10 November 2003
The second meeting of the 2003-2004 academic year for the Memphis, TN chapter of the American Meteorological Society took place at 7:00PM on Monday, November 10, 2003 in the Agricenter Board Room at Agricenter International. A dinner and discussion preceded the meeting starting at 5:30PM. There were about twenty-four people in attendance.
The informal dinner started off the evening with Captain Robert Moelter of the United States Air Force, the evenings guest speaker, giving the attendees his background in the Air Force and his degree in Meteorology from the University of Memphis. There were a number of interesting comments about his time in Iraq, such as how friendly and appreciative the Iraqi people are, and of the war effort in general.
After the dinner, President Erik Proseus opened the formal meeting with a welcome to local chapter members and guests. For the business portion of the meeting there was a recognition of one of our own, Mike Goldstein, in the local newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, on his work in the field of pollution in the Memphis/Shelby County area. There was also discussion of the availability of minority scholarships in the atmospheric sciences, the AMS national meeting in January, and the 3rd annual Southeast Severe Storms Symposium that Mississippi State University is hosting from January 16-18, 2004.
Future meeting topics were also discussed, including:
Following the business meeting, the 2003-2004 yearly dues of $10.00 were collected from 6 members.
The guest speaker for the evening was Captain Robert Moelter who was recently awarded a Bronze Star for his bravery and accurate forecasting while serving in Iraq from March through October 2003.
Capt. Moelter first gave an overview of the various meteorology entities in the Air Force, from the Mission of the Air Force Weather services in Wartime Support, to Peacetime Operations, to the Strategic Global Support at the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB in Nebraska, to the Tactical Unit support in the battlefield. He also talked about the Space Weather Support, the Combat Climatology Center, and the Operational Weather Squadrons across the US.
But most interesting was the Combat Weather Teams that offer tactical weather support to the host squadron. They consist of 10-15 personnel from "Blue Suit", Army and Special Ops Support. Capt. Moelter was deployed with Special Ops with his squadron giving front line forecasts as the troops moved across Iraq toward Baghdad and, later, all the way to Mosul. One of the most difficult parts of the mission, both in forecasting it And generally having to deal with it, was the sand. There were numerous sandstorms, one of which was the most severe storm to occur in years and exhibited winds in excess of 60 knots and visibilities less than 20 feet.
He also discussed the importance of the National Guard and Reserve units in Iraq and what kind of training an Enlisted Officer goes through to become a meteorologist in the Air Force. We wrapped up the evening with a question and answer period.
We are very appreciative that Capt. Moelter was able to take the time before his redeployment back to Iraq to share with us what it is really like in Iraq and the challenges of not only forecasting, but staying safe, in a war zone. We wish him well.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michael Wroten, Secretary/Treasurer