May UTA News & Notes Published April 29, 2010 MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD, Calif. -- This is a compilation of news bits Airmen and families can use to prepare for the upcoming UTA weekend. Welcome New 129th Members! Staff Sgt. Nathan Angel, 129th LRS Staff Sgt. Joseph Ashford, 129th AMXS Staff Sgt. Francisko Gonzales, 129th MXS Senior Airman Joy Charfauros, 130th RQS Airman 1st Class Tahlif Brown, 129th RQS Airman 1st Class Edward Encarnacion, 129th AMXS Airman 1st Class Christian Meyers, 129th RQS Airman 1st Class Chris Dingle, 129th RQS Congratulations! The Following Members Were Recently Promoted To Their Current Rank. Tech. Sgt. Juliene Crisostomo, 129th SFS Tech. Sgt. Dehua Li, 129th FSF Tech. Sgt. Joshua Manhart, 129th MXS Tech Sgt. Rory McMilton, 129th SFS Tech. Sgt Jose Mendoza, 129th AMXS Tech Sgt. Rosemary Presley, 129th SFS Tech Sgt. Monique Rivera, 129th SFS Tech. Sgt. Robert Sandbothe, 129th CF Tech Sgt. Michael Tjaarda, 129th SFS Tech Sgt. Rigoberto Vazquez, 129th SFS Staff Sgt. Alan Bowers, 129th MXS Staff Sgt. Chad Cockayne, 129th SFS Staff Sgt. Renzo Delia, 129th MDG Staff Sgt. Mark Deimling, 130th RQS Staff Sgt. Jessica Flores, 129th LRS Staff Sgt. Joshua Goforth, 129th SFS Staff Sgt. Alana Groshong, 129th CEF Staff Sgt. Ricky Karicas, 129th SFS Staff Sgt. Daniel Kim, 129th CF Staff Sgt. Johnny Phommathep, 129th SFS Staff Sgt. Steve Pollastrini, 129th MXS Staff Sgt. Straudjah Turner, 129th OSF Staff Sgt. Daniel Urteaga, 129th SFS Staff Sgt. Brian Wilkes, 129th AMXS Staff Sgt. Hong Tao Zhou, 129th LRS We Wish the Following Retired, Separated and Transferred Members Well and Thank Them for Their Service at the 129th. Maj. Al Yeh Capt. Philip Daniels Capt. Srvats Iyer Master Sgt. Felix Mongoso Master Sgt. Christine Wood Tech. Sgt. Ken Clark Tech. Sgt. Chris Gabor Tech. Sgt. Cindy Kenny Tech. Sgt. Robert Souza Staff Sgt. Carmen Cuellar Staff Sgt. Nicole Mancillas Staff Sgt. James Reinech Staff Sgt. Gabriel Wren Senior Airman Lisa Williams Airman 1st Class Jordan Amaral Airman 1st Class Kenitra Newman Airman 1st Class Jennifer Schultz Airman Kurt Ponce 2010 UTA Schedule May 1-2 June 5-6 July 10-11 August 7-8 September 11-12 October 2-3 November 6-7 December 4-5 Religious Services Schedule Services take place every Sunday morning of UTA drill weekend in Building 650 - Catholic Mass: 10:15-10:45 - Non-denominational services: 11:00 - 11:30 Air Force Officials Announce Uniform Policy Changes The following policy modifications are effective immediately, unless otherwise stated, and will be incorporated into Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Air Force Uniform Dress and Appearance: - The tucking of trousers on utility uniforms into boots will remain optional. When tucked in or bloused, the trouser must be even and draped loosely over the top of the combat boot to present a bloused appearance. - The green fleece watch cap is approved for wear with the all-purpose environmental clothing system, improved rain suit, cold weather parka, sage green fleece and the physical training uniform. - Air Force officials encourage all Airmen to affix name, rank and service designator tapes instead of waiting for the Oct. 1 mandatory wear date. - Officers wanting to wear a watch cap with the sage green fleece must now have their name, rank and service designator tapes affixed to the fleece effective immediately. - Other authorized cold weather items remain unchanged. They include the black or sage green leather, suede or knit gloves; black scarves that are tucked in; and black earmuffs. - The sage green fleece can still be worn as a liner for the APECS without name, rank and service designator tapes. - The black fleece will no longer be authorized for wear as an APECS liner on Oct. 1. - The women's A-line skirt is now the primary mess dress skirt for the Air Force. The change allows the side-slit mess dress skirt to continue to be worn as an optional item. For more information on uniform policy changes, contact your chain of command or call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102. Airman Magazine - The Book 2010 The 2010 almanac of Airman magazine is now available online at http://www.airmanonline.af.mil/ or http://www.airmanonline.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100302-029.pdf. "The Book 2010" focuses on important facts and provides insight into today's Air Force. Data in the magazine highlights the service's major commands and their functions, weapon systems, demographics, statistics and other information. Air Force-Wide Social Media Access Beginning May 6, the 129th Rescue Wing will have access to social networking services, social media, user-generated content, social software, e-mail, instant messaging, and discussion forums including, but not limited to YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind: - Providing access to social media sites from Air Force government computers meets the intent of Department of Defense Directive-Type Memorandum 09-026 -- Responsible and Effective Use of Internet-based Capabilities, issued Feb. 25. To view the memorandum visit http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/DTM-09-026.pdf - For guidance and instruction be sure to read and reference the Social Media and the Air Force handbook at http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091210-043.pdf - Refer to the Web Response Assessment chart at http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091210-037.pdf - Personal use of social media sites must be of reasonable duration and frequency that have been approved by supervisors and do not adversely affect performance of official duties, overburden systems or reflect adversely on the Air Force. - Air Force personnel cannot post any classified or sensitive information and must follow the guidelines for appropriate social media and Internet use. - The inappropriate posting of information on the AF network and any OPSEC violations are punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. - Remember, software applications, such as Google Desktop and Google Chrome, are still not authorized. Be sure when using Yahoo Mail or Gmail that no software similar to these applications are downloaded. Please contact the Public Affairs office 129rqw.pa@ang.af.mil if you have any questions or concerns. 2010 CalVet Women Veterans Conference Save the date! The California Department of Women & Minority Veterans Affairs will be hosting their third annual conference Oct. 7-8, 2010 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial Building in Clovis, Calif. California is home to approximately 164,000 women veterans. Of this number, very few are taking advantage of the benefits available to them. The conference will provide a network forum for women veterans from all wars, educate women veterans on their benefits and health care programs available to them, and provide assistance with employment opportunities. Air Force Suicide Prevention Program Are you in crisis? Please call 1-800-273-TALK. Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, confidential 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. There is a network of more than 140 crisis centers nationwide; your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you. The Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Health Administration has founded a national suicide prevention hotline to ensure veterans in emotional crisis have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. To operate the Veterans Hotline, the VA partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Veterans can call the Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and press "1" to be routed to the Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline. Call for yourself or someone you care about. For more information please visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Default.aspx Veterans License Plates Display your pride in military, National Guard or Reserve service or show your support for Veterans in California by purchasing a Veterans' License Plate. These special California license plates may be ordered with the armed force or veterans' service organization logo/emblem of your choice. Over 100 insignias are available; you may personalize your plate (your choice of up to 6 characters. All proceeds are used to expand veteran services statewide. Download the application here http://www.cdva.ca.gov/VetService/DocsAndImages/license.pdf. The State of California also offers special license plates to honor the service of the following categories of veterans: 100% Service-connected disabled veterans, Medal of Honor recipients, recipients of other high decorations, former American Prisoners of War, Pearl Harbor survivors and Purple Heart recipients. Additional information about these license plates can be found at http://www.cdva.ca.gov/VetService/MorePlates.aspx.