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  • Protect against credit fraud and identity theft during the holidays

    With the holiday shopping season underway, servicemembers need to ensure they are taking the proper steps to protect themselves from credit fraud and identity theft, the National Guard Bureau's chief privacy officer said."Monitoring bank accounts, setting up e-mail or text message alerts to inform

  • Iraqi airmen demonstrate operational capabilities in Hellfire exercise

    Thalatha, ithnane, wahed -- the final countdown begins in Arabic.A group of nearly 40 Iraqi and U.S. airmen gathered around one of several monitors in the Iraqi Air Operations Center, the flickering lights from the control panels reflected on their faces. The silence was broken only by the crackling

  • Improvement event flying high

    Members of one Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center organization proved that a transformation project doesn't have to be elaborate. The operations and support office here replaced the type of flag flown in front of one of the buildings on base and found a better way to repair the lights used to

  • Major helps guide deployed Airmen through academic journey

    There are few things more frustrating in academics than struggling to find an answer or to understand a theory. The journey to find the answer can be quite antagonizing for students as they work through a problem. The struggle becomes worth it when they finally find the answer, as there is nothing

  • Recounting the lineage of 91st Missile Wing

    Nov. 10 marked a birthday, the 62nd anniversary of Air Force Global Strike Command's 91st Missile Wing, a wing with lineage dating all the way back to before the Korean War.Daniel DeForest, 91st MW historian, says it is a little complicated explaining the 91st MW lineage because, for historians,

  • U.S., French pilots swap, meet up on first deployment

    An Air Force pilot traded places with a French air force pilot and now both are serving here on their first deployments with their new units."I never thought we'd be here at the same time, especially on our first deployments," said Maj. Skyler Hester, an instructor pilot currently assigned to the

  • Joint forces unite for high-altitude training

    "All right, now go ahead and start counting down from 100 by threes," said Senior Airman Jeylyn Capdevilla, a 20th Aerospace Medicine Squadron operations and aerospace physiology technician, while directing the high-altitude simulation from outside the large air chamber."100, 19, 97, 94, 87, 77,"

  • Teen aviator at Scott AFB has bright future

    Everybody has personal obstacles in life they must overcome. For a 16-year-old from here born with cerebral palsy, his obstacles started at birth. Tyrell Rhodes was always told that he wouldn't be able do things that most others did. Fortunately, his mother kept telling him that he could do anything

  • Air traffic controllers ensure safe flow of aircraft

    Poorly-planned transportation systems can cause significant delays, which is evident from the millions of Americans facing deadlocked traffic on daily commutes. But there is no room for traffic delays when the vehicles include several facets of American air power.The 379th Expeditionary Operations

  • Joint forces unite for high-altitude training

    "All right, now go ahead and start counting down from 100 by three's," said Senior Airman Jeylyn Capdevilla, while directing the high-altitude simulation outside the large air chamber."100, 19, 97, 94, 87, 77," said a Navy student."Alright, go ahead and correct yourself," laughed Airman Capdevilla,

  • Ramstein Airmen demonstrate flexibility in humanitarian response

    The men and women of the 37th Airlift Squadron perform approximately 2,500 training and real-world missions annually in support of military operations all over the world. On occasion, they are asked to show their flexibility and ability to respond with little or no notice in response to a

  • A commander's call of a different color

    When you hear you're having a wing commander's call, what comes to mind? Some might think of the loud chants each squadron shouts. Others might hope they get there early enough to snag a nice seat in the back and, let's be honest, some just hope to make it through without getting caught with their

  • Reservist's Kilimanjaro climb a mountain of a cause

    Most people dream of traveling the world, or conquering large obstacles. Maj. Lisa Reaver, a Reservist with the 477th Fighter Group at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, was able to do both in a trip that took her halfway around the world to climb Tanzania's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro."A teammate

  • Eyes in the sky at Kandahar save lives

    Providing command and control over Afghanistan, all 250,000-plus square miles of it, might sound like a large task, but it's nothing the Airmen of the 73rd Expeditionary Air Control Squadron here can't handle.They support the unit's mission of enduring and persistent airpower through air control and

  • An extraordinary partnership, forged by the bonds of survival

    At first glance, Bill McPherson appears to be a simple, outgoing, southern Colorado community leader with a deep appreciation for local military members.But it's only after you get to know this highly-decorated Army veteran, who retired as a colonel after 30 years of service, and his story of being

  • Airmen from outside career fields contribute to mortuary mission

    Providing dignity, honor and respect is what Staff Sgt. Rachel Gamertsfelder-Doane did for four months while deployed to Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations here as a member of a dignified transfer carry team. Sergeant Doane is assigned to the 802nd Security Forces Squadron at  Lackland Air Force

  • Vandenberg Airman conquers Sahara

    A 533rd Training Squadron instructor here completed the 2010 Sahara Race in Egypt Oct. 9. Capt. Carrie Zederkof, a 533rd TRS space-based infrared system mission instructor, competed against more than 150 competitors from 36 countries in a race TIME Magazine named as one of the top 10 endurance

  • Andersen Airmen support continuous bomber presence

    The KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling aircraft originally designed to refuel strategic bombers. However, during major conflicts such as the Vietnam War and Desert Storm, the KC-135 proved its true worth as a tool to extend the range and endurance of military tactical fighters, airlifters

  • Until they are home: Mortuary affairs specialist help bring Americans home

    She dials a number and the phone begins to ring. An unsuspecting person is on the other side. Senior Master Sgt. Mary Mullen, who has worked as a telemarketer in her civilian career, is used to making cold calls. This time though, the Reservist, deployed to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations

  • First sergeant comes full circle

    Master Sgt. Michael Patrick has seen the 480th Fighter Squadron from two different perspectives -- first as a new Airman during the early 1990s and now as its first sergeant during a weapons training deployment called Operation Thracian Star.Sergeant Patrick was originally assigned to the 480th

  • OEF anniversary: Deployed tanker pilots discuss supporting Afghanistan ops

    In the past nine years, Air Mobility Command statistics show AMC tankers have off loaded more than 12.2 billion pounds of fuel to aircraft for, Operation Enduring Freedom and other worldwide military operations. Since OEF began Oct. 7, 2001, AMC total-force Airmen flying KC-135 Stratotankers and

  • Father returns from deployment, meets daughter for first time

    He was anxious; excited actually. He gazed at the crowd across the tarmac looking for someone familiar, his wife, and someone he had never met, his baby girl. He had seen the baby only through photos and webcam. Then, he found them. He looked at his now four-month-old baby for the first time in

  • OEF anniversary: History shows AMC's critical support as operation grew

    It was less than 30 days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when Operation Enduring Freedom began. Air Force history shows OEF officially started on Oct. 7, 2001. According to Air Mobility Command's 2001 history, in many ways the operation constituted a continuation of the command's

  • Atlantic Strike simulates real combat

    The team of four servicemembers trudged down the road in the hot, mid-afternoon sun wearing body armor, Kevlar helmets and radios on their backs with their weapons drawn. There had been reports of an enemy stronghold in the area and the team's mission was to take the "bad guys" out. Finally, they

  • Total force Airmen keep mission moving together

    When push comes to shove, that's how these Airmen get it done.Airmen from the 451st Aerial Port Flight at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, are at the front end of the receiving line when cargo and passengers arrive at the base. They are also the last to touch it as it leaves.These aerial porters are

  • Airman gets by with a little help from his friend

    Arriving home after deploying to a war zone can bring new challenges to military members. Many discover that their fight is not over and they end up facing an unseen enemy, with sometimes serious consequences. That enemy is post-traumatic stress disorder.According to Veterans Affairs officials, PTSD

  • AFREP: saving money, resources and time

    If it's broken and on its way to the trash can, there exists a two-man shop within the 49th Maintenance Group who may be able to help before money is spent replacing it.The Air Force Repair Enhancement Program shop at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., repairs otherwise unserviceable equipment and finds

  • Former POWs visit Tinker, share story

    It's a length of time no prisoner of war can forget: the time he was held captive. World War II veteran Warren Ledbetter's memory is no different. He entered the Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1942. He wouldn't emerge from captivity for more than 3 years. He knows that 1,266 days of his life were

  • BMETs deliver lifeline to hospital logistics

    Whether it's the beep of a post-op patient's heart-rate monitor or the quiet hum of a newborn baby's incubator, 35th Medical Support Squadron biomedical equipment technicians deliver a constant lifeline to the base's patient-mending machinery. "We are responsible for installing, modifying,

  • Brothers-in-arms call for, support airpower in Afghanistan

    Brothers-in-arms is a phrase often used to describe the special relationship between those serving in combat.For Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Cole and Senior Airman William Cole, it is a literal description. The brothers serve in different services at the same time in different parts of

  • Family member cites father's recovery at ceremony

    A small crowd gathered in the shadow of the Pentagon Sept. 17 to honor the nation's missing servicemembers and to reaffirm America's commitment to bringing them home.Seated among the servicemembers, dressed in colorful dress uniforms, was a group of family members who had traveled here to attend the

  • Thousands to celebrate Air Force's proud legacy at Wright-Patterson

    This weekend more than 12,000 runners from around the world will descend on this southwest Ohio base to help celebrate the 63rd birthday of the U.S. Air Force during the 14th U.S. Air Force Marathon.Shortly after the starting gun launches the full-marathon and 10K race on Sept. 18 thousands will run

  • Wounded warriors try "healing through reeling"

    Kenai River water lapped against the bow of boats and the sky broke with sunlight as fishermen prepared for the day.The fishing day for Alaska's section of project Healing Waters, an organization that helps veterans wounded physically or mentally, began on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.Healing

  • Dover Airman gives boy bike, hope

    When Tech. Sgt. Michael Meinhold heard L.J., a boy who might benefit from a bone marrow transplant, he set up a donor registry drive in the hope of finding a match for the boy. But Sergeant Meinhold didn't stop there in his efforts to help L.J. The boy was suffering from erythroblastic leukemia,

  • In memory of United 93 copilot

    On the day of remembrance that is Sept. 11, certain memories are etched into the American psyche, while others are uniquely personal.One of the latter recurs profoundly in the mind of Air Force Academy graduate Paul Adams, now a pilot for Southwest Airlines and an Academy Liaison Officer. On the

  • A close call to remember

    More than 11 years after a fateful incident, a downed pilot and the man who came to his rescue met to reminisce and reflect on old times.During a base visit, Maj. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Combat Command director of air and space operations, and Lt. Col. Thomas Kunkel, the 41st Rescue Squadron

  • She's just one of the guys

    Her favorite color is pink. It's the color of choice for many of her accessories to include the clips she uses to hang her gear, the case for her laptop and the reflective belt around her waist. Although she's often covered in sweat, wears combat boots to work and doesn't mind getting her hands

  • Ramstein squadron celebrates 60 years of Air Force service

    The 7329th Labor Service Unit was established Sept. 8, 1950, at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, and consisted entirely of civilians.Sixty years and several name changes later, the 435th Construction and Training Squadron now includes both civilian and military, and serves three primary missions for