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  • Airmen go from flight operations to the operations table

    Many Airmen never get the opportunity to see firsthand what Airmen outside their career field do on a day-to-day basis, let alone experience it. That's exactly what the "swap" program at the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base allowed a handful of Airmen to do. Airmen from the 23rd and

  • Fuel: No flying without the good stuff

    There are not many Airmen with two stripes who have a job that gives them the authority to halt flying operations across the entire installation. This is a responsibility Airman 1st Class Darren Albrecht does not take lightly. The 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuel laboratory technician here is

  • Modern day Tuskegee Airman continues legend

    He was born and raised in Tuskegee, Ala., and his face lights up when he has the opportunity to talk about the Tuskegee Airmen and their role in his life. He has deployed twice to units in the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which traces its heritage to the 332nd Fighter Group of World War II and the

  • Brothers in arms, family by blood

    Stepping off an aircraft in a foreign country after days of travel for the first time can often be overwhelming for any Airman. After in-processing, trying to get their bearing and the lay of the new desert terrain, many newly deployed Airmen seek refuge in their new unit. Two members of the 447th

  • C-130 crew saves severely burned Iraqi woman

    Battling time and severe weather, a 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron aircrew in Southwest Asia was called upon in the early morning hours of April 30 to save a severely injured Iraqi woman. The C-130 Hercules flight crew, deployed from Pope Air Force Base, received word that an Iraqi woman

  • They only have eyes for U-2

    The eyes of the U-2 have been scanning and scrutinizing the battlespace for more than 51 years. Achieving that degree of longevity requires another set of eyes, equal in power and focus to that of the U-2's eyes, scanning and scrutinizing the aircraft itself for defects, imperfections, deficiencies

  • J-STARS total force cooperation helps save lives

    Looking deep into hostile territory, modified Boeing 707s with multi-mode radar systems provide surveillance of territory behind enemy lines. The 7th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System is equipped with radar, communications, operations

  • Camp Darby Airmen help Italian veterans

    They are separated by generations and age, they don't wear the same uniform and they don't even speak the same language, but the 31st Munitions Squadron Airmen here and veterans of the Italian Folgore Parachutist Brigade were bought together with the common goal of refurbishing the Italian veterans

  • Preparing for the unthinkable

    New parents often complain with love that their babies grow up too quickly. But at around seven months old, Elise Rochman's parents began to worry the opposite, that she wasn't growing up quickly enough. Elise still wasn't sitting up on her own, a task normally mastered between four and seven

  • Combat civilians: Writing history as it happens

    Most people think of 'history' as events that happened many years ago, written about by historians who were miles and years away from the action. Proving that misconception wrong are combat civilians like Doug Beckstead and Kevin Rieders, base historians assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Wing

  • Ali Airmen keep creepy crawlies contained

    Keeping creepy crawlies contained within Iraq is one of the biggest reasons Airmen from the 407th Provost Marshal's office inspect the bags and equipment of every Airman, Soldier, Sailor, civilian or other coalition forces personnel heading home. "We're at the center of the program overseeing more

  • Deployed medic, family reunited on air for Mother's Day

    May 11 was Mother's Day.  Terry Ryder thought he'd have to wish his wife, Jeannine, Happy Mother's Day through an e-mail or a 15-minute phone call, complete with four-second delay. Instead, he and their three daughters -- Christine, 14, Paige, 13, and Terra, 8 -- were swept up into a whirlwind

  • 4-legged defenders sniff out trouble in Kirkuk

    Prompted by only a few words of command by his handler, military working dog "Charlie" sprints ahead and rabidly thrusts to attack a simulated enemy during a recent training session here. For Charlie, a German Shepherd deployed here, this attack is as large a priority as if it were a real insurgent

  • Altus Airman runs in memory of bombing victims

    Blurred asphalt and burning lungs remained the constant companions of the runner on a lonely Oklahoma back road as he struggled against a 35 mph headwind. Halfway into his third day of running 35.5 miles a day, the sound of slapping soles on his running shoes set the cadence that kept him going

  • RED HORSE members make difference on the border

    Dusty, drug infested, deadly and downright desolate areas are just some of the daily obstacles faced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers patrolling nearly 2,000 miles of the U.S. and Mexico border. Vast stretches of desert canyon, rocky terrain, switchback roads and hairpin turns make for

  • Reservist named "Strongest (female) in the AOR"

    Although self-described as "somewhat shy at times," Master Sgt. Tina Robinson is anything but shy when it comes to powerlifting. The mother and grandmother with bulging biceps smiles her way through the halls of the C-130 Hercules operations building. Here, as a first sergeant, she has a reputation

  • Blood, guts and moulage

    Two dental squadron technicians moulaged about 20 people for Exercise Saber Crown 08-06 April 22. Tech. Sgt. Stephen Dereis and Senior Airman Bridgit Borseth, from the 52nd Dental Squadron, took a break from their normal duties of dealing with dirty teeth and instead used their skills for something

  • Airmen support OIF ground convoy missions

    Airmen from the 2T1 vehicle operator career field deployed to the 586th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron take on some of the most dangerous roads in the world every day. These combat missions have claimed the lives of three Airmen and demand every bit of skill these drivers can muster. The

  • Never too young to be a hero

    Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines working the Tyndall Air Force Base air show Saturday recently an unexpected surprise that caught many off guard. Hard at work on the flightline in the blazing sun, many troops were stopped by the voice of an 11-year-old girl thanking each military member for his

  • Langley officials fight to keep F-22s from being damaged

    The Air Force's newest and most technologically advanced fighter, the F-22 Raptor, is under attack here.Free-falling clams dropped by in-flight birds are regular air threats to the F-22 as gulls drop fist-sized mollusks on the Langley Air Force Base runway to break open the shell-fish appetizer. The

  • Aerial porters keep convoys off the road

    Although most people credit medical professionals with saving lives, another group of people here are helping to reduce patient numbers: the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Aerial Port Flight. "Although we are mainly in charge of unloading, loading and tracking everything coming in

  • Retired Vietnam pilot supports war in Iraq

    As coalition forces help rebuilding the Iraqi air force, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot working at the Iraqi flight school here watches the process with a sense of familiarity. Retired Army Lt. Col. Lott Lawson has helped foreign pilots earn their wings throughout his military and civilian

  • Combat truckers haul cargo through dangerous roads

    After driving 10.9 million miles while coming under attack by the enemy 268 times during 909 convoy missions, Airmen from the 586th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron have earned 10 Purple Hearts, 110 Bronze Stars, and a host of other medals. While most Airmen perform the exact same skill

  • Airmen remember the price of freedom

    He waited until everyone went to bed so he could work in peace. He gently wiped away the sand from the badges and polished them to a shine that reflected the intense light from the lamps pointed in their direction. He worked methodically, cleaning the memorial representing the Airmen who paid the

  • Back in Baghdad, five years later

    "My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger," said President George W. Bush March 19, 2003.Those words echoed through many homes that night as many

  • 185 feet up in the air and only 1 way down

    Like spiders riding down a thread of silk, air traffic controllers here rappelled down a 185-foot control tower and learned a skill that could one day save their lives. For the controllers of the 447th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, working in the Baghdad International Airport tower

  • Five years later, it's still known as 'Mother of all bombs'

    What's worse than unleashing on society the wrath of the largest non-nuclear bomb yet to be made? Letting the world know it's out there and ready to be used at any moment. The guided bomb unit-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb is a 21,600 pound, Global Positioning System-guided munition with

  • K-9 team keeps crime on a leash

    With his ears perked and senses at full alert, Bruno sniffs at the morning air for a familiar scent, one he's been trained to detect since youth. Bruno is a military working dog deployed here with his handler to provide additional installation security because of his unique traits and training.

  • Buddy System proves friendly for medics from Guam

    Whenever Airman Tiamae Cruz needed a helping hand while growing up in Guam, a friendly face always seemed to arrive within minutes. So when the 18-year-old decided to join the Air Force and leave the confines of her Pacific island measuring 30 miles long by 12 miles wide, she looked around for the

  • Nighthawk pilots reflect on F-117's legacy

    Like most Americans, Col. Tom Bell experienced the spectacular display of American airpower during the opening of Operation Desert Storm while watching CNN on television. Colonel Bell was then attending the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. An Air Force pilot, he

  • Rags to riches in the American heartland

    In the heart of southwest Ohio, 1st Lt. Heather Greatting's down time is spent with one of her best friends, Zoey. Their time together is marked by verbal commands of obedience and strenuous physical activity designed to produce speed, agility and perfection. The workout is enough to bring anyone

  • African Airman returns home, helps save life

    Nine-year-old Alex Vadis Teye has a skull twice the size of a normal child his age and it's still growing. Water consumes 80 percent of the space where his brain should be. His prognosis was bleak. "Was" is the key word, thanks to the efforts of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician

  • Combat nurses: The ICU

    Editor's note: This is the fifth installment of a six part series by Tech. Sgt. D. Clare titled "Combat Nurses." In the series Sergeant Clare takes an in-depth and personal look at how nurses from different specialties are caring for the war wounded at one of the busiest trauma centers in the world.

  • Chilling rescue: Agent saves downed helicopter crew

    "I don't think I'm going to make it." This was the chilling thought that ran through Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent Jim Collins' mind as he swam for his life in the equally chilling, 50-degree, 300-foot deep, cholera-filled water of Lake Quadisiya in Iraq. Approximately a

  • Combat nurses: Certified registered nurse anesthetists

    Editor's note: This is the fourth installment of a six part series by Tech. Sgt. D. Clare titled "Combat nurses." In the series Sergeant Clare takes an in-depth and personal look at how nurses from different specialties are caring for the war wounded at one of the busiest trauma centers in the

  • Combat nurses: The ER

    Editor's note: This is the third installment of a six part series by Tech. Sgt. D. Clare titled "Combat Nurses." In the series Sergeant Clare takes an in-depth and personal look at how nurses from different specialties are caring for the war wounded at one of the busiest trauma centers in the

  • Try this "shirt" on for size

    "We put out fires," said Master Sgt. George Childers, 27th Special Operations Equipment Maintenance Squadron first sergeant. Sergeant Childers was speaking of the day-to-day routine, or lack thereof, of a first sergeant, who also often is referred to as the "shirt," "first shirt" or "diamond."

  • Airman gives back through recruiting

     "Your 10-month-old son has cancer." They were the most devastating words Master Sgt. Dave White had ever heard. But the next words the doctor spoke were filled with hope: "You and your family are on the next plane out of here." The year was 1995 and Sergeant White was a senior Airman with the 35th

  • Young pilot shares vision for Iraqi air force

    Inside the newly opened Iraqi Flying Training school here, Iraqi Lt. Abdul applies a fluid motion to gently land his aircraft on a digitized strip of runway. His instructor, a U.S. Air Force major, stands silently in the background and nods with approval, like a calculus teacher testing his best