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  • U.S. security forces work alongside Ecuador airmen

    It is not Iraq or Afghanistan. That is just fine for Staff Sgt. Eric Adams, from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and the other security forces Airmen who rotate through here every six months during air and space expeditionary force deployments.Instead of facing mortar attacks in Afghanistan or bullets

  • Airmen teach children English, show compassion

    Senior Airman Darious Harper peered out the window of a contracted government van as it squeezed its way through the narrow, congested streets of Manta.Here on a 120-day air and space expeditionary force deployment from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., the information manager was about to learn more

  • Ortho resident brings athlete's perspective to medicine

    With the grueling hours that most medical residents work, many are content to spend their precious “free” hours catching up on sleep.Capt. (Dr.) James Bales, an orthopedics resident with the 859th Surgical Operations Squadron here at Wilford Hall Medical Center, is no exception. But he is just as

  • Ospreys, Eagles share airspace at Langley

    Tom Olexa does not wear “blues” or a battle dress uniform. But in his blue jeans and brown worker’s boots the wildlife biologist has a key job at this busy F-15 Eagle fighter base.His job is to protect and ensure the safety of everything that flies here – pilots, planes and Chesapeake Bay ospreys

  • Air Force OSI: The truth is out there

    An Airman opens the door marked “OSI Waiting.” He goes in, picks up the phone receiver by a 2-inch-thick glass reception window and waits for someone to answer.“May I help you?” said a quiet voice.“Yes, I have an appointment with Special Agent Smith.”“OK, have a seat and I’ll let him know you’re

  • Training foreign forces in Air Force special ops

    The 6th Special Operations Squadron here is the only unit in the U.S. military with a wartime mission to assess, train, advise and assist foreign aviation forces. The squadron’s Airmen are constantly operating in the most dangerous corners of the world where terrorists, warlords and criminals

  • With a will, there’s always a weigh

    With the prospect of being kicked out of the Air Force for failing to meet fitness standards, Senior Airman Brian Graack, of the 43rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here, was forced with a tough decision: shape up or ship out.With five failed fitness tests looming in his past and with scores

  • Airman returns from deployment, back to motherhood

    Many parents dread the thought of their children leaving the nest, and some are portrayed as a bit crazed about their children leaving for the first time.Now imagine if it was not the children leaving the nest, but the parent. In today’s diversified military of frequent deployments, more and more

  • Vietnam vet shares photography skills with next generation

    It’s just one of the stops; after picking up groceries at the commissary he ducks into the visual information office here. He never stays for long because his food would spoil and he doesn’t want to interrupt their mission.For 31 years he has walked in, dropped off his photography magazines to share

  • Airmen donate supplies to Afghans

    About 50 Airmen recently volunteered to organize a container filled with nearly 63,000 pounds of donated supplies for an additional mission here -- the adoption of a village.Airman sorted the supplies into groups for males, females, adults and children. The Airmen then traveled to a village several

  • Langley offers mix of new, old aircraft

    When Air Force officials assigned the futuristic F/A-22 Raptor here, its first operational base, the service’s future met its past.Putting the next-generation air superiority fighter at the oldest continuously active air base in the United States provides a striking contrast. It is like seeing a

  • Drop ‘em or not, pilots help ground troops

    The alarm went of precisely at 1:30 a.m., just as planned. Capt. Matt Bertelli scrambled out of bed and across the hall to knock on the door of his wingman, Maj. Tray Siegfried. Time to go to work in Southwest Asia.The two F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots of the 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at

  • Airmen train to wear scarlet beret

    Every service in the military has its elite force. The Army has green berets and the Navy has SEALS. In the Air Force, the tip of the spear lies with combat controllers. Out of the 19,000 Air Force Special Operations Command Airmen, only 375 can claim the coveted title of combat controller.They

  • From 1.5 miles to 61 marathons

    Once a year, all active-duty Airmen head outside to the track to tackle the 1.5-mile run as part of the annual physical fitness test. It is an event not everyone looks forward to. For some, running is something to do only when tested or being chased, but for an Airman here, pounding the pavement

  • Courage embodied by Hanscom child

    When you look in Connor Tierney's big, blue eyes and watch him interact with family and friends, you would not think the 4-year-old has experienced much difficulty in his short life. But when you come to know his story, you realize this little boy is all about courage.Connor, the son of 2nd Lt.

  • Sergeant’s love of steel, paint creates rolling artwork

    It has been said that clothing styles repeat themselves, and motorcycles seem to be no different. Tricked-out choppers with stretched frames, custom tanks and tons of chrome are back by popular demand.These custom choppers are so popular that several television series are dedicated to how they are

  • A journey to the edge

    Time was passing into the next day, and he was destroyed … just completely gone.His thoughts lingered on the details.“Do I want an open or closed casket? Where should I shoot?”He cocked the gun several times as he laid in bed ready to make his last move.“Who would care?”March 23 was the last time

  • Airmen form tight-knit team that fuels fight

    Nobody bats an eye when an Airman in the petroleum, oil and lubrication shop passes gas roughly three or four times daily because it is absolutely essential.Without the 17 Airmen in the shop, the aircraft at this forward-deployed location do not get off the ground.“Pilots are pedestrians without

  • Deployed weather observers report more than the obvious

    When people think of the job a weather observer has in Southwest Asia, they may believe it would be relatively simple. After all, day after day, it is hot, humid and dusty. What else would there be to report?More than meets the eye, especially when taking into consideration the mission of the

  • What's your sign?

    Quick. What was Tom Cruise’s call sign in “Top Gun?” How about Anthony Edwards, his backseat radar intercept officer in the F-14 Tomcat?Most fans of the military film are quick to respond with Maverick and Goose. But where do call signs like these come from, and just how are pilots

  • 2005 hurricane season begins

    Forty years may seem like a long time, but not long enough for people in Florida. The 2004 season was the first time since 1964 that Florida was slammed by four hurricanes in one season and caused $1.7 billion in damage.This year’s hurricane season, which began June 1, may prove to be just as

  • Airmen deploy with four-legged partner

    Some people bring stuffed animals with them when they deploy. Some Airmen even bring the real thing.Staff Sgt. Thomas Burns and his 9-year-old dog, Ogar, deployed three months ago from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The Belgian Malinois and his handler are part of the eight-person military working

  • No courtroom needed, all decisions made in ring

    Intense noise from the crowd, tension of the impending final decision and the intimidation of the boxers do not matter to a boxing judge. The focus stays on one thing -- the punch.“When you take your seat at ringside, the only things that have your attention are the boxer and his punch,” said a

  • Airmen fight cancer, build support group

    At 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 30, Master Sgt. Dee Ann Poole received the call that changed her life. It came from her doctor’s office; the nurse had called to inform Sergeant Poole she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.“I was breathless,” she said. “My conversation with the nurse was a blur. It didn’t

  • Eglin Airman has real need for speed skates

    Twenty nine mph does not sound fast. But on a pair of in-line skates, that is moving pretty well, and an Airman here just cannot get enough of it.Airman 1st Class Eddie Canino, an F-16 Fighting Falcon avionics technician with the 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, started skating as a youngster

  • SNCO’s selfless behavior protects Airman, family

    An Airman’s failed suicide attempt and subsequent disappearance from here recently highlighted why taking care of people is one of the distinguishing qualities of a true leader, and why wearing the rank of senior noncommissioned officer in the Air Force is a distinguishing symbol of

  • Lieutenant leaves ‘footprint’ at Soto Cano

    At this Central American base, one Airman is taking the phrase “going the extra mile” to the extreme. First Lt. Kellie Courtland is going an extra 1,500 miles to be exact, one of three goals she set for herself when she arrived at Joint Task Force Bravo here. “So far I’m at 1,263 miles,” she said.

  • Airman teaches deaf man to fly

    With planes taking off down the runway behind her, the flight instructor begins talking more loudly while illustrating a point to her student. Then she remembers he cannot hear a word she is saying. He is deaf.Senior Airman Christy Helgeson met Rob Drake at a local flying club, where she is an

  • Medics provide human touch

    Viviana Vigil woke her children early and dressed them. Then they ate a meager breakfast of tortillas and beans. It is all they had.As the sun broke over the mountainside village of La Luna where the family lives, she gathered her children and led them down a trail toward the bigger village of

  • Volunteers provide search and rescue for Central America

    Search and rescue operations at this Central American base are not ordinary.Instead of the typical Air Force pararescuemen enveloped in heavy gear, the SAR team here is Army run. It encompasses people from all services, an assortment of career fields and numerous volunteers.“It’s an additional

  • Airmen keep Soto Cano’s runway running

    Staff Sgt. Michelle Cox said she hates it when a plan falls apart because when that happens, it can easily end a vital mission. And at this small base in the heart of Central America, all missions are important.Missions can fail because people lack training. Sergeant Cox said that bothers her

  • Soto Cano getting permanent makeover

    After decades of living in wooden structures called “hooches,” troops at this small “temporary” base soon will get new homes as part of a military construction project.The new buildings will replace the base’s 270 hooches with 44 four-unit apartment buildings and seven two-story, 72-occupant

  • For U.S. troops, Tegucigalpa’s good life has its dangers

    American servicemembers visiting this capital city from nearby Soto Cano Air Base come to rest, relax and get a taste of the good life.On weekends, they succumb to the pampered lifestyle lavished on them at hotels, restaurants, discotheques, tourist sites and shopping areas. It’s a life many don’t

  • Reservists set example at New Horizons 2005 camp

    In a camp tucked away in southwest Panama, two Airmen are leaving a lasting impression on their fellow servicemembers and the local people they meet. Master Sgt. Steve Axie and Tech. Sgt. George Lyon have grown to call it home, but three months ago, the two arrived to build a base camp on a horse

  • Airman engineers Seabees’ construction in Panama

    Capt. Star Longo has reason to smile.After three months of hard work, he and his team of engineers finished building a much-needed community center in this tiny isolated town in southwestern Panama.With his mission done, he can return home and do some surfing again. But the real reason he is