Hagel Honors Sacrifices on 10th Anniversary of Iraq War’s Start

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2013 – On the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel released a statement today honoring the sacrifices made by service members, their families and the Iraqi people.

Here is the text of the secretary’s statement:

This week marks the ten year anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. While that conflict has been brought to an end, we must never lose sight of the tremendous sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform made during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Every one of the more than one million service members that deployed to Iraq, often for multiple tours of duty, deserves our highest praise and deepest debt of gratitude. They served with valor and met every challenge - from the streets of Fallujah and Sadr City to outposts in Ramadi and Mosul - always watching out for their brothers and sisters in arms.

The American people will always honor the sacrifices of the 4,475 U.S. service members who died in Iraq, and the more than 32,000 who came home wounded. Every man and woman who served in Iraq carries with them the scars of war. As we remember these quiet heroes this week we are also reminded of their families and their sacrifices, as we also honor and thank them.

Our reflections include the Iraqi people - the Iraqi soldiers and police officers who died alongside our own, the men and women who were caught in the crossfire, and those who still struggle today to secure and govern their nation. The Iraqi people will determine the future of Iraq and the United States will continue to support their efforts for a peaceful, secure, free, and prosperous nation.

Official statement page: http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15868

Franklin Cyber Patriot Squad Seeks Gold in Third Finals Appearance

From Patch.com

Franklin Cyber Patriot Squad Seeks Gold in Third Finals Appearance

By David Fonseca, March 11, 2013
For the third year in a row, a squad of Benjamin Franklin High School students will head to Washington D.C. on Tuesday to compete in Cyber Patriot, the Air Force Association's National High School Cyber Defense Competition.

This year, Franklin beat out more than 1,000 other high schools to become one of only 12 squads to qualify in the tournament's open division.

The seven-member squad goes by the name Unbreakable, a moniker that coach Yenny Yi said perfectly sums up their spirit.

"Unbreakable symbolizes our strong bond that we have built throughout the time we have had together. Unbreakable is how we view our spirits," Yi said. "No matter the obstacles placed in our paths, our spirits have remained strong and have in fact grown stronger as we have overcome them."

To read the full article: http://highlandpark-ca.patch.com/articles/franklin-cyber-patriot-squad-seeks-gold-in-third-finals-appearance#video-13639350

Marshall Academy Students Prepare for CyberPatriot National Finals

Students on the Marshall Academy CyberPatriot teams prepare to compete in next week's CyberPatriot National Finals Competition. The students are eager to compete and believe they have a fair shot at winning this year. Marshall Academy at Marshall High School will send two teams to the CyberPatriot V National Finals Competition at National Harbor (Md.) from March 14-16.

“This is our second year going back, and we know so much more about the competition,” said senior Alex Handley, 17. “We finished seventh out of 12 in the national finals [last year], so we’ve got high hopes we’ll do better this year.”

To continue reading: http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130308/NEWS/130309194/1117/marshall-students-poised-to-win-national-cyber-war&template=fairfaxTimes

Doolittle Raider Tom Griffin Passes

The Air Force Association would like to express our sincere condolences on the recent passing of Doolittle Raider Tom Griffin. We had the honor of knowing him and the greatest respect for his role in the daring raid over Tokyo during World War II. The Doolittle Raiders were formed as part of a secret mission in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Their plan was to bomb targets in Tokyo and proceed to China, their designated rendezvous location, for safe landing.

In April 1942, four months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor that launched the United States into World War II, 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers took off from the USS Hornet headed for Japan. Retired Major Griffin was a navigator on B-25 No. 9 during the raid. The courage and determination illustrated by him and his fellow raiders will forever be remembered. In 2009, he was a recipient of AFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes not a single achievement, but a lifetime of work in the advancement of aerospace. Our deepest sympathy is with his family and friends. His service to our country should be an example for all of us.

Joseph Sutter presents retired Maj. Thomas Griffin and retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole the
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Air Force Anniversary Dinner, Sept 16, 2009.

Winter 2012/2012 CAP Educator Grants

AFA recently awarded 20 squadrons with the Civil Air Patrol Educator Grant, an education initiative funded by AFA and managed by the Civil Air Patrol Headquarters.

 

The CAP Educator Grants are each up to $250, and provided to teachers who are members of either the Air Force Association or the Civil Air Patrol. This initiative funds classroom activities or materials that benefit the entire group of students and promote knowledge of aerospace power. From designing model airplanes and launching rockets to visiting Air Traffic Control towers and bases, AFA and CAP are teaming up to help promote aerospace education and the pivotal role aerospace power plays in national security. Grants can be applied toward field trips to aerospace museums or Air Force bases, or for books, DVDs or videotapes on aerospace topics.

 

“I am proud of the continued partnership between the Air Force Association and Civil Air Patrol to promote educational opportunities for students in STEM and aerospace studies,” said Jerry White, Vice Chairman of the Board for Aerospace Education. “The need for skilled individuals in aerospace fields will continue to grow, and AFA is proud to support the CAP programs that provide tools and develop skills for upcoming generations. The AFA aerospace education grants will allow CAP to continue to find new and innovative ways of engaging students and encouraging them to pursue their studies.”

 

Squadrons receiving AFA Grants are as follows:

• Bangor State Belt Composite Squadron, Bangor, Pennsylvania
• Black Sheep Senior Squadron, Englewood, Colorado
• Cedar Rapids Composite Squadron, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Col Johnnie Pantanelli Composite Squadron, Yorktown Heights, New York
• Crow Wings Squadron, Brainerd, Minnesota
• Floyd Bennett Composite Squadron, Garden City, New York
• Gainesville Composite Squadron, Gainesville, Florida
• Iona CAP Flight, Alto, Michigan
• Jacksonville Composite Squadron, Jacksonville, Florida
• La Crosse Composite Squadron, La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Naples Senior Squadron, Naples, Florida
• Phoenix Composite Squadron, New York, New York
• Prince William Composite Squadron, Manassas, Virginia
• Sheridan Cadet Squadron, Sheridan, Indiana
• Steven Schiller Composite Squadron, Burnt Hills, New York
• Southeast Group, Delavan, Wisconsin
• Tehachapi Composite Squadron, Tehachapi, California
• Thunderbird Composite Squadron, Oakley, Utah
• Washington County Composite Squadron, Hillsboro, Oregon
• Wylie Apte Cadet Squadron, Conway, New Hampshire

 

 Congratulations to them all!

March Air Force Breakfast Session: Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs

AFA is proud to welcome Lt. Gen. Michael R. Moeller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, as the guest speaker for the next month’s AFA Air Force Breakfast Program. The breakfast will be held on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

General Moeller leads the development and integration of the Air Force’s long-range plans and the five-year, $604 Billion U.S. Air Force Future Years Defense Program to ensure the Air Force’s ability to build and employ effective air, space and cyber forces to achieve national defense objectives.

Prior to his current assignment, Moeller was the U.S. Security Coordinator, Israel-Palestinian Authority, U.S. Department of State, Tel Aviv, Israel. His staff experience includes tours with the Secretary of the Air Force Staff Group and in the Checkmate Division on the Air Staff; in the Plans and Policy Directorate of the Joint Staff; and as the Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for U.S. Southern Command and also for U.S. Central Command.

Moeller is a command pilot with more than 4,440 flying hours and 670 combat hours for operations Desert Storm, Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

Check out the event page here: http://www.afa.org/CorpMembers/AFA_AF_BreakfastProgram.asp

Sequestration in the News

The deadline for striking a deal to prevent sequestration from taking place is now less than a week away. While AFA is been working to spread the word and convince key players of the devastating effects it could have for rmonths, we've been seeing many articles and reports emerge on the issue.

This weekend, the White House released State-by-State reports on the impacts of the sequester: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/02/24/white-house-releases-new-state-by-state-reports-on-the-impacts-of-the-sequester/

Also, AFA members across the country are spreading the word in their communities via opinion editorials to their community papers. Check out a few of them here:

• Guest column: Sequestration could devastate nation's military
• By Guest Columnist, John Allen, Greenville (South Carolina) News
• Sequestration is a self-inflicted wound
• By Rick Gibbs, Special to the U-T San Diego
• The crisis of defense budget cuts
• By Scott Van Cleef, Roanoke Times