Jet Stream The
Friday, June 15, 2018 Vol. 53, No. 23 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
Delta & Oscar Company Graduates
6&7
“The noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
beaufort.marines.mil | facebook.com/MCASBeaufort | youtube.com/MCASBeaufort | mcasbetwitter.com/MCASBeaufortSC | Instagram/mcasbeaufort
Summer Sizzler brings MAG-31 together
4
PROTECT WHAT YOU’VE EARNED
Check out our website at Thejetstreambeaufort.com
TBR increases mission readiness throughout DoD
Photo by Cpl. Ashley Phillips
An F-16 Fighting Falcon conducts air-to-ground training at Townsend Bombing Range, Georgia June 12. Aircraft around the Department of Defense regularly use the range to rehearse strafing and dropping inert munitions. The aircraft is with 157th Fighter Squadron, 169th Fighter Wing based out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Georgia. Story by Cpl. Ashley Phillips
The U.S. Air Force’s 157th Fighter Squadron, 169th Fighter Wing conducted air-to-ground training at Townsend Bombing Range, Georgia. June 12. Pilots with the 157th, also known as the Swamp Foxes, practiced bombing and strafing runs using inert, or non-exploding, munitions. “Townsend Bombing Range is strategically placed so that the aircraft can access the range from the waterways off the coast,” said Bryan Corns, the range control officer at TBR. “Because of our location, our accessibility and flexibility, we are able to support training for every branch of service. We are very strategically placed and utilized often by all of the branches across the DoD.” The Swamp Foxes, based out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base, did both practice and live runs, dropping 500 pound inert bombs and strafing with their cannons. Strafing is defined as the delivery of automatic weapons fire from aircraft to ground targets. This usually takes place at very low altitudes and is a key component of air-toground tactics. TBR was originally established as Naval Air Station Photo by Cpl. Benjamin McDonald Glynco Bombing Range in the 1940s. Inert munitions impact at Townsend Bombing Range, Georgia . June 12. F-16 Falcons with the 157th Fighter SquadThe 3,882 acre range was closed in ron, 169th Fighter Wing from McEntire Joint National Guard Base used the range to rehearse air-to-ground training. 1972. The Marine Corps re-opened the see TBR, page 4 Aircraft around the Defense Department regularly use the range to practice strafing and dropping inert munitions.
MWD: not your average devil dog Story and Photos by Cpl. Terry Haynes
As man’s best friend, dogs have held different names and jobs throughout human history, from herding livestock to hunting animals. They have been a constant companion to the humans they serve. “I was a regular military policeman before I became a military working dog handler,” said Sgt. Brendon Parkhill, a dog handler with the Provost Marshal’s Office. “This job has opened my eyes and taught me a lot about one of the smallest programs in the Marine Corps. Growing up, I only had two dogs and now part of my duties is being responsible for an entire kennel of MWDs.” According to the handlers, historians have documented humans using dogs as tools of war all the way to 600 B.C. Marines can trace their origins of working with K-9s to 1942 when using breeds such as Doberman Pinchers and Rottweilers as guard and attack dogs. As tactics of war changed throughout the decades, so did the roles and breeds of MWDs. Instead of
Rottweilers, the Marine Corps began incorporating German Sheppard’s, Belgian Malenois, and Labrador Retrievers into the MWD program. These breeds detect narcotics and explosives as well as supporting Marines on patrols and sentries. “We are assigned to only one dog at a time but we take care of all of them collectively,” said Officer Matthew Buckley, a dog handler with the Provost Marshal’s Office. “To be an effective team, the handler and MWD must sync. The handler feeds trains and exercises their dog every day to keep up the bond and rapport that has been built over time. Before a team can go on the road, they must be certified. The handler has to prove that his MWD will listen to basic obedience commands and that they can work together to accomplish a mission. Because of how strong this bond can become, when a MWD is ready to retire, its handler is given the first opportunity to adopt it.” In order to become a handler, Marines must attend a 12-week course at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio where service members from every branch learn
Photo by Cpl. Terry Haynes III
Members of the Military Working Dog section of the Provost Marshal’s Office pose for a photo aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort June13. The MWD section aids the air station in detecting contraband and conducting security checks. The MWD section is attached to Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron.
see
PMO, page 5