Airman articles from December 2004

Airman archives from December 2004

No nerd pocket in sight: young scientist helps ensure Airmen don't fall asleep on the job.
December 1, 2004... With just one glance, anyone can tell 1st Lt. Jen Smith is not the stereotypical scientist. Tall, slim and athletic, she looks more like a beach volleyball player than a nerdy data cruncher. She's bubbly and exudes infectious energy. ...

Tracking down the troops: she enjoys providing personnel service under fire.
December 1, 2004... Detective. Executive. Warrior. Staff Sgt. La Shawndra Singleton's job requires her to be a little bit of each. Where are they? The 29-year-old from East Cleveland, Ohio, left Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., to find them and provide personnel...

He helps keep them flying: Airman doesn't mind having to 'suffer a bit' to get the job done.
December 1, 2004... Senior Airman Adam Runquist joined the Air Force to get away from Ewing, Mo., and see the world. Looking up from a scorching flightline in Iraq three years later, the meteorological and navigation systems technician viewed scenes from his...

With woman: catching babies never fails to deliver satisfaction.(midwives)
December 1, 2004... The word "midwife" can conjure up images of a matronly woman rendering bedside care to an expectant mother at a remote homestead. She is equipped with compassion, common sense and skills learned from a lifetime of hands-on experience. The...

Field of dreams: he finds time to juggle career, pastime and goals.
December 1, 2004... Baseball is his passion, and the Air Force is the field upon which he builds his dreams. Before entering the Air Force, Airman 1st Class Cesar Orihuela wanted to be a professional baseball player, a college graduate and a U.S. citizen. Now...

Working in tight spaces: Airman trades 'cubicle prison' to fix aircraft fuel tanks.
December 1, 2004... Several months ago, Airman 1st Class Brynn Baker drove home from work at about the same time most people were just getting to work at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. Once in her dormitory room, she went straight to sleep. Then she got up, ran...

Keeping things on track: juggling people and schedules for the boss takes attention to detail.
December 1, 2004... When people go to the sixth floor of the Space and Missile Systems Center headquarters to see the commander, they must go through Irene Graham first. She's the gatekeeper--a juggler of people and schedules every ticking minute of the day. ...

A hero in the eyes of some: third generation aviator finds his wings in the Huey.
December 1, 2004... "These things we do, that others may live...." It's not only the motto of the 36th Rescue Flight, but words that inspire one Airman's pride. Capt. Sean Boldt's passion for helicopters and their mission started at a young age, through the...

Cool under pressure: calm and composure keys to success in guarding America's skies.
December 1, 2004... Tech. Sgt. Christie Watson lives in two worlds, and to be effective both require a lot of composure. As a single mother, she has to juggle the day-to-day world of bills, car problems, calls from schools and the litany of challenges that...

Short hitch or long haul: work experiences help Airman decide to stay in Air Force.
December 1, 2004... At 19, Airman Quincy Boggan decided to join the Air Force for educational benefits and to get some direction in his life. A military "brat," he was kind of lost after graduating from high school. "I didn't really know what I wanted to...

Pushing the limits: sergeant finds solace in helping heal others.
December 1, 2004... Staff Sgt. Shizuka Sanford knows she made the right choice when she crossed into the blue. Seven years ago she tried to finance her way through college. But she didn't earn enough to pay her rent and tuition working at fast-food...

The silent ones: missile launch officers stand ready with the weapons of last resort.
December 1, 2004... Off duty, 1st Lt. Melissa Hutchings and Capt. Todd Benson come across as just your average kind of Air Force people. They're outgoing and quick with warm smiles. Both are married; he has children. She likes People Magazine, and he likes to ride...

Life support on and off the job: reservist overcomes handicaps to care for others.
December 1, 2004... Though he's from the city known as the "Big Easy," life has been anything but that for Master Sgt. Mike Varnado. Born with deformed legs and raised in an inner-city housing project, some people might say Sergeant Varnado had two strikes...

Duty on the home front: youngest enlisted aide serves with pride.
December 1, 2004... The best job in the Air Force is the one you love doing, and Senior Airman Sarah Bensch loves her job as an enlisted aide. The 22-year-old Airman is an aide to Maj. Gen. Frank Klotz, 20th Air Force commander at F.E. Warren Air Force Base,...

Dealing with hang-ups: Airman gets satisfaction from solving telephone systems glitches.
December 1, 2004... Someone gets hung up on at work between 20,000 and 30,000 times each day. It could happen 100,000 times a day and Staff Sgt. Nate Westra wouldn't mind one bit. As a telephone systems journeyman, he's used to the thousands of phone calls...

Teaching with inspiration: instructor's upbeat message helps mold medical lab technicians.
December 1, 2004... A day in the life of Tech. Sgt. Tammy McElroy begins long before daylight. It has to. The apartment she shares with husband, Mark, in Mobile, Ala., is more than 60 miles east of Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., where she works. The...

Way past the clouds: going to work 50 miles into space is a dream come true.
December 1, 2004... For a week and a half during 2002, his wife couldn't take her two boys to visit daddy at work. Instead, she took them outside the house and pointed up into the pitch black of night. She had the children wave to their father, who was on a space...

Building big things: stint with RED HORSE springboards Airman to engineering degree.
December 1, 2004... Most children use Play-Doh to mold animals and other shapes. Senior Airman Sol Rios-Montalvo used it to mold her future. As a 5-year-old, she used the putty-like stuff to shape a sprawling metropolis in her playhouse. "I did a whole...

To honor with dignity: Air Force Honor Guard duty is tough, but rewarding.
December 1, 2004... It takes special dedication to stand for hours without moving a muscle. But it's what honor guards endure to pay tribute to their fallen comrades. Staff Sgt. San Juana Vasquez not only possesses that dedication, she travels throughout the...

Firefighting and more: this job isn't just about putting wet stuff on hot stuff.
December 1, 2004... After 14 years as a firefighter, Master Sgt. Joseph Orona likes his job and and looks back on his career with a sense of pride. During that time, he's become an accomplished firefighter, most recently deploying to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar,...

If you ain't ammo ... Airman would rather shuffle bombs, not paperwork.
December 1, 2004... If you want to aggravate Airman 1st Class Cynthia Kaleta, put her in front of a computer and a pile of paperwork and tell her she can't get up until she clears it. A reluctance to sit still is not a character trait expected of someone who...

The teaching spirit: McChord reservist is an educator by accident.
December 1, 2004... There was no question what Master Sgt. Marty Hitt didn't want to do after graduating from James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, Va., in 1991. He didn't want to spend more time in classrooms having to study. And he surely didn't have...

A different kind of dancing: lieutenant finds intelligence world lets her make a big difference.(Air Force)
December 1, 2004... She's an officer who very nearly wasn't. Growing up, 1st Lt. Ariel Batungbacal wanted to be a dancer. It was only when she was choosing a major for her college studies that things began to change. In the end, her love of political science and...

Lights, cameras, action ...(Airman's Notebook)
December 1, 2004... You may have noticed this issue of Airman magazine is different--it focuses on Air Force people and their career fields. And certainly, you probably noticed the photography in this issue. Photos don't happen by accident. A good photo takes...

Just kiddin' around.(Final Frame)
December 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Just kiddin' around. Fighter crews don't just deal with combat while deployed. There are lighter moments, as (left to right) Capt. Robert Lee and 1st Lts. Richard Stringer and Josh Cummings can attest....

Now.(military/civilian life)(Brief Article)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... As young buck sergeant assigned to Pease Air Force Base, N.H., Michael Mazzi attended the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid, N.Y. There he saw the men's bobsled team in action. It left him with the impression of, "Man, I wish I could do that...