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U.S. Air Force News

  • 2022 Warrior Games: A look back

    The Warrior Games is a Paralympic-style adaptive sports event showcasing the power of adaptive sports as part of recovery and the overall long-term resiliency of wounded, ill and injured service members from around the DoD.

  • Team Air Force arrives at training camp

    The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program from Headquarters, Air Force Personnel Center, is hosting the 2021 Warrior Games Training Camp at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, July 23-30.

  • Air Force Trials 2021: A Virtual Experience

    The anticipation for how Air Force Trials 2021 will be conducted can now cease. After much consideration, deliberation, and cross talk between multiple organizations, the decision has been made to have the 7th Annual Air Force Trials go fully virtual. Although this is not what many of our athletes

  • 2019 DoD Warrior Games underway in Tampa

    This is the second time the Warrior Games are being held in public venues and not on a military installation. The games are free to watch, open to the public and offer a rare opportunity to watch and be inspired by wounded warriors who have shown incredible resilience as they overcome significant

  • 2019 Warrior Games begin

    Jon Stewart, a comedian, was once again the master of ceremonies to officially open the games. He mixed humor with a compassion and seriousness about wounded warriors that seems to resonate with service members and families.

  • AFW2 announces 2019 Warrior Games team

    The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, or AFW2, is proud to announce the 2019 Air Force Warrior Games team. A team of coaches and staff selected 40 primary and ten alternates at the 6th Annual Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, March 7th. The 40-person team will go on to compete at

  • Sun sets on Air Force Academy-hosted 2018 Warrior Games

    As the sun sets behind the Colorado Springs mountaintops, the flame lit ceremoniously a week earlier to signify the official start of the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games is extinguished, bringing to close the eighth annual iteration of the Games on June 9.

  • Retired Airman meets biological sister at DoD Warrior Games

    She’s competing in track and field and indoor rowing, but retired Senior Airman Karah Behrend couldn’t concentrate on training yesterday for the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the U.S. Air Force Academy.For the first time, Behrend was going to meet her 19-year-old biological sister,

  • Warrior Profile: Lt. Col. Audra Lyons

    Lt. Col. Audra Lyons, Headquarters Air Force branch chief of policy integration, joined the Air Force June 26, 1997. She attended the Air Force Academy, graduated in 2001, and got married the next day.

  • 2018 Air Force Wounded Warrior Trials begin

    More than 150 wounded warriors from the Air Force, Army, Great Britain and Australia gathered today to officially open the fifth annual Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base.

  • Air Force Trials for Wounded Warriors begin Feb. 23

    More than 125 Air Force wounded, ill and injured service men and women have trained and practiced for months in their chosen sports in preparation for the Air Force Trials Feb. 23 to March 2, 2018, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • Warrior Games make triumphant return to Colorado Springs

    Community and business leaders joined representatives of the military at the Air Force Academy last night to mark the 100-day countdown until athletes arrive in Colorado for the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games. Now in their ninth year, the Warrior Games are returning to Colorado Springs,

  • Evolution of adaptive sports

    With the event coming to a close, thousands around the world turned their attention toward the 2017 Invictus Games, witnessing feats of incredible talent and hearing truly inspiring stories from world-class athletes.

  • 2017 AF Trials commence

    Dozens of U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Australian and Great Britain wounded warriors gathered here Feb. 24, 2017, to mark the opening ceremony of the fourth annual Air Force Warrior Game Trials competition at the Warrior Fitness Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.These trials are part of an

  • Archers compete in first visual impairment category at Warrior Games

    Wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans continue to break personal records and show fans and friends amazing feats and June 17 was no different, as archers competed in the first-ever visual impairment category at the 2016 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the U.S. Military

  • Standing tall: Amputee Airmen seek to defy odds in therapy sessions

    After a sprint around an indoor track with her prosthetic running blade, Heather Carter stopped, visibly tired. She smiled and began to sprint another lap. The medically retired senior airman once rounded the bases for the Air Force softball team until a freak accident severely injured her left leg

  • No limits: Airman pushes past near death experience

    Staff Sgt. Sebastiana Lopez Arellano was riding a motorcycle when an animal scurried onto the road, causing her to swerve and hit a curb. As she high-sided over her bike, the momentum catapulted her body into a tree. The impact severed her right leg. As she recovered, she found comfort in sports and

  • DOD Warrior Games begin June 15

    The 2016 Department of Defense Warrior Games, an adaptive sports competition for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, will take place June 15-21 in West Point, New York.

  • Special Edition: DOD Warrior Games Week in Photos

    This week's photos features Air Force wounded warrior athletes preparing for and participating in various events at the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games, held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

  • Adaptive Warrior: No one fights alone

    Betty O'Brien went from mother to caregiver after her son, Senior Airman Kevin O’Brien, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 23-years-old in 2013.

  • Airman beats brain tumor, grateful for Warrior Games

    Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Craig Zaleski didn’t earn a medal in the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games here this week, but he said the adaptive sports competition was an emotional and rewarding experience.

  • BLUE: Charlie Mike to recovery

    In this episode of BLUE, through the fog of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic injury and illness, American veterans realize that the ability to regain control of their minds and bodies lies within themselves. Wounded warriors talk about how the Air Force Wounded Warrior Care Program has

  • Carter opens 2015 Warrior Games

    The 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games opened June 19, with about 250 athletes from the U.S. and U.K. gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to compete for a different victory: celebrating their new lives and their enduring abilities.

  • Breast cancer survivor’s journey leads her to Warrior Games

    The Department of Defense Warrior Games 2015 will take place June 19-28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Tech. Sgt. Linn Knight, a breast cancer survivor and explosive ordnance disposal technician, competed and placed in several events at the trials, advancing her to the June games.

  • Resilient security forces Airman advances to Warrior Games

    The Department of Defense Warrior Games 2015 will take place June 19-28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Retired Senior Airman Jennifer Stone competed and placed in several events at the trials, advancing her to the June games.

  • AFW2 helps Airmen take steps toward recovery

    One would never know the twelve current and retired Airmen walking into the Joint Base Andrews West Fitness Center, Nov. 18, were wounded, ill or seriously injured. Minutes later, it is evident as the bleachers and floor fill with gym bags, volleyballs and prosthetic limbs, while two dogs sit

  • First sergeant provides health, welfare for warriors

    General health, esprit de corps, discipline, mentoring, well-being, career progression, professional development and recognition of all assigned Airmen and their families is all a part of the mission of an Air Force first sergeant -- taking care of people.

  • The final stage in healing

    For some, the Warrior Games might be the first step toward healing, but for Air Force athlete Steven Malits the games are the last step in his long journey of recovery.

  • Love proves stronger than adversity

    Seven months before their wedding date, most brides are picking out invitations, booking musicians and florists and sending out save-the-date cards, however, Meagan Pinney was driving as fast as possible from Pheonix, Arizona, to Las Vegas to see her then-fiance, Ryan, in the hospital after a

  • No greater friend

    Service dogs can range from being a person's eyes, sensing a seizure or low blood sugar, to sniffing out improvised explosive devices on the battlefield. For some of the Air Force's wounded warrior athletes, service dogs provide so much more than just physical assistance.

  • Volleyball: Army too much for AF in bronze medal round

    Fans and players from the Air Force and the Army flooded into the U.S Olympic Training Center gymnasium Oct. 1, to watch as the two services clashed in this one last game with the 2014 Warrior Games sitting volleyball bronze medal on the line.

  • From partner to caregiver: Wife’s story of love, perseverance

    When a couple talks about how they first met, a phrase commonly heard is, “Well, they just fell into my life.” For one couple, the expression could be taken quite literally. When Jeremiah Means first met Ashley, she was tripping in front of him as she tried to rush through a doorway. He called

  • A love story: healing the wounded warrior

    He was a young Air Force officer healing from a recent trauma and she was a dedicated single mother of two. Whether it was friends or fate that first brought them together, neither would have suspected that their chance meeting in Florida would be the key to his recovery. Their introduction to each

  • AF starts with clean sweep in sitting volleyball

    Competition began Sept. 28 at the 2014 Warrior Games with four games of sitting volleyball to start the round-robin tournament at the U.S. Olympic Training Center's Sports Centers 1 and 2.Air Force made it a clean sweep of their back-to-back games. The first game against Army provided a close

  • Warrior Games begin in Colorado

    The 2014 Warrior Games, bringing together more than 200 wounded, ill or injured U.S. service members and veterans opened here today, with a senior Defense Department official lauding all those competing as an inspiration to everyone who wears the uniform.

  • 2014 Warrior Games to kick off

    Beginning Sept. 28, for seven days, 40 Air Force veteran athletes will compete head-to-head within various adaptive sports for the Warrior Games alongside more than 210 other warriors from the Air Force’s sister services, taking place at the Olympic Training Center, Fort Carson and Garry Barry

  • Warrior Games: Wounded warrior overcomes adversity with archery

    Staff Sgt. Seth Pena, a highly decorated tactical air control party member, noted for calling in coordinated close support air strikes that killed up to 70 Taliban members in one fight, sat down with a crossbow draped across his lap and a target 25 meters in front of him, reminiscing about the night

  • U.S., British wounded warriors compete in summer competition

    Approximately 100 U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and British Armed Forces wounded warriors trained and competed in the second annual Wounded Warrior Summer Invitational Adaptive Sports Tournament at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, July 7-10.

  • Wounded warrior finds new place in the AF family

    Words of acceptance are etched on retired Staff Sgt. Daniel Crane's skin, right above a scar that, by itself, embodies the journey he has undertaken. The spider web of pink lines starts midway up the inside of his right arm and continues nearly to his wrist, following the path doctors took as they

  • AF wounded warriors selected for Warrior, Invictus Games

    Air Force Wounded Warrior program officials announced the names of the athletes to represent the Air Force during the 2014 Warrior Games and the Invictus Games at the closing ceremony for the Air Force Trials, in Las Vegas, Nev., April 11.

  • Warrior athletes gear up during cycling competition

    Athletes with bikes of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the standard upright bike to the handcycle, took their turn at the starting line April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

  • Air Force Wounded Warrior Trials begin

    Wounded warriors joined together here April 7 to celebrate the opening ceremonies of the first Air Force trials competition at the Warrior Fitness Center.

  • Pearl Harbor-Hickam set to host first Wounded Warrior Pacific Invitational

    Thirty Air Force wounded warriors will face off against 90 other athletes during the first Wounded Warrior Pacific Invitational hosted by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 8-10.The week-long event will be the largest joint-service competition to take place outside of the annual Warrior Games.

  • Warrior Games 2013: AF earns silver, bronze archery medals

    Retired Tech. Sgt. Corey Carter narrowly lost to the Army's Jessie White in the Warrior Games archery competition at Clune Arena here May 15.White scored 27 to defeat Carter, ending the bronze compound match, 107-106."I had the lead, and I should have kept it," said Carter, who also competed in the

  • Warrior Games 2013: AF cyclists win 3 medals

    Air Force cyclists took home three medals in the Warrior Games 2013 cycling competition at Falcon Stadium May 12.Maj. Scott Bullis of Peterson Air Force Base took first place in the men's recumbent cycle race to win the Air Force's first gold medal of this year's Warrior Games."This is my first

  • Royalty visits Academy, provides awareness for Warrior Games

    British royalty was on hand to kick off Warrior Games and to have a bit of fun with cadets here May 12.His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, also known as Prince Harry, made a stop in Colorado Springs and the Academy during his week-long visit to the United States to raise awareness for Warrior

  • Academy hosts Warrior Games sports camp

    Air Force wounded warriors are participating in a sports camp here through Feb. 2 in their quest to represent the Air Force in the 2013 Warrior Games.Fifty-four candidates are participating in the sports camp, which includes events such as track and field, basketball, volleyball, swimming,

  • Getting Airmen back in the 'Games'

    Many Airmen have served honorably in the Air Force, but due to wounds, illnesses or injuries are no longer able to serve in the capacities they did before. The Warrior Games gives those Airmen a chance to serve again.The games, scheduled for May 11-17 in Colorado Springs, are designed to introduce

  • Air Force Academy, Colo. Springs to host 2013 Warrior Games

    The 2013 Warrior Games will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the Air Force Academy May 11-17, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced Monday.More than 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans are expected to participate in 2013, comprising five U.S. teams representing

  • Air Force captures 18 medals at Warrior Games

    The Air Force brought home a team-record 18 medals April 30 through May 5 during the 2012 Warrior Games here.Athletes representing the Air Force medaled in volleyball and wheelchair basketball for the first time, earning bronze medals in both as well as earning two silver medals and one gold medal

  • AF swimmers make splash at Warrior Games

    Air Force swimmers proved themselves in the pool May 5 by securing one gold and two silver medals during the 2012 Warrior Games at the U.S. Air Force Academy here.Ryan McGuire secured the silver medals in the men's 100m freestyle single-leg amputation multi-class and the men's 50m freestyle SLA

  • AF represents in Warrior Games track, field events

    The Air Force team brought home nine medals in track and field events May 4 here during the 3rd annual Warrior Games. On the field, Jennifer Stone clutched the silver medal for Air Force in women's shot put open combined with a throw of 10.6m.The Air Force men represented well with two track medals

  • AF shooting team shows at Warrior Games

    The Air Force shooting team competed in the 2012 Warrior Games on May 3 here. Several Air Force shooters advanced to the top eight in their events.- Christopher Aguilera, air pistol open- Ken Gestring, air pistol open- Gregg Rich, air pistol open- Stacy Pearsall, air rifle prone and air rifle

  • AF takes bronze in sitting volleyball

    The Air Force sitting volleyball team defeated the U.S. Special Operations Command team May 3 during the bronze medal game of the Warrior Games here. This was the Air Force's second win over SOCOM in volleyball this week.The Air Force wasn't able to overcome the Army in the previous match and

  • Marines shoot down AF in archery

    Air Force archers went up against teams from each branch of service and the U.S. Special Operations Command May 2 here during the 2012 Warrior Games.The Air Force team had a good showing in the individual and team events, but it wasn't enough to keep the Marines and Army from taking the gold and

  • AF blows past SOCOM volleyball team

    The Air Force sitting volleyball team punished the U.S. Special Operations Command team in two consecutive matches May 1 here during the 2012 Warrior Games. The Air Force team struck first, with Ken Gestring as the server. Air Force pulled out to a 12 point lead, with spikes by Keith Sekora and

  • Air Force takes 2nd, 3rd in men's cycling

    Wounded warriors from around the U.S. and British armed forces battled it out May 1 in the cycling portion of the 2012 Wounded Warrior Games here.In the first event of the week, the Air Force started off strong snagging the silver and bronze medals the in the men's recumbent cycling competition.

  • Air Force dominates SOCOM 41-14

    The Air Force mopped the court with the U.S. Special Operations Command wheelchair basketball team in a 41 - 14 victory May 1 here during the 2012 Warrior Games. Air Force beat SOCOM in their first game of a round-robin series that includes the Army, Navy, Marines and the British Armed

  • Cycling competition concludes at 2012 Warrior Games

    More than 70 U.S. and British wounded warriors completed the 2012 Warrior Games cycling competition at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 1. The U.S. Marine Corps and Army both had first place in wins in two competitions, while U.S. Special Operations Command took first in

  • 2012 Warrior Games kick off, first lady speaks

    Hundreds of wounded warriors, family members and supporters gathered here for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Warrior Games on April 30.The Warrior Games comprises seven sports -- swimming, cycling wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, archery, shooting and track and field -- in which

  • 29 Athletes selected for 2012 Warrior Games AF team

    Twenty-nine Air Force athletes will compete for gold after being chosen to represent the service at the 2012 Warrior Games.Warrior Games is an Olympic-style event open to all wounded, ill and injured military members and veterans. This year's event are scheduled to take place April 30 through May 5

  • Warrior Games selection camp concludes for AF

    More than 25 active-duty, retired and separated Airmen competed for a spot on the Air Force team in the 2012 Warrior Games during a selection camp March 25-30 here.The Warrior Games, now in its third year, was designed to introduce disabled veterans to Paralympic sports. The Airmen selected for the

  • Coaches selected for 2012 Warrior Games

    An Air Force orthopedic surgeon has been tapped to be the head coach for the U.S. Air Force 2012 Warrior Games team during the competition slated for April 30 through May 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo.Maj. James Bales, 2010's Air Force Male Athlete of the Year, from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.,

  • Warrior Games competition plans return to Colorado Springs

    The annual Warrior Games, featuring wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans competing in several sporting events, will return here in 2012, U.S. Olympic Committee officials announced Dec. 6.The USOC-hosted games will take place April 30 to May 5. The Defense and Veterans Affairs

  • Wounded warriors participate in sports minicamp

    A small group of Air Force wounded warriors attended an adaptive sports wounded warrior minicamp Nov. 3 to 6 at the Olympic Training Center and the U.S. Air Force Academy.During the minicamp, 15 veteran and new athletes practiced wheelchair basketball, strength and conditioning, sitting volleyball

  • Veterans with disabilities in Pittsburgh for wheelchair games

    More than 600 disabled veteran athletes will compete in a variety of sport competitions at the 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Pittsburgh, Aug. 1st through the 6th. The event is presented each year by officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Paralyzed Veterans of

  • Laughlin amputee earns his wings

    Earning the coveted silver pilot wings is a long and difficult journey allowing only a small percentage of officers to earn the right to be called a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.By becoming the first amputee to graduate from pilot training, First Lt. Ryan McGuire earned his spot among the elite group

  • Warrior games about more than medals

    The 2011 Warrior Games officially came to an end here May 21 following closing ceremonies.The Air Force team, consisting of 23 wounded Airmen, earned 12 medals at the event.But for the athletes, the games were not just about medals. The Warrior Games were an opportunity for the current and former

  • Air Force takes silver in shooting competition

    A member on the Air Force shooting team took second place during the shooting finals at the 2011 Warrior Games May 19 here.Chatriex Goodson secured the silver medal for the Air Force team in air rifle standing SH1 category, meaning shooters are able to support a gun without a stand. Goodson

  • Navy defeats Air Force, takes bronze

    The Air Force wheelchair basketball team fought to the end against the Navy, but it wasn't enough as the Navy edged out the Air Force 13-12 in the bronze-medal game May 20 during the 2011 Warrior Games here.The game started with Air Force possession. After a missed shot by the Air Force, the Navy

  • 'Jersey' Jeanne takes home bronze

    Under a nearly cloudless sky and with a slight chill in the air, retired Staff Sgt. Jeanne Goldy-Sanitate took off down the hill at the U.S. Air Force Academy chasing a medal during the women's cycling race at the 2011 Warrior Games here May 20. Despite flipping her handcycle earlier in the week,

  • Marine Corps shoots down Air Force in wheelchair basketball action

    In a defense-heavy match-up, the Marine Corps defeated the Air Force 46-10 in the wheelchair basketball competition May 19 at the 2011 Warrior Games here. This is the third loss for the Air Force wheelchair basketball team.In the first half, both teams put up a strong defensive front allowing just a

  • Army marches through Air Force

    Earning a shot at gold, the Army took down the Air Force in the sitting volleyball semifinals during the final semifinal game at the second annual Warrior Games here May 19. Though the Air Force started the series with the first point, they traded the Army point for point for most of the game. An

  • Air Force makes splash in swim prelims

    Members of the Air Force team qualified in five swimming events during the 2011 Warrior Games preliminary competition here May 18.Matt Pirrello secured two spots in the finals for the Air Force team in the men's 50m long course freestyle single limb amputee and the 100m long course freestyle SLA.

  • Warrior Games welcomes new faces

    For the second year, the Warrior Games has returned here, bringing competition among all branches of the military and Coast Guard, during a week-long series of sporting events. The Air Force Warrior Games team has seen many veterans return, but there are also many new faces joining them.These

  • SOCOM spikes Air Force in sitting volleyball

    After a strong first game win, the Air Force was dispatched by the Special Operations Command in the preliminary sitting volleyball competition at the 2011 Warrior Games here May 17. The Air Force team started the three-game series with a battery of successive points, carving out an eight-point lead

  • Army, Navy score early basketball wins against Marines, Air Force

    Both the Army and Navy scored first-round wheelchair basketball wins May 17 during the 2011 Warrior Games here. The Army bested their rival from last year with a 39-24 win over the Marine Corps during the first day of the wheelchair basketball competition. Though both teams played with dramatic

  • Air Force brings home gold on day 1

    Air Force athletes brought home gold during the first day of competition May 17 at the 2011 Warrior Games here. With a grunt and furrowed brow, retired Senior Airman Jennifer Stone bested her Marine, Navy and Army competitors in the women's standing shot put with a distance of 31-feet, 7.25-inches.