Lamia Afghan Foundation Meet Kaci Heins, AFA's Teacher of the Year Col. Aaron Burgstein ...

44 Pages·2015·13.03 MB·English

MMaayy 22001155
Also
Lamia Afghan Foundation
Meet Kaci Heins, AFA’s T eacher of the Year
Col. Aaron Burgstein Memorial Scholarship
AFROTC Cadets Stand Up Adirondacks Chapter

Published by the Air Force Association
ISSUE 4
MAGAZINE
Publisher Mark A. Barrett
Editor in Chief Adam J. Hebert
Wingman Editor Michael C. Sirak
Wingman Designer Kristina Parrill
2 Chairman's Welcome By Scott P. Van Cleef
Managing Editor Juliette Kelsey Chagnon
Editorial Director John A. Tirpak 6 Meet the Staff By June L. Kim
News Editor Amy McCullough Meet Bernard K. Skoch, CyberPatriot commissioner and AFA's senior vice president of
Senior Editor Marc V. Schanz education, development, and innovation.
Senior Designer Heather Lewis
Special Projects Manager Gideon Grudo Meet Pamela E. Braithwaite, senior manager of insurance and member benefi ts.
Assistant Managing Editor Frances McKenney 8
We Are AFA By Kari Lynn Hahn
Associate Editors Aaron M. U. Church
The strength of AFA lies in the inspiring men and women who support our Air Force.
June L. Kim
Production Manager Eric Chang Lee
14
Photo Editor Zaur Eylanbekov Lamia Afghan Foundation: A Mom-and-Pop Nonprofi t By Lyndsey Akers
Media Research Editor Chequita Wood For retired Lt. Gen. John Bradley and his wife, Jan, their hearts belong to a young
Afghan woman named Lamia.
Contributors 17 Donor Spotlight By Larry Dilworth
Lyndsey Akers, Shannon Aud, Rebecca Dalton, Larry On Juan E. Cruz
Dilworth, Nicholas Donato, Kari Lynn Hahn, Susan
Mallett, Paula Roy, Susan Rubel, Barbara S. Taylor, 19 Lighting a Spark By Susan Mallett
Jill C. Westeyn Kaci Heins is AFA's 2014 National Aerospace Teacher of the Year.
22 Honoring Col. Aaron Burgstein By Jill C. Westeyn
Advertising Scott Hill
Burgstein was a devoted family man and an airmen's airman.
J. G. Elliott Sales Representative
[email protected]
30
Strength in Numbers By Shannon Aud
1501 Lee Highway AFA's work in The Military Coalition ensures Congress understands issues affecting
Arlington, Va. 22209-1198 airmen and their families.
MMaayy 22001155 Tel: [phone]
Telefax: 703/247-5855 32 Chapter PrideBy Nicholas Donato
[email protected] A group of upstate New York AFROTC cadets and college students established an AFA
chapter. You can, too.
34
Securing Networks, Securing Futures By Rebecca Dalton
AFA's CyberPatriot program is growing at an unbelievable pace.
38
Air Force Memorial Spotlight By Barbara S. Taylor
On 2015 Summer Concerts.
3 Talk Back 36 Hugs From Paula
24 Chapter News 40 Benefi ts Tailored to You
27 Index to Advertisers
ON THE COVER: “We Are AFA” (p. 8) showcases
AFA members’ dedication and passion through the
stories of: Ollie Crawford and Kevin Jackson; the Farrell Air Force Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) May 2015 (Vol. 98, No. 5) is published monthly by the Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198.
family; SSgt. Joseph Senteno; and Gil Petrina and Julie Phone [phone]. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, Va., and additional mailing offi ces. Membership Rate: $45 per year; $110 for three-year membership.
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22209-1198. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Trademark registered by Air Force Association. Copyright 2015 by Air Force Association.
Win1gman Magazine | May 2015 1
Happy spring! of our Aerospace Education Council. as AFA’s national chaplain. Despite be-
We start off the May issue with “We Mallett also highlights Michael Steeber ing visually impaired in his later years,
Are AFA,” the cover article by Kari Lynn and Jeff Scott, our 2014 Teacher of the he handled it with dignity and did not
Hahn, our vice president for member Year fi rst runner-up and second runner- let it define him. He left a lasting im-
and fi eld relations. Hahn spotlights three up, respectively. pression through the invocations and
individuals and two families representing In “Chapter Pride,” Nicholas F. Do- homilies he delivered at AFA events.
the diversity and dedication of our AFA nato, a junior at Clarkson University He was a truly inspirational man. He
members. They are a mix of young and in Potsdam, N.Y., tells the story of is missed. Chuck Martin, who sits on
old, yet they share the same contagious how he and his fellow AFROTC cadets our Finance Committee, penned a
enthusiasm and steadfast commitment spearheaded the process of establishing short obituary on Harlin in this issue’s
to supporting our Air Force. a new AFA chapter, the Pride of the “Chapter News” section.
Hahn’s story fi ts with the #WeAreAFA Adirondacks Chapter. Donato, who is Burgstein was an Air Force public
initiative we launched earlier this year to the chapter’s president, offers tips for affairs officer and AFA Life Member.
invite members to share their AFA stories those thinking of doing the same. He was a bright and nurturing leader.
on social media. Let’s get the word out Rebecca Dalton, CyberPatriot spon- Jill C. Westeyn, our manager for awards
on who we are! sorship and outreach coordinator, pro- and scholarships, tells Burgstein’s story
Up next is Lyndsey Akers’ piece on the vides an update on our CyberPatriot on p. 22. The article introduces our
Lamia Afghan Foundation. Akers, our program in “Securing Networks, Secur- newest scholarship, the Colonel Aaron
manager of public relations and social ing Futures,” with photos of the winning Burgstein Memorial Scholarship, made
media, relates how retired Lt. Gen. John teams from our CyberPatriot VII na- possible through a generous donation
Bradley and his wife, Jan, have built a tional youth cyber defense competition. by his parents, that will support a mi-
mom-and-pop nonprofi t organization to Congratulations to the winners: Team nor dependent of an airman each year.
help Afghan schoolgirls. The inspiration CyberSloths of Huntsville, Ala.; Team Our thoughts go out to the Harlin
came to the Bradleys based on a chance Marine Raiders of Fitchburg, Mass.; and Burgstein families.
encounter John Bradley had with a young and Team 1 of Herndon, Va. As always, we welcome your feed-
Afghan girl named Lamia during a visit I end on a somber note, saying good- back. Drop us a line at wingman@
to Afghanistan in 2007 when he was Air bye to two exceptional members of our afa.org.
Force Reserve chief. AFA family, whom we lost earlier this Enjoy the issue. See you again in
Among the issue’s other features, Kaci year: retired Maj. Gen. Donald Harlin September! (cid:31)
A. Heins, our 2014 National Aerospace and Col. Aaron Burgstein.
Teacher of the Year, is profi led in “Light- Harlin, a former Air Force chief of Scott P. Van Cleef is AFA’s Chairman of
ing a Spark,” by Susan Mallet, a member chaplains, served for more than a decade the Board.
2 Wingman Magazine ︱ May 2015
C FOR CONCERN
I was disappointed to read in the January 2015 issue of
Wingman Magazine [“E for Enlisted,” p. 30] that AFA endorses
a proposal by the Alamo Chapter in San Antonio to relegate
enlisted membership to an “E” category.
Associate membership might be more elegant, but in any
event, it’s a setback to AFA’s efforts since the 1970s to unify the
association’s membership. As Chief McCool noted, AFA was the lack of Active military support for our association. We all
considered an “officers’ club” from its inception. But member- know that commanders often have shown reluctance in being
ship counts, and as USAA has finally learned, there are more too vocal in recruiting for AFA, and all too often I have seen
enlisted members than officers. a lack of personal support by senior enlisted.
AFA staffers John Gray, Max Keeney, and Jim McDonnell I want to praise any efforts to increase our membership
were among the pacesetters. Results included the Outstanding in AFA. It is just that I am hopeful we do not go too far
Airmen of the Year program, Team of the Year, [and] Enlisted in establishing membership groups. Membership in the
Council, and unified membership on other councils helped Air Force Association is and always has been for all of our
dispel the image. Air Force.
CMSAF Jim McCoy, during his tenure as National President CMSgt. John E. Schmidt Jr.,
and later Chairman of the Board, and Chief Walter Scott, in USAF (Ret.)
similar positions with the Aerospace Education Foundation, Tallahassee, Fla.
were recognized as full-fledged members.
CMSgt. Chuck E. Lucas, ■ I appreciate and understand the role that great leaders have had
USAF (Ret.) in ensuring AFA is an organization that represents and supports all
Springfield, Va. components of the Air Force. I also respect the enlisted leaders who
have worked tirelessly to make the enlisted voice strong within AFA.
Back in 1975, I wrote in Air Force Magazine my thoughts I, however, also see a generational gap between the average age
regarding a concern I had for the words being thrown around of AFA members and the young enlisted corps. When young airmen
the force that the Air Force Association was nothing more walk into a room filled with people with whom they don’t read-
than an “officers’ club.” It was not so then and, for certain, ily see similarities, they may decide there is not a place for them.
is not so now. AFA-e is not intended to replace AFA, but rather be a gateway
What concerns me after reading the article in the January for enlisted members to learn about AFA. As we educate and al-
2015 Wingman Magazine [on] Chief McCool and her well- low enlisted members to be comfortable, we build confidence in
intentioned effort to recruit our enlisted force into becoming their transition into the chapter meetings. —CMSgt. Kathleen
associated with AFA is that thinking. The idea of setting up M. McCool
an AFA-e is the exact opposite of getting our enlisted forces
involved in becoming AFA members—full-fledged members. KUDOS TO CODY
AFA has been from the beginning as much for our enlisted I enjoyed your article “Side By Side” [January 2015, p. 10],
forces as it has been for any other portion of our Air Force. which highlighted retired CMSgt. Athena Cody.
I know that Chief McCool is to be applauded for her efforts She served as a key member of my airfield operations team
in getting interest alive among the enlisted airmen to be part at Air Mobility Command headquarters just prior to her re-
of this beta test. But encouraging the use of AFA-e will work tirement. She epitomized the “super troop” image. A highly
against strategies and desires of AFA in increasing membership regarded air traffic control professional and leader, she also
of all of our forces. supported a high-octane spouse and raised two children.
For the past 61 years of my AFA membership, including my It’s good to see her get some well-deserved time in the limelight.
two years on the AFA Enlisted Council and the intensive efforts Col. Bill Malec,
of the immediate past 34 years serving at the chapter, state, and USAF (Ret.)
national levels, I have been very outspoken on my feelings on O’Fallon, Ill.
Wingman Magazine︱ May 2015 3
SIGNING FOR FUEL
Thanks for the great articles in Wingman Magazine. I read days, wearing rank on one’s flying coveralls was not the norm,
with much interest the article by James R. Lauducci about his so when dad put his boss’s hat on and re-exited the aircraft
uncle [“The Story of Robert A. Lauducci, Enlisted Pilot,” Janu- onto the wing, he asked the startled driver if being a captain
ary, p. 14], especially the part about having to have an officer was good enough. To this the driver “sir’d and yes, sir’d” dad
sign for fuel. It brought back a story my father told years and and gave him the hose.
years ago. He was a flight engineer on C-54s out of Haneda When dad caught up with Captain McLain and the others,
AB, Japan, in the late 1950s. he told the good captain what had happened with the refueling
On one of many trips to the Philippines in the late ’50s, after and they all howled. When they reassembled at the aircraft the
landing at Clark Air Base, Captain McLain, the pilot, and the next morning to fly back to Japan, dad found a paper sack on
rest of the crew headed to billeting and the officers club, while his engineer’s seat.
dad took care of bedding the aircraft down for the stay. When When he opened the sack, it had a brand-new officer’s
the fuel truck arrived, dad went out on the wing to take the flight cap with captain’s bars on it. McLain told dad that
refueling hose from the Filipino driver. whenever they flew somewhere, dad was to wear the hat
Upon seeing dad in his flying coveralls, the driver told him and he would be billeted with the rest of the crew in nice
he’d need an officer’s signature for the fuel. Dad couldn’t believe quarters. Dad said that was OK as long as he didn’t have to
what he was hearing. After all, he’d always been the one to sign go to the officers club.
for the fuel and take care of fueling the airplane. That was typical of my father, Glen E. Alfter, who served 30
Upon hearing this “policy change” from this driver, dad years and retired as a senior master sergeant.
stomped back through the emergency exit over the wing. He Col. Frank Alfter,
thought about how he was going to tell the captain, when he USAF (Ret.)
spotted the captain’s flight hat on the pilot’s seat. Now, in those Beavercreek, Ohio
Rob Lauducci
Photo courtesy of
FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD
Patti Lauducci, her husband, Rob,
son Joe, and daughter-in-law Lisa (l-r)
pose with Fuddy Duddy at the Lyon
Air Museum in Santa Ana, Calif.
Rob’s uncle, Robert, flew this
B-17G in World War II, when
the aircraft was The Liquida-
tor. Patti holds the January
2015 Wingman Magazine,
displaying the article (p. 14)
on Robert, written by Rob’s
brother, Jim Lauducci.
Do you have a comment about an article in the current issue of Wingman Magazine? Write to “Letters,” Wingman Magazine,
1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Or send an email to [email protected]. Letters should be concise and
timely. We cannot acknowledge receipt of letters. We reserve the right to condense letters. Letters without name and city/
base and state are not acceptable. Photographs cannot be returned.
4 Wingman Magazine ︱ May 2015
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BERNARD K. SKOCH,
CYBERPATRIOT COMMISSIONER AND AFA’S SENIOR VICE
BByy JJuunnee LL.. KKiimm,, AAssssoocciiaattee EEddiittoorr PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND INNOVATION
Scouts. “They allowed us to do a com-
n joining the Air Force Association bined ceremony on the Pentagon river
as CyberPatriot’s national com- entrance lawn,” he said. “That was the
missioner in 2010, Bernard Kurt coolest thing I ever got to do.”
Skoch led a fl edgling high school cyber Skoch rose to become director of
defense competition that had attracted communications operations on the Air
eight high school teams in its fi rst year. Staff before retiring from the Air Force
Five years later, CyberPatriot had in 2003. In 2010, he ran for Congress
2,175 teams from high schools and and lost. Soon after, he received a call
middle schools worldwide participating from then-AFA Chairman of the Board
in its annual competition—with plans Joseph E. Sutter, who asked him to lead
to expand into elementary schools and CyberPatriot, AFA’s science, technology,
summer camps. engineering, and mathematics program.
Skoch was born in 1951 on Barksdale Skoch took the job and never looked
AFB, La., to parents Larry and Zita A self-proclaimed nerd, Skoch studied back. “If we’re going to shape our future
Skoch. He has one older brother, Philip. industrial engineering at the University as a nation, we’ve got to … give [kids]
His father was an Air Force master of Arkansas in Fayetteville and gradu- constructive opportunities,” he said.
sergeant whose assignments as a boom ated in 1974, receiving a commission as His goal for CyberPatriot is to have
operator took the family to Morocco, a second lieutenant through the school’s it be “a high-quality event that earns
France, and Alabama. Air Force ROTC program. When his its place as the premier national STEM
As a boy, Skoch marveled over technol- eyesight wouldn’t allow him to become program.” And frankly, he said, “I think
ogy after listening to Sputnik in 1957 an Air Force pilot, he decided to do we’re there.”
on his father’s shortwave radio. “I was “something geeky” and embarked on Much of the way he runs his offi ce
enchanted by all things space or science a career path in communications and is modeled after the Walt Disney Co.
or technology,” he said. networks. “AFA [can learn] from a culture like
Over the next three Disney,” he said, especially if “we want
Photo courtesy of Bernie Skoch CiAHtnoaBe 1pt ,w h9tSe.8ao 3Bs8u ,eat tarhhsnt s TKiiKegao ucnSrnteekiscdaoaa. c nlh , dShthteerecaa ad“tfidqe beguseia,cr rS otAkpeoritriscc ,hC bl waaoicomdkr bmkdoeoadnwn eand”t thooirg gSbhakr-naoqincuzhdaat loiimotuyner,t .s” pehlrviesem sw iaeirsf etm,h Deil ipetraberbdyioe ms, uiipnnp atonhrtet,
Fighter Wing. of telecommunications in Civil Air Patrol when they were 15
South Korea, and served years old. Th ey have six adult children:
on the Joint Staff and Ada, Amber, Laura, Loel, Timothy, and
Air Staff. Warner, along with 16 grandchildren.
One of his fondest He resides in northwest Arkansas and
memories was when he commutes weekly to Northern Virginia.
was promoted to the rank In his free time, Skoch enjoys fl y-
of brigadier general in ing commercially, talking on his ham
2000 at the same ceremo- radio, and running marathons. He
ny that saw his youngest completed his 11th marathon, the Walt
son, Warner, become an Disney World Marathon, in January in
Eagle Scout in the Boy Orlando, Fla. (cid:31)
6 Wingman Magazine ︱ May 2015
MEET THE STAFF
PAMELA E. BRAITHWAITE,
SENIOR MANAGER OF INSURANCE AND MEMBER BENEFITS
amela Elsa Braithwaite joined something. … That’s what life is all
the Air Force Association in 1981 about: helping people who need the
as an insurance and membership help.” An active member of Wheaton
representative. Today, she is senior man- Seventh-day Adventist Church, Braith-
ager of insurance and member benefits. waite also promotes healthy living by
Braithwaite was born on the Brit- teaching a vegetarian cooking class at
ish Caribbean island of Anguilla as her church. Additionally, she’s working
the eldest of six children to Joseph to perfect a vegetarian burger that she
and Ursula Webster. Her father was a hopes to market one day.
school principal and later a pastor. As a Braithwaite received her associ-
result of his occupations, the Websters ate’s degree from the University of
traveled extensively throughout the the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad,
Caribbean islands. West Indies, and later her bachelor’s
During her more than 30 years at is an architect and works for D.C. degree in business administration at
AFA, Braithwaite received the Employee Public Schools. They have two daugh- Columbia Union College, now Adven-
of the Quarter Award three times and ters, Eumala, 30, and Aria, 23, and a tist University, in Takoma Park, Md.,
was the 2014 Employee of the Year. As 14-month-old granddaughter, Kya. in the 1990s. She is also a licensed
senior manager, she ensures that all When Braithwaite is not sewing or life insurance agent.
members are taken care of by answer- babysitting her granddaughter, she vol- When she retires from AFA, she plans
ing any questions they may have about unteers at nursing homes. “It teaches you to take a two-year sabbatical and travel
AFA’s 42 insurance programs. When a lot about yourself,” she said. “When throughout Europe. When she returns,
people call in, “I just tell them about you see the joy and you see that you can she hopes to go into “the mission field
the membership and then all the other make somebody laugh, … it gives you a and help people who are less fortunate.
benefi ts that they can get as a result of good feeling, like you’ve accomplished That’s my dream.” (cid:31)
that $45 that they pay,” she said.
Braithwaite also worked in AFA’s
Pam Braithwaite, at her fi rst job
finance department briefly when the
after college, working as a secretary
staff was reorganized, but she prefers
with the UN in Antigua in the mid-
working in insurance and member
1970s.
benefits. “That’s my niche,” she said.
“I like to interact with the members. I
like to solve their issues. … It makes
them feel like they’re just not a number.”
Braithwaite met her husband, Eupert,
in 1975 at a United Nations conference
in Antigua while she was working for
the UN. He was working for the local waite
gtbinooe vgtWeahrnena mUsahtenitnniettnge adtdtoi tnnShgt,e a ttDHiems.oC eiwn,. aa 1nHrd9de 8 tr1Uh ehnwyui hvmseebonrasv inhetddye Photo courtesey of Pamela Braith
Wingman Magazine︱ May 2015 7
BByy KKaarrii LLyynnnn HHaahhnn
#WEAREAFA
AFA members: What you guys and gals do to support
our Air Force is awesome! To highlight you and your
work for the association, we launched the “We Are AFA”
initiative on social media earlier this year. Share your
stories and photos with us on Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/AirForceAssociation. Use #WeAreAFA.
8 Wingman Magazine ︱ May 2015