United We Roll at Stardust Radio

United We Roll World Tour Show
Stardust Radio www.stardustradio.com
Tuesday 8/10/10 2:00pm – 4:30pm Central (Live)
Wednesday 8/11/10 6:30pm – 9:00pm Central (Repeat)

Welcome Stardust Listeners and thank you for joining us on United We Roll this Tuesday, the 10th day of August, as we once again take time to honor those who serve our country and who protect our freedom! I have talked with so many neighbors here at home who are struggling with the heat we have had this summer - thank goodness we are not also wearing 45 to 75 pounds of gear like our guys and gals on deployment who are working in 120+ degrees and many who are in harm's way. That realization can help to put things in perspective!

Now on to our show for this week. We have five new visits with five of our deployed Heroes of Freedom. The show Tuesday will actually end at 4:45pm CDT, approximately 45 minutes beyond our normal two hour period. Remember, if you are not able to stay with us through the show this afternoon, it will repeat again tomorrow evening, Wednesday, August 11th at 6:30pm Central.

(2:08) During our first visit, we will be talking with Air Force member A1C Jordan Lelonis, who is currently deployed with the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Security Escort Flight. As an unarmed escort to the Kyrgyzstan people who come on base to fill a variety of job positions, A1C Lelonis not only works long hours, but has also had an opportunity to get to learn from and about the local community. He also brings us many other insights that many Americans will never have the opportunity to learn unless they do travel outside of the USA and have the opportunity to look at our country from a different viewpoint. This is truly an enlightening visit that is sure to leave you smiling and also very proud of those who serve. We have an article and a link to some photos that we will be posting in the UWR Blog.

(2:42) Our next visit is with Air Force TSgt Scott Forbes, who is currently deployed with the 332nd ELRS (Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron). I am sure we all figure that supplies get from one place to another either by air or ground for our deployed troops. But, sometimes it still catches me off guard when you think about the many kinds of supplies and the special handling that may be required. As a Special Handling Craftsman, TSgt Forbes makes sure that medical supplies, including blood and Hazmat items are properly packed, loaded and shipped. With 15 years service in the Reserves and two deployments, TSgt Forbes has a lot to offer during our visit and you will enjoy every minute.

(3:13pm) During our third visit, we will be speaking with SrA Bradley Kasch of the 380th AEW (Air Expeditionary Wing) where he is deployed as a Public Affairs Broadcaster. For any of you video production or camera bugs out there, I am sure you will enjoy this visit as we will hear about typical story coverage where SrA Kasch will cover a story with his video and then how he follows up to produce a finished story. Not only is it interesting to hear about this process, but it is great to talk with SrA Kasch as he and his PA counterparts do see and do so much with virtually every type of unit that is on duty and on deployment. They are the eyes and ears for most all of our men and women in uniform at home and away. This is a very interesting visit and we hope you all will enjoy it as much as we did.

(3:43pm) For our fourth visit, we will be hearing from Army 1LT Angelo Valdebenito, who is currently deployed with the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division (1-41FA, 3ID). In civilian terms, the job that 1LT Valdebenito is covering on deployment would be Human Resources Officer, but his actual duties go far beyond the civilian job description as you will hear from this dedicated soldier. Having served 17 years as an enlisted Army soldier before being commissioned to an officer rank certainly adds to the volume of information that 1LT Valdebenito draws on to serve those with whom he serves and to visit with us.

(4:14pm) Our fifth and final visit for today will take us to Transit Center Manas where we be speaking with SrA Byron Theriot of the 376th ELRS/POL Unit. What is POL - It is Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants. This is the unit that keeps all and any engines running, including those that keep airplanes flying. SrA Theriot teaches us some new points about this area and he also reiterates the slogan that "Without fuel, pilots are pedestrians". This young airman shares much more with us and, again, you will be left with a feeling of pride and appreciation for these very special people who dedicate their lives to protecting our freedom.

We would also like to thank some folks without whom these visits today would not be possible. Our deepest appreciation goes to TSG Jennifer Buzanowski, Mr Tom Conning, Capt Curt Schultheis and Capt Jessica Martin.

Before we wrap up, we want to acknowledge and thank Talking Communities, the Veteran owned service that brings us our Chat Star Teleconference Facility with state of the art private rooms and audio visual supports. If you need a place to host business seminars, display products or have a craft demo, or maybe you need to have a family celebration with members who are scattered around the US or the world. This is the place to see, hear, speak, show and text each other. For more information, contact the Stardust Radio business office at 319-648-3201.

Ladies & Gentlemen, we wish to thank all of you for joining us and we hope that you will be with us again next week when we will have more great visits from our Heroes of Freedom.

To all of our Veterans and all military family members who are listening, thank you for your service and for our freedom. To all of our First Responders and your family members, thank you for watching over our families, homes and communities.

Once again, we would like to remind any of our listeners who are interested in health and legislative issues that affect those who protect our freedom to tune in to our other broadcasts – OFFE with Gene Simes and Jere Berry at 8pm Central on Tuesday nights ...... and also with Rick Townsend and Firebase Network Sundays at 6:00pm Central.

Please remember, it is up to us at home to help our troops, not only with letters and care packages, but also by being aware of legislation in our states and in DC that will impact them and their families. We must do our part to insure that our Heroes of Freedom receive the benefits and health care that they deserve for keeping our country safe and free. It is the least that we can do for them and it is part of what we must do to help insure freedom for our children.

We wish you all a good, safe and healthy week.

May God Bless You All And May God Bless America!

Following is a copy of the May 4th show schedule that we will run during our regular United We Roll broadcast times today of 2-4pm CDT. It is a great show with some top notch visits. Enjoy!!!

United We Roll at Stardust Radio Show Schedule Aug 3 replay of Tuesday May 4, 2010
United We Roll World Tour Show
Stardust Radio www.stardustradio.com
Tuesday 8/03/10 2:00pm – 4:00pm Central (Live)
Wednesday 8/04/10 6:30pm – 8:30pm Central (Repeat)

Welcome Stardust Listeners and thank you for joining us on United We Roll this Tuesday, the 5th day of May, 2010 as we take time to honor those who serve our country and who protect our freedom!!

We have three full and very interesting visits with 5 of our Heroes of Freedom who are stationed in countries just about a world away. The show will stay within our normal 2 hour period today, ending at 4:00pm Central – unless live radio has an unexpected surprise for us. Remember, if you are not able to stay with us through the show this afternoon, it will repeat again tomorrow evening, Wednesday, May 5th at 6:30pm Central. In addition, an MP3 copy will be placed on our show archive site for listening and downloading. You can reach our archive site at www.stardustradio.info or on the United We Roll page at www.stardustradio.com.

(2:08pm) During our first visit today, we will be talking with Army Sgt Brandon Gilmore, who is currently on his second deployment and is serving with the 2-7 Infantry, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in Mahmudiyah, Iraq where he is on duty 7 days per week. Sgt Gilmore brings us a great visit as we discuss his deployments and his military experiences. This Iowa native asks that none of our troops be forgotten as they continue to serve so many miles from home.

(2:33pm) Our next guests are currently deployed with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing at TC Manas. LTC/Chaplain James R Kinsey is charged with many facets of faith services and counseling for the men and women who are stationed around him and CPT Tom Mulka is a military version of a Human Resources Officer and is also directly involved in the care and support of those in the 376th AEW. In addition to the regular workday, both of these officers are very busy with some off base activities that take place in the local community. As you can imagine, Capt Mulka and Chaplain Kinsey have a lot to share with us. And one parting comment from Capt Mulka that goes along with that of Sgt Gilmore, “Please continue the public support, make sure that no efforts go unnoticed.”

(3:27pm) Our final visit for today is with two members of the 376th Expeditionary Medical Group on deployment at TC Manas in Kyrgyrzstan. Lt Col Tyler Sanders is the Hospital Administrator & Deputy Medical Group Commander. SSG Chad Coffelt is in charge of the Hospital Supply office, which means that any kind of supply for any department in the hospital has to go through his office and his ordering process. With their combined years of service, deployments. and experiences, these two airmen bring us a tremendous amount of information during this visit. As SSG Coffelt comments, “I know many people out there want to thank us for what we do. I would like to thank them for their support”.

Our hearts and prayers go out to all of our military members, families, Veterans and to all of our first responders & their families - everyone who puts their lives on hold and on the line for us and our families.

We would like to remind our Veterans, active duty members, family members and anyone who is interested in health and legislative issues that affect those who protect our freedom to tune in to our other broadcasts – OFFE with Gene Simes and Jere Berry at 8pm Central on Tuesday nights and also with Rick Townsend and Firebase Network Sundays at 6:00pm Central.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL & MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Due to the wild weather that has been rolling through through the heartland and home of Stardust Radio, we will be running a previous broadcast of our show from May 4th. This was a very popular show and we have received requests about it from guests and listeners alike.

Tune in next week for fresh new visits with our deployed Heroes of Freedom. Thank you for your support for those who protect our freedom and their families!

God Bless America!

If you have been following our visits with deployed members over these past years, you may remember that we have talked with a few members who have had departures from service denied or who have been brought back into service under the Stop Loss program. There were some tough situations caused with these interruptions in personal lives even after these Heroes of Freedom had served full tours of duty. I recall one in particular who would have been in the medical school where he had been accepted, had it not been for his Stop Loss. But he was serving out this extension of time, then was heading back to his medical school so he could become a doctor and planned to re-enter the military to take care of wounded or ill soldiers, to whom he was dedicated.

This release information is posted so that we can hopefully help to get word out to all members who are eligible for pay in association with their Stop Loss experiences.

Stop Loss - Just one more way that our Heroes of Freedom and their families give on behalf of freedom.

Release No: 138
July 27, 2010

Current, former Airmen eligible for stop loss special pay

Daniel P. Elkins
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs Office

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Thousands of current and former Air Force members remain eligible to receive $500 in retroactive special pay for each month they were affected by stop loss. Airmen have until Oct. 21 to apply through the Air Force Personnel Center here.

Air Force people eligible include active, retired and former members as well as Reserve component members who served on active duty while their enlistment or period of obligated service was involuntarily extended, or whose eligibility for separation or retirement was suspended as a result of stop loss. Those who accepted a selective re-enlistment bonus subsequent to being affected by stop loss are not eligible for the special pay.

Air Force officials used stop loss for Operation Enduring Freedom from Oct. 2, 2001, through Jan. 31, 2003, and Operation Iraqi Freedom from May 2 through Dec. 31, 2003. Individuals who were deployed during either operation may be eligible beyond the inclusive dates depending on their Air Force specialty and deployment return date. The 2009 War Supplemental Appropriation Act set aside $534.4 million for the retroactive stop loss special pay compensation authority.

Personnel officials are encouraging those who were involuntarily held on active duty during either of the stop loss periods to contact AFPC to determine if they might be eligible for the special pay compensation.

“We want to exhaust all efforts in our attempts to reach as many eligible members as possible while the authority is in place to compensate them for their extended duty,” said Col. Bill Foote, the AFPC director of personnel services. “Of course, many of those eligible to receive this special pay are no longer in our ranks, so we’re opening channels to reach out to veterans to help spread the word about this valuable benefit throughout their communities.”

More than 3,000 claims by Airmen have been approved for retroactive stop loss special pay since officials here began accepting claims in September 2009. Officials estimate an additional 13,000 current and former Air Force members may be eligible for the compensation.

Whether or not Air Force veterans are sure they are eligible, Colonel Foote encourages those impacted by stop loss to apply. Claims are evaluated based upon historical records already available to personnel officials as well as any supporting documentation the applicant may submit.

To file a claim, eligible members or legally designated beneficiaries may download a stop loss claim application at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss. Applicants who were serving in the Reserve or Guard at the time of stop loss may apply by visiting the Air Reserve Personnel Center website at https://arpc.afrc.af.mil/vPC-GR.

For more information on program eligibility and claims instructions, call the Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102.

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