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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2002)
Page A5 July 03, 2002 Portland Airman Tests Skills of Combat Pilots in NATO Exercise enced pilots. T eam s o f aggres sors from N ellis A ir Force Base, located outside o f Las Vegas, serve as rea listic ad v e rsaries against the young pilots and pro vide them training intended to save their lives in the early stages o f real combat. " T h e re ’s a g o o d ch an ce that ev e ry o n e H ying here is g o in g to see com bat during O peration E n d u rin g F reedom — I w as sent back to N orth A m erica ju s t to prep are th em ," Boss said. "N o t Air Force S taff Sgt. Derrick D. Boss (left), a flight operations manager from Portland, double checks a fighter p ilot's qualifications in support o f a NATO exercise in Canada. Airmen and aircraft (right) scurry during a NA TO air drill in Canada. The ground crew 's goal was to launch 1 00 aircraft twice a day for six weeks straight. P hotos by D errick C. G oode Grant High grad prepares fighters for 'Operation Enduring Freedom' B y J ohn D eny F or the P ortland O bserver W hen the son o f a Portland couple w alks onto his drivew ay in this sm all tow n tucked into the m iddle o f now here on the high plains o f central C anada, it seem s like the entire tow n com es out to greet him. For A ir Force Staff Sgt. Derrick D. Boss, son o f Phillip and Marilyn Boss o f northeast Portland, his drivew ay is actually a 12.000-foot runw ay, and the com m otion that draw s the locals to him is an an n u al N A T O e x e rc ise du b b ed ‘M aple Flag.’ Boss was one o f more than 4,000 pilots, maintenance crew members and support specialists from the U.S., Canada, Germany, England, France, Sweden and Singapore who recently converged on this Cold Lake, Alberta, air base to test the skills o f new pilots in a combat environm ent, simulating their first 10 hours o f flying sorties over en emy territory. Boss is a flight operations m an ager w ho is norm ally stationed in Japan w ith a front-line flying o ut fit know n as the 67th Fighter Squadron ‘Fighting C o ck s.’ “I ensure people are current and qualified before each m ission to ensure overall crew safety. My flight operations section is the first and last stop for all aircrew people before they fly am issio n ,” explained the 1996 graduate of G rant H igh S chool. A m erican fighter units from as far aw ay as Japan and Italy co n verge on this rem ote air base to insert their new er fighter pilots into form ations with m ore expert- from A4 Jordan: You and I may never see the end o f it (racism) but that still doesn’t take us off the hook. Continue to do all you can to eliminate any form o f racism. There will be an end, perhaps four or five generations from now. Y ug en : C harles, I suppose in the short term , the race dilem m a places your idea o f legacy in jeopardy? “Smoking doesn’t work in Oregon.” I rem ember walking out o f our conference room and my eyes were literally stinging. My boss smoked, so everybody felt they had a right to light up whenever they felt like it. That was before the Oregon Smokefree Workplace Law. Because now smoking doesn't work in Oregon. And I’m breathing a lot easier. If you’ve got questions, please contact us: Information About The Law • Toll-free 1-866-621-6107 • www.healthoregon.org/tobacco • Your county health department Oregon Tobacco Quitline • 1-877-27O-STOP • 1-877-2N0-FUME (Spanish) • TTY: 1-877-777-6534 Charles Jordan Speaks continued too m any p eo p le ca n say they do w hat 1 d o .” T he U.S. hosts, norm ally sta tio n ed n ear L as V eg as, have tagged high-priced resort hotel names suchas "Luxor,’ ‘Excalibur,’ and Bellagio’ to accom modations that range from rundow n barracks to large cargo containers. Boss and his fellow airm en are out to prove th ey ’re the best at w hat th ey do. A nd, for now , th ey ’ve got the ‘co o lest’ drive way in town. Jordan: For m e legacy is a process, a healing w e have to start, and som ew here dow n the road this place could becom e heaven on earth. Legacy isn ’t a product, it’s a process. Legacy is w hen your grandson can say ’ M y papa helped lay the foun dation. my uncle helped build the w alls. Now its up to you and I to put the ro o f on the bu ild in g .’ So that is w hat 1 try to do: R ede If you have a disability and need the material in an alternate format, call 503-731-4273 (TTY: 503-731-4031). SMOKEFREE WORKPLACES. IT’S OREGON LAW. fine legacy. O regon D epartment O f H uman S ervices NEW S E A S O N S BEFORE IT M E L T S F r o z e n D e s s e r t T a s t in g S a tu rd a y & S u n d a y 1 1 :0 0 a m -5 :0 0 p m friendfazst-sfare in faton. O R E N C O S T A T IO N R A L E I G H H IL L S SELLW OOD P o r tla n d O R 9 7 2 1 1 5 0 3 .2 8 8 .3 8 3 8 N E 6 1 s t & C o r n e ll R d . H ills b o r o O R 9 7 1 2 4 5 0 3 .6 4 8 . 6 9 6 8 7 3 0 0 S W B e a v e r to n - H ills d a le H w y . P o r tla n d O R 9 7 2 2 5 5 0 3 .2 9 2 6 8 3 8 1214 S E T a co m a P o r tla n d O R 9 7 2 0 2 5 0 3 2 3 0 .4 9 4 9 O p e n 8 a m -1 0 p m O pen 8 a m -1 0 p m O pen 8 a m -9 p m O p e n 8 a m -1 O p m C O N C O R D IA N E 3 3 r d & K illin g s w o r th
