,S.C., July 21-Aug. 3 for the first all-GuardPatriot Partner exercise.

alize the value of cooperative training pro-grams like Patriot Partner.

“Patriot Partner is based on mutual ben-efit,” said 1st Lt. Jeff Vincent of the 123rdand 703rd.

“The (active-duty) personnel get a breakwhile Guard members get crucial training.”

Other Guard units that participated in-clude the 135th Aerial Port Squadron of Bal-timore, Md.; 137th Aerial Port Squadron ofOklahoma City, Okla.; 152nd Aerial PortSquadron of Reno, Nev.; and 156th AerialPort Squadron of Carolina, Puerto Rico.

—Cargo Courier Editor Tech. Sgt. AmyZiegler contributed to this article.

PLANEPULLIN’

Just

Family Day returns to the Ky. Air Guard

Twenty members of the 123rd Airlift Wing gath-ered here Aug. 3 to participate in the Seventh-Annual UPS Plane Pull. The event raised nearly110,000 for Special Olympics Kentucky, whichsponsors athletic competitions for childrenand adults who are mentally disabled.

The team included, in front from left, Tech. Sgt. Valercia Mar-tin, 1st Lt. Katrina Johnson, Team Captain 2nd Lt. LatoniaTrowell, Master Sgt. Teresa Adams, Co-captain Senior AirmanAmanda Blackburn, Senior Airman Tracy Willen, Tech. Sgt. AmyZiegler, Tech. Sgt. Mary Thurman; in back from left, Senior Air-man Cameron Taylor, Airman Remiah Newton, Master Sgt.Barry Wright, 1st Lt. Jason Schmidt, Staff Sgt. Tyra Allen, Se-nior Airman Conley Moore, Alejandro Rendon, Master Sgt. PeteRendon, Master Sgt. Ted Schiess, Tech. Sgt. Cedric Jones, StaffSgt. Nick James and Staff Sgt. Cary Mendelsohn.

Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Kentucky

By Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

Kentucky Air Guard Family Day re-turns to the Thoroughbred Express thisyear, and it’s scheduled for Oct. 6.

The event, which was cancelled lastyear for security reasons, promises to bea fun day for everyone, said Lt. Col. RichFrymire, event coordinator.

“It’s really a splendid opportunity forKentucky Air Guard members and theirfamilies to enjoy a fun-filled and relax-ing afternoon.

“It’s always great when family mem-bers get a chance to come and see whatwe do,” he said.

“It’s even better when we have goodfood and fun things to do to go alongwith it.”

The day will be packed with eventsbeginning at 11 a.m. and continuing un-til 3:30 p.m., Frymire said.

The year’s static display will featurethe C-130 Hercules and the F-16 Fal-con aircraft.

Other attractions include live demon- Master Sgt. Charlie Simpson/KyANG

Lt. Col. Ken Dale of the wing’s SafetyOffice gets lunch with his daughterduring Family Day 2000.

strations and mock attacks by the 123rdSecurity Forces Squadron.

Visitors also will have a chance toview the unit’s Firearms Training Sys-tem in action.

Meanwhile, the Fire Truck Pull willallow members of the 123rd Civil En-gineers Squadron to defend their titlefrom Family Day 2000.

Numerous children’s activities areplanned, including a rock-climbing wall.

Finally, popular Louisville aviationartist Bob Conely will be on hand todisplay his prints featuring KyANG air-craft from the past 50 years.

Unit members are encouraged tobring cookies, cakes and brownies for acake-walk.

Desserts should be dropped off at theThoroughbred Dining Facility on Fam-ily Day between 7 and 10:30 a.m.

For information on the event, con-tact Lt. Col. Rich Frymire at ext. 4589.

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002 54

KyANG NEWSKyANG NEWS

By Senior Airman Mark FlenerCargo Courier Staff Writer

For more than 10 years Paula McLain andDarlene Swanner have volunteered theirtime to the Kentucky Air Guard’s FamilyReadiness Team.

Recently, however, that changed. On July16, both women were hired as part-time em-ployees and now receive pay for roughly100 hours’ work per month.

Lt. Col. Rich Frymire, who oversees theFamily Readiness Team, said the decisionfulfills the vision of former Air Guard Di-rector Maj. Gen. Paul Weaver.

“His vision is now a reality as units acrossthe country are staffing family readiness po-sitions with employees rather than volun-

teers,” Frymire noted.The purpose of these positions, Frymire

said, is to help unit members with a diverserange of issues. These include providingmoral support for families affected by de-ployments, illness or tragedy.

McLain and Swanner also will be instru-mental in helping plan base activities likeFamily Day.

The resources of the Family ReadinessTeam, which was charted during OperationDesert Storm, are available to all Guardmembers and their families.

“We can find help for just about everyproblem out there,” Swanner said. “Our dooris always open, and we offer any type of fam-ily assistance.”

For more information, call ext. 4180.

Family Readiness Team volunteers now employees

By Senior Airman Mark FlenerCargo Courier Staff Writer

The 123rd Tactical Airlift Control Flightsuccessfully completed an OperationalReadiness Inspection here Aug. 5-6, support-ing an Army unit in conjunc-tion with an exercise at FortKnox, Ky.

The flight, which deployedearlier this year for OperationEnduring Freedom, pulled to-gether with little advance no-tice to complete the inspec-tion, proving once again thatunit members are ready to an-swer the call when needed,said Lt. Col. Greg Nelson, theflight’s commander.

“I was in Cuba when AMCcalled and asked if we’d bewilling to do an ORI in Lou-isville 30 days later,” Nelsonsaid.

Complicating matters:While Nelson was in Cuba,the rest of his personnel wereat Fort Campbell, Ky., sup-porting the Army.

The inspection involvedredeploying the 3rd Battal-ion, 27th Field Artillery Regi-ment—120 Army personneland 300,000 pounds of cargo, including aMobile Rocket Launching System—to Fort

TALCE completes ORI in own backyard

Darlene Swanner and Paula McLain nolonger volunteer to run the Family Readi-ness Team because they recently werehired as part-time KyANG employees.

Staff Sgt. Tommy Downs/KyANG

you may not have water for a day and it’s100 degrees. You may not think you’re go-ing to make it through the day, but that neverbothered him.”

Sprake recalls being on mission withTracy when things got rough.

“We were out for seven days and ran outof water the first day. It didn’t rain. We werebeing eaten alive by ticks, chiggers and flies.But Martin was joking the whole time.”

Tracy also was remarkable for his highstandard of physical fitness.

“He was always striving to be at a higherfitness level, although he was already at alevel above everyone else,” Sprake said,noting that Tracy would run 10 miles to thegym and then work out.

“It was extreme.”Staff Sgt. Josh Haney, a pararescueman

in the 123rd, said he admired Tracy for hisdedication.

“He went above and beyond the standardsin physical fitness. He was in about the bestshape of anyone in the special tactics careerfields.

“He symbolized everything a combat con-troller should be.”

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Matero, 31, joinedthe Kentucky Air Guard in May 2001. Pre-viously he was an instructor at the combatcontrollers’ school, where he trained manyairmen who served in Afghanistan defend-ing our nation.

Only three weeks before hisdeath, Matero was selected foran officer position in the 123rdSpecial Tactics Squadron.

It had been his long-termgoal to attend college and thenbecome an officer. Accordingto friends, once he put his mindto something, it was bound tohappen.

Master Sgt. Jon Rosa, alsoa combat controller in the123rd Special Tactics Squadron, said Materoleft active duty to provide stability for hisfamily.

“He said that they would never have tomove again,” Rosa recalled.

Matero’s first few months in Louisville

Matero and Tracy remembered as great menContinued from Page 1

Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG

Maj. Jeremy Shoop, the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron commander, speaks to morethan 300 people who packed into the Base Annex here Aug. 16 to say farewell to Tech.Sgts. Christopher Matero and Martin Tracy.

were pretty uneventful. Then Sept. 11 cameand changed everything.

Chris knew that special tactics would bedeeply involved in our country’s new waron terrorism, Rosa said. Shortly after return-ing from a deployment to Africa, Chris andother members of the 123rd Special TacticsSquadron were en route to Afghanistan.

“Some people live an entire life and won-der if they ever made a difference,” Rosa

said. “Chris didn’t have that problem. He wasall about courage—the kind that can’t be pre-dicted, commanded or analyzed. But it damnsure can be remembered.”

Chief Master Sgt. Joel Hicks, the chiefenlisted manager for the unit’s combat con-

Bragg, N.C.Other Air Force units participating in the

exercise were the 105th Aerial Port Squad-ron of the New York Air National Guard andthe 452nd Aircraft Generation Squadron, anAir Force Reserve unit.

All personnel and equipment had to beloaded onto nine C-141s as quickly and

trollers, remembers Matero as a consummateprofessional.

“You never had to check his work becauseyou knew it would be done right—100 per-cent.”

Hicks attributes Matero’s perfectionism tohis having so much heart.

“He had the ability to reach down insidehimself to accomplish the mission. He couldsucceed where others would have quit.”

Matero, Hicks said, was notonly respected by his peers butwas recognized by an “anti-Taliban” general while theywere deployed to Afghanistan.

At one point, the chief said,the general stood Matero up andsaid, “This is a man I can trust.”

Col. Mike Harden, com-mander of the 123rd AirliftWing, said he was honored tohave had the opportunity toserve with such outstanding in-

dividuals as Tracy and Matero.“Sgts. Tracy and Matero served this na-

tion and our unit with honor and dignity,”Harden said. “They were warriors in the tru-est sense of the word, and I am honored andextremely proud to have served with them.”

They were warriors in the truest senseof the word, and I am honored and

extremely proudto have served with them.

—Col. Michael Harden123rd Airlift Wing Commander

“

“

Staff Sgt. Tommy Downs/KyANG

Maj. Kevin Morris, operations officer for the 123rd Tactical Airlift Con-trol Flight, and Senior Airman Margaret Bennett, an airfield manager,build a tent outside the command and control center during the unit’soperation readiness inspection here in August.

accurately as possible, according to Nelson.They did it in 48 hours with two 24-hour

operations.Inspectors concentrated on the command

and control of the nine C-141s and the timelyreporting of information to the Air Mobility

Command/Tanker ControlCenter, as well as the abilityfor the group to survive andoperate under combat con-ditions.

The Kentucky unit did itsjob with a heat index of 108degrees and a simulated hos-tile environment.

“They performed verywell,” Nelson said.

He also noted that theworking relationship be-tween the KyANG unit andthe other units during the in-spection was very good.

“We’ve been workingwith the Army and other ser-vices for a year now,” hesaid. “They understand whatwe do, and we understandwhat they do.

“I think we did exception-ally well for an exercise inour own back yard,” Nelsonsaid. “We’ve been proven incombat and by the Air Mo-

bility Command Inspector General evalua-tion. You can’t get any better than that.”

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002 54

KyANG NEWSKyANG NEWS

By Senior Airman Mark FlenerCargo Courier Staff Writer

For more than 10 years Paula McLain andDarlene Swanner have volunteered theirtime to the Kentucky Air Guard’s FamilyReadiness Team.

Recently, however, that changed. On July16, both women were hired as part-time em-ployees and now receive pay for roughly100 hours’ work per month.

Lt. Col. Rich Frymire, who oversees theFamily Readiness Team, said the decisionfulfills the vision of former Air Guard Di-rector Maj. Gen. Paul Weaver.

“His vision is now a reality as units acrossthe country are staffing family readiness po-sitions with employees rather than volun-

teers,” Frymire noted.The purpose of these positions, Frymire

said, is to help unit members with a diverserange of issues. These include providingmoral support for families affected by de-ployments, illness or tragedy.

McLain and Swanner also will be instru-mental in helping plan base activities likeFamily Day.

The resources of the Family ReadinessTeam, which was charted during OperationDesert Storm, are available to all Guardmembers and their families.

“We can find help for just about everyproblem out there,” Swanner said. “Our dooris always open, and we offer any type of fam-ily assistance.”

For more information, call ext. 4180.

Family Readiness Team volunteers now employees

By Senior Airman Mark FlenerCargo Courier Staff Writer

The 123rd Tactical Airlift Control Flightsuccessfully completed an OperationalReadiness Inspection here Aug. 5-6, support-ing an Army unit in conjunc-tion with an exercise at FortKnox, Ky.

The flight, which deployedearlier this year for OperationEnduring Freedom, pulled to-gether with little advance no-tice to complete the inspec-tion, proving once again thatunit members are ready to an-swer the call when needed,said Lt. Col. Greg Nelson, theflight’s commander.

“I was in Cuba when AMCcalled and asked if we’d bewilling to do an ORI in Lou-isville 30 days later,” Nelsonsaid.

Complicating matters:While Nelson was in Cuba,the rest of his personnel wereat Fort Campbell, Ky., sup-porting the Army.

The inspection involvedredeploying the 3rd Battal-ion, 27th Field Artillery Regi-ment—120 Army personneland 300,000 pounds of cargo, including aMobile Rocket Launching System—to Fort

TALCE completes ORI in own backyard

Darlene Swanner and Paula McLain nolonger volunteer to run the Family Readi-ness Team because they recently werehired as part-time KyANG employees.

Staff Sgt. Tommy Downs/KyANG

you may not have water for a day and it’s100 degrees. You may not think you’re go-ing to make it through the day, but that neverbothered him.”

Sprake recalls being on mission withTracy when things got rough.

“We were out for seven days and ran outof water the first day. It didn’t rain. We werebeing eaten alive by ticks, chiggers and flies.But Martin was joking the whole time.”

Tracy also was remarkable for his highstandard of physical fitness.

“He was always striving to be at a higherfitness level, although he was already at alevel above everyone else,” Sprake said,noting that Tracy would run 10 miles to thegym and then work out.

“It was extreme.”Staff Sgt. Josh Haney, a pararescueman

in the 123rd, said he admired Tracy for hisdedication.

“He went above and beyond the standardsin physical fitness. He was in about the bestshape of anyone in the special tactics careerfields.

“He symbolized everything a combat con-troller should be.”

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Matero, 31, joinedthe Kentucky Air Guard in May 2001. Pre-viously he was an instructor at the combatcontrollers’ school, where he trained manyairmen who served in Afghanistan defend-ing our nation.

Only three weeks before hisdeath, Matero was selected foran officer position in the 123rdSpecial Tactics Squadron.

It had been his long-termgoal to attend college and thenbecome an officer. Accordingto friends, once he put his mindto something, it was bound tohappen.

Master Sgt. Jon Rosa, alsoa combat controller in the123rd Special Tactics Squadron, said Materoleft active duty to provide stability for hisfamily.

“He said that they would never have tomove again,” Rosa recalled.

Matero’s first few months in Louisville

Matero and Tracy remembered as great menContinued from Page 1

Senior Airman Philip Speck/KyANG

Maj. Jeremy Shoop, the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron commander, speaks to morethan 300 people who packed into the Base Annex here Aug. 16 to say farewell to Tech.Sgts. Christopher Matero and Martin Tracy.

were pretty uneventful. Then Sept. 11 cameand changed everything.

Chris knew that special tactics would bedeeply involved in our country’s new waron terrorism, Rosa said. Shortly after return-ing from a deployment to Africa, Chris andother members of the 123rd Special TacticsSquadron were en route to Afghanistan.

“Some people live an entire life and won-der if they ever made a difference,” Rosa

said. “Chris didn’t have that problem. He wasall about courage—the kind that can’t be pre-dicted, commanded or analyzed. But it damnsure can be remembered.”

Chief Master Sgt. Joel Hicks, the chiefenlisted manager for the unit’s combat con-

Bragg, N.C.Other Air Force units participating in the

exercise were the 105th Aerial Port Squad-ron of the New York Air National Guard andthe 452nd Aircraft Generation Squadron, anAir Force Reserve unit.

All personnel and equipment had to beloaded onto nine C-141s as quickly and

trollers, remembers Matero as a consummateprofessional.

“You never had to check his work becauseyou knew it would be done right—100 per-cent.”

Hicks attributes Matero’s perfectionism tohis having so much heart.

“He had the ability to reach down insidehimself to accomplish the mission. He couldsucceed where others would have quit.”

Matero, Hicks said, was notonly respected by his peers butwas recognized by an “anti-Taliban” general while theywere deployed to Afghanistan.

At one point, the chief said,the general stood Matero up andsaid, “This is a man I can trust.”

Col. Mike Harden, com-mander of the 123rd AirliftWing, said he was honored tohave had the opportunity toserve with such outstanding in-

dividuals as Tracy and Matero.“Sgts. Tracy and Matero served this na-

tion and our unit with honor and dignity,”Harden said. “They were warriors in the tru-est sense of the word, and I am honored andextremely proud to have served with them.”

They were warriors in the truest senseof the word, and I am honored and

extremely proudto have served with them.

—Col. Michael Harden123rd Airlift Wing Commander

“

“

Staff Sgt. Tommy Downs/KyANG

Maj. Kevin Morris, operations officer for the 123rd Tactical Airlift Con-trol Flight, and Senior Airman Margaret Bennett, an airfield manager,build a tent outside the command and control center during the unit’soperation readiness inspection here in August.

accurately as possible, according to Nelson.They did it in 48 hours with two 24-hour

operations.Inspectors concentrated on the command

and control of the nine C-141s and the timelyreporting of information to the Air Mobility

Command/Tanker ControlCenter, as well as the abilityfor the group to survive andoperate under combat con-ditions.

The Kentucky unit did itsjob with a heat index of 108degrees and a simulated hos-tile environment.

“They performed verywell,” Nelson said.

He also noted that theworking relationship be-tween the KyANG unit andthe other units during the in-spection was very good.

“We’ve been workingwith the Army and other ser-vices for a year now,” hesaid. “They understand whatwe do, and we understandwhat they do.

“I think we did exception-ally well for an exercise inour own back yard,” Nelsonsaid. “We’ve been proven incombat and by the Air Mo-

bility Command Inspector General evalua-tion. You can’t get any better than that.”

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002 3The Cargo Courier

Sept. 14, 20026

KyANG NEWSKyANG NEWS

“First In… That Others May Live” is the motto of Air Forcespecial tactics personnel.

The military community is expected to take care of others first.But who takes care of you, the care-giver?

Self-aid and buddy care includes taking care ofyourself, especially in stressful times.

Barney Self, a licensed therapist, warns us againstburn out or compassion fatigue.

We cannot hear other people’s pain without being affectedby it in some way.

Some of the effects include sleep difficulties, irritability,depression, aggression, pessimism, cynicism, quitting the joband poor work performance.

Discovering how to restore your batteries is good self-aid. Hereare some helpful tips:—Disconnect from accessibility during your “off time.” Let some-

one else get the phone.—Prune some activities from your “urgent” schedule. If you add

an activity, drop another.—Learn to laugh. It’s like internal jogging.

—Minimize time with negative people. You’ll start to think like them.—Stay with “good enough.” Do you really need a new car, boat,

etc.? Sometimes, what you have is good enough.—Take a break from media and electronics. Turn off the TV and

leave it off for a week.—Establish routines that refresh. Enjoy breakfastwith the family weekly.

—Adjust your expectations with yourself. You arenot Superwoman or Superman.

Avoid things that deplete you—they usuallyonly make you feel worse: Caffeine, eating for

comfort, alcohol, pornography, compulsive buying, nicotine andworkaholism are a few examples.

Instead, try things that replenish you—like storytelling, music,exercise, couples’ relationship time, hearing stories of healing, me-diation, spiritual growth/Bible study/worship and connecting withfriends.

—Lt. Col. Tom CurryWing Chaplain

Chaplain’s

olumnC

Remember to care for yourself even when caring for others

Story and photo by Jennifer Turner437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Nearly 35 Kentucky Air Guard aerial portmembers joined with four other Guard unitsat Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., July 21-Aug. 3 to hold the first all-Guard PatriotPartner exercise.

With Kentucky’s 123rd Aerial PortSquadron serving as the lead unit, the troopsassembled and took over aerial port facili-ties at the active-duty base, said Chief Mas-ter Sgt. Tommy Downs, who served as su-perintendent for the 703rd ConsolidatedAerial Port Squadron during the exercise.

It’s purpose was to free up active-dutytroops for training and annual leave whileproviding Guard troops with additional ex-perience and training, the chief said.

The annual exercise usually is run by bothAir Force Reserve and Guard personnel.What made this event different is that is wasthe first national exercise of its kind with allGuard participants, said Maj. Doug Rose,commander of the 123rd Aerial Port Squad-ron.

“We had 144 personnel deployed fromfive units providing around-the-clock sup-port for a vital strategic port,” Rose said.

“I was thoroughly impressed by the pro-fessionalism, skill level and attitude of eachof the members of the 703rd.”

The Guard units mirrored active-duty’s

123rd APS leads 1st all-Guard Patriot Partnerdaily activities and provided 24-hour cover-age seven days a week, with three daily eight-hour shifts.

During Patriot Partner, approximately 75to 80 percent of the active-duty unit’s activi-ties were handled exclusively by the Guardmembers.

Guard units also took advantage of the op-portunity to train with unfamiliar equipment.

“We have been able to train with a Tunnerloader, operational software and oversizedcargo that aren’t available at our homebases,” said 1st Lt. Kevin Thornberry of theKentucky unit, who served as officer incharge of air freight for the 703rd.

Ultimately, Patriot Partner allows guards-men to train with other Guard units and ac-tive-duty personnel and achieve completework-force integration.

“The Air Force considers the Reserve andGuard as a Total Force component,” Rosesaid. “Distinctions are rarely made these daysbetween the active duty, Reserve and Guard.

“All the gaining commander cares is thathe has a fully qualified group of aerial por-ters who can safely and effectively run hiscargo, fleet, passenger and Air Terminal Op-erations Center operations.

“Patriot Partner offers us a unique oppor-tunity to further refine the skills we will needwhen we are called to duty anywhere in theworld.”

Both active-duty and Guard personnel re-

Five Air Guard units took over aerial portoperations at Charleston Air Force Base,S.C., July 21-Aug. 3 for the first all-GuardPatriot Partner exercise.

alize the value of cooperative training pro-grams like Patriot Partner.

“Patriot Partner is based on mutual ben-efit,” said 1st Lt. Jeff Vincent of the 123rdand 703rd.

“The (active-duty) personnel get a breakwhile Guard members get crucial training.”

Other Guard units that participated in-clude the 135th Aerial Port Squadron of Bal-timore, Md.; 137th Aerial Port Squadron ofOklahoma City, Okla.; 152nd Aerial PortSquadron of Reno, Nev.; and 156th AerialPort Squadron of Carolina, Puerto Rico.

—Cargo Courier Editor Tech. Sgt. AmyZiegler contributed to this article.

PLANEPULLIN’

Just

Family Day returns to the Ky. Air Guard

Twenty members of the 123rd Airlift Wing gath-ered here Aug. 3 to participate in the Seventh-Annual UPS Plane Pull. The event raised nearly110,000 for Special Olympics Kentucky, whichsponsors athletic competitions for childrenand adults who are mentally disabled.

The team included, in front from left, Tech. Sgt. Valercia Mar-tin, 1st Lt. Katrina Johnson, Team Captain 2nd Lt. LatoniaTrowell, Master Sgt. Teresa Adams, Co-captain Senior AirmanAmanda Blackburn, Senior Airman Tracy Willen, Tech. Sgt. AmyZiegler, Tech. Sgt. Mary Thurman; in back from left, Senior Air-man Cameron Taylor, Airman Remiah Newton, Master Sgt.Barry Wright, 1st Lt. Jason Schmidt, Staff Sgt. Tyra Allen, Se-nior Airman Conley Moore, Alejandro Rendon, Master Sgt. PeteRendon, Master Sgt. Ted Schiess, Tech. Sgt. Cedric Jones, StaffSgt. Nick James and Staff Sgt. Cary Mendelsohn.

Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Kentucky

By Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

Kentucky Air Guard Family Day re-turns to the Thoroughbred Express thisyear, and it’s scheduled for Oct. 6.

The event, which was cancelled lastyear for security reasons, promises to bea fun day for everyone, said Lt. Col. RichFrymire, event coordinator.

“It’s really a splendid opportunity forKentucky Air Guard members and theirfamilies to enjoy a fun-filled and relax-ing afternoon.

“It’s always great when family mem-bers get a chance to come and see whatwe do,” he said.

“It’s even better when we have goodfood and fun things to do to go alongwith it.”

The day will be packed with eventsbeginning at 11 a.m. and continuing un-til 3:30 p.m., Frymire said.

The year’s static display will featurethe C-130 Hercules and the F-16 Fal-con aircraft.

Other attractions include live demon- Master Sgt. Charlie Simpson/KyANG

Lt. Col. Ken Dale of the wing’s SafetyOffice gets lunch with his daughterduring Family Day 2000.

strations and mock attacks by the 123rdSecurity Forces Squadron.

Visitors also will have a chance toview the unit’s Firearms Training Sys-tem in action.

Meanwhile, the Fire Truck Pull willallow members of the 123rd Civil En-gineers Squadron to defend their titlefrom Family Day 2000.

Numerous children’s activities areplanned, including a rock-climbing wall.

Finally, popular Louisville aviationartist Bob Conely will be on hand todisplay his prints featuring KyANG air-craft from the past 50 years.

Unit members are encouraged tobring cookies, cakes and brownies for acake-walk.

Desserts should be dropped off at theThoroughbred Dining Facility on Fam-ily Day between 7 and 10:30 a.m.

For information on the event, con-tact Lt. Col. Rich Frymire at ext. 4589.

2 7The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002

The Cargo CourierSept. 14, 2002

COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS

Col. Michael Harden123rd Airlift Wing Commander

Wing Commander..............................Col. Michael HardenWing Public Affairs Officer.....................Capt. Dale GreerEditor................................................Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerStaff Writer.............................Senior Airman Mark Flener

This funded Air Force newspaper is an authorized pub-lished for members of the U.S. military services. Contentsof The Cargo Courier are not necessarily the official viewsof, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department ofDefense or the Air Force.

The editorial content is edited, prepared and providedby the public affairs office of the 123rd Airlift Wing, Ken-tucky Air National Guard, Louisville International Airport,Louisville, Ky. 40213-2678.

Our office is located in room 2118 of the Wing Head-quarters Building. Deadline for the next issue is Sept. 23.

How to contact us:Phone: (502) 364-9431Fax: (502) 364-9676E-mail: amy.ziegler@kyloui.ang.af.mil

An electronic version of the Cargo Courier is available at the Kentucky Air Guard’s Web site — www.kyloui.ang.af.mil

123rd Airlift Wing Editorial Staff

By Master Sgt. Ron TullAir Force Print News

WASHINGTON—More than 100,000 ofthe Air Force’s government travel cards willbe canceled in early October for lack of use,according to the service’s travel card pro-gram manager.

The move, said Michael Weber, is part ofa service-wide effort to “clean up the booksand will affect those people who have notused their card for a year or more. He addedthat precautions are in place to ensure noone is caught empty-handed in a time ofneed.

“We won’t leave anyone stranded,” We-ber said.

“If for some reason an individual didn’thear about this (policy) and is checking intoa hotel and the card is rejected, (he or she)can always have the hotel staff call the num-ber on the back of the card to have the bankoverride the transaction. We can force au-thorize restaurants, rental cars and airlinetickets, but not automatic teller machines.”

The actions come as a result of a recenttask force formed in response to congres-sional hearings on government credit cards.

USAF officials to cancel 100,000 travel cardsThe task force confirmed that the Depart-ment of Defense has too many cards in thehands of people who are not using them,Weber said.

The Air Force has the largest travel cardprogram in the Department of Defense withapproximately 532,000 travel cards issued,or 37 percent of the DOD total, accordingto Weber.

“It’s not as bad as it appears on the sur-face. A lot of these cards are already ex-pired,” he said.

“We estimate that out of the 100,000 cards(subject to cancellation), 80,000 of them areexpired or unused.”

The card cancellations, set to begin Oct.3, will help the Air Force and Bank ofAmerica clean up their databases, Webersaid.

Those who have their card canceled butstill need one for Air Force travel will haveto go through a re-application process.

New applications should be available inSeptember on the Web.

“This could inconvenience some people,but we know of no easy way to do it,” hesaid.

Commanders and agency program coor-

dinators will receive lists in early Septem-ber of cards expected to be canceled.

If anyone on the list is traveling in thenear future, he or she can call the bank toget an authorized override on the account.

It will still require a phone call by themerchant at the point of purchase.

The government travel card remains anintegral part of the Defense Travel Systemand represents the best option for Air Forcetravelers, Weber said.

“I still get people who tell me they don’tlike the travel card,” he said.

“But I’ve yet to have someone suggest amore modern way to travel.”

Furthermore, Weber said, the proper useof the card relates to military readiness.

“If we need you to travel and you don’thave a card, your travel will have to behandled special,” he said.

“We no longer have the manpower or fa-cilities to do that for a person.

“Gone are the days when we had peoplein uniform behind a counter, looking at yourorders and handing out cash. The travel cardhelps the Air Force to use manpower in morepressing areas, such as the war on terror-ism.”

Air Force Print News

WASHINGTON—The Anthrax VaccineImmunization Program, on hold since June2001 because of supply concerns, will likelyresume this month for people in selected ar-eas overseas.

The vaccine will initially be given topeople assigned or deployed to “high-threat”areas for more than 15 days, according tothe office of the assistant secretary of de-fense for public affairs. The message notedthat the program will expand as supplycatches up with demand.

Brig. Gen. Mike Gould, the Air Force’sdirector of operational plans at the Penta-gon, said that the program is an importanttool in the force protection arsenal.

“This is all about readiness,” he said. “It’sabout taking care of our people who arefighting the war on terrorism. The key thingto remember is that, first of all, the threat isreal and, secondly, the anthrax shots…areproven safe and effective.”

Manufacturing of the anthrax vaccine wastemporarily halted in January 1998.

The Food and Drug Administration ap-proved renovation of the BioPortCorporation’s Michigan-based vaccinemanufacturing facility in December 2001,and the National Academy of Sciences af-firmed the safety and efficacy of the vac-cine in its March report.

Gould said the job of Air Force command-ers and senior leaders is to take care of theirpeople, and that is what the anthrax vacci-nation program is all about.

“We don’t want to send anybody intoharm’s way or to do a mission without thefull protection that we can offer,” he said.

“A football coach isn’t going to send anoffensive lineman onto the field without thesame protective equipment and training andconditioning as his star running back andquarterback. It’s the same exact thing here.

“We want every member to have everyopportunity to survive should (he or she)encounter a threat like this.”

Anthrax shots to resume this month

WASHINGTON—The lastofficer and enlisted specialties werereleased from Stop-Loss on Sept. 1.

Secretary of the Air Force JamesG. Roche said the release will bephased in during a one-monthperiod to allow both the Air Forceand affected personnel time fortransition.

“We have arrived at a newsteady-state,” Roche said. “Stop-Loss most certainly helped us gethere successfully, but we hadpledged all along that we wouldn’thold onto anyone longer thannecessary.”

The release does not apply toairmen who are currently deployedin support of operations NobleEagle and Enduring Freedom.

All specialtiesreleased from

Stop-Loss

t has been one year sinceour nation was brutallyattacked and since westarted our military, eco-nomic and diplomatic re-sponse to this attack.

Our president told us this was going to bea long and arduous struggle—that liveswould be changed, and lives would be lost.

Nothing has changed since then to leadus to think this thing is over.

I’m afraid we have been lulled into a falsesense of well-being in the past six monthsor so and just might have forgotten what adespicable act this was.

We hear the attack described as a trag-edy, much the same as a hurricane or flood,and we call our response a “War on Terror.”

Well I choose to view it differently.The actions of Sept. 11 were indeed tragic,

but let’s call them what they were—a coldblooded attack on the citizens of the UnitedStates carried out by evil men who intendedto kill as many Americans as they could inan attempt to change our foreign policies anddestroy our way of life.

This should not be called a tragedy—thiswas a blatant act of war and should be re-ferred to as such.

War is waged on people and the countries,or institutions, that they represent.

To call this a “War on Terror” only servesto lessen the importance of our task and thepossible impact on our population.

Terror is a feeling or state of mind. Youdon’t wage war on a feeling; you wage waron people and nations.

There are a lot of folks out there who aretrying every day to kill, maim and disruptour citizens.

These people believe that we subscribe tothe wrong foreign policy, they want us outof the Middle East, and they believe that kill-ing our people will convince us to do that.

So our response is not a “War on Terror,”it is a war on every person who plots or car-ries out an attack on us, and against thosewho give financial or other aid to them.

We have to find these people, and we haveto eliminate them before they attack us again.

We have to make it so miserable for themthat they don’t have time to plan attacks.

All they have time to do is run and hide—and when they stick their heads up we cutthem off.

It is the responsibility of our president and

our government to protect and defend ourAmerican way of life and the citizens whoenjoy its freedoms.

As military folks we are the instrumentsthat are used to protect and defend.

As Guard members and members of theThoroughbred Express we have respondedmagnificently to the call thus far.

We must not let down now.I believe it is not an accident that there

hasn’t been another attack since Sept. 11.The actions of our government, the mili-

tary, civilian law enforcement and othershave been the reason.

This war is far from over, and we mustall stay prepared to once again answer thecall. Everyone in the 123rd is a player inthis war.

You may not be the guy who personallykills the enemy, but you may fly him there.You may fix the aircraft that got him there.You may order the part to fix the aircraft.You may build or protect the base fromwhich our aircrews operate. You may cookthe meals or type the orders.

But you all have a vital roll, and you willbe called upon again.

It is imperative that we all maximize ourtraining. Pay a little more attention to theclass, or to the briefing.

Check out your gear and make sure it’sin proper working order.

Take care of your personal obligationsand be ready. Your nation depends upon it.

Thanks Loads!

The war is not over—stay prepared

I

8 The Cargo Courier,Sept. 14, 2002

123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XVIII, No. 9 • Sept. 14, 2002

123rd Airlift WingPublic Affairs OfficeKentucky Air National Guard1101 Grade LaneLouisville, KY 40213-2678

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

2 STS troops killed in MC-130 crashUnit remembers late comrades as great men, patriotsBy Tech. Sgt. Amy ZieglerCargo Courier Editor

A sea of blue filled the Base Annex Aug.16 to remember the lives of Tech. Sgts.Christopher Matero and Martin Tracy, com-bat controllers here in the 123rd Special Tac-tics Squadron.

The men were killed Aug. 7 when the MC-130H Combat Talon they were aboardcrashed in Puerto Rico while on a trainingmission.

They will be remembered for their bigsmiles, senses of humor and a pursuit forphysical fitness excellence, according tofriends and co-workers.

The loss is great, said 2nd Lt. Sean

The following individuals have beenpromoted to the rank indicated

as members of theKentucky Air Guard and reservists

of the United States Air Force:

SENIOR AIRMAN (E-4)

TECHNICAL SERGEANT (E-6)

•Adam Barker,123rd Communications Flt.

•Wendy Haight,123rd Services Flt.

The following individualshave retired as members of the

Kentucky Air Guard andreservists of the

United States Air Force: The following individualshave separated from

the Kentucky Air Guard:

•Senior Airman Brandy Allen,123rd Logistics Sq.

•Airman 1st Class John Walton,123rd Student Flt.

•Senior Airman Gary Warford,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

STAFF SERGEANT (E-5)

•Heather Boyd,123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.

•Jonathan Coulter,123rd Aerial Port Sq.•Sheldon Cowley,

KyANG State Headquarters•Lawrence Hamel,

123rd Aircraft Generation Sq.•Christopher Lockwood,

123rd Maintenance Sq.•Daniel Marks,

165th Weather Flt.

•Anthony Berold,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Jeffrey Bryant,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Thomas Hagan,123rd Communications Flt.

•Jody King,123rd Airlift Control Element

•David Nichter,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•James Tongate,165th Airlift Sq.

•Lt. Col. Robert Abell,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Maj. Catherine Brown,123rd Operations Support Sq.

•Lt. Col. Douglas Butler,123rd Medical Sq.

•Lt. Col. Joseph Charbonneau,165th Airlift Sq.

•Tech. Sgt. Timothy Duncan,123rd Maintenance Sq.

•Senior Master Sgt. Ronald George,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Tech. Sgt. Larry Hill,123rd Aerial Port Sq.

•Senior Airman Stephen Johnson,123rd Services Flt.

•Staff Sgt. Barbara Kolb,123rd Airlift Wing

•Master Sgt. David Pierce,123rd Logistics Gp.

•Tech. Sgt. Donald Pierce,123rd Communications Flt.

•Lt. Col. Christopher Reymann,165th Airlift Sq.

•Tech. Sgt. James Skaggs,123rd Maintenance Sq.

Promotions, retirements & separations Kentucky Air National Guard

McLane, director of operationsfor the special tactics squadron.

“It’s hard to quantify,” hesaid. “As combat controllers,it’s not unusual for us to losefriends in the career field be-cause of the dangers associatedwith the job.”

What makes this more tragic,McLane said, is that both menspent time in war-torn Afghani-stan for Operation EnduringFreedom and survived only tocome home and be killed on atraining mission.

“We’ve just lost two of ourbest operators, guys with real-

world experiencewho have beenshot at and still didtheir job. That’s arare commodity.

“We know theyhave courage un-der fire becausethey’ve been un-der fire.”

Most of all,McLane added,“we just lost two really greatguys.”

Tech. Sgt. Martin Tracy, 33,had been in the Kentucky AirGuard for nearly six years andhad served in the military since1987.

After leaving the active-dutyAir Force as a survival schoolinstructor, he joined the unithere and made a careerchange to become a combatcontroller. In his new job, Tracy,like other Kentucky Air Guardcombat controllers, stayed de-ployed nearly 200 days a year.

Tech Sgt. Martin Tracy

His friends remember him as the man theywish they could be because of his attitudeand dedication to physical fitness.

“He was everything you could ever wantto be in person,” said Tech. Sgt. Bill Sprake,also a combat controller in the 123rd.

“He was the most physically fit, and hehad the personality that nothing ever both-ered him. He was the most fun to be around,and you could always count on his laugh toliven things up.”

Tracy was, Sprake said, the kind of per-son who didn’t let the little things get to him.

“When things get stressful in the field,

See MATERO AND TRACY, Page 5

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Matero

Airman of the Yearpackages dueOctober drill

Nominations are now beingaccepted for the 2002 KentuckyAir Guard Outstanding Airmenof the Year Awards.

Packages for all categories—airmen, NCOs and SeniorNCOs— are due to the 123rdMilitary Personnel Flight nolater than Oct. 5.

A selection board will be heldduring the November drill. Ifpossible, all nominated should bepresent to meet the board.

More information on theprogram and the nominationprocess can be found inKyANGI 36-2801, chapter 5.

For questions, contact ChiefMaster Sgt. Mike Mitro at ext.4465.