Page 2 - Desert Wings 11-6-15
P. 2
Desert Wings Commentary November 6, 2015
2 www.aerotechnews.com/edwardsafb facebook.com/EdwardsDesertWings
One Airman chooses to live Veterans Day
E\DQDQRQ\PRXV$LUPDQ KRPHDURXQGP\VSRXVHDQGFKLOGUHQ1RRQHNQHZ is a day to
$LU)RUFH0DWHULHO&RPPDQG )RUPRQWKV,ZUHVWOHGZLWKP\IHHOLQJVWU\LQJGHVSHUDWHO\
celebrate and
,KDYHZRUNHGIRUWKHIHGHUDOJRYHUQPHQWIRU\HDUVDQG WRJHWWKH¿JKWLQJZLWKLQP\VHOIWRVWRS,ZDVJUDVSLQJDW
LQHDFKDQGHYHU\RQHRIWKRVH\HDUV,KDYHEHHQWKURXJK HYHU\WKLQJ,FRXOGWKLQNRIDVDUHDVRQWROLYH:KHQP\ honor
VXLFLGHDZDUHQHVVDQGSUHYHQWLRQWUDLQLQJ VSRXVHDQG,JRWLQWRD¿JKWRQHHYHQLQJDIWHUDURXJKGD\
DWZRUN,EOXUWHGRXWZLWKRXWWKLQNLQJ³$OORIRXUSUREOHPV E\*HQ(OOHQ3DZOLNRZVNL
,KDYHFRPSOHWHGWKH5HVLOLHQF\7UDLQLQJ$VVLVWDQWFRXUVH ZRXOGEHVROYHGDQGOLIHZRXOGEHPXFKEHWWHULI,ZHUH $)0&FRPPDQGHU
DQG,KDYHHYHQWDXJKWUHVLOLHQF\DW:LQJPDQ'D\V,NQRZ GHDG´$IWHUWKH¿JKW,WROGKLP,ZDVMXVWXSVHWWKDW,GLGQ¶W
WKHWRROVHWVWRKHOSDQGKDYHDVHWRISHUVRQDOFRSLQJVNLOOV UHDOO\PHDQLW 9HWHUDQVKDYHPDGHDVHOÀHVVFKRLFHWROD\WKHLUOLYHV
+RZHYHUWKHUHLVQRWKLQJPRUHH[FUXFLDWLQJO\SDLQIXOWKDQ RQWKHOLQHWRVHUYHDQGSURWHFWRXUFRXQWU\,QPDQ\
HPRWLRQDOSDLQ ,VWDUWHGWRWKLQNPRUHDERXWGHDWK,GHYHORSHGDSODQRQ FDVHVWKH\KDYHPDGHWKHXOWLPDWHVDFUL¿FHWRHQVXUH
KRZ,ZRXOGGRLW,ZDVYHU\PHWKRGLFDOLQWKHZD\,KDQGOHG ZHFRQWLQXHWRKDYHRXUULJKWVDQGIUHHGRPV
1RZWKHGDUNWUXWK,KDYHDWWHPSWHGVXLFLGHWZLFHDQG ZRUNWKLQJVRQHGD\²XQGHUWKHJXLVHRIµVLWXDWLRQDODZDUH-
KDYHEDWWOHGVXLFLGDOLGHDWLRQIRU\HDUV,KDYHDORQJKLVWRU\ QHVV¶,PDGHVXUHP\FRZRUNHUVNQHZZKHUHWKLQJVZHUH 9HWHUDQV'D\LVDWLPHZHVHWDVLGHWRKRQRUWKHVH
RIGHSUHVVLRQDQGDQ[LHW\)HHOLQJVRIKRSHOHVVQHVVVDGQHVV ORFDWHGIRUVRPHHYHQWVWKDWZHUHFRPLQJXS,OHIWDIHZ VSHFLDO$PHULFDQV
DQGEHLQJDORQHDORQJZLWKRYHUZKHOPLQJVWUHVVDQGWKHGH- VHOHFWSDSHUVDQGIROGHUVRQP\GHVN,OHIWP\GHVNXQORFNHG
VLUHWREH³QRUPDO´SLOHGXSXQWLO,ZDVLQDYHU\GDUNSODFH 2ULJLQDOO\ NQRZQ DV$UPLVWLFH 'D\ VLQFH
,IRXQGP\VHOIRYHUFRPHZLWKLQQHUWXUPRLOGR,FKRRVHWR 1RRQHQRWLFHGWKRXJK,ZRXOGQHYHUGRWKRVHWKLQJVQRU- 3UHVLGHQW'ZLJKW'(LVHQKRZHUVLJQHGDELOOLQ
OLYHRUHQGLWDOO" PDOO\,VDLGP\XVXDOJRRGE\HVDQGOHIWIRUWKHHYHQLQJZLWK RI¿FLDOO\HVWDEOLVKLQJ1RYDV9HWHUDQV'D\VWDWLQJ
QRLQWHQWLRQRIEHLQJDOLYHWR³VHHWKHPLQWKHPRUQLQJ´ ³,GRKHUHE\FDOOXSRQDOORIRXUFLWL]HQVWRREVHUYH
6WUXJJOHVVWUHVVRUVGHSUHVVLRQVDGQHVVDQ[LHW\KRSH- 1RYHPEHUDV9HWHUDQV'D\2QWKDWGD\OHWXVVRO-
OHVVQHVVDQGIHHOLQJVRIEHLQJDORQHDUHYHU\UHDODQGYHU\ $V,GURYHKRPH,ORRNHGDWWHOHSKRQHSROHVDQGODUJH HPQO\UHPHPEHUWKHVDFUL¿FHVRIDOOWKRVHZKRIRXJKW
SHUVRQDO7KH\DUHQRWWKLQJV,IHOW,FRXOGWDONRSHQO\DERXW WUHHVDQGZRQGHUHGKRZIDVW,ZRXOGKDYHWRJRWRZUDSP\ VRYDOLDQWO\RQWKHVHDVLQWKHDLUDQGRQIRUHLJQVKRUHV
WRSHRSOHDWZRUNRUHYHQP\IDPLO\ FDUDURXQGRQHRIWKHPWRPDNHLWDIDWDODFFLGHQW,IRXJKW WRSUHVHUYHRXUKHULWDJHRIIUHHGRP´
P\VHOIWRNHHSRQWKHURDG,KDGRQHPRUHWKLQJWRWDNHFDUH
,IHOWDVKDPHGHPEDUUDVVHGDQGVFDUHGDQG,GLGQ¶WNQRZ RIEHIRUH,OHIW $QGZHFDQQRWIRUJHWWRUHPHPEHUWKHIDPLOLHVRI
ZKR , FRXOG WUXVW ZLWK WKHVH YHU\ SHUVRQDO IHHOLQJV DQG RXUYHWHUDQV7KH\WRRVDFUL¿FHDQGVHUYHLQFRXQW-
WKRXJKWV $V,ZDONHGLQWRP\KRPHRQHRIP\FKLOGUHQZKRLV OHVVZD\V
\RXQJDQGGRHVQ¶WVD\YHU\PDQ\ZRUGVUDQXSWRPH\HOOLQJ
:KRZRXOGFDUH",GLGQ¶WZDQWWREHDEXUGHQRQDQ\RQH ³020020020´ZLWKKLVDUPVZLGHRSHQDQGJDYH 7RDOORXUYHWHUDQVDQGWKHLUIDPLO\PHPEHUVWKDQN
7KHVHZHUHP\SUREOHPVQRWWKHLUV,IHOWDWZRUNWKDW,ZDV PHWKHELJJHVWKXJ,KDYHHYHUUHFHLYHGLQP\OLIH:KHQP\ \RXIRU\RXUVHUYLFHDQGIRUVWHSSLQJXSWRDQVZHURXU
QRWKLQJPRUHWKDQDVWDWLVWLF,IHOWDVLIQRRQHZRXOGXQGHU- FKLOGORRNHGXSDWPHDQGPRWLRQHGIRUDNLVVWKDWZDVLW QDWLRQ¶VFDOOWRSURWHFWDQGGHIHQGRXUZD\RIOLIH
VWDQGDQG,ZRXOGMXVWEHWROGWR³VXFNLWXSDQGPRYHRQ´ 7KDWZDVWKHWXUQLQJSRLQWIRUPH
:KDWZRXOGP\ERVVWKLQN"+RZZRXOGLWUHÀHFWRQPHDQG
P\ZRUNSHUIRUPDQFH" ,QDQLQVWDQW,IHOWGHVSHUDWH,QHHGHGKHOSDQG,QHHGHGLW
QRZ,FRQIHVVHGWRP\VSRXVHKRZ,ZDVWUXO\IHHOLQJDQG
,XQGHUVWDQGWKDWHYHU\RQHKDVXSVDQGGRZQVLQOLIHWKDW¶V WKDWLWKDGEHHQJRLQJRQIRUTXLWHVRPHWLPH
WKHZD\OLIHLV%XWGHVSLWHP\KLVWRU\,NQHZ,ZDVLQWKH
GDUNHVWSODFH,KDGHYHUEHHQ,NQHZWKHIHHOLQJV,KDGZHUH 7KHUHDOL]DWLRQWKDWWKHUHZDVDGH¿QLWHSRVVLELOLW\RIPH
GHHSHUDQGKXUWPRUHWKDQWKH\GLGZKHQ,KDGSUHYLRXVO\ QRWEHLQJKHUHDQ\PRUHZDVVXGGHQO\YHU\UHDODQGH[WUHPHO\
DWWHPSWHGVXLFLGH WHUULI\LQJ
7KHLQWHUQDOEDWWOHRISDUWRIPHZDQWLQJWROLYHDQGSDUWRI ,FDOOHGWKH1DWLRQDO6XLFLGH3UHYHQWLRQ/LIHOLQHDQGWDONHG
PHZDQWLQJWRGLHZDVEHFRPLQJXQEHDUDEOH6WLOO,ZHQWWR WRDYHU\QLFHVRIWVSRNHQZRPDQ6KHDVNHGPHDORWRI
ZRUNGD\DIWHUGD\¿JKWLQJD¿JKWWKDWQRRQHNQHZDERXW TXHVWLRQVDERXWKRZ,ZDVIHHOLQJLI,KDGDSODQDQGZKDW
,WZDVHDV\WRSXWRQDKDSS\IDFHDQGDFWOLNHHYHU\WKLQJ P\OLIHVLWXDWLRQZDV$VQLFHDVVKHZDVLWZDVQ¶WSURYLG-
ZDVRND\ZKLOH,ZDVDURXQGSHRSOH,HYHQNHSWXSWKHDFWDW
See SUICIDE, Page 4
Commander’s
Action Line
email: speak2cc@edwards.af.mil
The Commander’s Action Line gives all Airmen, re-
tirees, families and community members a direct link to
Brig. Gen. Carl Schaefer, 412th Test Wing commander.
The Action Line can be used to express constructive
points of view on the policies and procedures of the
base; discuss safety and security issues; and address
problems, concerns, or suggestions after traditional
methods have been exhausted.
The Commander’s Action Line should not be the
¿UVWDFWLRQWDNHQWRUHVROYHDQLVVXH7KRVHVHHNLQJ
DUHPHG\WRDSUREOHPVKRXOG¿UVWIROORZWKHFKDLQ
RIFRPPDQGDQGWDNHXSWKHPDWWHUZLWKWKHRI¿FHRI
SULPDU\UHVSRQVLELOLW\VXSHUYLVRUV¿UVWVHUJHDQWVRU
commanders.
Action Line queries may be submitted by sending an
e-mail to speak2cc@edwards.af.mil with Commander’s
Action Line as the subject heading or by calling (661)
277-7325. Action Line submissions must be written in
a courteous and professional tone, and must include a
name, an e-mail address or an alternative method of
contact. The requestor’s contact information will not be
published in compliance with Privacy Act restrictions.
Any messages received without contact information will
not be routed, so please be sure to provide some method
for communication.
