EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — The first MC-130J to be converted into Air Force Special Operations Command’s newest variant of the gunship, the AC-130J Ghostrider, arrived at Eglin Air Force Base.

Modifications to the airframe will be completed in ten months and will be a milestone in the recapitalization of the AC-130H/U fleet.

The AC-130J Ghostrider will inherit the AC-130W Stinger II’s precision strike package, which was developed to support ground forces in overseas contingency operations.

Insurgent activity in urban environments created the need for an airframe that could deliver direct fire support to ground forces, with the ability to precisely engage enemies with low-yield munitions.

“These new weapon systems and small diameter bombs will provide overwatch and further standoff distance to cover a wider range of space for our warfighters on the ground,” said Maj. Stuart Menn, U.S. Special Operations Command Detachment 1 commander.

The precision strike package includes dual electro-optical infrared sensors, a 30-mm cannon, griffin missiles, all-weather synthetic aperture radar and small diameter bomb capabilities. The sensors allow the gunship to visually or electronically identify friendly ground forces and targets at any time, even in adverse weather.

“The precision strike package that is going into this aircraft is proven down range,” said Todd McGinnis, USSOCOM Det. 1 AC-130J modification manager.

Pairing weapons with a networked battle management system, enhanced communications and situational awareness upgrades the J-Model’s ability to deliver surgical firepower.

“Now we get the successes of this precision strike package and marry it up with the advantages of the J-model bringing the best two C-130s together in a new weapons system,” said McGinnis.

The AC-130 primary mission is close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance.

Close air support missions include delivering fire support to ground forces that are fighting enemies and convoy escort. Air interdiction missions are conducted against preplanned targets or targets of opportunity. These missions also include strike coordination and reconnaissance.

The AC-130 gunship has proven to be a reliable and fierce weapon system used by special operations forces since the 1960s. AC-130s had roles in Urgent Fury in Grenada, Just Cause in Panama, Desert Storm in Iraq, Continue Hope and United Shield in Somalia, as well as Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In each operation, AC-130s were credited with many life-saving overwatch missions.

According to the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, “AC-130 gunships have been invaluable in supporting operations against insurgent and terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. These units have therefore been in heavy demand even as a portion of the fleet approached the end of its service life.”

The AC-130J has the speed of the MC-130J, the precision strike capabilities of the AC-130W and carries forward the heritage of the AC-130H/U.

A total of 37 MC-130J prototypes will be modified as part of a $2.4 billion AC-130J program to grow the future fleet, said Capt. Andrew Reed, USSOCOM Det. 1 AC-130J on-site program manager. The first AC-130J is expected to be completed Nov. 2013 and expected to be ready for initial flight testing by Dec. 2013.

“This will be the most advanced gunship that will be in the inventory,” said Menn.

Northwest Florida Daily News Editor’s Note: The AC-130 gunship was named the number one most feared weapon by the Military Channel.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'The most fearsome weapon' is evolving

FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County commissioners have agreed to help Sheriff Larry Ashley fill vacancies created when he pulled 26 deputies from other units and placed them in local elementary schools.

The board voted unanimously Tuesday to provide the Sheriff’s Office with up to $44,200 on a month-to-month basis as needed. As he fills the slots, Ashley must formally request the money, which will be pulled from the county’s general fund reserves.

Ashley placed deputies in every school following the Dec. 14 shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

See a photo gallery of a resource officer on duty.

On Jan. 8, Ashley requested that commissioners contribute $265,000 — or at least commit to the idea of the funding — to help replenish the force.

The request initially rankled a few commissioners, who labeled it a knee-jerk and costly decision. On Tuesday, only Commission Chairman Don Amunds and Commissioner Dave Parisot continued to question the need for the funding.

Commissioner Kelly Windes said it was risky to operate the Sheriff’s Office with fewer deputies on the street.

“I agree with the sheriff,” Windes said. “My concern is partly the void on the street that we’re creating when we take these officers and put them in the schools. We can’t let the whole suffer because of the special needs that have just come up.”

Windes said “the stakes are too high” for the county not to make the funding of school resource officers a priority.

Commissioner Wayne Harris agreed, adding that “public safety and security is paramount.”

Parisot questioned whether the Sheriff’s Office must fill every position it has vacated. He suggested it could do without a marine unit or operate with reduced courthouse security.

He also noted that county reserves had been decreased “well below” his comfort level and that Okaloosa might need the reserves to get through a weather emergency.

Although Parisot wanted the board to take more time to study the issue, he eventually agreed to provide Ashley with up to $44,200 as needed on a monthly basis.

Ashley told commissioners he is in the best position to know how many deputies he needs to protect the county.

“It gets down to, ‘Do you trust me?’ ” he said. “Do you trust me to give you the right numbers? I know the previous sheriff has certainly made our county a very difficult place to operate.”

Ashley said all the units from which he pulled deputies are essential services. Because of the manpower shift, the Sheriff’s Office is operating without a street crimes unit, beach and marine patrol and a traffic enforcement unit. The areas of civil processing, court security, and detention and booking have been significantly reduced.

Keeping deputies in all of the district’s schools will cost an estimated $3.5 million a year.

Commissioners agreed that would be a main point of discussion during 2014 budget deliberations in the spring and summer.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa approves extra funding for deputies (SLIDESHOW)

CRESTVIEW — One of the city’s little-known gems, the McMahon Environmental Center, is tucked away on two and a half acres off Mapoles Street, in the shadow of a state forestry fire observation tower.

The park is a destination for local Boy and Girl Scouts, Crestview Public Library kids groups and students from area schools.

However, the McMahon Center is also one of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department’s most underused facilities.

The Kiwanis Club wants to change that.

“What we would like to do is take it on as a project for our club,” Kiwanis Club Public Service Committee chairperson Jim Lundy said. “There are some really nice things on this property. The museum has some really good things there.”

Named in honor of retired forester John McMahon, the center and the Kiwanis have been intertwined over the years. The club sponsored a Boy Scout troop at the park, and helped maintain the park until the state turned the facility over to the city.

The center is unique among the city’s parks. Its mission is purely educational: to teach park users about the region’s native flora and fauna.

The center contains more than 100 native trees, each labeled for identification; a fishpond; and a butterfly garden built as a project by Girl Scout Yvonne Masters. The park’s small museum contains exhibits about area animal and aquatic life, and local forestry traditions and industry. Its open-air pavilion is used for educational programs and kids’ picnics.

Local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts periodically visit the center. Nearby, at the foot of the tower, is a former scout hut, once a forester’s cabin, from the days when a Kiwanis-sponsored Boy Scout troop was based at the park. In December, Jacob Somers, an Eagle Scout candidate with Troop 773, produced new identification plates for the trees, McMahon said.

“There have been several Eagle projects there over the years,” Boy Scout area Unit Commissioner Rae Schwartz said. “It’s a great facility for the community. Our scouts would be happy to work with the Kiwanis on enhancing it.”

McMahon said he was encouraged by the Kiwanis offer and looks forward to working with the club to enhance the center and attract more visitors.

“There are so many possibilities there,” he said. “I can see some they haven’t even thought of it yet.”

Lack of staff at the park is one reason it is underused, McMahon said. Though retired, he frequently serves as a guide through the environmental center when groups visit.

“The city is fairly limited in manpower and they don’t have many people trained in environmental subjects,” he said, adding foresters would make ideal partners with the park’s redevelopment. “We have contacts in many areas and we could get specialists in many subjects to come over to the park and do presentations.”

“The Kiwanis has historically been involved with building parks and recreational facilities,” Lundy said. “In the big picture, the goal was to make (the McMahon Center) more user-friendly to the public so that the public would come to use it.”

Speaking before the Crestview City Council at its Jan. 14 meeting, Lundy said when his committee prepared to visit the park prior to preparing their offer to the city, only two members knew where it was located.

The site’s potential is almost limitless, he said.

“One of the problems we have right now is we don’t know exactly what we can do,” he said.

The club wants the community’s input on how to enhance the park, and would undertake coordination of fundraising to enhance the facility, Lundy said.

“We would take surveys of what community would like to see as a use for the property,” Lundy said. “We see it as basically recreational and educational.”

Councilwoman Robyn Helt praised the Kiwanis Club for its offer. At the recommendation of city attorney Jerry Miller, she moved to direct city staff to work with the club as it formulated a plan for the park. Helt’s motion passed unanimously.

“We are going to take this one step at a time,” Lundy said. “The Kiwanis is not looking to do this by ourselves. We’re looking for other organizations to partner with.

“The next thing is to put together a more formal plan and present it to the city.”

Want to go?

The McMahon Environmental Center is at 130 Butler Circle, off Mapoles Street. The park grounds are always open. Call the Crestview Parks and Recreation Department, 682-4715, ext. 123, to visit the museum by appointment. John McMahon, retired forester and the park’s namesake, is often available to guide groups around the park.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

VIDEO: See "Related Media" at top left of this article.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kiwanis offers to help enhance city environmental park

FORT WALTON BEACH — Supporters have pledged more than $20,000 in donations to the struggling Okaloosa AIDS Support and Informational Service.

The agency, which has served local AIDS and HIV patients since 1991, announced Dec. 24 that dwindling revenue might force it to close in the coming months.

The community’s response was a welcome surprise, said Butch McKay, executive director of the organization.

“It felt good. It was encouraging,” he said. “I’m a lot more hopeful than I was on Christmas Eve.”

Since going public with its funding woes, OASIS has received about $6,000 in small, private donations as well as a $10,000 commitment from an anonymous donor in Tallahassee.

The organization also received a pledge for $5,000 from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a national and international AIDS outreach group that has a location in Pensacola.

“Then we’ve got another $25,000 in additional prevention funds from the state (Department of Health),” McKay said. “So that’s going to help.”

OASIS also closed one of its two Pensacola offices and eliminated two positions.

OASIS assists people living with HIV and AIDS with medications, treatments, insurance challenges and counseling. In 2012, OASIS provided more than 900 free HIV tests and helped more than 200 people manage their HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

OASIS also hosts the annual Positive Living Conference, which is considered the oldest and largest conference for HIV-positive people in the nation. The event draws participants from across the nation.

The organizers of the conference learned of OASIS’ funding situation and also decided to help out.

“They’re going to start doing little fundraisers all over the country with people who usually attend the conference,” said McKay, who has been talking with supporters in Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and other parts of Florida.

The conference, which is usually held in March, has been moved to September, he added.

 OASIS also has received money from the  Red Ribbon Foundation to pay a consulting firm to help reorganize the nonprofit’s administrative structure.

McKay said OASIS lost a large piece of its funding when the federal government decreased the revenue going to smaller, more rural communities.

“When the national AIDS strategy came out, it really hurt rural communities because there were no new pots of money,” he said. “They just did this redistribution where they put most of the money into primarily your major cities.”

OASIS immediately saw its operating revenue drop by $208,000 a year, McKay said.

“And our caseload hasn’t dropped any,” he said. “We’re doing a good job of serving our clients; it’s just more difficult when you don’t have the funds to do it.”

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: OASIS still facing funding crisis

HURLBURT FIELD — Three Air Force Special Operations Command airmen at the tip of the spear received one of the Air Force’s most prestigious awards, the 2012 Lance P. Sijan USAF leadership award.

The award recognizes airmen who exemplify the highest forms of leadership not only at work but in the community and their personal lives.

This is the first time AFSOC airmen have been selected in three of four categories.

Lt. Col. Nathan Green, commander of the 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, is the recipient in the senior officer category.

Capt. Blake Luttrell, a special tactics officer assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, N.C., is the recipient in the junior officer category.

Senior Master Sgt. Davide Keaton, a pararescueman assigned to the 720th Operations Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field, is the recipient in the senior enlisted category.

The award requires candidates demonstrate leadership through scope of responsibility, professional leadership, leadership image and community involvement.

All three airmen have something in common when it comes to leadership – people are their priority.

Green commanded AFSOC’s largest, manned flying squadron containing AC-130Us.

He also led the integration of seven Emirati special operations forces airframes into coalition operations, according to the award citation.

Green said he is extremely grateful to be honored with this award. He credits his leaders, mentors and family for shaping and supporting him throughout his Air Force career.

“I am speechless and very humbled to be able to lead our airmen, especially in AFSOC,” he said. “This award is a testament to them.”

Communication is central to his leadership style. The airmen have great capabilities to put the commander’s intent in action so long as that intent is conveyed clearly, he said.

“There are many facets to leadership – sometimes you have to be a coach, sometimes a teacher,” Green said. “You have to lead by example, and you have to trust your people.”

Luttrell was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest combat decoration, in January 2012 for gallantry in combat. He pulled his wounded team medic from a cave while under intense enemy fire and administered immediate medical treatment.

As the only Airman on an Army special operations forces team, he engaged in combat operations spanning 150 days including 25 high-risk missions resulting in 29 enemy combatants eliminated, according to the award citation.

He also instructed Afghan Army and local police force members on close quarter battle, assisting the transition effort in Afghanistan.

Luttrell says he learns just as much if not more from his people than they do from him.

“A leader is someone who is willing to listen to input, but isn’t afraid to make tough decisions,” he said.

Keaton, who completed his own tenth Global War on Terror deployment in 2012, also guided 14 deployments across four theaters that resulted in 3,023 combat operations and 568 enemy combatants eliminated, according to the award citation.

While stateside, he also saved a 74-year-old woman from drowning in a submerged car when an automobile accident caused her to run off the road into a lake. An onlooker appeared with a hammer, Keaton said. He grabbed it, broke the window and removed her from the vehicle.

Like Green, Keaton, who characterizes himself as a really down-to-earth guy, said he is also humbled to be selected for the Sijan award.

Keaton credits the special tactics career field for emphasizing the importance of getting the job done and encouraging airmen to test their limitations, like Sijan was called to do.

To Keaton, leadership means taking care of your people.

“The most critical part of any project you work on are the people,” he said.

The Lance P. Sijan USAF leadership award bears the namesake of the Medal of Honor recipient who was shot down in his F-4C Phantom fighter jet over Vietnam in 1967.

For 45 days, Sijan evaded enemy forces, and when he was captured and tortured, he refused to divulge any information beyond what is permissible by the Geneva Conventions until he died in the Hanoi Hilton, January 1968.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Three Special Operations airmen receive Sijan award for leadership

CRESTVIEW — Civic involvement is one way to further Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision, speakers said on Saturday during events commemorating the civil rights advocate.

This year’s guest speaker, Adrienne McKinnie, spoke about King’s accomplishments before his death in 1968. The clergyman — who taught civil disobedience in response to racial disparities — earned the Nobel Peace Prize and was Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1964.

Marching and preaching for racial equality in pursuit of social justice was dangerous, but did not deter King, McKinnie said.

 “Many expressed their concern to him that death was a possibility, if not inevitable,” she said. “However, he kept on marching and being the voice of people who would not or could not speak for themselves.”

McKinnie, a funeral home director and Crestview Kiwanis club and Carver-Hill Memorial and Historical Society member, said the nation — despite making significant strides in racial equality since the 1960s — still has division.

“We are a nation divided on several issues and our elected officials in Washington cannot seem to mend it,” she said. “The American people need better representation.”

And if elected leaders can’t bring unity, perhaps a grassroots effort would help, she said.

“Remember to always capitalize on your strengths and build up your weaknesses,” McKinnie said. "Make a difference.”

She called on residents to become more involved in their community by voting and attending city council or county commission meetings.

"Martin Luther King didn't ask to be leader; he was passed the baton and he ran with it … citizens of Crestview and the surrounding areas, I now pass the baton to you," McKinnie said. 

Nearly 100 residents last weekend publicly took part in remembering King.

Residents gathered near the courthouse following the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, which wended down Main Street in downtown Crestview.

The Concerned Citizens Group of Crestview and the Carver-Hill Memorial and Historical Society presented the event. This year’s parade theme was “Living the Legacy.” The program featured guest speakers from the community, who spoke on the legacy that King, who would have been 84 on Jan. 15, left behind.

Turnout was lower than at previous events, Crestview City Councilman Tim Grandberry said. 

Jill Lewis-Daggs of Niceville agreed.

“I wish more people would have come out,” she said, adding it’s important for future generations to learn about what King had accomplished during his lifetime.

Those who did attend said it’s important to recognize past milestones to determine where the mission — or King’s much discussed “dream”—leads next.

 “It shows how much we appreciate what he has done and how far we have come,” Grandberry said. “We still have a distance to go, but we are still continuing going forward.”

Grandberry, fellow council members and city officials attended the program with Mayor David Cadle, who gave a proclamation for the event.

Participants sang the hymns “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “We Shall Overcome.”

The songs and efforts reached a new generation who can only imagine segregated times from reading school textbooks.

“I think that is wonderful that they do it in remembrance of (King),” Jenna Renee-Daggs, 11, said. “It means a lot to me.”

When asked what she hoped younger children would take away from today’s event, the Rocky Bayou Christian School student had one response.

“To stand up for what they believe in and to defend what they know is right,” said the student, who sang the National Anthem at the event.

A youth group from Beulah No. 1 Missionary Baptist Church in Milligan also took part in the parade and attended the program. The church youth director, Sylvia Hendrix, stressed the importance of continuing King’s legacy.

“I think it’s good for the youth to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. (for) what he did,” Hendrix said. “I think it’s a great learning experience.”

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Speaker: civic involvement can help further King's legacy (VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — Theresa Herndon picked the perfect time to move to her new home.

Her house stands on a large plot of land with minimal trees, and the area’s recent Arbor Day observance let her put her green thumb to work.

With her grandchildren, Iagan, 6, and Lexus Foss, 5, in tow, she consulted the Florida Forest Service’s senior forester, Maria Wilson, during Friday’s Arbor Day sapling giveaway at the University of Florida/IFAS County Extension office.

 “I bought a house on five acres of land with nothing on it but three long-leaf pines,” Herndon said. “We’re going to fill it up with these trees.”

Among the indigenous saplings were red maples, which Wilson advised Herndon to put in a one- or two-gallon pot of soil for a year to allow their root systems to develop before planting them.

By the three-hour tree giveaway’s end, Wilson said she and fellow foresters had provided several hundred saplings to nearly 100 residents and answered countless questions about planting and caring for trees as well.

Across the parking lot, extension horticulture agent Sheila Dunning got down and dirty — literally — as she and Okaloosa Master Gardeners’ volunteers planted two donated trees.

Herndon and her grandchildren joined the group of approximately 30 people who attended and gleaned planting tips.

As Dunning planted a winged elm donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a nuttall oak donated by the Dogwood Garden Club, she and county extension Director Larry Williams maintained a running commentary of tips and planting advice.

Season’s importance

The cool Northwest Florida winter is the perfect time to plant young trees, as they are dormant, and energy will be directed toward establishing foundation roots rather than branches, agents said.

“If you plant in March or April, the tree comes out of dormancy and directs energy to the crown, not establishing its roots,” Williams said.

“What happens in May? It’s like you threw a switch that turns off the rain and turns on the heat. Without a good root system, the tree becomes distressed trying to get moisture to the crown.”

Planting tips

“Planting depth and water management are keys to getting a tree to do well,” Dunning said, adding that a shallow hole is better than a deep hole.

Plant trees so the rootball’s top bit sticks out, she said.

“Fertilizer isn’t as important,” Williams said. “This tree (the elm) probably won’t be fertilized until next year.”

After three to five years, fertilizer is no longer needed because if the tree’s roots have been allowed to develop, they will extend far beyond the trunk area most people typically fertilize, he said.

Dunning recommended removing any covering wrapped around the rootball.

“It takes a lot of energy to push through that burlap,” she said.

Liberate roots that have wrapped around the ball, she said, to avoid training them in a “circling habit” that keeps the roots close to the trunk rather than spreading out to give the tree stability.

No weed killer

Finally, the experts advised never applying weed killer on grass within a tree’s root zone, the distance from the trunk equal to the tree branches’ spread. Such herbicides filter through the soil and attack a plant’s roots.

“Every year we get calls from someone who has killed his tree,” Williams said. “These products (weed killers) have no means of distinguishing a dandelion from the azaleas. You might as well say ‘bye-bye’ to the tree.”

“If you take the time to plant your tree right, the payoff is a tree that establishes itself,” Williams said. “It’ll do better and last longer.”

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Experts: January and February are best months to plant trees locally

CRESTVIEW — The time to begin filing tax returns is just around the corner.

To help low- to moderate-income households, the Crestview JobsPlus will host free income tax preparation, by appointment, starting Jan. 30.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, serves households annually earning $51,000 or less.

"The idea is that if someone can come to a free site and get their taxes done, than that is money that they saved," Elaine Courtney, a University of Florida Okaloosa County Extension Office agent, said. "It will be a service to those that need it in the community." 

The VITA program has been available to service members living on Okaloosa military bases, but this is the first time all the county’s residents may participate.

"There were two (counties) in Florida that didn't have VITA (last year), and we were one of them," Courtney said. The other county was Gadsden.

Crestview’s VITA program currently has seven IRS-trained and certified volunteers to help qualified households prepare their tax returns.

However, more volunteers are needed.

"The more volunteers we have, the more hours we will be able to staff," Courtney said.

Time is of the essence, organizers said.

"People can volunteer on different levels from greeters to tax preparers," Rita Smith, the career agency’s manager, said. "We just ask that they contact us as soon as possible so we can get them into training."

 Holly McCarroll, an IRS tax consultant, said VITA training primarily is web-based. Call Courtney at 689-5850 or email ecourtne@ufl.edu to apply for training.

"Depending on their comfort level, (the training period) can be anywhere from a couple of days to a week or so," she said.

The agency is a fitting site, McCarroll said.

“It’s the perfect location for the VITA program because our audience is the same people that they serve," she said. Many residents use the agency’s online workshops and attend its workshops to find employment.

In addition to volunteers, VITA coordinators also seek donations.

"We are going to need paper to print returns," Courtney said. The program also could use more ink cartridges. 

Need tax assistance?

Contact the JobsPlusin Crestview, 689-7823, beginning Jan. 30. JobsPlus is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Want to volunteer?

Call Elaine Courtney, a University of Florida Okaloosa County Extension Office agent, at 689-5850. Email her at ecourtne@ufl.edu.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Free tax preparation for low-income residents coming Jan. 30