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8 April 29, 2016 NEWS Thunderbolt
www.aerotechnews.com/lukeaf b http://www.luke.af.mil
PEOPLE inadvertently switched, doctors may jitsu and a belt in mixed martial arts. main vigilant and postured to outpace
FIRST remove the wrong breast, Ramos noted. Guidara is a Korean-American born any potential threat.
Editor’s Note: The “People First” section is The two-day complex process pre- in Busan, South Korea. She was ad- http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/
compiled from information from the Air Force serves and dehydrates the tissue to opted by an Italian-American family Article/740750/pacaf-commander-to-senators-
Personnel Center, TRICARE, 56th Force Sup- prepare it for a complete examination. at the age of 7 months. homeland-defense-sacred-responsibili
port Squadron, Airman and Family Readiness The tissue is then cut and encased into
Flight, Veterans Affairs, the civilian personnel numbered cassettes. The larger organs http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tab- Pathways to Blue shows
of ce and armed forces news services. For the are examined by lab pathologists, and id/223/Article/740887/female-air-force-officer- the way to ROTC cadets
complete story, go to the web address listed at smaller samples like pieces of skin are
the end of the story. handled by histology technicians. looks-to-take-on-marine-martial-arts-course. More than 180 ROTC cadets from
aspx 22 colleges and 31 active-duty enlisted
Eglin pathology lab http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/ Airmen attended the second annual
probes for answers tabid/223/Article/742358/eglin-pathology-lab- Homeland defense Pathways to Blue initiative April 15-16
‘sacred responsibility’ hosted by Second Air Force at Keesler
On any given day, the pathology and probes-for-answers.aspx Air Force Base.
histology lab professionals at Eglin Air “Defense of the homeland is a sacred
Force Base handle about 125 patient Female AF officer takes on responsibility and the No. 1 mission of Cadets and Airmen learned about
specimens from livers, prostates to Marine martial arts course the Department of Defense,” Gen. Lori job opportunities, toured aircraft and
tonsils. J. Robinson told a Senate panel April sat down with officers for one-on-one
First Lt. Elizabeth Guidara, 12th 21 during her nomination hearing to mentorship and varying perspectives on
They evaluate, prepare and transform Missile Squadron missile combat crew become commander of U.S. Northern commissioned life in the Air Force.
tissue onto microscope slides studied by commander at Malmstrom Air Force Command and North American Aero-
pathologists. These doctors study tis- Base, is training to become the first space Defense Command. “Cadets can gain a lot from the perspec-
sues to make a diagnosis or determine Air Force female officer to go through tive of mentors actually performing the
the stage of a disease. This is where pa- the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center Robinson, who now commands Paci c mission,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Brown, the
tient tissue and organs from the base’s of Excellence. Air Forces and is air component com- Second Air Force commander. “What we
hospital come to be studied. mander for U.S. Paci c Command, testi- hope to achieve is to explain what really
“Once I finish the course, I will be a happens when you choose a specialty and
“We get everything. Our purpose is certified combative instructor and be ed before the Senate Armed Services join the Air Force; to show what it’s really
to find out what happened,” said Lt. able to teach combatives anywhere in Committee, noting that the U.S. faces like to be a cyber operator or a remotely
Col. Rolando Ramos, medical director the world and at any base,” Guidara a rapidly evolving and growing threat piloted aircraft pilot. The ‘art of the pos-
of pathology and laboratory services. said. environment in terms of the number of sible’ inside the Air Force is what we are
“When doctors or surgeons remove those who wish to harm the nation and talking about here.”
tissue or body parts, we determine if While in college, Guidara’s best the complexity of tools at their disposal.
the disease is malignant or benign, so friend introduced her to a boxing club. Pathways to Blue aims to help build
clinicians or surgeons can apply proper “I fell in love with it,” she said. “Our country faces many challenging future leaders in the Air Force, as well
treatment.” threats from within and abroad, rang- as highlight different routes to becoming
Guidara has trained in the District ing from threats such as home-grown an Air Force of cer. The target audience
Before doctors can accomplish their of Columbia, South Korea, New Zea- violent extremist, cyberattacks (and) is freshmen and sophomores along with
research, histology lab technicians land, Thailand, California and now trafficking of drugs and other illicit enlisted members who may be undecided
begin the detail-oriented process of Montana. She has been training for a products by transnational criminal about various career elds once they get
sample verification and accessioning. year and a half. organizations — two threats posed by commissioned.
nation states such as Russia, North
“It is extremely meticulous work,” The Marine Corps training course is Korea and Iran,” Robinson said. The event kicked off with an introduc-
Ramos said. “We check and double 10 hours a day, five days a week, and tion to the mentors then quickly moved
check names, numbers with corre- includes physical training and test- “In my experiences as the Pacific to hands-on demonstrations with vari-
sponding specimens to avoid risks. We taking. The Marines also have their Air Forces commander and the air ous career elds ranging from aerospace
kid that to work in this lab you almost own belt system, and participants component for (U.S. Pacific Command medicine and cyber operations to battle-
have to have obsessive compulsive must have a gray belt to enter. Commander Navy Adm. Harry) Harris,
disorder.” I’m intimately aware of the tenuous eld Airmen, space and missiles, aviation,
Guidara said her biggest weakness situation on the (Korean) peninsula medical, and a mixture of support elds.
For example, if two biopsies from the deals with her training and technique. and throughout the region, and un-
same woman — Part A from the left derstand the potential threats posed “This is my second Pathways to Blue
breast and Part B from the right — are “It is hard when I am the only fe- to the security of our homeland,” the and it’s been very engaging and hands
male out there sparing with guys, who general said. on,” said Kayla Davis, a Tuskegee Uni-
weigh like 80 pounds more than me,” versity Air Force ROTC cadet.
she said. “It’s hard because I want Robinson told the panel that if con-
them to spar with me as their equals, firmed she will work to uphold the http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/
but at the same time I know they are faith that the American people have tabid/223/Article/738452/pathways-to-blue-
more experienced than me.” placed in NORTHCOM and NORAD
and to ensure that the commands re- shows-rotc-cadets-the-way.aspx
Guidara’s ultimate goals are to
achieve a black belt in Brazilian ju-
EVERY MORNING MY
HUMAN SHAVES OFF
HIS FACE FUR, HE’S
FUNNY LIKE THAT.
—TUCK
adopted 05-04-11
4.25” AD SPACE
