June issue of Citizen Airman available

  • Published
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  The June issue of Citizen Airman, the official magazine of the Air Force Reserve, is now available in print and online at www.afrc.af.mil/HQ/citamn/.

Extra Hands -- When a group of people is carrying a load and the weight increases, a few extra hands can help relieve some of the burden of the additional weight. Moving loads, in the form of cargo or people, is an air mobility mission. When the loads increase, the extra work puts a heavy burden on the people responsible for the operation. To relieve some of the pressure, the Air Force often calls upon extra hands to help shoulder the burden.

Final Piece of the Puzzle -- As casualties are taken from the front lines during battle and moved to a safer area for initial treatment before they are aeromedically evacuated to a hospital, communication is vital for coordinating prompt medical attention. The same principal that applies during wartime also applies to the scene of a natural disaster or civilian crisis. So, when active-duty Airmen of the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, agreed to participate in a joint emergency response exercise in Munich, they turned to a group of reservists to provide the one function their team was missing -- communication.

Wet Hawgs -- A pack of more than 70 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs gathered on the flightline of former England Air Force Base, La., in late April ready to compete, show their skills and see who was most dominant. However, Mother Nature's roar was mightier than the “Hawgs” as the competition side of Hawgsmoke ‘04 had to be canceled because of inclement weather.

Zoom -- Like most Major League baseball players, Jason Szuminski has worn a lot of different uniforms in his day. What makes him different from all of his fellow big leaguers is the uniform he wears during the off-season. During the summer, Mr. Szuminski wears the blue and gray as a pitcher for the San Diego Padres. When the season ends, he quickly switches to Air Force blue. As a first lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve, he is assigned to the Air Force Research Laboratory's Propulsion Directorate at Edwards AFB, Calif.

Predator -- Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., is the home of the RQ/MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program and the site for a groundbreaking integration of active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard forces. Air Force planners at the Pentagon, Indian Springs and nearby Nellis AFB have been working behind the scenes to create a Predator community that combines active-duty Airmen, reservists and guardsmen.

Farewell, Faye -- Chief Master Sgt. Faye Whitehead will go down in history as the Air Force Reserve's first female senior enlisted adviser, but to the countless people she touched during her more than 40 years of total Air Force service, she was much more. She was a trusted consultant, a compassionate mentor, a tireless worker and a true friend.

Final Exam -- The big responsibility for testing the airworthiness of modified KC-135 Stratotankers rests with a small Air Force Reserve unit at Lackland AFB, Texas. The 23-person 313th Flight Test Flight certifies Stratotankers after they go through either programmed depot maintenance or a new avionics upgrade.

Top-Notch Training -- Professional military education is an important part of preparing enlisted people for promotion. Within the Air Force Reserve, one of the challenges has always been making PME opportunities accessible to noncommissioned officers who have a full-time civilian job so they can progress in their military career. The Enlisted Professional Military Education Branch of the Air National Guard Training and Education Center at McGhee-Tyson ANG Base, Tenn., is taking steps to address this problem and expand training opportunities for reservists.