“Best In The West”

A New Year and a New Semester!

Welcome to a refreshing new year with a brand

new Raptor for the 2014 semester. On behalf of the

Det 075 family, we welcome our newest cadre mem-

ber, Staff Sergeant George Krill! We would like to con-

gratulate all of the cadet rated selects as well as Cap-

tain Russell for her selection into ENJJPT!

In this issue

DOD Budget & AFROTC P.2 Inside the Uniform Shop P.2

AC-130J: A Review P.3 Silver Wings P.3

Tuskegee Airman P.4 Sequestration p.5

Force Reduction P.5 Contact Info P.6

RATED SELECTS

The Raptor Detachment 075 Newsletter Month of February 2014

Best

Blackmun

Chandler

Chicoine

Chiem

Firiesen

Graff

Hakobian

Herman

Hullihen

Knepper

May

McGee

Morales

The uniform shop may seem like a simple detachment

job, however, few cadets know what really goes on in the back-

ground. Each and every cadet in the detachment has been to the

uniform shop and has been issued items from our Short Sleeve

Blues to the Physical Training uniform. The staff is responsible for

keeping track of what has been issued to each cadet as well as

what items are currently available. Each item that is issued out

must be recorded in hard and soft copy.

Taking full inventory of all the items in the uniform shop

is undoubtedly one of the most time consuming tasks. These pic-

tures demonstrate how cadets in the detachment came together

and dedicated an entire weekend day to taking complete invento-

ry. Additionally, during certain days in the semester, the job can

be a significant amount of stress. Dealing with dozens of cadets

while being the only staff member in the shop, making sure that

they have been issued the correct items, selecting the correct uni-

form sizes, and ensuring that new cadets are knowledgeable in

correct uniform wear according to the AFI 36-2903 are just a few

responsibilities of being a staff member in the Uniform Shop.

-Cadet Rueda

Inside The Uniform Shop

Budget Cuts Effect AFROTC

Air Force ROTC cadets and recent graduates will be

offered a release from service commitment without having

to repay their scholarship or monthly stipend. With the re-

cent budget cuts in the United States Air Force cadets from

the following career fields will be eligible for this release:

13M Airfield Operations, 14N Intelligence, 17D Cyberspace

Operations, 21A Aircraft Maintenance, 21M Munitions and

Missile Maintenance, 21R Logistics Readiness, 31P Security

Forces, 35P Public Affairs, 38P Personnel, 63A Acquisition,

64P Contracting. ROTC cadets approved for the program

will stop receiving their monthly stipend March 1 2014. Ac-

cording to the Air Force Times, because of these cuts,

“Recent commissioned officers in the career fields above are

being encouraged to seek opportunities in the Air National

Guard or Air Force Reserve,” so that they can still serve their

country. In the release, Lt. Col. Jonelle Eychner, Chief of Officer

Accessions and Training said “We have also reduced officer

training school where possible to ease the impact on ROTC. But

we can’t cut any deeper into OTS production without harming

our ability to fill specific technical career fields.”

-Cadet Nunez

Cadet Best (Left) and Cadet Rainey (Right): Take account of

items stored on the 2nd floor of the uniform shop.

Staff members along with fellow cadets from the detachment

take a break after completing a mass inventory.

On January 31, 2014, the AC-130J completed

it’s first test flight after a year of modification mainte-

nance. It’s advanced systems include an advanced two

-pilot flight station with fully integrated digital avion-

ics. The aircraft is capable of extremely accurate navi-

gation due to the fully integrated navigation systems

with dual inertial and global positioning sys-

tems. Aircraft defensive systems and color weather

radar are integrated as well. The AC-130J also includes

dual electro-optical infrared sensors, a 30-mm can-

non, AGM-176A Griffin missiles, all-weather synthetic

aperture radar and GBU-39 small diameter bomb ca-

pabilities. The sensors allow the gunship to visually or

electronically identify friendly ground forces and tar-

gets at any time, even in adverse weather. Over the

past few decades, AC-130’s have proved to be useful in

mission success in places like South America, Africa,

Europe, and throughout the Middle East. It’s ad-

vanced technology allows it to be extremely versatile

with the flying capabilities of the MC-130J and the

combat capabilities of the AC-130. A total of 32 MC-

130J aircraft will be modified for Air Force Special Op-

erations Command as part of a $2.4 billion AC-130J

program to grow a future fleet.

-Cadet Mistry

AC-130J Takes Off

Come the end of the semester, cadets may notice the appearance of a new blue and silver cord being worn by cadets in Detachment 075.

This year marks the imminent re-activation of Detachment 075's chap-ter of "Silver Wings," a sister organiza-tion to Arnold Air Society. Founded at the University of Omaha in 1952, Silver Wings is described as a, "national, co-

ed, professional organization dedicated to creating proactive, knowledgeable, and effective civic leaders through com-munity service and education about national defense." This organization is unique in that both cadets and civilians are encouraged to participate and be-come members. Not only does it aim to produce strong Air Force leaders but civilian ones as well.

Focusing strongly on communi-ty service, Detachment 075's chapter of Silver Wings has already executed a food drive and members have attended training to volunteer at Qualcomm sta-dium this year in order to raise funds. In the near future, the organization is planning on becoming involved in the Big Brother/Big Sister mentorship pro-gram as well as many other volunteer activities.

With renewed motivation and interest, Detachment 075's chapter of Silver Wings is showing impressive

promise as another avenue for AFROTC cadets and civilians alike to engage with and support our local community. This new organization will allow civic-minded students to further their leader-ship abilities while expanding their awareness of aerospace power and the role that it plays in our national defense.

Interested cadets are encour-aged to contact the Silver Wings Presi-dent, Cadet Sumayao, at jacylyn.sumayao075@gmail.com or 619.957.1135.

-Cadet Cotterill

The newly created AC-130J Ghostrider awaits takeoff for its first official sortie

Courtesy: Eglin.af.mil

On Friday the 24th of last month, Robert Lee Porter, the past President of the Riverside Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. gave a lecture for cadets and Cadre in ENS 291. A native of Anniston, Alabama Mr. Porter enlisted in the United States Air Force upon graduation from high school. His career would span over 20 years during which he would serve tours in Southeast Asia, Europe, as well as classified assignments in the Middle East. After logging an impressive 1850 hours of flying time, Mr. Porter retired from KC-150 duty at March Field in Riverside.

After retiring from the Air Force, Mr. Porter became heavily involved with the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI). Tuskeg-ee Airman, Inc. is a non-profit organiza-tion with over 50 chapters nationwide, dedicated to honoring the accomplish-ments and history of African-American Airmen who served in the Army Air Corps in World War II. The organization also hosts local and national programs to in-troduce and expose youth to aviation and science. Finally, the organization helps to honor the service of the original Tuskegee Airmen by providing scholarships to de-serving cadets in AFROTC as well as awards to individuals, groups, and corpo-rations whose deeds lend support to it's goals.

The history of the original Tuskegee Airmen is one filled with infamy but also of deep dedication and persever-ance. During the year in which Japan at-

tacked the United States at Pearl Harbor and the country officially entered World War II, the training of 996 Black military aviators commenced in a segregated air-field near Tuskegee, Alabama. Facing obstacles in the form of racism domesti-cally and the Nazis abroad, 450 Black fighter pilots fought the aerial war over North Africa, Sicily, Italy, southern France, and Europe, during the war. Fly-ing a combination of P-39 Aerocobras, P-40 Warhawks, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs, these airmen flew 15,553 sorties and 1,578 combat missions. 68 pilots were killed in action and 32 be-came prisoners of war, however the Tuskegee Airman distinguished them by shooting down nearly 120 enemy aircraft, damaging 150, and destroying another 150 on the ground. They destroyed nearly 1,000 enemy rail cars, trucks, and motor vehicles as well as 40 boats and untold amounts of airfields, war-industry facili-ties, and ammunition depots. The Tuskegee Airmen collectively earned 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 744 Air Medals and Clusters, 992 Silver Wings, a Silver Star and a Legion of Merit, as well as 3 Presidential Unit Citations. Despite significantly defying expectations for failure, the Tuskegee would encounter another formidable opponent once they returned to the United States after the war.

After returning victorious from tours during World War II, the Tuskegee

Airmen faced opposition from their fellow Airmen and citizens. Black officers were unilaterally denied access to base officer clubs, met with hostility and negative treatment wherever they turned. In 1945, 103 Black officers entered the officers' club at Freeman Field. All 103 were arrested, charged with insubordination, and or-dered to face court martial proceedings. The court would later drop charges against 102 of the officers while convicting only one. Finally in 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order No. 9981, which directed equal treatment and opportunity for all members of the United States Armed Forces. This initiated the beginning of the end for racial segregation in the military and was one of the first steps towards racial integration in the United States.

Facing combat with the German Luftwaffe and Axis powers abroad, in ad-dition to animosity from their fellow Americans, the Tuskegee Airmen met their opposition head on and excelled with unparalleled dedication. Their loyal-ty to country and perseverance in the face of adversity serves as an eternal lesson to all that we must never forget to embody our core values; Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do.

-Cadet Cotterill

Colonel Grimes (Left) and Robert Lee Porter (Right) smile for a picture in the detachment office.

Tuskegee Airman

The word "downsizing," is rarely a word that anyone wants to hear. It’s ugly connotation is merited as it often results in personnel release and unex-pected career changes. Last December the House voted on a budget agree-ment that would relieve 25,000 air-men and 550 aircraft. Sequestration's most immediate impacts took place in 2013. Under the agreement, defense spending in the current 2014 fiscal year would be capped at $520.5 bil-lion, up from the current level of $498.1 billion. In fiscal 2015, the amount would be capped at $521.4 billion, up from $512 billion. Here are a few effects of the budget plan: FLYING TIME: With the budget cuts taking place immediately, the Air Force will need to reduce flying hours by 18 percent. Critical missions, deter-rence, and Air Force One will be spared, however training flights, pub-lic shows, and other national engage-ments are to be cut. FURLOUGH DAYS & HIRING: Any temporary or permanent employee

that is deemed not mission critical will be released. REPAIRS ON HOLD: There will be a one-third reduction in the budget up-grades and repairs for older planes. Air-craft including-the B-52 Bomber, A-10 close-attack aircraft, C-130 transport, and F-15 fighter—will no longer get as much care and attention. FUTURE PROGRAMS & EQUIPMENT: Future modernization now faces fur-ther cuts and delays. Examples include the new bomber program, new UAVs, and communication technologies. SURVEILLANCE & COMMUNICA-TION: Space and ground radar surveil-lance will be reduced from 24 hours per day to only 8 hours. Defense Satellite Communications will be cut by 75%. In addition, some contracted ROTC cadets have been offered early release, without obligation to pay back scholar-ships. Specifically, cadets slated to serve in the following fields have been offered release from their service com-mitments:

■ 13M Airfield Operations ■ 14N Intelligence ■ 17D Cyberspace Operations ■ 21A Aircraft Maintenance ■ 21M Munitions and Missile Mainte-nance ■ 21R Logistics Readiness ■ 31P Security Forces ■ 35P Public Affairs ■ 38P Personnel ■ 63A Acquisition ■ 64P Contracting General Welsh in a message to all Air-men said, ”What sequestration does essentially for the Air Force is it gives us a dilemma: Do we keep near-term read-iness or do we fund long-term moderni-zation and capability in the future? That's the balance we're trying to walk." Through these rough times he reminds us that mission readiness will always remain our top priority.

-Cadet Nakawatase

It's not uncommon in conversa-

tions around the detachment and with oth-

er cadets that the word, "sequester" pre-

sents itself. But what exactly does the word

entail? Most know that it involves the feder-

al budget, and it's not hard to guess by the

context that it involves reduction in funds,

but few know the reason or nature of the

budget cuts. The sequester, as its colloquial-

ly come to be known, is a set of automatic

spending cuts to the US federal budget put

in place by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

As designed, the cuts are projected to trim a

total $1.2 Trillion from federal spending,

spread evenly between 2013 and 2021, with

half coming from defense spending and half

from discretionary domestic spending. The

Congressional Budget Office has estimated

that defense spending will rise at a gradual

rate of 2.1% through 2023, but fall from a

share of 4.3% of US GDP to 2.8% by 2023. As

a result of these projections, the Air Force

produced a plan in 2012 to cut 7,400 guard

and reserve positions as well as 4,200 active-

duty slots by 2017. However, this quickly

became politically unpopular and was

changed to slash 6,100 active duty airmen,

while cutting only 1,400 guardsmen and

1,900 reservists. Given the winding down of

conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as

uncertainty in the projected defense budget

in the coming years, the Air Force will have

to continue to be flexible in its response to

these changing circumstances.

-Cadet Cotterill

Sequestration

Force Reduction

Sec Def Hagel presents

his budget plan to the

House of Representa-

tives

Courtesy: Air Force

CSAF General Welsh speaks

about force reduction to congress

Courtesy: Air Force Times

Contributors

C/1st Lt. Robinson

C/3C Cotterill

C/3C Nunez

C/3C Rueda

C/4C Mistry

C/4C Nakawatase

The Raptor

February 2014

Aztec Lanes (SDSU-First floor of Aztec Student Union)

Bowling Social

5 March 2014

Combat Leadership Panel

Giant Paintball Park Lakeside, Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside, CA, United State

Arnold Air Society Social: Paintball

Upcoming Events

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