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  • TACPs: Supporting troops anytime, anywhere

    Under the cover of night, he maneuvers through the brush, getting just close enough to spot his target. He takes his measurements … triple checks them … and calls in the strike. If his measurements are correct, the troops who called in for help should have the relief they need in the form of a close

  • The Last Raider

    Behind them, a pall of oily smoke rose above Nagoya (Japan). It wasn’t until he learned the aircraft carrier Hornet was bound for Tokyo that Lt. James H. “Herb” Macia grasped the significance of the mission his and 15 other B-25 crews had been training for. But suddenly, every man aboard the ship

  • Life among the stars

    When she was an average kid growing up in Elmira, N.Y., Eileen Collins enjoyed simple pastimes. She and her family would drive to the local airport and sit on top of their car, sip root beer, and watch the planes take off and land.That average kid grew up to have an extraordinary career as an

  • WASP shares her World War II experiences

    She helped set the standard for future female Airmen, contributed to the Air Force becoming a separate service, and she and her friends put themselves in harm's way far from home to serve the Army in an experimental flying program at their own expense, all in the name of patriotism. “At that time,

  • Airman recalls fatal crash that cost him two friends

    Black sneakers. Boston baseball cap. Black shirt. Boots. “It’s so clear, I can still remember what they were wearing,” recalls Airman 1st Class Skyler Burts, of his friends and fellow firemen who perished in a single-vehicle automobile accident in August 2005. The memories, much like the scar tissue

  • Airman named "Best Legs in a Kilt"

    Senior Master Sgt. Todd Flickinger, 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, recently defended his stateside title of “Best Legs in a Kilt” right here in the desert. For the past two years, an annual contest held in Bethlehem, Pa., as part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, resulted in Sergeant

  • Airmen toss sabers to honor comrades

    Senior Airman Dallas Smith looks at ease twirling his shiny saber in the air and doing precision movements and passes with his Eifel Sabre Drill Team.But he was once content to just sit in the background -- one of the people who “just doesn’t want to participate” in anything, he said. And he admits

  • B-52 pilot shares her Air Force experience, contributions

    She follows Air Force history -- through her family’s footsteps. Her dad and his siblings grew up in an Air Force family, having nothing but great things to say about the Air Force way of life. Maj. Andrea Jensen, a forward deployed B-52 pilot with the 40th Air Expeditionary Group, has had a love of

  • World War II veteran recalls her service to country

    Their service to the nation during World War II is represented by images like “Rosie the Riveter.” However, American women did much more than fill in for the millions of men in the armed services. More than 350,000 women were volunteers who served in uniform. Viola Smith, a recreational director

  • Amputee Airman overcomes cancer, maintains athletic lifestyle

    In 2005, he ran the New York City Marathon and skied down the Rockies. The fact he has one leg isn’t slowing him down. Tech. Sgt. Matthew Profitt is an active sportsman -- the 38-year-old reservist plays racquetball, bobsleds, canoes, cycles and runs. But, three years ago the 512th Aircraft

  • When needs arise in Central Asia, C-17 crews deliver

    The C-17 Globemaster III crewmembers start their day around noon. It will end in about 18 hours, around 5 or 6 tomorrow morning. Today they will fly to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, and back twice, taking one group of passengers a step closer to home and another to the first day of their year long

  • Airman recovering from bomb blast hopes to continue to serve

    He stirs every few minutes as he sits talking in the living room of his base housing unit. He doesn’t show it with any grimace on his face, but he has not yet healed from the wounds he received in combat less than three months ago. All the while, he talks frankly, pulling his 4-year-old daughter

  • Loadmasters heart of C-130 operations

    Tech. Sgt. Kristy Decker knows no flight in this region is predictable. With nearly two decades of flying under her belt, the Reserve loadmaster is serving her first tour of duty with the 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Southwest Asia. To date, she has flown into Iraq, Afghanistan and the

  • Tuskegee Airman visits former unit at Randolph

    A man stood silent, captivated by the hundreds of images on the wall before him. The memories of one of the most pivotal times in his life and American military history surfaced with every square foot. The sepia images of pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance crews and support personnel are

  • Musicians produce one-of-a-kind sound

    The Heritage of the Air Force Band’s newest ensemble can be described as unique. The five Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble members are the only musicians assigned to the Air Force band who are dedicated to Celtic music. They are the first Airmen authorized to wear the Billy Mitchell tartan since the

  • Joint STARS Airman plays bagpipes on off-time

    The E-8C Joint STARS crew had been flying for hours -- their first combat mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The sky was dark and unknowing. As they crossed into Iraqi air space, the aircraft suddenly filled with a sound the crew will probably never forget. “I was piping the troops into battle --

  • Two chiefs find acceptance, opportunity in Air Force

    He grew up in the South when segregation was the law of the land. He remembers seeing “Whites only” signs and attending George Washington Carver School, an all-black school, until desegregation was enforced in 1969 and he was bused to the “white school.” His family also had a cross burned in their

  • Security forces Airmen maintain ops tempo long after sundown

    Things are sometimes uncommonly quiet around here at night. But the calm is likely a welcome relief for the wing’s twilight guardians -- the 52nd Security Forces Squadron Airmen who are well-acquainted with 12-hour-plus graveyard shifts. The responsibility to protect people and aircraft can be even

  • The business of saving lives: airlifting wounded warriors

    It was Capt. Tracy Shamburger’s first flight with a new crew from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. The Air Force Reservist, who teaches nursing at the University of South Alabama, had served as a medical crew director before and she clearly knew the ropes. Her five-person

  • Eagles glide toward tourney

    Shouldering huge bags, the men looked more like they were ready to deploy to some base in the desert than getting ready for a hockey match.They were the Eagles, the Kaiserslautern Military Community, or KMC, hockey team. Their bags were filled with the special gear -- helmets, head-to-toe protective

  • Chinese immigrant crosses into the blue

    Six thousand miles away from her native country of China, Yi Liu knew she wanted to make a name for herself in America. She grew up in a small copper mining town in the province of Canton and immigrated to the United States in 2003. At the age of 21, she lived with her family in a “box-sized”

  • Husband, wife serving at Balad

    Air Force families find ways to stay connected when separated -- phone calls, emails, and internet chats stretching over 10 time zones are commonplace. But nothing beats seeing a spouse face-to-face. Deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, Staff Sgt. Millie Nordman knows how it feels to be separated from

  • Local linguist helps deployed Airmen, shows his pride as an American

    A good part of his life was driven by a quest for money and success in America. In his younger days, he fought oppressors as a militiaman in his native country, Lebanon. Now, as an American citizen, he uses his energy and wisdom to help bring peace to this nation. The locals call him “Sam the

  • Airman rebuilds, restores history

    Many Airmen volunteer their time, but not all of them get to be a part of history. Staff Sgt. Ryan Spencer has seen his efforts on display in one museum, and now a second project is under way for another museum. As the builder of two large-scale model aircraft carriers, as well as the restorer of an

  • Retired master sergeant weathers new career

    He stood talking to himself; passersby may have thought it was a strange scene. But he was just responding to the voices in his head. “Sure. Will do. OK, now? What was that?” he said as he breathed in deeply. “How does that look? Is that OK? Here we go. “Well I hope you packed your sunglasses

  • Mastering the “Sweet Science”

    In a small gym in Rapid City, Andre Penn is drenched in sweat. He’s dancing around the middle of a boxing ring, peppering the mitts on his coach’s hands with lightning quick jabs, hooks and uppercuts. With every connection, the gym echoes, speaking on behalf of the power behind each blow. He

  • One flight – several missions

    They provide the base food, a place to sleep, somewhere to work out, a book to read, official ceremony honors and and help families when Airmen die. These are the unique responsibilities of one diverse group of people -- those who work in base services squadrons. Here, it's the job of the 2nd

  • Bodybuilder, powerlifter weighs into the competition

    When 5-year-old Troy Saunders saw Tom Platz -- the man known most for his sculpted legs in the bodybuilding world -- his mind was made up. “It made me want to have muscles like that,” said Master Sgt. Troy Saunders a transportation specialist with the 435th Materiel Maintenance Squadron. “From then

  • Tanker crew, medics practice medevac mission

    More than 50 years after it entered the Air Force, aircrews are still finding ways to increase the capabilities of the KC-135 Stratotanker. Ten reservists from the 939th Air Refueling Wing here and four the 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., demonstrated the

  • Extraordinary care packed in ordinary tents

    In a sea of tents and trailers on Balad Air Base in northern Iraq, shrapnel is being surgically removed from a limb, medics are racing to stop someone from bleeding to death and another life is being saved from wounds inflicted on the battlefield. It is that sea of tents which houses the Air Force

  • Airmen spread holiday spirit around the world

    Although many Airmen around the world use the holidays as a time for leave, to visit family members, or feast with friends, there are still many who use it as a time to share -- share themselves. The Air Force mission does not stop because of the holidays, in fact, some of the missions are in

  • Tyndall Airman makes All-Armed Forces basketball team twice

    Making the Air Force Women's Basketball Team is difficult. Making the All-Armed Forces Women's Basketball Team is even more challenging. And making both teams twice? For Senior Airman Mariela Miles, it was reality. Airman Miles, a 5-foot 8-inch shooting guard from Missouri, helped lead the Air Force

  • After Hurricane Katrina, family thankful for heartfelt help

    While many people wish for big-screen televisions, money and electronic games this holiday season, one Air Force family here would be content with sleeping in their own beds, in their own bedrooms, in their own home. When Hurricane Katrina ravaged Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., it displaced many

  • Technical sergeant has two master's degrees

    Stay in a college classroom for 17 years? Tech. Sgt. Rudy Flores thinks it is a smart idea. After nearly two decades of college classes, the 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron security manager shows no signs of stopping his desire to learn. In July, the sergeant walked across the stage to accept his

  • Major overcomes adversity to fly again

    Maj. Alan Brown grew up the way many boys in the West grow up, with hard work and a love for the outdoors. In 1994, he became a C-130 Hercules pilot with the Wyoming Air National Guard and was living the dream of many, flying whenever he could and spending the rest of his time hunting, fishing and

  • Triathlons are lieutenant’s passion

    Completing a 26-mile marathon, as opposed to just succeeding at the 1.5 mile Air Force fitness evaluation run, can be a lofty goal. But not for Kristi Porter, a first lieutenant with the 446th Logistics Readiness Flight here. For her, competing in marathons -- like the Seattle Marathon she ran Nov.

  • Brothers meet at 25,000 feet

    Families normally get together for holidays -- but at 25,000 feet? Not hardly. But two pilots from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing found a way to accomplish a mission and have a family reunion at the same time. Capts. Greg Matthew Amig reunited in the skies over Southwest Asia, where Greg refueled

  • Ambassadors in blue

    Airman 1st Class Michael Zdenek is an ambassador. His job is not as high-profile as national ambassadors or United Nations representatives, but to the people he meets at wedding parties, retirement ceremonies and funerals, his job as a member of the High Frontier Honor Guard is just as important.

  • Evaluation tests mettle of future combat rescue officers

    Their faces grimaced with strain, and a mixture of sweat and pool water dripped from them onto the ground as the eight men pounded out pushups. Even with the sun high overhead, the chill in the late-October air reminded them winter was coming to south Georgia. The Airmen -- whittled down from a

  • 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