COMMANDER’S CORNER: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION - PAGE 2 Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Vol. 61 No. 4
10 things to know about new DoD Secretary James Mattis By Katie Lange DoD News
DEFENSE MEDIA ACTIVITY — While many of you who served (and still serve) in the Marine Corps know his achievements well, many other service members and DoD civilians might not know that much about the veteran commander. So to help introduce him to the community he’ll be serving, here are a few key facts to know: Gen. Mattis grew up in southeast Washington state with military-minded parents: His mother worked with U.S. Army intelligence in South Africa, while his father was a merchant mariner. Mattis went to Central Washington University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. Mattis was commissioned as a Marine Corps second lieutenant through ROTC in 1972. He served in the Marine Corps for 41 years, commanding at all levels and during three major operations, including: • As a lieutenant colonel in the 1990s, Mattis commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (also known as assault battalion Task Force Ripper) as they breached the Iraqi minefields during Operation Desert Storm. • Mattis was a brigadier general during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where he commanded the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade in the fight against the Taliban. He also commanded Task Force 58, which executed the farthest-ranging amphibious assault in Marine Corps/Navy history, See Key Facts page 3
(DOD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley)
Secretary of Defense James Mattis meets with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2017.
Belay on! Climbing classes offered at Peterson By Steve Kotecki 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
(Courtesy photo provided by Dan Rodriguez)
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Hidden away in a stairwell behind the weight room at the Peterson Air Force Base Fitness Center is a littleknown and little-used room. There’s a rock wall that’s available for climbing any time the gym is open. All it takes to learn to use it is a short class and certification. Dan Rodriguez, deputy base civil engineer, 21st Civil Engineering Squadron, has been climbing for 36 years. He remembers the exact date he got into rock climbing. “It was September 1981,” Rodriguez said, “I started college at the University of Colorado Boulder and after I bought my books, I went to the rec center and signed up for a climbing class.” After getting the bug for climbing, he soon bought his first set of gear. “Back then the only way to get gear was mail order, on a mimeographed catalog,” said Rodriguez. Soon his hobby got him traveling around the continent to do climbs. He climbed in Moab, Utah; the Devils Tower in Wyoming, Yosemite, and even in
SQUAMISH, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada – Dan Rodriguez, 21st Civil Engineer Squadron deputy base civil engineer, climbs a crack in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada, June 26, 2015. Rodriguez has been climbing for over 35 years, and has climbed all over North America.
INSIDE News Briefs Crossword Classifieds
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Reserve Airlift Wing delivers in 2016 Page 5
Horse trainer trains self for space Page 8
See Climbing page 11
Keeping his legacy alive Page 12