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  • Ladies' night over Afghanistan

    In one of her songs, country singer Shania Twain croons about all the things women do these days -- they are judges, politicians, doctors and soldiers, to name a few.Not mentioned in the song, but occurring more frequently as the global war on terrorism continues, is something else: female fliers

  • Two Robins units receive deployment orders

    The 5th Combat Communications Group and 116th Air Control Wing here received orders to deploy to the U.S. Central Command theater of operations.The orders are a part of a larger action by the United States to reposition some of its military forces to support the global war on terrorism and to

  • Air National Guard supports shuttle efforts

    Air National Guard airmen joined the grim and painstaking search for debris from Space Shuttle Columbia soon after it disintegrated over Texas.Two F-15 Eagles from the Louisiana Air Guard's 159th Fighter Wing began an aerial search for wreckage over the vast region of eastern Texas and southwestern

  • February issue of Airman available

    Take a look at Air Force risk takers through the years, learn the inside scoop on preparing for a deployment, and read about how combat controllers are prepared for war through advanced skills training. These features and more highlight the February issue of Airman magazine, now available in print

  • Airmen test medical decontamination shelter

    A 19-person team comprised of several Air Force specialties from the 51st Medical Group here are doing their part to improve chemical and biological defense capability within the Air Force and Department of Defense.The team operated a small shelter patient decontamination system, also known as a

  • First sergeant changes benefit entire AF

    Air Force officials are touting recent changes made to first sergeant assignments and hope that more senior noncommissioned officers take advantage of what some are calling "the best job I've ever had in the Air Force."The Air Force converted the career field into a special-duty assignment in

  • Eglin engineers test bombs with brains

    Determining if warheads can penetrate underground targets and detonate after counting floor levels or measuring depth was the focus of recent sled testing on a Hard Target Smart Fuze here.HTSF engineering team members placed the fuze in an inert warhead on a 2,000-foot test track and sent it through

  • U.S. forces return to Philippines

    Nearly 400 U.S. soldiers and airmen of Special Operations Command-Pacific have assembled here for a monthlong joint combined exchange training program. Called "Balance Piston 03-05," the exercise is geared toward improving the interoperability of the two nations' armed forces and enhancing tactical

  • Runway's end home for 'Warthog' launchers

    The end of the runway is one of the worst places to work at windswept Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, which is located at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains.It is cold and wind gusts kick up clouds of choking dust, said Staff Sgt. Chris Bolt. But the weapons loader spends 12 hours a day, seven days

  • Two airmen among seven lost in shuttle disaster

    Two Air Force officers were among the seven astronauts lost when the Space Shuttle Columbia apparently broke apart at 9 a.m. EST Feb.1 in the area over north central Texas. Col. Rick Husband was the mission commander and Lt. Col. Michael Anderson was the payload commander.The shuttle was preparing

  • Phone home

    Airmen talk on six phones in this forward-deployed base's morale tent Jan. 28. People can make one 10-minute phone call home per week, and they have access to the Internet on six computer workstations. The airmen are assigned to the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing supporting Operation Enduring

  • Sergeant gets six years confinement

    An Air Force staff sergeant will spend six years in confinement, be demoted to airman basic and be dishonorably discharged for stealing four laptop computers and two personal data assistant devices from U.S. Central Command last year.A military judge sentenced Staff Sgt. Sheridan Ferrell II on Jan.

  • The iceman 'teach-eth'

    Capt. Damian Schlussel instructs Senior Airman Chris Hucks on ice axe self-arrest techniques at the peak here Jan. 26. Schlussel is the officer in charge of the security forces training flight for the 31st Security Forces Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Hucks is a communications project

  • February's Citizen Airman magazine now available

    At Moody Air Force Base, Ga., airmen of the 39th Flying Training Squadron are using their civilian corporate knowledge to help teach fighter fundamentals to new Air Force pilots. Read about the direct impact these reservists have on the future of the Air Force as well as the nation's security in

  • 'Good Morning America' spotlights Incirlik

    Incirlik and its people will share the spotlight with Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson on Feb. 3 during a special broadcast of "Good Morning America."The show, scheduled to be broadcast live from Istanbul, will focus on Turkey's role in current events as well as Incirlik's specific role as the hub of

  • Convicted airman considers himself lucky

    With tears in his eyes, he spoke of his two sons -- how he is missing them grow up, and how they are growing up so fast. His voice quivered as he mentioned his youngest son's visit, and how his boy did not even recognize him. He will miss his youngest son's first birthday this month.Airman Basic

  • 'Bob' marks mission milestone

    A C-130 Hercules assigned to the 778th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron marked a milestone Jan. 26 when it reached 30,000 flying hours while performing a combat mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.The aircraft, from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and now serving at a forward-deployed

  • 'Emergency data cards' move to Web

    More than a week before its planned launch, the new Web-based 'emergency data card' helped more than 1,000 airmen in Alaska mobilize for a real world deployment.Scheduled to kick off Jan. 27, the program began early to help airmen deploy from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Air Force Personnel

  • Foam dome

    A new fire suppression system is tested in the main hangar belonging to the 174th Fighter Wing here. The wing, part of the New York Air National Guard, flies F-16 Fighting Falcons. (Photo by Senior Airman Michael Dickson)

  • Bagram duty has its hazards

    Talk of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win in the Super Bowl stopped abruptly Jan. 27 when a work crew uncovered an unexploded bomb at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.A team working in an area behind the base's control tower unearthed an unexploded Russian-made anti-personnel bomblet. The Air Force

  • Score!

    Tech. Sgt. Gary Walden raises his arms in celebration of a score during Super Bowl XXXVII as co-workers Tech. Sgts. Van Hess (middle) and Roy Mumey stew over the play. Airmen at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, had to rise at 3:50 a.m. to catch the live event in a recreation center at Air Force

  • Hercules has arrived

    More C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft and airmen arrived at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, recently to provide further support for the war on terrorism. The additional aircraft will enhance the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing's ability to conduct airlift missions supporting ground forces in Afghanistan.

  • A patient with patience

    An Afghan boy from the Aroki Province of Kapisa in Afghanistan waits to be seen by U.S. military medics Jan. 21. Airmen from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, along with soldiers from the 48th Combat Support Hospital and the 924th Korean Medical hospital, visited the province to offer health care

  • Fuel specialists keep Air Force flying high

    There is an old saying that "the Army runs on its stomach." Well, the Air Force runs on fuel, jet fuel, and lots of it.The Air Force's petroleum office makes sure the Air Force has fuel whenever and wherever it needs it, according to Col. David King, commander of Detachment 3 of the Air Force's

  • Rhein-Main maintains air bridge to Afghanistan

    Airman 1st Class Nate Hill had one thing in mind: getting his C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane airborne so it could get on with its mission.That is "Job 1" at this once-again busy airlift base outside Frankfurt, and if to do that means standing in a steady, cold drizzle most of the day, so be it,

  • Force modules give commanders 'playbook'

    The Air Force is developing a "playbook" that will allow combatant commanders to better manage their air assets, particularly in the area of opening and establishing forward bases.According to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe, special assistant for air and space expeditionary forces at the Pentagon, the

  • Center training civilian journalists

    Air Mobility Warfare Center instructors here began training 60 journalists Jan. 20 during Joint Service Media Orientation and Training.The course, also known as "media boot camp," is a Department of Defense initiative that puts journalists through a weeklong, hands-on block of classes and field

  • Fighter squadron deactivating after deployment

    "Mission complete" are familiar words of relief to military people who have completed their duty and relinquished their post.However, these words carry more meaning for 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron airmen as they complete their Operation Northern Watch mission here and prepare to deactivate

  • Keeping fuel flowing

    Senior Airman Johnathan Seifert inspects a gauge that indicates the operational status of the fuel system. Seifert is assigned to the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron's fuels management flight here. The flight provides nearly 33 million gallons of fuel annually to the 100th Air Refueling Wing's

  • Tweaking tankers

    Tech. Sgt. Michael Mickens works on a KC-135 Stratotanker after an air refueling mission over Afghanistan on Jan 20. Mickens is assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The base is home to forces from

  • Air commandos perform mission of mercy

    Quick actions of three airmen helped save a Japanese woman's life following an auto accident outside the base gate here Jan. 15.While returning to Kadena from another military installation about 4 p.m., three members of the 353rd Special Operations Group were stopped at a traffic light about a mile

  • Idea earns sergeant $10,000

    A noncommissioned officer here recently earned $10,000 from the Air Force's Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program. He received the money for writing an inspection and maintenance manual for the Department of Defense and the Air Force concerning metal shipping containers.Tech.

  • Deployed troops offered educational opportunities

    The 320th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location is scheduled to have a fully operational education center by Feb. 15."Ultimately we hope to offer educational services the same as stateside bases," said Tech. Sgt. John Becker, base education officer.The base has been approved to

  • AF cancels B-1 defensive upgrade

    Air Force officials recently announced that the service was canceling the B-1B Lancer's Defensive System Upgrade Program because of cost overruns and schedule slips, but remains committed to improving the aircraft's combat capability.The DSUP was intended to replace the B-1's current defensive suite

  • Rock and unroll

    Airmen with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing unroll a fuel bladder Jan. 20 as part of an effort to increase fuel storage capacity at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Each bladder can hold up to 210,000 gallons of fuel. (Photo by Staff Sgt. David Donovan)

  • Travis shows 'true colors' during NFL game

    Bay area football fans showed their patriotism and appreciation for the Air Force on Jan. 19 as the Oakland Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans during the league championship game at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, Calif.As part of pregame festivities, more than 200 people from Travis Air

  • Team provides airborne intensive care

    Moving critically injured and sick troops from the front lines to larger and better-equipped military medical facilities is the job of the Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Team based at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.The team works with Air Force aerial medical evacuation specialists to provide

  • Leader of the packing

    Airman 1st Class Brian Crawford packs up a reverse osmosis water purification unit at a forward-deployed location supporting of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit is being sent for repairs. Crawford is currently a utilities systems journeyman assigned to the 321st Expeditionary Civil Engineer

  • Here comes the sun

    Airmen from the 363rd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, move an F-15 Eagle into place for display during the live broadcast of NBC's "Today" show Jan. 14. The show, aired live on the East Coast and tape-delay broadcast on the West Coast, featured

  • Spangdahlem gets deployment order

    More than 500 airmen and numerous F-16CJ Fighting Falcons left here Jan. 12 and 16 for a forward-deployed locations to support the unified command as part of a secretary of defense-issued order.The 52nd Fighter Wing was part of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's Dec. 24 deployment order,

  • Leaders announce new core competencies

    The Air Force's senior leaders debuted the service's new approach to describing its core competencies this week.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper made this announcement in two separate messages to all airmen. Roche released his first "The

  • Sink or swim

    Senior Airman Robert Cordell swims across the pool while wearing his anti-exposure suit during water survival training here. The swimming pool training provides students a realistic environment for using life support equipment in water. Cordell is a C-130 Hercules loadmaster from the base's 36th

  • Need for blood donations grows

    With a smaller pool of eligible military donors and a recently decreased stock of frozen blood, the Air Force assistant vice chief of staff is calling on servicemembers and their families to donate blood.In a recent memo to the field, Lt. Gen. Joseph Wehrle asked airmen worldwide to support the

  • ACC begins F/A-22 operations

    Air Combat Command entered a new era Jan. 14 as America's newest fighter-attack aircraft touched down here.Raptor 00-012, the first F/A-22 to be delivered directly to the command, was flown from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Nellis by Lt. Col. David Rose, chief of Nellis' F/A-22 integration

  • Dyess aircrews poised for bomb runs over Iraq

    While the United States prepares for a possible war with Iraq, aircrews at this B-1B Lancer base have not changed their training routine.The airmen are not yet part of the huge U.S. military buildup that has taken thousands of troops to bases in the Middle East, but they know they will play a key

  • Explosive business

    Senior Airman Douglas Frey uses a mine detector to locate buried ordnance here Jan. 9. Frey is assigned to the 39th Civil Engineer Squadron. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr.)

  • 'Primetime Thursday' featuring Alaska Air Guard

    ABC News program "Primetime Thursday" features airmen of the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th Air Rescue Squadron and their part in the rescue of two climbers on Mount St. Elias. The climbers witnessed two other climbers in their party die on the mountain. The show is scheduled to air Jan. 16.The

  • Pope combat controller awarded Air Force Cross

    Senior Air Force leaders awarded the Air Force Cross to Tech. Sgt. John Chapman here Jan. 10.Chapman, a combat controller killed in Afghanistan while saving the lives of his entire team, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, which is second only to the Medal of Honor as an award for

  • Keeping mail flowing while deployed

    On a daily basis, the morale of people deployed to the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing weighs on the minds of the base postal flight, and they want nothing more than to deliver."We're big-time morale boosters," said Airman 1st Class Jonathan Morgan, an information manager by trade. "That's our main

  • Quarterly assignment listing available

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for people returning from overseas May through July will be available Jan. 13.Individuals need to work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences since the update process is not yet totally automated, according to Air Force

  • Let it snow!

    As the first major snowfall of the season covers Aviano Air Base, Italy, on Jan. 9, Airman 1st Class Brian Hirsch of the 31st Security Forces Squadron maintains security at the base's gate. (Photo by Master Sgt. Dave Ahlschwede)

  • Air Force survival instructor shows Marines the ropes

    Huddled with a group of shivering students on a recent cold morning, an Air Force survival instructor from the 374th Operations Support Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, demonstrates the proper way to rappel from a 70-foot tower. The group watches carefully as he attaches a rope to his harness

  • Team erects B-2 shelters at deployed location

    Twenty members of the 49th Materiel Maintenance Squadron here spent more than 70 days at a deployed location working 12-hour shifts to erect portable shelters for B-2 Spirit bombers.The Air Force now has two transportable hangar systems that will allow the B-2 to deploy overseas. Moving the B-2s to

  • Operation Gray Eagle unites military people with retirees

    Veterans and new recruits seldom move in the same circles. But that has changed here.The base has started a trial program, Operation Gray Eagle, which unites veterans living in the Denver area with students in the base's airmen leadership school for a session that seeks to pass experience and

  • Air Force begins smallpox vaccines

    The Air Force chief of staff has directed the immediate implementation of the smallpox vaccination program.In a Jan. 6 policy memorandum to major command commanders, Gen. John P. Jumper outlined details of the commanders' force protection program against the deadly biological warfare agent.The first

  • January issue of Airman's 'The Book' now available online

    Demographics, statistics, and a wide range of compiled information about the Air Force highlight the first issue of Airman magazine in 2003, available now on the World Wide Web."Centennial of Flight" is the theme for Airman's January 2003 issue, traditionally called "The Book." The issue focuses on

  • Gas 'n go

    An airman from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, refuels a KC-10 Extender aircraft recently. The fuels section maintains about 1 million gallons of fuel to support the base and the KC-10 and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by

  • Servicemembers heading toward gulf

    Thousands of American servicemembers are deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of operations.The largest deployment is that of the Army's 16,500-man 3rd Infantry Division to Kuwait.The division's 2nd Brigade is already in Kuwait. The 3rd Brigade, based at Fort Benning, Ga., flies out this week

  • Officer assignments move beyond 'seven-day option'

    Following secretary of the Air Force guidance, Air Force Personnel Center officials reviewed and improved what was called the "seven-day option" policy for officer assignments.Those officers who would be eligible to separate or retire instead of taking an assignment will now get more than seven days

  • Guardsman's soup provides Sunday retreat

    It is Sunday in Afghanistan's Air Force Village, and a huge 15-gallon metal cooking pot is providing a little taste of home.Folks are lining up for another Sunday helping of home cooking by Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Treaster.Treaster, an Air National Guardsman from McEntire Air National Guard Base,

  • Air Force prepares for major deployment

    Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed the deployment of additional forces to support operations Enduring Freedom, Desert Spring and possible future contingencies Dec. 24.The additional active-duty forces in Air and Space Expeditionary Forces 7 and 8 as well as selected forces from AEFs 9

  • Innovation pays in more ways than one

    Innovation has paid off, not once, but four times for one 552nd Air Control Wing airman.Since his arrival at the 552nd ACW four years ago, Staff Sgt. Daniel McSwain has continually looked for ways to improve processes in his shop. He is an avionics test station and aircraft component specialist in

  • Avoiding 'Trash-ganistan'

    Senior Airman Courtney Swales (left) holds on as Senior Master Sgt. Dave Dickinson drives a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle with a load full of trash from Air Force Village at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Hauling trash to the dump is one of many additional duties airmen frequently pull at the base.

  • Leaders stress winter safety

    With the winter season firmly in place and bitter weather gripping the nation, the service's senior leaders urge Air Force members to be safety-conscious."The mission, travel, weather and distractions caused by family separations all factor into increased risk," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr.

  • Now showing: Dec. 23 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Dec. 23 edition of Air Force Television News is the first of four special productions of the program to be seen in December, January and February. This first of the four is the annual "Year in Review" edition, and is dedicated to the men and women of the Air Force and the job they do both on

  • A couple's first Christmas

    Airmen 1st Class Christopher and Heather Otis exchange gifts Christmas morning at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. This is their first Christmas as husband and wife. Both are crew chiefs deployed to the 379th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. (Photo by Master Sgt.

  • Forces delivering wheelchairs to Afghanistan

    The first 50 of 1,000 donated wheelchairs bound for disabled people in Afghanistan were delivered to Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, as part of an ongoing humanitarian project.Baisal Limited, a wheelchair manufacturer in nearby Bishkek, assembled the wheelchairs and then delivered them to coalition

  • Dropping in for Christmas

    Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen and his wife, Lorraine, inspect a stuffed bear before it was dropped Dec. 21 during the 50th anniversary flights of Christmas Drop. For 50 years people at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, have gathered Christmas gifts and supplies to be airdropped to Pacific islanders. A

  • Air Force leaders send holiday message

    The following is a holiday message from Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, and Dr. James. G. Roche, secretary of the Air Force:"In this season of thanksgiving and reverent celebration, we send our warmest wishes to our entire Air Force team of active, Guard, Reserve, civilian and retired

  • Lending a helping hand

    Staff Sgt. Brian Seeley of the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron here sorts through gifts for families in the area. Squadron airmen helped transport food from area collection points and boxed items for the Salvation Army's holiday program. (Photo by Sue Sapp)

  • AF realigns 13k military, civilian positions

    The Air Force will realign more than 13,000 active-duty and civilian manpower authorizations now through the end of the decade to better support the service's highest-priority mission requirements, personnel officials said Dec. 19."This restructuring of manpower positions isn't an attempt to reduce

  • Water on its way

    Airman 1st Class Randy Bennett drives a 13k all-terrain forklift carrying a pallet of water to a C-130 Hercules aircraft headed for Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Dec. 18. Water is shipped weekly to deployed troops in Afghanistan. Bennett is assigned to the 320th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron

  • Anniversary aircraft

    B-2 Spirit crew chiefs Staff Sgt. Jay Pirnie (left) and Senior Airman Heath Traugh watch their jet, the "Spirit of Indiana," run up its engines here Dec. 17. The two airmen, assigned to the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, were readying the aircraft for takeoff on the ninth anniversary of the

  • Nutrition helps achieve fitness goals

    To achieve overall fitness, health and wellness, people need to consider their nutritional requirements as well as their physical needs."Good nutrition goes hand in hand with exercise to help a person live a healthier lifestyle," said Tech. Sgt. Ronald Cochran, the noncommissioned officer in charge

  • AF, Navy form alliance to better meet education needs

    The Air Force and Navy formed an agreement Dec. 18 to meet the advanced education requirements of both services and the Department of Defense.This educational alliance will leverage the capabilities of the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the Naval

  • Giving thanks

    -- Holloman Intermediate School's fourth-graders presented 10 members of the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron with a handmade flag during a small assembly at the school. The students had sent thank-you cards to the airmen while they were deployed to Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Vanessa

  • Enlisted members hit the books at AFIT

    The secretary of the Air Force's initiative to mold a technically educated force is paying off for the eight senior noncommissioned officers selected to pursue master's degrees at the Air Force's premier graduate school.The enrollment of enlisted members into the Air Force Institute of Technology,

  • Osan heats up for 'Cookie Crunch'

    Pam Piekarczyk, a member of the base's spouses club, was one of more than 50 base volunteers who recently helped to mix 60 dozen eggs, 260 pounds of brown sugar, nearly 200 pounds of butter, more than 80 bags of chocolate chips and a few other sweet ingredients to bake 3,000 dozen cookies. The

  • Fox News to broadcast from Whiteman

    Airman 1st Class Corie Hudson of the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron operates a munitions lift truck Dec. 17 as Fox News Channel photographer Svein Schwab films the action for a future broadcast. The Fox News Channel will feature the base and the 509th Bomb Wing every hour throughout the day

  • Centennial of Flight kicks off year of festivities

    A yearlong recognition of aviation began here Dec. 17 with the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission's national kickoff.Among those in attendance were a retired member of the Tuskegee Airmen and a former Air Force pilot who flew with the Flying Tigers during World War II.Wilbur and Orville Wright

  • Strike up the band!

    Country and soul recording artist Lari White, gospel and soul recording artist BeBe Winans, and Tech. Sgt. Darden Safely, a featured vocalist with the U.S. Air Force Band's Airmen of Note, sing "America the Beautiful" Dec. 16 for members of the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing at a deployed location.

  • Deployed airmen get connected

    To help deployed Air Force people stay in touch with their families, family support center workers here recently mailed off more than 40,000 AT&T Corp. phone calling cards as part of an annual Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation program.The 60-minute calling cards have also been sent to military

  • A rad reading

    Senior Airman Pamela Wiggins from the 810th Medical Operations Squadron here tests a 21st Security Forces Squadron member for radiation contamination during a weapons-of-mass-destruction exercise Dec. 11. The 21st Space Wing inspector general and a team of experts from Texas A&M University put the

  • Air Force kicks off Centennial of Flight celebration

    The Air Force joins the yearlong Centennial of Flight celebration on Dec. 17 that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight.The Air Force will participate in centennial events honoring a century of aviation heroes and communicate its contributions to airpower,

  • New system speeds up overseas check cashing

    Many of the Air Force's overseas cashier cages will soon use a new paperless check cashing system.The Military Paper Check Conversion system, developed by the U.S. Treasury, instantly converts paper checks presented to the cashier into an electronic image to be processed by the financial

  • Forces rotate for Operation Northern Watch

    More than 1,000 airmen are replacing Operation Northern Watch veterans as the Air and Space Expeditionary Force system performs its regular three-month rotation from late November through the first part of December.Based at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, the new airmen join Turkish and British coalition

  • Maintainers brave elements to keep tankers flying

    Teeth chatter, hands shake, even bones ache through cold-weather gloves.While almost all North Dakota wildlife is in hiding, and most people here are sheltered indoors from the sub-zero temperatures and brutal 40 mph winds, 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron workers are fighting the elements while

  • Guard, Reserve play vital roles in desert mission

    Guard and Reserve troops at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, are a vital part of the total force supporting the Operation Southern Watch mission of enforcing U.N. sanctions on Iraq and monitoring the southern no-fly zone.Not only are Air Reserve Component forces providing essential experience,

  • Airmen apprehended for drug use

    Nine airmen here were apprehended early Dec. 8 for illegal drug use as part of the Air Force's on-going zero-tolerance drug program.The airmen, from the 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 354th Maintenance Squadron, were identified as possible drug users through investigations conducted by

  • Keeping C-130 Hercules strong, mission ready

    The 320th Air Expeditionary Wing's motto is "Combat Airlift After Dark." Pilots and crews complete this mission with a fleet of aging C-130 Hercules, night out and night in.But, just like a winning driver in auto racing, pilots cannot get to the finish line without the maintainers providing the

  • Airman sentenced for drug use

    A 48th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron airman was sentenced to a bad conduct discharge, reduction to the lowest enlisted rank and 10 months confinement during a court-martial here Dec. 11.Airman 1st Class James Rotunda pleaded guilty to five specifications of violating of Article 112a of the Uniform

  • 'Spirit of Strom Thurmond' honors senator's 100 years

    The Air Force commemorated the 100th birthday of one of the longest-serving U.S. senators by naming its newest aircraft in his honor Dec. 12.The 100th C-17 Globemaster III to roll off the assembly line was christened the "Spirit of Strom Thurmond" in a ceremony here seven days after the senator's

  • Andersen slowly digs out after typhoon

    Residents here felt the full force from one of nature's most destructive forces Dec. 8 as Typhoon Pongsona released its fury.Pongsona's eye passed over Andersen in the late afternoon and took more than two hours to completely pass before the full force of the typhoon ripped through the

  • Extreme cold hitting deployed airmen

    The weather is extreme at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, just 120 miles east of the Chinese border. It is early December and snow and ice consume the landscape, and people face four-degree temperatures outside. For those airmen without the gear to keep warm, it is time to head to supply."We're trying

  • Team heats things up while deployed

    They work around the clock, seven days a week, in subzero temperatures, with hundreds of people's lives in their hands. Members of the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning team at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, will call this life for at least the next

  • December issue of Airman available

    The Centennial of Flight celebration begins, learning to defend the KC-135 Stratotanker in a war zone, and the future of treating trauma victims on the battlefield highlight the December issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online.In this month's issue:Nearly a hundred years ago, the

  • Now showing: Dec. 9 edition of Air Force Television News

    The potential problem of recruiting members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve because of lengthy mobilization and operations tempo is featured in the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Both Assistant Defense Secretary Thomas Hall and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz

  • Missing airman found dead

    An airman, missing since Nov. 27, was found dead Dec. 8 near Trier, Germany.German police found the body of Master Sgt. Randall D. Callison near his vehicle on Autobahn 1 at around 2 p.m.Callison, from Walcott, Iowa, was assigned to U.S. Air Forces in Europe headquarters here and worked in the

  • Assignment system upgrades in progress

    The nearly 30,000 officers and enlisted members who access the online Assignment Management System each day are experiencing technology's classic "good news, bad news" story.An upgrade will improve access speed and allow AMS to support the total force development concept, but until it is complete,

  • ACC conducts flight leadership focus day

    To focus on the importance of flight leadership, Air Combat Command aircraft will not be flying Dec. 6.With increases in operations tempo and aircraft mishaps, Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, ACC commander, directed a flight leadership focus day.Commanders across ACC will conduct mandatory training focusing