Faces of the Force

Maj. Samantha Sliney, an Air Force judge advocate, was honored by the Women in Government Relations organization for her work in advocacy. Sliney, in particular, was recognized by with the “Advocate on the Rise” award and was part of a group of six connected to the Air Force’s Women’s Initiatives Team (WIT) that were recognized in the “Women Serving Women Campaign” category. She and the rest of the WIT team have advocated for changes to antiquated Air Force policies that limit women in the service, such as Female-Specialized Health Care Programs, and more.

Master Sgt. John Slaughter, quality assurance chief inspector of the 307th Maintenance Group, and another maintenance Airman, Senior Master Sgt. John Donelson, created the Pylon Loading Fixture, making it easier and less risky to mount pylons on the wing of a B-52. Donelson had noted the job often took four Airmen. Using his background as a toolmaker, Slaughter crafted a modification to the Munitions Handling Unit-83 aerial lift truck that makes the task of mounting pylons a three-Airman job. Now, Air Force Global Strike Command officials, as well as other units, have expressed interest in the modification.

Tech. Sgt. Alex Tamayo, of the Arizona Air National Guard, normally works as a security manager for the 162nd Wing, recently utilized his passion for coding as part of a hackathon hosted by Corsair Ranch, the Air Force Reserve’s software factory, and the Air Reserve Component’s ARCWERX. The inaugural ‘Hack the Ranch’ event challenged coders to design modern solutions and efficiencies for the Barry M. Goldwater Range, where many aircrews train. “I’ve taken classes before, but I saw this as an opportunity to potentially integrate a personal hobby into my career,” Tamayo said.

Over five days and 143 miles across the wide-open wilderness of Eastern Africa, Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Delorey of the New Hampshire ANG’s 157th Air Refueling Wing, beat out runners from across the world to win the For Rangers Ultramarathon, a race in Kenya dedicated to raising money for the welfare of wildlife rangers to combat the rise of poaching. With the race spread out over five stages, Delorey was more than 41 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. “It was challenging, the heat we were in, the environment, the mental grit, all of it,” said Delorey. “I was emotional.”

Tech. Sgt. Kevin Flanagan of the 410th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., first began testing the accuracy of U-2 and RQ-4 Global Hawk sensors with cardboard and aluminum foil prototypes that were cheaper and more sustainable than the existing radar ranges. Now,  two years later, he has built up a radar range of 28 metal targets that saves the Air Force nearly $493,000 and 23 flight hours annually, He has also designed and developed a USB cable that enables Airmen to charge equip-ment during long-duration operational test flights.

Senior Airman Andrew Melis, 60th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, was driving home in Vacaville, Calif., one morning when he saw retired Master Sgt. Bridgette Fargo in a panic because her dog, Nemo, had been attacked and bitten by another dog, which wouldn’t let go. Utilizing his training, Melis quickly coaxed the attacking dog to release its bite, and tried to keep it calm until its owners came. Melis recently completed the military working dog handler’s course at the 341st Training Squadron, JBSA, Texas.

Maintainers from the 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron recently achieved a feat rarely seen across the entire Air Force when one of their 49-year-old EC-130H Compass Call aircraft received Black-Letter status after an inspection—meaning there were no flyable or non-flyable discrepancies annotated in red ink. Airmen credited Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Faaborg, a hydraulics craftsman who was recently appointed as a dedicated crew chief for the aircraft, for leading the team and accomplishing many goals maintenance crews work their entire careers to achieve.

Tech. Sgt. Jordan Locke, a security forces Airman now with the 51st Security Forces Squadron at Osan Air Base in South Korea, received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor in recognition of his heroism in defending against a terrorist ground attack in Kenya in 2020. Locke engaged in an hours-long fight with the terrorists as they attacked Cooperative Security Location-Manda Bay—holding his ground under fire, Locke helped to conduct overwatch security, which allowed other service members to continue the fight.

Twin brothers Lt. Gen. Charles “Buck” Pattillo and Maj. Gen. Cuthbert “Bill” Pattillo, along with their wives, were laid to rest this September in Arlington National Cemetery. The two Air Force legends helped to found the Thunderbirds aerial team in 1949. As founders and inaugural members of the team, the Patillo brothers helped pioneer some of the maneuvers that make the Thunderbirds famous, such as  the “Bomb Burst,” and they also flew alongside record-breaking pilot Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager. The Thunderbirds flew their first-ever dual ‘missing man’ formation in their honor.