March issue of Airman available Published March 3, 2004 SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Read about recent changes at the Air Force Academy and take a look at airmen serving in Southwest Asia -- from the airmen fresh out of training to the medical staff who save lives in Baghdad. These features and more highlight the March issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at www.af.mil/news/airman.Snowflakes in the Desert -- Although many desert bases are the same, they also are unique. Airmen find unusual solutions to the same problems and overcome adversity in different ways. Such is the case of two bases in Southwest Asia heavily involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom on the one-year anniversary of the operation.A Time for Healing -- In the wake of the highest number of reported sexual assaults in its 49-year history, the Air Force Academy is making sweeping changes to reverse a negative culture and climate. Senior leaders and cadets are standing tall, refusing to let their institution’s reputation tarnish, but only time will tell if these changes will be enough.From Classroom to Combat -- In his first mission in Afghanistan, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot finds himself pulling the trigger of a Gatling gun. In only her second overseas deployment, a senior airman is refueling fighter aircraft over hostile territory. During war, combat experience replaces classroom learning in a heartbeat. The final exam is just the beginning.Night Watch -- Doctors, surgeons, nurse anesthetists, nurses and medical technicians work around the clock seven days a week at Camp Sather, Iraq, in the largest Air Force medical squadron in the country. They provide the best medical care the field has to offer, often saving lives.Keeping the Serpent at Bay -- For decades, the brown tree snake has wreaked havoc on the Guam ecosystem. However, a joint venture between the defense and agriculture departments to contain the snakes on the island is netting dividends that may protect Hawaii and other Pacific islands from a future invasion.