the LONGHORN AIRMAN - UT Liberal Arts · The Longhorn Airman Volume I Issue 124 August 2008...

4
AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS! The Longhorn Airman 24 August 2008 Volume I Issue 1 (cont’d on page 2) the LONGHORN AIRMAN The University of Texas at Austin, Det. 825 hosted the 4th annual Texas Field Day on 12 April 2008. With the attendance of eight detachments and over 300 volunteers and participants, Field Day continues to grow every year. The participating schools included The University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas San Antonio, Uni- versity of Houston, Texas State University, Baylor University, Texas Tech, University of North Texas, and Texas Christian University. Just as every year before, it was a great day mixed with competition and fellowship. As stated by University of North Texas Senior Wesley Crowder, “Field Day is a great experience that brings friends and colleagues together to remind us of the camaraderie and family the USAF is made of.” It is a day to escape the normal ROTC training and take all that has been taught and apply it on the sports field. Each year’s winner hosts the next year’s Field Day, so each detachment has the chance to show their school pride. This year trophies were handed out for the winning team of each of the five tournaments (Dodgeball, Soccer, Basketball, Football, and Track and Field). The overall standings at the end of the day were determined by the outcome of the five tournaments. For the second year in a row, the Texas Longhorns won the title. Last year’s accommodations, hosted by UTSA, were outstanding and quite accessible to all. This year held many challenges because the Longhorn sports facilities are spread all over 40+ acres in central Austin. The UT Athletics department was very gracious and willing to help the future leaders of the United States Air Force. They allowed use of the football fields and track stadium, home of the 2005 National Champions in both. We all baked in the famous Texas heat, but competed with heart and made new friends and new contacts. “It is exciting and fun to get together with people that we trained with in the past and will see in the future as we enter

Transcript of the LONGHORN AIRMAN - UT Liberal Arts · The Longhorn Airman Volume I Issue 124 August 2008...

Page 1: the LONGHORN AIRMAN - UT Liberal Arts · The Longhorn Airman Volume I Issue 124 August 2008 (cont’d on page 2) the LONGHORN AIRMAN The University of Texas at Austin, Det. 825 hosted

AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS!

The Longhorn Airman 24 August 2008 Volume I Issue 1

(cont’d on page 2)

the LONGHORN AIRMAN

TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,Det.825hostedthe4thannualTexasFieldDayon12April2008.Withtheattendanceofeightdetachmentsandover300volunteersandparticipants,FieldDaycontinuestogroweveryyear.TheparticipatingschoolsincludedTheUniversityofTexasatAustin,UniversityofTexasSanAntonio,Uni-versityofHouston,TexasStateUniversity,BaylorUniversity,TexasTech,UniversityofNorthTexas,andTexasChristianUniversity. Justaseveryyearbefore,itwasagreatdaymixedwithcompetitionandfellowship.AsstatedbyUniversityofNorthTexasSeniorWesleyCrowder,“FieldDayisagreatexperiencethatbringsfriendsandcolleaguestogethertoremindusofthecamaraderieandfamilytheUSAFismadeof.”ItisadaytoescapethenormalROTCtrainingand take all that has been taught and apply it on the sports field. Each year’s winner hosts the next year’s Field Day, soeachdetachmenthasthechancetoshowtheirschoolpride.Thisyeartrophieswerehandedoutforthewinningteam of each of the five tournaments (Dodgeball, Soccer, Basketball, Football, and Track and Field). The overall standings at the end of the day were determined by the outcome of the five tournaments. For the second year in a row,theTexasLonghornswonthetitle. Last year’s accommodations, hosted by UTSA, were outstanding and quite accessible to all. This year held manychallengesbecausetheLonghornsportsfacilitiesarespreadallover40+acresincentralAustin.TheUTAthleticsdepartmentwasverygraciousandwillingtohelpthefutureleadersoftheUnitedStatesAirForce.Theyallowed use of the football fields and track stadium, home of the 2005 National Champions in both. WeallbakedinthefamousTexasheat,butcompetedwithheartandmadenewfriendsandnewcontacts.“Itisexcitingandfuntogettogetherwithpeoplethatwetrainedwithinthepastandwillseeinthefutureasweenter

Page 2: the LONGHORN AIRMAN - UT Liberal Arts · The Longhorn Airman Volume I Issue 124 August 2008 (cont’d on page 2) the LONGHORN AIRMAN The University of Texas at Austin, Det. 825 hosted

Longhorn Airman �

AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

therealAirForceworld,”remarkedMattStalford,Senior,UniversityofTexasatAustin. Attheendoftheday,wewereallwinners.

Cadet Kelly Heinbaugh

(Cont’d from page 1) Cadet Commander’s Corner

HereatTexaswehavealong-standingtraditionencompassingagreatheritageandlegacy.Wehaveatraditionofsuccess! Detachment825producesleaderswhosucceednotonlyhereatthedetachment,butintheAirForceandinlifeaswell.Wehavedevelopedastrong,tested,andproventrainingprogram;andIpromiseifyou,ascadets,putforthgoodeffort,youwillnotbedisappointedbyyouraccomplish-ments. Don’t think for a moment we are stuck in our ways! This semester Wingstaffandcadrehavepreparedaninterestingandengagingsemes-ter,employingnewtrainingprogramsthatwillprepareourcadetsforthemodern,deployableAirForce.Iamexcitedtobeabletoimplementthesechanges,butevenmoreexcitedabouttheopportunitytoworkwithsomanypeoplewhohavesuchgreatpotential. IhaveabroadrangeofexperienceinROTC,butIammosteagerabouttheopportunitytobeWingCommander.Icomeintothispositionmo-tivatedandreadytobuilduponthetraditionofexcellenceTexasisknownfor.Iknow,withyoursupport—thegreatstudentwarriorsofDetachment825—ouronlyoptionissuccess!

C/Col Matthew Stalford, CW/CCGot a scholarship?

Don’t forget to pay your optional fees or confirm your zero-bill.

the LONGHORN AIRMAN

General Military Course Advisor

Justafewweeksago,Ireceivedanemailthatwentasomethinglike“Cadet Temple, pick up the POC information in the NCOs’ office NLT today COB. Also, don’t forget to get an extra set of BDUs and PTUs for your upcom-ingPDT,andkeepworkingonyourPTforthePFA.”Theuseofacronymsiscomparable to being proficient in a second language here in AFROTC. As a new cadet, it can be a bit overwhelming. Oh and let’s not forget that a Cadet must alsobeontopofhisorhermilitaryknowledge,dressandappearance,uniformwear, customs and courtesies, drilling and ceremonies, physical fitness, and so on and so on. It’s not easy, to say the least. Fortunately for us (and when I say “us,” I am referring to new cadets in ROTC), there are ample opportunities and resources to become a successful cadet. For many, one such resource is the GMCA (General Military Course Ad-visor for those of you who aren’t savvy in our language of acronyms). In short, the GMCA’s job is to use the information that he or she has gained over the past yearinROTCandofferitasaresourcetohelpnewincomingcadetsexcel.Asa200 (sophomore in ROTC), the GMCA position is a great way to gain leadership experience.Responsibilitiesofthispositionincludereportingtotheupperclass-men (POC) on the morale, thoughts, and opinions of the underclassmen (GMC). This requires involvement in corps activities and being tuned in to the needs, expectations,andproblemsoftheGMC.Forexample,atUT,theGMCAwillhostweeklymeetingsforcadetstogettogetherandlearnfromeachotherandrelaytheirthoughtsandconcerns. Manynewcadetshavevaryingbackgroundssuchaspriorenlisted,JROTC, military family, etc. Some won’t have any previous military experience. Noproblem.TheGMCAworkswithPOCandfellowcadetstotrainincomingcadetsproperlyandthoroughly. For any new cadet, the GMCA is just one of the many great resources available to help get adjusted to ROTC. If you ever come across an email or conversationstuddedwithforeignthreeletteracronymsallbeginningwiththeletterP,thenconsidercontactingtheGMCA.

C/3c Ben Temple

TheLonghornAirman is published quarterly; it is not an official publication of the Air Force, Air Force ROTC or The Univeristy of Texas at Austin; the opinions expressed in this publication do not repre-sent any of these entities. No state or federal funds were used to print this newsletter.TheLonghornAirman was created with Adobe InDesign software.

NanBradford-Reid,Editor

Longhorns #1, second year running. Kelly Heinbaugh accepts the trophy for Det 825.

Det 825 Honor Guard presents the col-ors at several UT games every year.

Page 3: the LONGHORN AIRMAN - UT Liberal Arts · The Longhorn Airman Volume I Issue 124 August 2008 (cont’d on page 2) the LONGHORN AIRMAN The University of Texas at Austin, Det. 825 hosted

AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

� Longhorn Airman

AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Commander’s Perspective – First Impressions and Expectations

Welcome to the first edition of “TheLonghornAirman”–anewslet-terbyandforcadets. YogiBerra,NewYorkYankeegreatandabitofaphilosopher,couldeasilyhavesaidsomethinglike“thething about first impressions is, there ain’t too many of ‘em.” Whether he saiditornot,thehumorinthisstate-mentmakesitallthemoreprofound.Firstimpressionsarelifelongprecise-ly because there aren’t “too many” but rather just “one” first meeting. Detachment825–cadreandcadets–youhavemadethemostofyour “first impression” opportunity. MissAnneandIarethankfulforthewarm welcome. We’ve been im-pressedwiththepride,enthusiasm,andprofessionalisminthisunit–from

toptobottom.Welookforwardtobe-ing a part of the detachment’s success indevelopingleadersofcharacterforourAirForce. TheUniversityofTexasisagreat academic institution (and pretty good at intercollegiate athletics, too). YouoweittoyourselftoearnaUTdegree. The Air Force won’t bring youaboardwithoutit.Makenomis-take: job one for cadets is academics; priorityoneforcadreiskeepingcadetsfocusedonschoolwork. How does Air Force ROTC fit in?Weofferyouopportunitytogrowindividually and to glimpse what’s possible in America’s Air Force. We’ll providetheenvironmenttolearnfromus and from each other. You’ll get a chance to follow (wingman) and lead (flight lead). You’ll see first hand why theAirForceemphasizesteamworkandmutualsupportineverythingwedo–noAirForcemissionsucceedswithoutgood“wingmen”andastrong“flight lead.” HowdoesDetachment825seecadetresponsibilities?Youmustbewillingtolearn.Youmustgrasptheopportunitiesweofferyou.Youmustcommittothestandards.Youmustalwaysberespectfulofoneanother.Inshort,tryhard,workasateam,andexperiencewhatourAirForceisallabout–giveyourselftheabilitytodecideifanAirForcecareerisforyou. Don’t worry about overextending yourselfinROTC–cadrewillhelpyoukeepthebalancebetweenschoolandROTC. Onandoffcampus,lookout

foreachother.Trustyourinstincts.Avoiddangerandunnecessaryrisk.Conductyourselflikeafutureleader.AirmentakecareofAirmen. Finally,Iextendmyper-sonalthankstoColonelMikeHarris.ColonelHarrishadenduringimpactonthisdetachmentandourAirForce.Iamgratefulforyourcontributions.Detachment825isinyourdebt.Con-gratulationsonyourretirementfromthenobleprofessionofarms–clearskiesalways. Cadet Wing 825, let’s strap it on.The“WildBlueYonder”iscall-ing. “UTTower,CadetWing825isnumber1,readyfortakeoff…”

Colonel Chris “Mort” BowmanCommander

We want to email this newsletter to all Det 825 alumni. Help us by passing it along to your buds. Have them send us their email address at [email protected]. We’ll get ‘em on our distro list.

We’re also adding a “heritage” section to our website. If you have an ROTC commissioning photo and would like to have it included on the webpage, please forward to the address above.

Problem?

As Director of Evaluation and In-spector General (DOVIG), my job is to make sure any issues whichhindertrainingofthewingarere-solved. If you have any problemswithanyaspectofROTC,feelfreetocometomewiththem.Thisin-cludes,butisnotlimitedto,harass-ment, hazing, improper training,abuse of power, or inappropriateconduct.Thesebehaviorsareaseri-ousissueandwillnotbetolerated.IamherefortheWing,[email protected].

C/Maj Scott Davis, CW/DOVIG

the LONGHORN AIRMAN

Page 4: the LONGHORN AIRMAN - UT Liberal Arts · The Longhorn Airman Volume I Issue 124 August 2008 (cont’d on page 2) the LONGHORN AIRMAN The University of Texas at Austin, Det. 825 hosted

Longhorn Airman �

AFROTC DETACHMENT 825—THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Instructor Durnhill told us, “It’s a natural reaction to NOT want to get punchedintheface.Gettinghitinthefaceisunhealthy.”Then…welineduponthewall,andonebyone,walkedouttogetpunchedintheface. Thissummer,duringtheModernArmyCombativesLevel1Instructorcertification course at Ft. Riley, KS and Kansas State University, I had to realize my fear and overcome it. During the Achieve the Clinch Drill (YouTube it!), thestudentmustincapacitatetheinstructorbyclosingthedistanceonhimwhileheproceedstobeattheheckoutofyou.ImusteredupalotofnerveeverytimeI was paired with a 240-pound hoss and told to “roll” (fight). It was difficult knowingIwasgoingtohavetograpplewithaGracie Jujitsu worldchampionandwasundoubtedlygoingtolose.Despitemyfear,Imusteredupthecourageto “close the distance, achieve dominant body position, and finish the fight” (or at least attempt to). I was pushed physically and strained mentally, but I sur-prisedmyselfonwhatIcouldaccomplish.IrealizedalthoughIwasnotthebig-gest,strongest,fastest,ormostathleticperson,Iwasstillabletotappeopleout.It was a huge confidence builder, and I am going to wear my Air Force Combat-ivesInstructorshirtwithpride. IknowitisunlikelyIwilleverusewhatIlearnedinthiscourseinacombatscenario,butIrealizeitsimportance.Manyofourservicebrethrenusecombativeswhenitactuallymatters.ModernCombativesisimportantforanymemberintheprofessionofarms.Butremember“Ifaninsurgenttaps,itmeanshe’s still alive.” It might be cliché, but it’s amazing to find out what someone can accom-plish when they JUST DON’T QUIT!

C/Col Matthew Stalford, CW/CC

Air Force Combatives TrainingUpcoming Events August

24—Welcome to UT and BBQ25—New Cadet Orientation27—Classes Begin28—LLAB #1, CC’s Call, Awards

September5—First TGIF; CRUD Tourney18–President’s Cup/Tri-Svc Games27–AFOQT/Paintball

October 3—Blazer Tag14, 16–GMC/POC PFAs28, 30–Warrior Week/Combatives

November7—Broomball11–Vet’s Day POW/MIA 24 hr run Joint Formal Retreat ceremony14–Dining Out22–AFOQT

December4—Tri-service run, Awards Day Change of Command Senior Send-off

http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~afwebpgfor details.

the LONGHORN AIRMAN

Cadet Commander’s Farewell At first I thought this semester would never end, but now that we’re done, it seems like it just started yesterday! I want to start off with saying Thank Youtomywingstaff.Withouttheirsupportanddedicationthissemesterneverwould have been possible! I also would like to thank Major Catazaro for keep-ingmefocusedandonmytoes! So much went on this semester and I think it’s important to look back andrememberafewofourbiggerevents.WeplannedandorganizedaBowl-A-Thon (with special help from C/Lee-Garduno), we invited all of the AFROTC DetachmentsheretoUTandbeatuponthemaswebecameFieldDayCham-pionsforthesecondyearinarow,wehadourfriendsandfamilycomeoutandseeexactlywhatwedohereatOpenHouseandParade,andmostimportantlywecommissioned8new2dLTsintotheUSAF!Nomatterwhatroleyouplayedintheseevents,eachofyoushouldbeproudbecausewithoutyounoneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible! Although I’m a bit sad to go, I’m excited to pass over command to C/Stalford. I’m extremely confident in his ability and I know he’ll do great things for our detachment! I can’t wait to start the new semester and I’m looking forwardtoseeingeachofyouinthefall!

C/Col Trey Levraea, C/ColCW/CC No Longer…

Trey Levraea...always appropriate.

In the next issue of TheLonghornAirman...What the heck are THUDS, Arnies, and Prickly Pears? The NCOs’ Corner.

Cadre bio of the quarter...and more!Longhorn trivia: What tragic event on the campus was the catalyst for the establish-

ment of the EMS system? Answer next time.