Seabees Get New Fitness Center, Barracks, Bigger Firehouse

GULFPORT -- Congressman Gene Taylor and Sen. Roger Wicker were among dignitaries who attended dedications of three new and renovated buildings at the Naval Construction Battalion Center.

Ribbon cuttings were held to celebrate construction of a new fitness center and new barracks, or living quarters, and an expanded fire house for the Seabee base.

The Seabees' official Website said the "fitness center includes an aquatics training facility, a gymnasium with two full size basketball courts, two racquet ball courts, strength and aerobic training areas. The living quarters are for enlisted bachelors at the construction training center.

The facilities are part of a $320 Katrina recovery project, which includes buildings that have been completed and others still under construction.

Get media details about the ceremonies:

Seabees Dedicate Trio of New Facilities

Gulfport base celebrates ribbon cuttings

www.wlox.com Sept. 28, 2009, Monday

Seabee Heritage Foundation Gulfport

www.seabeehf.org

Seabees Provide Mentors for Gulfport Students

www.navy.mil

Read history about Gulfport's Seabees at www.militarynewcomers.com

Veterans Day Festivities Planned For Nov. 11

The 10th Annual Jackson County Veteran’s Day Parade, Program & Exhibits has been set for Nov. 11. Festivities will be held in Moss Point.

Celebrations will start with a parade that rolls from the Southgate Shopping Center at the corner of Main and Jefferson streets at the Pascagoula and Moss Point city limits.

The procession will travel north on Main Street to the Jackson County War Memorial Monument in downtown Moss Point, where ceremonies will honor veterans of all past and present military conflicts fought by American personnel.

Parade Line-up: 8:30 a.m. – Southgate Shopping Center, Moss Point

Parade Rolls: 10:00 a.m. – Jefferson Avenue and Main Street

Parade Disbands: 10:45 a.m. – Downtown Moss Point, Riverfront Recreation Center

Program: 11:00 a.m. – Jackson County War Memorial Monument, Downtown Moss Point

Purpose: Recognize and honor our veterans – past and present

Exhibits: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Moss Point Riverfront Community Center, Downtown

Parade units will include floats, banks, automobiles, trucks, military vehicles, classic cars and trucks, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, horses, and other units.

Carla Todd, president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, said parade participants will include veterans' groups, youth groups, churches, businesses, governments, law enforcement, bands with NJROTC marching units, and a float honoring fallen soldiers.

"The program will feature exhibits from wars past and present, a keynote address, refreshments, classic car exhibit, 21-gun salute, POW/MIA ceremony and entertainment," said Todd.

Veteran exhibits may be viewed at the Moss Point Riverfront Community Center. Displays will include memorabilia from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan.

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Moss Point resident John Welch, founder of the Veteran's Program and Parade and a WWII Marine Corps Vet, are co-sponsors of the event.

Todd said Welch has always reminded everyone that the emphasis for the program as in years past is "freedom is not free."

Gulf Coast residents interested in participating in the Jackson County Veterans Day Parade, Program & Exhibits should contact the chamber of commerce. Information and forms may obtained at the chamber office or by email.

Fax your completed form to the chamber at 228-769-1726. For additional information call 228-762-3391.

E-mail to johnsonl@jcchamber.com or chamber@jcchamber.com. Mail completed form to Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 480, Pascagoula, MS 39568.

Photos 1 of 3 Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, commander of Air Education and Training Command, hands the 2nd Air Force flag to Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog during the change of command ceremony Sept. 9, 2009, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. General Hertog took command of 2nd Air Force from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers. (U.S. Air Force photo) Download HiRes Maj. Gen. Hertog assumes command of 2nd Air Force Posted 9/9/2009 By Angela Cutrer 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- When Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog assumed command of 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base Sept. 9 from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers, Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz called the two generals "two of the finest leaders the Air Force has known." "When I meet with Airmen, I always tell them 'you're the next great generation' and it's true," said General Lorenz, Air Education and Training Command commander, during the change of command. "With the training, professionalism, pride and values the 2nd Air Force instills in them, great Americans are born, and they are the heart and soul of the Air Force. "Your watch is full of outstanding accomplishments and highlights, and your fingerprints are etched upon Airmen's lives across the command," he told General Flowers. Second Air Force is the AETC organization that oversees technical and combat training for 250,000 students annually. General Flowers, the first career finance and budget officer to command a numbered Air Force, is heading to the Pentagon as Air Force budget director. General Hertog, accompanied by her husband, Herm Hertog, a retired chief master sergeant, smiled when General Lorenz commented that "success is a family business" for the Hertogs. "I am honored and thrilled to be home again in 2nd Air Force," General Hertog said. "I look forward to candid feedback about our training, because every aspect of training supports the Air Force. We train and graduate 250,000 students a year, but it's not just training that we do; we provide leaders." General Hertog is a career security forces officer whose most recent assignment was director of the Air Force's security forces. She has worked at the unit, major command and Air Staff level in various positions, including commanding several large security forces units and a technical training group. Prior to her assignment in Washington, D.C., she was commander of the 37th Training Wing at Lackland AFB, Texas, one of the largest training wings in the Air Force. General Lorenz welcomed General Hertog "back into the AETC family" with the comment that, "The chisel is now in your hands; the stone is before you." General Hertog replied, "It all starts here. Training helps determine our future because leadership makes a difference. I thank you for the honor and the privilege."

Commander hopes not to be just first, but also, best

(www.sunherald.com)

BILOXI (June 21, 2009) — While Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog is the first female to command any of the numbered Air Forces at bases around the world, that’s not the achievement she hopes will earn her accolades.

"It's not about being the first, it's about doing the best I can," she said.

MAJOR GENERAL MARY KAY HERTOG Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog is the Commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. She is responsible for the development, oversight, and direction of all operational aspects of basic military training, initial skills training, and advanced technical training for the Air Force enlisted force and support officers. Second Air Force provides training in more than 250 Air Force specialties through 2,500 courses graduating 245,000 Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and international students annually in diverse areas. These areas include aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, medical, computer, avionics, security forces, space and missile operations/maintenance, and multiple intelligence disciplines. The command includes training wings at Keesler AFB; Sheppard, Lackland, and Goodfellow AFBs, Texas; a training group at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; and a network of 92 field training units around the world. Second Air Force also oversees all Air Force Airmen throughout the Joint Expeditionary Tasking/Individual Augmentee training pipeline at Army training sites across the country and provides a 24-hour, 7-day operations center for pre- and post-deployment support. General Hertog entered the Air Force in 1978 as an ROTC distinguished graduate. As a career security forces officer, she has worked at unit, major command, and Air Staff level in various positions, to include commanding several large security forces units, a technical training group, and one of the largest training wings in the Air Force at Lackland AFB, Texas. Prior to her current assignment, she was Director of Security Forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. EDUCATION 1978 Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 1982 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1985 Master of Arts degree in industrial psychology, Webster University, Mo. 1991 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1996 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. ASSIGNMENTS 1. January 1978 - June 1981, officer shift commander, 1608th Security Police Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M. 2. July 1981 - February 1983, operations officer, 63rd Security Police Squadron, Norton AFB, Calif. 3. February 1983 - July 1984, Chief, Nuclear Security Branch, and executive officer, Security Police, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 4. July 1984 - August 1987, operations officer and Commander, 554th Security Support Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev. 5. August 1987 - August 1990, Chief, Law Enforcement and Antiterrorism Division, and Chief, Plans and Resources Division, Security Police, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii 6. August 1990 - June 1991, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 7. June 1991 - July 1995, Air Staff action officer, Security Police, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 8. July 1995 - June 1996, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 9. July 1996 - July 1999, Commander, 377th Security Forces Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M. 10. August 1999 - June 2000, Commander, 86th Security Forces Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany 11. June 2000 - July 2002, Commander, 37th Training Group, Lackland AFB, Texas 12. July 2002 - June 2004, Director of Security Forces, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va. 13. June 2004 - June 2006, Commander, 37th Training Wing, Lackland AFB, Texas 14. June 2006 - September 2009, Director of Security Forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 15. September 2009 - present, Commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss. MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Achievement Medal Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with silver oak leaf cluster Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster Air Force Recognition Ribbon with oak leaf cluster Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Humanitarian Service Medal EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 7, 1978 First Lieutenant Nov. 24, 1980 Captain Nov. 24, 1982 Major Dec. 1, 1988 Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1994 Colonel Jan. 1, 2000 Brigadier General Jan. 1, 2006 Major General May 7, 2009 (Current as of February 2010)

Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti

President Barack Obama awarded his first Medal of Honor on Sept. 17 posthumously to Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, who died in 2006 while trying to rescue a wounded soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan. The man and a medic later died when a helicopter cable snapped.

Media reports said Monti, of Raynham, Mass., was leading a patrol near the Pakistani border when they were attacked.

Portrait of Valor: Hero of Afghanistan, Sgt. Jared Monti Wins Medal of Honor Posthumously

Killed Trying to Rescue Injured Comrade Three Times, Soldier Receives Top Honor

abcnews.com Sept. 17, 2009

Media reports said members of the Army 10th Mountain Division who served with Monti attended the award ceremony. His parents, Paul and Janet Monti, accepted the Medal of Honor from Obama.

View photos of the ceremony at www.sunherald.com.

Six men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bikers Help Mississippi Guardsmen

The Dixie Thunder Run on Saturday raised funds to help National guardsmen across Mississippi. Reports at www.wlox.com say that more than 10,000 soldiers from the state have been deployed in the war on terror. Organizers hope to collect $20,000 this year.

Bikers raise money to help families of deployed MS guardsmen

www.wlox.com Sep 05, 2009

Fires Kill 2 Firefighters in California

CALIFORNIA -- Two firefighters died Sunday when their truck tumbled over a hillside while helping to fight fires raging across California hillsides.

California Fires Kill Two Firefighters

www.thenewsroom.com Aug. 31, 2009

Palmdale Arnaldo Arnie Quinones' Fireman Salute

www.ireport.com Sept. 3, 2009 Posted by Palmdaleir

Photographers on Fires' Frontline

Daring shutterbugs risk their lives for stunning photos of California wildfires.

www.abcnews.go.com

Keesler Dedicates Building to Col. Roberts

(Photos by Keesler Air Force Base)

Lawrence Roberts II, Sally-Ann Roberts Nabonne and Dorothy Roberts McEwen spoke at the ceremony honoring their late father, Col. Lawrence Roberts, a Tuskegee Airman who made Biloxi his home.

Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts, on of Col. Roberts' children, was on assignment and did not attend the building dedication.

By Jonathan Hicks 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE -- Team Keesler celebrated the life and time of retired Col. Lawrence Roberts Friday with a ceremony dedicating the 403 Wing's consolidated aircraft maintenance facility in his honor. The new $22.6 million structure is used to perform maintenance on equipment for aircraft of the 53rd Weather Recon-naissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" and 815th Airlift Squadron "Flying Jennies." The Hurricane Hunters fly the WC-130J model aircraft and the Flying Jennies fly the C-130J-30 stretch model cargo planes. Colonel Roberts began and ended his military career at Keesler -- as an Army Air Corps pre-aviation cadet private at Keesler Field in 1943 and as commander of Keesler's maintenance and supply group when he retired from the Air Force 32 years later. In 1944, he was assigned to the Tuskegee Airmen pilot training program and flew Piper Cubs, Boeing B-25 Bombers, C-54 transports and F-86 fighter jets.

A mural representing Colonel Roberts' military career was created by KAFB artist Suzy Templin.

Members of Team Keesler, family members, friends, and community representatives gathered for the dedication of the 403rd Wing's consolidated aircraft maintenance facility to honor retired Col Lawrence Roberts, who died in 2004. Col. Roberts, a Tuskegee Airman, began and ended his 32-year military career at Keesler Air Force Base.

After retirement, Colonel Roberts adopted the Mississippi Gulf Coast as his permanent home, and until his death in 2004, he continued his deep involvement with Keesler and the surrounding community.

Following the National Anthem performed by the Keesler Ensemble, Brig. Gen. Ian Dickinson, 81st Training Wing commander, spoke about Colonel Roberts' influence on the lives he had touched.

Brig. Gen. James Musc-atell Jr., 403rd Wing commander, reminded the audience of Colonel Roberts' leadership as a group commander at Keesler.

Three of the colonel's four children -- Sally-Ann Roberts Nabonne, Dorothy Roberts McEwen and Lawrence Rob-erts II -- spoke at the ceremony. His fourth child, ABC's Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, was unable to attend.

"It's truly hard to find the words to express how inspiring and moving this day has been," the colonel's son said. "The facility is wonderful and it's just a proud moment for our family. Everything is just a true testament to my father's spirit."

"Today is awesome!" said Mrs. Nabonne. She recalled when her family arrived at Keesler on the eve of Hurricane Camille in 1969. She said her father would have responded to the day's event by asking, "What's all this fuss about?"

"My father would have said the true heroes are all those military members currently serving their country and everybody else in attendance today," she continued. "My father loved three things -- his country, his family and his almighty God. And through the Air Force Force he was able to serve all three passionately."

Lucimarian Roberts, the colonel's widow, wasn't able to attend the dedication. Mrs. McEwen read a letter her mother wrote marked by gratitude for the honor bestowed on her husband.

In closing, Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers, 2nd Air Force commander, spoke of the path Colonel Roberts blazed as a Tuskegee Airman. He reminded the audience to to follow that path of excellence, success and greatness.

Determined to have Mrs. Roberts share in the event, General Flowers and General Dickinson made it possible for her to see the dedication ceremony and take a virtual tour of the facility through the Air Force's Defense Connect Online computer system.

Flying Jennies to Support War Effort in Asia

BILOXI -- Air Force reservists left on Tuesday for Southeast Asia to help the U.S. with its war effort, according to local media.

The Flying Jennies, which is the 815th Airlift Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, included about 150 military personnel who will be deployed four months or more.

Read about the emotion -- pride and concern -- of family watching their military relatives depart.

"Flying Jennies" Headed For Overseas Deployment

www.wlox.com Tuesday, Sept. 01, 2009