Vol. 3 No. 3 RAF Croughton, England February 9, 2007

Annual Award Winners Announced Page 6, 7Page 6, 7

Snow Day Page 3Page 3

A Few Broken Windows A Few Broken Windows Page 2Page 2

Happenings Happenings Page 10Page 10

2 February 9, 2007 The UplinkCommanders Corner

by Lt. Col. Jim Ryan422 Air Base Squadron Commander

Time to fi x a few broken windows

422nd Air Base SquadronLt. Col. Jim Ryan , Squadron Commander

Editorial StaffTech. Sgt. Keith Houin. Public Affairs NCO

Multimedia support is provided by Tech. Sgt. Robert Ashley

This funded Air Force newspaper is an au-thorized publication for members of the U.S. military services overseas. The Uplink content is not necessarily the offi cial view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of De-

fense or the Department of the Air Force.Content is edited, prepared and provided by

the RAF Croughton Public Affairs offi ce. All photographs are Air Force photographs unless indicated.

Public Affairs can be reached at 422nd ABS/PA, Unit 5855, APO, AE 09494, or DSN 236-8468 or 01280708468; or e-mail 422abs.pa@croughton.af.mil.

The submission deadline is close of business the Thursday eight days prior to the desired pub-lication date. All material is edited for accuracy, brevity, clarity and conformity to regulations.

The Public Affairs offi ce strives for accu-racy. If an error is noticed, contact The Uplink staff.

Cover: Snow DayMolly Stephey builds the beginnings of a snowman January 24 in base housing on RAF Croughton.School bus delays gave children as much as three hours of play time before school, while base workers were given two hours delayed reporting.

Photo by Tech Sgt Keith Houin. Graphic by Tech Sgt Robert Ashley.

Now that the Superbowl is over and we’re starting to see our daylight hours grow in length, I start anticipating the arrival of Spring. When it comes to Spring, certain things come to mind – among those are warmer weather, baseball, fl owers and spring cleaning. And no, this won’t be a Commentary about baseball.

As we at RAF Croughton begin to come out of the winter months, it’s time for us to focus our attention towards spring cleaning our base. There’s a theory in Law Enforce-ment known as the “Broken Window theory.”

The idea behind this theory is to crack down on small offenses in order to prevent more serious offenses. The book Fixing Broken Windows: Restor-ing Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities by George L. Kelling and Catherine Coles describes the theory with the following examples:

“Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fi res inside.

Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accu-mulates. Eventually, people even start

leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.”

Probably the most successful implementation of this theory was Mayor Rudy Giuliani in New York City. Mayor Giuliani applied this theory after his 1993 election, and the results were startling. Between 1993 and 1995: murder dropped 39%, burglary dropped 25%, and car theft dropped 36%. In an interview with the Academy of Achievement, in 2003 Rudy Giuliani summarized:

“The idea of it is that you had to pay attention to small things, other-wise they would get out of control and become much worse.”

The same approach they used in Law Enforcement can be used on our Base.

That’s the concept of “Sweating the small stuff” we’ve established here at Croughton over this past year. We’ve made tremendous gains and have “raised the bar” in terms of how we expect the base to look.

I recently had the opportunity to give a Base tour to two distinguished visitors; before heading out on the tour, I challenged both of them to point out a piece of trash as we drove around.

They were both impressed when

the tour ended 30 minutes later and they hadn’t identifi ed a single piece of paper. That’s the standard we’ve set here at Croughton and now our focus needs to be “sustaining that standard”. And standards take follow up.

So how do we do that? First and foremost, never walk by

a problem. If you see a piece of trash as you walk around, pick it up and deposit it in the nearest trash can. It

doesn’t take much effort and if we all con-tribute our base will remain trash free.

Second, look around the exterior of your build-ings; has mud, dirt and moss built up over the past few months? If so, get out those pressure washers now and get those sidewalks and walls look-ing clean to start off the spring and summer. Does some paint need to be refreshed? Head on down to Self Help and get that touch–up painting done early.

Last, be a considerate member of the Croughton Community: Don’t throw trash or cigarette butts on the ground, ensure you wipe the mud and dirt of your shoes when entering facili-ties and help us all keep Croughton a great place to live and work.

Let’s “maintain the excellence” we’ve established here at RAF Croughton. In short, let’s not tolerate any broken windows.

They were both impressed when the tour ended 30 minutes later...

February 9, 2007 The Uplink 3

Snow DaySnow DayAn early morning snow January 24 turned into late reporting for Team Croughton, and early morning play-time for base children.Kris Villarreal watches from the comfort of the house as the children play in the snow on 5th Street (right). Kelly Blahut takes a ride down the hill between Croughton American School and the command section (below left). Seth Erdman carries a sled back up the hill to have another go (below right). Frosty makes a short appearance at the Stephey resi-dence (bottom).

Feature

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Keith Houin

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Ashley

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Keith Houin

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Ashley

Background photo by Tech. Sgt. Keith Houin

4 February 9, 2007 The UplinkNews

by Staff Sgt. C. Todd LopezAir Force Print News

WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) -Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne spoke in front of a packed house January 31 during his town hall meeting at the Pentagon.

During the meeting, the secretary discussed some of the issues facing the Air Force today as well as its strengths and his goals for 2007. One issue included the ages of the Air Force’s aircraft.

“When I reentered (the Air Force) last year, the average age of our equipment was 24 years old,” he said. “That’s all of our fl eet. Many of them are essentially bumping up against age limits.”

The secretary said aircraft like the F-15 Eagle are now on fl ight restriction, prohibited during training from going above certain speeds because of potential danger to the pilot. He also said that type of restriction, due to the age of the aircraft, is detrimental to Air Force readiness.

“When you restrict that in peacetime, you restrict training,” he said. “That would be like training to be an Indy 500 racecar driver at 100 miles an hour,

knowing full well you will be going 175 miles an hour when you get on the track. It is just not the same.”

Despite such restrictions, the secretary told gathered Airmen their Air Force was the best in the world.

“Why is your Air Force so great then? Because you -- the maintainers and sustainers of our Air Force -- are performing magnifi cently,” he said. “The performers, the sustainers, and maintainers, are taking the old equipment and making it relevant today.”

The secretary said he realized that Airmen could not continue to sustain today’s ageing equipment indefi nitely. He said the service is making efforts to recapitalize to ensure tomorrow’s Airmen are equipped to fi ght any enemy, anywhere, anytime.

“We are about making sure that within our constrained resource set, we are going to set our sights on bringing (forward) this new and high technology equipment, because that is what your Air Force does,” he said.“We bring high technology equipment and we change the face of warfare.”

Also during the town hall meeting, the secretary discussed his “goal card” for 2007. Many of the goals are

Every Airman an ambassador a continuation of those he expressed early on in his tenure: fostering mutual respect and integrity; sustaining air, space and cyberspace capabilities; open, transparent business practices; and fostering AFSO21 across the Air Force. But this year, he has added a new goal: “Every Airman an ambassador to all we meet and serve.”

“It turns out, even in our community in the United States, people look at us as ambassadors of our Air Force,” the secretary said.

Some Airmen may mistake those in high visibility positions, like Thunderbird pilots or wing commanders, as being the only representatives of the service. But actually, all Airmen are ambassadors of the Air Force the secretary said.

“The ambassadors for our Air Force are us, every one of us,” he said. “Without a doubt when we are at Osan on a bike trip, at Kunsan taking a tour, or at Misawa and a local is taking us diving, they interact with us and come away with a feeling about the Air Force. They can come away with good feelings or come away with bad feelings. At the end of the day, it is up to you. That is where I say: Every Airman is an ambassador.”

National Prayer Breakfast February 14 This year’s National Prayer Breakfast will be held

February 14 at 7:30 a.m. in the Consolidated Club. The guest speaker is Chaplain (Maj Gen ret.) Lorraine

Potter, former Chief of the Chaplain Service for the USAF. Among a number of fi rsts, Chaplain Potter holds the

distinctive honor of being the fi rst female in the Chaplain Service. She was also the fi rst female Command Chaplain

and the fi rst female Chief of the Chaplain Service.Chaplain Potter is from Rhode Island and an ordained minister

of the American Baptist Church. She was commissioned in 1973 and has served at every installation and command level within the Department of Defense. Chaplain Potter retired in June 2004.

Tickets are $5, call 236-8287 for more information.

The Commander’s Action Line is a direct line for comments and suggestions to make RAF Croughton a better place to live and work. It is also an avenue to address issues that have not been resolved through the responsible agency or your chain of com-mand.

Items of interest to all Croughton readers may be published in The Uplink. If you leave your name and telephone number or e-

mail address, you will receive a reply. Your contact information also provides a

means for us to get more information if need-ed to work the issue

To submit an Action Line, call 236-8017 or e-mail 422abg.commanders.actionline@croughton.af.mil.

Commander’s Action Line

Col. D’Angelo

February 9, 2007 The Uplink 5Spotlight

Unit and job title: 422 CS / Satellite, Wideband and Telemetry Journeyman

Time in service: 2 years & 5 months Time on station: 1 year & 6 months Family: No immediate family here with him

Hobbies: Working out at the gym, spending time with friends and eating “Raquel’s” cooking!

Supervisor’s quote: A1C Garcia has been a key component of both his work center and our base!

His dedication to duty and to the mission, “To provide communications support to the war fighters”, is evident in his day-to-day operations.

He excels at all tasks and his attention to detail is above reproach and well above his pay grade.

His involvements around the base include generating participation in the Club through publicity, liaison between the British-American Committee and the Airmen of the base, liaison between the club advisory council and the First 4 council, and numerous other events that he’s lent his time and organizational skills too! Every event that he’s involved in he gives 110%! He truly set’s the standard that others aspire to achieve!

How do you support the RAF Croughton mission? I monitor/troubleshoot satellite communication links for the war fighters in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and

Spotlight On ...Spotlight On ...

Airman 1st Class Airman 1st Class Adriano Delgado-GarciaAdriano Delgado-Garcia

available at the base club. I think this would increase morale for the troops stationed here and make for a more enjoyable tour

The Spotlight On ... is intended to recognize technical sergeants and below who epitomize what it means to be a part of Team Croughton. Submissions must be sent to PA by squadron superintendents.

Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.Basically, I provide the forward

deployed troops reach-back commu-nications to the outside world; voice for phone calls home, data for inter-net and Video Telephone Conferenc-ing. If you could do one thing to improve Croughton, what would it be? I would improve upon the activities

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Ashley

66 February 9, 2007 NewsNew

Company Grade Offi cerCaptain David ThompsonCaptain David Thompson

422 ABS422 ABS

Field Grade Offi cerMajor Mynda Ohman

422 ABG

AirmanSenior Airman Kathrine VoirolSenior Airman Kathrine Voirol

422 CS422 CS

NCONCOStaff Sgt. Kyle JohnsonStaff Sgt. Kyle Johnson

422 SFS422 SFS

Senior NCOSeniorMaster Sgt. Jeanne VogtMaster Sgt.

422 CS422

First SergeantSenior Master Sgt Rudolph MontezSenior Master Sgt Rudolph Montez

422 ABG422 ABG

And the And the winners winners

are...are...

The Uplink The Uplink 77Newsws

The 422nd Air Base Group Annual The 422nd Air Base Group Annual Award winners were announced Award winners were announced at the annual awards banquet at the annual awards banquet February 8th at the club.February 8th at the club.The winners will now represent RAF The winners will now represent RAF Croughton for the 501st Combat Croughton for the 501st Combat Support Wing Annual Awards.Support Wing Annual Awards.

Company Grade Offi cerCaptain David Thompson

422 ABS

Field Grade Offi cerMajor Mynda OhmanMajor Mynda Ohman

422 ABG422 ABG

Senior NCOr NCOMaster Sgt. Jeanne VogtJeanne Vogt

422 CS2 CS

Civilian Cat 1Civilian Cat 1Keith HerringKeith Herring

422 SFS422 SFS

Civilian Cat 2Civilian Cat 2Frederick CallahanFrederick Callahan

422 SFS422 SFS

Staff Sgt. Sophia Vargas Staff Sgt. Sophia Vargas 422 ABG422 ABG

8 February 9, 2007 The UplinkSports/Fitness

Sport ShortsWinter Fitness Survival Challenge

The Fitness Center is offering you the help you need to get through the winter months with the Winter Fit-ness Survival Challenge. Sign up in FitLinxx between now and March 31, 2007, reach the goal and burn 17,500 calories and win a Fitness T-Shirt (T-

shirt prizes available while quantities last).

For more information call the Fit-ness Center on DSN 236-8449.

Youth Flag Football TourneyPlayers (ages 9-11) are needed to

represent RAF Croughton as we host the Coventry Jets youth Flag football team in a Flag Football extravaganza. The event is scheduled for a kick off on

Saturday (March 10th) at 9 AM. There will be a boys and girls team

which will fi eld players between the ages of 9 and 11. Teams will have a coach who will hold a six day camp to get the kids ready. All players will need mouth guards and cleats. For par-ticipation or more information contact myself (ewatts711@yahoo.com) or Mr. Elmore (joe.elmore@croughton.af.mil) and we will be glad to help you.

To the HoopGary Moore, SFS, goes to the air to get by RITC defenders January 31 during intramural basketball play. SFS won the game 62-31. SFS is currently undefeated and leads the intramural league.

Always Forward Standards Take Every Person

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Ashley

February 9, 2007 The Uplink 9Lighter Side

Making the Gradeby Capt. Tony Wickman

ACROSS1. Female identifi er4. Witch7. Saga11. Upset13. Summer beverage14. Hawaii greeting16. Largest continent17. Bond writer Fleming18. President Reagan20. USAF ranks of Staff, Technical

or Master23. Fish egg24. ___ Abner25. Sea bird, var.26. X to Caesar27. Top USAF enlisted rank29. Satisfi es32. Concorde jet, briefl y33. Indianapolis Colt safety34. Stretch car35. USAF offi cer rank39. USAF offi cer rank

44. Cellular identifi er45. Spry46. Jewel49. 1959 Nobel Prize winner Severo52. Practice fi ghting53. Epoch54. Project Runway designer Her-

zner55. Commander’s region of control56. ___ Mahal57. USN top ranks60. Saturates62. School Stonewall Jackson taught

at, in brief63. Long spans of time67. Actor Flynn68. Snakelike fi sh69. Yatzee need70. ___ Francisco71. Dr.’s helpers72. Abraham’s nephewDOWN1. USAF enlisted rank

2. Towel marking3. Inventor Whitney4. Head covering5. Sayings that sets forth a general

truth6. USAF offi cer rank7. Acquire through merit8. Secret plan or scheme9. Charged particle10. Rank and pay items12. Most simple15. Lotion ingredients19. Ding21. Santa helper22. Playful trick or prank24. Speech impediment27. USAF education tool for enlisted

personnel to make rank28. CJTF-___; located in Djibouti30. Subgenre of hardcore punk mu-

sic31. Former French coin36. Bother37. Company add-on?38. Minor Prophet of the 7th century

b.c.40. Against41. Close by42. Mistake43. USAF O-1 and O-246. Obtain47. Get rid of48. USAF O-4s50. ____ Twist51. Title of address for USAF E-1 to

E-452. Actor Mineo57. Smack That singer58. AOL, for one59. Has pains61. Notre Dame great Parseghian64. Engine need65. Term for USAF E-5 or E-666. Place

10 February 9, 2007 The UplinkHappenings

HQ USAFE Services – Sembach AB, Germany – More Exciting News! From now through April 15 the Project CHEER program will provide a great opportunity compliment of USAA for Airmen to win $3,000 cash!

USAA has partnered with USAFE Services for the 2007 Project CHEER program. They are supporting the pro-gram with a generous cash donation as well as providing a $3,000 cash prize for an on-line drawing.

Participants go to www.projectcheer.org/ site to fi ll out a questionnaire for USAA then they are entered in the drawing.

Questionnaire must be completed to qualify for a chance to win. All infor-mation is requested by USAA is secure and a security certifi cate is on fi le with HQ USAFE Services.

Drawing will take place between April 15 and May 1 2007. USAA will provide the winner with a $3,000 check.

USAA $3,000 Project CHEER Giveaway

Tax Center UpdateTax season is underway. The base

Tax Center has available appointments on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The number of appointments available is limited.If you cannot get an appoint-ment there are other options.

Free IRS Programs. The IRS has a Free File Program under Online Tools at the IRS Website. Free File allows taxpayers with an Adjusted Gross In-come (AGI) of $52,000 or less in 2006 to e-fi le their federal tax returns for free. In many cases, the same is true for state returns. Visit their site for more infor-mation. www.irs.gov

Military OneSource offers free tax preparation software called “TaxCut Basic Online.” This software is avail-able to Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families.

http://www.militaryonesource.com If you are not sure you can “go it

alone” and would like to attend a work-shop, and get some assistance with e-fi ling your taxes yourself, please phone the legal offi ce at 236-8652 and reserve a spot. Workshops will be held Febru-ary 13 from 9 to 10:30 am, and Febru-ary 15 from 3 to 4:30 pm.

You will need to bring with you:- Forms W-2, W-2G- Forms 1099-INT, 1099-OID, bank

statements-Forms 1099-MISC, records for

business or side job income and ex-penses

-Records for your rental and royalty property income and expenses

- Schedules K1- Forms 1099-DIV- Forms 1099-B, records with gain

or loss on sales of stocks or property- Forms 1099-R, CSA 1099-R, CSF

1099-R- Forms RRB-1099, RRB-1099-R- Forms SSA-1099- W-2Gs, records of other gambling

income-Information on any other income

received in 2006

The contest is open to all DoD ID card holders aged 18 years and over. Visit www.projectcheer.org/ now for more information.

Boy Scouts Court of HonorRAF Croughton Boy Scout Troop 220 held their fi rst Court of Honor for 2007 on January 31 at the community center. The boys were recognized for their achievements as indi-viduals and as a Troop. Part of the fun was the year’s fi rst chili cook-off.Sean Suppa post the colors (left). Senior Master Sgt. Ru-dolph Montez, 422 ABG Fisrt Sergeant, scores a sample of chili during the chili cook off portion of the night (right). Photos by Tech. Sgt. Robert Ashley

February 9, 2007 The Uplink 11Community Center/ITT

236-8706Latin Dancing Classes

Get Fit in 2007 and Have Fun!! Latin Dancing-Salsa, Samba, Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Ballroom and many more! The Community Center offers the chance to learn dancing from an ex-perienced tutor! Wednesday, 8-9 pm, in the Community Center. Cost is £5 per class or £8 per couples (payable in advance). For more information or to sign-up contact the Community Center on DSN 236-8706.

Chinese New Year In London

The Community Center/ITT has a trip to the Chinese New Year celebra-tions in London February 18. Cost is $25 for adults/$12.50 child. Chinese New Year is the biggest festival of the year in Chinese communities and to mark ‘The Year of the Pig’ London’s annual Chinese New Year parade and festival will take place in London’s Chinatown, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. Transport departs Croughton at 8 am, Caversfi eld at 8:20 am and Croughton at 7.30 am. Sign-up with the Community Center.

St. Patrick’s Day Tour The Community Center/ITT offers

the SunFun St Patrick’s Day – Dublin Tour departing March 15. This is a 4 day tour costing £259 per person; in-cludes 3 nights bed and breakfast, Sun-Fun luxury coach, return HSS Ferry crossing and an experienced tour lead-er. Price is based on two adults shar-ing a room (single supplement is £90). This tour departs RAF Alconbury un-less the minimum numbers are reached. For more information or to sign-up call DSN 236-8706 or stop by building 200.

Outdoor Recreation236-8419

Brecon Beacons Southern Horseshoe Walk

Join Outdoor Rec on Sunday Febru-ary 18 to blow away some of those win-ter cobwebs on one of the fi nest hikes

Valentine’s Day Dinner at the Club

The Club will have a Valentine’s Day Dinner February 14 at 6 pm. Cost is $75 per couple for non-members and $65 per couple for members. Dinner consist of a starter, salad, choice of Salmon or Filet Burgundy and dessert. A carafe of wine is included in the cost. This event is limited to 20 couples so please make your reservation early!! Reservations must be made by COB February 12 by calling DSN 236-8140.

A La Cart Dining A La Cart Dining is Friday February

16 from 5 – 7 pm.

Steak Fajitas/Quiz NightFebruary 23 from 5– 7 pm. Come

out and enjoy some Fajitas and take part in the Quiz Night. Put those little grey cells to work and impress every-one with your knowledge!!

in South Wales. It starts low down in the deep forest of the Taf Fechan Forest before rising from open moorland with magnifi cent views of the peaks due to be conquered. After a push to the sum-mit of Craig Fan Ddu the walk follows the edge of the ridge of the horseshoe to the main summits of Pen Y Fan and Corn Du rewarding you with fantastic views over the valley some 2,000 ft be-low. Cost for the trip is $35. Transport will leave Outdoor Rec at 7 am. Call Outdoor Rec\o sign-up.

Mountain Biking at Cannock Chase

Join Outdoor Rec on Saturday Feb-ruary 24 to enjoy a day mountain biking at Cannock Chase. This is the smallest main land Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Britain. The terrain consists of rolling hills covered with lowland heaths and mixed forests cov-ering approximately 25 square miles. Cost for the trip is $40 and includes bike rental or $30 with your own bike. Transport will leave Outdoor Rec at 8 am (bikers arrive at 7.30 to load/rent bikes). Call Outdoor Rec to sign-up.

Club236-8476

Texas Hold’Em TournamentThe Club is holding the base level

tournament for the USAFE Project CHEER Texas Hold’Em Tournament on tonight and February 16. at 7 pm Cost is FREE for Club Members/$5 Non-members. The base level winner will compete in the USAFE Tourna-ment at Sembach AB, GE March 17. Only Club Members may advance to the USAFE Tournament. For full de-tails please call the Club.

Mongolian BBQ NightThe Club will hold its Mongolian

BBQ tonight, from 5 – 7 pm. Come on out and why not stay for the Texas Hold ’Em tournament after?

Family Night Family Night is February 15 from

5 – 7 pm. at the club. Bring out the whole family and let us do the cooking for you!

Happenings

The Community Center has a large range of Valentine’s Day Gifts on sale. Orders are being taken now for items to be delivered on Wednesday February 14 either on-base or to Caversfi eld housing. Items can also be pre-ordered to be collected from the Commu-nity Center on the day. For more information call DSN 236-8706.