COMMANDER’S CORNER: RESILIENCY: ESSENTIAL TO SURVIVAL - PAGE 2 Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Vol. 61 No. 42
Interview with Outstanding Airmen of the Year By Steve Kotecki 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. I recently had the opportunity to sit down — with Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Artis, 721st Mission Support Group superintendent of plans and programs, and Master Sgt. Ashely Strong, 21st Medical Squadron dental flight chief, and talk to them about what it means to be a senior leader, mentorship and the future of the Air Force. Both were named Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2017. To what do you attribute your accomplishment to being named OAY?
Artis: I want to attribute my accomplishments to my family first. I was stationed at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, being there with that mission set, is kind of like a deployed environment. You always have to be ready to fight tonight. The fact that my family and (U.S. Air Force photo by David Meade) wife can hold it down at home, that gives me all the support to do what I need to do PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Steve Kotecki (left) 21st Space Wing Public Affairs Office, public affairs specialist, interviews Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Artis, there, which is take care of the people and 721st Mission Support Group superintendent of plans and programs (center), and Master Sgt. Ashely Strong, 21st Medical Squadron dental flight chief, at Peterson Air take care of the mission at the same time. Force Base, Colorado, Oct. 10, 2017. Artis and Strong were both named one of the twelve Outstanding Airman of the Year for 2017. Success is a team sport. career. I’ve had people pull me to the side Strong: I think building a strong team Xers and Yers and I don’t think that matters. you see is mentorship - getting people into Air Force way of thinking and culand tell me when I’ve needed some course and then trusting that team to carry out the I think if you trust people and give them the the ture of the Air Force - how important is correction and I’ve always been appreciative mission, do their jobs and do them well is resources they need to do their job and do it it to a junior Airman to have a mentor? well and you allow them to create a freedom of someone being straight forward and not a huge contributing factor to building any What do you see in yourself that makes beating around the bush by telling me what winning package. I was blessed to have that to surprise you, you’ll be absolutely blown you a mentor towards junior Airmen? Strong: I don’t even think it’s for a junior I need to know and why. I’ve tried to carry with mine. We have the smartest Airmen in away by what your team can do. Airman, I think all Airmen should have a the Air Force and we get really caught up You mention millennials and upcomSee Airmen page 10 mentor. I’ve had some great mentors in my sometimes in millennials and Generation ing junior Airmen. A lot of times what
WEATHERING THE STORM:
My journey through multiple miscarriages to our Rainbow By Staff Sgt. Erica Picariello 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
(Courtesy photo)
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Maj. Joseph Picariello, National Security Space Institute assistant course director, comforts his wife, Staff Sgt. Erica Picariello, 21st Space Wing Public Affairs non-commissioned officer in-charge, during labor with their third son, Luciano, in an undated photo. The Picariellos endured three miscarriages over the span of five years before bringing home their rainbow baby. A “rainbow baby” is a term commonly used to describe a baby born after loss.
INSIDE News Briefs Crossword Classifieds
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HAWC helps to maintain a healthy life Page 3
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — That scene from a year ago played in my mind as I sat on a sterile table, staring at pictures of fetal development on the walls inside of a civilian obstetrician’s office in Alabama. A year before, I had went in for an initial ultrasound in California to see the little life growing inside me and heard those words. “This can’t be happening again,” I thought to myself, optimistically. “Who has two miscarriages in a row?” Enter the obstetrician, Jennifer Logan, an upbeat southern woman with a dark hair and a bright smile. “Sweetheart, I do not see a heartbeat. I’m so sorry. We will track your numbers until zero and then we’ll have you try again.” Me. I do. October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and according to an article by the University of California Los Angeles, approximately 12-15 percent of all clinically recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage; the same article estimated that at least 30-60 percent of all conceptions will end within the first 12 weeks of gestation. My first pregnancy had been spontaneous triplets, but one stopped growing around six weeks, eight days. I managed to carry the remaining twins and successfully delivered healthy boys three years See Journey page 5
Arctic Security Expedition visits Clear AFS Page 7
Fire Prevention Month Page 12