Our Thoughts with Japan; Team MacDill standouts Published March 17, 2011 By Col. Lenny Richoux 6th Air Mobility Wing commander MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- We ended last week with a devastating tragedy in Japan. I would like to offer our condolences to the family and friends that lost their loved ones in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last week. We stand ready to assist when called upon. Please keep everyone in your thoughts. I would also like to welcome Col. Barry Roeper, who assumed command of the 6th Maintenance Group Monday. It's great to have you as a member of this great team, and I know you will do good things for this wing and the Air Force. Some other members of this great team doing great things are Staff Sgts. Jorgina Dover and Ruben James, 6th Medical Group, coordinated more than 30 medical support squadron and family members to assist in sprucing up Monroe Middle School in conjunction with Clean City Tampa Day. In addition, they also collected old battle dress uniforms to support the Plant High School JROTC program. Both are excellent examples of giving back to our local community. Another member providing support to our combatant commanders is Tech. Sgt. Jason Guidry, quality assurance representative for the C-37 Gulfstream contract. He expertly coordinated the repair of broken C-37 aircraft while in the area of responsibility on a VIPSAM mission. He expeditiously coordinated the sourcing and delivery of a replacement emergency battery switch, quickly returning the aircraft to a fully mission capable status and allowing it to continue its mission in support of the U.S. Transportation Command commander. Staff Sgt. Carl Disher, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal journeyman, while deployed, received a call from the Army Combat Support Hospital informing him they had an incoming patient with an RPG imbedded in his body. His team quickly responded to the scene, evaluated the situation, pushed everyone out of the hazard zone, and safely removed the rocket from the patient. Additionally, Sergeant Disher trained 35 Army medics on how to safely work on patients with explosive ordinance on or in them. This type of training received by the medics was unlike any they had received before, and increased their knowledge and battlefield skills. Also while deployed, Sergeant Disher was presented with the Unit Safety Award of Distinction, for updating local operating instructions to current operations, correcting barriers on the demolition range that had been overlooked from past deployments, and destroying 500 pounds of improvised explosive device building materials. He was again recognized for designing a thermal disposal facility, which was used to destroy small arms from all of Victory Base complex. The small arms destroyed were unsafe to transport to other locations for disposal and saved the military thousands of dollars. I am proud to serve with you in the finest Air Mobility Wing on the face of the planet!