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U.S. Air Force News

  • 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

  • Warrior Games set to start

    The 3rd Annual Warrior Games begins Monday, April 30 - May 5 at the Air Force Academy and Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Wounded, ill and injured servicemen and women from the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard will participate in the Warrior Games, which is hosted by

  • Warrior Games team completes training, ready to compete

    Members of the Air Force team competing in the inaugural Warrior Games here completed their final week of training May 7. The 17 wounded, ill and injured Air Force team members will compete against Soldiers, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and Sailors May 10 through 14. The teams will compete in a variety

  • Warrior Games to include pentathlon ultimate challenge

    The inaugural Warrior Games competition May 10 through 14 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., will feature individual and team events and an ultimate champion multi-sport challenge for a Chairman's Cup trophy. During a "DOD Live" bloggers roundtable May 6, Robert E. Moore

  • 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

  • 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

  • Warrior medics deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom

    More than 80 Airmen from the 59th Medical Wing deployed Sept. 4, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Deploying personnel bid their families farewell early in the morning in the Wilford Hall Medical Center auditorium before beginning their journey. This deployment is one of several that will occur

  • 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.

  • Warrior spirit restores stolen Christmas

    Christmas spirit was stolen away from a deployed Airman serving in Afghanistan when his home in south Florida was burglarized and all of his kids' Christmas presents taken from beneath the tree days before Christmas.As a combat-search-and-rescue helicopter crew chief, Staff Sgt. Kristopher

  • Warrior Wellness equine assistance important part of healing process

    The relationship between man and his horse is a storied one. Winston Churchill once said, "There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." The 19th century novelist Robert Smith Surtees said, "There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse."

  • Warriors for a day

    More than 200 children received their official tasking and prepared for a mock deployment at Hangar 1here Oct. 24. The day-long deployment began with the young warriors in-processing and picking up their air and space expeditionary force cards, helmets and web belts. Immediately after suiting up,

  • Warriors unite through community networks

    AFW2 community programs connect warriors to local events, activities and resources within the 46,000 veteran service organizations located nationwide. The team utilizes social media platforms to connect with veteran service organizations and obtain vital information, which they streamline and share

  • Warriors with mild to moderate injuries stay near the fight

    Warriors wounded in war with mild to moderate injuries are being sent to the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group where they can be treated, recover and returned to duty. There are seven nurses on staff, which includes three intensive care unit nurses, who deal with a lot of different injuries or

  • Wars, people, balancing risk top chairman's 2011 guidance

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's guidance for 2011 charts the way forward in America's wars, in improving the health of the force and in balancing global risks.Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's 2011 guidance was released Jan. 15, relaying the admiral's priorities and strategic objectives for the

  • Wartime heirloom returned to family

    Sixty years of history came full circle this week when an airman here returned a Japanese flag to the family of its original owner. The flag was carried into battle by a Japanese soldier during World War II.Col. Donald Weckhorst, commander of the 605th Air Operations Group at 5th Air Force

  • Wartime medical innovation saves lives at home

    In January, the Food and Drug Administration approved the REBOA catheter, or resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta. The REBOA is a device that’s inserted into a hemorrhaging vessel and stops or slows blood flow to that injury, while allowing blood flow to continue to other body

  • Wash day

    Staff Sgt. Michael Mariner washes down an F-15E Strike Eagle on April 5 to reduce the dust and dirt on the aircraft. Mariner is a crew chief with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Terry L.

  • Washington Air Guard analyzes imagery after Hurricane Michael

    Airmen from the Washington Air National Guard’s 194th Intelligence Squadron are growing their skillset and learning new ways of operating as they support Georgia in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. The squadron recently took on a new capability: Unclassified Processing Assessment and

  • Washington Guard mobilized for snow removal

    The Washington National Guard officials plan to mobilize up to 200 citizen Soldiers and Airmen over the next few days in response to record snow fall in the Spokane area. Their mission starting Jan. 7 will focus on removing snow, which has accumulated on the roofs of area schools. "The unprecedented

  • WASP awarded Congressional Gold Medal for service

    A dedicated group of patriotic female pilots were recognized by President Barack Obama July 1 at the White House for their invaluable service to the nation more than 60 years ago. Women's Airforce Service Pilots Elaine Danforth Harmon, Bernice Falk Haydu and Lorraine H. Rodgers were joined by five

  • WASP exhibit opens in Arlington

    The Fly Girls of World War II traveling exhibit began its national tour at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Nov. 14 here. The exhibit, which is dedicated to the history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, features a history of the WASP.The exhibit includes the "WASP Film Strip,"

  • 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

  • WASP served for love of flight

    When Betty Jo Reed was introduced to flying, it was love at first sight. She was 6 years old and her father paid $1 for her to take a ride in a Ford tri-motor airplane at a local fair in 1929. Once airborne, Ms. Reed was hooked. "I remember feeling free and happy, and loving the whole experience,"

  • WASPs awarded Congressional Gold Medal

    The first female military pilots received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol March 10. Almost 70 years ago, the Women Airforce Service Pilots were disbanded with little fanfare, but this ceremony was a way to make things right for the trailblazers, said Secretary of the Air

  • Waste-eating bacteria explored as power source

    The Air Force Office of Scientific Research here recently awarded a five-year grant to the University of Southern California worth approximately $4.5 million to lead a study on bioengineered fuel cells. Bioengineered fuel cells are bacteria capable of producing electrical energy simply through the

  • Watch for signs of holiday blues

    Television portrays the holidays as a time filled with love and sharing. But the holidays aren't picture-perfect for everyone.People all over the world seem to go through holiday depression, now known as the holiday blues, said Capt. Pamela Novy, commander of the 5th Medical Group's behavioral

  • Watch live broadcast of chief of staff change ceremony

    The swearing in of Gen. T. Michael Moseley as the Air Force’s 18th chief of staff will be broadcast live Sept. 2 from Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The live broadcast is scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT and will be available on the Pentagon Channel and on Air Force Link at www.af.mil/csaf/player.html The

  • Watch: Seek to Understand, Microaggressions

    Air Education and Training Command launched the first installment of "Seek to Understand," a series of educational videos featuring defined terms and personal accounts from Airmen across the command. The series seeks to address racial disparity and foster understanding of the unique experiences of

  • Watching 'Sandy'

    As post-tropical cyclone Sandy continues to make its way across the northeastern U.S. and Canada, U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program assets continue to provide valuable weather data to forecasters across the region so they can better predict the storm's pathway and

  • Water flowing into southern Iraq; food on the way

    With the help of the Kuwaiti government, fresh water is flowing into coalition-held areas of southern Iraq, and food is on the way, the American officer in charge of these efforts said today.Coalition forces are coordinating delivery of water from a pipeline the Kuwait government set up into

  • Water on its way

    Airman 1st Class Randy Bennett drives a 13k all-terrain forklift carrying a pallet of water to a C-130 Hercules aircraft headed for Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Dec. 18. Water is shipped weekly to deployed troops in Afghanistan. Bennett is assigned to the 320th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron

  • Water polo team wins five games in tournament

    The Air Force Academy water polo team won five games in the Rocky Mountain Water Polo Tournament, including a four-overtime victory over the alumni/seniors team. Teams traveled from Florida and New Mexico to participate in the spring tournament, held here May 1 and 2. In the highlighted game of the

  • Water polo: No. 19 Air Force Defeats Iona, 15-8

    In its first home game of the season, the 19th-ranked Air Force water polo team surged to a 15-8 victory over Iona Oct. 18 at Cadet Natatorium. With the win, the Falcons improve to 11-8 overall on the season, while the Gaels fall to 11-15. Air Force's offense struck first, as sophomore Matt Versage

  • Water polo: Air Force captures overtime victory at WWPA Championship

    A score from sophomore Alex Churnside with 1:04 remaining in the second overtime period gave the Air Force water polo team a 10-9 victory over Santa Clara Nov. 18 in the third-place game of the Western Water Polo Association Championship, hosted by the Falcons. Air Force, which entered the contest

  • Water polo: Air Force faces Redlands in 7th-place game

    After dropping its first game of the 2006 WWPA Championship to 17th-ranked Santa Clara, the No. 16 Air Force water polo team went 1-1 on day two of the tournament. The Falcons now sit at 13-17 on the season with one game remaining. Facing the Broncos in the first game of the tournament on Friday,

  • Water rescue team saves two lives

    The fire department water rescue team here rescued two swimmers at a local beach Aug. 21. When the rescue team arrived on scene just after midnight, security forces were already there, said Master Sgt. Gregory Chesser, 36th Civil Engineer Squadron assistant fire chief for training. The victim had

  • Water resource management announced as focus of Air Force Earth Day 2013

    Each year Air Force installations around the world observe Earth Day on April 22 by taking actions to enhance sustainability and support the Air Force's Earth Day theme of "Conserve Today - Secure Tomorrow."This year, the Air Force is highlighting water resource management programs, including

  • Water survival course moves from Florida to Fairchild

    In response to the Deep Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Air Force water survival courses have temporarily relocated to Fairchild Air Force Base. Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., was suspended indefinitely June 4 when oil was discovered inside the training area used by

  • Water world

    Staff Sgts. Marty Eberly (front) and William Speyrer direct the movement of the pipes on a fusion welding machine at a forward-deployed location in the Arabian Gulf region. The machine is used to connect water drainage pipes for a runway repair project. Both sergeants are assigned to the 819/219th

  • Waterproof: Missile Retrievers not afraid to dive in

    When the weather forecast calls for tall waves, mean currents and high winds in the Gulf, the last thing most people want to do is jump into it. For Ray Gallien and Steve Shafer, two of the commercial divers aboard the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron's three Missile Retriever boats, it sometimes

  • Watts up: Shop hardwired to deployed base

    Flip a switch and a light goes on. Plug in an electric shaver and it recharges. Push start on a microwave and the food becomes piping hot. These are all easy everyday activities most people go through. But for one shop within the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, it’s an everyday job to

  • Wavelet researchers want to ease decision-making process

    An Air Force Research Laboratory team began a new study on wavelets to help information analysts better prioritize workload. Basically, a wavelet represents a snapshot of information at a given point in time. The research team's estimated $200,000, one-year-long project is titled: "A New Paradigm in

  • WaveRider test vehicle meets B-52

    Airmen successfully mated the X-51A WaveRider flight test vehicle to a B-52 Stratofortress July 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The fit check followed integration earlier in the month of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne scramjet propulsion system into the X-51 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale,

  • WC-130J team tracks hurricanes with improved radar system

    Experts here battled 155-mph winds and penetrated two hurricanes 15 times recently to put the WC-130J Hercules’ improved weather-radar system to the test.Together with Air Force Reserve Command's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., joint test team experts flew

  • We Are Airmen: 2018 Recruiting Video Contest

    Calling all storytellers! Air Force officials are offering Airmen the chance to create their own recruiting video through the We Are Airmen 2018 Recruiting Video Contest. Now is your chance to showcase your creativity and pride to be an Airman in the U.S. Air Force. If you were a civilian thinking

  • Weapon system trainer to save taxpayer's dollars

    The first official KC-135 Stratotanker Boom Operator Weapon System Trainer in Air Mobility Command, slated to save the Air Force millions annually, opened during a ceremony Jan. 9 here.Training boom operators to perform in-flight refueling requires a tanker and a receiver. An eight-hour tanker

  • Weapon systems video vital to wartime mission

    Amid the hustle and bustle of people walking to and from intelligence briefings in the fighter operations building at a forward-deployed location, Airman 1st Class Michael Edwards sits quietly behind a computer monitor and watches videos, and nobody minds.Airman Edwards’ deployed duties have taken

  • Weapons accident leaves one injured

    A weapons accident here June 10 caused one injury. Staff Sgt. Brent Russell, a 917th Maintenance Squadron aircraft armament systems mechanic, was injured when a Gatling gun inadvertently discharged a 30 mm training round during repairs. The round penetrated a steel door causing shrapnel to strike

  • Weapons Airman keeps F-22s in the fight

    Airman 1st Class Kyron Abraham worked the day shift during those winter months. He drove to work through the cold night of day to the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and joined his three-man team in relieving the night shift. Then the order came to load

  • Weapons Airmen bring bombs to fight

    The chill in the morning air and the dark before dawn didn’t deter the Airmen from the 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as they prepared training munitions for aircraft participating in combat exercise Red Flag 14-1 here. By providing realistic combat training in a contested, degraded and

  • Weapons Airmen help pilots' firing accuracy

    Putting steel on target is the aim of warfighters, and making sure F-16 Fighting Falcon guns hit the bull's-eye every time is the mission of weapon loaders at Misawa Air Base.In a process called boresighting, weapons Airmen ensure the path of bullets shot from the aircraft's 20mm cannon is aligned

  • Weapons directors provide situational awareness

    They came to William Tell to play a video game. But they are not playing Donkey Kong or the latest version of Halo. Instead, they are monitoring radar screens to make sure their pilots stay on track during the competition.William Tell is a competition which tests an aircrew's ability to perform

  • Weapons load competition showcases Airmen's precision, excellence

    Airmen in the 20th Fighter Wing weapons standardization unit held their quarterly Weapons Load Crew of the Quarter competition here July 8.Load crewmembers from Shaw's three fighter squadrons, the 55th "Shooters," the 77th "Gamblers" and the 79th "Tigers," participated in the competition to find out

  • Weapons load crews keep mission on target

    It would be a lot harder to accomplish the mission in Iraq if F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots couldn’t drop 500-pound bombs exactly where they wanted. And more Soldiers would have to go into harm’s way if MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft weren’t able to engage targets with Hellfire missiles from 10,000

  • Weapons loaders arm jets for the fight

    Without the work of Airmen who load munitions on aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcons in the fight here would be no different than any commercial airliner in terms of strike capability. Combat missions occur around the clock here and weapons loaders from the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance

  • Weapons loading competition hones Airmen's skills

    Munitions loaders around the Air Force test their warfighting capabilities and promote camaraderie through load crew competitions.Recently, two teams from the 555th and 510th Fighter Squadrons here used teamwork and the communication skills involved with a weapons load to prove their

  • Weapons safety ensures ICBM effectiveness

    The 90th Missile Wing's mission is to defend America with the world's premier combat ready intercontinental ballistic missile force, and ensuring the safe execution of the mission is the prime focus of the 90th MW Safety Office.

  • Weapons school completes large scale mobility exercise

    Airmen from two U.S. Air Force Weapons School squadrons and aircrews flying 40 heavy-body aircraft completed a Mobility Air Forces Exercise over the Nevada Test and Training Range here Nov. 18."This is essentially the capstone for our Weapons Instructor Course, helping us learn how to plan, schedule

  • Weapons school grad marks a first

    An Air National Guard MQ-1 Predator pilot marked the beginning of a new era Dec. 12 as the first unmanned aircraft pilot from a reserve component to graduate from the Air Force Weapons Instructor Course at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School here.Maj. Tammy Barlette, from the Arizona Air National

  • Weapons school instructors validate first UAS, Raptor courses

    U.S. Air Force Weapons School instructors completed the school's first unmanned aircraft systems and F-22 Raptor validation course June 13. Consisting of 17 squadrons, the weapons school teaches graduate-level instructor courses that provide the world's most advanced training in weapons and tactics

  • Weapons school integrates cyber warfare

    Eight Air Force weapons officers completed the first cyber weapons instructor course at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, 328th Weapons Squadron, June 16 here.Weapons officers are tactical experts trained in the art of battlespace dominance who instruct the Air Force's instructor corps and serve as

  • Weapons School: Multi-domain integration since 1996

    A leader in tactics, techniques and procedures development, the USAFWS has focused on integrating combat capabilities across domains since 1996 when the school’s Space Division was established. The division structure was dissolved in 2003 but integrating space operations as part of the USAFWS

  • Weapons squadrons integrate combat skillsets

    Two B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and two B-1 Lancers from Dyess AFB, Texas, flew together and performed more than 200 simulated missile launches as part of a weapons school integration exercise.

  • Weapons system team earns William J. Perry Award

    Members of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator program team received the 16th annual William J. Perry Award in recognition of their contributions to precision strike systems during an awards ceremony hosted by the Precision Strike Association here Jan. 17.The program team, consisting of representatives

  • Weapons testing enters new era

    Engineers and technicians here ushered in a new weapons-testing era by dropping an inert, precision laser-guided bomb from an F-15E Strike Eagle that struck an offshore floating target 21 miles away.The test is the first in a program to build an offshore-scoring system on the Eglin Gulf Test Range,

  • Weapons troops are not cowboys during Loadeo

    Despite what people may think, the Loadeo event does not feature an Airman wearing a cowboy hat, straddling an AIM-120 missile, ready for the ride of his life.Loadeo is the weapons-loading competition taking place here during the 2004 William Tell air-to-air weapons meet.“Loadeo is a competition

  • Weapons, tactics conference puts warfighters' needs in focus

    Nearly 1,200 Air Force warfighters are meeting here in late October to decide on what's needed to succeed in future battles and missions. This year's Air Guard and Reserve Weapons and Tactics Conference is the biggest ever, said Col. Jon Mott, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command

  • Weapons, tactics course improves skills

    About 30 security forces Airmen from around Air Education and Training Command were here recently to improve their skills.Some of the skills the students learned at the AETC Combat Weapons and Tactics Course included tactical pistol skills, long-gun skills, low-light movements and missions, physical

  • WEAR program enables Airmen, Guardians to aid recruiting efforts

    Airmen and Guardians looking to help inspire, engage and recruit the future force by participating first-hand in events that enhance the Department of the Air Force’s recruiting mission are encouraged to look into the We Are All Recruiters, or WEAR, program.

  • Wearable computers move to flightline

    Maintenance is about to change because of new tools maintainers will have at their disposal.Through a pilot program at the 116th Air Control Wing here, 116th Maintenance Group workers are beginning to integrate a new wearable computer, which can be used across the maintenance spectrum.The small

  • Weary travelers support troops at airport

    Nearly everyone has experienced it at one time or another: An airport bogged down by bad weather, delayed and cancelled flights, and cranky, overtired travelers wanting nothing more than to get to their destinations.That was exactly what Will Ross, an administrative judge for the Defense

  • Weather Agency assists in tsunami relief efforts

    Air Force Weather Agency officials are assisting in the relief effort underway after tsunamis devastated parts of south Asia on Dec. 26. The agency’s weather technicians have redirected resources to create high resolution forecasts of weather over the affected area.“When I heard about what had

  • Weather agency employs new forecast model

    The Air Force Weather Agency headquartered here took the first steps to use the new Weather Research and Forecasting model, known as WRF, for operational forecasts. The WRF model, the first worldwide fine-scale computer forecasting program in nearly a decade, was created through a collaborative

  • Weather agency facility wins White House award

    Officials with the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive announced April 30 that the Air Force Weather Agency's headquarters building here was selected as the winning entry in the "Sustainable Design/Green Buildings - Military" category for the 2009 White House Closing the Circle Award. "The

  • Weather agency helps commanders with mission decisions

    Before flying to support ground forces or attack a target, Air Force and Army pilots run through a lengthy preflight checklist. Getting a go from Air Force weather forecasters is on the list twice. The meteorological data used by combat weather forecasters is collected by the Air Force Weather

  • Weather Agency provides edge to warfighters

    Today's warfighters are constantly looking for any combat advantage that they can gain on their enemies. One factor that can be the difference between a failed mission and a successful one is the weather. Bad weather can disable a Global Positioning System unit or cause low visibility for an