10Dec97 AFNS

[AFNS]

Celebrating the Air Force's 50th Anniversary:
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Air Force News Service
This file contains 6 stories and 1 image cutline
AFNS electronic filename: 10dec97
971566. Enlisted promotion rates increase second straight year
971571. Chief of staff announces officer assignment system review
971570. Starlifter era comes to end at Travis AFB
971569. Air Force leads national heart disease study
971568. Two Kadena homes exploit energy from the sun
971567. Bilingual student excels while attending Japanese public school
971567a. Bilingual student excels while attending Japanese public
school - cutline
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971566. Enlisted promotion rates increase second straight year

by Senior Master Sgt. Jim Katzaman
Air Force News Service

WASHINGTON -- Air Force personnel officials plan to bring holiday cheer
to noncommissioned officer grades again this year.

For the second consecutive year, promotion rates to staff, technical and
master sergeants will increase, while promotion rates for seniors and
chiefs will remain above the Total Objective Plan for Career Airmen
Personnel, or TOPCAP, minimum promotion rates.

"Last year we were able to increase promotion rates to the highest
levels seen in the last 10 years for staff, technical and master
sergeants and we are pleased to announce the 1998 promotion rates will
increase for these grades as well," said Lt. Gen. Michael D. McGinty,
deputy chief of staff for personnel.

Again this year, the largest increase will come at the technical
sergeant grade with an increase of 2.5 percent from the 1997 rate. The
1998 promotion rate for technical sergeant will be 17.6 percent. This
means the promotion rate for technical sergeant will have increased by
6.4 percent over the last two years.

Master sergeants will have an increase similar to last year's 2.1 boost.
They will receive a 1.8 percent increase, bringing the 1998 rate to 23.4
percent. This is the highest promotion rate for master sergeants seen
since 1987.

"We are pleased to be able to increase the staff sergeant promotion rate
for 1998," McGinty said. "We owe it to our hardworking senior airmen to
give them the highest promotion rate our personnel system will allow."
The 1998 promotion rate for staff sergeants will be 18.7 percent, up
from 18.5 percent in 1997. This is a 2.1 percent increase since 1996.

Senior and chief master sergeant promotions are constrained by law to
not more than 3 percent of the total enlisted end strength. With this
in mind, McGinty said, "end strength is the driving factor in
determining promotion rates for seniors and chiefs. Because end
strengths change it is very difficult to predict future rates with
precision.

"However," he added, "we anticipate the promotion rates will remain
above the TOPCAP minimum promotion selection rates, which are 6 percent
for seniors and 13 percent for chiefs." Last year the promotion rates
were 7.6 percent for seniors and 18.1 percent for chiefs, and similar
promotion rates are expected again for 1998.

"The rate for seniors was higher in 1997 than we have seen since 1991,
and for chiefs the 1997 rate was slightly lower than 1996 but
considerably higher than the previous eight years," McGinty said.

"Our people are our most valuable asset in the Air Force," McGinty said.
"We are excited that we can help take care of our people by increasing
promotion rates and at the same time balance the force.

"Increased promotion rates can't do it alone. It takes hard work,
dedication and good study habits to reach individual promotion goals."
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971571. Chief of staff announces officer assignment system review

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- A working group will convene at the Pentagon the
week of Dec. 8 to kick off a review of the officer assignment system.

OAS was implemented in January 1995 and was last modified with the
addition of the More Voice/More Choice program in June 1996.

"Based on feedback from the field, I believe the time is right to
initiate a thorough review to validate or make changes, if necessary, to
the principles and processes of OAS ensuring it fits our current force
structure and composition," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael
E. Ryan.

In the nearly three years since its implementation, the Air Force has
continued its drawdown and gone through many other changes. "I only
want to make changes which will enhance our ability to get the mission
done, while at the same time, meet the needs of our people," Ryan said.

Retired Air Force Gen. John A. Shaud, current executive director of the
Air Force Association, was chosen to lead the review group comprising of
officers from different commands and specialties throughout the Air
Force.

Joining the general are officers from the rated, non-rated operations,
logistics, medical, support and acquisitions career fields. The team
includes active-duty field-grade and company-grade officers.

"General Shaud's years of experience in the Air Force, most notably
serving as the deputy chief of staff for personnel and commander of Air
Training Command, along with his continuous involvement as a senior
statesman, will serve the Air Force well leading this review," Ryan
said.

This week the group receives briefings on the history, principles and
evolution of the current assignment system. After the group breaks this
week, they'll return to their commands and bases over the holidays to
discuss OAS with commanders and other officers to ensure they hear as
many varied views as possible on OAS.

In January 1998, the group reconvenes to complete their review and make
any recommendations, if necessary, to Ryan. Any new changes to the
system would be implemented following Ryan's review -- probably in the
March time frame.

More information concerning the review will be released as the review
develops over the coming months.
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971570. Starlifter era comes to end at Travis AFB

by Staff Sgt. Mark Kinkade
60th Air Mobility Wing public affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- In a few weeks, 1997 will come
to pass. Likewise, so will the Starlifter era at Travis.

Travis received its first C-141 on April 23, 1965. For 32 years, it
hauled people and cargo around the world from the Vietnam War to
current-day humanitarian and global airlift missions.

"The primary impact on the 60th Air Mobility Wing will be the types of
missions the C-141 supported, such as Operation Deep Freeze,
repatriations and the Primary Nuclear Airlift Force missions," said Lt.
Col. Floyd A. Badsky, 20th Airlift Squadron commander. These missions
have been transferred to McChord Air Force Base, Wash., and will be
greatly missed, he added.

Travis began supporting Operation Deep Freeze in the 1960s, first with
the C-124s and later with the C-141s. The annual resupply of scientific
research teams in the Antarctic was flown for the Naval Support Force
Antarctica, in support of the National Science Foundation. Missions
were flown from Christchurch, New Zealand, to McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.

Another key, yet sentimental mission, Travis performs is the
repatriation ceremonies that honor the return of the remains of American
service people who were killed/missing in action who are identified and
returned to the U.S. for final burial. As this honorable duty is moved
to McChord with the C-141, Travis will no longer be the first American
soil that U.S. servicemembers touch when their remains are returned
"home."

Even though these missions have moved to McChord, the entire C-141 fleet
is scheduled for an incremental drawdown to be completed by 2006,
according to Air Force officials. Current alignments are a part of a
series of actions begun in 1993.

In December 1996, Air Force officials announced that Travis would lose
more of its C-141 Starlifter fleet during fiscal 1997. In May 1997, the
inactivation of the 20th Airlift Squadron by January 1998, was
announced.

The squadron's C-141B Starlifter fleet will depart Travis for other
bases and eventual retirement.

Travis was previously home to another squadron (19th Airlift Squadron)
of 16 C-141 Starlifters which were drawn down at the end of FY '96.

In 1994, the base had 35 C-141s assigned. Now, three years later, it
has fewer and that will dwindle to zero by the new year.

The decision to retire the C-141 Starlifter, once the Air Force's core
airlift aircraft, was based on recommendations from the 1994 Scientific
Advisory Board. The secretary of the Air Force convened the board in
response to Congressional direction to examine service life extension of
the C-141 fleet.

The board concluded flight beyond 45,000 equivalent flight hours may not
be viable because widespread fatigue damage may jeopardize the fail-safe
features of the basic design. (Courtesy of AMC News Service and Travis
AFB Public Affairs)
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971569. Air Force leads national heart disease study

by George Kelling
Wilford Hall Public Affairs

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Healthier lives and a decrease
in heart disease may be the end result of a seven-year study by Wilford
Hall Medical Center.

Preliminary results of Air Force and Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis
Prevention Studies, a heart disease prevention study, were released at
the American Heart Association convention in November, and attracted
national media attention.

The study aimed to see if the drug Lovastatin, long used to lower
cholesterol levels, would be effective as a preventive measure for
people whose cholesterol is normal or only moderately high. The
double-blinded study indicated that the drug, plus a healthy diet, would
reduce the risk of first occurrence of certain heart problems. The risk
reduction was 36 percent.

Wilford Hall Medical Center's Air Force Coronary Atherosclerosis
Prevention Program, universally referred to as AFCAPS, and its sister
TEXCAPS conducted by the Fort Worth-based North Texas Health Science
Center, were brought to a conclusion in September. A civilian drug firm
funded the study, with the funds managed by a not-for-profit foundation.
Wilford Hall and the University of North Texas Health Science Center ran
the programs. AFCAPS enrolled 3,737 of the participants, with TEXCAPS
accounting for 2,868.

The study was significant in many ways, not least in its sheer size and
only two study locations. The cohort of 6,605 participants was one of
the largest in the nation, and the size contributes to the power of the
study's statistical observations. Lt. Col. (Dr.) Rick Downs, Wilford
Hall staff internist and the study's principal investigator, points out
that the Air Force, with its organization and discipline, was key to the
study's success.

"We had the organization and the discipline to put together a study of
this size, and our beneficiary population are used to systems and
organization. As the Air Force's largest medical facility, we were an
ideal organization to initiate AFCAPS and to work hand in hand with our
colleagues at TEXCAPS."

Downs notes that the study was also noteworthy for its inclusion of
women, diabetics and people older than 65 in a heart disease project and
its military-foundation-industry partnership.

AFCAPS participants, half of them military beneficiaries from all the
services living in South Texas, look back on the experience with
enthusiasm. Besides the opportunity to help in such a significant
study, they received annual physicals and other examinations, and their
health was closely monitored during the years they were with the study.
One participant stood up at his group's final meeting and exclaimed, "I
think AFCAPS was a great program, thanks for including me. I wouldn't
have had the exams I received without it."

AFCAPS was closely tied to Wilford Hall's and Brooke Army Medical
Center's Wellness Programs and a large number of the participants were
recruited through that activity. "The Wellness Program, headed by
(retired Air Force) Lt. Col. (Dr.) Eli Whitney, was vital to AFCAPS,"
Downs explained. The program allowed us to acquaint a large cadre of
potential AFCAPS participants with the benefits of the study, and we
have used the wellness data base for recruiting for other projects since
then."

Whitney adds, "The wellness study at Brooke Army Medical Center was
instrumental in providing data to design the study. The 300 volunteers
were not only key to recruiting participants but many of them became
participants themselves."

Downs' notes the study not only has national and international impact,
but also is right on target with the Air Force's healthcare goals.

"'Put Prevention Into Practice' is a key program in today's Air Force,
and AFCAPS is right in line with that philosophy."

The main study is finished, but a follow-up study via questionnaire is
planned throughout the next two years to extend the period of
observation.

Since the study's final results were presented to the world, Downs is
frequently asked if every person should be taking the drug.

"The study showed the value of the Lovastatin in many cases, but, like
any research study, it is a tool to allow physicians to practice
medicine better. Any course of treatment or prevention is a decision
made between the patient and his provider."
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971568. Two Kadena homes exploit energy from the sun

by Tech. Sgt. T.J. Soderlund
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- The world has one of the largest
suppliers of free energy within its reach and two base homes here are
exploiting it for the first time in the Pacific.

These military housing units, located at Camp Lester, Okinawa, Japan,
are test beds for solar powered water heaters.

If the scheduled two-year test produces energy-saving results, then the
gray, photoelectric plates may become a familiar site on the roof tops
of military housing, not only on Okinawa, but around the world,
according to Rex Belleville, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron utilities and
energy management chief.

"We're not just concerned with saving money when we say we're trying to
conserve energy," Belleville said. "We want to reduce the amount of
nonrenewable resources used."

Each solar collector costs about $14,000. With the intensity of the
Okinawa sun, the units should pay for themselves in about five to six
years, according to Belleville.

Solar-powered heating and hot-water systems started to debut in the
1970s but the systems at the time primarily piped water to roof top
units and were susceptible to ruptures, leaks and freezing, according to
Dr. A. Hunter Fanney of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology.

The systems being tested are arrays of solar collectors that turn the
intensity of sunlight into electrical energy, according to Fanney. This
electrical output is then carried through wires to a control module,
which then selects which heating element in the water tank to relay
energy to.

Since the intensity of sunlight varies from day to day and can change
from minute to minute, the added feature of a solar radiation sensor is
tied to the control module. That sensor tells the control module which
resistance is needed from the heating elements to ensure hot water is
produced efficiently, according to Fanney. The water heaters are also
connected to commercial power for use during evening hours.

"Even if the solar powered water heaters only reduce commercial energy
consumption on Kadena and all of military base housing on Okinawa by 10
percent annually, that would in turn reduce the amount of black coal use
by 6,000 tons annually or the equivalent of a million gallons of fuel
oil yearly," said Belleville.

Using solar energy is one way to reduce the amount of nonrenewable
energy used. With the data that's going to be collected from this test,
"it will be irrefutable documentation on whether the systems save
nonrenewable energy and how much," said Belleville. If the results are
positive, then it will be easier to get funding to install these types
of systems in the future, according to Belleville.

"We would like to see energy usage go down, but the big thing is to see
nonrenewable energy consumption go down," said Belleville. "We need to
conserve for other reasons rather than just to save money.

"We're here to support a mission and with the new types of systems
coming on line, the possibility of bases like Kadena becoming less
dependent on commercial power from the surrounding communities could be
possible," said Belleville.

For now the two housing units will be monitored for two years to gauge
energy savings. With those savings comes a direct impact on the
environment because of the reduced amount of nonrenewable fuel sources
consumed, according to Belleville. (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News
Service)
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971567. Bilingual student excels while attending Japanese public school

by Staff Sgt. Guy Volb
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- Al and Doretta Dixon sat in the back of
the room with stoic faces. In front of them were 30 students, all
dressed similarly, focused on their instructor at the head of the class.

After some preliminary chatter on the day's assignments and the previous
night's homework the teacher loosened up the class with a little humor.

Everyone broke into laughter except for Al and Doretta who, except for
one quick glance at each other, continued to stare indifferently toward
the front of the room.

Their stone-faced expressions weren't the result of them lacking a sense
of humor or the difficulty of fourth-grade history; it's just that they
had missed something in the translation. You see, the class isn't much
of a challenge until you realize it's being taught in Japanese.

So while they sat with little clue as to what was going on, their
9-year-old daughter Ashley understood everything without a problem.

According to the Dixons', Ashley's trek to Japanese literacy began when
she was 4 years old. "She expressed an interest in learning a new
language," they said, "so after arriving here in 1994 we thought it
would be a good idea to send her to a Japanese school."

So at the age of 7 Ashley enrolled in Musashino Primary School. Located
just eight minutes from Yokota, the school has a student body of 446, of
which Ashley is one of just seven gaijins or foreigners.

Initially, Al and Doretta were concerned whether she'd be able to pick
up the language when she entered first grade at the school. Three years
later though, her Japanese is so good it leads to comical exchanges at
home.

"Ashley," Al remembered asking one night, "what did you learn in school
today?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't understand it anyway," Ashley replied
without hesitation.

"Okay, how about your homework?" he countered, trying to keep the upper
hand. "Are you finished with that?"

"Yes daddy," was her answer. And Al should have marched off into the
kitchen where it was safer, feeling good having had the last word.
Instead, he planted his foot squarely between his upper and lower jaws.

"May I see it?" he had asked with parental authority.

"Why dad? You can't read it," she responded with a mischievous smile.

Today, Ashley laughs when asked about it. "It's funny, because I know
they can't read any of it."

Those who can though said Ashley is doing great. "She enjoys math and
speaks (Japanese) very well," offered Yumiko Halada, the school's vice
principle. "We're surprised she's doing so well since both of her
parents are American and when she first arrived here three years ago she
couldn't speak Japanese at all."

"I was scared when I first started coming here," said Ashley about the
school. "I didn't know how to speak Japanese or what was going to
happen. Now I love it, especially math and science."

Still, Al and Doretta have had their doubts. There was the day she
brought her first Japanese report card home - written in Kanji.

"Naturally we didn't understand it," said Al, "but being proud parents
we applied American methodology to decipher it. We assumed the zeros
located on the left side of the report card indicated she was having a
difficult time with her studies. Later we found out through a Japanese
friend that the locations of the zero's meant she was actually doing
quite well."

Similar culture clashes keep Al and Doretta on their toes, but it
doesn't prevent them from taking an active interest in Ashley's
education. Hence their visit to the school. Watching Ashley interact
with the Japanese children also helps remind them that she is just a
child, a fact sometimes lost at home when her bilingual abilities
overshadow her age.

"In a lot of ways Ashley is 9 going on 24," he said. "Then at other
times her youth is apparent. Last year she came home and told us that
she didn't have school the following week because of the Japanese
holiday Golden Week. Several days into the week, however, the school
called us inquiring about her absence. They said the holidays weren't
until the following week. When we asked Ashley about it she said, 'you
know I don't understand Japanese that well.' Doretta and I looked at
each other and laughed. Ashley, we figured, had plans for the week and
they didn't include school."

Doretta said perceptions of Japanese schools are that they're very
strict and the teachers are respected. She said she could confirm those
perceptions, but that it didn't seem to bother Ashley.

"Japanese schools teach the children discipline through strict rules,"
said Doretta. "The children understand that they are responsible for
their behavior at all times. Ashley seems to enjoy the no-nonsense
approach."

In fact, said Al, she puts her education before play on her own. "If
she's reading and some other children want to play, she tells them she
will join them after she finishes her book." (Courtesy of Pacific Air
Forces News Service)
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971567a. Bilingual student excels while attending Japanese public
school - cutline
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971567a.gif and 971567a.jpg

Ashley Dixon practices her katakana skills by writing her sister's name,
Briana, out on the classroom's chalkboard. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Guy
Volb)