The Seattle Times' Hal Bernton wrote an interesting piece on McChord's Operation Deep Freeze mission.

Read it here.

(From the 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs)

Airmen assigned to the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron depart for Haiti late tonight to bring specialized airfield operations skills and equipment to the humanitarian relief effort at Port-Au-Prince's Toussaint L'Ouventure International Airport.

The 15-airmen APS team is made up of experts in airfield operations and allows critical relief supplies to be unloaded from cargo aircraft with aircraft engines still running. This allows faster ground times for all aircraft bringing in relief supplies and departing with evacuees.

Prior to the earthquake, Haiti's single runway airport averaged three takeoffs and landings per day; under current U.S. Air Force operation, the airfield is averaging more than 170 takeoffs and landings daily in support of ongoing humanitarian efforts.

"It's a privilege to participate in this operation and help the Haitian people," said Air Force Master Sgt Jason Aven, 62nd APS air transportation operations center, senior NCO in charge.  "Engine running off-loads and on-loads are one of the most specialized skills the Air Force brings to this humanitarian airlift operation; it allows us to safely download cargo in minimal time to rush aid to the Haitian people."

This year's Northwest Pacific Joint Service E-9 Ball will be sponsored by the Air Force.  The ball is set for 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in Hangar 9 on McChord. All E-9s, including active duty, reserve, guard, retired, and their guests are invited to attend. Attire is mess dress or service equivalent for military members and formal for civilians. To sign up, contact one of the following service representatives no later than Jan. 20.

For Air Force, call Chief Master Sgt. Charles Bell at (253) 982-0064; Army: Sgt. Maj. Robert Carmel at (253) 948-2968, Coast Guard; Master Chief Petty Officer John Dunn at (206) 220-7192, Marines; Sgt. Maj. Richard Smith at (360) 265-5248, retirees; Harry Schreiber at (253) 661-9064.

According to one 62nd Airlift Wing deputy commander, this is the busiest season yet of Operation Deep Freeze at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. 

Crews from both the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings are fully entrenched in the mission, which supports the National Science Foundation's research.

Read more about this year's mission here.

McChord Center United Service Organization Manager Tracye Kakely said today the center put together 100 holiday baskets full of non-perishable items for needy military families. Donations for the baskets came in from various volunteers and local businesses.

Representatives from the Marines and the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings picked up the non-perishable items to deliver to the families in time for Christmas day.

Also, for more information on what the USO Puget Sound is doing in the local military community, become a fan on Facebook. In the search area, type "USO Puget Sound." 

In an effort to expedite the payment of vouchers and save airmen time when it comes to submitting documents, the McChord Financial Services Office will debut the eFinance system Jan. 1.

eFinance is a secure, paperless process to submit financial documents with automated assistance from the McChord Financial Services Office. The process is accomplished via a "Turbo Tax" approach to guide the member through a wide range of finance functions. The system may be accessed via a secure Web site application using a common access card and pin at https://efinanceworkspace.wpafb.af.mil or through the Air Force Portal under the Money-Finance Central link. Once accessed, the eFinance site uses an easy-to-understand question and answer session to walk the user through the process of travel, allotments and entitlements from start to finish.

eFinance is designed to process financial documents or route the user to the appropriate system that can. For example, if the user is accessing eFinance and wants to change direct deposit information, the system will automatically route them to myPay to accomplish the change. The capabilities of eFinance include both military pay and non-DTS travel transactions for both reserve and active duty members, excluding CED orders. Highlights of the system include immediate e-mail notification on the status of vouchers, the ability to scan or fax supporting documents and off-site submission capabilities for reserve and detachment organizations. This makes eFinance a one-stop system that gives the user the necessary tools to efficiently manage their Air Force financial affairs.

Starting Jan. 31, the McChord FSO will no longer accept paper documents that can be submitted through eFinance or MyPay. Visit https://eim.amc.af.mil/org/62cpts for a complete guide to submitting documents. The finance office will also open eight computer stations with scanners to assist any member with eFinance submissions.

For more information, e-mail  62cptshelp@mcchord.af.mil.  

In this week's Northwest Airlifter:

• Spanaway resident Ed Shadle, a former Air Force maintainer, has assembled a team of local aviation minds and a modified F-104 Starfighter in an attempt to break the land speed record of 763 mph.
• Airmen from the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Lewis are utilizing a new simulator to practice calling in air strikes and talking to pilots before deploying.
• McChord was recently assigned a new command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Greg Warren, who replaces Chief Master Sgt. Cary Hatzinger, who recently retired. 

The Air Force announced the start of this demonstration a couple of weeks ago and we ran a short news brief in the printed Airlifter, but now McChord officials have released more information about the 62nd Airlift Wing's role. 

From the 62nd AW PA:

To reduce reliance on military specification products, simplify the fuel supply chain and save money, Air Force Petroleum Agency researchers will conduct demonstrations to use commercially available jet fuel instead of military standard JP-8 fuel.

In addition to McChord, the demonstrations of Jet A fuel versus JP-8 fuel will occur at Dover Air Force Base, Del.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; and Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minn. Each base has C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III or C-130 Hercules primary-assigned aircraft. 

McChord's role in the demonstration is the injection of necessary fuel additives as fuel goes into flight line fuel tanks that are used to issue fuel directly to aircraft. During the demonstration, McChord officials will inject military additives at various points in the supply chain and have a business case analysis completed at the conclusion of the demonstration to see which option is best.

"We are uniquely dedicated to the switch and have begun receiving Jet A already," said 1st Lt. Brian Jorgensen, 62nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels management flight commander. "The refinery is located in Tacoma, so it is conveniently located to McChord."

During the demonstration, suppliers can put Jet A fuel into shared pipelines, according to Jorgensen.

By eliminating the need for a specialty fuel like JP-8 and using a more readily available Jet A, refineries and fuel depots will be able to reduce infrastructure costs and save money which they will be able to pass along to the DOD.

Officials estimate the annual savings for the Air Force at $40 million.

Master Sgt. Mark Walker, Air Force Petroleum Agency project manager noted that another part of the initiative is sponsoring research that may lead to a reduction or elimination of certain military additives. By reducing the need for military additives, Air Force suppliers can reduce the logistics footprint during contingency operations, he added.

One of the key parts of the demonstration is the ability to inject military-specific fuel additives into Jet A prior to use like icing inhibitor, Jorgenson said. By injecting fuel system icing inhibitor further forward in the supply chain, the quantities can be reduced by nearly 60 percent, he said.

The demonstrations are set to run for 12 months. Afterwards, AFPA and Defense Energy Support Center officials will review the data to determine a future course of action.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AMC PA) — Gen. Raymond Johns Jr. assumed command of Air Mobility Command from Gen. Arthur J. Lichte in a ceremony here Nov. 20.

AMC is responsible for providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces. As the commander, Johns acts as the lead agent for all mobility air forces comprised of more than 130,000 personnel from the active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world.

Johns comes to AMC from the Pentagon where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. Past assignments with AMC include serving as the 62nd Airlift Wing commander, 60th Operations Group commander at Travis AFB, Calif., and senior director at the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB.

Johns served at McChord from August of 1998 to July of 2000.

 "Though I've been away from the command for a few years, AMC is part of my blood," Johns said. "AMC is part of the fabric of my Air Force life."

Lichte is set to retire in January.

Armed Service Blood Bank Center hosts a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Chapel Support Center. The blood collected from the drive goes directly to aid wounded servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Interested donors (ages 17 and older) should weigh at least 110 pounds, have been feeling well for at least three days, be well hydrated and have eaten something prior to donating.

According to Victor Shermer with the ASBBC, the goal is to top the previous record of 56 units, which set at a blood drive at McChord earlier this year.

All of the blood donated will go to military members. After the quota for the blood headed to the area of responsibility is met, the remaining units will go to military hospitals in the Pacific Northwest.

For more donation guidelines and to check eligibility, visit www.militarylifeforce.com