Page 2 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt April 7, 2017

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April 2017 COMMENTARY Thunderbolt
www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb
http://www.luke.af.mil
A modern military marriage
PHONE NUMBERS
Airman and Family Readiness Center ................................. 623-856-6550 Airman’s Attic ......................................................................... 623-856-6415 Armed Forces Bank ............................................................... 623-535-9766 Base Exchange main store ..................................................... 623-935-2671 Base taxi ................................................................................... 623-856-6866 Beauty shop ............................................................................. 623-536-1897 Chapel ...................................................................................... 623-856-6211 Chapel (after duty hours) ....................................................... 623-856-5600 Child development center ...................................................... 623-856-6338 Clothing sales .......................................................................... 623-856-6310 Club Five Six ........................................................................... 623-856-6446 Command post ........................................................................ 623-856-5600 Commissary ............................................................................ 623-935-3821 Community center .................................................................. 623-856-7152 Computer IT service desk .................................................... DSN 945-2900 Crime Stop ............................................................................... 623-856-6666 Dental clinic ............................................................................. 623-856-2273 Dermatology ............................................................................ 623-856-2273 Dining hall ............................................................................... 623-856-6396 Dorm management ................................................................. 623-856-7841 Education center ..................................................................... 623-856-7722 EMERGENCY ONLY ............................................................................ 911 Equal opportunity ................................................................... 623-856-7711 Eye clinic ................................................................................. 623-856-7965 Falcon Dunes Golf Course .................................................... 623-535-9334 Family health clinic ................................................................ 623-856-2273 Family housing ....................................................................... 623-388-3515 Fire station ............................................................................... 623-856-6641 Firestone Car Care .................................................................. 623-271-8104 Fitness center ........................................................................... 623-856-6241 Flight medicine ....................................................................... 623-856-2273 Food court ................................................................................ 623-935-2671 Fort Tuthill ............................................................................... 623-856-3401 Fraud, waste and abuse hotline ............................................. 623-856-6149 Hobby shop ............................................................................. 623-856-6722 Housing assistance section .................................................... 623-856-7643 Housing facilities section ....................................................... 623-856-3007 Housing maintenance ............................................................. 623-935-2676 Identification cards .................................................................. 623-856-7832 Information, tickets and travel ............................................... 623-856-6000 Law enforcement desk ........................................................... 623-856-5970 Legal assistance ....................................................................... 623-856-6901 Library ...................................................................................... 623-856-7191 Lightning Gate visitor reception center ................................ 623-856-4880 Lodging office/switchboard ................................................... 623-856-3941 Maintenance control center ................................................... 623-856-5469 Marine Corps ........................................................................... 623-856-2417 Marine Corps 24-hour duty desk .......................................... 602-421-5806 Marketing ................................................................................ 623-856-3245 Medical appointments ............................................................ 623-856-2273 Military equal opportunity ..................................................... 623-856-7711 Military pay ............................................................................. 623-856-7028 Navy Operations Support Center .......................................... 602-353-3008 OB/GYN clinic ....................................................................... 623-856-2273 Office of Special Investigations ............................................ 623-856-6821 Optometrist .............................................................................. 623-856-2273 Orthopedic clinic ..................................................................... 623-856-2273 Outdoor recreation .................................................................. 623-856-6267 Pass and registration ............................................................... 623-856-4880 Patient advocate ...................................................................... 623-856-8968 Pediatric clinic ......................................................................... 623-856-2273 Pharmacy refill call-in ............................................................ 623-856-3969 Photo services .......................................................................... 623-856-6168 Post Office ............................................................................... 623-935-1343 Public affairs ............................................................................ 623-856-6011 Recycling information ............................................................ 623-856-4749 Rodgers Travel ........................................................................ 623-856-6894 Safety ........................................................................................ 623-856-6941 Security forces ..........................................................................623-856-5970 Security incidents .................................................................... 623-856-7777 Service calls CE maintenance ............................................... 623-856-7232 Sexual Assault Prevention/Response ................................... 623-856-4878 Shoppette ................................................................................. 623-266-0040 Sick call .................................................................................... 623-856-2273 South Gate VRC ..................................................................... 623-856-4768 Straight-Talk line ..................................................................... 623-856-7064 Telephone repair (Base) ......................................................... 623-856-4400 Thrift store ............................................................................... 623-935-5782 Ticket/tour office ..................................................................... 623-856-6000 Travel management office household goods ....................... 623-856-6425 TMO passenger travel ............................................................ 623-856-7035 Transient alert .......................................................................... 623-856-6204 Travel pay ................................................................................ 623-856-7028 Vehicle maintenance ............................................................... 623-935-6576 Veterinary services .................................................................. 623-856-6354 Weather .................................................................................... 623-856-6805 Wellness center ........................................................................ 623-856-2273 Youth center ............................................................................. 623-856-7470
Courtesy Photo
by Senior Airman SAMANTHA SALOPEK
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, California — Six years and four months ago I married my husband. I was 19 years old and completely igno- rant to the commitment I’d just made.
Dual military marriages make up a little more than 11 percent of the Air Force population, and like many dual couples, we were stationed apart. Less than a year after requesting join spouse orders, he was assigned 16 miles from me.
Senior Airman Samantha Salopek poses for a photo with her hus- band, Matthew Swartsfager. Sa- lopek married Swartsfager in No- vember 2010 at the age of 19 and recently shared some challenges of a military marriage.
“The Brady Bunch” did not prepare me for the big move. Melding lives together did not consist of soft voices and whimsical background music. The voices were loud and sometimes unfamiliar to our own, and resolu- tions did not come quickly.
Our first argument was over the unsanctioned addition of tuna to macaroni and cheese. I am a food pur- ist at heart and the defilement of my beloved macaroni was, at the time, a personal violation to me.
A few words and glares were ex- changed. Then, the kettle of maca- roni made its way out the front door and across the lawn. As it flew through the air, it spewed its con- tents like tears of cheesy sadness. This was not my proudest moment.
No one really talks about their arguments, or maybe they do and I
See mARRiAGE, Page 20
King’s dream — senior airman’s reality
by Senior Airman CEAIRA YOUNG
23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream with the world Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He called for an end to racism.
Fast forward to now. When I wake up in the morning, I am his dream. I am black and every day I serve as an equal with my brothers and sisters in arms.
Sixty years ago, as an African Ameri- can, I wouldn’t have been able to freely pursue this career that I love. This fact wouldn’t be true due to a lack of qualifications, but simply because of the color of my skin. Fortunately, times have changed and the Air Force I love has changed.
According to the Defense Depart- ment, today approximately 15 percent of the more than 300,000 people who serve on active duty Air Force are Af- rican American, but this privilege did not come without sacrifices.
While facing the hardships of seg- regation in America such as being made to sit in the back of the bus and use separate water fountains, African Americans attended different schools, churches, businesses and more. In spite of that, African Americans such as the Tuskegee Airmen wanted to do their part. They joined the fight for rights they themselves didn’t have in America.
During this time, it was still widely accepted that African Americans were inferior, but still they joined the fight to defeat Adolf Hitler and his ideology. Even though they couldn’t battle beside their Caucasian counterparts, they felt a sense of patriotism and refused to let the history books be written without them.
The Tuskegee Airmen conducted ap- proximately 15,000 combat sorties and earned more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses. As World War II came to an end, their success made it im- possible to ignore the need for a more diverse service.
In 1948, President Harry Truman signed an executive order integrating the military but that order did little
to change the culture. In fact, Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James, who was the first black to reach the rank of four-star general, didn’t earn this distinction until 1975.
As Black History Month kicks off, I challenge everyone to learn about people like Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Barnes. He was the first black chief master sergeant of the Air Force and Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth Wright became the second Feb. 17, 2017. Ad- ditionally, I encourage everyone to research Maj. Shawna Kimbrell, the Air Force’s first female African-American fighter pilot.
I challenge you to research someone’s history other than your own. I chal- lenge you to get to know about some of the service members, who came before us and made serving possible today. The reality of life is that we can never truly know the way ahead unless we know where we came from as a person, as a race, as a society and lastly as an Air Force.
It is an honor to be among the African Americans who serve. Today, I say to Dr. King, “Dreams do come true.”
Thunderbolt editorial staff
Publisher ....................................................Aerotech News and Review Editor ........................................................................... Deborah leuthold Designer .................................................................................tinna Sellie
Luke Air Force Base
Commander....................................................Brig. Gen. Brook leonard Public Affairs deputy chief .......................................... Kiley Dougherty Command information ......................................... tech. Sgt. tim Boyer
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