COMMANDER’S CORNER: COMMENTARY ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH - PAGE 2
Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Vol. 61 No. 6
Olympic divers travel to the Top of the World to thank service members By Karen Rosen Team USA Public Affairs
(Courtesy photo)
THULE AIR BASE, Greenland – Sam Dorman, 2016 Olympic silver medalist, greets members of the 821st Air Base Group at Thule Air Base, Greenland, Jan. 21, 2017. Dorman and Troy Dumais, four-time Olympian, visited the Top of the World as part of the “Dive Into Service” program.
THULE AIR BASE, Greenland — Divers Sam Dorman and Troy Dumais know how it feels to be on top of the world. Each had the heady experience of winning an Olympic medal and standing on the podium. Dorman took silver at the Rio 2016 Games in 3-meter synchro while Dumais earned bronze four years earlier in London in the same event. On Jan. 19 they had the rare privilege of physically being so close to the North Pole, Dorman said, “that the polar bears don’t want to go there. We went out to see the Northern Lights, and they were the Southern Lights because we were so far north we had to look south.” He and Dumais traveled to Thule Air Base on the top end of Greenland as part of the “Dive into Service” program earlier this month. Launched last year by USA Diving, the program encourages athletes to build relationships with military service members and share kindred experiences as representatives of the United States.
“That was a trip of a lifetime,” Dorman said. “The fact that we were going to Greenland, of all places, how amazing is that? Not many people ever get to go there, so I was kind of blown away by that.” The divers flew to Baltimore and boarded a chartered military plane that is also fitted to carry cargo. The flight was about six hours to Thule, which is 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle and is the U.S. Armed Forces’ most remote military base. USA Diving, in conjunction with American300 Tours, began “Dive into Service” last Sept. 11, with Dumais visiting the Air Force’s 21st Space Wing located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The four-time Olympian was eager to sign on for another trip. “We need to thank them,” Dumais said of the service members. “They’ve gone out of their way for us. Every Airman and every service unit in the United States has protected our freedoms to the point where I can do my diving and my traveling. And as professional athletes, giving up what we gave up, that inspires them. “And when we go up there and perSee Divers page 8
16th SPCS:
Defending space at high frequencies By Dave Smith 21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — An array of satellite dishes point to strategic locations in space allowing airmen to monitor SuperHigh Frequency and Ultra-High Frequency signals assisting military units across the globe in fulfilling their missions. The 16th Space Control Squadron, part of the 21st Operations Group and housed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, utilizes defensive space control capabilities to assure U.S. space superiority. The squadron’s motto, “Tutamine Victoria” means “With a strong defense, victory” and speaks to the fact it is the sole defensive space control unit in Air Force Space Command. With that responsibility, the 16th SPCS has a 24 hours a day, seven days a week in-garrison mission and has an additional deployable mission as well. Scheduling and manning such a detailed mission can be a challenge, said Lt. Col. Thomas Johnson, 16th SPCS commander. To fill its needs, the squadron is augmented by the 380th SPCS, its reserve associate unit. See Defending page 7
(U.S. Air Force photo by Steve Kotecki.)
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Master Sgt. Adam Gillard, 380th Space Control Squadron, Assurance Flight Chief, points out radio frequencies on a training module at Peterson Air Force Base, Jan. 27, 2017. The 16th SPCS utilizes defensive space control capabilities to assure U.S. space superiority.
INSIDE News Briefs Crossword Classifieds
1-16 4 17 18
When night turns to day Page 3
Jack-ofall-trades: Master of most Page 5
Valentine’s Day is special for Team Pete members Page 10