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U.S. Air Force News

  • Airman inspired by father’s service

    In her homeland, Airman 1st Class Duong Ngo looked over countless rows of rice crops while growing up on the south Vietnamese countryside in rural Ben Tre. Today, she looks over rows of deployment equipment at the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron mobility warehouse here. The mobility flight

  • Airmen hunt down problems before having chance to fester

    When a general practitioner performs a routine examination, the doctor thoroughly examines the patient for overall health. With the same loving care physicians provide patients, the Airmen of the 92nd Maintenance Squadron work day and night caring for their KC-135 Stratotankers.Just as specialists

  • Moving tents eases with ingenuity

    Airmen with the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron used their ingenuity when they were asked to move a neighborhood of tents more than a mile.“We did a similar job when we got here in January, and we got the job done, but it wasn’t very efficient,” said Senior Master Sgt. Kerry Roberts,

  • Officials announce 2004 mission support awards

    Officials recently announced the winners of the 2004 Air Force Mission Support Awards. The awards recognize Airmen and their units for outstanding performance in the areas of personnel, military equal opportunity, professional military education and training. Winners for 2004 are: -- General

  • JSTARS reaches 10,000 combat hours in Southwest Asia

    The E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System reached 10,000 combat hours in Southwest Asia.The aircraft and its operators, maintainers and support people have had a continuous presence in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility since July 2003 as part of the 379th Air Expeditionary

  • AFRL robots work to counter bomb threats

    After a civil engineer was injured by a submunition while clearing a beddown area during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, it was time to find a solution to the problemRobotics research group officials are investigating the next generation of robotic devices to

  • Two Airmen among recipients of military service award

    Two Airmen were among the six recipients of the annual Government Employees Insurance Company Military Service Awards. For 17 years, GEICO has recognized servicemembers from all branches of the service -- including the Guard and Reserve -- for work in drug and alcohol abuse prevention, fire and

  • Winners save Air Force millions

    Eight Air Force teams and three people recently received top honors for their money-saving improvements to the Air Force.The Air Force Productivity Excellence Award recognizes Airmen, Air Force civilians and small groups who have made substantial improvements in productivity. The winners' efforts

  • Experienced maintainers train active-duty Airmen

    Spending four years on active duty and 26 years in the Vermont Air National Guard, Chief Master Sgt. Tim Brisson has a wealth of experience as an aircraft maintainer. He has just about seen it all -- until April 25.That was when officials at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and the Vermont Guard signed

  • Fuels Airmen cultivate Balad farm

    Working on a farm in the Iraqi desert may not be something many American picture their troops doing, but Airmen of the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s fuels management flight maintain a fuel bladder farm here to keep the mission flying.The Airmen use the farm to keep aircraft and

  • Air Force journalists win DOD awards

    Air Force print and broadcast journalists won 10 categories in the 2004 Thomas Jefferson Awards for excellence in military media.The awards recognize military and civilian employee print and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievements in furthering the Department of Defense internal

  • Air Force focuses on religious respect

    One’s religious beliefs, or the absence of beliefs in an established religion, should never be grounds for unlawful discrimination, the chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service said.Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Charles C. Baldwin recently explained the role of chaplains and respect for others’ beliefs

  • Academy launches religious respect training program

    Air Force Academy officials have launched a religious respect training program called Respecting the Spiritual Values of all People. The training focuses on educating cadets, faculty members and base employees on the importance of respecting the spiritual beliefs of a diverse force.Officials are

  • Promotion study guides hit streets in May

    The latest edition of enlisted promotion study guides will hit the streets by the end of May, Air Education and Training Command officials here said.Both the Promotion Fitness Examination and the U.S. Air Force Supervisory Examination, officially known as Volumes 1 and 2 of Air Force Pamphlet

  • Training ensures reservists ready to go

    Air Force Space Command reservists tested a common training assembly concept here April 22 and 23 to ensure nearly 350 individual mobilization augmentees were trained and ready for mobilization.Reservists need to be trained at the same level as their active-duty counterparts. While active-duty

  • Vehicle operations named 'Team of the Year'

    Five enlisted vehicle operations Airmen were selected to represent the career field which the Air Force Association has named 2005 Team of the Year.Airmen selected to represent the vehicle operations career field are Master Sgt. Dennis Ross, from Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.; Tech. Sgt. Jason

  • Wilford Hall team flies to Alaska to evacuate infant

    A 10-month-old girl battling a severe case of pneumonia was flown 4,000 miles by Airmen from Wilford Hall Medical Center here April 28.Carle David was hospitalized in Anchorage when officials requested help. The neonatal critical-care air transport medical team, which stays prepared to launch on

  • Airmen strut their stuff for civilian leaders

    As part of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a weeklong tour of military installations for top civic and community leaders nationwide, the 347th Rescue Wing pulled out all stops April 26 for the visiting group of civic leaders.The tour highlights the latest U.S. military equipment and

  • Andrews chief goes to wire on quiz show

    An Airman from here got a chance to “Stump the Schwab” on ESPN2’s nationally televised sports quiz show April 26.Chief Master Sgt. Troy Marvin, the 89th Communications Group superintendent, finished as the top contestant and came within one question of winning $5,000.The show is centered around

  • Tour group gets feel for Air Force

    Graduating students from the Tennessee School for the Blind received a “hands on” tour April 26 of an F-15 Eagle, pilot’s life-support equipment and the tools used to maintain the aircraft during a class trip here.The tour started when 1st Lt. Tim Monroe, an F-15 pilot, gave a quick briefing on the

  • Officials outline squadron commander selection process

    Support squadron commanders will be selected at development team meetings held at the Air Force Personnel Center here this summer. Selected officers will assume their positions in 2006.Officers who believe they are eligible, but have not been notified, can submit a statement of intent for their

  • Expeditionary supply technicians order up success

    Ensuring continuous supplies are available to support military operations here falls in part to a group of six Airmen from the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron’s supply section.If vital aircraft spare parts for the C-130 Hercules are needed, it is their responsibility to order and

  • Airman convicted for defrauding government

    An Airman here was convicted recently in a special court-martial for defrauding the U.S. government.Staff Sgt. Louise Smith, of the 71st Medical Support Squadron, was found guilty of violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s Article 132, Fraud Against the United States.The military judge

  • Three accidents; two Nellis Airmen; one chance to get it right

    Imagine being responsible for the lives of some of the world’s best fighter pilots. Now imagine being only 21 and 22 years old. For many Airmen, this is not a reality, but for two in particular, it is all in a day’s work.Airmen 1st Class John Schmidt and Brandon Pirmann are assigned to the 57th

  • Technology unites Airmen in matrimony

    Nearly 7,000 miles of desert and ocean could not keep two Airmen from tying the knot. Maj. Heather Villasenor, who is at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia, married Lt. Col. Michael Bryant on April 26. The wedding was held in Southwest Asia -- and Virginia. Colonel Bryant, the Joint

  • Overseas quarterly assignment listing available May 3

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for the January to March 2006 cycle overseas requirements will be available May 3.Airmen need to work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences by May 20. Deployed Airmen can work with their personnel representative to update

  • America remembers Desert One heroes

    America honored eight American servicemen April 25 who died attempting to rescue American hostages in Iran 25 years ago.A ceremony here brought together the families of those killed, their comrades and those servicemembers who carry on the special operations mission.In November 1979, Iranian

  • Space command takes youth fitness to new level

    Airmen have been plugging away at the new fitness test for more than a year now, but they are not alone in the quest to increase their activity level on a regular basis.Air Force Space Command children are increasing their fitness levels as well as part of an Air Force initiative, “Fitness in Time,”

  • Airman’s actions save neighbor’s home

    An Airman here recently extinguished a house fire that threatened to destroy a nearby Panama City home.Master Sgt. Dave Delmar, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron’s noncommissioned officer in charge of plans and programs, used garden hoses to extinguish the fire, saving his neighbors’ home and most of

  • C-17s get state-of-the-art home

    When the 452nd Air Mobility Wing here welcomes eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs later this year, the aircraft will be maintained in an environmentally friendly hangar that is larger than a football field and incorporates advanced construction technology.“We wanted it to appear it belonged here -- have it

  • Airmen receive panoramic night-vision goggles

    Nighttime missions are about to get a whole lot clearer, and that is only the beginning of a much-anticipated acquisition program here.Air Force special operations aircrews received their first shipment of 20 panoramic night-vision goggles April 25.The current contract calls for 400 goggles, and

  • Air Force officials announce OTS selections

    More than 130 people were selected for an Air Force commission, Air Force Recruiting Service officials here announced April 26.The officials considered 231 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection Board 0504, which selected 138 people for a 60-percent selection rate. Of those, 29

  • Spangdahlem Airmen train with new high-tech weapon

    The sound of gunfire ricocheting off concrete walls is an everyday occurrence for Airmen at the combat arms training and maintenance unit here. At one of the few indoor Air Force firing ranges, the range features a target retrieval system and a hard gel backstop that will soon be replaced by a steel

  • McConnell holds wingwide fitness test

    More than 1,200 Airmen from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing took their physical fitness test here April 22.All 1,200-plus Airmen completed their run and received a series of “wingman” briefings within a four-hour span, but working out the logistics of the wingwide test took months of planning.To

  • U.S., Japanese Airmen train together during air refueling

    American fighter pilots are helping Japanese airmen expand their F-15 Eagle combat capabilities during hands-on air-to-air bilateral refueling training here.The Japanese F-15 aircraft mechanical refueling capability is identical to U.S. Air Force F-15s. However, it was not until Japanese officials

  • Base agencies keep rotations moving in right direction

    A question is asked of everyone on a rotator flight that has just landed at a forward-deployed location, “Are you staying here or going downrange?” It is an easy question for new arrivals to answer, but few people, whether inbound or outbound, are aware of the process used to funnel servicemembers

  • Air Force family opens arms to autism

    The walls in the Dallas’ home are not festooned with art, but with boards. There are boards with schedules, charts and pictures to guide 4-year-old Liam, and establish routines for everyday tasks such as washing his hands or using the potty. The charts are part of structured, routine life they must

  • Quadrennial Defense Review focuses on future

    The four capabilities the Air Force brings to the joint warfighting environment will be the focus of the service's contribution to the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review.Officials in the office of the secretary of defense produce the Quadrennial Defense Review every four years with input from the

  • Army general: Air Force helped logistics success in Iraq

    The U.S. military’s task to supply troops serving in Iraq during the past year “was one of the most complex and challenging missions in our history,” a senior Army general said April 20.Yet, logisticians “proved successful in supporting a force of (about) 165,000 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and

  • Kosovo children relish playtime with American troops

    As the last note of music ended, screams and laughter suddenly interrupted the brief moment of silence. Maj. Brian Benson quickly sat down, but slid off the edge of his seat in favor of a young girl eager to remain in the game of musical chairs.Major Benson, of Kosovo Force headquarters at NATO

  • Cannon Airmen help police catch murder suspect

    Like a scene out of the TV series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” two multimedia flight Airmen here helped local law enforcement officials solve a grisly murder recently.Senior Airman Michael Garza and Airman 1st Class Tiffany Curbeam, both of the 27th Communications Squadron, answered their

  • C-130J testers accomplish first five-bundle sequential airdrop

    Developmental test and evaluation on the J-model C-130 Hercules came to a head when testers successfully completed the first five-bundle sequential low velocity airdrop here recently.As part of the test program, 418th Flight Test Squadron Airmen tested software upgrades by rigging five bundles

  • Nothing inside hidden from radiology flight

    A flight of Airmen working in the Air Force Theater Hospital here take up-close and personal pictures all day.The radiology flight Airmen take pictures of people’s insides so doctors can better heal their patients.“In this deployed environment the conditions aren’t as good as what we’re use to, but

  • Officials announce Air Force chaplain service award winners

    Officials recently announced the Air Force chaplain service award winners for 2004.Established last year, the award program recognizes outstanding individual and organizational performance within the chaplain service. The 2004 winners are:-- Outstanding Chaplain Assistant Airman of the Year:

  • Shuttle exercise tests NASA, Edwards response teams

    Support crews from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Kennedy Space Center and the base teamed up in a mock shuttle recovery exercise on the flightline here April 16.The day began around 9 a.m. as a vehicle convoy snaked its way down the flightline to the main runway."We always come out for these

  • Guard, Reserve leaders testify on Capitol Hill

    The directors of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve testified April 20 on readiness and management support before the Senate Armed Services Committee subcommittee.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, Air National Guard director, told senators he sees positive benefits to the community basing

  • Officials announce visual-information winners

    Defense Information School officials at Fort Meade, Md., recently announced the winners of the 2004 visual information awards. The awards recognize, reward and promote excellence among servicemembers for their achievements in military photography, videography and graphic arts, officials said. Air

  • 5-year-old cancer survivor plays pilot for a day

    The newest member of the 334th Fighter Squadron here cannot even reach the rudder pedals in an F-15E Strike Eagle, but that does not keep Evan “Big E” Moriarty from being one of the squadron’s Fightin’ Eagles.The 5-year-old Fayetteville, N.C., native recently had a cancerous tumor the size of a

  • Airman remembers day she lost four friends

    In the blink of an eye, lives were lost, children became motherless and fatherless, and others were forever scarred when a drunk driver ended four people’s lives and critically injured another in a head-on collision eight years ago.Four Airmen and another Airman’s spouse were returning from a

  • Airmen maintain national defense in weapons storage area

    Separated from the rest of the base by miles of fence topped with razor wire and high-tech surveillance equipment, certain Airmen here see few people during the duty day other than their military counterparts. For that, their daily efforts go largely unnoticed.They are Airmen assigned to the 5th

  • Airmen, Soldiers donate goods to Uzbek baby orphanage

    Seven Airmen, four Soldiers and five civilian interpreters recently delivered handmade baby quilts, baby formula, diapers, clothes, toys and other humanitarian goods to a baby orphanage in nearby Qitab.“Seeing the children smile and laugh as we played with them was the highlight of my visit there,”

  • Base honors Airmen killed in Oklahoma City bombing

    More than 50 family members of an Airman killed in the Oklahoma City bombing visited Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., on April 18 to see the base's bombing memorial and attend a service at the base chapel before the 10th anniversary of the April 19 bombing.Airman 1st Class Lakesha Levy was killed when

  • Airmen disciplined for AFIM misuse

    Air Force officials are taking a hard look at the misuse of the Air Force Instant Messenger service on Air Force Portal.Airmen were found violating standards of conduct prompting officials to clarify responsible communication over the service.“Air Force Portal users took offense to the inappropriate

  • Shaw F-16 crashes, Airmen eject safely

    An F-16D Fighting Falcon from here crashed April 18 near Charleston, S.C. At the time of the accident, the pilots, Maj. Steve Granger and Lt. Col. Maurice Salcedo, had just begun a training mission. They ejected safely into a river near Charleston and were taken to a local hospital where they were

  • Comm squadron makes mission possible

    Miles of wires weaving information through walls and underground pathways connect each facility together to form a network so Airmen can make a phone call or log onto a computer and accomplish their mission here.Communication is what most people take for granted. Having a working phone or computer

  • Contingency response team prepares airfield for Italians

    In fewer than 45 days, tanker airlift control element Airmen will achieve what some may deem impossible.This 47-person team, primarily deployed from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., is preparing nearby Herat for more than 300 Italian troops as they lead the

  • Airmen guard diverse flying mission

    With fighter, tanker, cargo, transport, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft at the largest wing in the area, the flightline at a forward-deployed location is nothing short of active.Such diversity of aircraft and missions requires a level of uniformity that keeps maintenance

  • Dad travels world with 'Mini Alyssa'

    Nine-year-old Alyssa DeGreef has seen quite a bit of Central Asia from her cozy seat in her dad’s pocket.Lt. Col. Mike DeGreef, 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron commander at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, has carried a small copy of a picture his daughter, Alyssa, drew of herself since he was

  • Weather Airmen protect shuttle

    Airmen of the 45th Weather Squadron here methodically calculate and determine if weather will threaten a future shuttle launch. Rain, lightning, wind and cloud coverage can instantly delay or “scrub” any shuttle, mission or rocket launch.“We have temperature, wind and rain constraints (because of)

  • General explains what space brings to fight

    The commander of Air Force Space Command expressed the importance of space superiority, leadership development and integrating space with military operations during an April 16 visit here.Space superiority is an important part of what is done in the U.S. Air Force and in the rest of the military,

  • Officials announce 2004 organizational excellence award winners

    The Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council recognized the following units as 2004 Air Force Organizational Excellence Award winners during the specified periods of time:-- Air Education and Training Command headquarters: Oct. 1, 2002, to Sept. 30, 2004.-- Air Force Special Operations Command

  • Officials expand existing whistleblower protections

    Blowing the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse at work seems like the last thing workers would do if they wanted to keep their jobs and advance their careers.But that is exactly what servicemembers and federal civilian employees are required by executive order to do, and officials at the Office of

  • Airman spends free time living only way he knows -- fast

    While other 16-year-olds were satisfied driving around the neighborhood, Warren Howard was not happy unless he was driving at least 85 mph around an oval track.Now a master sergeant and the environmental coordinator with the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron here, began stock car racing in 1977

  • Language latest weapon in America's 21st century arsenal

    Despite the tremendous advances in military hardware and technology on display in the war on terrorism, there are still some capabilities only humans can provide.That was the thinking behind a new initiative to improve foreign language and cultural expertise at the Defense Department, said a top DOD

  • New course helps Airmen get combat ready

    Airmen graduating from the fuels apprentice course are now two to three months closer to combat-ready status after arriving at their first base, said course instructors here.Students are learning how to set up a mobile gas station and other duties during a new seven-day contingency course, said

  • Cool job keeps Airmen fed

    They have the coolest job in the desert -- literally. The two Airmen who put together flight meals work in a large walk-in cooler where the temperature is kept at a chilly 40 degrees to preserve the food for the thousands who sit down for a meal at a forward-deployed location.However, there are many

  • Commanders get sexual-assault prevention, response help

    The new sexual assault response coordinator at Air Force bases will help commanders improve response to sexual assault. As part of an effort to curtail sexual assaults within the ranks, DOD officials directed the services to appoint a coordinator at all appropriate levels of command. The

  • Policy offers confidentiality to sexual-assault victims

    A new Department of Defense policy allows sexual-assault victims to confidentially report crimes against them. In a March memorandum to service secretaries, DOD officials directed all military branches implement restricted (confidential) reporting withing 90 days.The policy allows victims of sexual

  • Airmen cross 100-mission milestone

    Somewhere out there is an old Air Force veteran who has been around and has seen practically everything. Impressing him will not be easy, but you try. First, you tell him you just logged 100 combat missions in a tanker. Impressive, but he does not flinch. Then you tell him you did it in just

  • F-16 crew chiefs combat odds to keep jets in flight

    As the sun beats down upon him, an Airman wipes the sweat from his brow, spreading the layer of grease and oil from his hands onto his forehead. Consumed by the task at hand, he remains focused knowing his jet needs to be ready to take off within the hour.Suddenly, his work is put on hold.“This is

  • Unethical behavior an affront to all hardworking Airmen

    Unethical behavior by any person on the Air Force team is an affront to all Airmen and a breech of trust with the American people, said the service's senior leader. Michael L. Dominguez, acting secretary of the Air Force discussed Air Force acquisition programs and the ethics of spending taxpayers’

  • C-130 maintainers keep mission-capable rates high

    C-130 Hercules maintainers with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here are keeping mission-capable rates for C-130s as high as 15 percent above the Air Mobility Command standard.“Mission-capability rates are a measure of the percentage of time an aircraft is capable of performing its designed

  • Officials announce recipients of 2004 PA achievement awards

    Air Force officials have announced the 2004 Air Force public affairs achievement award recipients.They are:Winners of the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs director’s excellence awards are:-- Major command category: The Brig. Gen. Harry J. Dalton Jr. Award goes to U.S. Air Forces

  • Tyndall Airman becomes U.S. citizen

    A revolt, a family separated and a little girl who grew up to become a defender of freedom in a foreign land.It may sound like a big-budget Hollywood flick, but for one Airman, this is real life.Airman 1st Class Celene Delice, a relocations technician with the 325th Mission Support Squadron here,

  • Female Airman tosses hat in boxing ring

    Besides the issued M-9 or M-16, an installation entry controller here packs additional weapons like a left hook, upper cut and jab that would make even the boldest intruders stop in their tracks.Senior Airman Celsa Reyes, with the boxing team here, is an up-and-coming boxer who, when not pulling

  • Upgrades retrofit T-38 with latest technology

    Airmen from the 416th Flight Test Squadron wrapped up flight tests on software upgrades in an ongoing T-38 Talon avionics upgrade here recently.The latest set of upgrades is the third in a series. During this series, testers performed about 18 sorties October through April, validating the new

  • Tallil joint security force upholds law, order

    Airmen of the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron have joined forces with military policemen of the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division to uphold law and order here.The base is an air hub and ground logistical supply point that has a growing population of coalition military

  • Guardsmen charged with smuggling Ecstasy on C-5

    Two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing have been charged with importing narcotics from Germany to the United States after being arrested April 12 on federal narcotics charges, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the southern district of New

  • Lakenheath Airman lauded for 'cutting edge' efforts

    The AIM-9X Sidewinder is an air-to-air missile used by the F-15 Eagle at the 493rd Fighter Squadron here. It is a short-range, heat-seeking weapon used in both offensive and defensive counterair operations.Sergeant Guerrero was involved in every aspect of field introduction of the AIM-9X and

  • Airmen rescue Icelandic fisherman

    Airmen of the 56th Rescue Squadron here completed their second rescue in a month when they evacuated an injured Icelandic fisherman April 10.They flew a fisherman suffering from multiple injuries and having difficulty breathing after receiving a blunt trauma caused by a broken cable about 200 miles

  • Bowsers make draining KC-135s more efficient

    A new piece of equipment is making things cleaner and easier for 92nd Maintenance Squadron Airmen here.While the two fuel bowsers are still new, Airmen have found the machines greatly improve the process of draining fuel from KC-135 Stratotankers, said Staff Sgt. David Shurley, a fuels systems

  • C-17 makes first polar airdrop

    Aircrews from here airdropped life-sustaining cargo to National Science Foundation scientists at the North Pole in the C-17 Globemaster III’s first polar airdrop April 12.The last polar airdrop was flown in 2001 by the C-141 Starlifter which is being taken out of the Air Force inventory. This time,

  • Life-support techs keep OEF airlifters rescue ready

    For C-130 Hercules aircrews flying a combat airlift mission, there are various forms of lifesaving equipment on the plane and on the Airmen every time they fly.Whether it is a parachute or a helmet, aircrews here are fitted with the best equipment available from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift

  • AFRC streamlines augmentee program

    Air Force Reserve Command officials here are working with other major commands to streamline management of individual mobilization augmentees.In the past, the Air Force's 12,900 IMAs in the Selected Reserve reported administratively to the various active-duty units where most of them are assigned.

  • Two chiefs, one marriage, love for Air Force

    In a small farming town near what was then Loring Air Force Base, Maine, 18-year-old Roger Sirois made a decision. What he did not know was it would lead him and his high-school sweetheart on a 25-year personal and professional journey. In 1980, Roger asked his girlfriend, Lisa Warrington, to

  • Airmen keep B-2 Spirits safe

    The B-2 Spirit bomber’s capabilities to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most heavily defended targets depend on Airmen who help maintain the aircraft’s stealth characteristic. Mechanics deployed from the 509th Maintenance Squadron’s low observable section apply

  • Vandenberg launches micro-satellite

    Airmen of the 1st Air and Space Test Squadron launched XSS-11, a self-maneuvering, micro-satellite, into polar orbit from here April 11.An Orbital Suborbital Program Space Launch Vehicle carried the 220-pound satellite designed to further explore, demonstrate and flight-qualify micro-satellite

  • Airman finds, destroys UXO

    An Airman assigned to watch over foreign workers working at a construction site near the flightline at a forward-deployed location spied something peculiar poking out of the ground recently.What Airman 1st Class Juan Jordan saw was an unexploded ordnance, probably left behind by Iraqi forces more

  • Lieutenants help nab purse snatchers

    Two lieutenants stationed in northwest Florida came to the rescue after they witnessed a purse snatching in a local parking lot.Second Lts. Justin Herman, from here, and Nick Garvey, from nearby Tyndall Air Force Base, chased two suspects they saw snatch a purse April 8.After shopping at a local

  • Dominguez: Recapitalization No. 1 priority

    Modernizing the Air Force’s aging systems is the No. 1 priority for the service’s acting secretary.Michael L. Dominguez recently gained the responsibility as acting secretary of the Air Force, besides his other duty as assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. "The

  • Airman’s life-altering decision takes turn for the better

    Before Airman 1st Class Shannon Cavasos enlisted in the Air Force, she was at a crossroads in her life.With high-school graduation on the horizon, the Midland, Texas, native lived alone her senior year after her mother moved away. Her mom sent her small checks to cover bills while she cleaned

  • Balad’s pharmacy techs help save lives

    Within the chaotic center of the Air Force Theater Hospital here is a group of Airmen whose job is to ease pain and help people heal faster.The Airmen in Balad’s pharmacy ensure people on the way to surgery or on the way out of the hospital have their medications.“We support the whole hospital,

  • Joint fuels effort allows airlift to keep rolling in Uzbekistan

    Keeping deployed C-130 Hercules and transient C-17 Globemaster IIIs fueled up takes a joint effort that includes Air Force fuels technicians, Army fuels distributors and civilian contractors. They are responsible for fueling up aircraft and ensuring the fuel is clean, dry, serviceable, and

  • Air Force standardizing warfighting command, control

    Air Force officials have integrated lessons learned from past conflicts to develop and implement a new concept for command and control of the service’s fighting forces.The result is the establishment of regionally or functionally aligned Air Force warfighting headquarters worldwide designed to

  • NDI Airmen play big part in mission

    For Senior Airmen Kenda Lewis and James Cone, the nature of their work is among the most obscure in the Air Force. What they do, however, prevents disaster from taking center stage on the mission.Assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron’s nondestructive inspection lab at a

  • Airmen get view from tower

    Picture yourself sitting in your car, stopped at a traffic light on a very busy highway. Every time the light changes, vehicles take their turns crossing the intersection. If not for that traffic light, you probably would not be able to cross the road to go home. Airmen of the 20th Operations

  • EOD protects people from explosive hazards

    Putting their lives on the line, sweating in heavy bomb suits, lugging cumbersome equipment, working with robots and occasionally blowing things up is all part of the job for Airmen with the explosive ordnance disposal unit here.“I enjoy my job. I get to blow stuff up,” said Senior Airman Chris

  • Officials announce Thrift Savings Plan open season

    Civilian and military employees can sign up for, or change, their Thrift Savings Plan contribution amounts during the "open season" April 15 to June 30."TSP is a long-term retirement savings plan, which everyone should consider," said Jackie Holland, task manager at the Air Force Personnel Contact

  • Chatting on Air Force Portal requires decorum

    Airmen are chatting it up in growing numbers using the Air Force Portal’s instant messaging service.But recent inappropriate comments made by some Airmen in chat rooms led officials to clarify responsible communication over the service.“The majority of the 7,000 plus Airmen using (Air Force Instant

  • Ship takes heroic legacy to the fight

    A fallen Air Force hero from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., was honored April 8 at the Military Ocean Terminal here. A Navy cargo ship was named for Air Force Cross recipient Tech. Sgt. John Chapman.The combat controller’s legacy will live on as the Motor Vessel Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman carries