Hilltop Times – Hill Air Force Base Weekly Newspaper Since 1948

June 21-28 is Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety Week, ensuring that Hill Air Force Base remains a safe, livable community.

When one of the few still flying B-17 Flying Fortresses landed at Ogden Hinckley Airport recently, former B-17 Ball Turret Gunner Wayne Ottley took a turn in the air and brought some of his own memories of the aircraft along for the ride.

Ottley served four months in England during World War II from Dec. 1943 to April 1944. When a doctor discovered Ottley had developed a heart murmur, he was reassigned to Boise, Idaho, where he taught others the skills involved in sitting in a plexiglass and aluminum turret under the belly of the aircraft and shooting a .50 caliber gun.

The long awaited opening of the splash pad at Centennial Park will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting on May 21 at 3 p.m. Col. Patrick Higby, 75th Air Base Wing commander will do the honors.

The large splash pad includes a water spout, water bars and a water arch all of which feature cool, sanitized water.

Intermittent features will spray water upwards including a spray ring, an arch jet manifold, water jewel fountain, a water column and a ground funnel fountain. All water features were provided by Minnesota-based Aquatic Recreation Co.

Team Hill has recently joined the social media frenzy by creating a Facebook fan page and welcomes all of Team Hill, family and friends to connect with them.

The official page went live May 14 and is available at http://www.facebook.com/hill.af.mil, or search for Hill Air Force Base in the Facebook search engine.

Facebook is a popular social media site that facilitates virtual networking and communication among like-minded individuals who "friend" each other, giving Airmen multiple platforms to engage in conversations about their personal and professional interests.

The Hill Air Force Base BX is rewarding military shoppers who are doing their part for the environment through its new "Use a Bag, Save the Planet" initiative.

Instead of using traditional plastic bags, retail facilities at Hill AFB are encouraging shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. Beyond helping the environment, shoppers that "Use a Bag, Save the Planet" will get five cents back for every reusable bag used.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Air Force Materiel Command officials notified center commanders May 11, that Air Force headquarters has approved converting the command structure from wings, groups and squadrons to directorates, divisions and branches. The targeted implementation date for these organizational changes is June 30.

The e-mail notification to center commanders included an extensive list of wings, groups and squadrons that will be either inactivated, activated or re-designated.

The Hill Commissary May Worldwide Case Lot sale will be held on Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. both days.

This year Army and Air Force Exchange Services will be participating along with us. There will also be a DJ both days for the entertainment of the crowd and family events for children.

The 1982 United States Surgeon General's report in 1982 stated that "cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality (death) in the United States." This statement is as true today as it was in 1982.

Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Because cigarette smoking and tobacco use are acquired behaviors -- activities that people choose to do -- smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in our society.

Chris Roland of the 526th ICBM Systems Group (562th ICBMSS/SYAA) used an eight iron to hit a hole-in-one on Hole No. 17 at Hubbard Memorial Golf Course. The feat was witnessed by Bill Marley, a retired Air Force officer who works for Booz Allen Hamilton and John Buzzard, an Air Force veteran from Pocatello, Idaho.

The Hill Officers' Spouses Club is sponsoring a Spring Craft Bazaar on April 21 at Club Hill from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. There will be more than 50 crafters and vendors, including floral arrangements, jewelry, stamps, candles, pottery, quilts, baskets, wooden pieces and much more.

Come shop for kids' and baby gifts, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation gifts.

Proceeds benefit the OSC education and welfare fund, which provides scholarships and educational materials for the military community. Admission is free.