- EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE BULLETIN - NOV 24th 1998
- Eglin grasps future with fiber optics
- New Coast Guard Cutter
- Tribute to a Vet...
- Eglin AFB Official website
- Click Here for more festivals
- Virgin's Branson interested in Fla. bullet train
- Local Movie Showings (Great Site)!
- Tired of being SPAMED to death? Forward your Spam to the FCC and report them to uce@fcc.gov
- District 14  AA Meeting Schedule
- SILICON BEACH EXPO November 20-22

1. HOLIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT. Thu, 26 Nov, is an official holiday for all military and civilian personnel at Eglin AFB except those required in necessary communications, utility, security, protective, or other essential services. Supervisors who have civilian employees working irregular tours of duty with rest days other than Sat and Sun should contact their servicing Employee Relations Specialist at 2-4298/8138 (Eglin) or 4-5214 (Hurlburt) if additional information is required. Holiday compensation for employees whose regularly scheduled workweek includes 26 Nov will be as prescribed by AFI 36-807. (96 MSS/DPCE, Mr. Johnson, 2-4298)

2. EGLIN COMMISSARY CLOSURE. The commissary will be closed on Thu, 26 Nov, in observance of Thanksgiving Day. (DECA, Ms Sannino, 2-3401)

3. 46 TW COMMANDER'S CALL. Commander's Call will be held on Tue, 1 Dec, 1500, in the Memorial Lake Theater. Attendance is mandatory for all officers and top 3 NCOs. Civilians in the grade of GS-9 and above are highly encouraged to attend. (46 TW/CVE, Capt. Farrell, 2-2908)

4. VOLUNTEER NEEDED. HQ ACC has immediate requirements for 240 Third Country National (TCN) escorts at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. The first 39 rotations begin 12 Dec 98 with 39 rotations every 15 days. TCN escorts are responsible for accompanying and observing third country national contractors while in US military facilities. Minimum grade E-2 and maximum grade E-4. If interested contact the Personnel Readiness Unit at 2-2910. (96 MSS/DPMD, MSgt Jinks, 2-2815)

5. EXCESS INSTRUMENTATION TRAILERS. The JSTARS program has four 20' long instrumentation trailers available. (46 TW/TSRI, Mr. White, 3-1093)

6. GIVING TREE. The 19th Annual "Give a Child a Christmas" Giving Tree will be at the Eglin BX 28-29 Nov, 0700-2200. Each ornament on the tree has the name and age of a child and a few ideas of something they would like from Santa. All you have to do is choose an ornament from the Giving Tree, purchase any item or items on the list and return it to the table. The gift-wrapping will be done for you! All gifts will go to underprivileged children in Okaloosa County. "Give a Child a Christmas" is sponsored by the Eglin Company Grade Officer's Council. For more information, call Capt. Macie at 3-4065. (96 MDOS/SGOMI, Capt. Hick, 3-8233)

7. SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED SHREDDING SERVICE. The Base Recycling Center has the capability to random-shred your sensitive unclassified paper documents. For destruction of other than sensitive paper documentation, please contact your unit security officer. Paper documents must be free of bookbinders, newspaper, food items and other contaminants. (AAC/EMCP, Mr. Behnken, 2-6282x406)

8. CIVILIAN VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT. Contract Specialist, GS-1102-5 with potential to GS-7, located at the 16th Contracting Squadron, Hurlburt Field. This is a permanent job share position (part-time 20-32 hrs per week). Permanent Career/Career Conditional employees, serviced by Eglin, may apply. Basic qualifications include a BS Degree in any field or 24 semester credit hours in Business related disciplines, and 1 year of contracting services experience at the GS-04 level. Interested employees should submit a letter for consideration, including name, social security number, and duty phone, to Ms Flowers, 96 MSS/DPCO, 310 W Van Matre Ste 157, Eglin AFB FL 32542 (bldg 210) by COB 4 Dec. (96 MSS/DPCO, Ms Lamas, 2-3203x267)  

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Eglin recently completed an upgrade of its Combat Information Transport System, or CITS, thanks to an Air Force-wide initiative to update communications. As part of that initiative, the Air Force committed more than $1 billion for an overhaul of fiber-optic links at 108 bases worldwide.  Eglin's share for its upgrade was $6.75 million for network equipment that is the backbone of local area network connections. The update replaces old copper cable that was once the industry's standard.

Starting last September, Eglin began to run more than 63 miles of fiber optic cable to connect 142 'core' buildings and 12 information transfer nodes, said Staff Sgt. Eric Beasley, 96th Communications Squadron's project action officer.  "This project was a major undertaking," Beasley reported. "It took a lot of coordination to ensure base utilities weren't interrupted during the installation."

Heading the installation team was Charles Monroe, program manager from the 38th Engineering and Installation Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla. "Team Eglin does what it says-it works together," said Monroe. "Everyone was on the same wavelength, and there were no delays due to the tremendous support the installation team received."  Fiber optics transmits digitized messages or information by light pulses along hair-thin glass fibers. Cables of optical fibers can be made smaller and lighter  than conventional cables using copper wires, yet they can carry much more information, making them useful for transmitting large amounts of data. According to Zane Gray, project engineer for the 38th EIW, CITS provides a uniform backbone architecture for a wide area as well as the local area.

"This system will carry the U. S. Air Force well into the 21st century," Gray reported.  The use of fiber optic cable also increases computer security, an added plus, said Phil Hansford, base computer security facility officer here. "These cables don't broadcast or emit a signal such as the old copper wiring," said Hansford. " Tapping into them is more easily detected."

Another advantage is optical cable is immune to electromagnetic interference from lightning, nearby electric motors, and similar sources. But most importantly, the new system benefits Eglin's ability to get the mission done faster and more efficiently.

"This system lays a lot of capability in our lap," said Col. Michael J. Basla, commander of the 96th Communications Group. "It challenges us to make the most of those capabilities."  He also reported that the behind-the-scene support and services were enhanced without most people realizing changes were made.

Eglin is ahead of the most bases in upgrading digital communication. The Air Force's CITS program's timeline extends to year 2004.

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New Coast Guard Cutter

The 87-ft. Coast Guard Cutter Barracuda, shown above, has taken over the watch as the first of the new Marine Protector Class vessels.

It replaces the Coast Guard's aging family of 82-ft. Point Class patrol boats. Among the design changes, the new cutter has a 1-man raft launching system and a bridge 8 times larger than its predecessor.  The extra space will accommodate an expanded electronics suite that includes a SSR-73 surface search radar capable of simultaneously tracking 300 contacts, up to a range of 96 miles.  The U.S. Coast Guard hopes to order up to 50 of the new craft over the next several years.

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WHAT IS A VET?

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.   Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.  You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a vet?

"It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU!"

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