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Archive for the ‘Air Force’ Category

A Tip Of The Hat To Two Dogs

Friday, December 11th, 2015

Today, one of my mentors retires after 51 years of Federal Service (USAF Officer and Civil Service). Joseph “Two Dogs” E Murphy, Jr, Lt Col, USAF (Ret) was my first boss after commissioning in the Air Force. Joe goes way back in AFSOC Intel to the 23rd Air Force days. After retiring, they brought him back as a civilian and Joe created the Special Tactics Intelligence community. I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the first officers to work for him in that capacity at the 720th STG. Not only that, he’s been a great friend and mentor to me these past 18 years.

I want to wish Joe, his wife Sally, children and grandchildren well on this occasion. Two Dogs, I hope you enjoy that retirement. You’ve more than earned it.  

Gidget – The Parachuting Dog

Saturday, November 28th, 2015

Gidget, the 15 month old mongrel-mascot of 7th Aerial Port Squadron’s Combat Control Team, doesn’t lead a dog’s life. “She lives the life of a paratrooper. “Gidget, complete with serial number and a forthcoming rank, makes parachute jumps right along side Combat Controllers. “Wearing a miniature T-10 parachute with a 12 foot in diameter canopy made especially for her, the female pooch has a record of 12 jumps from a C-130 Hercules aircraft.


Back row: Paul Bisnett, Bobby Boone, Marty Ragland, Kenny Young, Moe Lattimore, and George McLean Front row: Gordin (George) Hamblin, James E. Proctor, Richmond D. “Smokey” Murray, Authur P. “Skip” Arnold , and Capt Noel L. Moore with Gidget

Source: www.sgtmacsbar.com/CCTPhotos/Gallery07/Japan/Japan

I Think The Air Force Would Authorize This

Friday, November 27th, 2015

  

Battlefield Airmen Trauma Distributed Observation Kit

Monday, November 2nd, 2015

Just last week I was discussing AFRL’s BATMAN effort with some colleagues. Let’s hope this latest project sees a transition from lab to the field.

  

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFNS) — Imagine a future battlefield where an Air Force pararescue jumper treats seven wounded service members at once. He places sensors on their chests, arms and fingers, which immediately feed vital signs to a small wireless computer, no bigger than a cell phone, on his forearm.

As he checks out the fifth person, his computer vibrates. He looks at the computer screen: the second person’s heart rate is dropping. The pararescueman moves back to the second person and performs chest compressions, saving their life.

That future is not far off. Engineers with the 711th Human Performance Wing from the Human Effectiveness Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are working on exactly this kind of wearable technology to assist medics in the field.

It’s called BATDOK (Battlefield Airmen Trauma Distributed Observation Kit), and it is part of a larger advanced technology demonstration program known as BATMAN (Battlefield Air Targeting Man-Aided Knowledge), which focuses on adapting technologies to dismounted Airmen.

“Currently PJs treat patients one-to-one,” said Dr. Gregory Burnett, the program’s chief engineer. “Now we can have one PJ treat and monitor multiple patients simultaneously.”

BATDOK runs on a smartphone but can transfer to any variety of devices. “If a PJ wanted to run it in the field, he could use it on a smartphone,” Burnett said, “or he could use it on a 10-inch tablet in a helicopter.”

BATDOK includes wrist and chest mounts to make access to the device easier, although some PJs simply prefer keeping the device in their pocket.

Wireless sensors placed on the patient send aggregated vitals to the computer screen, providing PJs the ability to make emergency medical decisions. Like a cellphone, the device can be set for three kinds of alerts: auditory, tactical or visual. The alerts notify the PJ not only to which patient is in danger, but also to his or her vitals.

  

To develop this technology, the BATMAN research team worked very closely with PJs to identify what critical information the operators needed so the team could develop the most intuitive and effective interface.

Burnett explained that there are three phases to the team’s work: interface, innovate and integrate. Through direct interaction with the operators, the team innovated a solution, and integrated it to the PJs’ equipment and mission needs.

BATDOK does not just help during critical care. It keeps a record of all its patients’ vitals and other information. After a mission, a PJ could retrieve the data for a patient care report.

“All those key medical care procedures are logged for better documentation of care,” Burnett said.

It is also adaptable for improved technology. “We use FDA approved sensors,” said 1st Lt. Max Gabreski, a software engineer on the BATMAN team, “but if a new sensor becomes available, we find a way to quickly integrate the sensor into our system.”

BATDOK could also be used on humanitarian missions, where a commander monitors a team entering an earthquake- or tsunami-ravaged area. “It could accommodate not just the military, but civilian needs,” Burnett added.

Presently, BATDOK is being tested by Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command, and will be brought to decision boards soon. It is also being used in training scenarios at strategic locations around the United States.

“It’s getting a lot of attention from the pararescue community,” Burnett said. “It’s a really effective system, capable of improving patient survivability not just in the Air Force, but the DOD and the civilians that it cares for.”

The story originates at www.af.mil/News.

The Air Force Struggles To Deal With Blogs

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

  
According to this chart, sanctioned by the USAF Public Affairs Agency, any blog which features negative content about the Air Force, can only be categorized as a troll, a rager, a misguided poster, or an unhappy customer. Way to go.  Apparently, nothing is wrong with the Air Force and it can’t stand up to criticism.

Source: www.facebook.com/jqpublic

The Air Force Fun Police Strike Yet Again

Sunday, October 4th, 2015

It may seem like we’ve been a bit heavy handed this weekend with the Air Force, but hey, they keep coming up with stuff like this. Why make a shirt that no one can wear?

Make the jump to see the offending T-shirt. (more…)

You Want POGs?  I’ll Show You Some POGs

Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

These hurt feelings POGs had to have been created by a Pogue; an Air Force Pogue.

 

Whoever came up with these should choke himself.

 

Credit to Air Force amn/nco/srnco on Facebook for finding these abominations.

John Q Public Discusses ‘Grunts of the Air’ : The A-10 Video The Air Force Doesn’t Want You To See

Thursday, September 10th, 2015

Fellow Air Force retiree Tony Carr writes the John Q Public blog which keeps the Air Force on its toes. He has been keeping tabs on the Combat Camera-produced, unreleased doumentary, ‘Grunts of the Air’ depicting an A-10 Squadron deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. For some reason, the Air Force hasn’t released it officially. Naturally, Carr wants to know why.

I have no interest in stealing JQP’s thunder, so please read the background story here.