MacDill Chapel: A place for everyone - page 14

Vol. 41, No. 10 Thursday, March 8, 2012

MacDill Chapel: A place for everyone - page 14

Photo by Airman 1st Class Melanie Bulow-Kelly

by Col. Darren Sprunk570th Contingency Response Group commander

How do you tangibly describe the concept of excellence to those in your sphere of influ-ence? Because of our diverse backgrounds and unique experiences, each of us has formulated our individual definitions of excellence, but few share a common baseline definition. I find biographies are a great means to effectively communicate concrete examples of pure excel-lence, and build that common reference point.

Are you familiar with the great living jazz soloist, Sonny Newk Rollins? Rollins was born to first-generation immigrants who settled in Harlem, New York. While times were difficult, Rollins found success early in life as a tenor saxophone player, playing with jazz greats like Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong. However, rather than enjoy his legendary celebrity status by continuing to deliver the same musical style, Rollins walked away from the spotlight from 1959 to 1961, and did so again a decade later, remaining true to his desire for accomplishment with the music he was creating. He stated the need to brush up on various aspects of his craft.

Following each sabbatical, he returned with a new sound and strengthened ability, which kept him on the forefront of jazz evolution until this day. Now 81 years-old, he toured

internationally in 2010 and released another album in 2011. He has been honored in Asia and Europe, and President Obama recently awarded him with one of only 10 2010 Nation-al Medal of Arts for outstanding achievements and support of the arts.

Similarities of Rollins’ excellence also re-side in arguably the greatest college basket-ball coach of all time, John Wooden. Wooden said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

Rather than focus on a national champion-ship as his goal, he was renowned for har-vesting the potential of his staff and players through his relentless pursuit of excellence. An incredible player in his own right, Wood-en’s results as a coach remain unmatched to this day. He successfully led winning seasons in all but his first year. He accepted the job as head coach of the University of California Los Angeles Bruins, then-considered the weakest team in the Pacific conference, and led them to 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship titles between 1964 and 1975. Wooden also set an all-time winning streak record of 88 consecutive games. His mantra, “We’re all absolutely equal in having the op-portunity to make the most of what we have,” remains a legacy. He died in 2010 at the age of 99.

Both men overcame hardship to find the

strength necessary to improve daily; remain-ing true to their pursuit of excellence. I’ll close with a brilliant challenge issued by a fellow military member upon his farewell, and ask that you take a moment to consider its potential impact: “Imagine what you would dare attempt, and ultimately accomplish, if you were guaranteed to succeed; if there was no possibility of failure. Now, forget the guar-antee go get it.”

COMMANDER’s CORNER

MacDill ThunderboltPublisher: Terry Jamerson

Editor: Nick Stubbs

The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by Sunbelt News-papers, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an authorized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. military services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of De-

fense, the Department of the Air Force or the 6th Air Mobil-ity Wing.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, in-cluding inserts or supplements, does not constitute en-dorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, 6th Air Mobility Wing or Sunbelt Newspa-pers, Inc., of the products or service advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-mer-it factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.

Display advertising or classified advertising information

may be obtained by calling 259-7455. News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submit-

ted to the 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs office, Bldg. 25, MacDill AFB, FL 33621, or call the MacDill Thunderbolt staff at 828-2215. Email: [email protected].

Deadline for article submissions is noon, Thursdays to appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received af-ter deadline may be considered for future use. All submis-sions are considered for publication based on news value and timeliness.

Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clar-ity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Style-book and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101.

COMMANDER’S ACTION LINEThe Action Line provides a two-way communication between the 6th Air

Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. A 24-hour recording service is provided so personnel may submit questions, concerns or com-ments. Call the Action Line at 828-INFO (4636) or e-mail [email protected]

Col. Darren Sprunk

Find excellence in your life

Your T-bolt TodayNews/Features: page 4 “There I was...”

MacDill Community: page 25

Event, Chapel, more

by Nick StubbsThunderbolt editor

The rewards for chaplains and the chapel team that supports them may be many, and come from an authority high-on, but a little rec-ognition from an earthly source is nice, too.

That recognition came recently when the MacDill chapel was recently chosen the Out-standing Large Chapel of 2011 in the annual Air Mobility Command awards program. The award puts the chapel in the running for the Air Force-level award.

The AMC award was last won by the chapel in 2005. The repeat can be attributed to two

things, said Lt. Col. David Buttrick, 6th Air Mo-bility Wing chaplain:

“Hard work and dedication,” he said. It’s that simple.“I’m so proud of my chapel staff,” said But-

trick. “Overall it came back to hard work and dedication to the core values of the Chaplain Corps and the mission of AMC.”

Buttrick said lots goes into the awards pro-cess, including the details of how the submis-sion package is put together, but ultimately it is the accomplishments of the chapel and its staff members, along with successfully conveying the effort it took to achieve those accomplishments that brings home the top honor. It takes a lot to win, said Buttrick, particularly “considering who (the other large AMC bases) we have to go up against.”

In addition to the overall award, two individ-uals at the chapel were singled out for awards.

Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Wilson was named AMC 2011 Outstanding Reserve Chaplain Assistant of the year. Jennifer Plante received the AMC 2011 Outstanding Chaplain Corps Civilian of the Year award.

Their awards also put them in the running for Air Force honors.

MacDill chapel best in AMC; two staff members also take top honors

News/Features: page 10

Team MacDill’s top performers

Sports: page 24

Sports Talk

NEWS/FEATURES


Monitoring to keep info safe


Chapel a place for alll

“I’m so proud of my chapel staff. Overall it came back to hard work and dedication to the core values of the Chap-lain Corps and the mission of AMC.”

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) David Buttrick

Dining Facility to reopen soon; diners to see new look, servicesby Airman 1st Class Michael Ellis 6th Air Mobility Wing public affairs office

The MacDill Diner’s Reef dining facility is slated to open early April with a new, im-proved look and services. The dining facility closed its doors Jan. 9 to make some long over-due renovations.

The Food Transformation initiative took ef-fect at MacDill in 2010. MacDill was chosen along with five other pilot bases to test the program that would increase the appeal, menu selections and operating hours at dining facili-ties.

“The Food Transformation Initiative and the dining facility is to better serve the base community since the customer base has ex-panded,” said Capt. Anthony Perez, 6th Force

Support Squadron sustainment services. Orig-inally, when the initiative took effect the fa-cility served approximately 300 individuals a day. Now since the facility serves anyone who possesses a military, dependent or Department of Defense civilian ID card, use of the dining facility has increased to almost 1,300 daily.

Once opened patrons will notice more va-riety in food choices, expanded hours, and ex-pedited service, with the addition of twice the number of checkout cash registers than before, a new horseshoe-shaped salad bar and much more, said Michael Pardue, 6th Force Support Squadron sustainment flight chief.

“People will notice the openness throughout the facility,” said Perez.

Perez also noted the newly renovated fa-cility increased seating capacity by approxi-

mately 40 percent. Another new feature will allow patrons to have the option of sitting at a traditional table or in bar chairs with the new setup. However, the main thing invoking the new feeling of “openness” can be attributed to the removal of the walls that previously di-vided the seating area into three individual sections.

The food experts at the dining facility have also made some menu changes. Previously, the Diner’s Reef had a 14-day cycle, in which it of-fered a different menu item every day over a two-week period.

Once reopened, the new facility will offer a different menu every day on a 28-day cycle. In a year’s time, that’s more than 180 days of food choices that weren’t previously available in 2011.

NEWS/FEATURES‘There I was...’by Staff Sgt. Melissa Thomas6th Operations Support Squadron

At Al Udeid, waiting on a flight to Tallil, when I received a hand-written note on a post it that read, “Do not go to Tallil, come to Baghdad.”

This turned out to be the beginning of a crazy and rewarding first deployment. Once I arrived in Baghdad I was met by a captain who told me I was assigned to ITAM as a weather advisor. I briefly remembered reading about Air Force advisors in the Air Force Times but was still not for sure exactly what it entailed. She told me that I would be helping to establish the IqAF’s first weather squadron and that I was in charge of weather equipment training for the Iraqi’s.

I was excited and nervous at the same time, excited because I was going to be directly involved in the mission of Operation New Dawn and nervous because I was now in charge of training an entire coun-try’s weather technicians on equipment I only had one week of training on myself.

Due to fact that I was diverted, I hadn’t attended the advisor train-ing course which covered cultural training. I also did not have all the gear that I needed for the situations I found myself in. This was only a small inconvenience because my fellow weather advisors epitomized the saying of “taking care of your people” by always finding a way to make sure I had what I needed. The experience was like no other; get-ting to know and interacting with the Iraqi’s was a great opportunity to understand their culture, their story and work with them towards the common goal of rebuilding their country.

At the end of the ITAM mission in mid September, Iraq had a Fore-cast Center, a weather school, SOP’s, various observing locations throughout Iraq, millions of dollars of weather equipment and certified weather equipment technicians. Even though the mission had been ac-complished, I still had three months left on a 179 and was going to be re-missioned. Originally set to go to Kuwait, I was again diverted to sit as the command chief ’s executive for the 321 AEW command chief. Sit-ting in the same office space as the 321st Air Expeditinary Wing com-mander and senior advisor commander, this was another different and eye opening experience, as I got to see and understand how strategic decisions are made and implemented.

If there was anything I would pass on from this deployment that I have learned it would be first to understand that nothing is ever writ-ten in stone on a deployment so be prepared to be flexible and second never brush off any training you receive because you never know when you’re going to have to rely on it.

Courtesy photo

Staff Sgt. Melissa Thomas, in full battle rattle, gives a double thumbs up for the camera. Her deployment was a challenge from the get-go, with orders changing in the 11th hour, diverting her to Baghdad to serve as a weather advisor.

NEWS/FEATURESCourtesy of the Equal Opportunity Office

Did you know Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm was the first female in the Air Force to be appointed to the rank of brigadier general in July 1971. Two years later she was promoted to major general before retiring in June 1975. Additionally, Nov. 14, 2008, Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, U.S. Army, became the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general. Dunwoody was nominated by President Bush June 23, 2008.

Did you know the first Mother’s Day was held May 10, 1908, and wa-sorganized by Anna Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? As the event gained popularity throughout the country, Congress designated the second Sunday in May as a national day of rec-ognition for mothers in 1914.

Did you know the first person to make the daring attempt to go over-Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel was a woman? October 24, 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old school teacher from Michigan plunged over the falls. She survived with only a small gash on her head, but swore to never take them on again.

Women have played a pivotal role in this country’s history and have been recognized for a variety of achievements. A very small sampling of these accomplishments is highlighted here. Increased education for women has helped lessen or even eliminate some inequalities, but many advances still need to be made.

To promote awareness of the importance of women’s education, the Women’s History Month Committee will be hosting a panel March 23 at 10 a.m. in the Chapel Annex. A number of military and local commu-nity women who have made substantial strides in advancing women in education and the workplace will lead a discussion promoting women’s empowerment through education. Light refreshments will be served. Join us to celebrate the advancements in women’s education and its continued importance.

Celebrate women’s history during March

Dale Mabry Gate ClosureMarch 11 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. the Dale Mabry Gate will be

closed. MacDill Avenue Gate and Bayshore Gate will be open for in-coming and outgoing traffic.

Remember: Daylight Savings Time goes into effect at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11. Move clocks ahead one hour.

NEWS/FEATURES

Courtesy of the 6th Communications Squadron

Many years ago thieves were the types of people who wore dark masks and held up banks or broke into houses taking precious jewelry and sil-verware. Now they have taken on a whole new meaning and come in every form imaginable.

Today’s thieves sneak into bank accounts, e-mails, cell phones, palm pilots and even landline telephones, all from the comforts of their very own secret hideout. While this new way of stealing is convenient for the thief, it has become a matter of national security for some.

For the military, securing classified information is top priority and every member of Team MacDill must do their part to help keep that in-formation secure.

One friendly reminder to keep classified information disclosed can be seen every time the phone rings and every time a base network computer is logged on. Many people see it and wonder why these notices exist. Well, it’s to remind people that they’re being monitored.

The telecommunications monitoring and assessment program requires all users of Department of Defense telecommunications systems or de-vices to be informed that by using the DoD device they are consenting to monitoring.

The purpose of the TMAP is to protect classified and operationally significant information from unauthorized disclosure. One aspect of the protection program is operational security.

TMAP is a key part of the Air Force’s OPSEC efforts. Air Force In-struction 10-712 permits monitoring of unsecured telecommunications systems to determine vulnerability to hostile signal intelligence exploi-tation. The TMAP evaluates and reports on one of the major factors of OPSEC posture – the proper use of telecommunications equipment.

The Air Force uses numerous unsecured telecommunications such as telephones, radios and computer networks subject to adversarial exploi-tation. But, during normal everyday use of these unsecured systems, we can inadvertently provide an adversary with information.

In turn, adversaries can easily monitor these unsecured systems, which can provide enough information to make DoD units, weapon sys-tems, defenses, and operations vulnerable to attack.

The Air Force monitors unsecured DoD telecommunications and ana-lyzes information to identify and report OPSEC vulnerabilities and their potential effects on military operations. These reports provide opera-tional commanders and planners with near real-time reports of classified or sensitive information disclosures that may adversely affect U.S. and allied operations.

To remind people not to say something they may regret, those notice and consent to monitoring stickers are there to save us.

Plus as a requirement notification must be given to all users of DoD telecommunications systems or devices that they are to be used for con-ducting official government business and that all activities on them are subject to monitoring.

Legal reviews are conducted biennially during even numbered fiscal years to certify that users of telecommunication devices have been pro-vided sufficient notice of consent to monitoring.

Phone, computer users, everyone subject to monitoring to keep information safe

by Nick StubbsThunderbolt editor

It’s no secret at MacDill how hard some members of Team Mac-Dill work, and as of recently it’s no secret at the command and Air Force levels.

Recent Air Mobility Command award announcements confirmed what many already knew about certain wing members and orga-nizations — in 2011, they stood above the rest.

Among the AMC award winners:

6th Operations Support Squadron u Ronald McCarthy, best Airfield Management Facility of the yearu Master Sgt. Corey Latiolais, Out-standing Weather Senior Non Com-missioned Officer of the Yearu Master Sgt. Jaimie Miller, 2012

u Federal Asian Pacific American Council Military Meritorious Ser-vice Award

6th Logistics Readiness Squadronu William Walker, Traffic Manage-ment Civilian Professional of the Year

Judge Advocateu Colleen Otero, Outstanding Le-gal Service Civilian of the Year (Harold R. Vague Award)

MacDill Chapelu Outstanding Large Chapel Or-ganization of the Yearu Jennifer Plante, Outstanding Chaplain Corps Civilian of the Yearu Jennifer Wilson, Outstanding Reserve Chaplain Assistant of the Year

Team MacDill recognized by AMCNEWS/FEATURES

by 1st Lt. Seth Setterberg6th Contracting Squadron

As we finish the third month of 2012, we mark six months into the fiscal year.

It is crucial to plan for upcoming requirements and coordinate those requirements through the 6th Contracting Squadron as early as possible. Our mission is to purchase contracting require-ments for the Wing, COCOMS and our mission partners as needed to accomplish their mission. Contracting works for you and we will do our best to acquire the items you request. By law there are regulations contracting officers must follow when making purchases. Therefore sole source and brand name justifications should on-ly be used on a very limited basis. Please keep that in mind when prioritizing requirements for fiscal year 2012.

Government purchasing cardholders can make purchases up to $3,000 for commodities, $2,500 for services, and $2,000 for construction projects. Certain circumstances allow for up to a $25,000 purchase; please discuss this potential option with the GPC program coordinator.

To allow 6th CONS to process your contract-ing requirement, please start planning your re-quirements now and avoid the mad dash July through September.

Coordination with 6th CONS is critical before the following dates:

April 2:u Construction projects over $100,000u Services over $2,000,000June 1:u Construction projects up to $100,000u Services between greater than $100,000 and less than $2,000,000u Commodities/Supplies (Including GSA) over $2,000,000July 2:u Service recurring rentals and Preventive Maintenance Agreements u Commodities/Supplies (including GSA) $100,000 to $2,000,000August 1:u One time services up to $100KAugust 17:u Commodities/Supplies (including GSA) up to $100,000Contracting Squadron point of contactsu Specialized Flight, U.S. Central Command/Special Operations Command/Joint Commu-nication Support Element/Special Operations Central Command, contact Edward “Jerry” Simmons, 828-4783.u Performance Management Flight, Civil Engi-neers and Avon Park, Douglas Willard, 828-7454.u Base Support Flight, 6th Air Mobility Wing units and other tenant units, Crystal Life, 828-4784.u Government Purchase Card Program, Melissa Biggar, 828-3110.u Closeout Monitor, general inquiries can be di-rected to James “Kirk” Krempasky, 828-7482.

6th Contracting Squadron guide to fiscal year 2012 purchases


The Air Force Chaplain Corps provides spiritual care for Airmen, their families.

by Heidi R. Spencer and Airman 1st Class Michael Ellis6th Air Mobility Wing base chapel and the 6th Air Mobility Wing public affairs office

In a world of 24-hour news cycles and constant Facebook status updates, there is one place that remains a haven of privacy for all personnel on MacDill Air Force Base – the Air Force Chaplain Corps.

No matter the extremity of the issue, chaplains come alongside military members and their families from all branches of service during times of crises and stress, ensuring total confidentiality.

“When an individual walks into a chaplain’s office for counseling, he or she has privileged communication, said Wing Chaplain (Lt. Col.) David Buttrick, 6th Air Mobility Wing. “In fact, organizational leadership is not informed if someone seeks counseling through the Chaplain Corps nor will any supervisor who refers an individual to counseling be able to hear what was shared. It is 100 percent confidential – period!”

Not only do chaplains aid the spiritually and emotionally wounded, but some of life’s greatest moments take place inside the chapel walls, from weddings to baptisms to confirmation classes, to support and education programs for spouses and children. “One of my greatest joys as a chaplain is helping a family navigate the challenges of military life. I love plugging people into their faith -- through programs, counseling sessions, services and retreats. This gives them the spiritual roots they need, so they can flourish in whatever capacity the Air Force places them,” said Chaplain (Capt.) William Spencer.

Spiritual fitness is one of the four pillars of the Air Mobility Command’s Comprehensive Airman Fitness (CAF), which originated in July 2010. Spiritual fitness falls under the holistic health category in CAF. In order to achieve the ultimate comprehensive fitness goals, physical, mental, social and spiritual needs must be met.

Spiritual fitness encompasses a wide range of aspects in a military member’s life and that of their family. While spirituality typically includes worship and prayer services, religious education, spiritual retreats and pastoral counseling, other aspects of spiritual fitness according to Chap-lain Spencer can also include “taking time to be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

The MacDill Air Force Base Chapel accommodates people of “all” faith groups, according to Chaplain Buttrick. “We also support those individuals with no faith through pastoral care and counseling. We serve, honor, and respect all military members who faithfully serve our country, regardless of faith preferences or denominational background.”

“Human life matters,” said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy during a visit to a base in Southwest Asia earlier this month. “The Air Force is a family and naturally you look out for your family.”

To better ensure that sense of family is felt locally and specifically, the MacDill Chapel team actively seeks to improve programs, services and methods to better reach the whole MacDill community. “The services we offer include religious observances, providing pastoral care or counseling, and advising leadership on spiritual, ethical, moral, and religious accom-modation issues,” said Buttrick.

This is implemented through programs such as AWANA on Wednesday evenings, which provides active duty families with a chapel-sponsored din-

Chapel a place for everyone

See CHAPEL, Page 20

Upholding the fourth pillar of CAF


Chaplain counseling services offer a healthy alterative to un-desirable ways of dealing with the stresses of life.


Chaplain (Lt. Col.) David Buttrick meets with a couple at the chapel. One of the many services offered by chaplains is counseling, and they often host single, family and marriage weekend retreats.


The Air Force Chaplain Corps provides spiritual care for Airmen, their families.


Chaplains have absolute and total confidentiality of all communication discussed with clients, this privileged communication sets chaplains apart from other counseling agencies.


Chaplain (Capt.) Meoisha Sanders, 6th Mission Support Group chaplain, speaks at a post deploy-ment briefing at the base clinic on MacDill Air Force Base, Feb. 27.


Chaplain (Lt. Col.) David Buttrick meets with a couple at the chapel. One of the many services offered by chaplains is counseling, and they often host single, family and marriage weekend retreats.

Tuskegee Airmen honoredChief Master Sgt. Lewis Single-ton, 6th Medical Group super-intendent, unveils the Tuskegee Airman P-51 Mustang model aircraft with Tuskegee Airman, retired Col. Wilson Blount, and wife Bobbie Blount, inside the base clinic at MacDill Feb. 28. The model aircraft was a gift from Keith R. Beard, president of the Buford A. Johnson Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. to cel-ebrate the many contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Linzi Joseph

Job Title: Military justic paralegal.

Hometown: Streamwood, Ill.

Short-term goals: Com-plete three-level Career De-velopment Courses with a 90 percent or better, then up-grade to my five level with no delays.

Long-term goals: Finish my bachelor’s degree, upgrade to a seven level.

Advice to others: The hard-er you work will determine the amount of success that is achieved.

Role models and why: My father, he never asked for anything back from anyone. As long as you were happy, he was happy.

Why did you join the Air Force?: I joined the Air Force af-ter participating in junior reserve officer training corps in high school. I enjoyed the structure and discipline needed to suc-ceed in the course. I also wanted to travel and obtain education through the military.

Staff Sgt. Brian Palmer6th Air Mobility Wing/Judge Advocate

DIAMOND SHARP

ner, followed by reli-gious education class-es for children. The chapel also facilitates a support group for young moms, called MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), which gives spouses an op-portunity to build re-lationships and grow spiritually and emo-tionally.

The chapel offers a safe, confidential and respectful place for everyone. “If you are a person of faith or if you’re not, you are welcome at the cha-pel,” noted Spencer.

“Many of our coun-seling sessions are not about issues of religion. Instead, they are centered on prob-lems regarding rela-tionships, personal issues or problems in the work place. The goal for any chaplain and chapel is to pro-vide people the help they need before their problems get out of control. So, always seek help earlier rath-er than later. Don’t wait until your career or family is on the line,” said Spencer.

To find out more about the MacDill AFB chapel, its staff, programs and upcom-ing events, visit its Facebook page and web site: www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel/

CHAPELFrom Page 14

When they are called away to serve our country...We will EMBRACE their

Little PatriotsEMBRACED

ProjectBEAR ESSENTIALS

Sign up today through The Airman and Family Readiness Center by calling (813) 828-0145 or (813) 655-9281

Each child will receive a LPE Teddy Bear and a

special book developed to help reduce anxiety

and emotional stress due to deployment.

No Endorsement Intended

March 10th 2012

9:30AM Brandon Regional Service Center

311 Pauls DrBrandon, FL 33511

11:30AM MacDill AFB Youth Center

7813 Bayshore Blvd Bldg 382MacDill AFB FL 33621

When they are called away to serve our country...We will EMBRACE their

Little PatriotsEMBRACED

ProjectBEAR ESSENTIALS

Sign up today through The Airman and Family Readiness Center by calling (813) 828-0145 or (813) 655-9281

Each child will receive a LPE Teddy Bear and a

special book developed to help reduce anxiety

and emotional stress due to deployment.

No Endorsement Intended

March 10th 2012

9:30AM Brandon Regional Service Center

311 Pauls DrBrandon, FL 33511

11:30AM MacDill AFB Youth Center

7813 Bayshore Blvd Bldg 382MacDill AFB FL 33621

SPORTSby Mack Dill

Hello Sports Fans. I was just sitting at the ballpark the other day, en-joying some Spring Training, when I realized that March has officially arrived! That means that we have reached the start of March Madness in the world of NCAA Basketball. For those of you who follow the sport closely, you’re probably already filling out your brackets but you won’t be able to finish the job completely until this weekend’s conference championships are done. We have to get through championship week to get to the tourney.

Apparently, we live in a new age where we get to make up words as we go along and the word this week is “bracketology.” Yes, that is the study of understanding the mysteries and mathematics of the NCAA Basketball Championship. For those of you who are interested in how this year’s format works, but don’t want to take the class, here are your crib notes.

First off, the field is made up of a total of 68 teams, not 64 as you’re probably accustomed to from past years. Of those 68 teams, 31 of them get in by virtue of automatic bid. These are based on teams winning their conference tournament, or in the case of the Ivy League, the regu-lar season champion gets an automatic bid. Easy so far, right?

Okay, that leaves 37 teams fighting for the remaining spots. This is where it gets a little dicey. The NCAA uses a ratings percentage index (RPI) to help decide the rest of the field. It looks at variables such as strength of schedule and winning percentage to determine where teams will rank. I started a campaign to also include color of uniform, effec-tiveness of team mascot and number of times a coach says, “we just let that one get away from us” as other parts of the formula, but the NCAA won’t return my calls.

So once the field of 68 is chosen we’re ready to start the tourna-ment, right. Wrong. If a tournament has a Final Four, then it needs to have a First Four. Seriously, I’m not making this up. Before we really start playing through the bracket, tune in on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 13 and 14) to watch the last four at large selections play two games. Then the last four automatic qualifiers play two games. The two winning schools from each set of games make up the last four spots in the 64-team tournament. See? Simple.

Now that you know how the bracket is formed, plan on spending this weekend watching teams work to get their automatic bids by winning their conference championships. The ones I’ll be watching include the Big East, the Big 12, the Big Ten, the ACC and the SEC.

Let’s start with the Big East. Since all 16 teams in the conference play in the tournament, this is truly an anything-can-happen event, just ask UConn about last year. Watch for our local team, USF to put on a good show. It is the toughest defending team in the Big East and might play spoiler in this showdown. Amongst all conferences, it’s the Big East that generally sends the most teams to the dance so even if your team doesn’t take the title, don’t be surprised to see them make the bracket. Watch for the championship to air Saturday evening at 9 p.m.

Next one to watch is the Big 12 tournament. I’m hoping to see one

Sports Talk

See SPORTS TALK, Page 26

MACDILL COMMUNITYEVENTS

FridaySurf’s Edge Club

Membership Breakfast from 6:30-9 a.m. Club members FREE; Non-members: $6.95

Boomers Bar & GrillFriday Bash! 3-7 p.m. Bar

snacks & drink specials! Guaran-teed $100 club card drawing, Bar Bingo, and DJ!

Base TheaterIn honor of Dan Aykroyd’s ap-

pearance at the Main Exchange from-3-5 p.m., the 6th FSS will have a free showing of “Ghost-busters” at 6 p.m.

SaturdayLittle Patriots Embraced

Two Sessions! 9:30 a.m. Bran-don Regional Service Center, 11:30 a.m.; MacDill AFB Youth Center. storytime sessions for families of deployed only. RSVP required. Call 828-0145 or 655-9281.

Auto Hobby ShopLOF… What Does That Mean

& How Do I Do It? 10-11 a.m. Learn how to perform an oil & fil-ter change.

Monday-FridaySurf’s Edge Club

Global Tastes Lunch Buffet from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Cost $8. Mon.: Latin; Tue.: Italian; Wed.: Asian; Thur.: Mexican Fri.: Amer-icana.

WednesdayFitness Center

St. Patrick’s Day 5-K Run at 7 a.m.

For more information, visit our web site at www.macdillfss.com

Protestant servicesSunday - 9 a.m. - Praise Worship Service 9:30 a.m. - FAMCAMP Service (Bldg 2017) 12 p.m. - Gospel ServiceIslamic servicesFriday - 1:30 p.m. - Prayer Service

Catholic servicesSaturday - 4:30 p.m. - Confession

5:30 p.m. - Mass

Sunday - 10:30 a.m. - Mass

Monday to Thursday: 12:10 p.m. - MassFor all other faith inquiries or to view upcoming event information, call the Chapel at 828-3621 or visit the

website at www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel

CHAPEL SCHEDULE

House crasher!Col. Lenny Richoux, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, demolishes the old Wherry housing at MacDill Air Force Base, Feb. 27. There are 317 new homes, along with 10 handicapped accessible homes, slated to replace the old homes.

Photo by Senior Airman Melissa Paradise

more match-up between the top two seeds of Kansas and Missouri. This 107-year-old bor-der war is definitely one of the top 10 rivalries in sports. With Missouri moving to the SEC next year, a showdown in the conference cham-pionship would be an event you don’t want to miss. That the championship is being played in Kansas City just adds drama. Plan on dinner in front of the TV on Saturday night since this game airs at 6 p.m. One important note is that there is no love-loss between these two teams. If they meet up in the finals, these guys might be able to hold it together on the court, but the fans will be going nuts. Can’t wait.

Moving on to the ACC championship, you’ll have the possibility of another North Carolina/Duke match-up in the finals. Judg-ing by the thumping Duke just took from the Tar Heels, I’m sure they’ll want the show-down. For me, I’m Hoping to see Florida State pull the shocker and beat Duke in the semi-final and take the UNC in the final. Notice that’s Hoping with a capital H. The champion-ship game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Big Ten tournament is always a good

show, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on that ac-tion. While they won’t get as many bids as the Big East, they’ll be well-represented with up to 7 bids. With the regular season ending in a three-way tie between Michigan State, Mich-igan and Ohio State, bragging rights to who rules the roost in the conference is at stake. The championship game is Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Lastly, there is the SEC championship. Really, the biggest reason to watch this one is to see what the toughest team in the country looks like, and that team is Kentucky. They finished the season 30-1 and went undefeated in conference play. Teams keep throwing zone defenses at them, but the Wildcats have a pret-ty easy time picking them apart. Of course, you never know what can happen in March, so I’ll be flipping channels on Sunday at 1p.m. to keep an eye on the action.

Well that’s how it’s looking for Champion-ship Week in NCAA basketball. I have a feel-ing that we’ll be seeing a few upsets, so if you can’t catch the games, don’t miss the high-lights. March Madness is here! Enjoy the games and, as always, I hope your team wins.

SPORTS TALKFrom Page 24

Documents

MacDill Chapel: A place for everyone - page 14