MacDill Thunderbolt 12/30/21

Vol. 49, No. 52

The Year in Photos

Thursday, December 30 2021

- January - June 2021

Part II of II

YEAR IN PHOTOS Soldier’s Medal

Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, U.S. Special Operations Command commander, left, presents the Soldier’s Medal to Army Lt. Col. Larry Wyatt, USSOCOM clinic director, at MacDill Air Force Base, Dec. 22. Wyatt delivered lifesaving care to two motorcyclists injured during an accident April 7, 2019, despite his own significant injuries. His unhesitating and selfless response are consistent with the greatest traditions of uniformed service.

U.S. Special Operations Command photo

Be sure to visit the official 6th Air Refueling Wing website at www.macdill.af.mil COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE The Action Line provides two-way communication between the 6th Air Refueling Wing commander and the MacDill community. Personnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to macdillwingcommander@us.af.mil or Facebook @6thARWCommandTeam

MacDill Thunderbolt Publisher: Joe Deluca Editor: Nick Stubbs The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by the Times Publishing Company, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an authorized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. military services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of Defense,

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the Department of the Air Force or the 6th Air Refueling Wing.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, 6th Air Refueling Wing or the Publishing Company of the products or service advertised.

For retail advertising, call (813) 226-3318.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.

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MacDill on the web Website: www.macdill.af.mil Facebook: www.facebook.com/ MacDillAirForceBase Instagram: macdill_afb Twitter: @macdill_afb News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submitted to the 6th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs office, 8208 Hangar Loop Dr., suite 14, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Call the Thunderbolt at 828-2215. Email: 6arw.pa.macdillthunderbolt@ us.af.mil.

Deadline for article submissions is noon, Wednesdays to appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received after deadline may be considered for future use. All submissions are considered for publication based on news value and timeliness.

Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clarity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101.

YEAR IN PHOTOS

Courtesy photo

U.S. Air Force photo

Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Team MacDill members rolled up their sleeves Jan. 11 for the annual flu vaccine. The 6th Medical Group cleaned out Hangar 5 and filled it with medical professionals who are keeping the force prepared by delivering the COVID-19 and flu vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine was being administered in a phased approach in accordance with Department of Defense distribution plans.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Jennifer Lindberg, 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, meets with World War II veteran Henry Sayler during his 100th birthday celebration at North Shore Park, St. Petersburg, Florida Jan. 16, 2021. Lindberg, a direct descendant of the famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, along with other MacDill service members, presented a letter of appreciation from Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, honoring Sayler’s service to our nation and his centennial birthday.

Airmen with the 6th Air Refueling Wing receive gear in a personnel deployment function during a largescale readiness exercise at MacDill Air Force Base Jan. 11. The 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron was tasked with readying personnel and cargo during a simulated deployment scenario.

Photo by Senior Airman Scott Warner

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YEAR IN PHOTOS Members of the 6th Air Refueling Wing run in formation during the 7th annual Estelle 5K at MacDill Air Force Base Jan. 31, 2020.

The 6th Communications Squadron hosts an annual 5K run and weightlifting challenge to honor their former chief of maintenance, Maj. Raymond Estelle II, who was tragically killed in Afghanistan in 2011.

Photo by Senior Air man Ashley Perdue

Courtesy photo

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) honored MacDill Air Force Base Community Park as the 2019 Honor Award winner for landscape architecture in the Air Force Design Awards. Air Force Design Awards are given annually to recognize innovative design projects for excellence and efficiency.

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U.S. Air Force Col. Ben Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Shae Gee salute for the arrival of Maj. Gen. Thad Bibb Jr., 18th Air Force commander and Chief Master Sgt. Chad Bickley, 18th Air Force command chief, Feb. 17 at MacDill Air Force Base. The 18th Air Force leadership traveled to MacDill for a two-day visit to gain a first-hand view of Team MacDill’s ability to deliver unmatched air refueling, installation and mission support.

Photo by Senior Airman Shannon Bowman

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YEAR IN PHOTOS

U.S. Air Force photo Photo by Airman 1st Class David D. McLoney

6th Medical Group Bioenvironmental Engineering Emergency Response Airmen use a chemical tester to deduce what type of explosive was used in a simulated bomb during training exercise Ready EAGLE at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 25. All explosive devices in this photograph were created as props to be used for an exercise and are not real.

Honorary Air Force Capt. Every Young, a 5-year-old cancer patient, poses for a photo with 1st Lt. Katleen Ybarra, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, Feb. 23. Ever was issued her official orders to be a pilot-forthe-day from Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander.

REMEMBER

From left, Col. Benjamin Jonsson; 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough NAACP; Hillsborough County Judge Lisa Campbell and Chief Master Sgt. Shae Gee, 6th ARW command chief, pose next to a historical marker dedicated during a Port Tampa Cemetery Service of Remembrance ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base Feb. 23. The marker reads, in part, “In remembrance and honor of them, we dedicate this plaque and consecrate these burial grounds with total respect and with full awareness that from this day forward they are recognized, acknowledged, and forevermore committed into God’s loving hands.”

U.S. Air Force photo

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YEAR IN PHOTOS

Photo by Staff Sgt. Ashley Perdue

Following the Department of Defense’s phased vaccination plan, Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Shae Gee, 6th ARW command chief, show off their Band-Aids after receiving their initial COVID-19 vaccination at MacDill Air Force Base Feb. 5. The vaccine is currently voluntary and administered based on a phased approach starting with mission critical and those that are at heightened risk of exposure.

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YEAR IN PHOTOS

YEAR IN PHOTOS U.S. Air Force Col. Ben Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander and Chief Master Sgt. Shae Gee, 6th Air Refueling Wing command chief take a selfie March 30, at MacDill Air Force Base. The 6th ARW command team completed a visit with the 117th ARW and the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, in Birmingham, Ala.

Photo by Senior Airman Shannon Bowman

Team SOCOM Army Staff Sgt. Travis Dunn’s family visits him prior to a track race during the 2019 DoD Warrior Games hosted in Tampa, June 22, 2019.

The games introduce wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to Paralympicstyle sports and showcase their resiliency.

Photo by Airman 1st Class Colin Hollowell

A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron sits on the flight line at Orlando Air Force Station, Norway, March 14. Conducting Bomber Task Force Europe deployments and operations provides aircrew with enhanced readiness and training necessary to respond to any contingency or challenge across the globe.

New SMSGTS!

Team MacDill’s newest U.S. Air Force senior master sergeant selects are recognized during a promotion release event held at MacDill Air Force Base. The promotion selection rate of master sergeants to senior master sergeants during the 2021 E-8 promotion cycle was 6.97 percent Air Force-wide.

Photo by Senior Airman Shannon Bowman

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Photo by Master Sgt. Barry Loo

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YEAR IN PHOTOS

Photo by Marine Corps Master Sgt. Steven Smith

Sandee Rouse, Gold Star mother, and Army Sgt. Maj. Jose Vazquez, Special Operations Command para-commando, skydive March 13, in Zephyrhills, Florida. Sandee’s son, Private 1st Class Jim Markwell, died during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989.

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YEAR IN PHOTOS

Photo by 2nd Lt. Christopher M. Thibeaux-Moore

U.S. Air Force Capt. Joel Gonzalez, 6th Operational Support Squadron’s chief of wing tactics, assigned to MacDill Air Force Base prepares inflight for a training exercise at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, April 19, 2021.

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YEAR IN PHOTOS U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, Air Mobility Command commander, speaks with local students from Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School before their Aviation Inspiration Mentorship program (AIM High) flight at MacDill Air Force Base April 28. AIM High is a program used to recruit highly motivated, talented, innovative and diverse students to strengthen the future of the U.S. Air Force.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Ashley Perdue

Photo by Staff Sgt. Ashley Perdue

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U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost (right), Air Mobility Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick (left), AMC command chief, take a selfie with two 6th Security Forces Squadron defenders after they demonstrated the new female body armor at MacDill Air Force Base April 27. The AMC command team spent two days touring MacDill to communicate the increasing importance of rapid global mobility, not only for the nation, but the entire Joint Force.

YEAR IN PHOTOS

Photo by Terry Montrose

Photo by Senior Airman Ryan C. Grossklag

U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Thomas Newton, a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman, points to himself on a photo of the 99th Fighter Squadron following World War II while visiting MacDill Air Force Base Nov. 10.

Air Force Col. Travis Edwards, 6th Operations Group commander, briefs Tampa Bay students on the MacDill Air Force Base flight line during a tour of a B-1B Lancer bomber and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft Feb. 5. The students visited MacDill to learn about the Air Force aircraft scheduled to fly over Raymond James Stadium during Super Bowl LV.

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Photo by Senior Airman Christina Rios

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., for air refueling support, Dec. 14. Airmen from the 6th Air Refueling Wing traveled to Barksdale AFB to unite in a training exercise to increase MacDill’s capabilities to deliver air refueling support in contested environments.

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YEAR IN PHOTOS EVENTS

Seascapes will open New Year’s Eve Seascapes will be open Friday, December 31 to ring in the new year. Hours are 4:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Find more info at macdillfss. com/seascapes Become a licensed family childcare provider Tons of incentives for new and existing providers. Available for on or off base care. Find more info at macdillfss.com/family-childcare Mark your calendar for these upcoming events •Dungeons & Dragons - Jan. 11 •Resume writing 101 - Jan. 11 •March on MacDill at the Short Fitness Center- Jan. 18 •Interview skills workshop - Jan. 18 •Federal resume writing workshop - Jan. 20 •MCEE – MacDill Council for Educational Excellence meeting at Tinker K-8 – Jan. 24 •MacDill career fair – Jan. 27 Find more events at: macdillfss. com

Grand send off!

Courtesy photo

Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, had the honor of speaking at the sendoff of Central Florida’s U.S. Air Force Academy and Preparatory School appointees June 14. The group also included MacDill AFB’s very own Airman 1st Class Ahmad Sutherland, 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and Senior Airman Malachi Greman, 50th Air Refueling Squadron.

CHAPEL SCHEDULE Normal Hours- Monday - Friday - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. After hours chaplain, call 828-4362/4361.

Catholic (in-person) - Sunday - 8 & 9:30 a.m.

Protestant services (virtual) -Sunday 11 a.m. at www.facebook.com/6amwhc

Monday-Thursday Mass - 12:10 p.m. www.macdill.af.mil/chapel

Other Faith Groups Off-base referral as needed

For more details and information, visit the Chapel Facebook page at http://www.facebook/6amwhc/

Be sure to visit the official 6th Air Refueling Wing website at www.macdill.af.mil MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

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Photo by Airman 1st Class Hiram Martinez

Maintainers from the 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) conduct a hot pit refueling on a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft at MacDill Air Force Base, May 25. The 6th AMXS Airmen made history since it was the first time a KC-135 hot pit refueling was conducted at MacDill.

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