The 412th Test Wing's Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force used a quadcopter to conduct a maintenance inspection of the exterior of a C-17 Globemaster III on loan from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, at Edwards Air Force Base, California, March 6.

It was the first time the ET CTF flew an sUAS on the flightline and the second time the CTF has used a small unmanned aerial system in a new application that shows promise.

The winds remained manageable and allowed the test team to conduct three sorties with the quadcopter, which was fitted with a video camera. Live video was assessed by the team, including maintainers, to determine if the quality was adequate for routine inspections. The video recorded from the quadcopter's camera will be analyzed to see if it is clear enough to see smaller details of the cargo plane's exterior such as structural abnormalities, rivets and cracks.

Maj. Dan Riley, ET CTF director said, the test was so successful that the maintainers used the data to sign off their preflight external inspection, a first for the Air Force.

"This could save (maintainers) a lot of time," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Jaburek, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, at JBLM. "When we go on top of the airplane, we can only walk on certain parts, and then we have to hook and unhook our (safety harness) every few feet."

Inspections that would normally take 45 minutes to an hour could be done just in a few minutes with a quadcopter if it's successful. Maintainers also would not need a lift to inspect a C-17's tail, Jaburek said.

Capt. Justin Merrick, ET CTF lead engineer said, the CTF got the idea from seeing a video online showing a commercial airline company using an sUAS to inspect a plane.

"(Leadership) encourages us to go out and conduct tests, so after we saw some videos online, we contacted some maintainers here and they were very enthusiastic to help out," said Merrick.

Riley added that this first test on the flightline could pave the way for future sUAS tests and test procedures.

"Another reason we've conducted this test is to open the aperture on flying an sUAS near the airfield, which has been frowned upon in the past," said Riley.  "As we execute these missions it establishes a baseline for how operations can be conducted safely, not only here at Edwards, but at other bases as well. We couldn't have accomplished what we have so far without the support of the 412th Operations Group and test wing commander in breaking down some of the barriers to these types of operations."

Riley said the CTF is looking at a variety of other missions in the near future such as roof inspections, airfield inspections and environmental-concern area inspections.

In February, the newly formed ET CTF began testing a quadcopter to determine if it was possible to use the sUAS to calibrate the 412th Range Squadron's telemetry antennas on base. Those tests also yielded positive results.

The Emerging Technologies CTF was officially activated last July and its mission is to provide agile, innovative flight test capabilities for emerging technologies and to explore the Air Force warfighting capabilities of tomorrow. Current focuses are on the use of small unmanned aerial systems for testing and operational use, and on autonomous systems' development and use.

Editor's note: This story is the first in a two-part series about Cub Scout Pack 462's Pinewood Derby.

The smell of sawdust wafts through the air and the whine of power tools assaults the ears upon entering the Boy Scouts of America's Scout Hut on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It's mid-February and the boys of Cub Scout Pack 462 are preparing for the annual Pinewood Derby in late March.

The derby is an event that many Cub Scouts look forward to each year. The inaugural race happened in California in 1952 after Cubmaster Don Murphy's son wanted to participate in the popular soapbox derbies, but he was too small.

During the Pinewood Derby, boys, and in some packs, their families, race against each other in a gravity-powered drag race with vehicles they have created from kits which include a pinewood block, four plastic wheels and four small nails to be used as axels.

These vehicles start as plain blocks of wood that need carving and shaping, generally by the boys with the help of an adult. However, some adults don't have the proper tools to facilitate this transformation from plain wood into a highly-stylized, aerodynamic racing machine.

This is why Pack 462 held the first of two Pinewood Derby Garages. It was a chance for Cub Scouts and their families to go to the BSA Scout Hut and create their vehicles.

"These garages help build bonds between the scouts and their families," said Pack 462's assistant Cubmaster, Sean Fitzgibbon. "As the scouts work with their parents to come up with designs and mold cars, we see their faces light up."

The leaders of Pack 462 have donated their time, tools and equipment allowing the boys and their families an opportunity they otherwise might not have. This makes the Pinewood Derby more exciting and fun for the children as their vehicles will have a better chance of crossing the finish line faster, said Pack 462's committee chair Cassandra Nordin.

"I am not mechanically inclined so his derby cars may have suffered from my ineptitude in the past," said Fitzgibbon. "But I was able to learn new tips and tricks to create the car better this year,"

While some families need to use these garages because they don't have access to the tools, others choose to cut their cars at these events for the camaraderie.

"Even though my dad has the tools I needed to build my car, I wanted to come to the garage and build my car with my friends," said Cub Scout Richard Souza. "I traced the design I wanted and had help cutting it out so I could sand and paint it."

The Boy Scouts of America program allows Cub Scout-aged boys to use hand tools and as they get older the program grows with them. As the child gets older, the program becomes more self-motivated and reliant upon the child's drive, according to the BSA Rules and Regulations.

The Scouting program has more for boys and their families than just building and racing cars. The program is geared to building future leaders through fun and interesting age-appropriate activities, according to the BSA mission statement.

"Scouting really helps the boys mature. They start with parent participation and gradually move on to fully independent, hands-on work," said Fitzgibbon. "Scouting in general assists boys along the path to adulthood by gradually adding responsibility and more advanced skills."

"I have gone camping with my family and worked on science projects with my dad because of Cub Scouts," added Souza. "Every time we do a Scouting event, my dad and I have a lot of fun together."

Cub Scouts is a child-and-parent program aimed at creating young men who are ready to rise to the challenges of life while learning the importance of family and community, according to the BSA mission statement.

"Scouting allows me and other parents to watch our sons tackle multiple challenges and gain a wide range of experiences," said Fitzgibbon. "I really enjoy watching parent and Cub Scout teams working to achieve the Cub Scout's vision."

The next Pinewood Derby Garage is scheduled March 12 from noon-2 p.m. The Pinewood Derby is scheduled for March 25.

For more information about the Boy Scouts of America program, go to scouting.org/ or https://beascout.scouting.org/.

A runway incursion is considered as any unauthorized presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the safety protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft, according to Airfield Management.

Here at McChord Field, the 62nd Operations Support Squadron airfield management section is the go-to office in the case of an airfield incursion incident at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"Airfield Management's primary mission and purpose is to maintain a safe, operating airfield environment and provide flight service support to base and transient aircrew," said Ms. Eileen Rodriguez, 62nd Airlift Wing airfield manager.

According to Rodriguez, runway operations are an integral part of aviation, so it is imperative that everyone be very familiar with the layout and verbiage of their airfield. Successful prevention of runway incursions requires the cooperation of all users including air traffic controllers, pilots, vehicle drivers and pedestrians operating on the airfield.

Pilots, controllers, drivers and pedestrians can all be involved in runway incursions. A contributing factor can be a breakdown in communications on the airfield and often involves some of the following infractions: use of non-standardized phraseology; failure to provide correct read back of an instruction; misunderstanding the controllers instructions; accepting clearance meant for another aircraft or vehicle or blocked transmissions.

According to the airfield management office, it is vital that before you accept the responsibility of driving on an airfield that you know clear and concise communications are the number one thing in preventing runway incursions.

"All runways allowing use of large transport aircraft require federally mandated safety areas called clear zones, surface areas and the controlled movement area," said Mr. Urouse Williams, 62nd Airlift Wing airfield driving program manager. "These areas are established to provide a safe environment for aircraft operations as well as for the protection of people on the ground."

The airfield on McChord is considered a controlled area and entering the airfield requires permission from the installation commander (coordinated through Airfield Management Operations).

"Willful or inadvertent entry violates the airfield security controlled area," said Williams. "However, the most important of the areas mentioned is the controlled movement area. Entering this area, willfully or inadvertently, without specific permission from the air traffic control tower, will lead to a safety incident called a runway incursion."

Williams said that although there are not many safety area violation incidents, they do occur.

One area in particular that draws a lot of attention from airfield management is Perimeter Road.

"Outer Drive (part of Perimeter Road) and the adjoining jogging path around the flightline and through the required safety clear zones established is an area of concern," said Williams. "The fact that the area is not physically divided makes it possible for inadvertent entry. Personnel must not leave the road or jogging path towards the runway. This area is an established security and safety controlled area and any person entering it must have a specific purpose supporting aircraft operation activities, as well as permission."

Another area of concern for airfield management that puts McChord at risk for an airfield incursion is flightline drivers.

"Anyone driving on the airfield must be trained and certified on proper procedures," said Williams. "The Airfield Driving Program is assigned to this office and ensures all base airfield drivers are trained to operate and drive in vicinity of aircraft and within aircraft authorized areas."

Awareness and posted controlled area signs serve as a way to help prevent unintentional entry to established security and safety controlled areas.

"Even one incident has the potential to lead to a catastrophic accident resulting in the loss of many lives as well as the loss of millions of dollars in equipment," said Williams. "Airfield incursions do happen here on McChord and we just want all personnel to be educated about it and just be very aware of their surroundings."

For more information about airfield incursions or should you observe unauthorized personnel or wildlife in controlled areas, contact Airfield Management at 253.982.5611.

In a time where the Air Force maintainer shortage is at 4,000 fewer airmen than needed, any opportunity to save money and or manpower is more than welcomed, and the 62nd Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is doing just that.

Maj. David Thompson, 62nd MXS commander, initiated a "Pursuit of the 12th Man" contest in his unit, where the 12 work centers within his unit compete to save man-hours by their own innovations.

The goal is to surpass 1,920 man-hours which equates to 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, the equivalent to having an extra mechanic. The reward is a well-deserved day off for whichever section saves the most man-hours.

The contest is still on-going, but it began in October 2016.

Senior Airman Brandon Mekan, 62nd MXS aerospace propulsion journeyman and the 62nd MXS support section, which provides tools for C-17 Globemaster III maintenance here at McChord, managed to save approximately 1,452 man-hours annually by analyzing ways they could save time with their equipment cleaning process.

"I was trying to find an easier way than cleaning our tools one by one," said Mekan. "I wanted to find a better way."

Mekan was referring to the more than 5,000 individual tools the support equipment flight manages that are required to be cleaned and maintained for their users.

The tool cleaning process originally took several shifts and up to several days, because there are thousands of pieces in a tool box.

"It's an extensive process," said 1st Lt. Erin Howell, 62nd MXS flight commander.

And the shop is still required to respond to their customers checking out tool kits and managing more than $13 million worth of equipment.

Overall, Mekan said the lengthy process was his motivation to find a more efficient way of doing the job.

He set out to find a solution that expedited the process and ended up at the desk of Tech. Sgt. George Alvarado, 62nd MXS support section NCOIC.

Alvarado suggested talking to a separate flight, which has several large equipment parts washers that clean their equipment.

"It was as simple as asking the hydraulics flight ‘Can we borrow your parts washer?,'" said Alvarado. "They didn't have to say ‘yes', because it does take time away from them, but they did."

The machine enables the airmen to place the tools in a cage type box, and the process takes 10-15 minutes as opposed to multiple shifts and days on end.

According to Alvarado, cleaning the tools takes a lot of time away from other tasks, and the less time they spend on cleaning the tools, the more time they can spend focused on their customers and other duties.

At any given shift there can be between 200-420 transactions processed in their shop.

"When I saw how much time we saved with one small box, I know we could save much more time on the larger toolboxes," said Alvarado. "The whole process ended up being much easier and saved us a lot of time."

Not to mention how streamlining the process can result in more predictability.

"We can create a schedule, look ahead and ask them (hydraulics flight) to use the machine," said Alvarado. "We are able to focus on our customers now."

Overall, Mekan said there is less room for error and the flight is able to get the tools out to the floor faster.

The unit is also in the process of trying to get one of their own cleaning machines, specifically made for their tools.

According to Alvarado, managing their resources is essential for mission success.

"I want to give praise to the hydro shop and Mekan for helping us out," said Alvarado. "We are truly one team."

Working together, these teams are working toward their commander's goal of completing the "Pursuit of the 12th Man challenge."

The airfield management team across the Air Force plays an integral part in ensuring aircraft operations run smoothly around the clock.

A critical part of that team is the airfield manager, and at McChord Field, part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Eileen Rodriguez has been that critical member since 2004.

She first came to McChord as a master sergeant where she was assigned to the airfield management team. She retired in 2010 and soon after took her current position as airfield manager.

"I just changed my uniform," said Rodriguez. "How I do my job hasn't changed or my relationship with my colleagues."

Rodriguez, known to many on McChord as "ER", was born and raised in Hawaii and was the first in her family to serve in the U.S. military.

"Growing up on an island, you don't see beyond the horizon. I didn't realize how big the world is until I left," said Rodriguez. "The Air Force really opened my eyes to our country and what service really is."

Since coming to McChord, she has grown to love the base and the people she's served with, said Rodriguez.

"It's special to me that I was part of the big joint basing process and helping to perfect it," said Rodriguez. "I think what we have overcome is something to be proud of."

After being at McChord for more than 10 years, Rodriguez received some news that would forever change her life.

"I was bordering stage four cancer," said Rodriguez. "Cancer to me equaled death, so that was pretty scary."

The news of cancer shocked her, but because of her faith, she found peace, said Rodriguez.

"Not even an hour after soaking it in, I had an unexplainable peace," said Rodriguez. "I know it was my faith in God that helped me."

"I decided to not focus on the cancer but to go to work and focus on the fight," Rodriguez continued. "I didn't want to mess with my daily routine. I was thinking about my task at hand and I wasn't thinking about what I was going through."

With the help from her leadership and shop, Rodriguez was able to work through chemotherapy without taking time off. The days she wasn't able to work at the office she was allowed to telework from home.

"Support is the key to healing," said Rodriguez. "They really made me feel supported. When they hear someone is going through a difficult time, everyone rallies. We have a pretty special squadron."

After her second treatment of chemotherapy, her hair started to fall out. This is when things got tougher psychologically, said Rodriguez.

"When that first clump of hair fell out is when I realized this is real," said Rodriguez. "Having my head shaved was the roughest part."

To support Rodriguez losing her hair, airmen from the air field management flight gathered together to shave their heads.

"I wouldn't be able to get through it without the love and support of my family and all of Team McChord," said Rodriguez. "This solidifies my heartfelt feelings toward the military. We all have different mission sets, but we all support one another."

Rodriguez said the support she received wasn't just limited to her immediate work section but that she also received weekly visits from Col. David Kumashiro, previous 62nd Airlift Wing commander, and Col. Ethan Griffin, previous 62nd AW vice commander.

"I don't know how they always knew when I was here at work," said Rodriguez. "From the time they found out about my cancer until they left to other assignments, they checked on me."

Summer of 2016 is when she felt she had started to feel cured, said Rodriguez.

"I felt it was part of my healing process to continue living and continue life. I didn't want to have a pity party," said Rodriguez. "It is how we get there that matters, and I know it's caring for and supporting people."

Rodriguez attributes her successful recovery to being able to work during that time, and the support from the Air Force and her family.

Team McChord airmen operate on a global scale, performing worldwide airlift, but without the proper oversight these missions would not happen.

Two of the many offices responsible for ensuring McChord aircraft are meeting all maintenance standards and are in optimal condition to support these missions is the 62nd Maintenance Group's Scheduling and Analysis offices.     

"Preventative maintenance is key to the health of the fleet," said Airman 1st Class Danny Hampton, 62nd MXG maintenance plans and scheduling scheduler. "Preventative maintenance is like taking your car to the shop before it breaks down."  

The scheduling office schedules hundreds of maintenance actions yearly for aircraft and tracks past, current and future maintenance actions. These actions include C-17 home-station checks, fuel systems inspections, tire maintenance, the washing of aircraft and many other maintenance actions.

"We are the checks and balances," said Tech. Sgt. Edward Fox, 62nd MXG plans, scheduling and documentation NCOIC. "We make sure there is one hundred percent confidence in that the right aircraft get off the ground."  

Working across the hall from scheduling, airmen from the maintenance management analysis office make sure all maintenance actions are properly documented to ensure continuity.  

"We track all the metrics for all of the fleet. We help determine what aircraft can fly," said Senior Airman Aurial Thompson, 62nd MXG maintenance management analysis analyst. "Without the analysis office, leadership cannot have complete visibility of the health of aircraft."  

The analysis shop ensures that maintenance systems are updated and accurate to ensure continuity of operational air worthy aircraft.  

"We are a critical junction in the wing between maintenance and operations," said Cary Hatzinger, 62nd MXG scheduling and analysis chief. "We are charged with ensuring fleet health."  

Airmen from both offices were recently recognized by Col. James Clavenna, 62nd MXG commander, for having zero discrepancies in last year's unit effectiveness inspection and for winning Air Mobility Command Inspector General Team awards.  

"They won because of their can-do-attitude, innovative processes and zero discrepancies," said Hatzinger. "The great things they do every day stand out."

More than 50 members of the 627th Civil Engineer Squadron participated in a land navigation course at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Feb. 16, as part of their annual training requirement.

The group spent three hours in a classroom learning the basics of land navigation including map orientation and grid coordinates, prior to putting their training to use.

Master Sgt. Justin Cruz, 627th CES readiness and emergency management flight chief, oversaw the training and said the squadron was conducting their monthly Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force, also known as Prime BEEF training.

"We do this monthly to prepare us for contingency training," said Cruz. "Since our job (during a deployment) is to establish bare bases, sustain bases and to reconstitute them, this training keeps us ready to deploy at any time. That way when a tasking comes down, we're prepared to carry our own weight."

The 627th CES typically conducts joint land navigation and convoy training with the Army prior to deployments where they will be working outside the wire, but this time they teamed up with the 627th Security Forces Squadron.

For the second part of their training, the groups were supposed to travel 1,500 meters to get to three different coordinates with an expected completion time of approximately two hours.

Staff Sgt. Jesse Reyes, 627th SFS combat arms instructor, taught the land navigation classroom portion to the group as well as oversaw the hands-on portion.

"The purpose behind this is to get the basic intent of land navigation, it's going old school and basically not relying so much on technology," said Reyes. "Land navigation is a trade and definitely a perishable skill, but it is something everyone should all have a basic knowledge of."

The hands-on portion took approximately two hours and each group successfully reached their coordinates using the knowledge they gained regarding map orientation, a compass and their azimuth, which is their point of direction.  

"The goal today was just to validate the basics learned in the classroom, simply getting from point-A to point-B," said Reyes.  "The students did well, they oriented the map well, found their starting location from their coordinates and found their way back."

Cruz said overall the training was very successful.

"I think they did great," said Cruz. "First off, everyone had a positive attitude and they were all ready and willing to learn something new."

For some of the airmen, it was their first time learning land navigation, and it can be quite challenging as they navigate by pace count with a compass, while simultaneously navigating through thick brush in the forest, stated Cruz.

"It's a team effort and fortunately our command team fully supports all of our training, and they are constantly trying to get us better resources to do more training," said Cruz. "Our airmen are always ready and willing to learn something new. ‘Is there room to grow?' Always, but these guys always impress me, every day."

The sky tints with a grey haze, damp concrete calmly reflects ramp lights in the distance, and a light mist dampens the sage uniform worn by Senior Airman Sylvia Feigum as she illuminates the orange marshaling wands in her hands. After she crosses her arms above her head signaling the aircraft to stop, Feigum walks swiftly to the exit door of the plane.

Feigum, a combat oriented supply organization journeyman with the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron, is responsible for coordinating supply requests for C-17 Globemaster III aircraft maintenance and also maintains Mobility Readiness Spares Packages containing high-demand and critical aircraft parts for the C-17 and C-5 Galaxy aircraft on Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Since arriving at Al Udeid, Feigum has also volunteered to step outside of her primary duties to learn and execute aircraft marshaling.

Taking on this extra duty would hold extra significance for her on one day in particular, when she had the opportunity to marshal in a Boeing 777-200 carrying her husband, Senior Airman Matthew Feigum, a combat crew communications journeyman with the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron.

Now the Feigums find themselves together once more, but this time supporting operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility; Sylvia supporting the mission of the 8th EAMS to provide worldwide strategic global reach, while Matthew supports the 816th EAS mission to provide professional and safe combat airlift.

Rapid and frequent changes, especially with regards to deployments, can make it difficult to foster a family life in the military, but Sylvia says she wouldn't have it any other way.

The Feigums have been married over two years now, and in that time, Matthew has deployed once before, while Sylvia is on her first deployment.

"Matt's deployments are two months less than mine, but we will only be apart a month before I get home," said Sylvia. "We are really lucky to have our missions align in this way; it seems we have had that luck ever since we enlisted."

Sylvia explained that she and her husband are from opposite ends of the U.S.; Sylvia from Florida originally and Matt from Oregon. Sylvia's service began at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, while Matt's first duty station was at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The two would first meet when unfortunate circumstances led to Matt's humanitarian orders to McChord.

"I moved so I could spend time with my sick mother," said Matt. "She has always been one of the most important people in my life, but who knew I would meet another important person in my life, my future wife!

"I can't believe we are both here together and have the opportunity to do this," he added.

The Feigums expressed the value in maintaining a healthy relationship despite the hardships that can come with a military lifestyle, and said they feel grateful to have each other so close while deployed.

"If it wasn't for the Air Force I don't think my husband and I would have ever crossed paths in life," said Feigum. "We are from opposite sides of the U.S., so I'd like to say it was fate and the Air Force that brought us together."

With four months remaining, the Feigums look forward to not only executing their missions, but building on their relationship in the expeditionary environment.

The community might not realize there is a hidden gem of a place to shop right in their backyards. The McChord Thrift Shop has so much more to offer than one might think. The thrift shop is entering its 59th year of operation and giving back to the community. The McChord Spouses Club owns the McChord Thrift Shop, and while they do have three paid staff members, 90 percent of their staff is made up of volunteers, some of which have been there for over 40 years. The McChord Spouses Club and the thrift shop strive to give back to the community in as many ways as they can. This year, they are thrilled to roll out some new events and programs to continue to help support their community in new ways.

On March 10 from 5:30-8 p.m., the McChord Thrift Shop will be hosting an exclusive formal dress sale. With the generous donations from a dress shop in Tacoma, the McChord Thrift Shop has 92 formal dresses up for sale. The dresses range in size from 0-12 and will be sold for just $15-$25 during the event. Photos of the dresses that will be for sale can be found on their Facebook website. The McChord Thrift Shop is ecstatic to be able to have this wonderful event that offers gorgeous dresses at a reasonable price.

The McChord Thrift Shop frequently receives donations of items they cannot resell such as packages of diapers or baby wipes. Assistant manager Anna Kearney realized that people in the community still need such items and did not want to see them get thrown out. She created Operation Diaper Drop and implemented the program almost two weeks ago. The goal of the program is to have donated baby items available for pick-up 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "Anyone can stop by and take what they need, and maybe down the road, donate leftover items back for someone else to use," said thrift shop manager Jennifer Bayes. There are two cabinets located in the front of the store full of items like diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes, breastfeeding pads, and even bottles. "It is all absolutely free," said Bayes. "We would rather see them used by someone who needs them instead of throwing them out."

The formal dress event and Operation Diaper Drop are only two of the positive ways that the McChord Thrift Shop gives back to their military community. For the past several years, the McChord Spouses Club has proudly given out nearly $35,000 in scholarships and welfare requests. They also happily take consignments in the thrift shop, knowing that for some people, consignment is a way to supplement their income. Bayes is extremely proud of the McChord Thrift Shop for all that they do, but also because of the positive environment in which she works. "We have dedicated volunteers who all strongly agree with giving back to our military community," she said.

McChord Thrift Shop, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday and first Saturday of each month; 4-7 p.m., Tuesday nights, Building 717, corner of 4th and Battery Street, JBLM - McChord Field, 253.982.2468, Facebook.com/McChordThriftShop

A permanent change of station can be a stressful event for military families. For airmen who have family members with special needs, a PCS can be even more stressful due to concerns about whether proper medical care will be available. Fortunately, the 62nd Medical Squadron's Exceptional Family Member Program is here to help families through the process.

EFMP is a Department of Defense program with the goal of ensuring that, prior to relocating to a new assignment, military family members' special needs can be met at their new assignment.  Enrollment in EFMP is mandatory for family members who have a life-threatening or chronic condition requiring follow-up support more than once a year or for those receiving specialty care.

When an airman with an exceptional family member receives an assignment for a PCS, or when any airman with dependents receives an overseas assignment, the airman must coordinate with the EFMP office to initiate a relocation clearance process.

"The clearance process can take anywhere from three weeks to three months, dependent upon the gaining base, complication of family member needs and whether the documentation needs to be reviewed by the major command," said Lois Fisher, 62nd MDS EFMP special needs coordinator.

Because of that, Fisher said, airmen need to contact the EFMP Family Member Relocation Clearance Coordinator as soon as they receive their assignment notification in order for the process to begin.

The reason the process can be a long one is because members may have to make follow-up medical appointments in order to get proper paperwork filled out by their medical provider or specialists, a face-to-face screening with the EFMP special needs coordinator may need to take place, and a Facility Determination Inquiry may need to occur at the gaining military treatment facility, said Fisher.  The FDI is a review of all the paperwork submitted to the gaining MTF and can take up to 14 days before a travel recommendation is made.

If family member travel is recommended, the airman will receive a travel clearance and can then proceed with the assignment process.  If travel is not recommended, however, then there are a few options available for the member.

"The sponsor can ask for the assignment to be canceled," said Fisher. "Additionally, the sponsor can pursue a reassignment, or the Air Force Personnel Center may pursue the reassignment through a ‘pinpoint' process, putting out the family circumstances to other bases that may be able to provide the necessary care for the family members."

Fisher added that AFPC may determine that the sponsor will still be assigned to the gaining base and the family member would not receive command sponsorship at the gaining location.

One additional option would be for the member to appeal the non-recommendation.

"An appeal requires new and substantial information other than what has already been submitted on the previous forms," said Fisher. "So perhaps the original document said a patient needed to be followed by a psychiatrist for a mental condition in order to get medication renewals.  New information may be that the provider who completed that form would add his professional opinion that a psychiatric nurse practitioner would also be able to prescribe the medications for that family member."

Fisher added that there are common misconceptions about the EFMP process as a whole.  One is that if a family member is enrolled in EFMP then the sponsor will not be able to PCS.  But Fisher said that is not in fact the case.

"The sponsor will be able to PCS, but possibly not to the desired or assigned base," said Fisher. "AFPC takes into consideration the training of the sponsor and where the sponsor can best be utilized."

Fisher offered a friendly reminder for anyone who may be going through a travel clearance screening.

"Remember," she said, "it's always about the mission of the Air Force."

For more information about EFMP, visit airforcemedicine.af.mil/EFMP/, or call the FMRCC at 253.982.3350.