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  • Airman leaves Colombian home for family

    She left heaven. Not because she wanted to, but because her family needed her to leave. But if Staff Sgt. Yaneth Alvarez had her way, she would still be sitting at her family’s old brick home nestled between Colombia’s Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Central mountains. The 509th Medical

  • Patchwork of passions: Band seamstress can do it all

    Her Grammy nominated voice has impressed audiences around the world, including the former President Bill Clinton and thousands of servicemembers. She’s performed with Bob Hope and Wayne Newton, but finds joy working with convicted criminals. As a kind and gifted woman, she is considered a “sacred

  • Airman running against the odds

    In Dec. 9, 1999, doctors diagnosed Maj. Michael Moyles with oligoastrocytoma, a type brain cancer, and gave him six years to live. Today, the major, a commercial satellite communications operational manager at U.S. Strategic Command here, is alive -- and beating cancer one step at a time. “You never

  • Woman veteran recalls World War II duty

    The popular images of World War II show American men fighting the Axis powers. What are often missing are images of the women pioneers of the nurse corps who patched up the Soldiers so they could face and defeat the enemy. Ann Walker was among those pioneering veterans. Mrs. Walker is from Grand

  • ‘Dirty Boyz’ sweep away foreign object damage hazards

    The mural painted on a concrete barrier inside the building where the “Dirt Boyz” work reads: “Once a dirt boy, always a dirt boy.” The dusty Airmen are members of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron. Among the many projects they do and services they provide, there is one in

  • Mother, daughter reunite at Andrews

    A mother and her daughter have the Air Force to thank for being able to serve together. Col. LeEllen Coacher, 89th Airlift Wing staff judge advocate, supervises six attorneys, eight paralegals and four Department of Defense civilians. Her daughter, Capt. Kacey Grannis, is a 1st Helicopter Squadron

  • Professional groups, services keep deployed Airmen busy

    Three professional organizations are doing their part to boost morale and keep Airmen involved for the duration of their deployment here The Airmen Committed to Excellence, Middle Tier Association and Top 3 Organization are helping augment some of the 455th Expeditionary Services Squadron’s

  • 'Fixers' keep 'big, ugly, fat fellas' flying

    What makes a plane fly? Engines and wings first come to mind.But the answer is much simpler than that -- people. Maintainers to be exact.There are about 120 crew chiefs at the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here. They are the lead maintainers who work on Minot’s fleet of B-52Hs Stratofortresses,

  • Wellness center helps one man get fit after 50

    After Jim Staffan passed the half-century mark, he decided his once-lean physique was in need of help. He was 51, a smoker, overweight, with a 41-inch waist, 25 percent body fat and elevated cholesterol. The member of Air Force Materiel Command's Inspector General Office said he knew he needed to

  • HC-130 team trains to save lives during Africa mission

    With ears pricked, they listen for the slightest sign of an alert. This Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa team knows it gets the call, it is a life-or-death situation. Approximately 65 aircrew and maintainers from the New York Air National Guard’s 102nd Rescue Squadron are deployed here with