Page 2 - Desert Lightning News March 3 2017

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March 3, 2017 Desert Lightning News www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
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Thank you so much for all the ‘Thanks’
Commentary and photo by Master Sgt. Mike Smith
I.G. Brown Training and Education Center
LOUISVILLE, Tenn. — If I went through my past receipts on military discounts I would calcu- late a lot of cash left in my wallet from the generosity and appre- ciation of American businesses through the years; especially from hardware stores.
A kitchen renovation is the newest project I’m tackling on my own time since its mid-winter and there’s no pool to clean or flower beds to weed at my Georgia home.
It’s a dirty job but not too diffi- cult, so the wife and I will save a bit of money by not hiring a con- tractor, and from hardware store discounts. There are cabinets to sand and paint. There’s trim, countertops, flooring and fixtures to purchase. There’s enough work totakeusacoupleofmonthsuntil the grass starts to grow again.
We have several hardware stores near my house, and I like them all. They all have similar items and similar hours, although, one store
is closed on Sundays. I can arrive at one store in Alabama an hour after closing time by crossing time zones. They all honor active mili- tary with a 10 percent discount.
Like many other do-it-yourself- ers, there’s always some thingama- bob that I did not buy, which, in turn, means a late ride to the store when I’m rather dusty and dishev- eled looking.
So I did not plan to ask for a military discount when I was in the Alabama store recently, looking like a crawl-space va- grant from my project, just be- fore closing, with no ID, but for a thread-bare and paint covered USS Cowie ball cap.
My old hat showing my grand- father’s destroyer in World War II and my own prior Navy service sparked a conversation at the reg- ister with the man behind me who also served on a destroyer. As we waited, we traded sailor experi- ences and talked about how I was now serving in the Air Force.
As I paid for my item the man leaned in and kindly asked the ca- shier if I earned a discount because
I was still serving.
She said I did and provided it
without hesitation or asking for an ID. She simply smiled and said “Thank you for your service.”
“Thank you for the discount,” I told them, feeling more apprecia- tive of their attention than of the few dollars taken off the bill.
Many businesses give military discounts to active and Reserve service members, as well as to veterans. There are some service members, including myself, who don’t always ask for it or are too caught up to come full stop for someone’s appreciation that is so amazingly genuine.
It may feel unethical to save a few bucks on a movie ticket or on a pack of light bulbs for our service because we like to serve. It may feel awkward when a com- plete stranger picks up a lunch tab or gives their sincerest and most heartfelt thank you when we are seen in uniform because we think of those who serve in mortal danger.
When I think of a service member worthy of discounts
An American flag created from handprints by elementary school children in east Ten- nessee for appreciation to a service member hangs on a wall at the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center in Louisville, Tenn.
and thanks, I picture my grand- father aboard the Cowie, which provided fire support for the in- vasions of North Africa and Sic- ily. He was unable to speak when I returned home from basic training, so he wrote his appre- ciation on a scrap of paper: “I am so proud of you.” He died shortly into my first enlistment.
I understand that others truly want to connect with the service member in front of them, and ac- cepting their recognition, taking a moment of my time to hear their reasonsforit,orpausingforasolid handshake with someone ... well I’ve found no stronger glue in the hardware stores or any place else. It’s a bond that joins us.
Thank you for all the “Thanks.”
At end of the day, ‘It’s all about the hooks’
Commentary by
Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA — High above Mo- sul, Iraq, a fighter pilot arrives on station.
Now within 20 nautical miles of the tar- get, the pilot arms the weapons on board and checks in with a joint terminal attack con- troller, identifying the call sign, position and combat load of munitions.
The pilot can see explosions, small arms fire and artillery lighting up the banks of the Ti- gris River as Iraqi security forces battle Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists below.
The JTAC responds with a situation up- date. Surface to air threats, recently struck targets and locations of known friendly forces are among the information passed to the pilot. A nine-line close air support briefing is used to pass along all the essen- tial information – heading, distance, target elevation, target description, etc.
The pilot confirms the most pertinent in-
formation and presses fire.
The hooks release.
Everything leading up to that moment
was designed to ensure the situation was exactly right to have the aircraft’s hooks re- lease a munition and put a bomb on target.
However, it took much more to get the pilot on station over the battle.
If the communications Airman had not updated the cryptography codes, the pilot could not have communicated with the JTAC.
The hooks don’t release.
If an Airman at the dining facility served the pilot under-cooked meat, he or she could fall ill during flight.
The hooks don’t release.
If the electricity goes out, the operational order can’t be delivered through the secure network. If the contracting Airman doesn’t order the liquid oxygen supply, the jets will be grounded. If the pharmacy technician doesn’t give the proper medicine to the pi-
lot, he or she can’t fly.
The hooks don’t release.
Every Airman, however close to or far
from the flightline, is working toward one singular goal – generating, executing and sustaining combat airpower.
Each person on the installation does that differently by performing the duties re- quired by his or her Air Force specialty, but the mission could not be accomplished ef- fectively without every organization work- ing in sync with all the others.
Regardless of the duty an Airman is cur- rently performing, we should never lose sight of why we are here. The enemy is a vi- cious and hateful one, whom we have been charged with permanently eradicating. The way we do that is to ensure the conditions are right at any given moment to put bombs on target.
In the words of Col. David Lyons, 407th Air Expeditionary Group commander, “It’s all about the hooks.”
COMMENTARY