:[H`PUN ZHML ^P[O 07, WHNL · about. Remember, in a multi-lane roundabout, you must yield to both lanes of traffic. Once a gap in traffic appears, merge into the roundabout and proceed

Tampa Bay Times | Thursday, January 11, 2018 | 1THU

Thursday, January 11, 2018

2 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, January 11, 2018 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

As a team from the 6th Force Support Squadron prepares to deploy, its members work every day to ensure they are ready to impact the morale and welfare of service members in the deployed location.

The 6th Force Support Squadron is in charge of many jobs, from food ser-vice and lodging to fitness programs and recreational activities.

“When we deploy, we aren’t really sure what section we will work in,” said Senior Airman Taylor Deany, a unit deployment manager assigned to the 6th FSS. “Naturally that makes me nervous going into my first deploy-ment, but I’m confident knowing I’ve received the training necessary to excel at my job.”

As a UDM, Deany’s job is to schedule members for required training in preparation for a deployment. This could be anything from dental appoint-ments to contingency operations training.

“The biggest thing we do to ensure everyone is capable of performing all of their required tasks is an annual training,” said Deany. “This training is a two-day class where we talk about every section and how to perform the tasks required.”

Deany stressed that being innovative and proficient in your job are im-portant traits to help make everyone as comfortable as possible in the de-ployed location.

“You may not have green grass wherever you are,” said Deany. “So when you go to plan sporting events, you have to work with what’s available to you.”

Some creative things Airmen have done include creating intramural sports tournaments.

“I’ve heard of individuals making a softball diamond in the dirt and us-ing whatever they can find for bases in order to host softball tournaments,” said Deany.

Another morale booster FSS Airmen can do while deployed is coordinate with the United Service Organization to get musicians to come out and put on a concert.

“An important thing for us is improving morale,” said Deany. “We are always looking ahead on a deployment and saying ‘how can we make this

better for everyone.’ ” Although they may not know what they will do or how they will do it,

FSS Airmen know they make an impact when they deploy. “The best thing about where I just deployed to was that we got to do our

job and actually cook for the service members,” said Tech Sgt. Adrienne Meadows, NCO in charge of the fitness center assigned to the 6th FSS. “We wanted to make sure that we kept morale up by providing good meals and friendly faces.”

The 6th FSS strives to be a friendly face while providing top notch sup-port services both home station and down range.

COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE

The Action Line provides two-way communication between the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. Per-sonnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to [email protected].

Website: www.macdill.af.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

MacDillAirForceBase

Instagram: macdill_afb

Twitter: @macdill_afb

NEWS/FEATURES

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Thursday, January 11, 2018 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM 3

Airman 1st Class Randall M. Bagtas, a food service journeyman assigned to the 6th Force Support Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, grew up with an example of what it takes to be a successful Airman.

His father, Senior Master Sgt. Randall I. Bag-tas I, the superintendent of the sustainment flight with the 647th Force Support Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is already estab-lished and has been successful in the same ca-reer field as his son.

“My dad has always been my role model,” said Bagtas.

When Bagtas was born, his father was only 18 years old and joined the Air Force to support his new family.

“He taught me accountability at a young age,” said Bagtas. “He always told me to get the things

Following the decommissioning of the static display aircraft at Memorial Park on MacDill Air Force Base, efforts to expand and revitalize the park into a sustainable communal and historical destination will begin.

This new Memorial Park will serve as a focal point for historical appreciation, representing MacDill’s commitment to memorializing our pre-decessors and keeping heritage alive.

“The vision for this park carries forward past efforts to retell the Air Force story,” said Col. April Vogel, the 6th Air Mobility Wing command-er. “Educated by the stories of their forbearers, today’s Airmen will impact tomorrow’s Air Force.”

The proposed design includes eight aircraft models of the most impactful aircraft flown at MacDill accompanied by bollard plaques depict-ing their historical significance, statuary me-morials, interpretative panels and a covered pavilion with amphitheater seating to create a gathering space.

“The park is envisioned to be a destination for air power education and with it, Airman devel-opment,” said Stephen Ove, the 6th Air Mobility Wing base historian. “It will be far more repre-sentative of the many units, aircraft, and Airmen

PARK, Page 11

See SON, Page 10

NEWS/FEATURES


WEEK IN PHOTOS


Contractors recently completed a new traffic circle, also known as a roundabout, at the intersection of SOCOM Memorial Way and Tampa Point Boulevard with a new traffic pattern heading south on Tampa Point Boulevard into the U.S. Special Opera-tion Command compound.

Tampa Point Boulevard is a one-way from Bayshore Boulevard to the SOCOM com-pound.

The etiquette for entering a traffic circle is to yield for the vehicular traffic already in the circle. The vehicles driving around the circle have the right-of-way always.

At the dashed yield line, look to your left and yield to drivers already in the round-about. Remember, in a multi-lane roundabout, you must yield to both lanes of traffic.

Once a gap in traffic appears, merge into the roundabout and proceed to your exit. Look for pedestrians and use your turn signal before you exit.

The same rules apply for the traffic circle located just north of the main gate on Dale Mabry Highway. Please be cautious when entering the traffic circles and slow down to avoid traffic accidents.

For additional information, refer to the Florida Department of Transportation web-site: http://www.fdot.gov/traffic/TrafficServices.

NEWS/FEATURES


Thanksgiving is a holiday often reserved for gathering around the table for food and spend-ing quality time with family and friends.

For Staff Sgt. Brandon Cruz, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 6th Medi-cal Operations Squadron, it was a time to give thanks for being in the right place, at the right time.

On Nov. 22, driving northbound on a busy road with his wife and 2-year-old daughter to an office turkey fry, an unidentified object caught Cruz’s eye.

“As we were driving, I noticed something in the southbound lane,” explained Cruz. “As we got closer, I realized it was a small child lying face down in the road.”

A woman had been struck by an oncoming car

See CRUZ, Page 13

NEWS/FEATURES


Over three months have passed since the squadron, now known as the 50th Air Refueling Squadron, returned to Tampa, and from day one has hit the ground running.

“The Five-O has been 100 percent mission ready since day one,” said Lt. Col. Ricardo Lo-pez, commander of the 50th ARS. “Since the squadron stood up in October, we have had most of our personnel deployed, preparing to deploy, training, or doing other functions in support of the mission.”

Setting up a squadron is no easy task, es-pecially when it is nowhere near being fully manned.

To help with this issue and the difficulties that arise with standing up a squadron, the 50th ARS has been working hand in hand with the 91st.

“Both squadrons are codependent on each

See 50th, Page 15

NEWS/FEATURES


Photos by Airman 1st Class Adam R. Shanks



that you need to get done first, before the things I want to get done.”As a result, Bagtas learned the meaning and power of setting priorities;

however, joining the United States Air Force was never a priority growing up.“I didn’t think about the military as an option until after high school,”

said Bagtas.In high school, Bagtas attended a Department of Defense Dependents

School in Vicenza, Italy.“I didn’t know what I wanted when I finished high school, but I knew

what the military had to offer from watching my father,” said Bagtas. “I was comfortable with the military life and that made it easier for me to join.”

After he graduated high school in 2015, Bagtas spent a year trying to fig-ure out the next step. He temporarily moved back home to South Carolina where he worked for a local construction company for a few months, but wasn’t content.

“I figured out that I didn’t want to work in construction for the rest of my life and thought the military would be a good place to start,” said Bagtas. “I told my dad that I wanted to join and he helped me take care of the rest.”

Before he knew it, he was in Basic Military Training at Lackland Air

Force Base, Texas, for eight and a half weeks.“BMT is really difficult for some, but to me, it was easy,” said Bagtas. “Af-

ter that, I went to Fort Lee, Virginia for technical school for a quick month and now I am here.”

Bagtas already had a good idea of what to expect from the Air Force, but the 6th FSS didn’t fully know what they would get in return when Bagtas arrived to MacDill.

“Airman 1st Class Bagtas is very dependable and he never complains,” said Staff Sgt. Henderson, a food service accountant assigned to the 6th Force Support Squadron. “He’s just a good person and is definitely a leader for the newer Airmen.”

Henderson added that Bagtas constantly exceeds expectations and even volunteered to work during Hurricane Irma to load trucks with meals ready-to-eat until the base had to evacuate.

As for his Air Force future, Bagtas is undecided, but open to the possibil-ity of following in his father’s footsteps.

“I definitely want to go to college and I am looking at colleges right now,” said Bagtas. “But who knows, I wouldn’t be surprised if I serve the full 20 years.”


that have called MacDill home since 1941.”

The construction of the new park will be divided into three projected phases. Phase one will include the construction of new side-walk trails and the instal-lation of the aircraft models and bollard plaques. Phases two and three will see the con-struction of the covered pavil-ion, and the amphitheater.

“The displays will be constructed out of surviv-able, weatherproof mate-rial, which will ensure low-maintenance sustainability in a highly corrosive envi-ronment,” said Ove. “These displays, when paired with markers at historic build-ings on base, will allow for the opportunity of self-guid-ed tours for base personnel, retirees and their families.”

While plans are being re-fined, the estimated date of completion is this summer.



while crossing the street with her 18-month-old son in her arms and 5-year-old son at her side. The younger of the two boys was thrown 40 feet from his mother’s grasp, while the other remained unharmed.

Cruz pulled over, turned on his hazard lights, and made his way to the younger child.

“The first priority was to stop traffic so they wouldn’t hit him,” said Cruz.

As soon as he reached the boy, close in age to his daugh-ter, he turned him over.

First, he tried to wake the child, but received no re-sponse. Next, he checked for breathing and a pulse; there were no signs of life.

Upon assessing the situation, Cruz instinctively resort-ed to his Air Force medical training.

“It’s like when you put your hand on a hot stove, you automatically take it off because it’s hot; you don’t think about it; it’s a reaction,” said Cruz. “As a military medic, we are trained on how to care for our brothers and sisters at war, so I reacted instinctually.”

Utilizing resuscitation procedures, Cruz revived the boy, who began breathing on his own. He then transported him to safety next to his older brother.

Meanwhile, the driver involved in the incident called 911 and two other individuals assisted the mother. Cruz performed a secondary assessment and kept others calm as the ambulance arrived.

“Cruz’s actions that day were heroic,” said Lt. Col. Neva VanDerSchaegen, the primary care flight commander as-signed to the 6th MDOS. “While he did have concern for personal safety, it didn’t stop him from stopping traffic on a busy road to save someone else.

“He truly showed what it means to be a healthcare pro-vider and an Airman.”

Cruz remains humble, saying he just did what anyone would do.

Even through his modesty, Cruz’s actions were just an-other example of his character.

“It was no surprise to me when I heard how Cruz re-acted,” said Senior Airman Monique Johnson, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 6th MDOS. “As a super-visor, he truly cares.”

In addition, Cruz takes pride in his job and invests him-self into executing mission priorities every day.

“Cruz leads from the front,” said VanDerSchaegen. “He takes care of his Airmen and mentors them to be the best they can be.”

Since the incident, Cruz says his perspective on things has changed.

“When you go home, you hold your family a little tighter and you’re truly grateful that they are safe,” said Cruz. “I am thankful for the training the Air Force has given me and that I was able to help.”



other. Obviously, the 50th depends more on the already rooted 91st,” said Lopez. “Once we become ‘fully separated’, we will continue working together under the same roof, and supporting the same mission: to provide unmatched air refueling.”

Leaders from the 50th, 91st, and 63rd ARS, have teamed up on extra taskings during the holidays so junior mem-bers could enjoy the holidays.

“The 6th Air Mobility Wing (was) tasked with several high-priority missions over the holidays,” said Lopez. “The wing’s leadership, along with several senior leaders from the 63rd, (flew) these missions in order to ensure our young pilots and boom operators celebrate the holidays with their families.”

From here, the tasking will only continue to increase. “We are gradually increasing our personnel numbers,

but as we grow, so do the taskings,” added Lopez. “It is very challenging to keep personnel in the office to create day-to-day processes and lift other support functions, but make no mistake, we are executing the mission at the 100 percent level, and that will not change.”

Lopez has been and remains involved in all processes required to stand up the 50th and ensure its success.

“Lt. Col. Lopez is building a squadron from the ground up,” said Lt. Col. Gabe S. Arrington, director of operations with the 50th ARS. “From growing personnel to literally directing construction of the squadron location, he is over-coming challenges that most other squadron commanders are not presented with.”

While Lopez continues to build up the squadron, he plans to carry on the pride and history of the 50th.

“If there’s one thing I want everyone to know, it’s that the 50th ARS, the Fightin’ Five-O, The Red Devils, are here,” smiled Lopez. “This is one of the most prestigious and decorated units in our Air Force and we are honored to call MacDill AFB home.”

Union Representation: Bargaining Unit employees are reminded that under Section 7114(a)(2)(B) of Chap-ter 71, Title 5, U.S.C., employees have the right to be represented at any examination in connection with an investigation if: a) the employee reasonably believes that the examination may result in disciplinary action against the employee, and b) the employee requests representation.

Grievance Procedures: All employees have the right to file a grievance and request personal relief in any matter of concern relating to conditions of employment within the control of Air Force management. The ne-gotiated grievance procedure for bargaining unit em-ployees is contained in the applicable union agreement; AFI 36-706, Administrative Grievance System, con-tains the grievance procedures for non-bargaining unit employees.

For more information, contact Andrea Gaines at 828-4511 or [email protected].


COMMUNITY

For all other faith groups or for any questions, please contact the Chapel by visiting http://www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel or calling 828-3621

New Year Resolution Fun RunStarts at the Golf Course Trail

at 7:15 a.m. Random prize give-aways. For more info call 828-4496.

MacDill Lanes & Family Fun Center

Club Membership Appreciation, 6-8 p.m., featuring door prize draw-ings, cosmic lighting and sound. All club members and their family members bowl free. Call 828-4005 for more information.

Base TheaterFree movie: “My Little Pony”

(PG). Doors open at 1:15 p.m. Mov-ie starts at 2 p.m. Overflow park-ing available in the SOCOM park-ing garage.

Career FairSurf ’s Edge Club from 11 a.m.

- 2 p.m. Meet 70-plus employers. Open to all veterans, active duty, guard/reserve and family members who have access to the base. RSVP required www.transitioncareers.com/events/macdill

MacDill Council for Education-al Excellence

Tinker K-8 from 4-5 p.m. Mili-tary forum to discuss K-12 educa-tion concerns. For more info call 828-0146.

Base TheaterFree movie: “American Made”

(R). Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Movie starts at 7 p.m.

Mark your calendar• Jan. 19 – MLK Luncheon• Jan. 20– UFC Fight Night• Jan. 26– Low Ball Bowling Tournament• Jan. 28– Brunch & Clay Trip

www.macdillfss.com

Documents

:[H`PUN ZHML ^P[O 07, WHNL · about. Remember, in a multi-lane roundabout, you must yield to both lanes of traffic. Once a gap in traffic appears, merge into the roundabout and proceed