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April 9, 2015     News Letter Journal
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April 9, 2015
 
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editor@ newslj, com news letter journal ° April 9, 2015 -- 11 None better Denice Pisciotti NLJ Reporter The military is always "looking for a few good men," but a graduate of Newcastle High School recently eclipsed all of his peers and went beyond "good" to "best." The honor of being named the best in his field was pre- sented to U. S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Michael Dixon when he was awarded the U. S. Air Force Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Specialist of the Year. "It is the award given for winning at the highest level Submitted Photo Newcastle native Staff Sergeant Michael Dixon, along with his wife, Evah, and their two children, Natalie, 4, and Tom, 2, have enjoyed living in Japan, but look forward to moving back in the states later this year. in my career field and is defi- nitely a highlight for me. Each year they put a nominee up for the year based off of different things you do for your job, including training and com- munity service activities you volunteered for. The different award packages are placed up against one another. They rank them based on who did the most recognizable things, and I was the one to be selected this year," Dixon told the News Letter Journal by telephone command of operations. Upon graduating from Newcastle High School in 2007, Dixon enlisted in the USAF, and attended Basic training in San Antonio, Texas. Before he went to basic training, he was given a guarantee he would be able to try for a position as a SERE Specialist. It was a brutal process, he acknowledged, but it has been a worthwhile career choice. "Basically, during that time I was trained in global sur- fr,.glxent station,.j, vival principles. I was trained in noern Japan.' medical care, search and rescue Prior to winning at the highest level, Dixon claimed some other awards in the months leading up to being named the best in his field. He also was named Fighter Wing Non-Commissioned Officer of the year, an honor for which he was selected as the best out of about 2,000 people, and after that Dixon was named SERE Specialist of the Year for the entire Pacific theater and basic actions a pilot or air crew member might find themselves to be in if they were shot down behind enemy lines," explained Dixon. "Once I graduated SERE Specialist training in Washington, I stayed at Fairchild Air Force Base for about four years, teaching the Air Force basic survival course for all air crew members." Generally he would teach a class every three weeks on a repeating schedule. The first week was spent in the class- room learning basic skills, and the second week was spent in the woods about two hours north of Spokane, in rugged country where Dixon would teach how to build different fires and shelters and hunt for food. "Then I would prepare them for an invasion scenario, basi- cally how not to get caught should they be shot down in the future," he explained. The students i Dixon's class in Washington varied from 18 year old men just out of basic training to 50 year old men in the Air National Guard. The ranks of his students have ranged from the lowest to a full bird Colonel, he recalled. He has been stationed in Misawa Air Force Base in Japan, where he has been con- ducting refresher training for Air Force F-16 pilots for a little over three years. "Love it! It is awesome. Good food and nice people, but we will be moving in August somewhere back to the states. I'm not sure where yet," Dixon said. "It's nice living in a foreign country, but at the same time you miss some of the luxuries of the mother land." An eye-opening experience for Dixon was being deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 for about five months, where he planned for recovery of pilots if they went down in a certain area. Overall he said it was a good experience that made him appreciate what he has. "I definitely enjoy my job. It is definitely exciting and every day is different. I have always been a pretty big out- doorsy guy-- doing the basic hunting, fishing and camping with my dad (Randy Dixon) ever since I was a little one. It has always been something I enjoyed. When I heard about the opportunity to get paid to do it, I couldn't pass it up," the Staff Sergeant smiled. As a matter of fact... We Do Buy Our Ink ByThe Barrel! We have ink jet and laser print cartridges! Hewlett Packard Lexmark Brother Canon Epson Sharp Panasonic We are ready to meet all your printing needs! If we don't have it, we will order it!   W:$ ii   i: i. : 14 W. Main ........................................ St. • : ........... Newcastle, L  i ::::: ::::: ............ WY • 746-2777 .............. ......... j www.newslj.com linNItRiNI; AUII[MI[ A[fiI[V[rvI[NI !!i !i"'% .... .', ! ........... i " : 2014-2015  Third Quarter High School "A" Honor Roll Calbi N Ausmann Abigail L Gettinger Nathaniel L Pillen Kendra R Back Alex L Henkle Tabitha G Pillen Jordan T Brooks Rachel M Henkle Cameron R Quigley Katara N Cade Sarah R Henkle Courtney D Rainbolt Hannah J Cass Jenna L Holmes Zachary Rasmussen Aspen Checketts Kalyn L Houser Jade L. Roady Laura A Chord Kaprina B. Jones Tava J Rose Summer D Cole Maccayla B Jordahl Grace S. Sandrini Clayton R. Colvard Bailey J Karp Erika L Schultz Nathina J Crabtree Megan E. Kenney Taylor A Spain Madison S Crawford Alexis L Krogman Colton T Sweet Shaylee J Curren Paul A Lambert Wyatt M. Voelker Alyssa L Dawson Derek C Lewis Mikenna Waggener Trayton B Dawson Rosemarie McMahon Scottlyn C Wiggins Abigail M Deveraux Gatlin B Miller Hannah N Williams Heather N Donner Cassandra N Munoz Kelsey D Wood Shaelee J Douglas Abbigail M Nelson Richard D Yeager Rachel R Ehlers Mariah H Nielsen "B" Honor Roll Ashton N Alarid Ryan A Fulk Melanie R Oakley Natalie C Artiles Abby E Gray Vincent J Oedekoven Haley J Barker Danika R. Guse Dennon R Parks Nathaniel J Behnke Colin D. Heaton Jessica J Pastor Nolan R Behnke Gavin W Holmes Emily L Pearson Daytona A. Bennett Flint J. Hossfeld Jared R Peterson Brandon W. Benson Alexandra N Jingleski Jenna G Piper Chandler D Burd Cooper J Karp Josie D Podio Daniel P Caress Bailey R Lacey Marshall J. Rhoades Drew M Coy Sierra M LaCroix Bradon W Rushton Layne I Crisman Brandon M Leddy Katherine Schraeder Samuel A Donner Tyler J Lewis Taylor R Small Dillon R Ehlers NaKala R Liggett Blade L Stotz Trenton W Engle Megan L Logan Savannah D. Williams Ashten A Farnsworth Teigen J Marchant Glenda L Wykoff Trayton M Famsworth Alec C Martinez Lane W Zerbst Tayler A Ford Alexis M Merchen Madison E Frazee Sean L Merchen Middle School Principal's Honor Roll 6th Grade: Carson Quigley 8th Grade: Caylee Aiarid Grayson Ramsey Arianna Anderson Claire Beastrom Morgan Sweet Alyssa Houser Nevaeh Bruggeman Mercedes Voelker Jake Lacey Tristin Clyde Halley Wehri Michelle Lewis Kale Corley 7th Grade: PJ Martin Peyton Crinklaw Austin Bush Cade Ostenson Paige Deyo Lauren Lacey Isaac Prell Asia Graham Madison Pearson Peyton Purviance Rebecca Henkle Dylon 5dyman Lexus Voelker Abbey Lacey Peyton Tystad Makenzie Wagoner Alaina Laurence Markie Whitney Brady Wilkes Rya Liggett "A" Honor Roll 6th Grade: Jayme Cass Tessa Vandersnick Carolina Anderson Owen Cox Gunnar Wainscott Emily BeaOrom Grace Coy Ty Weeg Garrett Brown Shelby Davis Sierra Checketts Johnna Dawson 8th Grade: Jakob Hebeding Cooper Deveraux John Barker Alexcya Hopper Jake Deveraux Alaina Boettcher Skylar Jenkins Bradyn Frye Kaden Curren Christopher Johnson Christina Hadlock Holly Dollison Tayzen Johnson Emma Humes Reid Holmes Dillon Kenney Jacob Krogman Sean Hopper Lacie Koester Jory McFarland Kassidee Jeppesen WeOin LaPierre Joseph McLaughlin Paige Liggett Hayden Nuzum Payton Parks Talon Logan Conrad Prell Jacob Rhoades Kolby Pisciotti Grace Seekings Grace Rose Sawyer Roberson Alaina Steveson Emily Rushton Lauren Steveson Shelby Stith Kaylee Sweet 7th Grade: Sara Sweet Bianca Tones Kelsey Bennett Davin Tysdal Brenna Watkins First State ............  ..... ,#,, :. Joanna Akers, Agent Jessica Bettorf, Agent 746-441 I, ,. 24 N Sumner www.fsbnewcastle.com Not A Deposit - Not FDIC Insured - Not Insured by any Federal Government Agency - Not Guaranteed by the Bank - May Go Down in Value