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  • Joint-service, civilian team makes medical history

    In an unprecedented Air Force, Army and civilian medical move, the longest recorded adult extracorporeal oxygenation transport to date was conducted from Hawaii.ECMO is a medical treatment that provides both cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs are so severely diseased,

  • Operational ministry focuses on resiliency

    When Chaplain (Capt.) John Boulware arrived here in 2009 as chaplain of the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, his primary objective was to provide spiritual and resiliency care. His biggest challenge in meeting that goal was visiting wing members located around the world in

  • Airman marches, low-crawls and sweats her way into history: Part three

    What are you doing, Judy Benjamin? Senior Airman Courtney Beard dropped her gear and was convinced she was done. 1st Sgt. Brian McCutcheon, the United States Forces - Iraq, A Company first sergeant, and others advised her not to give up and waste the past 14 hours of her life. "If she completed this

  • Running over life's challenges

    A resolution can be described as a goal, or goals made by a person, normally on the first of the new year, to change something about the way they live. Some resolutions might be as simple as eating breakfast everyday, or making sure to call extended family more often. But for some, making a

  • Chaplain has huge impact

    His hair is white, the lines on his face show his age, yet his eyes are warm and determined. At 60 years old, Chaplain (Col.) Carl J. Swanson is the senior chaplain here and one of few Vietnam veterans still on active duty.As Offutt Air Force Base's senior chaplain, Chaplain Swanson ensures that his

  • Airman marches, low-crawls and sweats her way into history: Part two

    The grueling day begins ... The alarm rang and the clock read 2 a.m. Senior Airman Courtney Beard got out of bed and readied herself for the day's events. As her wristwatch showed 2:30 a.m., the intelligence analyst with the 467th Expeditionary Intelligence Squadron was now gathered with her Spur

  • Safety officials work to minimize bird strikes

    This team works to save lives, aircraft and money by overseeing the bird aircraft strike hazard program. The members of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing safety office manage the BASH program by monitoring, evaluating, and where needed, eliminating bird threats so the aircrews based here can complete

  • Airman marches, low-crawls and sweats her way into history: Part one

    A Brooklyn, N.Y., native was the first female Airman to complete the Army's 18-hour Spur Ride.Senior Airman Courtney Beard joined the "Order of the Spur" after completing a series of physical and mental tests held by the III Corps, Task Force Phantom, on Victory Base Complex, Iraq."There were

  • Airman recognizes those who sacrifice

    Staff Sgt. Ashley Le Duc works hard to ensure every service member deployed to Iraq gets the recognition he or she rightfully deserves. Stationed at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Sergeant Le Duc received a tasking to be deployed to Iraq. She had two weeks to be prepared to leave, and wasn't given

  • Pararescueman traces father's footsteps

    Five-year-old Louis Distelzwieg was looking forward to his father coming home from work -- maybe playing on the swing set in the yard -- when he heard something. Something wrong."My sisters and I were upstairs, and I heard my mom crying," said the now-grown master sergeant. "I came down and asked

  • Deployed dentists have four-legged patients

    Capt. Matt Synder was only in country for three days when he learned his Saturday morning patient was a military member of another species -- the canine variety. Working hand-in-hand with Army Capt. Daniel Skirvin, the veterinarian deployed here, the members of the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group

  • After the storm

    "The people of the State of Kuwait send a message of heartfelt appreciation and of peace and friendship to you. Your profound belief in the principles of freedom and human dignity returned Kuwait to its rightful place among the family of nations.Our prayers go to you, the families of those who have

  • Critical care air transport team brings ICU to battlefield

    He walks into the Kandahar Air Hospital with his medical bags in tow. Minus a few dusty footprints at the doorway from the outside environment, it resembles any other hospital complete with a clean, sterile smell -- a scent absent anywhere else on the airfield in Afghanistan which is noted for its

  • Little Rock refurb crew brings C-130s back to life

    An aircraft sits in the hangar waiting for its facelift. Inside and out, there are signs of wear and tear: chipped paint, dented metal, torn insulation and peeling decals are a few examples this aircraft has been around.Airmen from the 19th Equipment Maintenance Squadron's C-130 Hercules

  • Fitness: What not to do

    It's common knowledge that fitness is one of the most important keys to living healthy. It's no secret that remaining in good physical shape is not only important for one's body, it's also essential to military readiness. Though physical training is instilled into service members from the moment

  • 821st ETRS helps Iraqi airmen master core value

    As you walk into the Iraqi Air Force Training School here, you will notice the words integrity, military discipline, loyalty to the homeland and English language posted on the walls. These are the Iraqi air force core values.Airmen, civilians and contractors assigned to the 821st Expeditionary

  • We STILL want you

    It was 1981 when 17-year-old Steven Comstock joined the Marine Corps, eager to receive training that would lead him down the path of honor, courage and commitment. Twenty-nine years later, on Dec. 23, Mr. Comstock received a different kind of gift: clothing donated by Operation H.U.G.S.S. (Hats,

  • Those left behind: the aftermath of an Airman's suicide

    When Master Sgt. Robert Sams picked up Senior Airman Joshua Doherty's mother from the local airport, there was little he could say to console her for the huge loss they were all just beginning to deal with.She was there to attend the memorial service for her son, a former 723rd Aircraft Maintenance

  • Airmen achieve mission through friendship, relating to Afghans

    Security forces members assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here, in addition to securing one of the most dangerous places on earth, are guarding one of the busiest pedestrian base entry gates in Afghanistan. Each day, the Airmen assigned to guard the entry control point

  • Zumba refreshes fitness center workouts

    With its fusion of Latin and international music and easy-to-follow dance steps, it is no surprise that the Zumba fitness craze is going strong at many fitness centers across the Air Force."Zumba is awesome because it is like dancing for an hour," said Makamae Burgess, a fitness center patron here.

  • Blessed chaplain assistant finds peace in helping others

    "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." - Mother TeresaAnd just like that, one Airman's life was changed forever.The story begins with a little girl named Ratna, which means "gem" in Hindi, who was born into an Indian family with a high social status,

  • AFSOC leads charge against "nature-deficit disorder"

    It's four in the afternoon, and the children at Hurlburt Field are ready to play. Like many children, they have many options for their free time. Rather than watch others compete in sports on TV or emulate it through a virtual world, they're outside playing with friends amidst the shaded trees, wood

  • First cadre of deployment transition facilitators headed home

    Ten minutes into his first mission as a convoy commander, everything had gone as wrong as it possibly could for Tech. Sgt. Lorenzo Zapata."The truck was engulfed in flames, you couldn't even recognize it," he said. "And the blood trail from the truck to the median looked like an animal (had been)

  • Joint task force Airmen save lives in Iraq

    Airmen assigned to Combined Joint Task Force Troy are dedicated to countering improvised explosive devices and saving lives of Iraqi and joint forces conducting Operation New Dawn.The assigned Airmen are involved in everything from operations to intelligence and information-technology support. They

  • Ellsworth weather wizards are on the job 24/7

    When the weather outside is frightful, Airmen at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., look to official guidance to keep them safe during these conditions.Meanwhile, the Airmen from the 28th Operations Support Squadron weather flight work around the clock to provide base personnel with the most accurate

  • Records detail MiG kill by 'Diamond Lil' tail gunner

    If the Air Force Academy's landmarks could speak, the B-52 Stratofortress near the north gate would have quite the Christmas Eve story to tell.The crew of the B-52D, tail number 55-083, took off from Utapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield that day in 1972. Their mission was to bomb the North Vietnamese

  • Military families receive comfort from Andrews Fischer House

    Although the 53 Fisher House homes around the world serve more than 11,000 families annually, many who serve don't know about the benefits the organization can bring to military members and their families during a time of need. The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that

  • 96th ARS aircrews take off with Total Force Integration

    The combination of adrenaline and excitement can be hard to hide in a person's expressions, but Lt. Col. Brian A. Hill wears it on his face like war paint. He runs on it. Several hours elapsed since he and the rest of the aircrew for the 96th Air Refueling Squadron's first operational mission

  • From water buffaloes to Humvees

    From spearfishing as a boy in the jungles of Thailand to where he is now, one chief master sergeant has lived through a nearly unbelievable set of events that led him to where he is now. All Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Pritchard knew about until he was nearly 7 years old was the Thai culture, until his

  • When Jack Frost comes knocking, CE knocks back

    Come sleet, snow and ice, or whatever the environment can throw at the northernmost U.S. air base in Japan, a crew of civil engineer jacks-of-all-trades are ready to keep the mission moving.Airmen from the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron band together with Airmen of the pavements and heavy-equipment

  • 15 cents: how much it costs to get a plane in the air

    It may cost thousands of dollars per hour to keep planes in the air, but sometimes it might be a little screw, worth only a few cents, that determines whether or not an aircraft will get off the ground in the first place.Airmen from the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Aircraft Parts

  • Five-year-old boy joins support squadron at McConnell

    While most children are preoccupied with what presents Santa will bring, 5-year-old Joey Bacon, is wondering if he'll have to seek treatment during the holidays.Recently diagnosed with leukemia, the Wichita, Kan., native was selected by members of the 22nd Operations Support Squadron here to

  • For the love of Lyla - NATC-A members strive to inspire cancer patient

    Tech. Sgt. Arthur Barad, a C-27 Spatan NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan adviser with the 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron in Kabul, Afghanistan, is a strong man -- barrel-chested, he can bench-press more than three hundred pounds. But after sheering hair for the past two hours, he is

  • Airmen train together to maintain combat readiness

    In order to effectively operate ground and surface radar systems in combat operations, a diverse team of Airmen must work and train together.The 606th Air Control Squadron is a self-sustaining unit capable of setting up bare-base operations and providing airspace surveillance at a moment's notice.

  • Special Olympics: Winning a gold, winning at life

    When 1,500 people volunteered to help with the 2011 Special Olympics Hawaii State Championships here Dec. 4 and 5, they gave 800 disabled athletes not only the chance to earn a gold medal, but also a shot at winning in life.The event was held on both sides of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the

  • 5 reasons to keep a food diary during the holidays

    It's possible to lose weight, or at least keep from gaining weight, during the holidays, if you keep a food diary. You might even find that you lose a few pounds, according to research.Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research found that one of the most important things you

  • 'Hawk Eye' watches over reconnaissance aircraft

    A sandy, tan combat boot weighs down on the accelerator in a pearly white Pontiac G8 GT speeding down the runway, bringing the sports sedan to a roaring 120 miles per hour quickly and easily with more than 360 horses under the hood. Workers on the flightline pay little mind to the vehicle as it

  • MTI experience helps chief excel in mentoring Afghans

    "Hey, what's going on with your boots?"Airmen in basic military training would cringe hearing this from a military training instructor. However, when that MTI trades in his hat, deploys to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan and says it to an Afghan airman, the reaction is a little different.Instead of

  • Bagram chaplains there for Airmen anytime, anyplace

    The Airman laces up her boots, dons her battle rattle and accomplishes an equipment check before heading out the door in the wee hours of the morning. Her destination is one of the many guard towers that ring Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, but this Airman isn't a security forces member.Maj. Kristina