Stephanie J. Molina has been promoted to the rank of staff
sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.Molina is a voice systems operator
assigned to the 324th Intelligence Squadron at Hickam Air Force
Base, Honolulu, Hawaii. She has four years of military service.
Stephanie J. Molina has been promoted to the rank of staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.Molina is a voice systems operator assigned to the 324th Intelligence Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu, Hawaii. She has four years of military service.
She is the daughter of Ernesto H. and Joanne Molina of Corte Cabas of Morgan Hill. The staff sergeant is a 1998 graduate of Live Oak High School, Morgan Hill.
Bobby Budde III, former Live Oak graduate, has earned a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from San Jose State University and was commissioned into the Air Force as second lieutenant this June. Prior to being commissioned into the USAF, Bobby obtained a pilot slot and will be temporarily assigned to the ROTC Cadre staff at Detachment 045 in San Jose until he obtains his orders to attend undergraduate pilot training in the upcomming months.
Bobby is the son of Marlene and Len Caredio of Morgan Hill, and Bobby Budde Jr. of San Jose. Grandson of Phil and Adeline Renelle of Morgan Hill and Bobby and Ruth Budde of Clear Lake Minnesota.
Bobby will be the third generation in his family to join the Air Force after both his father and grandfather, who served in previous wars. His granfather retired Capt. Bobby M. Budde assisted in him along with his mother to pin on his ranks of second lieutenant.
Air Force Cadet Katrine B. Helleberg has graduated from the U.S Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The graduate received a bachelor of science degree and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
Senior cadets have the opportunity to serve as academy cadet officers who provide leadership, motivation and direction for the cadet wing and demonstrate effective officership in support of unit mission objectives.
The academy is a four-year military institution of higher learning that develops and inspires new air and space leaders with a vision for the future. The curriculum provides a balanced program of military training, academics, physical training, athletic conditioning, and character and ethical development. The courses of study allow cadets to acquire a broad education in the basic and engineering sciences , social sciences , the humanities and a choice of 30 academic majors.
The new lieutenants go on to serve as pilots, navigators, engineers, maintenance officers, professionals in various technical fields, and some attend medical or graduate school with special scholarships, while others go directly to non-rated Air Force-wide assignments.
The officer has been selected to attend the Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training program conducted by the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls. Only the top 30 pilot candidates of each graduating class get to attend the 55-week training program sponsored by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Helleberg received a degree in engineering mechanics at the academy. She is the daughter of Sylvia and stepdaughter of Tracy Heeter of Morgan Hill.
The new lieutenant is a 1999 graduate of Live Oak High School.
Navy Airman Gabriel R. Piper, son of Jeffrey M. Piper of Morgan Hill, recently returned from a 10-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf while assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, homeported in Everett, Wash.
Piper was one of more than 10,000 Pacific Fleet Sailors and Marines aboard the ships of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Battle Group and USS Belleau Wood Amphibious Ready Group who participated in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Piper’s scheduled six-month deployment began in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch in July 2002. As the battle group neared completion of its deployment in December 2002, the USS Abraham Lincoln Battle Group was recalled to duty in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
Aircraft carriers, like USS Abraham Lincoln, are deployed around the world to maintain U.S. presence and provide rapid response in times of crisis. They serve as a highly visible deterrent to would-be aggressors, and are equipped with the most versatile and powerful weapons and aircraft available.
Piper is a 2000 graduate of Serber Lake High School of Lynnwood, Wash. And joined the Navy in March 2001.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Santiago C. Fierro, son of Wendy E. Fierro of Morgan Hill and Cruz J. Fierro of Los Banos, recently completed a two-week bilateral training excersise with Albanian military forces while assigned tothe 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C. The unit is currently aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
Fierro is one of more than 4,000 Pacific Fleet Sailors and Marines who deployed aboard the ships of the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group.
Drawing upon lessons learned in recent operations in Mosul, Iraq, Fierro’s unit sought to create a training exercise that included every element of the MEU with specific emphasis on combat service support of secure convoy procedures.
Fierro’s unit is an expeditionary intervention force with the ability to rapidly organize for combat operations in virtually any environment. MEUs are composed of more than 2,000 personnel and are divided into an infantry battalion, aircraft squadron, support group and command element. With this combination, Fiero’s unit supplies and sustains itself for either quick mission accomplishment of clearing the way for the follow-on forces.
Fierro is a 2000 graduate of Gilroy High School of Gilroy, and joined the Marine Corps in May 2001.
