May issue of Airman available

  • Published
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Learn about stripe-wearing pilots before the days of the Air Force, read about the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom and take a behind-the-scenes look at the enlisted Thunderbird members. These features and more highlight the May issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online.

Flying Chevrons -- Long before there was an Air Force, stripe-wearing pilots kept planes airborne. For four decades, they proudly manned cockpits of just about every aircraft in the inventory. Although doubted by many, they proved that flying had nothing to do with rank.

Operation Iraqi Freedom -- When the call came to launch the air campaign of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the coalition responded with roughly 1,000 strike sorties a night during the first week of operations. Since then, airmen have worked around the clock and around the world to keep air power flexed and ready to strike.

Life on the Afghan Frontier -- Life for airmen serving at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, isn’t easy. They face the dangers of almost daily rocket attacks. But after more than a year in country, airmen are finding that life at Air Force Village continues to improve.

More Than Meets the Eye -- When most people are beginning to evacuate in the face of a hurricane, members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., prepare to battle the storm, by flying directly into it. The information these hurricane hunters gather is used to help the National Hurricane Center issue watches, warnings and evacuations.

Giving Life a Jumpstart -- After dealing with sudden hearing loss in his right ear, Master Sgt. John Hawk learned to live with one usable ear. Then three years later he lost the use of his left ear. But thanks to a team of hearing experts at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Texas, he can hear once again.

Wearing ‘The Patch’ -- It’s a rite of passage never revealed to the public until now. For 21 days, Thunderbird wannabes must memorize a 73-page booklet, answer questions from a five-person panel and wax, wax, wax. They are the enlisted members of the Air Force Thunderbirds, and only a handpicked few are allowed to wear “The Patch.”