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  • Prescription meds: Proceed with caution

    With a steady military healthcare system and a variety of medical resources in the Air Force, it can be difficult for some Airmen to ensure their prescribed medications are current. When Airmen ignore inspecting their medicine cabinets they risk possible damage to their careers and, more

  • Manas Airmen donate necessities to hospital, school in Kyrgyzstan

    Airmen here visited a local hospital and a school for the deaf Oct. 31 to donate more than 300 mattresses, 240 beds and medical supplies to a mental hospital in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Some of the Airmen from the Transit Center at Manas also put a smile on the faces of children at the Bishkek School

  • Ramstein officials celebrate Air Force Family Week

    Ramstein Air Base officials held numerous events inviting active-duty, Guard and Reserve members as well as spouse and civilian employees to see firsthand some of the services available to them at the base's Airman and Family Readiness Center as part of Air Force Family Week Nov. 4 here. This year

  • 'Today's Air Force' features signing of Military Family Month proclamation

    In this edition of "Today's Air Force," medical evacuation specialists in Germany hit a major milestone, Airmen in Iraq take charge of security for Joint Base Balad, and a sick woman takes part in an art program designed to help cancer patients deal with their disease.Airmen staffing the Contingency

  • Chief of Staff addresses key mobility, Air Force issues at conference

    Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, recently attended the 41st Airlift Tanker Association conference where he addressed a gathering of more than 4,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen. In his comments, General Schwartz emphasized the importance of every Airman and

  • Airmen train future journalists

    More than 85 students from Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio received a firsthand look at the story telling mission of the Defense Media Activity-San Antonio Nov. 6 here.The tour was geared to spark interest in the Air Force and various media career paths to provide the sixth, seventh and eighth

  • Academy physicians discuss H1N1 lessons learned

    Senior medical officials who successfully slowed the spread of H1N1 flu virus at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., published what they learned in an October article featured in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Catherine Witkop, a preventive

  • Airmen learn traditions during Kyrgyz Cultural Day

    Airmen of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing got a close look at some of their host nation's customs and traditions during Kyrgyz Cultural Day held here recently. The day focused on familiarizing Airmen with the uniqueness of Kyrgyz heritage. Through practical hands-on experience, Airmen here had the

  • C-17 aircrew scores touchdown in mission with NFL greats

    The quarterback was crouched in his uniform, scanning the field from under his helmet for his intended receivers. But this was no stadium; it was a C-17 Globemaster III flying over the harsh and dangerous terrain that is Afghanistan. And there was no football, but rather 18 much-needed bundles of

  • Air Force finishes safest flying year

    Fiscal 2009 was the safest flying year in the 62-year history of the Air Force.  There were only 17 Class A mishaps. The next best year was fiscal 2006 with 19 Class A mishaps. A Class A mishap is one where there is loss of life, an injury resulting in permanent total disability, the destruction of

  • Holloman community mourns death of Airman

    People here are mourning the death of Staff Sgt. David Booher, who was killed during a visit to Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, Nov. 4. "Members of Team Holloman are saddened by the loss of one our own," said Col. Jeff Harrigian, 49th Fighter Wing commander. "Kathy and I want to extend our thoughts and

  • Air Force officials unveil new strategic basing process

    Senior Air Force officials have applied a new basing process to more than 200 sites for training and operational basing of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft. In fall 2008, Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz sought to redefine

  • Airmen train Iraqi police

    Iraqi policemen from the city of Nasiriyah earned explosive ordnance disposal patches Nov. 4 after completing training with Air Force EOD technicians assigned to Task Force Troy at Forward Operating Base Cedar. The training, conducted by three Airmen, is part of a six-week course offered to the

  • Holloman Airman killed in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

    An Airman with the 49th Fighter Squadron here died in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Nov. 4.Base officials here identified the Airman as Staff Sgt. David Booher. The incident is currently under investigation by the Mexican State Police.

  • Photo essay: Night exercise at Osan Air Base

    Airmen from the 51st Security Forces Squadron participated in a night training exercise here to evacuate Airmen from a "car bombed" building and to oppose the "enemy" forces that were planning to ambush the evacuees Nov. 3, 2009. The simulation was part of a base operational readiness

  • Air Force family's 'Extreme Makeover' to air Nov. 8

    During this Year of the Air Force Family, one ultimate act of Airmen helping their own will get national attention Nov. 8 when ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" features an Air Force civilian and his new custom built house. "We are having lots of fun in the new house and life has been so

  • Malian forces improve proficiency at English language lab

    Members of U.S. Air Forces Africa toured the Malian Air Force English Language Lab in Bamako that prepares officers for training in other nations as well as participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions.Before an international student can apply to attend a U.S. Air Force training program, he

  • Iraqi air force acquires advanced radar system

    Iraqi air force officials advanced their air defense monitoring capabilities after a ceremony marked the transfer of a digital air surveillance radar from American control to Iraqi control Oct. 26 here. "Today, another historical day added to our brothers and the Iraqi air force," said Iraqi air

  • Airmen provide Iraqis building skills

    Airmen of the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here work with local Iraqis daily teaching them various trade skills as they team together to improve the infrastructure at Kirkuk Air Base. "I was given the opportunity to teach the local nationals what we could with the jobs that we're

  • Servicemembers earn national security awards

    The Air Force chief of staff and two Airmen were among the honorees at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs awards dinner here Nov. 2. The event honored the 2009 JINSA Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Distinguished Service Award and Grateful Nation Award winners. Created to recognize leaders

  • Air Guard members are flexible, adaptable to change, says Wyatt

    The Air National Guard still provides the best bang for the buck because of the ability and flexibility of its Airmen, the reserve component's director told hundreds of Air Guard enlisted members in Dallas Nov. 3. "We will leverage those to provide the country with the most affordable, the best

  • Air Force engineers help keep Afghan roads safe for travel

    "Roads bring people. People bring business and business improves life for everyone." These words, spoken in 2006 by Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Pepin, then the deputy general for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, have proven prophetic, as, three years later, the ability to move vehicles and

  • Experts to answer H1N1 questions online

    Military Health System experts will host a Web-based town hall-style meeting Nov. 10 from 3 to 4 p.m. EST to respond to questions about H1N1 influenza. Military members, their families, health-care providers and Defense Department civilians may submit questions starting Nov. 2, using the comments

  • Lone Airman at Combat Outpost Keating recounts enemy attack

    Being the only Airman assigned to an Army Combat Outpost on the outskirts of Afghanistan-Pakistan border can be a little intimidating and scary. Being assigned to COP Keating while under attack by hundreds of insurgents armed with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades is absolutely

  • Air Guard readies for C-27J fleet

    For the first time, Air National Guard aircrews will be the sole operators of a new aircraft straight off the assembly line. The C-27J Spartan, the latest propeller-driven airlifter, is an "extremely rugged" aircraft, designed for austere environments, said Air Force officials. It is about half the

  • Security forces Airmen, Soldiers mentor Afghan prison guards

    Air Force security forces members along with Army Soldiers from the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team met with prison officials as part of an on-going mentoring project at a nearby prison here Oct. 28. The prison, located close to the PRT compound, has become an important project for the team due

  • Airmen take steps to boost Kyrgyz economy

    Airmen at the Transit Center at Manas took more steps to bettering the Kyrgyz economy by purchasing produce from the citizens of Kyrgyzstan Oct. 27.Airmen of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing received the first delivery from local vendors of goods to be used in the dining facilities at the Transit

  • Colorado, Jordan lead the way as Guard builds worldwide partners

    The roar of jets and flash of live fire in the desert east of this thriving capital city are the loudest and brightest signs of a flourishing National Guard State Partnership Program. "I have been very favorably impressed with how the military-to-military relationships between Colorado and Jordan

  • Transit Center, Kyrgyz medical teams work together, share ideas

    A Kyrgyz medical team visited here Oct. 27 to learn the Air Force mission and share ideas with Airmen assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Medical Group. The team consisted of local doctors, dentists and pharmacists and was led by Col. Iskender Abykeeev, head of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Defense's

  • New perspective improves VA programs

    A new perspective has enabled leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the level and accessibility of care provided to servicemembers, the department's assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs said here Oct. 27. "I bring with me to VA a really different, new

  • KC-10 maintainers work around the clock to keep aircraft fuel flowing

    Airmen of the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron generate KC-10 Extenders to refuel aircraft providing combat support in Afghanistan. "Everything that we do on this ramp directly supports the troops in Afghanistan," said Staff Sgt. Charles Powers, a crew chief from the 380th

  • Airmen sought for unique, joint program

    Air Force officials are seeking Airmen for a three- to five-year period for a Defense Department program aimed at creating greater continuity, focus and persistent engagement across the battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Afghanistan Pakistan Hands program was established by Adm. Mike

  • Airmen aid Stop Hunger Now

    About 200 volunteers from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the surrounding communities gathered Oct. 24 at the MERCI Mission Center in Goldsboro, N.C., to help stop hunger for the people of Afghanistan and to keep them warm throughout the winter. The volunteers prepared more than 115,000 rice- and

  • Air Force officials announce candidate bases for joint strike fighter

    Air Force officials here announced the list of candidate locations Oct. 29 for basing the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter. The list of candidate bases was approved by the secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force and identifies the first group of bases to be considered for joint strike

  • President signs Defense Authorization Act

    President Barack Obama signed the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act during a ceremony at the White House Oct. 28. President Obama hailed the act, which contains $680.2 billion in military budget authority, as transformational legislation that targets wasteful defense spending. The

  • Misawa officials save energy with a flip of the switch

     Last year, Misawa officials spent approximately $85,000 on the energy bill for airfield lights. With a simple flip of a switch, energy planners hope to cut that bill by two-thirds. In early October, representatives in the 35th Operations Support Squadron airfield management office coordinated with

  • Air Force updates guidance for wear of PTU

    Air Force officials have updated guidance for wear of the physical training uniform, replacing previous guidance published in Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel. According to a message released from Air Force A1 and signed by Lt. Gen. Richard Y.

  • Teamwork vital to promoting Air Force awareness

    The Air Force is all about teamwork. It's in recruiting brochures and Air Force commercials. No matter how big or small the mission, teamwork is a way of life. For Tech. Sgt. Rick Jones, NCO in charge of the Air Force NASCAR program, teamwork is vital in promoting Air Force awareness to millions of

  • Top spouse explains vital role of Key Spouse Program

    Suzie Schwartz, the wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, brought her unique perspective to the Maxwell AFB Key Spouse Forum, sharing personal stories, words of encouragement and helpful resources. The Key Spouse Program is an emphasis area for the Year of Air Force Family, which

  • Kirkuk ceremony marks transfer of navigational aids to Iraqi air force

    A ceremony held at Kirkuk Air Base in Iraq Oct. 26 demonstrated the emerging independence of the Iraqi Air Force. The ceremony marked the official turnover of a suite of navigational aids provided by the Electronic Systems Center, headquartered here, through a first-of-its-kind foreign military

  • Spangdahlem Airmen reach out to Romanian community

    Members of the 52nd Fighter Wing from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, deployed to Campia Turzii in late October and donated their time and money to help renovate a children's community center dedicated to helping local children with their academic studies. The deployed Airmen provided aesthetic

  • Band of the Pacific-Hawaii participates in Red Ribbon Week

    One Band of the Pacific-Hawaii NCO here led a drive to use music to help spread the drug-free message of Red Ribbon Week by performing in concerts for local elementary schools in late October. Having three school-age children of his own created a desire in Tech. Sgt. Richard Vasquez, a Band of the

  • A night of candy, costumes and spooky escapades

    Halloween is a night of candy, costumes and spooky escapades, however; there are several precautions adults and children can take to ensure a safe and happy night of haunting. Airmen in the 1st Security Forces Squadron recommend the following safety guidelines for anyone participating in the

  • Airmen patrol outside to protect inside

    For some Airmen, its keep your friends close and your enemies as far away from your base as possible. Every day, the 532nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron's force protection patrols travel outside of Joint Base Balad to provide a security presence that aims to deter anyone who would do harm

  • MacDill tankers keep mission airborne at Red Flag

    Members of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., are doing their part to ensure participants in Exercise Red Flag 10-1 stay in the air Oct. 19 through 30 here. Aircrews in KC-135 Stratotankers will fly multiple sorties per day and push more than 1.4 million pounds of

  • Ophthalmology academy honors military doctors

    Representatives of the American Academy of Ophthalmology presented military ophthalmologists with a Distinguished Service Award in San Francisco Oct. 25 for their ongoing service and contributions to vision care. "It is my distinct honor to accept this award on behalf of all ophthalmologists who

  • Whiteman Air Force Base gains 2 units

    Air Force leaders continue to reinvigorate the nuclear enterprise, adding two new Air Force Materiel Command units to the Whiteman community with a ceremony Oct. 25 at Whiteman AFB, Mo. The 498th Munitions Maintenance Group relocates from Kirtland AFB to Whiteman AFB, along with its new subordinate

  • Mountain Roundup acts as final stage for German air force training

    The German air force is here training with the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines through the end of October during the annual Mountain Roundup exercise. "Mountain Roundup is an annual exercise that we have here hosting the German air force mission employment phase of their fighter weapons school, or

  • Students learn to survive in 'Tropics'

    More than 500 miles away from Fairchild Air Force Base and just miles from the Pacific coast lies a tropical rainforest in the Olympic National Forest. The moisture in the air permeates your clothes and gear, and as you trek through the rain and mud it's almost as if it seeps through the skin to the

  • The weapons of warfare adapt with the age of Airmen

    Airmen are using off-the-shelf commercial gaming equipment on the battlefield, and according to one Airman operating at a base still littered with Soviet-era landmines, they're a great fit. When Senior Airman James Dobrynski, a St. Louis native, straps on his individual body armor, fire-resistant

  • Air Force officials go green, renew vehicle fleet at wing in Southwest Asia

    Air Force officials from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing here became the first wing under U.S. Air Force Central to move to a greener vehicle fleet Oct. 26. When Maj. Michael Horsey, the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, handed the keys of a new staff vehicle to Brig. Gen. Bryan J.

  • Air Force future bright with adaptable, connected Airmen

    The U.S. Air Forces Central command chief has a good perspective on the lives of the Airmen serving in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom after more than 21 months on the job. A younger generation of Airmen is adapting to an ever-changing operating environment, gaining

  • Chief of staff honors fallen Airmen in moving ceremony

    It was May 17, 1962, and NASA Astronaut Scott Carpenter was preparing for the Mercury program's second-ever orbital mission. Half way around the world, 13 Airmen were also preparing, getting situated to provide an emergency recovery site in Africa, only one of several such units positioned around

  • Academy cadets help race for the cure

    More than 150 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets here helped raise more than $540,000 to screen, treat and educate patients and research a cure for breast cancer during the September Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Colorado Springs, Colo. Volunteer race director Gay Harrison, an Academy Class of 1984

  • Air Force officials revise civilian hiring policy

    Department of Defense civilian employees will now be referred to the hiring official along with current Air Force civilians for all permanent Air Force civilian positions. Former Air Force employees who were realigned under the Army or Navy because of Base Realignment and Closure or joint basing

  • Battlefield Airmen considered a weapon system

    The capabilities of battlefield Airmen are considered just as lethal as any advanced weapons system. For that reason, tactical air control party personnel, pararescuemen, security forces personnel and special operations weathermen have been included in the annual Weapons and Tactics Conference

  • Airmen spend day with Chilean children

    Members of the Air Forces Southern Cooperation Team-One began their nation building trip to Santiago, Chile, by taking children to an interactive museum for children here Oct. 13.Members of 12th Air Force and the Texas Air National Guard completed four days of subject matter exchanges in Santiago in

  • Obama signs veterans health care legislation

    President Barack Obama signed new legislation Oct. 22 that creates predictable funding for veterans' health care. The Veterans Healthcare Reform and Transparency Act fundamentally changes how Department of Veterans Affairs receives health care funding. The reform calls for appropriations a year in

  • Reconstruction team opens new girls' school in Afghanistan

    A crowd of Afghans and U.S. servicemembers celebrated the building of the new Bibi Khala Girls' School Oct. 19 in Qalat city, located in Afghanistan's Zabul province. Bibi Khala is the largest girls' school in Qalat, with approximately 1,500 students. The new building consists of eight classrooms

  • Weapons, tactics conference puts warfighters' needs in focus

    Nearly 1,200 Air Force warfighters are meeting here in late October to decide on what's needed to succeed in future battles and missions. This year's Air Guard and Reserve Weapons and Tactics Conference is the biggest ever, said Col. Jon Mott, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command

  • Team exchanges ideas with Chilean air force

    Members of 12th Air Force and the Texas Air National Guard completed four days of subject matter exchanges in Santiago, Chile, in late October with Chilean air force members on topics such as crisis management, media relations and air operations center processes and procedures. The exchange was a

  • International Officer School honors distinguished alumni

    Air Force officials here honored eight former international Air University students as they were added to the Air University Honor Roll Oct. 8 here. Each honoree is designated by a bronze plate engraved with the inductee's name, rank, country, position and AU schools attended, and the plates line

  • Photo essay: 'Friendship drop' over Egypt

    A multi-national group of paratroopers conducted a "friendship jump"  near Cairo Oct. 15, 2009, during Exercise Bright Star. Bright Star is a joint international military airdrop exercise which strengthens and enhances the cohesiveness of each country's participating forces. This year's participants

  • 21 Air Force food service professionals win culinary honors

    Twenty-one Air Force food service professionals were honored at the 2009 Hennessy Travelers Association Educational Foundation Armed Forces Forum for Culinary Excellence Oct. 4 to 10. The forum at Culinary Institute of America Greystone Campus in Napa Valley, Calif., recognized a total of 25 members

  • Combat metals flight fabricates essential aircraft parts

    When maintainers here need new parts for their C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, they can't just head down to the local parts store and pick one up. That's where the 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron's Combat Metals Flight comes in. The unit fabricates aircraft parts from

  • Aeromedical staging facility staff to reach major milestone in warrior care

    Members of the 86th Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility here will soon be reaching a new milestone since opening its doors and receiving its first patient six years ago. Unit members provide critical care to wounded warriors, and are scheduled to complete its 100,000th patient movement sometime

  • Airman helps Army get connected

    Shoot, move and communicate is a Soldiers motto on the battlefield, but without stable Internet connection, communication would not be possible. Staff Sgt. Jeremy Emond at Combat Outpost McClain does his part in aiding Soldiers communicate by providing Internet access. "Here I'm supporting the

  • Cooperation Team-One exchanges ideas with Chilean air force members

    Members of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) and the Texas Air National Guard completed four days of subject matter exchanges in Santiago, Chile, with members of the Fuerza Aerea Chile, or FACh, on topics such as crisis management, media relations and Air Operations Center processes and

  • New PT rules will not take away from unit fitness

    Everyone in the Air Force is required to maintain fitness. In fact, in January 2010 the new physical fitness testing criteria will take effect, requiring Airmen to meet minimum requirements in each category or fail the test. Now, Air Force officials are restructuring the requirement for commanders

  • Keating passes PaCom torch to Willard

     Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over a change-of-command ceremony here Oct. 19 as Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating passed the U.S. Pacific Command helm to Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard. Admiral Willard assumed command of the

  • Academy Assembly guests discuss bridging war, peace

    The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Class of 2010 cadets here Oct. 8 that their education will not end at graduation during his keynote address for the 2009 U.S. Air Force Academy Assembly. "The world demands more education today," said Marine Gen. James Cartwright. "This is the

  • Kyrgyz women visit Manas, experience mission firsthand

    Twenty female Kyrgyz civic leaders, known as the Congress of Women, visited Airmen here Oct. 16 to familiarize themselves with the center's mission and talk to Airmen around the base. The visit changed the way some of the women viewed the Transit Center and gave them a better understanding of what

  • Airmen wrap up relief efforts in Pacific

    Airmen providing humanitarian assistance following the recent natural disasters in the Pacific have wrapped up their efforts and are returning home, Pacific Air Forces officials here said Oct. 19. The missions began Sept. 30 when Hawaii Air National Guard crews flew two C-17 Globemaster IIIs loaded

  • Football Frenzy winners to attend NFL game

    Four members of Air Force clubs are the winners of a trip to attend a regular season NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals Nov. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. The club members were drawn from nearly 3,000 entries received during the first six weeks of the Air Force Services Agency's

  • Iraqi children come out to play at Joint Base Balad

    Nearly 100 Iraqi children spent Oct. 10 running, playing and, more than anything, smiling as they had fun with American servicemembers on Joint Base Balad. The local Iraqi youths, from 5 to 18 years old, were invited to the base as part of a project initiated by the U.S. Department of State's Salah

  • U-2 exceeds 25,000th hour of flight

    U-2 aircraft No. 068-0337 was accepted by Air Force officials in 1968, and exceeded the 25,000th hour of flight Oct. 18, 2009, in a mission out of Southwest Asia. The plane, with a wingspan of 105 feet, is maintained by military members and civilian contractors of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing,

  • Brothers in arms march for cause

    Five states, 12 men, 13 batons, 24 pairs of boots, 600 pounds carried more than 800 miles all traveled for one cause: honoring special tactics Airmen who sacrificed their lives in combat. Special tactics Airmen from here and across the special operations forces community embarked on a 10-day

  • Football: Air Force shuts out Wyoming, 10-0

    Air Force Academy Falcons posted their first shutout against a Mountain West Conference opponent in 12 years, defeating the Wyoming  Cowboys 10-0 at Falcon Stadium Oct. 17 to end a two-game losing streak. The Falcons' defense held Wyoming to 174 yards of total offense, keeping the Cowboys out of the

  • Special tactics Airmen complete 800-mile march

    After walking more than 800 miles through five states, 12 special tactics Airmen arrived here Oct. 16, officially completing a memorial march for their fallen comrades. The marchers, made up of several combat controllers and pararescuemen and one combat weatherman, split up into six two-man teams

  • Elmendorf Honor Guard participates in funeral of H1N1 victim

    The Elmendorf Honor Guard served in the memorial service of an Air Force member at the Fort Richardson National Cemetery, Oct. 15. Staff Sgt. Shawn J. Rankin, who hailed from nearby Anchorage, died Oct. 4 from complications related to the H1N1 virus at his off-base residence in Glendale, Ariz. 

  • ESC team efforts bring new combined air, space operations center to life

    An Electronic Systems Center team from here worked in the past few weeks to bring to life a new, state-of-the-art combined air and space operations center in Southwest Asia for joint and coalition combat forces. "We're constantly striving to bring enhanced AOC capabilities to the warfighters, and

  • Chairman's wife vows support for military families

    Deborah Mullen, wife of the nation's most senior military officer, had a message for military families while on the Sesame Street TV set here Oct. 14: servicemembers and their families have a wealth of support behind them."I just would like to assure people that there are folks who care, who are

  • Airmen bid farewell to Spanish forces at Transit Center at Manas

    Airmen of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing here held a ceremony to say goodbye to their Spanish counterparts as the Spanish Detachment vacated the Transit Center at Manas Oct. 13. During the ceremony, the Spaniards paid their respects to their fallen comrades and fallen American servicemembers by

  • Airman renders combat first aid to Soldiers

    An Air Force medic applied combat first aid to Soldiers when their vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device in Kapisa Province, recently. Senior Airman Ashley Jackson, a medic deployed from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, with Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team was riding in a

  • First lady speaks on taking care of military families

    The first lady today addressed a group of servicemembers and their families here on the importance of taking care of the military family. During her short speech, Michelle Obama praised Air Force leadership for designating this the Year of the Air Force Family program adding it is also a priority of

  • Bomb technicians lead fight against IEDs

    Improvised explosive devices have forced a change in modern combat, and deadly weapons can come in the form of a five-gallon bucket, a package in the mail or a filled-in pothole in the middle of the road. Staff Sgt. Armondo Robles and Airman 1st Class Rileigh Woodward, members of a military "bomb

  • Reconstruction project shifts to lifesaving mission

    An ordinary day for the Kapisa/Parwan Provincial Reconstruction team in Afghanistan became an unforgettable opportunity for an Airman from here to help save children's lives. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Okeefe, a 338th Training Squadron Det. 1 satellite, wideband and telemetry systems instructor at Fort

  • VA staffs office for survivors of veterans

    To strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs programs for survivors of the nation's veterans and servicemembers, VA officials have staffed an office to serve as the their advocate, with a charter that includes creating or modifying programs, benefits and services. "Taking care of survivors is as

  • EOD Airmen help Iraqi police enhance skills

    Members of the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's explosive ordnance disposal team here and Iraqi police conducted joint training here Oct. 3, enhancing the Iraqi police's necessary skills detecting, safely approaching and disarming improvised explosive devices. An Iraqi police EOD team

  • Airman comments about firefight

    "I won't forget them as long as I live."Those are the words of Capt. Gordon Olde, an F-15E Strike Eagle weapon system officer following a battle at a remote military base about 10 miles from Pakistan that erupted on the morning of Oct. 3 that highlighted the unbreakable bond between Airmen and

  • Luke Airman dies of H1N1 complications

    A Luke Air Force Base NCO died Oct. 4 from complications with the H1N1 virus at his off-base residence in Glendale, Ariz.Staff Sgt. Shawn J. Rankin, 25, died at approximately 4 a.m. and was unresponsive to emergency responders at his residence and then transported to a local hospital where he was

  • Airmen host Kyrgyz citizens during family day

    Friends and families of Kyrgyz workers at the Transit Center at Manas were able to get an up-close look at the Air Force working environment here and enjoy a day of fun during the Friends and Family Day event Oct. 9 here. The event, a tribute to thank the local community for their continued support,

  • Veterans show true colors

    In a jam-packed room, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Dennis Linn stood explaining his artwork to curious viewers, and how his acrylic painting and raised sand/plaster sculpture earned him two gold medals and a spot in the 2009 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in the San Antonio Municipal

  • Air Force officials to offer H1N1 vaccine

    As part of the service's preventative efforts to safeguard the health of the force, Air Force medical staffs are set to provide 1 million H1N1 vaccination doses to Airmen and their family members by early November, officials said Oct. 8. Air Force medical personnel will receive and distribute to

  • McChord Airmen complete second humanitarian airlift to American Samoa

    A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., touched down at Pago Pago International Airport on Oct. 10, delivering more than 42,000 pounds of Federal Emergency Management Agency cargo to American Samoa in support of ongoing relief operations. The mission was the aircrew's

  • Craig Joint Theater Hospital team helps build Afghan nursing foundation

    Members of the Craig Joint Theater Hospital here recently began a mentorship program to help Afghan nursing. Malika Faqiri and Laila Farahi, two female Afghan National Army soldiers, attended a special two-week mentorship program here at the CJTH to work alongside U.S. doctors and nurses to hone