Page 10 - Desert Lightning News So. AZ Edition News – Year in Review 2023

10
November
Tucson Roadrunners appreciate military
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman William Turnbull
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Grayson Landry, 355th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, and Staff Sgt. Cli- antha Yasenchack, 355th Wing Command Post com- mand and control operations specialist, were recog- nized as “Heroes of the Game” on the Tucson Road- runners hockey stadium’s promotion deck for their achievements. Yasenchack was Hero of the Game
#1 for her actions against a bomb threat in Tucson, and Landry was Hero of the Game #2 during military appreciation night at Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 4, 2023. The Tucson Roadrunners gave free tickets to military members as a part of military appreciation night. The Airmen’s involvement during the Military Apprecia- tion Night event brought families and service mem- bers together to celebrate their accomplishments and shed light on challenges that Airmen overcame on a daily basis.
December
Airman’s rapid
response aids
Tucson PD
For U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Clian- tha Yasenchack, 355th Wing Command Post command and control operations specialist, the distribution of time-sensitive informa- tion is a fundamental part of her job on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
“Command Post involves responding to emergency notifications and distributing information as we get it,” Yasenchack said.
A member of the Air National Guard, Yasenchack received an active-duty as- signment opportunity at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
“I am part of the 162nd Air National Guard,” Yasenchack said. “Back in April, we received a request from the former su- perintendent here for a manning assist, so I’ve just been stepping in and helping out.”
A base’s Command Post is in standby mode until they receive a call about an ac- cident or incident. These calls come from various sources, including the Base Defense Operations Center. When the time comes, Command Post personnel run through a checklist of applicable duties before inform- ing leadership of the situation at hand.
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Candidates Participate in CRO Screener Program
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Robert Allen Cooke III
The 68th Rescue Squadron hosted a CRO (Combat Rescue Officer) screening course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Oct. 15-20, 2023. Above, candi- dates participating in a Combat Rescue Officer Phase II training exercise simulate a rescue mission at the event on Oct. 18, 2023. Candidates carried a dummy on a stretcher to a vantage point to simulate injury response techniques. The CRO screener program, known as “CRO Phase II,” is a part of a multi-phased training process that screens cadets who want to become CRO for the U.S. Air Force. “We’re selecting for attributes that are going to make successful lead- ers in rescue missions for the Air Force,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Timothy Smith, the cadre lead for CRO Phase II. “We have a pre-selection to try to pick out the people that have the attributes and can meet the rigorous standards.”
Desert Lightning News
USAF Action Shooting Team 2023
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Devlin Bishop
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Schuerhoff, 49th Civil Engineer Squadron intelligence non-commis- sioned officer in charge, shoots at a moving target during a shooting competition at Rio Salado Sports- man’s Club in Mesa, Arizona, Nov. 10, 2023. Schuer- hoff was accepted to and joined the USAF Action Shooting Team in 2021. U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert Wilson, 22nd Security Forces Squadron flight chief and USAF Action Shooting Team captain, Tech. Sgt. Michael Schuerhoff, 49th Civil Engineer Squad- ron intelligence non-commissioned officer in charge and Staff Sgt. Christian Magaling, 354th Fighter Squadron weapons technician, attended the United States Practical Shooting Association competition to compete against Army, Marine, Secret Servicemen and professional civilian marksmen.The USAF Action Shooting Team competes at dozens of competitions each year and is always looking for new talent.
Warthog Wednesday
An A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft is displayed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Nov. 9, 2023. The A-10 aircraft’s 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger was designed to fire 3,900 rounds
per minute and can defeat an array of ground targets, including tanks.
“Most of the time, it’s not reportable,” Yasenchack said. “When a situation is reportable, like severe injuries or Aircraft mishaps, we’ve got to draft up a report, get it approved by the commander and send it to higher headquarters or the MAJCOM.”
For reportable situations, the Com- mand Post coordinates with groups like Explosives Ordinance Disposal, or EOD, to contain threats. One incident involving the local authorities occurred after Yas- enchack stepped into her active-duty role at Davis-Monthan.
“We received a phone call from the Tuc- son Police Department about explosives on site, brought to their front desk,” said Yas- enchack. “We just contacted EOD for them, and EOD went out and took care of it.”
Yasenchack’s response, as simple and straightforward as it was, effectively nullified a major threat that day. A few months after the incident, Yasenchack
was acknowledged as “Hero of the Game #1” during a Roadrunners hockey game in Tucson for her work ethic and mentorship capabilities.
Still, she remains humble about her work and sees this live-saving extension of her duty as nothing more than another day in the office.
“I’m just doing my job,” Yasenchack said. ‘I don’t really see the significance in such daily activities, but it’s nice to be acknowl- edged when you are doing a decent job.”
The explosives incident in Tucson wasn’t the first time Yasenchack had to deal with serious threats. Having deployed twice, Yasenchack had to push out notifications for rockets and mortar fire emergencies.
“Going into Alarm Red and Alarm Yellow were the more frightening situations,” Yas- enchack said. “Receiving a phone call about a spare grenade showing up at a front desk was like ‘Okay, it’s just another Tuesday.’”
Story and U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Robert Allen Cooke III
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Robert Allen Cooke III