HomeNewsFeatures

Features
Air Power

FEATURES

  • 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,' military style

    Used to dealing with extremes in the Alaskan environment, nearly two dozen Airmen from Elmendorf Air Force Base and three Soldiers from Fort Richardson drove to North Pole, Alaska, to lend their assistance in building a home for a family in need. They were joined by more than 150 Airmen and Soldiers

  • DLI fosters international goodwill

    One of the major foundations of peace is tolerance. If two parties are unable to communicate and understand each other, tolerance is nearly unattainable. The Defense Language Institute English language course here provides that first step to building tolerance, by teaching foreign students the

  • 'Easy money' translates into financial nightmares: Part 2 of 3

    Editor's note: This is the second installment in a three-part series about Airmen and responsible financial management.While the phrase, "It's only money" is commonly used, Airmen and other military members may face a special vulnerability when it comes to dealing with their finances. Benefits such

  • ‘Ammo' Airmen arm Bagram's warfighters

    Bombs, bullets and explosives are hazardous to friend and foe alike but are handled with care by the men and women who work in the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron Munitions Flight. Known as "ammo" troops, the Airmen of the munitions flight here handle all of the bombs, ammunition, defensive

  • 'Easy money' translates into financial nightmares: Part 1 of 3

    Editor's note: This is the first installment in a three-part series about Airmen and responsible financial management.Signing on the dotted line can take on a new significance when "sign here" is at the end of a payday cash loan application. Charles Brown, a former Airman who recently separated from

  • One family hopes their tragic loss can help save others

    With a knock on his door late one evening, 1st Lt. Kevin Lombardo's entire life changed."One of my sergeants stood outside my trailer door clutching a note. My heart skipped a beat. He said I needed to call home now, something was wrong," the lieutenant said. "When I heard the sound of my wife

  • 'Mosquito Wing' flies high for Air Force team

    At 20 years old, Savanna Duchala is the youngest and lowest-ranking person on the U.S. Air Force Track and Field Team. Nicknamed "Mosquito Wing" because of her one stripe, Duchala recently competed in the CC-Air Headquarters Ramstein Track and Field Inter-Nation Track and Field Championships. During

  • Four Airmen find home at international base

    When Staff Sgt. Sean Schuster found out he was deploying here from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., he was told he'd be working with three other Airmen in the petroleum, oil and lubrication shop. What he didn't know was that he and the other Airmen would be the only American military presence at this

  • Engineers work together to solve problems at Kandahar

    Airmen deployed all over the world overcome obstacles every day in order to get the mission done. In southwestern Afghanistan, two of those Airmen collaborated to build radio-communication antennas. When the Washington Air National Guard's 215th Engineering Installation Squadron arrived here in May,

  • Controller cousins maintaining family tradition

    Jennifer Manibusan and her cousin Catherine Balolong have smiles big enough to light up a room. And the two senior airmen have had plenty to smile about since joining the Air Force in December 2002, mostly because they've had the good fortune to have served together since the day they joined. That

  • Museum displays Air Force heritage, history

    Honoring the history and heritage of the Air Force is a passion of a group of veterans in this quiet town near Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The Laughlin Heritage Foundation Museum is run by a small group of dedicated people -- many with extensive ties to the Air Force through past military and

  • Parachute drop brings appreciation for freedom

    Master Sgt. Andrew Johnson has experienced something few Airmen have -- parachute in to a drop zone near Normandy, France.Sergeant Johnson participated in Operation Airdrop Warrior 2006. U.S., British, Canadian, French and German forces trained together to enhance coalition airdrop

  • Father's Day bittersweet for one Airman's family

    Father's Day weekend was a special one for the family of Staff Sgt. Calvin Cooke Jr. After 34 years, his widow and daughters ended a chapter in their lives of wondering what happened to the remains of their husband and father. Sergeant Cooke was a C-130 Hercules loadmaster during the Vietnam War.

  • Dentist, technician contribute to Iraqi security

    It's hard to believe a dentist and his technician are at the forefront of the future security of Iraq. But nonetheless, armed with some dental tools and suction, they are ensuring future Iraqi national police are healthy enough to stand up against terrorists in their country. In a small, wooden

  • Communication focal point provides one-stop service

    In modern warfare, keeping good communication moving up and down the line can be critical to keeping the mission operating smoothly. A team of experts with the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron provides one-stop service to customers with communication problems and requirements -- getting

  • Honoring a hero: a son's final tribute to his father

    The journey came to an end in the echoes of a 21-gun salute -- which shook Troy Curnutte back to the present.Moments before, he had allowed himself to drift away, to reminisce about his father and the times when they would talk and laugh together.A bugler started to sound Taps, and the man rose from

  • Memories of father stay strong, even after 63 years

    She hasn't seen her father since 1943, but the years have done nothing to lessen the admiration and love she feels for him. "He's been gone 60-something years, but all my sister and I remember is a kind, sweet man," said Margaret Ramey Watkins, speaking of her father, Brig. Gen. Howard K. Ramey. In

  • Medal of Honor recipient shares experiences for Airmen at war today

    Today's Airmen are learning from each other. Tours in Iraq and Afghanistan yield invaluable information on ways to better fight and survive. In a previous generation, an American hero fought enemies in multiple combat zones. Under extraordinary conditions, this Airman rose above the usual call of

  • Letters from home

    There's a popular scene in old war films where Soldiers use the excuse, “I have something in my eye,” when they read a letter from home. That letter may be from a spouse struggling to raise the kids. Maybe the letter is news that a loved one passed away before the Soldier had a chance to say

  • Red Horse creates legacies, one project at a time

    Senior Airman Casey Anderson removes his sunglasses to wipe sweat from his eyes.The areas behind the sunglasses, pale compared to the rest of his tan, are the only clean parts on his face. As operator of the cement-truck chute, he’s covered in cement -- from the top of his red hat to his steel-toed,

  • Mother, daughters share ‘Locks of Love’

    Five years ago, she watched a documentary that touched her heart. Today, she and her two daughters are hoping to touch lives. Monique McCause, 15-year-old Tenette and 13-year-old Bethany decided to grow their hair long, only to cut it off and donate it to Locks of Love. Their hair will eventually be

  • Mine explosion puts two Airmen on different paths to recovery

    One year ago, two Air Force civil engineers were severely injured when a land mine exploded. The two were assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. One had his foot blown off. The other received serious damage to both legs. The explosion sent both

  • From ashes, rubble rose a school

    Happiness is hard to find in this country at war. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and in 1980 Noman High School became a casualty of war after it was bombed. The school, located in the Parwan Province near here, had a proud past. It was built in 1921, and through the years some of the

  • Preparation key to hurricane survival

    Last year the United States was traumatized during what many thought to be a routine natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina hit the shores of the Gulf Coast, from Louisiana to Alabama. Most people who live or grew up in that region are used to the hurricane season and didn't expect 2005 to be any

  • Barrier art creates bold statement for medical group

    Barrier art. It's everywhere at Balad Air Base. It's an outward expression of unit pride and esprit de corps, and it may just be the 21st century equivalent of World War II aircraft nose art. Nearly every unit on base has some form of barrier art, but it wasn't until recently that the 332nd

  • 10-year-old girl spends day as KC-10 pilot

    It was a foggy day in San Francisco when a 10-year-old girl flew a KC-10 Extender under the Golden Gate Bridge.Katie Powell, daughter of Senior Master Sgt. Chris Powell of the 60th Operations Group, was named Pilot for a Day May 19 and given an inside look at the daily life of pilots at

  • Precision engagement team hits the mark

    Cloaked in secrecy and veiled in silence, they wait patiently for a sign. Working as a team, the spotter silently communicates with his partner. As the sharpshooter looks through the scope, the world shrinks to one small target.It doesn’t matter the object is a half-mile away because he is confident

  • Running strong: Airman celebrates 50th birthday with 50-mile run

    Most people eat cake and ice cream on their birthday, have a nice quiet family dinner, go out to the club, or have a birthday party at their house. Master Sgt. Paul Roeske, 39th Communications Squadron base communication security manager, on the other hand, decided to run 50 miles around the track

  • Phoenix Raven Airmen are a special breed

    Students in the Air Mobility Warfare Center’s Phoenix Raven program here face many challenges in their quest to attain a coveted security forces Raven patch. The course, taught by the 421st Combat Training Squadron, originated in the late 1990s after a need was seen to better protect military

  • Logistics planner enjoys living in past

    With many people using the latest and greatest gadgets today it seems odd that someone would willingly drink water from a rusted canteen from the Civil War. “Canteens were all made out of tin,” said. Lt. Col. William Jordan, U.S. Strategic Command plans, mobility and engineering division chief.

  • Surviving Vietnam War steered doctor to save lives

    He was only 6 years old when he saw a dead Soldier lying in the street holding a rifle up in the air. He couldn't tell whether the man was American or Vietnamese because the body was burned. "During the Tet Offensive of 1968, our house was damaged from explosives," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Paul Doan of

  • Air Force officer teaches at Korean Air University

    "They have too much freedom," was Andrew "A.J." Bossard's first thought about the United States. That was 35 years ago when, as a 14-year-old, he was adopted by an American couple in Pennsylvania. Today, Lt. Col. Bossard has spent 17 years in uniform, defending the freedoms he once thought were

  • Retreat comes right on time for Seymour Johnson couple

    Nina Taylor tears up each time she thinks of her husband leaving. And then the uncontrollable sobs come. But she can’t help it. Because after three years of marriage, she still isn’t used to the idea of him just packing up and deploying to some desert base for four to six months -- and leaving her

  • High alert in 1986

    “In peace, we train for war and don’t you forget it,” was the inscription lettered on the base’s main gate while Col. Sam Westbrook was commander of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing here in 1986. Times were different. The Berlin Wall separated Germany and a hammer and sickle flag flew over the Kremlin

  • Doolittle Raider looks back on turning point in U.S. history

    It was early 1942, and it hadn't been long since Japan threw the United States into the vortex of World War II with their attack on Pearl Harbor -- or the day when 2nd Lt. Thomas Griffin stood up at the University of Alabama and swore to defend his country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

  • Doolittle Raider remembers historic mission over Japan

    The infamous bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, led a shock wave of other attacks by Japan on Pacific islands. With each of Japan’s successes in the following months, America’s spirit sank lower. Like the rest of America, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Cole was angry. At the time, the

  • First sergeant has heart

    “It’s good enough” is not a phrase Senior Master Sgt. Rocky Hart, first sergeant for the 83rd Aerial Port Squadron in Portland, Ore., wants to hear when it comes to his Airmen. “When someone says something like 'It’s good enough for government work,' it fires me up,” Sergeant Hart said. “My troops

  • Same fight by land or sea

    My stomach turned under the negative Gs as we fell from the sky.  The jolt of the aircraft hitting the carrier deck ended this sensation, and seconds later, the cargo hatch opened.  Sun rays cut through the darkness in the tin can-like cabin and silhouettes in brightly colored shirts emerged from

  • Pilot burial solves two mysteries

    It’s not every day delegates from China attend a lieutenant’s funeral in North Carolina, or that four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs fly overhead in a missing-man formation, or 300 people show up without having ever met the Air Force pilot. Even a congressman made an appearance. But 2nd Lt. Robert Upchurch

  • Reservist, his family find sweet success raisin' cane

    As the sun rises deep in the heart of Cajun country, the sound of farm equipment roars across a muddy sugar cane field. Hard rain from the night before made the field a sloppy mess, making it extremely difficult to walk, much less harvest the crop. But there’s work to do, and it’s time to get busy.