HomeNewsFeatures

Features
Air Power

FEATURES

  • Lawyers provide operational advice to commanders

    When battle directors at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center here make life and death decisions affecting battles hundreds of miles away in Afghanistan and Iraq, expert advice comes in handy, especially when it's from a lawyer.Legal advisers, or LEGADs as they are known in the CAOC, are

  • Airmen train Iraqi aerial gunners aim to protect helicopters, defend Iraq

    Most U.S. Airmen know the "sound of freedom" when they hear the unmistakable sound of a fighter jet soaring above. Now Iraqi air force airmen have cause to feel that same pride when they hear their helicopters.The Iraqi air force, founded in 1931 and once considered one of the largest air forces in

  • Combat controllers bring order during chaotic times

    It was 1:30 in the morning Jan. 13 when Tech. Sgt. Chris Grove answered the phone call that shaped the next two weeks of his life. Just hours after taking that call, Sergeant Grove and his nine-person team of combat controllers from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron here were deploying to

  • Liberty Airmen watch over Afghan

    Airmen in the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron are "looking for trouble," using the MC-12W Liberty to bring tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, to ground commanders in Afghanistan."We bring a unique capability to the fight," said Lt. Col. Rob Weaver, 4th ERS

  • Remembering Iwo Jima and its importance to strategic airpower

    More than 120 retirees, veterans and their families visited Andersen Air Force Base as part of their trip to Iwo Jima March 1 through 4 in remembrance of the 65th anniversary of the battle there.The visitors learned about the base's history and received briefings on the aircraft deployed here that

  • Dynamic Duo: Twin brothers share love of music, Air Force

    Audience members attending a recent performance by U.S. Air Forces Band of the Pacific-Hawaii "Hana Hou" may have felt like they experienced double vision.A closer look revealed the two identical men on the stage held different instruments.Tech. Sgt. Brian Hornbuckle, a trumpet player, joined his

  • Airmen for Children expands to Beale

    Staff Sgt. Jewell Hicks has been fulfilling a boyhood promise to a disease-stricken friend for more than two years now.  The Airmen for Children program is a volunteer activity where uniformed military members and civilians visit local children's hospitals to interact with sick children.Sergeant

  • Staff sergeant says life's events have made her a better Airman

    After Sept. 11, 2001, Staff Sgt. Sparkle Reid was a different person. She wasn't like most Americans who were changed by the events themselves but more so in that she was in one of the 2,973 families who grieved after losing a family member in the tragedy.Sergeant Reed lost her uncle, Louie A.

  • Elmendorf children lend a helping hand

    About 25 children from Aurora Elementary School's Student Council and Service Learning Club held a school supply drive collecting 8,600 pounds of materials for school children in the Afghanistan.The school supplies were sent to Camp Penich, Afghanistan where they will be delivered to 13 different

  • Academy cadets seek to improve combat airdrops

    Aeronautical and systems engineering management cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy's Department of Aeronautics are currently working to improve the safety and accuracy of combat airdrops with remotely piloted aircraft. In 2009, U.S. Air Forces Central officials identified an urgent operational

  • Pumping gas makes a difference

    Pumping gas may not be the glamorous career most boys or girls dream of having, but petroleum, oil and lubricants specialists at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing are heroes behind the scenes . They are the difference between success and failure for the troops in Afghanistan.In a 24-hour period they

  • CCAF, Air Force launch pad for astrophysicist's NASA career

    As a young teen gazing silently at the stars from a vantage point on Canada's Georgian Bay some 250 miles from his home in St. Clair, Mich., Richard Barry wondered a great deal about space and the possibilities of life on other planets. Having spent his formative years on a small farm, he never

  • NCO draws upon heritage to inspire others

    "My mom passed away the day she was supposed to come home from the hospital," said Staff Sgt. Chaunce Foster, the 603rd Air and Space Communications Squadron job control NCO in charge here. Though her ovarian cancer seemed to be in remission, Albetta Foster's unexpected passing just a month before

  • Victim's advocate ready to help, listen

    It was the stories his wife told him that inspired a career development course writer from the 366th Training Squadron here to become a victim advocate and part of the recovery process. Master Sgt. Daniel Mendoza said he used to listen to the horror stories his wife told him while she worked at a

  • Coordination cell staff briefs servicemembers on host nation issues

    Servicemembers arriving to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing can lean on the host nation coordination cell staff here to provide assistance and help them understand an unfamiliar culture.The host nation coordination cell staff her works with host-nation customs and immigrations officers to ensure

  • Life on the road with Tops In Blue

    The band crescendos toward the end of the song and suddenly stops. Senior Airman Jennifer Lynn Frost belts out the final phrase, and the band joins back in for the final chord, holding it out for what seems like an eternity. The crowd leaps to their feet in a standing ovation. At the end of the

  • Vehicle maintainers keep it rolling

    "If it has four wheels and rolls, we fix it." That's how the shop foreman for the 506th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron here refers to the job duties of a vehicle maintainer."We get vehicles in quite frequently because they're being used so frequently on missions," said Staff Sgt. Keith

  • Combat Comm provides vital 'link' to Marines in Republic of Georgia

    A small detachment of Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, camp out in the foothills of the Republic of Georgia's Caucasus Mountains, enclosed by snow capped peaks and kept company by stray dogs and roaming cattle. What may sound like a wintertime camping excursion or a ski trip possibly gone

  • 617th AOC Airmen orchestrate African aeromedical evacuation

    When the 617th Air and Space Operations Center's Aeromedical Evacuation Control Team picks up the phone, the clock starts to work against them.AECT Airmen coordinate and transport patients who need a higher level of care from Africa to locations where necessary medical care is available as part of

  • Forecasting for mission success

    Air Force weather technicians deliver environmental information, products and services anywhere in the world. They impact decision superiority by enhancing predictive battle space awareness, enabling commanders at all levels to anticipate and exploit the battle space environment, from the mud to the

  • Former BMT instructors give new Reserve recruits glimpse at 'Basic'

    A husband and wife team of former Air Force military training instructors gave some new recruits a taste of what to expect at Basic Military Training here Feb. 6.Master Sgt. Tiffany Lopez, who is assigned to the 96th Force Support Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Raul Lopez, with the 96th Logistics

  • Nurse finds healing from post-traumatic stress

    As a critical care nurse, Lt. Col. Mary Carlisle's focus always has been on helping others. It wasn't until a harrowing deployment to Iraq that the tables turned, and she became the one in need of aid.Colonel Carlisle described her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder and the healing she

  • Whiteman Airman shares deployment experience

    Smoke rose from the Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, explosives ordnance compound. It was the remnants of a 107mm rocket detonation.Knocked nearly unconscious from the blast, Staff Sgt. Brandon Pfannenstiel tried to regain his footing and looked for his fellow EOD technician, Senior Airman Robert Wester. His

  • Chasing the U-2

    "Gentlemen, start your engines." This familiar call is one many NASCAR fans hear each weekend as they watch their favorite drivers compete for the checkered flag. Yet, at Beale Air Force Base, a special chase car's pursuit down the flightline, tailing a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft at breakneck

  • Prayer luncheon speaker recalls wonder of space

    When astronaut and retired Brig. Gen. Charles Duke Jr. was growing up, the United States had no space program, but he knew he wanted to serve his country. Little did he know he would one day be the 10th man to walk on the moon.The North Carolina native spoke about "America's Godly Heritage" to an

  • Children carry on family's military tradition

    While most parents carry around a tattered, wallet-sized photo or two of their kids, Mary Scott has about a dozen 8-by-10s ready for display. Upon request, she whips out her family portraits with the speed of a Wild West six-shooter. Her now-grown children are posed in various scenes outside, mostly

  • Critical care nurse treats patients in Haiti

    The earthquake that struck Haiti Jan. 12, changed the lives of countless people forever. Perhaps no one group has been more exposed to the bare humanity of the disaster than the medics who were on the forefront, providing lifesaving care to those who survived the 7.0 earthquake. Maj. Jon Earles, one

  • Crew chiefs keep carriers flying

    Once a solid navy blue, the slightly worn, blackened fabric reflects the continuous hard work and dedication its owner has pledged to his aircraft. The crew chief's coveralls bear witness to the countless hours spent on the flightline troubleshooting problems, fixing the jet, working with

  • Osan family exercises option of adoption

    The Year of the Air Force Family is an initiative focused on enhancing the support and care provided to those who firmly stand behind our Airmen on a daily basis. For one Air Force family stationed at Osan Air Base, the focus of the Year of the Air Force Family has expanded. It's about having an

  • Valentine's Day: Military couples and the mission

    Valentine's Day is a day for people to share and show their love for another. For military couples, this day is a day of spent with their loved one or apart because of the mission.The Air Force mission affects couples in different ways, but many agree that overall they're closer to one another

  • Kirkuk Airman beats cancer, shares his story

    "He had a tube down his nose; IVs in his arms, had lost a lot of weight and was heavily medicated. He looked really rough, and he looked up at me and said, 'I'm comin' back, Chief,'" said Chief Master Sgt. Ronnie Barham, the 506th Air Expeditionary Group chief enlisted manager. That was seven years

  • Weather specialists keep watch over Red Flag airspace

    The sun shines in Las Vegas more than 330 days per year. People say they love the town because they can golf practically year-round. Sometimes, though, the sun just doesn't shine.While that may be a mild inconvenience to the outdoor enthusiasts, weather changes mean something completely different to

  • Relief effort hits home for Haitian-American Airman

    "Jan. 2, 2008. I remember it like it was yesterday," said Airman 1st Class Samantha Jean, recounting her first day in Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.Her new uniforms would soon read, "U.S. Air Force," and for the young Haitian woman, now assigned to the 437th Aerial Port

  • Operation Unified Response chaplain's perspective: 'God pushed me'

    The noise is constant. The engines of C-130s, C-17s, DC-10s, Cessnas, Lears and others running through the day and night. The vibrations from planes taking off on the flight line conceal the rumbling of the earth beneath every step we take. Each face, weary and red, has a determined look. These are

  • Deployed psychologist keeps Airmen mentally focused on mission

    Being fit to fight for the deployed mission takes more than running several miles a day or doing push-ups or sit-ups. That's the physical side. Being fit to fight also means being mentally fit, which is where Capt. (Dr.) Kieran Dhillon-Davis finds her niche as her deployed base's chief clinical

  • Phoenix Ravens secure aircraft supporting Operation Unified Response

    When Tech. Sgt. Toma Ferguson received a phone call Jan. 15 putting him on alert for a flight to support Operation Unified Response, he was excited about being able to provide relief and support to the millions of Haitians impacted by the earthquake.Since leaving Jan. 16 on his first flight, the

  • KC-10 pilot recalls 9/11, decision to join Air Force

    On Sept. 11, 2001, the world changed for most Americans and among the hardest hit were Capt. Hillary Wykes.Captain Wykes, a KC-10 Extender pilot with the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at an air base in Southwest Asia, was a flight attendant for United Airlines before entering the Air

  • The invisible wound

    In a scene from the movie "Patton," Army Gen. George S. Patton, played by George C. Scott, encounters a Soldier at a field hospital who is suffering from the emotional stress of the battlefield. Instead of trying to understand the Soldier's problem, General Patton physically assaults the young man,

  • Airmen in combat zone work with, rely on Soldiers

    A normal convoy run by the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Detachment 3 team would have been a routine 20-minute drive for Army Spc. Tommy Turner, a combat medic attached to the unit, if not for an improvised explosive device that detonated, ripping through a Humvee Sept. 15, 2009. As

  • Total-force crews support Operation Unified Response in Haiti

    One look into Marven Jeannis' eyes showed just how tired he was. Holding his father's hand, the little boy wearing an orange shirt and a designer cap a few too sizes too big walked up the ramp of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. His eyes squinted momentarily as they adjusted to the brightly lit