Small presence but big impact-By SQNLDR Rosemary Johnson
DESCRIBED by US President George W. Bush as the “birthplace, home and future of aerospace”, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is also home to eight Royal Australian Air Force families.
Although few in number, Australians have made a sizable impression among the 22,000 people who work at the historic base at Dayton, Ohio.
At a recent graduation from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) – the US Air Force’s postgraduate engineering, business and logistics institution – Flight Lieutenant Jason Williams received the Commandant’s Award for demonstrating the most exceptional individual master’s thesis research.
FLTLT Williams also earned the Mervin E. Gross award, named in honour of the institute’s first commandant.
Squadron Leader Mark Masini, now at DGTA in Melbourne, during his time at Wright-Patterson won the Patricia Terrill Memorial System Safety Award.
The award, drawn from 88,000 personnel in Air Force Materiel Command, recognised SQNLDR Masini’s significant contributions to the overall safety of the C-130J. SQNLDR Masini was also awarded a Meritorious Service Medal by the USAF for his work in Dayton.
The logistics flag flies high at the Australian supply liaison office at Wright-Patterson.
The team is responsible to Aerospace Systems Division (ASD) of the DMO for managing Australian Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases with the US Air Force.
Wing Commander Clive Wells, a logistics officer, also oversees other ASD supply liaison officers located with other US services.
Sergeant Kathy Rosengren is a Clerk Supply and is a wealth of knowledge on the details of the FMS cases.
Four RAAF engineers are completing Masters degrees in various disciplines at AFIT. Flight Lieutenant Matthew Colbert is studying space operations, Flight Lieutenant Wendell Fox computer engineering and Flight Lieutenants Tony Dearinger and Malcolm Gould electrical engineering.
Finally, two exchange officers work at Wright-Patterson in the Global Reach Mobility Systems Program Office.
Squadron Leader Michael Thorne, an electrical engineer, works on the C-130 Avionics Modernisation Program. He will return to Australia at the end of the year and his replacement has not yet been announced.
SQNLDR Murray Johnson, also an electrical engineer, occupies a DGTA-sponsored exchange and works in the Aeronautical Systems Center’s Engineering Directorate. He has taken over from SQNLDR Masini.
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