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  • Children 'deploy' to Usafastan

    For about 200 members of the U.S. Air Force Academy community, May 1 started with a 7 a.m. wake-up call from the Command Center staff. By 9:30 a.m., they filled the predeployment center on the south side of the base to receive safety and cultural awareness briefings, set up allotments to their

  • 379th ECES members build for enduring operations

    Members of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron recently began various projects to help transition from an expeditionary to enduring operation at an air base here.With more than 140 construction projects in progress or being designed by base engineers, 379th ECES members have embraced

  • From Airman to American: Langley Airmen granted citizenship

    Airman 1st Class Ma Antonette Cabantog, a 633rd Force Support Squadron food services journeyman, enlisted in the Air Force November 2008.Motivated and goal-oriented, Airman Cabantog established a to-do list to guarantee her success: finish career development courses on time, earn a senior airman

  • Kunsan Airmen protect lives

    There are a lot of safety measures in place that protect our lives in worst-case scenarios. There are seatbelts that help protect us in case of a car accident, fire extinguishers in case there is a fire, and safety harnesses for those who work at great heights. For the members of the 8th Operations

  • Independent duty medical tech puts skills to work

    There aren't enough physicians in the Air Force to be placed everywhere they may be needed. However, Airmen in certain career fields can perform limited medical treatment in their stead.Independent duty medical technicians like Master Sgt. Roberto Gutierrez from the 386th Expeditionary Operations

  • Weathermen enable special operations forces in Afghanistan

    "We're being engaged by effective small-arms and RPG fire," yelled a special forces team leader in his radio back to the operations center."Requesting close-air support at this time," he continued.But the dark sky above, laced with the promise of an impending storm, hooded the hostile territory and

  • Sergeant travels to Philippines in search of MIA remains

    Most servicemembers who give their lives in combat are honored with a military burial, receiving the traditional service complete with a 3-volley rifle salute, flag-draped casket and sometimes a flyover.Although many of the families of the more than 78,000 individuals who served in World War II now

  • Training, teamwork prepare combat controllers for war

    "I don't care what anyone says. Whether it's two guys shooting at you or 20, when bullets start flying overhead, it's a tense moment," said Staff Sgt. Sean Harvell, a combat controller with 22nd Special Tactics Squadron here. "You might become accustomed to (firefights) in some way, but you never

  • Security forces NCO selected for Warrior Games

    Just before three mortar bombs exploded around Tech. Sgt. Crystal Lovato in Iraq, she was ordering winter coats online for her two children back home."It would have been the last thing I had done to show my kids I love them," she said.Sergeant Lovato, a reservist with the 302nd Security Forces

  • CE Airmen assist with Iraq drawdown

    Airmen from the 732nd Expeditionary Prime Beef Squadron are assisting with preparations for the increase of U.S. military members who have started to arrive as military officials begin to drawdown of U.S. military forces in Iraq. As members of the facility engineer team, a group of engineer

  • Combat coders build Web pages for warfighters

    Not unlike the other men and women in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, combat coders are often tethered to their computers; their faces lit with a pixilated glow, fingertips maneuvering above matte-black keyboards, 'click-clacking' rows of keys amidst the whir of computer fans. However,

  • Humanitarian efforts deliver big results

    Most American parents are familiar with taking their children's lengthy school supply list to the store and filling a shopping cart full of paper, pencils and much more. Unfortunately, most Iraqi parents can't afford to do that for their children. That is where the Airmen and Soldiers of Kirkuk

  • Airmen aid wounded warriors

    Under the charge of 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Top 3 organization affiliates, base members here helped ease the stress of other servicemembers while recuperating from injury or passing through on their way home to an emergency situation.During a two-week clothing drive, organization members

  • Ordinary people make extraordinary impacts

    Senior Airmen John Wardean was 14 years old when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 flashed across his television screen at his home at Mayport Naval Station, Fla.John spent his high school years growing up in a country at war.  He is a part of a generation who has lived with war as a part of their

  • Security forces Airman selected for special duty

    U.S. military officials use protective security details to protect high-level officials, their nation's leaders and world leaders while they're in the area of operations. In Iraq, Tech. Sgt. Matt Loiselle is a personal security adviser to Maj. Gen. Joseph Reynes Jr., the U.S. Forces-Iraq director

  • No one escapes the 'Shot Lady'

    It's a Saturday afternoon during the Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing drill weekend and the clinic is buzzing with activity. Servicemembers waiting for flight physicals pass the time chatting while others choke down copious amounts of water in preparation for their random-drug tests.A

  • MEDEVAC unit provides care for America's heroes in AOR

    The 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron members consider their patients the best in the world; patients who serve with honor and pride. These medical evacuation Airmen are prepared to fly anywhere in the area of responsibility to ensure their esteemed patients, America's wounded

  • Security forces help promote Iraqi community policing

    Security forces members patrolled the area here April 4 to increase proficiency in the Iraqi police and increase the community's confidence in them and the government of Iraq. Airmen from the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Det. 2 trained and coached the local Iraqi police per the request of the

  • Ramstein Airmen provide 'boot camp' for military children

    A group of Airmen organized "Boot Camp Week" for 3 to 5 year olds April 5 through 8 at the child development center at Rose Barracks in the Vilseck Military Community in Germany. Tactical air control party Airmen from the 2nd Air Support Operations Squadron, whose normal mission is to direct combat

  • Horses heal nation's heroes

    Winston Churchill said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." That's the premise behind Laurie Willmott's new Spirit Therapies, an equestrian therapy program that is part of Horses Healing Heroes. This program serves veterans and active-duty military

  • Father, son from different services making a difference in Afghanistan

    An Afghan National Army Air Corps C-27A Spartan cargo aircraft took off from Kabul International Airport to conduct an International Security Assistance Force mission transporting weapons and cargo for Afghanistan National Police.At Camp Bastion, Marine 1st Lt. Benjamin Boera, a 5th Battalion 11th

  • Deployed Airmen support local school pen-pal program

    A group of Airmen deployed here correspond with kindergarteners through eighth-graders at the Spring Creek Rural School, S.D., through a pen-pal program.The program, between 28th Bomb Wing Airmen deployed here from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and Jeanette Meade and her students has its roots

  • Airman gives new touch to war machine

    A mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle towers near the height of an 18 wheeler. Weighing-in at more than 20 tons, MRAPs are designed to survive blasts from improvised explosive devices and small-arms fire.This near impenetrable MRAP can transport Airmen, Marines, Soldiers, and Sailors in and out

  • Memories of 6-month Afghanistan tour linger for Reserve nurse

    Maj. Deborah Lehker's job isn't an easy one to leave behind. For the past six months she has been a member of a three-person team of medical professionals caring for critically wounded servicemembers during medical evacuations in Afghanistan. When she arrived at March Air Reserve Base March 10 for

  • Cadets trade beaches for hammers during alternative spring break

    Dozens of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets traded in spring break's sunlit beaches for hammers, nails and saws to build homes for the needy during an alternative spring break March 22 through 26 in Texas and Kansas City.The Center for Character and Leadership Development hooked up 63 cadet volunteers

  • An unexplained journey

    When the Conley family had a microchip identification device injected in their family pet Bonnie, they never imagined they would even be using the services of the pet recovery company much less welcoming their dog back home from a four-month, 1,500-mile journey from their home at Minot Air Force

  • Answering the call at home and abroad

    For some military members, the call to duty is only surpassed by the call to help others. For Air Force reservist and 920th Rescue Wing member Tech. Sgt. Corey Hellmann, it's his motivation and mission in life.When he isn't providing respiratory therapy at his civilian job in a level-one trauma

  • Can you see your future?

    An Airman sits at his desk staring at a monitor. One day he notices a little black dot floating wherever he looks. He's not overly concerned with it, but should he be?"People should get regular eye exams", said Capt. Caitlyn Woods, 5th Medical Operations Squadron chief of optometry services at Minot

  • Year of the Family: It's so much more than a motto

    It's easy to throw around mottos like "Be a Good Wingman" and the "Year of the Air Force Family." What isn't always easy, however, is putting those words into action: "walking the talk," as the saying goes.  Fortunately, for retired Tech. Sgt. Shawn Mette and his wife, Nelia, they have a

  • Disabled veteran trains for inaugural Warrior Games

    Doctors once told Matthew Bilancia that playing sports and competing in athletic competition would be difficult, if not nearly impossible. But the Air Force veteran is defying those odds with a demanding workout regimen and by being selected to participate in the inaugural Warrior Games slated for

  • Academy members host cadet for a day

    Kai Rackley became the Air Force Academy's newest Cadet for a Day March 4-5 in cooperation with Cadet Squadron 12 and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.Kai, who is 10, dreams of becoming a pilot or a chef someday. His favorite aircraft is the Airbus 380, and he loves Garfield the cat and drawing airplanes.

  • Retiree dedicates life to others' well-being

    The average retirement age in the United States is 67, according to www.ssa.gov; however, a 90-year-old veteran here still works and has no plans to stop in the near future.Retired Col. Steve dePyssler, the Barksdale Air Force Base Retiree Affairs Office director, has worked for the past 70 years of

  • Don't cross into the deployment 'blues'

    Everybody has experienced the "blues" in some shape or form. But what can people do to boost their spirits when these low feelings hit in a deployed environment? There are three stages of stress in regard to deployment, and each one can trigger feelings of anxiety, said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Stephen Cook,

  • Airman sees Haiti scene unfold from under the brim of many hats

    An airfield operations officer with the 621st Contingency Response Wing here was absolutely astounded as he stepped off of a C-17 Globemaster III onto the tarmac at the Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport Jan. 14 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. "I remember thinking, 'You have got to be kidding me,

  • Deployed U-2 pilot achieves 100 combat missions

    Maj. William Gottenberg helped the Dragon Lady breathe a lot of fire lately. The over 16 year Air Force veteran and pilot recently achieved 100 combat missions in the U-2 Dragon Lady in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility."It's a good feeling because it's an awesome mission and the fact

  • Training taken seriously helps save friends life

    Major Todd Haifley has developed a new found respect for the automated external defibrillator after using one to save a friend's life.Major Haifley's experience began Feb. 28."I coach and play on a men's hockey league in Kalamazoo, Michigan," he said. "While we were getting dressed for our game, one

  • Portrait of a sexual assault

    "I tried to walk away but he was much bigger than me, and I had too much to drink," said an Airman who was sexually assaulted several years ago during a party at a friend's house.The Airman, who asked not to be identified in this story to protect her privacy, said the assault didn't come from a

  • Past, present Shooters unite

    Nearly 20 55th Fighter Squadron "Shooter" alumni pilots spent the weekend reflecting on the "Shooter" heritage with current squadron members March 5 here. During a tour of the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons System School, alumni compared the fighter weapons program they knew in their days on active

  • Sheppard instructor trains Iraqi military to advance in communication

    U.S. officials are working to rebuild Iraq and create a modern military that has the capability of defending its people and borders from enemies foreign and domestic.The Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force has Airmen assigned to teach Iraqis how to create a self sufficient and sustaining