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  • Free Iraqi forces: 'Members of the team' liberating Iraq

    They're intimately familiar with Iraqi language and culture, they wear distinctive uniforms, they serve with U.S. civil affairs troops in Iraq -- and they don't like Saddam Hussein.Who are these guys?They're members of the Free Iraqi Forces working with U.S. Army and Marine Corps civil affairs units

  • Coalition continues fight in Baghdad, northern Iraq

    The deaths of two American service members since Iraqis toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad yesterday emphasized that combat in Iraq is not over."The enemy is surrendering and scattering, but not everyone, and not yet," Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said during a press conference

  • Earthquake shakes Izmir military community

    An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 centered near Urla, Turkey, was felt about 35 miles away by members of the Izmir military community early April 10.Squadron officials said that there were no injuries to U.S. military people and damage to air station facilities was light.Local

  • SECAF: Mobility key to war effort

    The secretary of the Air Force praised Air Mobility Command for quietly building up resources in Southwest Asia before the opening days of the war in Iraq. He also lauded the continued "spectacular" air support during the campaign to remove the Iraqi regime from power."Under the direction of

  • Injured arrive at Wilford Hall

    Forty-seven servicemembers injured during Operation Iraqi Freedom arrived here April 9 while waiting for flights to medical centers near their home stations.The patients arrived aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft after an 11-hour, non-stop flight from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Once here, they

  • Air Force team adopts local school

    It was the unimaginable plight of children in Bagram, Afghanistan, that spawned the latest in a long line of humanitarian visits to local villages, according to an Air Force captain.Capt. Michael Friebel, a critical care nurse deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, his family and the Shino

  • Munitions tool passes wartime test

    A new munitions-tracking program has passed the wartime test at a forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.The command and control concept of operations software allows real-time tracking of the number and status of munitions worldwide.The program was developed for wartime, but

  • Airman pulls man from burning building

    When fire roared through an off-base house here, the actions of a 1st Special Operations Squadron pilot saved a 94-year-old man's life.Capt. Tom Geiser was on a cordless phone late April 2 outside his house about three kilometers from Kadena Air Base."I saw smoke rising from a house about 50 yards

  • Air Force announces transportation awards

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 U.S. Air Force Transportation Awards.Unit winners include:-- Vehicle maintenance unit: 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-- Vehicle operations unit: 86th LRS, Ramstein AB, Germany.-- Combat readiness

  • Air Force announces logistics plans awards

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 U.S. Air Force Logistics Plans Awards.Award winners include:-- Command senior manager: Maj. Christopher D. Long, 609th Air Support Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.-- Command manager: Capt. Gail Sledge, 8th Air Force, Barksdale

  • Reservist testifies about mobilization

    Television viewers who tuned into C-SPAN on April 3 may have seen an Air Force reservist from here testifying before a House Armed Services subcommittee.Master Sgt. Kevin Smith, logistics plans technician, joined six other National Guard and Reserve members to address the committee and answer

  • IRS provides combat zone tax assistance

    Servicemembers serving in a combat zone can learn about the tax benefits available to them by logging onto a new section of the Internal Revenue Service's Web site.The information is available on the front page of www.irs.gov by clicking on "Armed Forces Tax Benefits."The new Web section provides

  • Officials name manpower, organization winners

    Officials from the Air Force's directorate of manpower and organization have named the winners of the 2002 Air Force Manpower and Organization Awards. They are:Field Grade Officer of the Year -- Maj. Troy L. Hawk, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.Company Grade Officer of the Year -- Capt.

  • ONW fighters say final goodbye to Incirlik

    The last Operation Northern Watch mission flew March 17, but the end of the operation was not obvious until the last fighter aircraft roared out of here April 7.The last fighter planes, eight F-16CJ Fighting Falcons from the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., left for home and did

  • Coalition air effort runs gamut of missions

    With their dazzling accuracy played out frequently for worldwide television audiences, precision-guided weapons have made media favorites out of strategic and tactical bombing missions.But there is a wide variety of other air operations going on around the clock that are just as important to the war

  • Assignment keeps recruiter, recruitee together

    When Airman 1st Class Natasha Butler reported for duty to the 463rd Airlift Group at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., in September 2000, she felt like she was coming home again.Not only was she from Little Rock, but her recruiter, Master Sgt. Lorenzo, was assigned to the same unit and she had

  • U.S. forces drub Baghdad defenders, WMD search continues

    U.S. military combat action in Baghdad yesterday may have inflicted thousands of casualties on the enemy, a senior U.S. Central Command spokesperson said today."It certainly demonstrated our ability to operate within Baghdad at a time and place of our choosing and to inflict severe damage on anyone

  • Bomber surge: 103 sorties in less than three days

    Although B-52 Stratofortresses and B-1B Lancers have become a common sight in the skies here their presence has been more visible the past few days.Bombers from the 7th Air Expeditionary Wing here, successfully completed 103 sorties in less than three days as part of a surge in operations March 30

  • Lynch to rescuers: 'I'm an American soldier, too'

    The special operations mission to rescue Army Pfc. Jessica D. Lynch from Iraqi captivity was a triumph of joint planning and execution, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart.Renuart, operations chief at U.S. Central Command, gave more information about the Lynch rescue during a press conference in

  • Renamed airport gateway to Iraq's future

    Saddam International Airport is under new management and has been renamed Baghdad International Airport, U.S. Central Command officials said today.Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, during a news conference in Qatar, said Army 5th Corps forces took the airport after heavy fighting. He said the airport

  • Aviano volunteers make deployment transit experience memorable

    Luke-warm coffee and a plate of stale cookies while waiting to move forward are deployment facts of life, right up there with tent living and a quarter-mile hike to the bathroom.Thanks to a program named Operation Yellow Ribbon, individuals passing through here are treated to something a little out

  • Agreement establishes Fighter Associate Program

    Air Force Reserve Command and Air Combat Command have joined forces to begin the Fighter Associate Program.Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, ACC commander, and Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, AFRC commander, signed a memorandum of agreement that took effect April 2.The Fighter Associate Program is designed to

  • Guard, Reserve airmen testify about effects of mobilization

    Members of Congress turned to a panel of noncommissioned officers April 3 to determine the price military reservists are paying to help defend the nation.Two members of the Air National Guard and an Air Force reservist were on the multi-service panel that told members of the House Armed Services

  • Jabara Award honors aviators' efforts

    Two Air Force helicopter pilots have earned the 2003 Col. James Jabara Award for Airmanship.Majs. Leighton Anderson and Edward Lengel, both 1992 academy graduates, earned the award for their contributions to airpower during Operation Enduring Freedom.This is the first time the award has been given

  • Academy honors distinguished graduates

    Contributions to the Air Force and nation have earned two Air Force Academy graduates the academy's distinguished graduate awards.Retired Air Force Gen. Robert Oaks and Dr. Paul Kaminski have earned the 2002 Distinguished Graduate Award. The award recognizes graduates for contributions to the

  • Reserve, active duty blend seamlessly

    Active-duty and Reserve airmen are working side by side and facing the same wartime challenges while deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.Air reserve technicians from the 917th Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., work in tandem with their active-duty counterparts as members of the 5th

  • Pope people, aircraft supporting fight

    Members of Pope's Flying Tigers -- the only active-duty A-10 Thunderbolt II unit in Southwest Asia -- are bringing the fight to the enemy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.A number of the 23rd Fighter Group's aircraft and people are deployed to a forward location and participating in combat

  • Day in the life: B-52 commander's day filled with make-or-break decisions

    His day begins shortly before 6 a.m., making deposits.Each person he sees, he pats on the shoulder, shakes hands with or offers a warm greeting -- deposits of confidence, calm and comfort. He treats them all alike, from the single-stripe airman to the blue-oak-leaf lieutenant colonel.For Col. Dan

  • Coalition forces in commuting distance to downtown Baghdad

    Coalition forces have taken outlying areas of Baghdad "and are closer to the center of the Iraqi capital than many American commuters are to their downtown offices," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon today.The secretary said the people of Iraq are beginning to realize the

  • CENTCOM: Republican Guard division 'destroyed'

    With divisions divided and divisions destroyed, April is off to a bad start for Iraq's famed Republican Guard.An official from U.S. Central Command confirmed in an April 2 press briefing at the unit's forward headquarters in Qatar that the Baghdad division of the guard "has been destroyed" in

  • Last American flag on Iwo Jima flies over Buckley

    In 1968, Old Glory was lowered on the island of Iwo Jima for the last time as the island returned to the Japanese government.A flag had flown day and night on Mount Suribachi since U.S. Marines famously raised on there during the battle for Iwo Jima.On March 27, that last flag flew here as part of a

  • Wing prepares for CV-22 training

    With two CV-22 simulators on board here, 58th Special Operations Wing workers are making strides toward setting up training for the new aircraft.The Air Force officially accepted ownership of its first full-motion CV-22 simulator at the 58th Training Squadron recently.The unit will receive four

  • Illinois base prepares for possible war casualties

    As coalition forces zero in on Baghdad, there is a possibility of mass military casualties. If that happens, Scott AFB in America's heartland may serve as a central medical "hub" for getting wounded warriors to the care they need."If the number of casualties is great, we need to be prepared," said

  • Airmen jump in, prepare airfield in northern Iraq

    As part of what may be the largest airborne assault since D-Day, 20 airmen of the 86th Contingency Response Group parachuted into northern Iraq on March 27 with more than 1,000 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.The people who jumped into Iraq comprised a team of specialists from the

  • KC-135 Stratotankers keep allied forces flying

    As the Air Force's operating tempo climbs to unprecedented heights in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the efforts of refueling tankers are keeping the air war on track.With the average daily number of air sorties going from 1,000 to 1,800 in the past two days, according to a defense official,

  • Hurlburt Field selected for installation excellence

    Hurlburt Field, Fla., was selected as the Air Force winner of the 2003 Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence by the Department of Defense.Hurlburt is one of five installation winners announced April 1 by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. The award comes with $1

  • AWACS keep flying despite challenges

    About 45 people deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., work together to make sure the E-3 Sentry, better known as the Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft or AWACS, is ready to launch within an hour if needed.That is no small task, according to the man in charge of the maintenance of

  • Troops hope their work doesn't come home

    They descended on a forward-deployed location with one focus: building bombs. Not just any bombs. They wanted to build the kind that don't come back. It is the lifeblood of any ammo troop.They didn't build for two weeks, just long enough for them to get antsy, wondering when they would get their

  • Personnel training teams visiting bases

    Help is on the way for Military Personnel Data System users, which should lead to better customer service for airmen and commanders, according to an Air Force Personnel Center official here.Six-person training teams from the center are traveling to every base in the Air Force."We're training each

  • Air Force surgeon general: 'We are ready'

    Improvements in the deployment process since the 1991 Gulf War have resulted in a more fit and healthy fighting force, the Air Force surgeon general told a House committee March 27."Our military now finds itself engaged in war on multiple fronts -- in fact, a greater percentage of our troops are

  • More than 100,000 coalition troops in Iraq

    More than 300,000 coalition troops are deployed in support of combat operations, with more than a third of those inside Iraq, defense officials said March 31.In addition, each day about 2,000 coalition servicemembers, "flow" into the theater each day, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said at a

  • Coalition air strikes weaken Republican Guard

    Air strikes continue to weaken Iraqi Republican Guard forces, the vice director for operations on the Joint Staff told reporters during a March 31 press briefing at the Pentagon.Army Maj. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said coalition air forces have used 3,000 precision-guided weapons since March 28,

  • Coalition bringing all powers to bear on Iraq

    Coalition forces are bringing all powers to bear on the Iraqi regime, Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, vice director of operations for U.S. Central Command said today during a briefing in Qatar.Coalition forces on the land, air and sea are targeting the things nearest and dearest to the regime's

  • Air Force continues attacks on Iraqi regime, military

    A wide variety of Air Force aircraft played key roles in weekend missions designed to destroy Iraqi regime and military targets.The latest -- the obliteration of an enemy aircraft on a desert airfield by AC-130 gunships -- was displayed via video for reporters at a U.S. Central Command press

  • Air National Guard unit ensures safe flying

    Communication is vital. It is the key to the success of any operation. Without it, assumption and perception take over, causing malfunctions and putting lives at stake.This is something the air traffic control and radar approach control airmen at Bagram, Afghanistan know well.Listening for

  • Iraqi units may have orders to use chem/bio weapons

    Coalition forces have seen indications that Iraqi units have been given the freedom to use chemical weapons, Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said today.Brooks, deputy director of operations at CENTCOM's deployed headquarters in Qatar, told a press conference that intelligence sources indicate that

  • Bomb kills U.S. troops near Najaf; Iraqi missile damages Kuwait City mall

    Five U.S. 3rd Infantry Division soldiers were killed in Iraq today by an apparent suicide bomber at a road checkpoint near Najaf."That kind of activity, I think, is something that is a symbol of an organization that's beginning to get a little bit desperate," Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart, a

  • Strike Eagles destroy Ba'ath leadership facility

    A pair of Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles attacked a Ba'ath Party headquarters building in southern Iraq on March 28, where some 200 leaders of the Iraqi "irregular forces" were meeting.According to Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart, U.S. Central Command director of operations, the attack was meant to destroy

  • Female astronaut pioneers last frontier

    Whether they sailed across the oceans, climbed mountains, or rolled across the Great Plains, pioneers were first to explore new frontiers. Col. Susan Helms is not rambling across the prairie in a covered wagon, but she is a pioneer. She is an astronaut. Her frontier: space.Helms was the first

  • B-2 strikes Baghdad communications tower

    An Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber shook downtown Baghdad after hitting a key communications facility with two precision-guided munitions March 27.Massive plumes of smoke and debris rose from the target, a large tower on the east bank of the Tigris River. Officials at Operation Iraqi Freedom's Combined

  • Timeline for parts cut in half

    Airmen assigned to the 320th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron began getting parts March 22 in half the time it previously took.A Department of Defense-contracted carrier streamlined normal customs procedures to deliver cargo directly to the designated unit.The airmen and other base leaders

  • Take a break

    Master Sgt. Mark Kuntz (right) takes a break during a survival, evasion, resistance and escape exercise here. As part of exercise Foal Eagle, Kuntz, a SERE instructor, is helping to train Korean air force members to navigate and guide Air Force rescue units to their location. (U.S. Air Force photo

  • Bush, Blair: Coalition loosening Iraqi regime's 'grip of terror'

    "Slowly, but surely, the grip of terror around the throats of the Iraqi people is being loosened," President Bush said today.Accompanied by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush spoke at a press conference at Camp David, Md. He said coalition forces are "advancing day by day in steady progress

  • Stop-Loss affects deployed airmen

    Even though Air Force officials have identified 99 career fields affected by Stop-Loss, all airmen currently deployed are affected as well.Responding to erroneous news reports and some confusion in the ranks, officials are re-emphasizing how Stop-Loss affects deployed airmen.Stop-Loss is keeping all

  • Remote returnees get a breather

    Airmen returning from overseas remote "short" tours will receive six-month exemptions from deploying with their new units on scheduled air and space expeditionary force deployments.The policy change is the result of input from airmen in the field, according to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe, special

  • Airman grew up behind Berlin Wall

    For Senior Airman Anke Dzincielewski, the day the Berlin Wall fell is one she will never forget."Senior Airman D.," as co-workers call her, was born and raised in Kleinmachnow, a small town on the southwest corner of Berlin in East Germany. She grew up knowing that the West was there but never

  • Association recognizes airman for heroism

    Life-saving actions have earned an Eglin sergeant the Noncommissioned Officer Association's Vanguard Award for heroism.Senior Master Sgt. David Popwell, superintendent of the 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron here, saved the lives of three people injured in a two-car collision on Florida's

  • Air Force, Army leaders examine air-ground ops

    The Air Force and Army chiefs of staff are leading a focused effort to examine air-ground operations in order to improve the two services' combat capability.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki said they recognize the need to improve air-ground

  • Air war turns focus to republican guard

    As the U.S.-led war against the Iraqi regime nears the one-week mark, officials from U.S. Central Command said March 25 that coalition air forces have begun narrowing their focus.Maj. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., CENTCOM director of operations, told reporters during a press briefing at the command's

  • Coalition on track, forces 'flowing' into Iraq

    After five days of ground combat, coalition forces are more than 200 miles into Iraq and poised to take on forces defending Baghdad, DoD leaders said today.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers told reporters at a Pentagon press

  • Iraq flouting laws of war, Geneva Conventions

    The Iraqi regime is flouting the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions, said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke at the news conference today.Clarke said that the deceptions have been so blatant "that some liken it to terrorism.""They are sending forces out carrying white surrender flags or

  • Coalition aircraft flew more than 1,500 sorties over Iraq

    Coalition aircraft flew more than 1,500 sorties in the continuing air war against the regime in Iraq on March 24, coalition officials in the region said today.More than 800 were strike sorties, with 200 of those being flown against "preplanned" targets. The rest were flown against "emerging targets"

  • Lancer crews describe B-1 missions over Iraq

    B-1B Lancers, combining the latest in technology with old-fashioned elbow grease, are taking the air war of Operation Iraqi Freedom to regime and military targets in every inch of that country.Four members of the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing described their mission to Pentagon reporters in a March

  • U.S., aid agencies ready to assist impoverished Iraqis

    United States and international relief workers are poised to enter the Umm Qasr port to address acute shortages of public drinking water and unsafe sanitary conditions in southern Iraq, particularly in the city of Basra to the northwest.Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for

  • SECDEF: Air strikes not aimed at civilians

    U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld lauded the air coalition's unsurpassed ability to avoid collateral damage during a March 25 press conference in the Pentagon.Speaking directly to Iraqi civilians about the intent of coalition air strikes, the secretary said that there can be no mistake about

  • B-52 pilot still flying high after 33 years

    During the evacuation of Quang Tri in 1972, 1st Lt. Bill Jankowski, an O2-A pilot, flew out of DaNang Air Base, Vietnam, to find enemy targets and bring air support assistance to South Vietnamese who were resisting North Vietnamese. Quang Tri had Americans within the area, and Jankowski's role was

  • Two Apache pilots missing; progress against Baghdad 'rapid'

    Two American Apache helicopter crewmen are missing in action as coalition forces continue to pound Iraqi Republican Guard units ringing Baghdad, Army Gen. Tommy Franks said today in Qatar.Franks, the combined forces commander, said coalition forces are operating throughout Iraq and that "progress

  • Air Force announces maintenance award winners

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards, along with the 2002 Maintenance Effectiveness Awards.The winners of the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards are:For aircraft maintenance:-- Field Grade Manager: Maj. David M. Coley, Travis

  • Officials urge against unsolicited troop mail

    To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to forward-deployed servicemembers unless they are a family member, loved one or personal friend, said Department of Defense officials.On Oct. 30, DOD suspended the "Operation Dear Abby"

  • American Units Meet Opposition, Still Ahead of Schedule

    Coalition forces are encountering greater Iraqi resistance as they move closer to Baghdad, U.S. Central Command officials said today.News reports indicate that American units are engaging Iraqi battalions. Central Command officials said units with the 3rd Infantry Division have captured a bridge

  • Korean War vets get medals 50 years later

    Airman 2nd Class Harry Woodville, a Korean War veteran, has received a medal he waited 50 years for: the Korean War Service Medal.The Republic of Korea first offered the medal 50 years ago, but a law prevented U.S. troops from accepting medals from foreign countries. In 1999, the law was changed and

  • 'Only a Matter of Time' Before Saddam's Regime Is Destroyed

    DoD officials today offered no timeframe when U.S. and coalition military operations in Iraq would conclude, but they emphasized that time was running out for Saddam Hussein and his regime."There are a lot of unknowns" involved in trying to predict when Operation Iraqi Freedom would end, Pentagon

  • Maintainers unleash wave of B-52s

    More than 70 aircraft maintainers worked earnestly through the early morning March 21 to unleash the first wave of B-52 bombers on the Iraqi regime from this forward-deployed location.Later in the day they watched with the rest of the world as their "Buffs" delivered what would come to be regarded

  • Medical staff provides care during exercise

    Staff Sgt. Sonia Rincon's hands are splattered with blood and pieces of torn flesh. Her patient has a sucking chest wound and a fractured leg.Despite these gruesome injuries, Rincon takes her time tending to the wounds.She is not actually dressing the wounds, but creating them. Rincon is one of

  • April's Citizen Airman now available

    Air Force reservists are participating in immunization programs to protect them from the use of deadly biological warfare agents; Air Force Reserve Command is stepping up its efforts to increase awareness of health-care benefits; and legal officials warn reservists about the potential problems

  • Artist sketches lighter side of life

    A satellite sticking out of a mobile home and an alien wrangler riding an orbiting satellite. These are two examples of images people might see weekly when they pick up the base newspaper, The Satellite Flyer, thanks to cartoonist Staff Sgt. Mike Dodge from the 50th Space Wing's plans and programs

  • 700-plus coalition aircraft pound Iraq

    About 700 coalition aircraft flew missions against more than 100 targets in Iraq on March 20, said defense officials.The strikes flew even as planners in the area attempted to determine the results of the strikes against the Iraqi leadership the day before. Targets included command and control

  • 'Gray Eagle' awards presented to longest-serving pilots

    Just minutes after airmen deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom began the highly anticipated "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad on March 21, Air Force leaders paused to pay tribute to two of the service's longest-serving pilots.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers and Maj. Gen.

  • Legendary group enhances defense at Fairford

    Security here has taken on a formidable new dimension.After adding layers of concertina wire, K-9s and four contingents of law enforcement, officials at this British installation have added a regiment nothing short of legendary.The Gurkhas, the world-renowned Nepali special forces contingent of the

  • Leaders tell Congress relationships key in war on terrorism

    Leaders from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command spoke to members of Congress on March 19 on the personnel issues their organizations face in fighting the global war on terrorism.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, the director of the Air National Guard, told the Senate Armed Services

  • Rumsfeld Lists Operation Iraqi Freedom Aims, Objectives

    Defense of the American people is primary among the goals and objectives of U.S. actions in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during a Pentagon press conference today.Further goals are to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and to liberate the Iraqi people.To achieve these

  • Yokota airmen experience life at sea

    Three Yokota airmen chosen recently to experience life at sea, have returned to dry land.The trip, offered by U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet command was a program designed to give junior servicemembers in the Army and Air Force a chance to interact with sailors in similar career fields on board a Navy

  • Outreach program helps critically ill infants

    Many nurses and physicians have limited experience in helping sick newborns. It can be a challenge for hospital staff to maintain skills in this area.Nurses at Wilford Hall Medical Center attended a new course March 13 designed to train them to care for critically ill infants who must be

  • Total force showing its muscle

    The total force muscle is showing its strength throughout U.S. Air Forces in Europe as Air Force reservists and Air National Guardsmen answer the call of duty alongside their active-duty counterparts.Although the number varies daily, the Air National Guard has about 1,800 airmen and more than 60

  • Weather forecasters aid mission planning

    Asking about the weather is not a casual question in the Combined Air Operations Center at a desert airbase. In fact, it is one of the key questions asked during every phase of the air tasking order, or ATO, cycle."Most systems we have are weather sensitive, so weather predictions must be

  • Space command cancels Guardian Challenge

    Air Force Space Command officials have canceled this year's Guardian Challenge, the annual space warfighter competition held at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.The competition, slated for May 5 to 9, was canceled because the command needs its resources focused on day-to-day operations. The

  • Post office delivers piece of home

    In a three-word phrase, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks summarized what could make or break a good day for airmen deployed to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing -- "You've got mail."Postal clerks of the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron ensure everyone assigned to the wing and its tenant units are

  • Airman keeps sight of American dream

    Airman 1st Class George Okorodudu admits with a wide smile that he has nothing.For the better part of two years, the Nigerian-born Okorodudu has been building his American dream with a foundation that includes an Air Force enlistment.Okorodudu is a supply airman currently deployed here from Minot

  • Good relations key to deployment success

    A contingent of deployed airmen from the 409th Air Expeditionary Group here visited a local primary school March 17 at the request of school officials.The group of visitors was made up of a flight surgeon, aircrew members, two security forces dog handlers and their canine Waldo, and others, all led

  • Prepared in Bulgaria

    Senior Airman Karl Ferre marks lumber which will be used to construct a cross for chapel services held here. Ferre is deployed from the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. The 409th Air Expeditionary Group here runs air refueling operations with KC-10 Extender

  • Incirlik supports 'unexpected guests'

    People from the 39th Services Squadron here recently transformed an old fitness center into contingency lodging now bedding down nearly 400 deployed troops. But "Motel 39" is just one small piece of the bed-down and feeding operations puzzle."I'm impressed by how quickly (civil engineers) and

  • Man's ingenuity earns $20K

    A senior noncommissioned officer here was recently awarded two $10,000 checks for aircraft maintenance improvements through the Air Force's Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Master Sgt. Warren Gould of the 33rd Fighter Wing's quality assurance office suggested cutting the

  • Eberhart briefs Congress on U.S. Northern Command

    The commander of America's newest combatant command briefed members of Congress on March 13 about the progress his unit has made since its inception less than six months ago.Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart, who took control of U.S. Northern Command when it was established Oct. 1, told members of the House

  • WASP make weather history

    Women's roles in the military may not have started at Offutt, but the Air Force Weather Agency was here when women stepped forward to serve their country.The Air Weather Service was one of the first military agencies to use military women as pilots during World War II.In early 1943, the first

  • Program offers electronic deployment information

    A Web-based, user-friendly software program Air Force Materiel Command experts here are testing promises warfighters instant access to deployment information. Plus, it will save the Air Force nearly $79 million during a five-year period.The Deployment Qualification System works through the Air

  • Combined security keeps Ganci safe

    Keeping people out of harm's way and protecting resources at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, is the job of an elite group of professionals who tote radios, weapons and ride in vehicles equipped for rugged terrain.Americans from the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and their security forces

  • Nighthawk unit maintains the flock

    The F-117 Nighthawk may be a mystery to some, but its maintainers take pride in knowing the airframe's secret inner workings.In the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron's 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, a close-knit group of specialists work to keep the aircrews "putting bombs on target, on

  • Three Air Force commissaries among five best

    Air Force commissaries were named "best" in three of the four categories in the Defense Commissary Agency's 2003 Best Commissary awards. Two other commissaries tied for "best" in the fourth category.Top commissaries are at:-- Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., winner of the Bill Nichols Award for the

  • All hooked up

    Airman 1st Class Robert Walstead hooks up a Hobart power unit to the underside of a B-1B Lancer on March 7. Walstead is a maintainer assigned to the 7th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit here. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Strang)

  • 'Flying Sergeants' helped forge Air Force legacy

    They were not paid much, their opportunities for promotion were limited, and they were treated harshly in training, but that did not stop three generations of enlisted aviators from becoming pilots in the Army Air Corps.Beginning in 1912, enlisted pilots played an important role in writing the