JET LETTER

North Dakota Air National Guard

Online Version

January 2007

Authorized vandalism

strikes NDANG
2 JET LETTER/January 2007

OPSEC and the new missions of the

119th

Meet the C-21

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

the 119th Fighter 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, Number1

We’re on the Internet

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

119th FW Commander

Col. Robert J. Becklund

Editorial Staff

1Lt. Penny A. Ripperger

Layout and Design

Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp

Photographic Support

 Multimedia Center

Printer

Quality Printing Services

Bismarck, N.D.

Departments

North Dakota Air National Guard commanders volunteer to serve

lunch at the aerospace dining facility during Dec. UTA.

Afterburner

Winning!

Commander's comments 3

Bulletins

NDNGEA and NGAUS conference in Fargo; Women in action

conference; Phishing alert, not fishing alert; NDANG 60th

anniversary celebration Jan. 16.

3

8

Feature

CONTENTS

January 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

The 119th FW airman would be 5

in serious trouble had it not been

authorized for unit members to

sign their names on North

Dakota Air National Guard F-16

number 82-0951 prior to the

aircraft departure to the

boneyard. See the story on page

6 of this issue of the Jet Letter.

With new missions come increased OPSEC awareness.

Hooligans Senior Master Sgt. John K. Nordquist and

Master Sgt. Scot D. Gordon rescue a man from icy

waters.

Heroic Hooligans save a local life 7

Legalized aircraft grafitti at the North Dakota Air National Guard.

Hooligans mark their place in history 6

See what the new NDANG aircraft has to offer.
JET LETTER/January 2007 3

What does it take to win? More specifically, what does that mean

for “The Happy Hooligans” as we move into our new Predator and C21 missions? According to legendary General Electric CEO Jack Welch,

winning is about “ATTITUDE”, and when organizations win, people

thrive and grow and they can feel upbeat about their future.

Winning organizations and the people who work in them are the

engine that drives a healthy and productive environment, and as

defenders of this great nation, we are the foundation of a free and

democratic society. Winning, however, must not only be important to

the highest ranking Commander, but to “EVERYONE”, from the

Pentagon to the Flightline, a winner is someone who wants to get

ahead and helps his or her organization grow. For an individual,

winning is personal. For the military, winning is multidimensional. The

two are intertwined. A successful member must not only help oneself,

but must also assist his or her organization and everyone connected to

it.

As a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager/Analyst in my civilian

career, winning is about beating the bond market and the various

indices we are measured against. Our clients and their constituents

expect nothing short of it. The market is a complex game, and winning

the game is a blast! Our successes and failures are not only determined

by our security selection and sector allocation, but are driven in large

part by our will to WIN.

So my fellow Hooligans, as we enter into a New Year and embark

on a new voyage at the North Dakota Air National Guard, I ask you to

maintain a positive “ATTITUDE” and help each other win, because

even the most talented person with the best intentions will get

nowhere, unless he or she knows how to WIN.

Winning!

Commander's comments Bulletins

By 1st Lt. Michael P. Albert

119th Maintenance Operations Flight commander

NDNGEA and NGAUS conference in Fargo

The 2007 combined conference of the North

Dakota National Guard Enlisted Association and

the National Guard Association of North Dakota

will be held Feb. 23-24, 2007 at the Doublewood

Inn, 1400 East Interchange, Bismarck, N.D. The

registration fee is $30.00 per person and includes

the Friday night social, Saturday luncheon/

brunch (spouses and members), Saturday night

banquet, and use of the hospitality room.

Registrations received by Feb 1, 2007 are eligible

for a $50.00 cash drawing. Hotel reservations

must be made by Feb. 8 at the Doublewood Inn

(701) 258-7000 or (800) 554-7077. The room rate is

guaranteed at $73.00 per night. Registration

forms are available at www.ndngea.org and

www.ngand.org

Women in action conference

The 6th Annual Tri-College University Women In

Action (WIA) conference will be on Jan. 26, 2007

from 3:00-8:00 at the Comstock Memorial Union,

MSU- Moorhead. Three of the breakout

sessions will include: Gendered Soldiers, The

Human Face of War and Women Soldiers Coming

Home. Register for the conference online at

www.womeninaction2007.net

Phishing alert, not fishing alert

Please be aware of false Bank of America emails.

If you receive an email stating that your account

has been locked and that you must fill out a

secure form to confirm your identy- DO NOT

RESPOND! Only your UPC/APC can reactivate

your card. If you have questions concerning

your Government Travel Card please see your

Unit Program Coordinator.

NDANG 60th anniversary celebration Jan. 16

A ceremony in honor of the 60th Anniversary of

the ND Air National Guard, the final flight of our

F-16’s, and the roll out of the C-21 for the North

Dakota Air National Guard will be on Tuesday,

the Jan. 16, 2007 at 10:00 a.m..

Dress for the occassion will be uniform of the

day for military personnel and casual for civilians

attending the event.

Retired Hooligans are welcome to attend.
4 JET LETTER/January 2007

By Maj. Jon Wutzke

 119th Fighter Wing

Well Hooligans, we are heading down the home stretch of

our transformation to the Predator and C-21 missions. This is a

critical time to look at how this new chapter in the Wing’s

history will be affected by Operations Security (OPSEC).

OPSEC is both a process and a practice.

The Wing has an established OPSEC process. The five

step process is; 1. Identify critical information 2. Analyze the

threat 3. Analyze our vulnerabilities 4. Access the risk 5. Apply

countermeasures.

We, as individuals are practitioners of OPSEC. The most

important aspect of practicing OPSEC is a thorough knowledge

of our critical information. Now that we are moving into new

missions, we have new critical information lists (CIL) to

become familiar with. Visit A5 – Plans and Requirements on

Sharepoint to view our Predator CIL’s under the OPSEC link.

We have to adjust our mindset from the past. We are

entering an unprecedented period of history. We will be flying

extremely sensitive missions from Fargo, some may be Top

The Happy Hooligans' F-16 fighter jet legacy continues

OPSEC and the new missions of the 119th

Secret. Never before has OPSEC been more important. We

must be very careful with information we talk about outside of

approved areas. You can be sure, people are listening. Even

when we talk about work in front of people we know and trust,

they may not understand what is sensitive and what is not.

Believe me, they will repeat what you say, and our adversaries

will eventually hear it. The three most vulnerable forms of

communication identified during our last OPSEC survey were

email, telephones and “bar talk”.

When work becomes the topic of conversation, ask

yourself, “Can we talk about something else?”

At home you will have to make adjustments as well. In the

past, we could share our workday experiences with our

families. That may not be the case now. You can help reduce

stress at home by explaining to your family that you may not

always be able to tell them what you did at work that day.

Family members should also be careful about what they share

with others.

For questions or concerns about Operations Security,

contact the OPSEC program managers, Maj. Jon Wutzke at ext.

804 or Senior Master Sgt. Roland Golay at ext. 290.

Fighter ’82-929' made its final flight on Dec. 26 to the

McChord Air Force Base Museum, Tacoma, Wash., where it

will be displayed as part of a Sept. 11, 2001 exhibit.

Since being built in 1982, the Happy Hooligans have flown

this particular aircraft for 3,920 sorties (individual aircraft

flights) resulting in a total of 5,781 flight hours.

The F-16 aircraft that was flown by Maj. Dean Eckmann on

Sep. 11, 2001 (tail number ’82-0926') will be a static display at

the Heritage Park located at the N.D. Air National Guard Base

(Hector IAP). The third F-16 fighter aircraft is being used by

another Air National Guard unit for training.

The last of the F-16 Fighting Falcons from N.D. will be

retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration

Center (AMARC) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in

Tucson, Ariz. by the end of Jan. 2007.

By 1st Lt. Penny A. Ripperger

119th Fighter Wing/PA

Not all of the 119th F-16 jets are destined for the aviation

“bone-yard”.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Lt. Col. Brad Derrig became a part of

history as one of the first responders to the terrorist attacks,

flying over the nation’s capital in an F-16 fighter jet. His

aircraft on that fateful day, better known to the Happy

Hooligan airmen as tail number ’82-929', was one of three F16s from the N.D. Air National Guard that scrambled from

their alert detachment located at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

It seems fitting now, that Derrig flew fighter ’82-0929' one

last time to its final resting place; a museum that will honor

the contributions of those who defended the United States

on Sept. 11, 2001.

North Dakota Air National Guard F-16 number 82-0929

on a recent training flight over North Dakota. The

aircraft will become part of a Sep. 11, 2001 exhibit at

McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Wash.

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th Communications Flight
JET LETTER/January 2007 5

By Lt. Col. Craig R. Schroeder

178th Fighter Squadron

The C-21 is about to arrive. After several delays, we finally

have all the signatures required to make the transformation to the

C-21 mission. We should have at least part of our assigned fleet

of eight aircraft by the first part of calendar year 2007. The C-21 is

a bridge to the future, but we can’t say with any certainty when

the future will arrive. Until that time, let’s be the best C-21 unit we

can be.

Meet the C-21 The Aircraft

The C-21 Learjet is the military version of the Lear 35,

and was acquired by the Air Force in 1984 as an “executive

transport aircraft.” In other words, we will be using it mostly

for transporting VIP’s around the country, for meetings and

appearances. It is also used occasionally for light cargo

transport, and air ambulance service. About 20 of the fleet of

80 aircraft are being transferred to Air Guard units in Fargo,

Connecticut, and Colorado, and about 20 will be going to

Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz. for storage.

 Specifications

(all specs. preceded by “about” are rounded off for

easy recall

Length - approximately 50 feet

Wingspan – approximately 40 feet

Height – approximately 12 feet

Max weight – 18,500 pounds

Fuel capacity – approximately 1000 gallons

Passenger capacity – 10 (including 2 pilots)

Range – approximately 2000 miles (no air refueling

capability)

Max. altitude – 45,000 feet

Cruise altitude – approximately 40,000 feet

Max speed – approximately 500 mph

Cruise speed – approximately 450 mph

Minimum runway required – 5000x70 feet

Engines – 2 Garrett Turbofans with thrust reversers,

3500 lbs. thrust each

Avionics – Full Flight Management System based on

Global Positioning Satellites

This is a photo-illustration of a C-21 in front of an F-16 and the

proposed paint scheme which will be used on the C-21s when they

arrive at the North Dakota Air National Guard.

Photo-illustration by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th Communications Flight
6 JET LETTER/January 2007

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

119th Fighter Wing

At first glance it appears to be the most blatant display of

destruction of U.S. Government property that any member of

an F-16 flying wing can imagine, certainly grounds for

dismissal, or possibly even a trip to the U.S. Penitentiary in

Leavenworth, Ka. Uniformed members of the North Dakota Air

National Guard are lining up to write their names using a black

permanent marker all over an operational F-16 aircraft! Hold off

on calling the Security Forces for just a moment, it seems the

precedence has been set for this type of behavior at several

other flying units in the United States military.

Col. Michael Wobbema, the 119th Maintenance Group

commander, discovered the practice of writing personal graffiti

on an airplane while visiting with a member of the 178th Fighter

Wing in Ohio, who mentioned that personnel from the Ohio

unit had been allowed to sign a single A-7 aircraft prior to their

last A-7 flight upon retirement of the aircraft to the Aerospace

Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC), better

known as the boneyard.

Col. Wobbema requested that Chief Master Sgt. Doug

Faldet, the 119th Maintenance Group quality assurance chief,

check into the practice of signing a single North Dakota Air

National Guard aircraft prior to the retirement of said aircraft to

AMARC in order to find out if the airplane signing might be

allowed at the 119th Fighter Wing in Fargo, N.D.

After a little legwork by Chief Faldet it was confirmed by

sources at the National Guard Bureau that while they could not

officially condone the act of writing on an F-16 at the North

Dakota Air National Guard, it is considered an “accepted

practice” for Air National Guard units sending their airplanes

to the boneyard.

Hooligans mark their place in history

One of the restrictions placed on the legal signing of an

aircraft marked for retirement to the boneyard is that no

removable aircraft part may be signed.

Aircraft 82-0951 is also considered the 119th Fighter Wing

commander’s airplane and is adorned with a special paint

scheme on its tail to distinguish it from the other unit F-16s.

Aircraft 82-0951 will be one of the last F-16s to leave North

Dakota in mid-January prior to its final resting place at

AMARC, which is located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,

Az. Controlled tours are sometimes held at AMARC. So if you

happened to put a little of your

personal graffiti on aircraft 82-

0951 and you find yourself in

Arizona, you might want to stop

by and visit your signature on a

piece of North Dakota history.

Staff Sgt. JonPaul M. Berg, 119th Maintenance Squadron,

signs his name on North Dakota Air National Guard F-16 82-

0951. Don't worry, charges aren't pending for Staff Sgt. Berg.

The signing is completely authorized.

A member of the 119th Fighter

Wing hands out markers to unit

members interested in signing

their names on the airplane.
JET LETTER/January 2007 7

Heroic Hooligans

save a local life

By 1st Lt. Penny A. Ripperger

119th FighterWing/PA

December 14, 2006 began as an ordinary evening for Senior

Master Sgt. John K. Nordquist and Master Sgt. Scot D.

Gordon. The two Hooligans met on Long Lake near Vergas,

Mn. for an evening of great conversation and ice fishing. As

the two men watched their bobbers in dark water, they thought

they heard a distant cry for help. “John and I looked at each

other and wondered, what did we just hear? When we heard

the second call for help we realized that something was wrong,”

said Master Sgt. Gordon. The two men saw a lone lantern

where another fisherman had been earlier that evening and they

knew that the fisherman had probably fallen through the ice.

The two Hooligans, equipped with ice picks and a

floatation cushion, quickly started walking towards the lantern.

As they approached they saw a panicked man clinging to the

ice as he struggled to stay afloat in the freezing water. “At first

it didn’t seem possible to calm him, but finally I was able to get

him to settle down and listen to our directions,”recalls Senior

Master Sgt. Nordquist. Master Sgt. Gordon laid down on his

stomach and pulled himself out to the desperate man, “I gave

him my ice picks and told him how to use them, but it was

apparent that he was too tired to pull himself up,” said Master

Sgt. Gordon. The man was very weak and had a hard time

comprehending simple instructions due to the shock his body

was in. Senior Master Sgt. Nordquist and Master Sgt. Gordon

patiently worked with the man and persuaded him to let go of

the ice and grab the portable fish house that they had placed

near him. The Hooligans grabbed the tow rope that was

connected to the fish house and pulled the man out of the icy

water. “He came out so easy that we thought that he had let

go”, said Master Sgt. Gordon. Once they were on safe ice, the

relieved man tried to get up but he was unable to stand. The

rescuers each took an arm and helped him walk back to his truck

where they quickly took off his wet clothing and warmed him

with blankets and the heat of the truck. The man was admitted

to the emergency room at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Detroit

Lakes where he was treated and released. He was instructed to

stay home from work for two weeks with follow-up

appointments every two days.

After the adrenaline rush faded, Senior Master Sgt.

Nordquist and Master Sgt. Gordon began to think about the

reality of the situation. The two Hooligans had risked their

lives trying to save a stranger that evening; it was a dark night

and there was no one else around who would have been able to

help if the rescuers had gone through the ice themselves. They

do not look at their acts as heroic, just something that had to be

done. “In a situation like this it seems that there isn’t a whole

lot of time to think things through, you have to either react on

your training or you improvise. We did both,” said Senior

Master Sgt. Nordquist. That morning they had watched a

training video that the Safety Office sent out on “Thin Ice

Safety.” Master Sgt. Gordon learned a valuable lesson, “If you

think training is a waste of time, I ask you to rethink that. With

the information I learned from this video and some common

sense, we were able to save a young man’s life.” Photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th Communications Flight

Photo by Master Sgt. Eric A. Johnson, 119th Communications Flight

picture removed

picture removed
8 JET LETTER/January 2007

Air Force Print News

Cyberspace became an official Air Force domain, like air

and space, on Dec. 7, 2005, when Secretary of the Air Force

Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. T.

Michael Moseley introduced a new mission statement.

In a letter to Airmen, they said the new mission was to

“deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States

of America and its global interests — to fly and fight in air,

space and cyberspace.”

Now, Air Force leaders are planning to stand up a new

“cyber command,” to be responsible for fighting in that

domain, said General Moseley.

”To deliver the full spectrum of effects we will evolve a

coherent enterprise, with warfighting ethos, ready to execute

any mission in peace, crisis and war,” the general said. “We will

foster a force of 21st century warriors, capable of delivering the

full spectrum of kinetic and non-kinetic, lethal and non-lethal

effects across all three domains. This is why we are standing

up an operational command for cyberspace, capable of

functioning as a supported or supporting component of the

joint force.”

Air Force leaders began planning for the new cyber

command Nov. 16 at the Cyber Summit. During the summit, Air

Force leaders will chart a way ahead for the Air Force’s role in

cyberspace, also called the cyber domain, said Dr. Lani Kass,

director of the Air Force Cyberspace Task Force.

According to Dr. Kass, cyberspace is neither a mission nor

an operation. Instead, cyberspace is a strategic, operational

and tactical warfighting domain — a place in which the Air

Force or other services can fight.

In the United States, Americans depend on the cyber

domain for nearly everything they do. The cyber domain is the

“center of gravity” for all aspects of national power, including

economic, financial, technical, diplomatic and military might, Dr.

Kass said.

”Picture for a second that you are trying to fix an aircraft

and all the information in your computerized manuals has been

corrupted and you begin to put things together backward,” Dr.

Kass said.

While the Air Force develops mastery of the cyber domain,

America’s enemies are quickly becoming more adept in their

own use of the domain, in part, because of the low cost of

fighting there.

”Enemies who cannot match us on land, at sea, in the air,

or in space, are exploiting the fact that in cyberspace you have

a very low entry cost,” Dr. Kass said. “Low cost is what makes

that domain extremely attractive to nations, criminal and

terrorist organizations who could not possibly attack the

United States symmetrically. All you need to do is buy a laptop

or a cell phone.

”One of the most important things we do, in and for

cyberspace, is enable the kill chain,” Dr. Kass said. “It allows

us to help find, fix and finish the targets we are after. The

problem is finding the target. Most of the enemies are hiding in

plain sight.”

Finding an enemy in the cyber domain means sifting

through the huge amount of data there.The challenge is

identifying the signal of someone that means to do harm.

”One of the issues we are going to be discussing is who is

the cyberwarrior,” Dr. Kass said. “What will he or she need to

be able to do? What kind of educational skills, what kind of

technical skills, what kind of training, and what kind of career

path do we need to offer to those kids who are coming into our

Air Force and wanting to fly and fight not only in air and space,

but also in cyberspace.”

Dr. Kass said the Air Force doesn’t believe it will have

trouble finding Airmen to fill the role of cyberwarrior, however.

”Kids today live on the Internet, they establish an

alternative reality there,” she said. “Getting those kids

interested in doing something amazing in our Air Force across

the electromagnetic spectrum should be easy. This is new and

exciting — where people who love to interact in the high-tech

arena, for example, can generate significant effects for the

defense of the United States.”

Like in other domains, the Air Force will probably conduct

more than just defensive operations. Fighting in cyberspace

also means conducting offensive operations. It is unclear now

exactly what will constitute an offensive cyber operation, but it

is likely the effects the Air Force will eventually bring to bear

upon America’s enemies will look much like the effects

America’s enemies bring to bear upon America.

”Imagine, hypothetically, if I could substitute — instead of

the picture of a beheading on a terrorist Web site, a picture of

Captain Kangaroo or an MTV show,” Dr. Kass theorized.

“Maybe I could break that cycle of recruiting more guys that

want to come to our home and kill us.”

By Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez

U.S. Air Force is taking on Cyberspace

119th FW airmen work at connectorizing single mode fiberoptic cable for base communications backbone at the North

Dakota Air National Guard, Fargo, N.Dak. Dec. 29

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th Communications Flight
JET LETTER/January 2007 9

By Maj. Tamie K. Gerntholz and Tech Sgt.Kathleen A. Shasky

119th Medical Group

Health Promotion is the science and art of helping people

make better lifestyle choices so that they can move towards a

healthier balance of physical, mental, social, emotional, and

spiritual health. The goal of the 119th Fighter Wing Health

Promotion Program is to support individuals in living a healthy

lifestyle.

Maj. Tamie Gerntholz, RN, has worked in the area of health

promotion in her civilian and military career for over 14 years.

Tech. Sgt. Kathleen Shasky, who has been conducting the

healthy living class for several years, transferred to the Medical

Group a year and a half ago to fill the position of diet therapist.

She completed the training for this career field in September,

2006. The healthy living class is held every Saturday of primary

UTA at 1:00 p.m. in the maintenance training classroom. The

class is not meant to be solely for individuals who do not meet

the fitness requirements. The class is designed to provide solid

scientific information that will assist all individuals in living a

healthy life. “I like providing a class that can benefit everyone,”

stated Shasky. If the class is cancelled for training reasons, a

message will be put out prior to the class time in the official

folder in MS Outlook.

Although the primary focus areas of the health promotion

program are nutrition, fitness and tobacco cessation, there are

many other important healthy living topics. Gerntholz wants

everyone to know that she is available to consult with people

on an individual basis on just about any topic. “If I don’t know

the answer, I usually know where to find it. It is my goal to

assist individuals to meet their personal goals of optimal

These are changing times at the North Dakota Air National

Guard...new mission, members going to longer schools,

changing jobs and more and more deployments. All of the

changes can lead us to experience worry and anxiety. These

are common and expected responses when there are events in

our life that we have little or no control of. But, we do have

resources available to assist you and your families during the

change and transformation. As the family readiness

coordinator of the North Dakota Air National Guard, I am

available to you and your families. I can provide you with

information, resources and referral. IMy direct number is (701)

451-2112. There are also other resources available to you; Jane

Johnson the licensed social worker for the National Guard.

Jane is available to you and your families and will accommodate

your schedules to include night or weekend appointments. Any

information discussed with Jane is confidential and not put in

to any military records. You can reach her on her office phone

(701) 451-6093. The 119th FW Chaplain is also available for

spiritual support to our members and families and can be

reached at (701) 451-2676.

By Jody Harms

NDANG Family Program

Look to family program during turbulent times

Healthy Hooligans 119th Fighter Wing Health Promotion

physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual health.

For questions or to set up an appointment, contact Maj.

Gerntholz at ext. 628 or Tsgt. Shasky at ext.614.

Another topic I want to focus on is deployments and our

long schools. When a family member is gone overseas or at a

state side school for six months or more it can be equally as

hard on families. I feel it is crucial that family members have all

of the information and support necessary to make the

separation as easy as possible and to give families as many

tools as we can to assist them. With that I would like to

announce that I have scheduled a briefing with troop and family

counseling services for Sunday, Jan. 14 at the N.D. Air National

Guard facility, 1400 28th Ave. No., Fargo, N.D. Troop and family

counseling services is a program provided by the Department

of Defense at no cost to service members and their families.

There will be two different opportunities for you to attend,

10:30-11:30 a.m. or 1:00-2:00 p.m. The meetings will take place in

the maintenance auditorium which is located upstairs in the

hanger of building 217. I would encourage you to bring out

your family members, spouses, parents, siblings or any one

who is or has been affected by deployments. If you have any

questions about the briefing please contact me. Remember,

knowledge is power, so please take this opportunity to attend.

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

picture removed
10 JET LETTER/January 2007

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

Speed bumps

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

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

Meet the chiefs

As a native of Detroit, Michigan, I began my military

career in June, 1968. I was assigned to Grand Forks AFB,

N.D. This was my first and only duty location after basic

training. I joined the North Dakota Air National Guard in

1974 and I have spent 36 years serving in many career

fields. Positions that I have held include; Administrative

Specialist, Command Post Technician, Supply Specialist,

Mobility Programs Manager, Senior Health Technician,

Logistics Management Specialist, Exercise and Evaluation

Team Chief, Financial Resource Advisor, and the Fighter

Wing Command Chief. I assumed the responsibilities of the

State Command Chief in September 2006. I retired from the

Federal Technician program in May, 2005, with 31 years of

service.

After being discharged from the active duty in 1972 I

moved to Fargo and attended college at North Dakota State

University, receiving a degree in Education: GO Bison!

I met my wife Barb while she attended college north of

here; she eventually changed colleges and received her

degree from North Dakota State University. We have a

daughter and two sons who live and work in the Fargo area,

my youngest son Kyle is a member of the Air National

Guard and is currently working in the Fire Hall.

The success of this unit over the years has always

been its people, and don’t let anyone convince you

otherwise. This organization has a great work ethic, caring

attitude for each other, and a reputation for taking on

insurmountable tasks while performing in an outstanding

By Chief Master Sgt. Gary A. Ransom

manner. As a Hooligan, you care about what you do when you

come to work, and I thank you for that.

My career is now winding down, but the future of this unit is

winding up and will continue to expand. You are going into the next

generation, a generation with a very bright future that will be

significant in the defense of this country. There will be major

changes ahead, but life is full of change and our unit is ready for

the challenge. So continue doing the mission the exceptional way

the Hooligans always have.

Chief Master Sgt. Gary A. Ransom

Are computers our friend? There is an ongoing

problem with technology. One of my personal axioms

concerning computers is that the first time you try to do

something a with a computer that you were previously

doing without one, it will probably take you at least ten

times as long as it did the old way. Consider playing music from the

radio, or CD or cassette tape or even vinyl. Remember the first time

you tried to listen to your favorite song on MP3? First you had to

find a source, so you either downloaded it from the web or ripped it

from CD, then you had to have a player, on your computer. So you

had to load some software for that. Then, if you want to move it to a

portable MP3 player, because you don’t have speakers on your PC,

there is that step. And finally you get to listen to it in the privacy of

your own skull. Convenient? Convenience is the payoff of getting

to click a button and getting to pick your song off a list any time

you want, and have this take less time than finding the CD and

popping it into your CD player. Convenience is the payoff for that

effort and preparatory work. But I think it is becoming more and

more evident that the preparatory work and maintenance effort

required to keep PCs working for us is getting greater and greater.

At present we have armies of people working for them in order to

keep them healthy and functioning as well as setting them up to

work. Technology gives us convenience, but with it comes

complexity and with complexity comes more points for failure and

with failure comes difficulty, not convenience. There are examples

of refined complexity all around us, but it seems the idea just hasn’t

hit the personal computer realm yet. I believe it is coming, but only

when there is more money to be made in reliability, rather than repair

and refortification.

picture removed
JET LETTER/January 2007 11

There is a briefing scheduled with troop

and family counseling services on Sunday,

Jan. 14 at the N.D. Air National Guard

facility, 1400 28th Ave. No., Fargo N.Dak.

Troop and family counseling services is a

program provided by the Department of

Defense at no cost to service members and

their families. There will be two different

opportunities for you to attend, 10:30-

11:30 am or 1:00-2:00 pm. The meetings

will take place in the maintenance

auditorium which is located upstairs in

the hanger of building 217. If you have any

questions about the briefing please

contact me at (701) 451-2112. Remember,

knowledge is power, so please take this

opportunity to attend.

The children's Christmas party was a big

hit! Thanks to all who attended.

Retirees' corner

By retired Chief Master Sgt. Jack Tietgens,

119th Fighter Wing

Wednesday, Jan. 3rd will be the Fargo-Moorhead area

Hooligans’ monthly breakfast at the Valley Kitchen,

7:00 a.m. Chief Master Sgt. Brad Childs will be the

guest. Chief Childs will give a rundown of the events

relating to the 60th anniversary of the NDANG and

the USAF, scheduled for Tuesday, January 16th. He’ll

also give a progress report of the Predator and C-21

missions.

North Dakota Air National Guard retirees are

welcome to attend the 60th anniversary celebration

being held at the North Dakota Air National guard

Jan. 16.

119 AMS

Promotions

MSgt. Grimestad, Thomas D.

TSgt. Hovda, Scott D.

SSgt. Nelson, Sarah A.

SSgt. Sizer, Matthew L. E.

119 CES

Retirement

TSgt. Morris, John R.

119 MXS

Retirements

SMgt. Herrmann, Elden C.

MSgt Gruhot, Ronald A. Jr.

MSgt O’Connor, Glenn A.

Promotions

SMgt. Stangeland, Peter A.

SMgt. Neumann, John A. Jr.

SMgt. Moorhouse, Anthony J.

SMgt. Krogen, Keith J.

MSgt. Lien, Jeffery C.

MSgt. Bengs, Kevin J.

TSgt. Strand, James J.

TSgt. Larson, Larry W.

TSgt. Kayl, Joshua P.

TSgt. Zidon, Tracy L.

TSgt. Prestegaard, Ryan M.

TSgt. Sad, John R.

119 JFHQ

Retirement

COL Bentz, Joan M.

 Retirements, Promotions, New Members 2007 UTA Schedule

Family program

119 OSF

Retirements

LTC Magnusson, Timothy J.

LTC Mullenhour, Dana S.

119 FW

Promotion

SMgt. Knight, Michael J.

119 SFS

Promotions

SMgt. Amundson, Raymond J.

SMgt. Humphrey, Albert C. Jr.

TSgt. Cook, Dominic A.

119 MDG

Promotions

LTC Clarens, Mary L.

2Lt Lagred, Nathan E.

MSgt. Carlson, Nathan A.

119 LRS

Retirements

MSgt Strand, Carol

MSgt. Yzquierdo, Alfredo

Promotions

SSgt. Ridl, Eric S.

119 OPS

Promotion

MSgt. Swenson, Eddie P.

Thursday, January 18th is when the Hooligans in the Mesa,

AZ, area meet for breakfast at 9:00 a.m. It’s at Sossaman’s

On the Green restaurant, located in Sunland Village East,

2250 South Buttercup.

Don Baglien (CW4 Ret) is the communications officer for

the North Dakota National Guard Retiree Advisory Board.

Don serves as a central point for collecting information of

interest for National Guard retirees. Forward your email

address to dbaglien1@msn.com to be included in

the periodic emailing of this material.

The web site, www.ndguard.com, has a wide range of

information available, much of which may be of interest to

retirees. Bring up the home page, click on (1)

“newsletters/surveys” (upper right side) to subscribe to

the newsletter, and (2) click on “retirees” (lower left side)

for retiree information.
12 JET LETTER/January 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

Several of the North Dakota Air National Guard commanders volunteer to serve Christmas dinner during the Decmeber UTA.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Bradly A. Schneider, 119th CommunicationsFLight