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  • Redeployment survey shows most Airmen return healthy

    The Air Force has reassessed about 12,500 Airmen since December after they returned from deployment and found most of those Airmen to be healthy. At the close of 2005, the Air Force began asking Airmen who returned from deployment to places like Afghanistan and Iraq to complete a post-deployment

  • 'Spirit of Berlin' a hit with Berlin Air Show spectators

    The “Spirit of Berlin” proved a big hit at the 2006 Berlin Air Show. When spectators entered the C-17 Globemaster III through the crew entry door, the typical reaction was to stop, stare in awe and exclaim in wonder at the cavernous interior. “You got that all day, every day,” said Tech. Sgt. Don

  • Airmen help rebuild a nation

    After a six-day killing frenzy of local Afghans, the Taliban seized control of this city in 1998. In November 2001, with U.S. assistance, the Afghan Northern Alliance recaptured the city of 180,000 residents. Today, Airmen continue to assist Afghanistan in its war against extremists by mentoring the

  • IT modernization: Leveraging the power of information

    Since January, the Air Force has been busy modernizing itself through the Secretary of the Air Force initiatives embodied in Air Force Smart Operations 21. The Air Force's communications and information community is part of that modernization effort. Their focus is on restructuring information

  • Moody prepares for hurricane season

    Airmen here buckled up the base, battled heavy winds and provided support for off-base recovery efforts during a hurricane evacuation exercise held May 15 to 18. Responding to “Hurricane Timothy” provided a realistic evaluation of the 347th Rescue Wing’s capability to plan and take the proper

  • Technology improvements keep information flowing to warfighter

    During the recent Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the Air Force demonstrated new technology that provides warfighters with greater connectivity and more timely information. During the exercise, the Air Force tested the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node.

  • Air Force announces OTS selection board results

    One hundred seventy-seven men and women have been selected for the opportunity to become Air Force officers, officials here announced May 19.Of those, 37 enlisted members earned the chance to attend Officer Training School and trade their stripes for gold bars as second lieutenants.   The Air Force

  • Nearly 50 Air Force, Army teams compete in adventure race

    While the morning sun swiftly ascended the West Texas sky, 360 Airmen, Soldiers, civilians and spouses psyched themselves up for a grueling, intense endeavor as the start of the second annual Laughlin Air Force Base Adventure Race drew near May 13. The race would take 49 teams from two branches of

  • New Air Staff badge recognizes Pentagon assignment

    Members assigned to Headquarters Air Force staff here will soon have the option to wear a new badge. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley approved the design and development of the badge in September. The basis for the Headquarters Air Force badge is Air Force heritage and the design

  • Airmen learn to deal with enemy misinformation

    “Loose lips sink ships.” The phrase spearheaded a campaign to keep military members from revealing sensitive information during World War II. In fact, it was so effective the phrase still means something to many Americans 65 years later. Keeping operational secrets from the enemy is still vital

  • Pushing freight: ATOC moves cargo in, out of Ali quickly

    In a combat environment, speed and accuracy are key -- even more so when it comes to an aircraft.  And though most cargo aircraft are relatively agile when in the air, they are not while groundbound.One team’s mission here is to make sure those aircraft stay on the ground for as short a time as

  • Chief McKinley looking forward to new job

    Command Chief Master Sgt. Rod McKinley admits he is a bit nervous about becoming the 15th chief master sergeant of the Air Force. But it is not because the job will be too tough or that becoming the Air Force’s top enlisted leader intimidates him, he said. It is the fact he will be the next chief in

  • Command Post awards announced

    Air Force officials announced the winners of the 2005 command post annual awards. They are: - Unit Level Command Post Airman of the Year: Senior Airman Tina M. Loos, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan - Unit Level Command Post Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Chastity M. Degroat, 701st

  • Transient alert provides Bagram its staying power

    Imagine parking hundreds of cars and trucks in a convenience store parking lot. Now imagine parking those cars if they were the size of C-17 Globemaster IIIs. That image makes the task facing the transient alert team at the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing here a little clearer. “It’s kind of like a

  • Airmen call in 'air strikes' on Louisiana communities

    Fighter jets and bombers fly overhead making multiple passes to intercept and destroy enemy targets called in by Air Force joint terminal air controllers. One pass is to destroy a building with enemy snipers. Another pass is to track a man riding a motorcycle suspected of carrying a bomb in his

  • Whatever you do this summer, stay safe

    Each year, the Air Force stresses the importance of zero mishaps during the 101 Critical Days of Summer through PowerPoint slides, commander’s calls and safety briefings. For the most part, Airmen do their part to put safety at the forefront. But what about those safety issues that tend to fall

  • Airmen can now update their duty history online

    Airmen will be responsible for reviewing their duty history and requesting changes, additions or deletions online through the virtual Military Personnel Flight beginning May 30. Airmen can enter the vMPF by logging onto the Air Force Personnel Center's secure Web site where they can access their

  • Active-duty retirement applications centralized online

    The active-duty retirement program is going virtual and applications will be processed at the Air Force Contact Center effective May 22 as part of the first phase of the Personnel Services Delivery Transformation. Airmen eligible to retire will initiate the process online via the virtual Military

  • New service dress prototypes pique interest

    Based on feedback received during visits with Airmen across the Air Force, the Air Force Uniform Board is reviewing several concepts that Airmen have suggested regarding the appearance of the service dress uniform. Some of the informal feedback about the current service dress includes Airmen wanting

  • Balad remains one busy airfield

    Aircraft pack the flightline here and operations are non-stop and intense. C-130 Hercules, MQ-1 Predators, F-16 Fighting Falcons and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters all call this busy base home. The men and women who support the aircraft say Balad has the busiest single-runway airfield in the Department

  • Suggestions garner rewards for three Airmen

    Three NCOs here recently were approved to receive $10,000 each for coming up with new ideas that saved the Air Force money. Master Sgt. Mark Gauthier and Tech. Sgt. Matthew Wilson of Air Force Special Operations Command, and Tech. Sgt. Arnoldo Cuevas, 16th Civil Engineer Squadron,  are expected to

  • Medics return to Lackland from Iraq deployment

    Air Force medics returned today to Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, after a deployment to Iraq. Many of the 60 Airmen served at the Air Force theater hospital at Balad Air Base. For the complete story on their return, see the Web report on “Medical Warriors” in the

  • Air Force flexibility on display in Iraq and Afghanistan

    Air Force fighters no longer just swoop down from the sky to drop their deadly weapons in support of ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fighters equipped with special sensor pods, developed for more precise bombing, also are warning commanders and troops fighting on the ground about enemy

  • Program educates military spouses, builds confidence

    Signing up to join the military can be an intimidating ordeal for military members, but they're not the only ones who experience anxiety when the dotted line is signed. Before 2002, military spouses here were on their own to learn about Air Force services, customs and courtesies.  Now, coordinators

  • Opening another world, one book at a time

    People in the 8th Fighter Wing donated more than 1,270 English-language children’s books to the Kunsan City library May 3 after a book drive that ran from March 8 to April 17. The book drive, the first of its kind here, collected books as a way to help teach English to Korean youth in the local

  • Thunderbirds perform 4,000th show

    The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, performed their 4,000th air show May 13 at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The show was the team's 14th of the 2006 season. “We perform about 70 air shows throughout the year, representing the 530,000 men and women in our Air

  • ICC: Coming soon to a base near you

    When a crisis happens on base, wing leaders and representatives from various support agencies often will huddle in the wing command post. Operating from this nerve center, they direct emergency services, assess situations and come up with solutions during crises. But the days of the traditional

  • 'Your life is our business'

    In the shadows behind every aircrew stands a life support team. These Airmen typically don’t seek the limelight. Instead, they want all “their” aircrews to come home safely. The role of life support is significant for many reasons, said Staff Sgt. Jessica McCormick, a KC-135 Stratotanker life

  • Medics make air evacuation easier on wounded troops

    Wounded U.S. troops leave this base each day on military transports after their release from the contingency air staging facility at the airport waiting area. The staging area is a busy place and has all the staff and equipment needed to treat any patient awaiting air evacuation. Airmen from the

  • C-17 pilot receives Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy

    The skies over West Texas March 10, 2005 could have come right off a picture postcard:  blue, cloudless and so clear you could see horizon to horizon. It was, as one Air Force pilot put it, a perfect day for flying. Capt. Andreas Ix and his C-17 Globemaster III aircrew were participating in a

  • Strategic maintenance gives Airmen diverse experience

    Maintainers spend thousands of hours keeping transport aircraft flying during the course of a rotation to this desert base. So when Airmen from the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron maintenance flight show up for work, they know they will be busy. The flight’s mission is to provide strategic

  • 'Air Force Report' special focuses on suicide prevention

    Suicide prevention is a major priority for the Air Force. Stress, as a result of deployments and relationship and financial problems, affects everyone, and unfortunately, some believe suicide is the only way out.There is, however, help. Early intervention, whether from a co-worker, a chaplain or a

  • Chief Murray reflects on 29-year career

    Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray led his last Worldwide Command Chief’s Conference here April 21-26, meeting with command chiefs from around the Air Force to exchange information and discuss challenges facing today’s Airmen.During the 12th annual conference, the chief took

  • Air Force inspires Army motorcycle mentorship program

    The U.S. Army recently began testing its motorcycle mentorship program at selected installations since being inspired by the success of the Air Force's program. Air Force officials claim about a 50-percent reduction in motorcycle accidents since introducing the program in 2004. Fiscal 2006

  • Air Force Honor Guard performs at 2006 Air and Sea Show

    After the roar of the aircraft was silenced, the steady clicking of heels could be heard marching closer and closer. Suddenly, a group of Airmen, weapons contrasting starkly against their white gloves, formed up to begin their own performance: rhythmic weapon-slapping and heel-clicking mixed with

  • N.Y. lacrosse team dedicates season to Pope Airmen

    When Brianna Maglio scored the first goal of the season for her fourth grade lacrosse team in Garden City, N.Y., she wasn’t just doing it for her team. The Gray Sweeties, Brianna's team, have dedicated this season to her brother, Airman Emilio Lavia, and his unit, the 43rd Logistics Readiness

  • Mechanics keep fleet rolling through dust, mud

    Working on vehicles in the desert presents challenges. Mechanics sometimes have to scrape off layers of dirt and mud just to get to the broken part. Then there’s the parts themselves -- it is not like they can simply call an automotive supply store in Baghdad to deliver a part. “Back home, you could

  • Airmen enable Iraqi police training

    In a small outpost in the Iraqi city of Mosul, about 50 Airmen provide a safe, secure and professional environment at the Mosul Public Service Academy to enable the training of an effective and professional Iraqi police force. The Airmen at the MPSA have the chance to interact with the students who

  • SECAF releases latest 'Letter to Airmen'

    In his "Letter to Airmen" released today, Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne addresses one of the U.S. Air Forces’ core values -- Service Before Self. “As I visit and work with Airmen around the world, I could not be prouder of the many ways that you sacrifice for service before self,

  • Lt. Gen. James says farewell to Air Guard members

    Lt. Gen. Daniel James III retired as the 11th director of the Air National Guard in a ceremony at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C., on May 10.He earlier bid farewell to members of the Air National Guard in a short speech that focused almost entirely on them and barely on himself.“You’re very special

  • Navigator takes on training challenge

    A C-130 Hercules navigator said helping train the Airmen of the Iraqi Air Force's first operational transport unit was no easy task. Capt. Jeremy Smith of the 37th Airlift Squadron here served a tour with the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron’s advisory committee at Balad Air Base, Iraq, helping

  • Fighters 'take down' mountain

    Some people move mountains, others destroy them. On Tuesday, May 2, four 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Airmen did just that. Two F-15E Strike Eagle crews flew out from here on a mission in support of Operation Mountain Lion. Their assignment -- a preplanned attack to destroy caves inside a

  • Air Force plans for cleaner, greener future

    In the 1980s, firefighter training was straightforward: light a fire and see how quickly and safely it can be extinguished. So in fire-training pits at Air Force bases around the world, jet fuel was regularly sprayed onto old aircraft carcasses and the surrounding ground. The fuel was ignited and

  • Security forces at Bagram practice urban warfare

    Deployed Airmen, distributing humanitarian supplies, are taken hostage by enemy forces while visiting an Afghan village. It’s now up to the accompanying squad of security forces to rescue the Airmen and eliminate the bad guys. This is the scenario members of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces

  • Connecting the world one wire at a time

    They maintain miles of cable and wire so everyone can communicate here and to the world. The job has them working above and below ground, while fighting all the elements of being in a desert climate. This responsibility lies with the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron’s base information

  • Desktop configuration coming for ACC network users

    Air Combat Command is taking steps to standardize its 68,000 Windows-based computers by Dec. 31 -- a change that will affect every Airman and Air Force civilian who uses a computer on the network. This project, called the Standard Desktop Configuration, or SDC, is a first-time initiative that will

  • Next top enlisted chief focused on Air Force priorities

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force-select Rodney J. McKinley said his new job brings with it a great responsibility to the service’s enlisted force. As such, when he assumes his new post as the Air Force’s 15th top enlisted leader July 1, he’s not planning to make immediate changes, he said during

  • McGuire Airman makes lucky catch

    Sports history landed in the lap of a McGuire Airman May 8 while he sat in the right field bleachers of Citizens Bank Park, as the Philadelphia Phillies played the San Francisco Giants. Airman 1st Class Carlos Oliveras of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron caught Barry Bonds' 713th home run ball, which

  • Florida National Guard ready to respond to wildfires

    More than 8,000 citizen Airmen and Soldiers are ready to assist the state of Florida in fighting wildfires that have plagued the state for several weeks, Florida National Guard officials announced May 9. Guard officials said that more than 8,000 acres have burned in Florida, particularly in Volusia,

  • Friendship means the world to adopted babushkas

    Olga finished school 70 years ago. After graduating, she became a teacher of Russian, German and finally mathematics for more than 30 years. She has so much to share about that time, but today, she has fewer and fewer people to hear her stories. Brothers and sisters, husbands and children have

  • Missing World War II Airmen identified

    The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, or DPMO, announced today that two members of a four-man Army Air Forces crew missing in action from World War II have been identified. They are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. The crew is pilot Capt. Douglas Wight of

  • Services squadron shows 'BEST' hospitality

    Since January, hundreds of prizes have been passed out at bingo games, dozens of entertainers have passed through and personal trainers have spent more than 1,000 hours helping people meet their fitness goals here. “But what I wish I knew more than anything,” said 1st Lt. Tyson Edwards, “is the

  • Security forces demonstrate skills during Kyrgyzstan deployment

    Warfighters deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom can rest easy knowing their safety rests in the hands of security forces Airmen from here. Members of the 71st Security Forces Squadron from Vance deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, in February to protect Airmen and cargo from

  • Red Flag-Alaska wraps up

    More than 84 aircraft and 1,500 Air Force active duty, Reserve, and National Guard Airmen here and at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, wrapped up the first Red Flag-Alaska, held April 24 through May 5. Until this year, the exercise had been known as Cope Thunder.Pilots, maintainers, weapons

  • Airborne Airmen, Soldiers train together

    The Air Force lost a shade of blue last week when more than 30 airborne-qualified Airmen and their counterparts from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division jumped into a simulated unusable airfield during a Joint Forced Entry Exercise here. The exercise tested the teams’ abilities to “jump out of a

  • A world away, Airmen enjoy hometown tradition

    About 50 Airmen deployed here participated in Bloomsday Away on May 7, bringing an annual tradition from Spokane, Wash., to military members half a world away. The city’s annual Bloomsday 12K is a popular race with more than 50,000 participants annually. Airmen deployed here from Fairchild Air Force

  • Training programs welcome international interest

    Air Force officer and NCO training programs were showcased earlier this week when the commander of South Korea’s Education and Training Command visited schools here May 1 to 2. Lt. Gen. Youngha Lee of the Republic of South Korea Headquarters for Air Force Education and Training Command in Jinju met

  • Predator maintenance team is a ‘total force’

    Total force is more than just a concept for one squadron here. It is a way of life that brings the skills and talents of various groups into one unit to accomplish the mission.The 46th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit is responsible for maintaining the RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles

  • Palace HART helps injured Airmen

    A common trait exists among the injured Airmen recuperating at hospitals in the capital region, said the Air Force chief of staff. “Every Airman I’ve met wants to return to active duty and (his or her) unit,” said Gen. T. Michael Moseley in recent testimony on Capitol Hill. “I am proud of them and

  • AFMC wellness, safety campaign debuts May 8

    "Wellness is an attitude!" If Air Force Materiel Command leaders have their way, those words will become more than just a slogan for the command's new wellness and safety campaign. They will become a way of life. AFMC Commander Gen. Bruce Carlson identified wellness and safety of the command's

  • Blood platelet collection begins at Balad

    When coalition forces are wounded on the battlefield, sometimes it takes more than a skilled medical team to save their lives. It takes blood, and lots of it.With the help of apheresis, a new capability at the Air Force Theater Hospital here, doctors now have a ready supply of platelets, one of the

  • Reserve wing, Army unit join forces at Red Flag-Alaska

    The Air Force Reserve Command's 934th Airlift Wing, lead wing for the Elmendorf component of Red Flag-Alaska 06-2, is working with the Army’s 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, to ensure both units receive the training they need. The coordination began about nine months ago

  • Guam reservists support cargo hub at Incirlik

    Twelve reservists temporarily assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron had to travel a long, long way from home to get here. The Airmen, who are with the Air Force Reserve Command's 44th Aerial Port Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, traveled more than 72 hours to participate in a

  • Air Force names 2005 Mission Support Award winners

    The winners of the 2005 Mission Support Awards were announced May 2.The results are: PersonnelGen. Robert J. Dixon Personnel Award: Senior Master Sgt. Jimmy Jones, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Gen. Horace M. Wade Innovation Award: Tech. Sgt. Wendy Davis, Tyndall AFB, Fla. Gerrit D. Foster Jr.

  • Fewer Airmen delinquent on government travel card payments

    More Airmen are paying their government travel card bills on time, allowing the Air Force to reach what many believed was an unattainable goal set by the Department of Defense, an Air Force official said. “We met our goal by lowering our delinquency rate below 2 percent for two consecutive months,”

  • Airmen help Iraqi pilots fly again

    Pilots from the Iraqi Air Force are waiting patiently for a team of Airmen to arrive from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. It’s this team that can get them up in the air and flying again. The mission of the Iraqi 3rd Squadron hinges on the work of the Air Force Flight Test Center. The center sent a

  • Medical officer testifies before defense subcommittee

    The Air Force’s medical Airmen are performing “magnificently,” said the Air Force surgeon general during testimony before the Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on defense here May 3. “We take care of the nation’s heroes, past and present,” said Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr.,

  • B-52 presence welcomed by U.S., coalition forces

    Thirty thousand feet above Afghan terrain, the presence of B-52 Stratofortresses is felt. Their presence is welcomed by U.S. and coalition forces fighting in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, but not welcomed by the terrorists who operate from there. Maintaining the fleet of B-52s here is no

  • Chief Murray: Are you ready?

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray sent out “The Enlisted Perspective” to Airmen on May 1. In his letter, Chief Murray tells Airmen how important it is to be ready to deploy. “We all have a role to play and we must continually evaluate whether we are doing everything we can to

  • Long hours the norm for deployed Globemaster crews

    It is contrary to what common sense dictates. A series of short C-17 Globemaster III flights demand intense aircrew energy and stamina. But longer sorties remain more physically manageable. “Either way you look at it, our C-17 crews put in long hours that place physical and mental demands on the

  • Airmen make history in Iraq

    Five Airmen have joined aviation pioneers Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle and Brig. Gen. Charles “Chuck” Yeager in a select group -- all are recipients of the Clarence Mackay Trophy. To the five-person crew, the flight over northern Iraq that put them in the record books

  • Air Force mandates virtual outprocessing

    All Airmen undergoing permanent change-of-station moves, retirements or separations are now required to use the Virtual Outprocessing application available through the Virtual Military Personnel Flight. Airmen can enter the vMPF by logging onto the Air Force Personnel Center's secure Web site where

  • Andrews radio operators assist crewmembers worldwide

    As an Air Force aircraft approaches Yokota Air Base, Japan, the pilot sets his radio to a specified frequency and says, “Main Sail, Main Sail” -- the call sign for any global radio station. Within seconds, the pilot hears, “This is the Yokota operator.” That operator is actually with the 789th

  • Incirlik controllers vital link in communications process

    When the red light flashes, command post controllers react quickly because any delay could impact the mission of this base. The alarm could be a call about inclement weather. Or it could be a call for a first sergeant about a Red Cross notification. It could signal force protection changes or

  • Air Force sergeants MIA from Vietnam War identified

    The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, or DPMO, announced May 2 that the remains of two Airmen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified. They were crewmembers on a C-130 Hercules that was shot down in 1972.The Airmen are Tech. Sgt. Donald Hoskins of Madison,

  • Retreat reconnects couples before, after deployments

    On the banks of the Guadalupe River, a veterans group hosts a retreat that helps couples reconnect so they can better cope with life after deployments. Six couples attended the retreat hosted by the Military, Veteran and Family Assistance Foundation at the Heart of the Hills Camp here from April 20

  • Air Force leaders highlight contribution to warfighters

    Participants in the Joint Civilian Orientation Course touring the U.S. Central Command area of operations April 29 learned about the mission the Air Force carries out in support of troops on the ground. Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, described the magnitude of the

  • Air Force flight bring smiles to Iraqi children

    As they stepped into the large, gray military cargo plane, their eyes widened and their expressions were equal parts wonder and bewilderment. This was the first time many of the Iraqi children and their parents had ever flown in an airplane, and none had ever been in an aircraft as large as the Air

  • Air Force automates training records process

    Airmen in logistics career fields soon will have access to an online tool that takes an Airman's training records out of a desk drawer and makes them available through a desktop computer. The automated training records and management application, called "Training Business Area," or TBA, on the Air

  • Terrorism: more than just al-Qaeda may be in your back yard

    In the wake of the attacks that took place on Sept. 11, 2001, the Department of Defense implemented new initiatives to thwart future attacks on U.S. soil. These measures were called “threat conditions.” It wasn’t until 2004 that the Defense Department revamped threatcon procedures into what are now

  • ‘Paintbarn’ Airmen improve mission, preserve environment

    Airmen at the paintbarn here not only are working more efficiently, they also are doing their part to help preserve the environment. Thanks to a paint gun and equipment-cleaning system, the Airmen have reduced the amount of paint thinner contaminant waste they create by 99.991 percent. The base,

  • Guard, Reserve leaders testify before appropriations committee

    In recent testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, representatives of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve updated senators on the status of the forces. The panel questioned Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of the Air

  • Chief McKinley selected as 15th CMSAF

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley has named Chief Master Sgt. Rodney J. McKinley to serve as the 15th chief master sergeant of the Air Force. Chief McKinley will assume his new position July 1, following the June 30 retirement of Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray.

  • Army clinic's lone Airman manages pharmacy

    Staff Sgt. Guanina Palermo works in what is, to her, another world -- one colored in Army green. The sergeant from Liverpool, N.Y., is a certified pharmacy technician working at the health clinic at this U.S. Army camp just outside Kaiserslautern, Germany. The camp isn’t exactly another world.  It’s

  • Air Force selects 28 Airmen for medical training

    The Air Force selected 28 enlisted members to take part in the Tri-Service Physician Assistant Training Program at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The board met here in March, selecting 28 people from 57 applicants. The average selectee was 28 years old with 7.1 years time in service and had a 3.5 grade

  • Aircraft maintenance accident investigation complete

    Air Mobility Command today released the results of its investigation into the Dec. 17, 2005, mishap involving an aircraft maintenance technician assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The Accident Investigation Board, convened by AMC, concluded the primary cause of

  • Loadmasters use new parachute jettison device

    An emergency parachute jettison device was used for the first time during a Joint Forcible Entry Exercise here April 25. Loadmasters from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and Dyess AFB, Texas, participated in the exercise. Chief Master Sgt. Steven Pyszka and Master Sgt. Lee McDaniel, loadmaster

  • Air Force engineers take a jump

    Joint operations are not a new concept here. It’s a way of life for many units on base. But for a new breed of Air Force joint operators, this week’s Joint Forced Entry Exercise was a chance to get off the ground -- literally. The Airmen are part of Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair

  • Orphanage favorite off-duty destination for Manas Airmen

    Children at an orphanage here have become accustomed to a weekly ritual. Teachers wake them from naps or gather them from activities into a common area, the door opens, and people with boxes, bags and armfuls of treats walk in. The kids run for hugs and in a moment they’re scattered like it’s

  • HVAC: Keeping you cool

    Most people either love them or hate them. Maybe it isn’t that melodramatic, but when people are sweating at their office or while trying to sleep they don’t have many good things to say about the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, shop. The HVAC shop here is responsible for more

  • CMSAF Murray enjoys day at work with his children

    Not many children can say they have shaken hands with a former astronaut or wandered the halls of the prestigious E-ring at the Pentagon as their parent conducts business with some of the Air Force's top leaders. But not every child has the highest-ranking enlisted Airman for a father, either. That

  • Air refueling squadron takes flight to fuel the fight

    Fighters are in the air 24 hours a day, providing constant support to ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Without midair refueling, that coverage would be lost. The 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron provides fuel to those thirsty fighters as they keep troops on the ground safe, said Lt.

  • Family support center eases résumé worries

    The average employer will view a résumé for 15 to 20 seconds before moving on to another, according to family support center officials here. For this reason, they said it is vital for job seekers to have a résumé that represents their skills and abilities in the best manner. "The résumé is your

  • CROWS gets Airmen out of the turret

    A new weapon system in the Air Force arsenal takes Airmen out of the gun turret and into the safety of a fully up-armored Humvee. The 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron operates the only Common Remote Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, in the Air Force inventory. As one of three security

  • SECAF discusses current, future personnel issues

    Ensuring the Air Force operates fiscally is akin to anyone budgeting and paying for household and living expenses. The costs involved must be balanced and paid in order to maintain a certain lifestyle. For the Air Force, some of the business costs reside in the targeted reduction of 40,000 full-time

  • Air Force test team launches 'overhauled' Iraqi aircraft

    Airmen from several Air Force bases spent two months preparing, disassembling, rebuilding and testing an Iraqi Air Force Comp Air 7SLX, which had its first test flight here April 25.The aircraft is considered experimental, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It is designed to be an

  • Luke sees big rewards from marketing environment

    The environmental flight at any one Air Force base is like any other across the Air Force. They are always looking for new ways to protect the environment while improving the Air Force’s quality of life. That is why education and awareness programs are their bread and butter. “I love to educate,”

  • Reward of dangerous job is saving lives

    One might think explosive ordnance disposal troops are adrenalin junkies. But they are meticulous about their work and don’t take unnecessary risks. However, because they deal with explosives placed by the enemy, the risk is real. “We all know the consequences,” said Tech. Sgt. William Sistler, a

  • FAST Airmen fly thousands of miles to keep aircraft safe

    Gathering equipment and getting weapons from the armory in preparation for the day’s patrol is something security forces Airmen do every day. But for the members of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron’s fly-away security team, the patrol will take them to five airfields and cover almost