JET LETTER

North Dakota Air National Guard March 2007

Fire fighters respond

to frozen pipe spill
2 JET LETTER/March 2007

Images from Al Asad, Iraq

Father and son team up on fini flight

Jet Letter is a funded U.S. Air Force newsletter published regularly for personnel of

the 119th Wing, North Dakota Air National Guard. Opinions expressed herein

do not necessarily represent those of the

Air National Guard or the Air Force. Public

Affairs office: Direct line (701) 451-2195,

fax (701) 451-2197, DSN 362-8195, or

e-mail: PA@ndfarg.ang.af.mil

JET LETTER

Volume 53, Number 3

We’re on the Internet

http://www.ndfarg.ang.af.mil

119th WG Commander

Col. Robert J. Becklund

Editorial Staff

Capt. Penny A. Ripperger

Layout and Design

Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp

Photographic Support

 Multimedia Center

Printer

Quality Printing Services

Bismarck, N.D.

Departments

Flames from an M-16 on the firing range at the North Dakota Air

National Guard

Afterburner

Proud to be Happy Hooligans

Commander's comments 3

Bulletins

Brig. Gen. Engelman retirement party!, Basic VA disability

benefits.

3

8

Feature

CONTENTS

March 2007

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp,

119th Communication Flight

JET LETTER sTaff

Retirements, Promotions, New Members, 2006 UTA Schedule

Hooligan News 7

4

5

A Senior Airman of the

119th Civil Engineer Squadron

fire fighter, shovels sand around a

manhole to create a dike in an

effort to prevent liquids initially

thought to be fuel from reaching

storm drains that lead away from

the North Dakota Air National

Guard base and eventually to the

Red River Jan. 13. The liquid,

which spilled from the fuels area

when a frozen pipe burst, turned

out to be water and of little concern

for the safety and welfare of the

local community and environment.

Writing about experiences in Iraq

Col. Cecil J. 'Bud' Hensel Jr. and his son Senior Airman

Bryan M. Hensel work together on Col. Hensel's last F-16

flight.
JET LETTER/March 2007 3

The events of current history continue to stress and stretch this

organization. Change heralds hope and also brings with it loss and

grief. You will have pilots flying unmanned aerial vehicles dropping

bombs on enemy targets and then going home for supper with their

families. You will continue to have mobilizations in dangerous

locations. You will have a new arm of the Security Forces

geographically separated in Minot. And you will have folks flying and

working on new planes in Fargo, eventually transitioning into Joint

Cargo Aircraft. As a result, many of you have been called to new duty

stations, and asked to take on new responsibilities. To ride the tide of

change, you must take the integrity, esprit de corps, character and cando Hooligan attitude you currently have, and apply it to your new

roles.

As you deal with change and transition, the stresses of war on

airmen and families, and the future, you need to pull together as an

organization and bolster each other. Strengthen your relationships

with each other. Champion your successes and remember your

heritage. Use the many and varied resources put in place as a result of

lessons learned from past wars and conflicts, like the Chaplaincy,

including the full-time state Chaplain, the National Guard social

workers, and the Family Program. Take the Critical Incident Stress

Management TCR course and use the Emergency Relief Fund if

necessary. Trust that all North Dakota leadership at every level -

national, state and National Guard - is doing everything in their power

to insure your continued success.

As we leave, we want you to know that we have never been more

proud to be a part of any organization. We look forward to cheering

you on, now, from the sidelines. The spirit of Pappy Larson, the

original Happy Hooligan, lives on in you today. Because your identity

is deeply imbedded in the organization and is so strong, we have

every confidence that you will not falter or fail. After all, you are the

best of the best. You are the Happy Hooligans!

All the best,

Brigadier General Jerry and Linda Engelman

Proud to be Happy Hooligans

Commander's comments Bulletins

By Brig. Gen. Jerald L. Engelman

North Dakota assistant adjutant general for air

Basic VA disability benefits:

What is VA disability compensation?

Disability compensation is a benefit paid to a

veteran because of injuries or diseases that

happened while on active duty, or were made

worse by active military service. It is also paid to

certain veterans disabled from VA health care.

The benefits are tax free.

Who is eligible?

You may be eligible for disability compensation if

you have a service-related disability and you

were discharged under other than dishonorable

conditions.

How much does VA pay?

The amount of basic benefit paid ranges from

$115 to $2,471 per month, depending on how

disabled you are.

Note: You may be paid additional amounts, in

certain instances, if:

· you have very severe disabilities or loss of

limb(s)

· you have a spouse, child(ren), or dependent

parent(s)

· you have a seriously disabled spouse

How can you apply?

You can apply by filling out VA Form 21-526,

Veterans Application for Compensation and/or

Pension.

You should utilize a National Service Officer, to

help with the paperwork and be your buffer with

the Dept. of Veteran Affairs. It can make the

process go smoother in the long run.

 For information you can contact retired Master

Sgt. Daniel M. Dewey, at AMVETS VAM/ROC

Room 209, 2101 North Elm St., Fargo, N.D., 58102,

or call (701) 451-4642

E-mail: dan.dewey@va.gov

Brig. Gen. Jerald L. Engelman and Mrs. Linda Engelman

Brig. Gen. Engelman retirement party!

Brig. Gen. Jerald L. Engelman is retiring (and

soon to turn 60) and would like to invite past and

present National Guard members to his retirement

party Mar. 10 at the Auger Inn beginning at 4:00

p.m. Food and beverages will be served. Please

pass the word as he would like to convey his

thanks to everyone.
4 JET LETTER/March 2007

Images from Al Asad, Iraq

Two days ago I had the privilege to participate in a

promotion ceremony for several of our young airmen here at Al

Asad, Iraq. The setting was a bit out of the ordinary; the

ceremony itself took place in a Yugoslavian-constructed

Hardened Aircraft Shelter (HAS) built for Saddam Hussein’s air

force. The makeshift platform was draped with camouflage

netting; a Navy Chaplain spoke the invocation, and in the

crowd of onlookers were sailors and marines as well as our own

airmen. The atmosphere was full of dirt and dust – the high

winds had created a minor dust storm and put a definite chill in

the air. Neither the ceremony itself nor the surroundings had

anything ceremonial about them but every one of those airmen,

as they received their congratulations from the commander, was

grinning from ear to ear. They knew they were receiving their

promotion orders in a unique environment; an environment

many of their friends and coworkers will never experience.

Story by NDANG Soldier The deployment experience is unique in many ways. Just

getting here is an experience in itself. I told my wife, after

reaching Al Asad, if you had to go through this when you went

on vacation – you would never go on vacation! Upon arrival,

everything is new and different; you’re in a new place with

different sights and sounds, working with people you don’t

know, doing a job you’re unsure of, and trying to solve

problems with no idea where to start or who to see to start the

process. My first day at Al Asad, I ran into Senior Master Sgt.

Tim Laney who is deployed here with a Rapid Engineer

Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer (RED

HORSE) Squadron. It was a chance encounter, and we just had

enough time to say “hello” to one another, but it was a great

feeling just to see someone from home. I’ve been here six

weeks now and know my way around the base and all the

functional areas quite well. I find it interesting how I now sleep

through fighter aircraft taking off several hundred yards from

my “can,” but am awakened by the infrequent rainstorms here.

The environment is very joint; the base itself is run by the

U.S. Marine Corps with a large U.S. Army presence as

well. Air Force personnel are definitely the minority

and a good portion of the USAF personnel on the

base are here “in lieu of” Army troops. They are filling

an Army requirement the Army can’t fill due to lack of

personnel. Getting around in the joint Al Asad

environment is challenging; it takes some time to

figure out who runs what, who is in charge of what,

who provides certain services, etc. As a brand new Air

Force Group stood up on a Marine base, the

challenges are numerous. I find myself working here

with a great group of people from all across the

country and all components of the Air Force. We are

meeting those challenges to ensure we have mission

success and to make things better for the personnel

following us into this location.

Our aircraft (A-10 Thunderbolts or Warthogs)

have been here about two weeks now, and in those

two weeks we have seen success against the enemy.

It’s interesting being a part of this; this is the thing we

have all spent a lot of time training for, the thing you

are in the unit to do, one of the reasons our unit even

exists, and what our nation needs of us at this juncture

in time. While deployment brings its anxieties and

hardships it can also bring great challenges and great

rewards. Deployment is just like everything else in life

– you can make of it what you decide to make of it.

When called, I would certainly encourage all of you to

accept the deployment challenge as just that, a

challenge you can make as good or poor an experience

as you care to make it. Deployment, after all, is why

we’re here.

Taking a break

during his

current

deployment in

Al Asad, Iraq.

Photo by Maj. Brad Archer, 438th Air Expeditionary Group
JET LETTER/March 2007 5

Story and photos by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp

119th Communications Flight

On a frigid winter day Jan. 13 at the North Dakota Air

National Guard, with clouds of vapor evident upon each

breath, Senior Airman Bryan M. Hensel, crew chief in the

119th Maintenance Squadron, launches his father Col. Cecil J.

‘Bud” Hensel Jr., pilot and N.D. headquarters director of

operations, on his final flight in an F-16 Fighting Falcon

aircraft (preferably called the ‘Viper’ by most NDANG pilots).

Col. Hensel is not ending his long and distinguished career in

the United States military but merely piloting his last flight, or

‘fini flight,’ in the F-16 due to a mission conversion from the

F-16 into the C-21 Lear Jet and MQ-1 Predator at the North

Dakota Air National Guard.

Col. Hensel began flying fighter aircraft 25 years earlier

in the F-111 and completed nearly 1,500 flight hours in the

F-16, while the junior Hensel working the launch just began

his military career with the North Dakota Air National Guard

in September of 2004. Col. Hensel said ‘it was a great honor

to fly that many years in fighter aircraft in the U.S. military’

and 'I am very proud to have my son act as the crew chief on

my final flight in the Viper.’

Senior Airman Hensel indicated that he was glad to be

able to work on his father’s final flight, but modestly said he

was ‘just doing his job’ the day of the launch. Mrs. Sharon

Hensel was present in shelter six to watch her husband and

son work together on the fini flight and said it was a

‘bittersweet occasion’ knowing how much her husband

enjoyed his time flying the F-16. She said the day 'was filled

with such a wide range of emotions from pride in both Bryan

and Bud, to a feeling of sadness that Bud’s 25 year career of

flying fighters for the active Air Force and the National Guard

is over since it has been such a huge part of our lives for so

long.'

While it was the flight chiefs in the 119th Maintenance

Squadron who meticulously planned and coordinated the

seemingly chance encounter between father and son in

shelter number six for the memorable flight, it was a wife and

mother who shed a tear upon shut down of the aircraft

engine of the F-16 flown by Col. Bud Hensel for the last time.

Father and son team up on fini flight

Col. Cecil J. 'Bud' Hensel, prepares for launch in an F-16 prior

to his fini flight at the North Dakota Air National Guard Jan. 13.

Above, Col. Cecil J. 'Bud' Hensel, North Dakota Air National

Guard pilot, shakes hands with his son Senior Airman Bryan M.

Hensel, 119th Maintenance Squadron crew chief, after

successful completion of Col. Hensel's last flight in an F-16.

Left, Senior Airman Bryan M. Hensel, 119th Maintenance

Squadron crew chief, gives a thumbs-up during pre-flight checks

as he assists in the launch of his father's F-16 aircraft.

(picture removed)

(picture removed)

(picture removed)
6 JET LETTER/March 2007

Chief Master Sgt. Terry Jakobson, clears debris from the yard of a

Hurricane Katrina Victim in Waveland, Miss. Sep. 13, 2005.

Meet the chiefs

I joined the Army as an infantryman with the

82nd Airborne Division in the summer of 1974.

Shortly after arriving at my duty section I retrained

in air defense artillery as a vulcan gunner. After

separating from the Army three years later, I

started working for the VA hospital and at the same

time went to Moorhead State University. I also

joined the reserve unit across the road for a year

and then another year and a half with the 142nd in

Detroit Lakes, Minn.

I had a 6 month break before I joined the

North Dakota Air National Guard as a fire fighter in

1980 and went full-time two years later. In 1994 I

became the fire chief. I also deployed to Kuwait as

the fire chief at Al Jaber Airbase just before

Operation Iraqi Freedom. That lasted for 6 months

and was full of long hours and hard, rewarding

work that took full advantage of all the training I

have received in the Guard.

My wife, Carla is self-employed as a grant

writer and we have 3 sons. My oldest, Mike is 24

and lives in Indiana. Matt, 10 and Nick, 7 both go

to Centennial Elementary School. Carla is also

president of Centennial PTA.

Always have goals and be ready for

opportunity to strike. I believe the people who

seem to be the “luckiest” are usually the ones who

have prepared themselves and are ready to move

to the next step in their career progression. Career

planning and education, along with a good

attitude can help you, your career and your family

all at the same time.

By Chief Master Sgt. Mark J. Solem

119th Civil Engineering Squadron

Chief Master Sgt. Mark J. Solem, 119th Civil Engineering Squadron fire

chief, discusses response measures during a recent mass accident response

exercise.

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th Communications Flight

By Master Sgt. John W. Noone (ret.)

119th Communications Flight

What's next?

There’s always something new going on in the

Information Technology world. Some new thing coming

along that everyone is wondering about. But right now

there seems to be a lull. Here are a few things that people

are talking about: Halo 3. The next version of Microsoft’s

shoot ‘em up game, Halo, will come out initially in a Vista

only version. Halo is hugely popular and will definitely

generate sales of new PCs because most people who want

to run Vista are just buying a new PC in order to do it.

Comm Post Reports from retailers are that brand new PCs were flying out the

doors the day Vista was released. Halo addicts that want to play the

latest version of the game on the much ballyhooed DirectX 10/Vista

gaming environment will cause the same phenomena when Halo 3 is

released. So we have a new OS and a blockbuster game boosting

sales of new PCs. In other news: The Apple iPhone and Apple TV

are coming. Lots of conjecture about what this will mean. Each

Apple TV will have a 40 gigabyte hard drive in it. Apple managed

pre-placement and peer-to-peer serving of “iMovies” anyone?

There’s also talk of Google setting up mini data centers in

thousands of containers here and there about the country.

Terabytes upon terabytes of data in a box, basically a copy of the

World Wide Web, just down the street from you, so you won’t have

to go far to get it. Sirius and XM satellite radio are merging, but

that’s not really computer news, just tech news. Nope, now that

Vista is finally out, there’s kind of a lull. But something will come up.

It always does.

(picture removed)
JET LETTER/March 2007 7

Retirees' corner

By retired Chief Master Sgt. Jack Tietgens,

119th Fighter Wing

Brig. Gen. Engelman retirement party!

Brig. Gen. Jerald L. Engelman is soon to retire (and soon to turn 60) and

would like to invite past and present National Guard members to his

retirement party Mar. 10 at the Auger Inn beginning at 4:00 p.m. Food and

beverages will be served. Please pass the word as he would like to convey

his thanks to everyone.

The Blue Angels will demonstrate their flying skills at the air show in

Fargo on June 16th & 17th. Plans are being made for another Hooligan

reunion at the Auger Inn on Saturday, June 16th. Stay tuned for more

information as the date draws near. .

The Fargo Air Museum presently has a display of 119FW and Happy

Hooligan photos, awards and other historical material, including a video of

Hooligan activities at deployed locations.

The monthly Fargo-Moorhead area breakfasts are scheduled on the first

Wednesday of each month at the Valley Kitchen in Fargo (I-29 & Main

Ave), 7:00 a.m.

The monthly breakfasts in Mesa, AZ, are held on the FIRST Thursday of

each month, 9:00 a.m., at Sossaman’s On the Green Restaurant, Sunland

Village East.

Bimonthly breakfasts in the Detroit Lakes area are held the third Saturday

of even numbered months at the Detroit Lakes Holiday Inn at 8:00 a.m.

 Retirements, Promotions, New Members 2007 UTA Schedule

March 10-11

April 14-15

May 5-6

June 2-3

July 14-15

August 11-12

September 8-9

October 6-7

November 17-18

December 1-2

Family program

Military One Source can now be

found on the internet at

www.militaryonesource.com.

Military One Source is free for all

and has been created for a variety of

Department of Defense and family

issues. It is available twenty-four

hours a day, seven days per week by

telephone at 800-342-9647.

 2007 Auger Inn Events

April 27- Fish Feed

September 14 - Pork-alo Feed

December 8 - Children's Christmas

March UTA meals

Saturday, 10 Mar

Main Line Short line

Spaghetti w/Meat Hamburgers

Sauce French Fries

Pork Chops Soup of the Day:

Potato Wedges Chicken Noodle

Broccoli w/Cheese

Sauce

Sunday, 11 Mar

Main line Short Line

Roast Beef Chicken Enchiladas

Lemon Chicken Tator Tots

Mashed Potatoes Soup of the Day:

w/Gravy Vegetable Beef

Corn
8 JET LETTER/March 2007

TO THE FAMILY OF:

JET LETTER

119th FIGHTER WING

North Dakota Air National Guard

1400 28th Ave N

Fargo ND 58102-1051

Bulk Rate

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 103

Bismarck, ND 58501

Afterburner

A flame can be seen coming out of the end of the muzzle as a Staff Sgt. of the 119th Security Forces Squadron, fires a bullet

round at a protective vest to compare the effects of different bullets to different makes of soft body armor at the firing range of

the law inforcement center in Fargo, N.D. Dec. 19. The Staff Sgt. is conducting an informal testing procedure to determine the

effectiveness of recently acquired, concealable, soft body armor, in stopping various commonly used U.S. Air Force ammunition.

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th CommunicationsFLight