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  • Quality Assurance: Maintenance commander's 'eyes and ears'

    To ensure the safety of pilots and ground crews, aircraft maintainers are held to a high standard of proficiency and job knowledge in fulfilling their mission requirements.Their skills are monitored and inspected regularly by some of the career field's most knowledgeable maintainers."We cultivate a

  • Security Forces Airmen recall IDF attack, bringing members closer

    Members of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron had just finished dinner and were on the way back to their compound on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan June 18. Heading south on a perimeter road, they passed a bus stop located about 50 yards from their compound, where service members were

  • Liberian soldiers employ training during medical outreach mission

    A team of Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers, U.S. service members and county health officials conducted a mobile medical outreach mission in Grand Cape Mount County recently. The mobile mission held from 1 - 4 July was a first for the AFL medics, who, until now, have been focusing their efforts on

  • A 5,000-mile journey to recovery

    An active-duty Air Force crew aboard a C-17 Globemaster III made history July 10 while flying specialized medical teams and a patient requiring equipment never before used on board a tran-Atlantic mission. The spouse of an active-duty Army service member, who wishes to remain anonymous, was being

  • Canadian controller works alongside American air battle managers

    The cool breeze gently lifts a bright red maple leaf off the ground whipping it into the air during an autumn soccer scrimmage in Ontario, Canada ... wait a second, rewind. The hot desert wind whips and whirls the sand in every direction as Canadians battle their way from work to home during their

  • Air Force officials release first enlisted LEAP selection board results

    The U.S. Air Force Culture and Language Center recently released the results of the first Language Enabled Airman Program selection board solely for enlisted Airmen. The selection of 199 applicants nearly triples the number of enlisted Airmen in the program.The program aims to sustain, enhance and

  • Deployed controllers deliver hope

    When serving on a remote forward operating base in Afghanistan, service members rely on deliveries of ammunition, tools, food, water and other supplies. Many times these vital provisions are airdropped by 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron cargo jets. "Cargo is the life blood of downrange

  • K-9 Airmen deploy with 'best friend'

    One of the most difficult parts of a deployment for service members is leaving behind friends and family. Security forces Airmen in the Military Working Dog section, however, have a unique opportunity when they deploy. "We get to deploy with our best friend," said Senior Airman Andrew Hanus, a 379th

  • Pararescueman train with Army, military canines

    Look in the air ... it's a bird ... it's a plane ... Well, not quite: It's a German Shepard in a harness hanging from an HH-60G Pave Hawk.More than 15 U.S. Army tactical explosive detection dog handlers and their canines participated in rescue training scenarios June 21, with pararescuemen assigned

  • 'Check Six' teaches deployed service members combatives

    When faced by an attacker, sometimes the only means of defense are ones instincts and ability to fight back. To hone those instincts, deployed service members are armed with basic, defensive fighting skills at the weekly Check Six combatives classes offered at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing

  • Joint STARS: Deployed maintainers saving lives

    U.S. and coalition ground forces deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations depend on many different airframes and assets to complete their day-to-day operations. That includes the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System maintained by the 7th Expeditionary Aircraft

  • Deployed Airmen in right place, right time

    "There were people everywhere screaming and yelling," explained Capt. Cassie Cosentino, 4th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health officer in charge, as she recalled being faced with a horrific encounter while supporting operations in Southwest Asia, April 10.Cosentino, Senior Airman Husein Khan,

  • PHOTO ESSAY: Guardsmen help Afghans build agriculture

    The Kentucky National Guard Agribusiness Development Team's mission is to continue the work set forth by the previous four Kentucky teams in assisting local Afghans in becoming agriculturally self-sufficient and developing their agriculture marketplace.View the SLIDESHOW here.(Courtesy of Air Forces

  • Security Airmen take action while under attack

    A quick and efficient response by Afghan and U.S. Air Force security forces personnel helped defeat an attack by insurgents at Kabul International Airport earlier this month, according to U.S. military officials. The attack began at about 4:30 a.m. on the morning of June 10. Within minutes, security

  • Academy cadets deploy, experience expeditionary life

    More than 40 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets visited the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing here to observe deployed operations first-hand and interact with deployed U.S. and coalition forces."Being out here really broadens our horizons, allowing us to truly take in what it means to be an Airman," said

  • Alert Reaper Airmen find IED

    Most Airmen can mentally rewind to the Combat Airman Skills Training course and recall the frustration and apprehension of not being able to locate all the improvised-explosive devices set out in the training lanes. Because the training is so realistic, at first, most Airmen trigger the training

  • Weather warns warriors, saves services silver

    As the dust clouds roll in, 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron weather forecasters here analyze the intensity, direction and impact of the impending storm to base assets and the mission."Our radar allows us to notify maintenance crews out on the airfield that conditions are unsafe and

  • Flight engineer reaches combat sortie milestone

    A fllight engineer assigned to the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron here reached 400 combat sorties, a milestone not easily achieved. Master Sgt. Brian Fahey accomplished this feat flying June 14 on two different aircraft platforms. He flew his 255th combat sortie on the KC-10 Extender in

  • Training helps deployed Airman save lives

    "I wouldn't really consider these lifesaving gestures, I was just doing what I am trained to do," said Senior Airman David Kitchen, 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron, aerial transportation journeyman.In many circumstances training acquired in the military helps airmen save lives, but for

  • Operation Pacific Angel 2013 soars in Vietnam

    The United States and Vietnam began humanitarian assistance operations here June 10 as part of Operation Pacific Angel.Operation Pacific Angel which is in its sixth year, is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance exercise led by Pacific Air Forces."We are here to provide medical care and

  • Maintainers apply innovative protection to C-130s

    Rocks kicked up when landing a C-130 Hercules on unimproved runways can damage the fuselage of the aircraft. To combat this problem, maintainers in the 302nd Maintenance Group here began putting tape on the plane's belly. In January, they took another step by applying protective tape to the forward

  • PyroLance: Water with firepower

    Today's aircraft rescue and firefighting emergencies require a quick response and the ability to access complex composite structures such as the many Air Force airframes protected by the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters here.To do this, firefighters require top-notch tools

  • Logistics Airmen own the night during joint-service training

    A joint-coalition team led by the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron peers into a dark, moonless sky in preparation for a nighttime helicopter sling load mission. All of their other senses are heightened to compensate for the reduced visibility as a UH-60 Black Hawk flown by Soldiers

  • 129th Rescue Wing Airmen achieve 1000th save

    Members of the 129th Rescue Wing saved their 1,000th life May 18 when deployed aircrews and pararescuemen rescued an Afghan national policeman with a critical gunshot wound in Afghanistan. Since its inception nearly four decades ago, the 129th RQW has launched countless missions from its home

  • Families to join Airmen in Southwest Asia

    Fifteen Airmen assigned to U.S. Air Forces Central Command, the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing are taking advantage of a two-year accompanied tour opportunity -- and numbers continue to grow. In the next few years a total of 60 families will be here.

  • Elite Afghan soldiers complete training

    Fourteen Afghan air force members of the Kabul Air Wing Quick Reaction Force Company graduated from Ground Combat Skills Course in a ceremony May 29 at Kabul International Airport here.The graduation marked the completion of 50 hours of advanced upgrade training for the newest members of the QRF

  • Through Airmen's Eyes: Dog Handler brings her values to career

    (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)It's 6 p.m., and Chrach, a military working dog whose name is pronounced "Crash," is anticipating his evening meal.His handler has been feeding him twice

  • Qualified captains sought for Inter-American SOS program

    Active-duty captains proficient in Spanish may be eligible to attend the Inter-American Squadron Officer School at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland here, Air Force Personnel Center officials said. "The ISOS program is designed to develop dynamic Airmen ready to

  • Afghan airmen gain new airpower capability

    As the 2013 fighting season continues in Afghanistan, the Afghan National Security Forces can add yet another airpower capability to their ever increasing list: air attack from an Afghan air force Mi-35 HIND attack helicopter.Members of the 377th Rotary Wing Squadron from the Kabul Air Wing fired 23

  • Hagel, in Hawaii, praises 'value added' force integration

    The tight integration in Hawaii between active-duty service members, civilian defense employees and National Guardsmen points to the future of the overall force, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told troops at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam here May 30."That's as much value added as I think we can get

  • Special ops commanders seek intel, data-sharing assets

    Senior commanders recently called on the defense industry to provide technologies that give special operations forces more situational awareness, better networking and communications and more precise location and targeting capabilities.Officials from across U.S. Special Operations Command, including

  • Predator passes 20,000-hour mark in Afghanistan

    An MQ-1 Predator assigned here recently became the first Predator to pass 20,000 flying hours over Afghanistan, a feat equivalent to flying 15 hours every other day, for 2,667 days.While the Predator remotely piloted aircraft program surpassed one million hours of total development, test, training

  • Deployed medical experts learn skills to identify sexual assault

    From across Afghanistan, 22 U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy medical professionals gathered here for the Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations training.Collecting forensic evidence from patients reporting sexual assault is essential. It can be used to identify an assailant, recent sexual contact and

  • Afghan air force improves casualty evacuation capability

    While the Afghan air force continues to take the lead and ownership of combat operations, they have also rapidly risen to the challenge of improving casualty evacuation, or CASEVAC, procedures by using both the Mi-17 helicopter and Cessna 208 aircraft. Between December 2012 and April 2013, CASEVAC

  • Hanscom AFB-managed program helps save Airman's life

     A program managed here that helps get supplies safely to warfighters was recently used in Afghanistan to help save an Airman's life.The Dynamic Retasking Capability Urgent Operational Need provides the ability for C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130J Hercules to be directed to an alternative location

  • Airmen provide fuel to heat Afghan homes

    Shredded paper, sawdust and water may seem unimportant to many people, but to others it can mean fuel to stay warm or cook food. These are small but vital comforts that members of NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan try to provide to the people of Afghanistan on a weekly basis.As part of Operation

  • Afghan AF rises to combat test

    An Afghan national army soldier looks up from his post near Tarin Khowt in the Uruzgan Province. He's surrounded by rugged mountains, a flowing river, a green and vibrant valley and Taliban insurgents trying to overrun the area. The soldier, along with 39 other ANA commandos, is running low on

  • Breedlove to take command of EUCOM, SHAPE

    As Gen. Philip M. Breedlove prepares to take command of U.S. European Command and NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, he acknowledged U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Airmen and their importance to the United States' national defense strategy.More than 54,000 American

  • Afghan air university takes dynamic formal stride

    Taking one more step to becoming Ministry of Defense accredited, Afghan air force leaders at Pohantoon-e-Hawayee "Air University" signed six newly developed training decrees May 4 at Kabul International Airport here. The implementation of these decrees marks the first time the school had standard

  • CE Airmen improve life on remote Army outpost

    A small team of deployed civil engineer Airmen traveled to a remote Army outpost to provide much needed infrastructure improvements.The 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron Consolidated-Small Maintenance and Repair Team visited here April 29 through May 3 to improve life,

  • CE Airmen keep Afghans safe with new bridges

    Members of the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron installed safe and secure bridges for local Afghans coming in and out of Bagram Airfield, May 2.The 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron entry point controllers requested the bridges to provide safe passage to and from BAF for the

  • C-130 squadron first to perform new airdrop method

    The 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron executed the first combat Extracted Container Delivery System, or XCDS, airdrop April 29, successfully demonstrating the increased accuracy that this new technology provides. The new airdrop method is designed to pull the bundles out of the aircraft at a

  • Three Fairchild Airmen perish in KC-135 crash

    Three Airmen from the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron tragically perished Friday, May 3, near Chon-Aryk, Kyrgyzstan, in the crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker.The crew and aircraft were assigned to the Transit Center at Manas near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.The deceased are:Capt. Mark T. Voss, 27, hometown of

  • Airmen deliver food, medicine to Syrian refugees

    U.S. Air Force members from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing loaded pallets of non-lethal aid on to a C-17 aircraft early April 30 at an undisclosed airbase in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.The American Airmen, deployed to a U.S. ally nation, loaded the Air Mobility Command C-17

  • KC-135 crashes in Kyrgyzstan

    An Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashed May 3 in northern Kyrgyzstan. Emergency response crews are on scene. The status of the crew is unknown.The crew and aircraft are assigned to the Transit Center at Manas near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.The cause of the crash is under investigation.(Courtesy 376th Air

  • 4 Airmen killed in MC-12 crash in Afghanistan

    The Department of Defense announced April 28 the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died April 27, near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in the crash of an MC-12 aircraft. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there

  • Deployed service members observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month

    Sexual Assault Awareness Month is observed every April and this year at Kandahar Airfield, in celebration of this month, leaders here collaborated on events to promote awareness including a free self-defense class that offered up to 12 sessions. "Having knowledge of the type of assaults that have

  • Ramstein Airmen train with Romanian counterparts

    More than 80 Airmen from Ramstein participated in exercise Carpathian Spring in Romania April 12 through 21.The exercise was designed for aircrew to receive upgrade training as well as building partnership capacity with Romanians."Sequestration has forced us to be more efficient with our training

  • Deployed Airmen save lives miles from front lines

    The explosion took the Airman at the knee, knocking the patrol to the ground. Patrol members rushed to him, treating him for shock and taking out his individual first aid kit to render aid - various gauzes for covering the wound, two tourniquets to cut off blood flow, and a few smaller items that

  • Airman's sharp eye saves AF $348K

    As Air Force officials seek to institute a culture change through the "Every Dollar Counts" campaign, one deployed airman's determination helped to save more than a third of a million dollarsMaster Sgt. Ernest Harrison, 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron transportation management

  • Air Force Week in Photos Special Edition: Angel Thunder 2013

    This week's photos feature Airmen participating in the joint service, multinational, interagency combat search and rescue exercise, Angel Thunder.  Angel Thunder 2013 is a personnel recovery exercise designed to provide training for participants using a variety of scenarios to simulate deployment

  • Filmmaker honors deployed women's sacrifices

    "I'm coming home, I'm coming home. Tell the world I'm coming home." As the song fades, along with an image of a uniformed woman hugging her young son, JulieHera DeStefano watched as an audience of Airmen silently wiped away tears and took a collective deep breath in. Aviano Airmen were given the

  • Army recognizes RED HORSE, PRIME BEEF Airmen

    Eighteen Airmen assigned to the 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron and 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Forces Squadron were awarded an Army Commendation or Achievement Medal for their support of the 1st Battalion, 43th Air Defense

  • Deployed Airmen bridge cultures with words

    Airmen and Soldiers give lessons in conversational English to Afghan students at the Korean Vocational Training Center here, as part of the effort to create a better future for coalition partners.Master Sgt. Dean Regazzi, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group first sergeant, coordinated the 51 American

  • Deployed Airmen scramble to replace 200,000 gallon fuel bladder

    Like oxygen to the human body or sunlight to a tree, fuel is essential to an aircraft getting off the ground. The Airmen of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels flight worked together April 2 and 4 to replace a 200,000 gallon fuel bladder. "We have a crane come from the Civil

  • Airman keeps squadron 'in the fight'

    When 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters scramble for a casualty evacuation mission, the environment they are flying into is unpredictableWhether the environment is hostile or not, they always prepare for the worst -- that's where Air Force Senior Airman Austin Stoker

  • NBA team honors Milwaukee Airman

    The sign on the wall backstage at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, home to the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, was explicit and unambiguous: "No hard soled shoes allowed on the court." Security staff and ushers lining the perimeter of the basketball court keep a close eye on anyone who got too close to the

  • CENTCOM-area troops get commercial tickets for R&R flights

    Beginning in April, service members and others serving overseas in U.S. Central Command's area of operations will be issued commercial airline tickets to travel to their rest and recuperation leave destination, officials said. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., CENTCOM's overseas AOR encompasses a region

  • Seasoned diplomat gives tips about public affairs missions overseas

    Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, spoke to 120 faculty, staff and students on Monday at the Defense Information School.A combat-seasoned diplomat and a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Neumann spoke about the characteristics of an effective public

  • Transit Center introduces Kyrgyz military to aeromedical evacuations

    Transit Center at Manas medical professionals meet weekly with their counterparts in the Kyrgyz military for the purpose of exchanging information on processes and sharing common terminology. At the request of the Kyrgyz Republic, the most recent military exchange introduced several Kyrgyz military

  • Pacific Air Forces commander thanks Airmen as Cope Tiger 13 concludes

    The commander of Pacific Air Forces met with Airmen from the U.S., Thailand and Republic of Singapore as they joined forces one last time on the flight line during the closing ceremony for Cope Tiger 13 here March 21. "I want to personally thank you for all that you've done. What you've accomplished

  • Night vision training increases Afghan AF capabilities

    NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan air advisors reached an important milestone in the Combined Strategic Flight Plan with the inclusion of nighttime operational capabilities as part of flight training for the Afghan Air Force. Night vision goggle training is one part of an extensive curriculum

  • Deployed weather Airmen keep birds out of stormy conditions

    Many may not think much of rain, fog or mostly sunny days here, but to a base that conducts 30 percent of U.S. Air Forces Central Command's air tasking order sorties, weather monitoring is no simple matter. The 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight conducts around-the-clock

  • 16 specialties work together, build one clear picture

    Controlling 250,000 square miles of air space over Afghanistan is no easy task, but it's just another day for the Airmen of the 73rd Expeditionary Air Control Squadron.The 73rd EACS supports the enduring airpower mission through air control and data support by making sure constant radar feeds, radio

  • EOD Airman receives 5th Bronze Star

    A Bronze Star with Valor was presented to an explosive ordnance disposal technician here March 22, making him only the fifth Airman to receive five Bronze Star medals..Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Brickey, Air Force Special Operations School Force Protection Branch NCO-in-charge, said receiving this particular

  • Airmen learn to defend against inside threats

    For today's Airmen, just being qualified on their weapons will not prepare them for one of the greatest threats downrange -- the insider threat.Members of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Group Combat Arms Training and Maintenance train deployed Airmen on the skills needed  to react to a

  • Bombers show U.S. resolve to defend South Korea, spokesman says

    It isn't just American capabilities in South Korea that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has to consider -- capabilities based outside South Korea also figure in the strategic calculus, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.In a meeting with reporters, Little said B-52 Stratofortresses

  • Photo essay: Cope Tiger 2013

    More than 1,900 U.S., Thai and Singapore airmen are participating in the Exercise Cope Tiger 2013 at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and the surrounding area. The U.S. has participated in since 1994.The annual field training exercise, comprised of aviation and ground units, is designed to

  • Photo essay: Reaching over the fence

    Members of the 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Reaper teams operate missions "outside the wire" providing security during key leader engagements and meetings with the local community.The Reaper teams also conduct patrols near Bagram Airfield to counter improvised explosive devices and

  • Same mission, new name for E-11A unit at Kandahar Airfield

    The 451st Tactical Airborne Gateway, the unit here that flies the E-11A, was designated as a squadron during a ceremony on March 13. It is now the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. The mission of the E-11A is to serve as a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, a communications

  • Medical Airmen move wounded warriors, provide closure

    Usually when a wounded Airman, Soldier, Sailor or Marine or Airman leaves the combat theater, they leave on a stretcher, surrounded by the beeps and hum of machines reading and reporting vital signs. Sometimes they are conscious, but all too often they are not -- suddenly waking in a hospital

  • Walking with the Reapers

    With the sun rising over the mountains, Reaper Team 5 pointed their vehicles north and shifted gears mentally as they moved on to their next mission.The team left Bagram Airfield in the dark of night, and wouldn't return until midday. "At night our objective is primarily (to counter improvised

  • Afghan air force conducts air assault with Afghan special ops

    The Afghan air force's 379th Rotary Wing Squadron, which is advised by NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan, coordinated its first air assault mission with the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command Feb. 20.During the operation, 60 special operations commandos were inserted into a location

  • Airmen adapt aerial port procedures to be more effective, efficient

    The 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron members recently re-evaluated their processes and procedures and decided it was time to fine tune the way they operate and move cargo here.Maj. Philip Shields, the former 451st ELRS Aerial Port Flight commander and Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Spain,

  • PTSD and TBI: One Airman's road to recovery

    Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have been two topics of great discussion recently, thanks to the debate going on in the National Football League and the recovery of veterans as they return home from the war in Afghanistan.One person who has experienced both and is on the

  • Transit Center maintainers keep C-17s mission-ready

    When two out of four of the Transit Center at Manas' mission pillars rely on the C-17 Globemaster III, it's important those aircraft are ready to fly. The Airmen assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron Operating Location-Alpha are responsible for maintenance of the C-17, ensuring the aircraft

  • Photo Essay: Can you dig it?

    A joke that's often heard in communications squadrons throughout the Air Force is, "You can talk about us, but you can't talk without us!" Although it's meant it jest, there is some truth to it.Airmen in the Air Force's communications squadrons ensure we have the capability to communicate through

  • Air Force unit to improve airfield security in Slovenia

    Airmen from the 435th Contingency Response Group here traveled to Cerklje Air Base, Slovenia, to conduct a security familiarization event Jan. 21 - 25.The 435th CRG is a uniquely suited organization for the mission of building partnership. With 42 different career fields, the unit members can engage

  • Air Force units help recover diverted Navy aircraft

    Airmen from units deployed in support of Cope North 13 transported an R-11 refueling truck on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from here to Rota Island Feb. 13, to recover a Navy F/A-18 Hornet that diverted there due to weather a day prior.With the combined effort of Airmen from the 374th Aircraft

  • First Afghan Air Force C-208 CASEVAC a success

    In another historic step for the Afghan Air Force, an AAF Cessna 208 configured for battlefield casualty evacuation successfully transported a seriously injured soldier and three minor casualties from Kandahar, Afghanistan to Kabul International Airport Feb. 11. The Afghan-tasked, planned and led

  • Bagram Airmen move Marmal

    Airmen forward deployed from the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron at Bagram Airfield are helping to provide a vital role in moving personnel and supplies in northern Afghanistan. Members of the 455th EAPS Detachment 3 are tasked with loading and unloading every U.S. aircraft that that comes

  • Airmen and Afghans join forces to repair local wells

    Airmen and local Afghan elders gathered around a broken water well in a small nearby village here and traded ideas about how to fix a pump and bring fresh groundwater back to the village.Members of the 777th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron took on the task of

  • CSAF and CMSAF visit Bagram Airmen

    On their first visit to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody had many words for the Airmen here.The two they said most often were "thank you."Throughout their visit, which included the 455th Expeditionary

  • AF EOD techs train Afghan border police

    Afghan Border Police explosive ordinance disposal technicians are one step closer to being qualified after a joint training validation event with U.S. Air Force EOD technicians, Feb. 5.Being validated will allow the ABP to receive more equipment to train more technicians, and respond safely to

  • Fueling the high flyers - U-2 tube food calms cravings in the cockpit

    Pureed peach cobbler, chicken-a-la-king, key lime pie, or even the classic sloppy joe in a metallic tube don't compare to a home cooked meal, but U-2 pilots say the food they eat while flying long missions is delicious.While wearing a fully pressurized suit, pilots aren't able to open the visors on

  • Medic awarded Purple Heart for deployed actions

    An Air Force medic assigned to dangerous duty with an Army logistics convoy unit when deployed to Afghanistan two years ago was awarded the Purple Heart during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.Staff Sgt. Jasmine Russell, 2nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Personnel Reliability Program

  • Leadership roundtable demonstrates solidified partnership

    While nearly 2,000 Airmen from three countries began two weeks of intense training at exercise Cope North 2013 Feb. 4, leaders from the U.S. Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force discussed the invaluable impact the exercise has on the readiness of their forces. Gen.

  • Medical team achieves cutting-edge patient transfer

    Marking a first for military medical care in the United States, an Army and Air Force team successfully transported a critically ill woman using a special form of heart-lung bypass from San Antonio Military Medical Center to New York City in January 2013.This mission marked the military's first

  • NJ Airmen among first on ground, supporting French operations in Africa

    More than 100 Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, located here and at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., are currently supporting airlift missions transporting French soldiers and military equipment from Istres, France, to Bamako, Mali.The 621st CRW, often the first on the ground, is

  • It takes a team: Airmen contribute to Kingpin success

    The Air Force's mission in Southwest Asia has many components, one of which is little known, yet vital to mission success. Airmen with the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, also known as "Kingpin," provide the information that allows successful completion of the Air Tasking Order, a 24-hour

  • Special Operations honors latest heroes

    One of the most combat-decorated Air Force units since the end of the Vietnam War named more heroes Jan. 23-24 during medal presentation ceremonies here and at Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore.The 24th Special Operations Wing gained one Silver Star and six Bronze Star medals with

  • Afghan airmen lead mission to deliver school supplies

    Afghan air force security forces troops with the Kandahar Air Wing here led a mission Jan. 24 to deliver supplies, including backpacks and soccer balls, to children at a local school. Force protection personnel assigned to Kandahar Airfield headquarters and security forces Airmen with the 738th Air

  • New runway rubber removal system debuts in Southwest Asia

    The Air Force Civil Engineer Center in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory recently introduced a first-of-its-kind runway rubber removal system for use at remote airfields.The device, which uses a retrofitted Unimog designed for transport to airfields in austere areas of Southwest

  • From tragedy comes triumph: Wounded warrior shares his story

    The first bullet struck him in the hip. But it was the second shot, the one that hit Staff Sgt. Kristoffer Schneider in the forehead, which forever changed his life nearly two years ago.Schneider and his wife, Amanda, shared his story of surviving the 2011 terror attack at Frankfurt International

  • Afghan air force advances battlefield support tactics

    The commanders of the Afghan air force and NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan signed two operational decrees Jan. 23, implementing procedures to improve air response to Afghan battlefield casualties by the AAF's new Cessna C-208 Caravan fleet and its Mi-17 helicopters. The decrees address the

  • US planes deliver French troops to Mali

    The U.S. Air Force began transporting French soldiers and military equipment Jan. 21 from Istres, France to Bamako, Mali, in support of French military operations. C-17 Globemaster III, operating under the control of U.S. Africa Command, are moving a French mechanized infantry battalion. The ongoing

  • ACC seeks air liaison officers

    Eligible officers interested in air liaison officer duty have until Feb. 7 to complete and submit their application package to Air Combat Command, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.ALO duty is open to men and women who are active-duty crossflow candidates, inter-service transfer applicants,

  • CSAF gets firsthand look at RPA operations

    Airmen of the 432nd Wing and 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing welcomed Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III during a visit here Jan. 14.The visit gave the chief of staff an opportunity to meet the Airmen who perform the Air Force's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.Welsh