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♦ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2007
Soldiers team with combat aircrews to engage enemy
tty SENIOR AIRMAN
ERIK HOF METER
tfyth Air Expeditionary Wing
Public Affairs
Joint combat environ
ments don’t just exist on the
ground, but also exist in the
sky above Iraq.
U.S. Army soldiers serve
as crewmembers on the E
-8C Joint Surveillance Target
Attack Radar System air
craft.
An Army deputy mission
crew commander and two
enlisted personnel form a
team of three soldiers on
the 21-person JSTARS
crew to assist in finding,
fixing, tracking, targeting
and engaging enemy forces
throughout Iraq.
“They’re a vital part of the
crew; we’re together wheth
er at home or deployed. We
fly, fight, and win together
as one joint team,” said Lt.
Col. Joe Schmidt, the 128th
Expeditionary Airborne
Command and Control
Squadron commander. “We
rely on one another; it’s a
joint fight anytime, any
where.”
Joint STARS evolved from
Army and Air Force pro
grams developed to detect,
locate and attack enemy
armor at ranges beyond the
forward area of U.S. ground
forces.
The aircrew uses the E
-BC’s radar and communica
tions systems to provide a
one-of-a-kind command and
control capability focused
exclusively on air to ground
operations.
“E-8C aircrews use the
radar, called moving target
indicator, to detect what
is moving on the ground.
This radar data is sent via
datalink to ground forc-
CoMMUNnY Events
■ FREE TAX HELP
- AARP is currently offer
ing tax assistance - through
April 14 - at the Perry
Library for “taxpayers with
moderate incomes.” They are
there Thursdays from 12:30
p.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays
from 9 a.m.-l p.m.
■ WR REC. SPRING
DAYS - The Warner Robins
Recreation Department will
started registration Monday
for “Spring Dayz”, a day
camp for spring break. The
camp will be held from 7:30
a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday (five days),
April 2-6 for boys and girls
ages 7 through 12 years
old. The .cost is $54 for city
residents, $lO2 for county
residents and $l6B for out
of-county residents. Bring a
sack lunch every day - drinks
and snacks will be provided.
For more information, call
929-6945.
■ SCHOOL COUNCIL
- The Feagin Mill Middle
school council will meet
today from 7 p.m. in the
school media center.
■ DOG OBEIDIENCE
CLASS REGISTRATION
- Warner Robins Recreation
Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter Events Calendar
Today - March 22
Family Motor Coach
Association
Fairgrounds
Estimated number of people
is set at 12,000
Information: 800-543-3622
ext. 240
March 24
Air Force Jr. ROTC Drill
Tifton hosting plant, wildflower symposium
By SHARON OMAHEN
University of Georgia
If native plants, rare plants
or wild flowers intrigue you,
mark your calendar for
the seventh annual South
Georgia Native Plant and
Wildflower Symposium
March 28 in Tifton.
Conservation botanist
Linda Chafin will update
participants on rare plants
of Georgia. She has con
ducted rare species surveys
throughout the Southeast.
The author of “The Field
, Guide to Rare Plants of
es operating Joint STARS
Common Ground Stations
located throughout Iraq,”
Schmidt said. “This data is
either exploited real time or
used post mission by CGS
personnel to provide tacti
cal ground commanders a
comprehensive and common
view of the battlefield for
battle management, intelli
gence and targeting opera
tions.
“Meanwhile, the aircrew
fuses the real-time radar
data with available intelli
gence information to provide
direct guidance and support
to fighters, attack helicop
ters, joint terminal attack
controllers, and ground
maneuver units in the field,”
Schmidt said.
“We make sure the CGS
operators get as much
intelligence and data they
require to do their mission
and keep ground forces
safe,” said Army Staff Sgt.
Gregg Swanson, the 128th
EACCS Airborne Targeting
Surveillance supervisor.
Ground forces have con
ducted operations using the
information received from
Joint STARS to successful
ly find numerous weapons
caches, improvised explosive
device emplacers, and bor
der smuggling routes.
“I used to be on the
ground in Iraq, looking at
the MTI, and now I’m on the
Air Force side of the house,”
Swanson said. “It’s helped
me give better inputs and
understand how I can best
get ground forces the help
they need.”
The joint aircrew also aids
in communication between
the services.
When things get passed
between the branches of the
U.S. Armed Forces, some
Department will hold reg
istration for a dog obedi
ence class today from
6:30-7:30 p.m. at Perkins
Pavilion behind the depart
ment, which is located at
800 Watson Blvd., in Warner
Robins. Dogs must be at least
six months old (but they ask
you “do not” bring the dog to
registration). The cost is SSO
for the 10-week course. For
more, call instructor Trudy
Reynolds at 953-4488, or the
department at 929-6946.
■ GENEALOGY
SOCIETY MEETING
- The Central Georgia
Genealogy Society, Inc. will
meet Thursday at 7 p.m.
at Trinity United Methodist
Church (Wesleyan Room),
129 South Houston Road in
Warner Robins. Their speak
er will be Barbara Kromann.
She, according to a release
from the organization, will
present information on her
ancestor who is associated
with both the Mayflower
crossing and the Jamestown
settlement. Visitors are
always welcome. There is
no admission charge. For
more information, visit their
website at www.cggs.org or
Team
Reaves Arena
Estimated number of people
is set at 700
Information: 478-988-6318
March 28 - March 31
Georgia Good Sams
McGill-Heritage-Roquemore-
Fairgrounds
Estimated number of people
Florida,” she has now writ
ten a Georgia edition that
will be released this year.
Nurseryman Tommy Dodd
will discuss native plants
from a grower’s perspective.
Born into a nursery family,
Dodd has operated nurser
ies in Alabama and South
Carolina.
University of Georgia pro
fessor Jim Hook will discuss
water conservation from a
south Georgia perspective.
A leader in water use and
conservation, Hook serves
on many state, regional and
U.S. Air Force photo
Army Staff Sgt. Tim Harris, center, reviews an E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack
Radar System aircraft, or JSTARS, track with fellow aircrew members Maj. Jon Pindle,
left, and Capt. Dan Willems during a recent mission. The Air Force and Army aircrew
team provide a comprehensive look at the ground picture of radar targets in Iraq, and
report the information to multiple locations throughout the theater ensuring the best
possible radar top cover for coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The team is
part of the 128th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron Airborne
Target Surveillance.
things tend to get lost in
translation.
“All of us together, with
all of our different informa
tion and skill sets, are able
to better support ground
commanders,” said Ist Lt.
Lawrence Brown, 128th
EACCS air weapons officer.
“It’s a powerful mission sys
tem with the soldiers com
bining all of their experi
ence and knowledge with
Air Force mission crews.”
Enlisted soldiers serving
on Joint STARS must be
call 987-4621 or 951-6441.
■ HANDGUN CLASS
- The Warner Robins Police
Department will be conduct
ing a course on handgun
Basics for Women. The class
will be held at the Warner
Robins Police Department
Firing Range The class will
consist of two classroom ses
sions, Thursday from 7-9
p.m., and one session on the
firing range Saturday from 8
a.m. to noon. The classroom
sessions will be approxi
mately two hours and will
cover topics about handgun
safety, shooting and laws
concerning handguns. The
range session will be approx
imately four hours and will
consist of shooting exercises.
You must attend all sessions
to complete the course. The
cost of the course is $25. For
further information contact
Grace Hodges at the Warner
Robins Police Department
Training Center at 929-
7253
■ SCHOOL COUNCIL
- The Shirley Hills
Elementary school council
will meet Friday from 7:30
p.m. in the school cafeteria.
is set at 1,000
Information: 770-434-6012
March 28 - March 31
Pro Am Benefit Classic
Saddlebred Horse Show
Reaves-Covered Horse-
Horse Barn-Multi Purpose-
Georgia Living
Estimated number of people
is set at 4,750
national water planning
groups.
Writer, naturalist and
photographer Gil Nelson
will cover wild flowers of
the Southeastern coast
al plain. Nelson is a field
botanist at Florida State
University’s Robert K.
Godfrey Herbarium.
The symposium will
be at the National
Environmentally Sound
Production Agriculture
Laboratory on the UGA
campus in Tifton. It begins
at 9:15 a.m. and ends with
LOCAL
NCOs who have previous
ly served as an Army CGS
operator to fly on the E-BC.
Another facet of Joint
STARS is that the 128th
EACCS, like all Joint STARS
flying squadrons, epitomizes
Total Force operations with
approximately 20 percent of
the unit composed of Georgia
Air National Guardsmen.
The unit is one of only
three operational squadrons
worldwide, all stationed
at Robins Air Force Base,
Schmidt said.
■ BUILDING
DEDICATION - The
public is invited to attend
a worship service and cer
emony Sunday when those
of Andrew United Methodist
Church in Kathleen dedicate
their new community build
ing to the late Rev. Gene
Bates. The building is on the
grounds of the Andrew UMC
complex, and is already used
for a variety of community
activities. Bates served as
the first full-time minister
to the church, from June
1992 to January 2004. The
church will hold worship ser
vice at 10 a.m., followed by
the ceremony and a catered
luncheon. Anyone wishing
to stay for the luncheon is
asked to call for reservations
at 987-7934.
8 CPR SATURDAY - To
celebrate “March is Red
Cross Month,” the Houston-
Middle Georgia Chapter of
the American Red Cross is
holding its annual “CPR
Saturday” March 24. This
day, according to a release,
is set aside to increase CPR
awareness in the commu-
Information: 478-788-6866
March 30 - April 1
Beltista Home & Garden
Show
Miller-Murphy-Howard
Estimated number of people
is set at 5,000
Information: 478-987-7827
a 4 p.m. tour of the UGA
Coastal Plain Arboretum.
Space is limited, so regis
ter early. The registration
deadline is March 21. The
fee is S2O, with an optioned
lunch for another $7. For
more information, call Amy
Carter at 229-386-7274. Or
visit the website www.nes
pal.org/wildflower.
The event is sponsored by
the Garden Club of Georgia,
Camellia District TV and the
UGA College of Agricultural
and Environmental
Sciences.
The aircraft and its opera
tors, maintainers, and sup
port personnel have had a
continuous presence in the
U.S. Central Command area
of responsibility as part of
the 379th Air Expeditionary
Wing since May 2003.
“I’m proud to say Joint
STARS has now logged over
25,000 flight hours serv
ing in either Operation
Iraqi Freedom or Operation
Enduring Freedom,”
Schmidt said.
nity. The Houston-Middle
Georgia Chapter will be
offering two free infant/child
CPR classes to the public.
Class times are 8 a.m. and
noon. Participants must call
the Red Cross office at 478-
923-6332 to put their name
on the list to attend.
8 EASTER EGG HUNT
- The Robins Air Force Base
Chapel will host their annu
al Easter egg hunt for those
in the community with base
access. This event will be
held March 31 at Robins
Elementary School from
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Their
will also be inflatables,
games, face painting, food
and drinks. Contact Marcia
Little or Liz McCarthy at
923-2821 if you have any
questions.
Ocmulgee
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
RFCU
holds
elections
Special to the Journal
Robins Federal Credit
Union
held its
annual
meet
ing at
the Jack
G. Byrd
Learning
Center,
located
behind
the
Watson
Branch
location
Thursday.
Business
for the
year 2006
was dis
cussed
and the
results of
the Board
0
PARKER
■ 1
CLEGHORN
of Directors elections were
announced.
There
were
three
vacan
cies to be
filled for
the credit
union
Board of
Directors,
each for
a three
year term,
and one
vacancy
to fill the
remain
ing year of
deceased
board
me m -
ber, Jack
G. Byrd,
Jr.’s term.
*
’■■if
JONES
|r - * *
EDENFIELD-GIBBS
The winners were Jackie
D. Cleghorn (Incumbent),
John A. Jones (Incumbent),
and Mary Edenfield-Gibbs
(Incumbent), all three
vacancies ran unopposed,
and therefore all incum
bents were re-elected.
Dr. Mike D. Parker was
elected by the member
ship to fill the one-year
term.
- •
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Business In Town?
I Visit Our Website I
I hhinews.com* I
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II DIRECTORIES Jj
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