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  • AFW2 roadshow visits Grand Forks AFB

    During the two-day visit, four AFW2 ambassadors and program team members gave briefings to various squadrons, allowing the volunteers to share their personal testimonies.

  • AFW2 roadshow visits Minot AFB

    The AFW2 team, including program managers and ambassadors, visited Airmen from the 5th SFS and the 91st SFG. They shared stories from their careers and how they came to be a part of the AFW2 Roadshow team.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AFW2 provides care, advocacy for AFGSC Airmen

    Among those who deployed, more than 52,000 U.S. service members were physically injured in recent military conflicts, and another 500,000 are living with invisible wounds ranging from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder including 320,000 with brain trauma, according to the Wounded Warrior

  • The Initial Perception

    There are many common sayings that go along with how important the first impression you leave on someone is. No matter the circumstances for someone’s behavior, on any particular day, there is no way to reverse that initial interaction, conversation, attitude, etc. For this reason, and many more,

  • Wounded warriors share message of resilience in Florida

    On the day a bullet tore through his legs inside an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. August O’Niell, 414th Combat Training Squadron Detachment 1 flight chief in charge of ground operations at Davis-Monthan, Air Force Base, Arizona, said his world changed.

  • Wounded warrior recalls dark days, bright recovery

    Bernard Lawson, a former platoon sergeant who was wounded while serving as an Army chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear technical escort Soldier at Johnston Atoll, overcame severe nerve damage injuries with the help from other wounded warriors and is now the emergency manager for the Air

  • Military Caregiver Month: Hidden heroes

    The Caregiver Support and Family Program was founded in 2014 to improve caregiver resiliency by connecting them with other caregivers who can share experiences, provide guidance and ultimately build trust and long-lasting relationships.

  • Wounded warrior talks resiliency during tactical pause

    In the wake of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein’s Resiliency Tactical Pause directive, Master Sgt. Jose E. Rijos, Air Force Wounded Warrior ambassador, recounted the traumas of his career with his service dog, Cairo, at his side.

  • DoD delays Post 9/11 GI Bill changes

    The implementation has been delayed until January 12, 2020, giving long-serving members more time to transfer their education benefits to spouses or dependents.

  • Around the Air Force: Resident Bill of Rights / DoD Warrior Games / CCAF

    On today's look around the Air Force, the Air Force is looking for feedback on a new Housing Resident Bill of Rights draft, the DOD Warrior Games are starting this Friday, and the Community College of the Air Force will not accept applications for the professional manager certification program after

  • Retired Airman’s resilience sets leading example

    Karah Behrend’s tattooed arms and wild blue hair aren’t the only reasons she stands out on the rugby field. Rugby is a relatively new hobby for Behrend, though her practiced technique paints a different picture. She performs with the intensity, coordination and endurance of an experienced athlete.

  • Brain surgery to bear hugs: One wounded warrior’s story

    Born with a birth defect causing seizures, battling anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and facing divorce and separation from a child, can be a lot for anyone to handle, but with a community of support things can get better.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Sun sets on Air Force Academy-hosted 2018 Warrior Games

    As the sun sets behind the Colorado Springs mountaintops, the flame lit ceremoniously a week earlier to signify the official start of the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games is extinguished, bringing to close the eighth annual iteration of the Games on June 9.

  • Retired Airman meets biological sister at DoD Warrior Games

    She’s competing in track and field and indoor rowing, but retired Senior Airman Karah Behrend couldn’t concentrate on training yesterday for the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the U.S. Air Force Academy.For the first time, Behrend was going to meet her 19-year-old biological sister,

  • Warrior Profile: Lt. Col. Audra Lyons

    Lt. Col. Audra Lyons, Headquarters Air Force branch chief of policy integration, joined the Air Force June 26, 1997. She attended the Air Force Academy, graduated in 2001, and got married the next day.

  • Around the Air Force: June 6

    On this look around the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Goldfein speaks at the 2018 Warrior Games Opening Ceremony and Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson speaks on the importance of the State Partnership Program, strengthening international alliances. Hosted by Senior

  • Air Force Trials for Wounded Warriors begin Feb. 23

    More than 125 Air Force wounded, ill and injured service men and women have trained and practiced for months in their chosen sports in preparation for the Air Force Trials Feb. 23 to March 2, 2018, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • Flying ambulances: Aeromedical evacuation

    The morning starts early with an alert about four hours before takeoff. Members of the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron begin several mandatory tasks before boarding the aircraft. Nurses go over mission details, as medical technicians pack more than a thousand pounds of equipment

  • Evolution of adaptive sports

    With the event coming to a close, thousands around the world turned their attention toward the 2017 Invictus Games, witnessing feats of incredible talent and hearing truly inspiring stories from world-class athletes.

  • Invisible wounds: Finding a voice

    Air Force leadership and wounded warriors came together to speak out on invisible wounds during a panel discussion at this year’s Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Sept. 18, 2017.

  • Caregivers play critical role in lives of wounded warriors

    Tech. Sgt. Eric Fisher was two months into a five-month deployment in 2011 to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, when he suffered a heart attack after an intense rocket attack, and a day of moving heavy pallets on the flight line.

  • Around the Air Force: July 19

    On this look around the Air Force a Wounded Warrior receives the Pat Tillman award at the ESPYs, a medical exercise in Minnesota provides free healthcare for local residents, and Red Flag 17-3 features F-35s from both the Air Force and the Marine Corps. Hosted by Tech. Sgt. Robbie Arp.

  • Adaptive sports shift outlook on life

    “I was sitting at home alone one night and had taken out my pistol; I remember how cool it felt in my hands and knowing I was moments away from taking my life. In that split second, my phone went off with a text from one of my Airmen who said he needed my help getting to work the next morning, and I

  • AF leaders cheer on Airmen at Warrior Games

    Air Force senior leaders attended the 2017 Warrior Games opening ceremonies July 1, 2017, in Chicago to show support for the athletes participating in the weeklong competition.

  • Healing from invisible wounds

    On Jan. 15, 2008, Senior Airman Christopher D’Angelo, a heavy equipment operator, was the lead gunner in an armored vehicle convoy on a road near Baghdad. The sun was shining and the air comfortable. His unit had just transported construction materials to forward operating bases and was currently

  • AF hosts Warrior Care Sitting Volleyball Tournament

    The volleyball courts were clear as athletes made their way into the Pentagon Athletic Center. Some arrived in wheelchairs. Some were missing limbs. Many had wounds which couldn’t be seen. As they sat down on the court for warm-ups, they all had something in common…they were all wounded warriors.

  • Wounded warriors given avenues during CARE event

    Nearly 130 Air Force wounded warriors and caregivers attending the latest Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) Program’s CARE event at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, from Nov. 14-18 received tools and resources to help them deal with their individual challenges.

  • Amputee regains wings

    An HC-130J Combat King II pilot at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, became the sixth amputee and the first female amputee to return to the cockpit. After an above-the-knee amputation and nearly 15 months of rehabilitation -- learning to walk, run and fly again -- Air Force Capt. Christy Wise, a 71st

  • PTSD awareness leads to positive treatment

    Post-traumatic stress disorder can be debilitating in some patients, but thanks to advancements in research and the continued training of mental health providers, treatments are getting better all the time. Maj. Joel Foster, the chief of Air Force Deployment Mental Health, said treating PTSD has

  • Archers compete in first visual impairment category at Warrior Games

    Wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans continue to break personal records and show fans and friends amazing feats and June 17 was no different, as archers competed in the first-ever visual impairment category at the 2016 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the U.S. Military

  • Guardsman sprints to multiple medals at Invictus Games

    Staff Sgt. Gideon Connelly, the only Air National Guardsman on the American team, earned a silver medal in the 4x100 relay and bronze medals in the 100- and 200-meter races during this year’s Invictus Games at the ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex in Orlando.

  • May issue of Airman magazine now available

    The May issue of Airman magazine is now available to download and is viewable through a Web browser. In the cover story, titled “‘We Chose This,’” you’ll go behind the scenes of the challenging training course required to become a Phoenix Raven at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center at Joint

  • Airman seeks to rejoin pararescue team despite loss of leg

    In July 2011, Staff Sgt. August O’Neill, a pararescueman, was sent to rescue a group of Marines pinned down in Afghanistan when enemy insurgents opened fire on his team’s helicopter. A round bounced off the helicopter’s door, tearing through both of O’Neill’s lower legs and critically wounding his

  • March issue of Airman magazine now available

    The March issue of Airman magazine is now available to download and is viewable through a Web browser. In the cover story, titled “Behind the Blast Doors,” we pull back the curtain to Cheyenne Mountain, to bring you an insiders’ look at "Americas's Fortress." Airman magazine provides an interactive

  • Biking brings hope to wounded, recovering veterans

    Members from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, volunteered as part of the Ride 2 Recovery (R2R) program and brought more than 20 wounded and recovering veterans together for the Vegas Challenge Feb. 1-3 in Blue Diamond, Nevada.

  • Healing through music

    Former Maj. Frank Vassar pulled out his cellphone and played a song that he wrote and recorded as other wounded Airmen listened closely. Vassar, 46, explained to about a dozen Airmen at a music therapy session Nov. 19 on Joint Base Andrews that the song, “Evil,” described his post-traumatic stress

  • Wheelchair rugby makes debut for Warrior CARE Month

    Fifty-pound wheeled chariots made of steel, aluminum and over-sized wheels were the modes of battle Nov. 16 as teams of joint-service wounded, ill and injured kicked off a demonstration of wheelchair rugby.

  • BLUE: Charlie Mike to recovery

    In this episode of BLUE, through the fog of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic injury and illness, American veterans realize that the ability to regain control of their minds and bodies lies within themselves. Wounded warriors talk about how the Air Force Wounded Warrior Care Program has

  • Carter opens 2015 Warrior Games

    The 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games opened June 19, with about 250 athletes from the U.S. and U.K. gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to compete for a different victory: celebrating their new lives and their enduring abilities.

  • Resilient security forces Airman advances to Warrior Games

    The Department of Defense Warrior Games 2015 will take place June 19-28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Retired Senior Airman Jennifer Stone competed and placed in several events at the trials, advancing her to the June games.

  • 2015 DOD Warrior Games to begin June 19

    The opening ceremony for the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT, June 19, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.

  • Take me out to the ballgame, warrior style

    Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team members and athletes from the NFL joined forces to compete in the 3rd annual Amputee Warrior Softball Classic June 6 at Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, Maryland.

  • Coming to terms: Airman remains resilient through multiple TBIs

    For the tall, quiet Airman, speaking up about his injuries is difficult. His wounds aren't always visible, but they're very real.After two deployments and six bomb blasts, Tech. Sgt. Gabriel Wasnuk, who is assigned to the 775th Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Flight, is receiving a Purple Heart

  • 2015 Warrior Games to be Held at Quantico

    The Defense Department’s Warrior Games 2015 will take place June 19-28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, according to a DOD news release issued March 16.The DOD Warrior Games is an annual sporting competition bringing together wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans from across

  • AF trials underway for 2015 Warrior Games

    U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, British and Australian wounded warriors are fighting for a chance to compete at the 2015 Warrior Games during the Air Force Trials Feb. 27 through March 5, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • Airman featured in Warrior Games documentary

    Master Sgt. Christopher Aguilera will be one of the wounded warriors featured on Universal Sports Network’s documentary-style special ‘Warrior Games: The Fight Continues,’ airing 8 p.m. EDT, Oct. 22.

  • The final stage in healing

    For some, the Warrior Games might be the first step toward healing, but for Air Force athlete Steven Malits the games are the last step in his long journey of recovery.

  • Love proves stronger than adversity

    Seven months before their wedding date, most brides are picking out invitations, booking musicians and florists and sending out save-the-date cards, however, Meagan Pinney was driving as fast as possible from Pheonix, Arizona, to Las Vegas to see her then-fiance, Ryan, in the hospital after a

  • No greater friend

    Service dogs can range from being a person's eyes, sensing a seizure or low blood sugar, to sniffing out improvised explosive devices on the battlefield. For some of the Air Force's wounded warrior athletes, service dogs provide so much more than just physical assistance.

  • Volleyball: Army too much for AF in bronze medal round

    Fans and players from the Air Force and the Army flooded into the U.S Olympic Training Center gymnasium Oct. 1, to watch as the two services clashed in this one last game with the 2014 Warrior Games sitting volleyball bronze medal on the line.

  • From partner to caregiver: Wife’s story of love, perseverance

    When a couple talks about how they first met, a phrase commonly heard is, “Well, they just fell into my life.” For one couple, the expression could be taken quite literally. When Jeremiah Means first met Ashley, she was tripping in front of him as she tried to rush through a doorway. He called

  • Warrior Games: Wounded warrior overcomes adversity with archery

    Staff Sgt. Seth Pena, a highly decorated tactical air control party member, noted for calling in coordinated close support air strikes that killed up to 70 Taliban members in one fight, sat down with a crossbow draped across his lap and a target 25 meters in front of him, reminiscing about the night

  • Wounded Airman receives new home

    The morning alarm wakes him. He gets dressed, brushes his teeth and gets his two-year-old son ready for the day. He does this with no legs, and only one arm.

  • Wounded warrior makes final jump

    One by one, Airmen from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron lined up at the back of a C-130, paused, then stepped off the aircraft Oct. 16, completing their free fall training jump into the picturesque water of Florida's Emerald Coast.

  • Wounded warrior adopts four-legged partner, friend

    From the moment Staff Sgt. Brian Williams arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to begin his recovery, he had only one request. Carly. Williams was deployed from the 87th Security Forces Squadron when he sustained serious injuries after an roadside bomb detonated while he was on a