U.S.Air ForceCol. AdamBingham,commanderofthe6thAir Refueling Wing,left,and Chief MasterSgt. Raun Howell, 6thARW commandchief,right, recognizeaircrew members assignedtothe50th Air Refueling Squadronat MacDill Air ForceBaseJune26. Maj. Alex Grayson, Capt.JohnSquatritoandSeniorAirmanEllisFiscusare part of thesixair crew memberswhowill be receiving the Distinguished FlyingCross fortheirheroism while participating inaerialflight engaged in militaryoperationsinvolving conflict.
In2023, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt.RobertHile, anEODteamleaderassignedtothe27thSpecialOperationsCivilEngineeringSquadronat CannonAFB, spentsixweeksonaDPAAmissiontoLaos People’sDemocraticRepublic(Laos PDR)torecovertheremainsoftwoAir Forcepi-
PhotobyStaffSgt.ArielOwings
U.S.MarineCorps1stLt.ColeEuverard,DefensePOW/MIAAccountingAgency(DPAA) Team Lead,andaLaoworkerdry-screentogetherduringa recoverymissioninLaosPeople’sDemocraticRepublic(LaosPDR),March10,2023.Missionscanemployupto100localworkersto expeditetheprocess,workingwiththeteamtodryandwetscreenaswellasprovidestructures builtwiththe resourcesthatgrowinthesurroundingarea.Therearecurrently276missingAmer-
See CLOSURE,Page12 icansfromtheVietnamWarwhoseremains arebelievedtobeinLaosPDR.
TheActionLineprovidestwo-waycommunicationbetweenthe 6thAirRefueling Wingcommander and theMacDillcommunity. Personnelmaysubmitquestions,concernsorcommentsviaemailto macdillwingcommander@us.af.mil or Facebook@6thARWCommandTeam
MacDill Thunderbolt
Publisher: Joe Deluca
Editor: Nick Stubbs
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Everyarticleandphotographis edited for accuracy, clarity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Stylebook andLibel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101.
U.S. Space ForceCol.NickHagueandhiscrewmatesfromtheNASASpaceXCrew-9mission metwithAirmenandGuardiansattheSands SpaceHistoryCenteroutsideofCapeCanaveralSpace ForceStation,Florida,on July23. The Crew-9missionisscheduledtolaunch from NASA’s KennedySpaceCentertotheInternationalSpaceStationlaterthisyear Hagueandtherestofthecrew, Commander ZenaCardman,MissionSpecialistStephanie WilsonandRoscomoscosmonautMissionSpecialistAleksandrGorbunov, attendedanevent attheSandstospeakwithandgivethanksto representativesofmilitaryunitswhomake mannedspaceflightmissionspossible.
WhileCrew-9isaNASAmission,Hague recognizedthatitwouldnotbe possiblewithoutthesupportofmilitaryunitsfrom Patrick Space ForceBaseandCCSFS.
IdenticaltwinsGasTurbineSystemsTechnician(Mechanical) 1st ClassGuokangXie,andGasTurbineSystemsTechnician (Electrical)1st ClassGuojianXie,originallyfromQueens, New York, wantedtheop-portunitytoservetheircountryandlearnagreattrade together,sotheydecidedtojointheNavyin2018.
PriortoNovember1942,the U.S. militaryallowedtwinsandbrothers
SeeTWINS,Page11
Gas TurbineSystems Technician(Mechanical)1stClassGuokangXie, left,andGas TurbineSystems Technician(Electrical)1stClassGuojianXieposeduringabreakatSoutheastRegionalMaintenanceCenter (SERMC)inMayport,Fla.Theidenticaltwins joinedtheNavyin2018 andhavebeenseparatedsince“A”SchoolinGreatLakes, Ill.
Reflectionsofsacrifice: Korean WarArmisticeDay2024
bySgt. TarakoBraswell 335thSignalCommand(Theater)
Eachyearinlate Julysince1990,theAmerican Korean Friendship Societyhostsacommemorativeobservancetorememberthe740Georgianskilledinthe Korean Warandtohonorall Korean Warveterans residinginGeorgia.The Korean WarArmistice wassignedon July27, 1953,markingtheendofabrutalconflictthatleftanindeliblemarkon bothnations. Thisyear, thecommemorationtookplaceon July26atthe 1818ClubinDuluth,Georgia.At11AM,asenseofreverencefilledthe airasveterans, officials, andcommunitymembersgatheredtopaytheir respects.
“Whenwestartedthisdinnerin1991, wehad370 Korean Warveteransattendthatevening, andnowwecan’tevengettwodozen Korean Warveterans,.ManyofthemgonetoGod, andmanyunabletoattend. It’ssuchanemotional,such asadthing. However, ourgratefulnessis alwaysthereandneverending.” Mr. Sunny Park,PresidentoftheAmerican Korean FriendshipSociety.
SpearheadedbythePresidentoftheAmerican FreedomSociety, Mr. Park.Theevent wasapowerfultestamenttotheenduringstrengthof theUnitedStatesandSouth Korea’sallianceastheycontinuetostand sidebysideinunity Amongtheesteemedguestsinattendancewerethe HonorableChrisKarr, AttorneyGeneralofGeorgia;MajorGeneralRichard“Dwayne” Wilson, AdjutantGeneraloftheGeorgiaDepartmentof Defense;Mr. Sunny Park,PresidentoftheAmerican Korean Friendship Society;TheHonorableSeok WooKim,DeputyConsulGeneral,Republic of Korea(ROK),andmanyothersignificantattendees. Theirpresence underscoredthesignificanceofthisdayandthesharedcommitmentto honoringthelegacyofthosewhofoughtandsacrificedduringthe Korean War.
Wreathswerelaidbyfellow Korean Warveterans, representatives fromthe KoreanGovernment,theGeorgiaNationalGuard,the U.S. ArmyReserve, theUSO, HyundaiMotorGroup, the Federationof Korean AmericanAssociationsintheSoutheasternUS, and variousorganizationswithinthe KoreanAmericancommunityinAtlanta.Eachwreath representedatributetothefallenandagestureofunityandremembrance. Astheceremonyunfolded,speechesresonatedwithgratitude forthesacrificesmadebyveteransandtheirfamilies, aswellaswith a renewedsenseofpurposeforthefuture. MajorGeneral JanNorris, the commandinggeneralofthe335thSignalCommand(T),participatedin thetouchingwreath-layingceremonyalongsidetheAmerican Korean FriendshipSociety, emphasizingtheimportanceofrememberingthe pastwhilelookingaheadtothesharedopportunitiesand challengesthat lieaheadfortheUnitedStatesandSouth Korea.
TherelationshipbetweentheUnitedStatesandSouth Korea was forgedinbloodduringactsofheroism,courage, andsacrificebytheUnitedStatesmilitary. The warresultedin33,686battledeaths, 2,830non-
battledeaths, and8,176missinginaction. Today, South Koreastandsas oneoftheworld’stopeconomies, atestamenttotheenduringlegacyof thesacrificesmadebyAmericansoldiers. South Koreanbusinesseshave investedmorethan$25billionandcounting inGeorgiaaloneoverthe pastdecade, furthersolidifyingthebondbetweenthetwonations. The American-Koreanalliance, forgedinthecrucibleof war, remainsasvital todayasit wasduringthetumultuousdaysofthe Korean War. Thepartnershipbetweenthetwonationshasevolvedintoacornerstoneofpeace andstabilityintheAsia-Pacificregion,servingasabulwarkagainst threatstofreedomanddemocracy.
For28years, theAmerican Korean FriendshipSocietyhasplaced “Thank YouAmerica”highway billboardadvertisementsinfivemajor UScitiesevery Julytoexpressgratitudeforthesupremesacrificesof Korean Warveterans. Thisyear, withthegeneroussponsorshipofHyundaiMotorGroup, thenumberofcities wasdoubledtoten. From July15 throughAugust14, 2024,billboards in Atlanta, Washington, DC, New York,Boston,Houston,Dallas, LosAngeles, Chicago, SanDiego, andSan Franciscodisplayedmessagesofthanks, reachingapproximately1.6millioncarseachday. TheHonorableChrisKarr, speakingonbehalfofthe stateofGeorgia,highlightedtheeconomic, cultural,andstrategicties thatbindtheUnitedStatesandSouth Koreatogether. Heemphasized theimportanceoffosteringmutualunderstandingandcooperationtoaddressthecomplex challengesofthe21stcentury. MajorGeneralDwayne Wilson, TAG, echoedthesesentiments, notingthattheAmerican-Korean allianceisashiningexampleofhowtwonationscanovercomeadversity andbuildabrighterfuturetogether.
Astheceremonyconcluded,theattendeesreflectedontheenduring friendshipbetweentheUnitedStatesandSouth Korea.Mr.Park,spoke passionatelyabouttheenduringbondsoffriendshipandcamaraderie thathaveflourishedbetweenthepeopleoftheUnitedStatesandSouth Korea.Heemphasizedtheneedtonurturetheserelationshipsandbuild bridgesofunderstandingthattranscendbordersandcultures. TheHonorable Seok Woo KimreaffirmedSouth Korea’sdeepappreciationforthe sacrificesmade by Americanservice members duringthe Korean War andexpressedhiscountry’s unwaveringcommitmenttoupholdingthe valuesoffreedom,democracy, andhumanrightsthatbothnationshold dear. Asenseofunityandsolidarityfilledtheair, remindingallthosein attendanceoftheenduringpoweroffriendshipandcooperation.
Thesacrificesmadeduringthe Korean Warlaidthefoundationfor arelationshipbuiltonmutualrespectandsharedvalues. Thewreathlayingceremonyservedasapoignantreminderofthecostoffreedom andtheimportanceofhonoringthosewhofoughttopreserveit.Through theirpresenceandparticipation,thecommunityreaffirmedtheircommitmenttorememberingthepastandbuildingafuturedefinedbypeace andcooperation.
It wasauniqueopportunityforthecrewmembers to hearfirsthand aboutthediversegroupofunitsthat contributetothesuccessoflaunchmissions.Hague cameawayfromthemeetingwithadeeperappreciation fortheservicemembersthatarenecessarytogetcrews intospace.
“I’vegotanewcollectionoffacesandnamesthatI’ll bethinkingofasI’mridingtheelevatoruptothetopof thelaunchtower, asI’mstrappingintothatseat,andas the clockstartstickingtowardszero,” saidHague. “The opportunitytocomeandmeeteverybodyhasbeenphenomenal.”
Theunitsandorganizationsinattendanceincluded:
n 45thSpaceLaunchDeltaStaffAgency
n 45thComptrollerSquadron
n 45th ForceSupportSquadron
n 45thContractingSquadron
n 45thLogisticsReadinessSquadron
n 45th WeatherSquadron
n 45thSecurity ForcesSquadron
n 45thCivilEngineerSquadron
n 45thMedicalGroup
n AssuredAccesstoSpace
n 5thSpaceLaunchSquadron
n 1stRangeOperationsSquadron
Guardiansoftenprovidesupporttolaunches, but thiswouldbethefirsttimeoneoftheirownwouldbe aboard.HagueisslatedtobethefirstGuardiantotraveltospaceonhis way totheISS. Hespoketothesignificanceofthismoment.
“It’sahugehonorbecauseofwhatIrepresent,” said Hague. “IrepresentallthoseGuardiansaroundthe globe. It’sathrilltobeapartofthatandtorepresent thatgoingup.”
“Thenonedaywewerebothinthemesshall,and I lookedoverandsawGuojian, and was reallysurprised! SoI wastryingtotalktohim,butwequicklydecidedit wouldbebesttonottalktoeachotherinthatsituation (laughs),butit wasreallynicetoseeeachother,” Guokang said.
It wasn’tuntilafewweekslaterthetwinsdiscovered theywereinthesamebuildingandshipthewholetime “I waswritingallofthedecklogentriesforanupcominginspection,andtheRDC(RecruitDivisionCommander)commendedmeonmyhandwriting. Afterwepassed theinspection.Hecalledmeintohisofficeandtoldme to waitthere. I wasworriedatfirst,thinkingIhaddone somethingwrong. Icouldn’tbelieveitwhenhebrought mybrotheroverandgaveusa chancetotalktoeachother forafewminutes,” Guokangsaid.
“Familyisveryimportanttous, andbecauseweboth worryabouteachother, wejustkepttellingeachother, ‘pleasegraduateontime.’ We weresogratefulforthat moment,andwebothgraduatedontimeandwentto ‘A School’togetherinGreatLakes. We weretheretogether foraboutthreemonths,” Guojiansaid.
Guojian’sschool wasaboutthree monthslonger, so GuokanggottotheFleetfirst.“IgotorderstoUSSLake Champlain(CG57)inSanDiegoinSeptember2018and stayedthereforalmostfiveyears, Guokangadded.”
Guojian’sfirstorderswereto Yokosuka, Japanaboard USSBarry(DDG52).BecauseBarryisforwarddeployed to Japan,hisdesignatedseatour wasayearshorter, so afterfouryearshepickedorderstoSERMCinFlorida.
“OnceIfinishedmyfive-yearseatouronLakeChamplain,we wantedtheopportunitytolivetogether again andsavemoney, andfortunatelythere wasanopeningat SERMC, soIacceptedtheordersandnowIworkinthe GaugeCalShop,” Guokangsaid.
“BeforeIgotthere, I wasalwaystellingGuojiantobe reallynicetopeople, becausewhenIgettherepeople won’tbeabletotellthedifference!(laughs)Itoldhimto justbenicetoeveryone, staymotivated, stufflikethat,” Guokangsaid.
BothXiebrotherswillre-enlistattheendoftheircurrentagreement.“Werealizewiththedifferenceintransferdatesthatwe’llprobablyendupseparatedagain,but that’sokbecausewe’reinthisforthelonghaul,andlove the Jacksonvillearea,” Guokangsaid.
“Myfather wasintheNavy,” Hilesaid. “My grandfatherfoughtin World WarIIwiththe Navy Mygreat-grandfatherfoughtin World WarI.Great-greatsallthe waybacktotheCivil War. Withtheexceptionof Korea,myfamily’s beeninevery war.”
ThatsamesenseofdutydroveHiletoenlistintheAir Forcein2011,at theheight of the warinAfghanistan.Hehadseennewsthat improvisedexplosivedeviceswerethemostlethalweaponusedagainst U.S. personnelinthe Global Waron Terror, helpinghimdetermine thatthemostimpactful avenueforhisservice wouldbeinEOD.
“Whenaplanecrashes, thereareexplosive hazards, evenifthere’snoordnance,” Hilesaid. “AndLaosisthemostbombednationinworld history. Theareaisriddledwithunexploded ordnance.”
Between1964and1973,theUnitedStates consistentlyflewbombingmissionsoverLaos todislodgethe PathetLaocommunistgovernmentanddisrupttheflowofsuppliestocommunistforcesin VietnamviatheHoChiMinh trail.Inthattime, morethantwomilliontons ofordnanceweredroppedonLaos, whichisan amountgreaterthanallthebombsdropped throughout World WarII.
Onthismissionin2023,HileandhisDPAA teamwereexcavatingthe1966crashsiteofa B-57Canberra,aCold War-eratacticalbomber usedprimarilyfornighttimebombingmissions duringthe Vietnam War. TheB-57 waspiloted
U.S.ArmyStaffSgt.MelanieGalindo, a DefensePOW/MIAAccountingAgency (DPAA) recovery NCO,sweepsa unitduringa recovery mission in LaosPeople’sDemocraticRepublic (LaosPDR), March22,2023.Duringexcavation,the ScientificRecovery Expert(SRE)is responsible for keeping each unitwithinthegridclean and organizedforproperdocumentation.Therearecurrently 276 missingAmericansfromthe Vietnam Warwhose remainsarebelievedto be in LaosPDR.
ergystoragesystemandtheportable chargersprovidedbytheoriginal equipmentmanufacturers. We areassessingtheoverallflightoperations inthecontextofAir Forceandother stakeholderconcepts ofemployment.”
AFWERX’smissionistoaccelerateinnovativeandemergingtechnologiestowardcapabilitiesthatcanbetransitionedtothe warfighter The AgilityPrimeprogramfocusesontransformativeverticallifttechnologies, suchastheBlackFly, which exploresdifferentelectricandhybrid vehiclesforvariousmissionsets.
“We’reexploringarangeofmilitary-typeusecases, fromlogisticsand materialtransporttoemergencyresponseandintelligence, surveillance andreconnaissancemissions,” said Jacob Wilson, AFWERXAgilityPrime actingbranch chief “Ourgoalistoacceleratethecommercialadoptionof theseinnovations, particularlyinthe U.S., toensureastrongindustrial baseofthesetechnologiesandtransitionthemostsuitableamongthem tothe warfighter.”
Themorningoftestingbeganwithpreparingtheequipmentin a hangarattheNationalAdvancedAirMobilityCenterofExcellence, or NAAMCE.TheNAAMCEopenedSept. 18,2023,toadvancethedevelopmentandintegrationofadvancedairmobilitytechnologiesandholdsa certificateofauthorizationforunmannedflightoperations, enablingextensivetestingofairspaceintegrationandpotentialpolicydevelopment forbothpilotedandremotelypilotedaircraft.
The2024 Korean WarArmisticeDaycommemoration was notjustaceremony;it wasatestamenttotheenduringlegacyofcourage, sacrifice, andtheunbreakablebondbetween theUnitedStatesandSouth Korea. The eventconcluded withexpressionstohonorthePOW/MIAtableandamomentofsilencetohonorthefallen,followedbyaluncheon whereattendeeshadtheopportunitytofurtherdiscussthe importanceoftheAmerican-Koreanallianceandstrengthen thebondsoffriendshipandcooperationthathavelongdefinedtherelationshipbetweenthetwonations.
Asthesunsetonthismemorableday, themessage was clear:thepartnershipbetweentheUnitedStates andSouth Korearemainsasstrongasever, abeaconof hopeandstabilityinanever-changingworld.Thelegacy ofthosewhofoughtbravelyduringthe Korean Warlives onintheenduringfriendshipbetweenthesetwonations, unitedinpurposeandcommittedtoafutureofpeaceand prosperity.
Todaypresentsanopportunityforustorecommitourselvestopreservingtheinvaluablelessonsderivedfrom the Korean Warandtoupholdthetimelessvaluesofservice, sacrifice, andunitythatserveasthebedrockofthe ArmyReserve, Army, andthisgreatnation.”
Normal Hours- Monday - Friday - 9 a.m.to 3p.m. After hours chaplain, callthe Command Post at 828-4362/4361.
Monday-Wednesday Mass - 12:10p.m. www.macdill.af.mil/chapel
Catholic Mass - Sunday - 9:30 a.m. (confessionsby appointment)
Protestant services - Sunday - 11 a.m. Contact the Chapel at 828-3621or email at 6ARW.HCADMIN@us.af.mil for inquiries regarding Protestant religious education.
Jewish - Monthly Lunch and Learn: For schedule &tojoin distro,pleasecontactelimelach.estrin@us.af.mil
Islamic Service - Friday 1:30p.m.(space reserved)
OtherFaith Groups - Pleasecontact the Chapelat (813)828-3621orviaemail at 6ARW.HCADMIN@us.af.mil
“Assoonasyougettheopportunity, you clearyourcalendarandyou go,” Hilesaid.
HilewouldhavevolunteeredforaDPAAmissiontoanylocation, but hisuncle’sexperienceasa U.S. Marine aviatorduringthe Vietnam War madethetripdoublyspecial. Aftergrowinguphearinghisuncle’sstories of Vietnam,Hilewouldnowbeabletoexperiencethesights, soundsand feeloftheregionforhimself
“I wastalkingtoCol.Burkhart’sson;he’s a65yearoldmannow,” Hile said.“Hisdadwentto warandnevercamehome. Henevergotacasket andnevergottohavethat closure. We owethattothem,whetherit’s Laos, Vietnam,Germany. We owethattothem.”
HilereturnedfromthetripinApril2023withanexpandedinterpersonalunderstandingofservice, andofsomeofthelesser-knownoperationsthe U.S. militaryconductsaroundtheworld.
