Travis Tailwind: Friday, September 9, 2022 by mcnaughtonmedia

TRAVIS TAILWIND

Friday, September 9, 2022 | Vol. 47, Number 36 SERVING TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AND THE MILITARY COMMUNITY OF SOLANO COUNTY DoD takes proactive measures as sexual assault annual report numbers released PAGE 2

DROP ZONE

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, conduct airborne operations at Malemute drop zone after exiting an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 24.

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An aerial view of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., shown on May 11, 2021.

The Defense Department has released its fiscal year 2021 An nual Report on Sexual Assault in theTheMilitary.congressionally man dated report indicates that unhealthy conditions have been on the rise in the military. In 2021, the department estimates that 8.4% of active-duty women and 1.5% of active-duty men expe rienced at least one incident of unwanted sexual contact in the year before the survey was con ducted.“The results are a tragic re minder of the challenges we face and the absolute need for con tinued leadership engagement,” Elizabeth Foster, executive di rector of the office of force re siliency, said. “On day one of his taking office, Secretary [of De fense Lloyd J.] Austin [III] pri oritized action to improve how the department addresses sexu al assault. We are taking unprecedented action to prevent sexual assault and restore the trust of service members in the military justiceDetailsprocess.”ofthe annual report along with the department’s cur rent efforts to support and invest in the Sexual Assault Preven tion and Response Office were announced by Foster along with Dr. Nathan Galbreath, acting director for SAPRO, Dr. Andra Tharp, SAPRO senior preven tion advisor, and Ashlea Klahr, director of health and resilience research at DOD’s office of peo pleAlso,analytics.shortly after becoming secretary, Austin established the Independent Review Com mission on Sexual Assault in the Military to take an impartial look at the changes required to im prove efforts in accountability, prevention, climate and culture and victim care. Foster noted that all the ap proved 82 recommendations made by the IRC have or are be ing implemented wherever pos sible.In addition to the annual re port release and press brief ing, Austin released a memoran dum for senior defense leaders, noting that the release of the re port, “demonstrates in stark de tail that sexual assault and sexual harassment remain persistent and corrosive problems for our service members. The report un derscores the importance and urgency of our work.” Austin went on to say, “The unprece dented investments that we are making now and in the forthcom ing years are intended to restore the trust of our service mem bers, as well as those consider ing military service.” Among the many steps being taken, Austin stated that having the offices of special trial counsel will provide expertise in pros ecutorial decisions and restore service member trust in the mili tary justice process. That office will be fully stood up no later than Dec. 27, 2023, as directed by the National De fense Authorization Act for fiscal yearFurther2022. support for ser vice members includes hiring more professionals in the sexual tin noted. These include victim advocates and sexual assault re sponse coordinators, who will be given greater independence from the military command structure and expanded skill sets to better support victim recovery, he said. “Solving this problem re quires that the department’s most senior leaders continue to stay laser focused. . . . Togeth er, we will restore the trust that empowers the U.S. military and our national defense,” Austin said. “We will make continued and sustained progress to bolster warfighter faith in leadership, set the conditions to prevent sex ual assault, assist sexual assault and sexual harassment survivors with recovery, and hold al leged offenders appropriately accountable. We will make abun dantly clear that sexual violence will not be tolerated within our ranks.” The report was released on Sept. 1. Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase/U.S. Air Force file (2021)

Senior Airman Patrick Sullivan/U.S. Air Force

CONTENTSONTHECOVER

DoD takes proactive measures as sexual assault annual report numbers released

DoD News

TRAVIS TAILWIND

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE2 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022

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TIGER Page 10

The rescue Before going down, the cap tain of Flight 923 was able to send off an SOS call intercept ed by a Swiss freighter ship, the MS Celerina. Assisted by flares dropped by two aircraft that also heard the SOS and di verted their course, the Celerina was able to bring all 48 sur vivors aboard. They were safe, warm and taken care of for the remaining journey to land. The storm that made their landing so deadly continued, which delayed their journey. However, after three days aboard the Celerina, the seas calmed, and the remain ing crew and passengers finally made it to land in Belgium.

“If not for that flashlight, no one would have found us,” said Carol Ann Gould, Flight 923 flight attendant. Gould was supposed to have the day off, but Flight 923 needed an additional flight attendant to accompany the 68 servicemen and their fami ly members. At 22 years old, she would be the only cabin crew member to survive. As many of the survivors would later recall, Gould’s relaxed, calm demean or helped them prepare for and survive the crash. Knowing that the inevitable would happen, she had a comforting smile and reas sured the passengers their cap tain was the best pilot to handle thisGouldsituation.did not secure herself for the crash until she confirmed that every passenger was buck led in and in the proper crash po sition. She was the very last one to prepare, just mere moments before the plane went down. Im mediately after impact, she got up and started leading the pas sengers out of the plane. She went back and forth, getting ev eryone she could out. Finally, she was pushed out of the air craft by a Soldier who told her there were no more people she couldAfterhelp.she was pulled onto the raft, Gould started helping take care of the wounded and mak ing sure she spoke to all of them on the raft. To keep hopes high, she led them in song. She nev er stopped until they were finally rescued. Even in her exhausted state, once on the Celerina, she continued to talk with the pas sengers until they were all safely back on Capt.shore.JuanFigueroa-Longo, a physician, was supposed to be on vacation with his wife, Carmen, but instead, the OB-GYN became the emergency doctor who made sure everyone who could survive, did. With the assis tance of Gould, while on the raft, Figueroa dealt with hundreds of life-threatening injuries, includ ing severe aviation fuel burns, deep cuts, broken bones, hypo thermia, and, most importantly, See

AIR FORCESeptember 9, 2022 TRAVIS TAILWIND 3

The heroes Capt. John Murray was a World War II pilot who never thought his most difficult flight would take place after the war. The 44-year-old pilot could not brace: he needed to try and steer the shuddering, un balanced 72-ton aircraft trav eling at 120 mph. Despite be ing knocked unconscious when his head slammed into the con trol panel upon impact with the ocean, bleeding to a point where he was unable to see, and with the water inside the plane up to his chest, Murray made sure all the 75 souls on board were off the plane – alive. Then, out of instinct, he went back into the cockpit to grab a flashlight. During a brutal swim to the raft, he rescued a teen newly wed. Weak from the hours-long ordeal in the air and sea and los ing a lot of blood, he had to be pulled into the raft by the oth er survivors. He was the last aboard the aircraft. His last-minute thought be fore the plane sank ended up saving everyone. After hours afloat, the captain of the Celeri na saw the lone beam of light and knew there were survivors.

Eric Lindner courtesy photo

Remembering Flying Tiger Flight 923

A photo shows the actual aircraft that would be designated Tiger Flight 923, days before its fateful flight, Sept. 23, 1962, approximately 500 miles off the coast of Ireland.

Brady McCarron SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) — Sixty years ago, on Sept. 23, 1962, Flying Tiger Flight 923 took off from Gander, Newfoundland, headed for Ger many. Seventy-six souls board ed the aircraft, but only 48 sur vived when the plane went down approximately 500 miles off the coast of Ireland. With freezing temperatures and waves over 20 feet high, the story of the survivors has impacted not only members of the U.S. Air Force but those in the ci vilian aviation world as well. The event has even brought changes to air safety itself. Yet, many ser vice members know very little about the heroes and how their actions ensured such a high sur vival rate when all the experts expected no survivors. The crash There was no warning; noth ing to indicate Flight 923 would be anything but normal. All of that changed when engine No. 3 caught fire. The flight crew was able to extinguish the flames, but more trouble lay ahead –and they knew it. Almost imme diately, engine No. 1 had to be shut down because a bad pro peller would spell disaster for the flight. The crew had no other choice but to tell the passengers to prepare for a compromised landing when the time came. As the flight continued, everyone on board began to realize reach ing land safely was not going to happen.Lifejackets were passed out and put on. Instructions were given on what to do when the plane ditched into the water. According to manuals, the plane would skip along the water’s sur face and stop, and then the pas sengers would walk onto the wings and climb onto one of the five life rafts. After this, a loud thump was heard by all; engine No. 2 caught fire and then went silent. The plane started to plunge. All the lights went out. The end wasBecausenear. of the 20-foot waves and 50-mile-per-hour winds, the crash was violent. Instead of skipping on the water, the aircraft’s hull was torn open, and the right wing was shorn off. The winds were so powerful that four of the five life rafts blew away. Yet, no one seemed to pan ic – those healthy enough to walk moved towards the emergency doors and jumped into the freez ingFifty-onewaters. people crowded into the last 25-person raft; in the chaos and darkness, it had been mistakenly inflated upside down, so there was no access to pota ble water, flares, or medical sup plies. Though no one remem bers exactly how long it took for the plane to sink, after 15 min utes, it had disappeared entire ly. No other survivors could be seen other than those on the raft. For the next six hours, they were driven by fierce winds and con tinuously soaked by freezing waves while huddled togeth er. Finally, the raft of survivors would travel another 22 miles, lost at sea, and invisible to the dozens of aircraft racing to the scene or orbiting above. Sadly, three of the 51 on the raft would not live to see rescue.

Eric Lindner courtesy photo Carol Ann Gould, Tiger Flight 923 flight attendant, assisted Air Force Capt. Dr. Juan FigueroaLongo in rendering medical care in addition to keeping morale high on the raft until the ship, MS Celerina, rescued survivors.

AIR FORCE4 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022

ST. LOUIS — Her last mem ory was not what open eyes saw. Lauren Arduser was a tall, slender Russian linguist with long straight brown hair and a warmShesmile.was newly arrived at Goodfellow Air Force Base, from Presidio of Monterey, Califor nia, for intelligence training; her 10th day on-site meant explor ing the new area with her friends and hiking the local state park. Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. Lauren’s ears perked at the steady rhyth mic sound of medical equip ment. realized she could not move any thing from her neck downward. Frustrating tears rolled down her face when no one explained, and she could not ask: what hap pened and why was she there? Eventually, the 311th Train ing Squadron student was told she was in a severe car accident that left all four limbs paralyzed and her neck broken. Her lan guage skills and cognitive ability wereUnableunaffected.tobreathe indepen dently, she had been in a medi cally induced coma for the past few weeks, not expected to sur vive.Her last memory was 11 days prior when she finished a hike with her friends and climbed into the passenger seat, instinc tively buckling her seatbelt. Like experiencing an Alicein-wonderland moment, the Air man 1st Class could not fathom why her mom and other family members looked down at her so perplexed and “strangely,” she described.Lauren’s body smashed into the ground as the vehicle flipped an undetermined number of times. She suffered an inter rupted spinal cord injury, mean ing her crushed C6 and broken C7 vertebrae required life-sav ingUndersurgery.a mere coincidence, the exact surgeon her injury re quired happened to be in town during his once-a-month rotating medical schedule. San Ange lo is an outlying city, nearly four hours from the next major city, and has no local spinal cord sur geons. Thankfully, her surgery was a success. She now has a steel plate encasing her crushed C6, a bar in the front of her neck from her C3 to T1, and a second bar in the back of her neck from C3 to LaurenT2. was treated at the in tensive care unit in San An gelo. After recovering from a collapsed lung, Lauren was transported to a hospital in San Antonio, where she learned to breatheAfterindependently.maximizingtheir medi cal capabilities at the San Anto nio hospital, Lauren now rehabs three hours a day, five days a week at the St. Louis VA Health care System-Jefferson Barracks, in Missouri, where she continues to exceed all expectations daily. “I realized the only person who could stop me was me,” said Lauren. “Anytime I had those bad days where I cried, sobbed, and felt like I was the smallest person, my leg would move the nextHerday.”resilience, which she jokingly calls stubbornness, powers her to assess, adjust and over come daily physical and psychological challenges of her new en vironment.“Iwould tell myself, ‘if I can move my toes, I can move my

See RESILIANCE Page 5

17TH TRAINING WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Senior Airman Abbey Rieves

‘I am the 1% that recovers’: Resilience standard set as Russian linguist fights quadriplegia

Courtesy photo U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Lauren Arduser, 311th Training Squadron Russian language analyst, celebrates putting her uniform on independently, at the St. Louis VA Healthcare System-Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, in May.

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“My biggest goal is going back to active duty and doing my job,” said Lauren, her brown eyes flared, fierce and passion ate. “I’ve worked so hard for this, and I’m not giving up now.” While Lauren is mission-fo cused, her 17th Training Wing leadership is focused on her, em bodying the mission first, people always,“Everymentality.singleperson I have in my corner now is military,” said Lauren, referring to emotional support she’s received outside of her physical care. “I love having this team behind me. You can tell they care not only for me, but for my family and are willing to take care of me in any way they can. I’m so grateful.” Her strong, confident voice is incomparable to the near faint whispers her voice mut tered when she was initially ad mitted into the hospital. Even in the darkest of times, Lauren finds ways to laugh and joke, like when she playfully banters with a fellow spinal cord injured service member, an Army Major named John. John hit a mile stone, transitioning from a pow ered wheelchair to a manual wheelchair. Lauren was there, secretly cheering on his accom plishment because it was a significant accomplishment only spinal cord injury survivors could genuinely understand. The military bond holds firm, a unit ed joint force – down range, or in recovery.LikeJohn, Lauren also hit a milestone by independently put ting on her military uniform. On her first try since her accident, it took her more than two hours. Nevertheless, with a ‘put-me-incoach’ mentality she continuous ly advocates to get back to the mission. The first step is putting her uniform on, which now takes her less than 35 minutes. CALL 427-6989

Resiliance From Page 4 See RESILIANCE Page 15 THE DAILY REPUBLIC DELIVERS.

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whole foot,” said Lauren. “I would allow myself to have those sad days, and then be incredi bly stubborn the next day. This is a mind game, I can do it. I can move my entire body if I tell my self I Youcan.”will never walk again, you will never be able to move your hands again, you’re always going to be in a wheelchair, they say. But in her less-than-threemonth recovery, she has already walked.“Iam too stubborn to be pushed down,” she said. “I am resilient and have so much more to offer. I’m here to show peo ple that mind over matter does work.”Before arriving at Goodfel low, Lauren was trained for Air power over an entire year, devel oping Russian language skills at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, POM. Based on national defense needs, DLIFLC actively trains over 65 languages to advance the De partment of Defense. Along with 14 other class mates, Lauren put her mind over matter and submitted her final language exam, qualifying her to be a Russian linguist for the United States Air Force, even when they told her she could not. It was February 24, the same day Russia invaded Ukraine. Lauren’s training demonstrates how advanced and for ward-thinking the force devel opment structure is. And her resilience revealed itself when she and one other classmate were the only two to pass the exam.From an early age, Lauren expressed her passion for cul ture and diversity. “Our differ ences make us stronger,” she said. After leaving her small hometown in Missouri, her heart felt unfulfilled from culinary school. She felt she had noth ing left, but with encouragement from her aunt, she enlisted in the Air Force. She later discovered her late great-grandfather also had a secret military life uncov ered in declassified military doc uments last year. Like putting on glasses, her vision in life became clear, and her heart became whole. She saw the Air Force was the right choice for her, and she refuses to let that go.

Animal

care specialist provides valuable training to military working dog handlers See HANDLERS Page 7

SPANGDAHLEM, Germa ny — Army Cpl. Ricardo Blan carte, an animal care special ist assigned to the Spangdahlem Army Veterinary Treatment Fa cility, works closely with Air Force 52nd Fighter Wing mili tary working dog kennel mas ter, Tech. Sgt. Christopher Fitch ett, to provide hands on training opportunities to MWD handlers with the 52nd Fighter Wing Se curity Forces in Spangdahlem. Blancarte, a Chicago-native, decided to enlist in the U.S. Army simultaneously with his younger brother who joined the Marine Corps in 2017. Blancarte wanted to become a military po lice officer since he was a child, but when he started talking to his recruiter’s wife, a veterinary care specialist, his plans took an unexpected turn. “I got an associate’s degree in criminology and thought I was certain about my career goals,” Blancarte said. “But my recruit er encouraged me to explore different opportunities, so I did.” Blancarte finds value and sat isfaction in life by helping oth ers.“I wanted to be a cop because I wanted to help others,” Blan carte added. “I don’t care if it’s humans or animals as long as I do good in the world and make a difference. I thought, why not giving something else a try.” After much thought, he en listed in the Army as an animal care specialist. When he arrived at his first duty station at San An tonio, TX. In March 2018, he had the opportunity to work with ex otic animals alongside Air Force and Navy personnel. “This job is very diverse, you never know what animal you’ll be working with,” Blancarte said. “At San Antonio we were responsible for the care of nonhuman primates, swine and ro dents.”Blancarte is currently serv ing as the non-commissioned of ficer in charge at the Spangda hlem“MyVTF.duties and responsibil ities might not be vastly differ ent than my duties in Texas, but this time,” Blancarte said. “I get to take care of military working dogs which is really cool.” The main mission of the Spangdahlem VTF is to provide care to the military working dogs and food safety. “I work closely with the Air Force kennel master and train dog handlers as much as possi ble,” Blancarte said. “Wheth er it’s in a formal training environment or when they are seen at the VTF with their military working dog.” In the hands-on training he goes over how to read vi tal signs, distress, treat heat ca sualties and how to draw blood on a MWD which is vital for the health of the MWDs. “Most often, the dog handlers don’t receive any animal care training, but in deployed loca tions, they are the ones who pro vide crucial first aid to their in jured dog until they are under the care of a veterinarian,” said Blancarte.Blancarte frequently hosts

Michelle Thum PUBLIC HEALTH COMMAND EUROPE

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE6 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022

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Blancarte said. “Seeing this comradery and bonding between handler and dog, Army and Air Force is Recently,satisfying.”Blancarte used an opportunity to teach valuable lessons to a new MWD handler after his dog underwent surgery. “Tina, an eight-year-old Bel gian shepherd, had spine sur gery at our VTF and need ed overnight care,” Blancarte said. “I stayed with her and her handler for the night and the following days to show him how to properly read her vital signs, change her bandages and pro vide post-surgery care.” In the future, Blancarte and Fitchett are planning on joint training events with host nation partners.“Early next year, we are host ing Belgian and German military police handlers and their dogs, to exchange expertise and knowl edge on MWD care and train ing,” said Blancarte.

Handlers

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Courtesy photo U.S. Army Cpl. Ricardo Blancarte, an animal care specialist assigned to the Spangdahlem Army Veterinary Treatment Facility, is in a bite suit while training with a military working dog and his handler.

trainings to provide the lifesav ing skills to groups of around ten dog handlers at time. In the trainings the handlers learn with a simulated dog mannequin. “As a vet technician it is ful filling to know that the han dlers will go above and beyond to provide care to their dogs,”

Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike PACIFIC AIR FORCES PUBLIC AFFAIRS

“Whenmembers.wetalk about interop erability, it’s not only about platforms and systems, but also the interoperability of our Air men,” Wilsbach said. “We are talking about building trust with our allies and partners.” The desire to build upon foun dational multilateral capabilities is paramount to international co operation in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. Leaders often set the example for the de velopment of international rela tionships.“I’mproud to be a fighter pi lot and lead my forces from the front,” Gerhartz said. “Getting to fly alongside America and our other allies makes me feel even more confident in our interoper ability.”Theair chiefs discussed al lies and partners as an asymmetric advantage when it comes to long-term competition with adversaries that seek to undermine shared values and interna tional norms. Through frequent exercises, leadership exchang es, and other international en gagements, PACAF builds glob al relationships to enhance trust around the world.

Staff Sgt. Tristan Biese/U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Gen. Ken Wils bach, Pacif ic Air Sept.ry,ernTindal,Airalmetputscommander,ForceshishelonatRoyAustralianForceBaseNorth-Territo-Australia,5.

US, Germany, Australia air force generals share airspace

“This is just a small demon stration among the many we make on a daily basis to show that our Airmen are dedicat ed, trained, and ready to deliver airpower to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Wilsbach ex plained. “Adversaries that look to disrupt the security and stabil ity in this region be warned – you will face a combined global network of allies and partners who have been training together for decades to operate seamlessly against you.”

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ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR BASE TINDAL, NORTH ERN TERRITORY, Austra lia (AFNS) — U.S. Air Force Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces commander, Royal Aus tralian Air Force Air Marshal Rob Chipman, chief of RAAF, and German Air Force Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, German air force air chief, flew fighter aircraft over Australia’s Northern Terri tory Sept. 5, in a demonstration of friendship and cooperative leadership.Wilsbach flew an F-22 Raptor, Gerhartz a Eurofight er, and Chipman a RAAF EA18G Growler as part of a dynamic force employment demonstration designed to in crease the lethality of forces in contested environments and im prove interoperability among the joint, allied, and partner na tion

AIR FORCE8 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022

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Master Sgt. Shane Nichols, 349th Operations Support Squadron chief of loadmaster training, stands for a portrait, at Travis Air Force Base, Sept. 6. Nichols spearheaded the effort to for the Wing.

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AIR FORCE10 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022 shock. He did so despite having lost his glasses in the crash. He also received assistance from Se nior Master Sgt. Peter Foley, a reporter for Stars and Stripes. “I guess it was a sense of duty that kept me going,” Figueroa said in an interview. “It was something that had to be done.” The U.S. Air Force played a vital role in the rescue from start to finish. Lt. Joe Lewis found the raft while piloting his checkout flight out of Scotland; Figueroa tended to those on the raft; and Capt. John Riddle raced from Châteauroux Air Station, France, to meet the Swiss ship when it arrived in Antwerp. Rid dle was put in charge of ensur ing all survivors were adequate ly taken care of. After retiring from the Air Force in 1991, then-Maj. Gen. Riddle shared how meeting and helping the survivors altered his life.“It forever changes your per spective on life,” Riddle said. “I had to be the first step in trying to help these people take the first step in getting their lives back after such a devastating event. Some lost spouses and friends. For the rest of my career, and even today, I cannot imagine the pain they went through not only at that moment but for the rest of their lives.”

The lost ones Though Flight 923 is a story of survival, there were 28 peo ple who lost their lives that day. Included were 17 members of the military, five crew members, and six family members, includ ing two children who died with their mother on their way to join their father and husband, who was stationed in Germany. Lt. Col. George Dent sat crowded on the raft with the other survivors, all but six feet away from his wife, Elizabeth. He panicked when on the raft and called her name but was re lieved to hear her respond. How ever, when the survivors were being pulled onto the rescue ship, he discovered she was one of three who had died of their wounds while on the raft. Most of the military members lost that day were U.S. Army combat paratroopers. Some as young as 18 were heading to their first duty assignment. Oth ers were mid-level noncommis sioned officers, as well as one of ficer.Back in the cities and towns where each of the lost came from, the pain was hard on all. Like the survivors, their lives were changed forever.

Tiger From Page 3

Note: Information for this ar ticle was made possible by an in terview with and from the book “Tiger in the Sea,” written by Eric Lindner, who is Capt. Mur ray’s son-in-law. To honor Mur ray, Lindner made it his person al goal to tell the story of Flight 923.

The lessons learned Flight 923 is not only a sto ry of survival and loss; it also brought changes to the way water landings are governed to day. As evident with U.S. Air ways Flight 1549, which land ed on the Hudson River in 2009, ditching an airplane on smooth water and close to shore is one thing, but when it is not smooth and far from land, Flight 923 led to essential safety im provements.TheCoast Guard was key in using the example of Flight 923 to push for changes in water rescues of downed aircraft. They pushed for laws that mandated reversible rafts on aircraft. More importantly, all rafts and life jackets now have lights on them so they can be seen by ships and passingOtheraircraft.rules and regulations that can be traced to Flight 923 include improvements to the black box digital recorders and better deicing procedures. The best lessons learned that day were exemplified through Murray, Gould, Figueroa, and the other survivors who helped each other out of the plane and onto the only raft. The lessons of heroism under pressure and sav ing others before caring for one self still resonate today. The Air Force is founded on the virtues of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do –these heroes, whether Army, for mer or current Air Force or ci vilian, exemplified what it means to be a Flyingwingman.TigerFlight 923 may not be a well-known story; how ever, it is a story military histo ry should never let die. As the Air Force celebrates its 75th an niversary, now is the best time to look back and reflect on aviation moments like this.

September 9, 2022 TRAVIS TAILWIND 11

12 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022 ASSEMBLY OF GOD BAPTIST BaptistWithWorshipUs…St.PaulChurch 1405 Kentucky Street Fair eld, CA 94533 Rev. Dr. Terry Long, Pastor Sunday Sunday School: 11:00 a.m. Morning Worship Service: 12:00 p.m. Children’s Church: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday Prayer Meeting: 6:30-7:00 p.m. Bible Study: 7:00-8:00 p.m. Web Site: www.stpaulfair eld.org Email: stpaulbcfair eld@comcast.net Church Phone: 707-422-2003 First Assembly Of Godof Fairfield •9:15 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL •10:30 AM * MORNING WORSHIP •KID’z CHURCH Grades K-5th •10:00 AM SENIORWEDNESDAYPRAYER • 7:00 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT Adult Bible Study Girl’s Club Royal *NurseryRevolutionRangersYouthCareProvided 2207707425-3612UNIONAVE.,FAIRFIELDwww.1agff.orgemail:info@1agff.orgLiveStreamon:LeadPastor:C.EricLura For advertising information about this director y, call Classifieds at 707-427-6973 or email: cgibbs@dailyrepublic.net LUTHERAN BAPTIST CATHOLIC Sunday Morning Worship 10AM First Baptist Church of Vacaville The All Together Different Church 1127 Davis Street, www.fbcvv.com707-448-6209Vacaville MOUN T CA LVARY BA PTIST CHURCH Dr. Claybon Lea, Jr. - Senior Pastor Fairfield Campus 1735 Enterprise Drive, Bldg. 3 Fairfield, CA 94533 Sunday Worship Services 7:00am & 10:00 am Bible Study Tuesdays at 12 noon (virtual) Suisun Campus 601 Whispering Bay Lane, Suisun City, CA 94585 www.mcbcfs.org707-425-1849formore information Live Stream on: CHURCH OF CHRIST CHURCH OF CHRIST CHURCH of CHRIST Meetsat Rockville Cemetery Stone Chapel 4221 Suisun Valley Rd, Fairfield 9:00 a.m. Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:50 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship 5:30 p.m. Sunday Evening Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Evening Bible Study We welcome and encourage you to come and hear the good news of the gospel of Christ, and to learn about eternal salvation for all mankind that is offered through Jesus. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 Bring a heart and mind willing to hear God’s Word and to do His great will... For more information or directions, please visit our website www.rockvillecofc.comat Live stream itsallaboutfamilies.orgat: 301 N. Orchard Ave., Vacaville 707.448.5848 SUNDAY Classes for all ages..........10:00 am Worship..............................11:00 am CORE Bible Studies12:30 & 5:00 pm (2nd & 4th Sunday) WEDNESDAY Adult Studies........................2:00 pm AWANA for Kids..................6:15 pm Adult & Youth Studies.........6:30 pm Holy Spirit Parish 1050 North Texas Street Fair eld, CA 707-425-313894533-0624 www.holyspiritfair eld.org Weekend Mass: Saturday • 5:00 pm & 7:00 pm (Spanish) Sunday • 6:00am (Spanish), 7:30, 9:00, 10:30am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm (Spanish), 7:00pm (Spanish) Daily: M-F • 7:00am & 9:00am Saturday • 9:00am; Tues & Fri • 7:00pm (Spanish); Wed • 7:00pm (English) OLPH Confessions in English: Saturday • 3:00-4:30pm Spanish: Tues & Fri • 4:00pm-6:00pm Join Us In Person or Onlin e Sundays – 10 AM CONNECT WITH US: 2024 Nut Tree Road, Vacaville CA WWW.SANCTUARYVMOREINFO@TSVV.O707.446.440695687RGINFORMATION:ACAVILLE.COM

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The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

AIR FORCESeptember 9, 2022 TRAVIS TAILWIND 15 We Salute THOSE WHO SERVE We’ve been serving Solano County since 1973. We appreciate the many years of business with our customers and repeat customers. Military Discounts Gratefully Given $15,748$21,628$22,488 $24,997 16 6 7486 87 91 3© 2022 Syndicated Puzzles STR8TS No. 580 Tough 764352 769583241 978324 876534 5487923 654987 345876 316247985 425367 86 921 How to beat Str8ts –Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed. Previous solution - Medium You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com 548 5741 6 619 35824 853 19362 834© 2022 Syndicated Puzzles389726145 716945283 542318796 824139657 675482931 931657428 157293864 498561372 263874519 SUDOKU To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts, Sudoku and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store at www.str8ts.com

No. 580 Easy Previous solution - Very Hard Puzzles

“Never say what an indi vidual with desire ‘can’t’ do,” said Lt. Col. E.J. Mason, 316th Training Squadron command er, who held administrative re sponsibility for Lauren at the time of her accident. “Because if you told me Lauren would be talking, putting her uniform on, and walking with assistance, af ter I first saw her in the hospi tal, I would not have thought it was possible. And I was wrong.”

Resiliance From Page 5

“This is about personal resil ience,” said Mason. “Every day, she says, ‘Hey, I want to come back and be better. I want to reach those next steps. I want to be a linguist.’ When all the odds were against her.” “That is a lesson to me,” said Mason. “There’s nothing an in dividual with desire can’t do.” In her downtime, Lauren continues to capitalize her Rus sian skills. By her request, un classified course materials have also been provided to her, so she can continuously improve herself for the mission she ea gerly wants to return to. “I am the 1% that recovers,” said Lauren. “All of this is tem porary, and I will get back to doing the mission I’m so proud of.”

16 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 9, 2022

Travis Tailwind: Friday, September 9, 2022

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