Year in review: 2006 a good one for Sheppard

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Sheppard saw many changes in 2006 ranging from new faces and places to new champions in intramural sports.

For the most part, 2006 proved to be a positive year for the 82nd Training Wing and the 80th Flying Training Wing as both continued to be technically the best not only in the Air Force, but around the globe.

Here are some of the top stories of 2006:

January
· Sheppard hosted its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Basketball Tournament, one of the largest each year. Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., took home the men's title while Barksdale AFB, La., was the winning team in the women's division.
· Col. Andrew Cain took command of the 782nd Training Squadron after serving as the 82nd TRW Inspector General.
· Etchberger Hall, one of Sheppard's newest 300-room Airmen-in-training dormitories, officially opened its doors after a ribbon cutting ceremony.

February
· The future of base housing began with a town hall meeting to discuss the housing privatization initiative.
· Introduction to Fighter Fundamental students at the 80th FTW began training in the wing's newest airframe, the T-38C. The airframe features digital instruments and a heads-up display.
· Iwo Jima survivors toured Sheppard as part of their annual reunion in Wichita Falls.

March
· The 366th Training Squadron won the over-30 intramural basketball title while the 82nd Civil Engineer Squadron was crowned championship of the permanent party division. The 360th TRS took home the Airmen-in-training trophy.
· New cell phone guidelines were implemented that prohibited the use of cell phones without a hands-free device while driving on base.
· Sheppard officially dedicated Etchberger Hall to the memory of Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger. Chief Etchberger was killed in Vietnam.
· Sheppard bodybuilders swept a competition when Mike Camacho and Scott Wold brought home trophies from the Fort Sill Toughest Diamond Bodybuilding Classic in Oklahoma.
· Members of the Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants stopped by Sheppard on their nation-wide tour. The visit included performances by the band's Clarinet Quartet and the pop-music group Max Impact.
· The 80th FTW broke ground on a new Contractor Operated and Maintained Base Supply facility, or COMBS, in preparation for the arrival of the T-6A Texan in 2008.

April
· The Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program Steering Committee met to discuss the future of the program, including a more cost-effective training option for NATO partners.
· Sheppard began training Airmen in various pre-deployment skills at the 381st TRS Medical Readiness site. The training included combat and convoy skills to create a realistic glimpse of activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· A historical finish for Sheppard aircraft took place when an AT-38 made the final flight for the airframe. It was replaced by the T-38C.
· Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Michael Dominguez visited Sheppard to tour the Air Force's largest technical training facility.

May
· Sheppard children experienced a "deployment" like mom and dad during Operation Kids 2006.
· Results of the 2006 Force Shaping Board were released to affected lieutenants at Sheppard.
· Sheppard's new parade field opened in perfect fashion as base training squadrons honored the nation's armed forces on Armed Forces Day.

June
· The 882nd Training Group welcomed Col. Nancy Dezell as its new commander.
· Sheppard turned a little greener when a new biodiesel station as an alternative fuel source opened for use by government vehicles only.
· Iraqi officers became the first two from the new democracy to graduate from the Aircraft and Munitions Maintenance Officers Course.

July
· German Col. Axel Pohlmann returned to his roots when he took command of the 80th Operations Group. The colonel completed his initial pilot training at the 80th FTW in 1979.

August
· The 82nd Medical Operations Squadron Medics beat the 89th/90th Flying Training Squadron Pilots to take home the permanent party intramural softball trophy. The 362nd TRS defeated the 361st TRS to win the Airmen-in-training title.
· Col. Jeffrey Kendall, commander of the 80th FTW, visited Slovakia to provide a presentation of what ENJJPT has to offer the new NATO partner.
· Tina Cooper is invited to compete on the Air Force Women's Softball team.
· ENJJPT students escape an early morning dorm fire at Bldg. 280. Officials said damage was estimated at $140,000.

September
· Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux sent a clear message when he took command of the 82nd TRW from Brig. Gen. James Whitmore. The general said, "Our Airmen are going to war, and because they are, we in Air Education and Training Command must consider ourselves at war, too."
· Air traffic controllers moved into their new home, marking a new era in monitoring aircraft in Sheppard's air space.
· The Birdwell and Clark Ranch in Henrietta, Texas, hosted Sheppard personnel during its annual Clay County Dove Hunt.
· The running team of Dave Max, Derek Rowe, Randy Lund and Mark Roberts take first place at the annual Air Force Marathon.
· Cadet Ulrike Flender became the first German female student pilot to graduate from ENJJPT.
· Saudi Air Force delegates toured the 82nd TRW and its training facilities.
· The 80th FTW earns an "Excellent" rating during its Operational Readiness Inspection.

October
· The 82nd TRW scored an "Excellent" rating during its ORI, wrapping up two weeks of excellence on Sheppard.
· The 80th FTW reached a milestone with its 25th Anniversary Oct. 23.
· The 366th TRS won the permanent party intramural football championship over the 365th TRS. The 351st TRS took home the Airmen-in-training trophy.
· The 82nd TRW hosted an A-76 Cost Comparison Study town hall meeting to inform Sheppard personnel the study had begun. Officials were on hand to answer questions from military and civilian personnel.
· More than 30 Burkburnett High School students participated in the 8th Annual DREAM Week. The program allows students to spend a week getting an inside look at potential future careers.

November
· Staff Sgt. Victoria Bartos, a maintenance management production instructor at the 360th TRS, bowled a perfect score of 300 at the South Bowling Lanes.
· The 80th FTW officially opened up its new $20.4 million Air Operations Complex that will house all facets of the 80th Operations Support Squadron.
· The 82nd TRW Public Affairs Office announced a new direction for supplying news and information to Sheppard personnel via a new public Web site.
· The 80th FTW hosted its annual Combat Air Force Day. The day allows students from the 82nd TRW and 80th FTW to get an up-close look at aircraft they will work on or fly in the future.

December
· Darrin Charles, an instructor at the 366th TRS, set a squat record of 705 pounds in the 275-pound weight class at the Texas Cup Powerlifting Meet in Plano, Texas.
· Housing residents completed the first phase of housing privatization when they signed leases with GMH Military Housing.
· Pakistani Air Force officers visited Sheppard technical training facilities.
· The final edition of the Sheppard Senator produced by the 82nd TRW Public Affairs Office was published after more than 60 years of printed news coverage.