Airman articles from February 2005

Airman archives from February 2005

Defeating terrorism by winning hearts & minds.
February 1, 2005... As 1st Lt. Chris Mercer braked before entering the gates of a primary school in Djibouti, a local bus driver with a weathered face stopped beside him and smiled, yelling through the open window, "Osama is coming to Djibouti. Problem for you,...

Overcoming a wave of destruction.(post-tsunami reconstruction work)
February 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- When Airman 1st Class Mark Torneskog went to bed each night he was in Thailand, he was dead tired. There was no time to relax and enjoy the country's fabled hospitality. But he was happy. The air transportation troop...

Reservist returns POW/MIA bracelet.(prisoner of war/missing in action)
February 1, 2005... WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- A reservist completed her pledge to keep the memory of a fallen Airman alive by returning the Vietnam warrior's POW/MIA bracelet to his family after he was finally laid to rest. Master Sgt. Sheila...

DOD launches 'America Supports You' to showcase support.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Department of Defense officials launched a new program in November to showcase America's support for servicemembers and the numerous ways people are expressing that support. "America Supports You" is designed to gather...

Tower dedication honors two Airmen killed in combat.(Airman's World)
February 1, 2005... FORT POLK, La. -- Tactical controllers Staff Sgt. Jacob Frazier and Airman 1st Class Raymond Losano were honored during a dedication ceremony for a new range control tower in November. The Airmen died serving in Afghanistan fighting in the...

New IMAX film a first for the Air Force.(Airman's World)(Movie Review)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- If you've never been part of a Red Flag exercise, you can at least watch the movie. The IMAX film "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag" premiered in December at the Smithsonian Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center. The movie is the first...

My chinny chin chin.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... AVON PARK, Fla. -- Senior Airman John Stamper tries to complete his pull-ups during the Dragon Challenge 2004 obstacle course event in December. Dragon Challenge is an annual competition which tests the physical, mental and emotional strength,...

Afghanistan-based Airmen revive adopt-a-village program.
February 1, 2005... BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Afghan children and adults swarmed Airmen hearing gifts recently, marking the revival of Bagram Air Base's adopt-a-village program. To create more room for the almost daily arrival of clothing, toy and...

Traveling Space-A: with patience and luck, a free trip could be the prize.
February 1, 2005... Hundreds of military I.D. cardholders take advantage of a special military benefit that allows a free ride on military aircraft and charters. They're bound for Germany, Hawaii, Japan and exotic locations such as New Zeland for fun and...

Get it right.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... In "Dog Sleds and Cold Beds" [September 2004, Notebook], the writer says, "When the editor was looking for a volunteer to shoot a feature story in Alaska, my hand shot up quicker than an ejection seat busting an F-16 canopy." This is a...

More ghosts.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... A few more ghost stories exist to add to your list in "lust Silly Ghost Stories" [October 2004]. Building 670 (Supply Warehouse 19A) on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., is also haunted. At least that's what many night shift workers have said....

'Special' thanks.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... Thanks for a great special issue, "Today's Airmen" [December 2004]. It's a wonderful guide to use when someone asks what they can do in the Air Force! A special thank you for the "Airmen at War" planner. It'll hang where I can see when I'm at...

Wonderful reflections.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... I thoroughly enjoyed the extremely well-written article "Reflections of the Past" [October 20041. It was factual and yet drew out emotions, flowed well and definitely caused me to read the entire article. My quiet, gentle, hardworking...

Kudos.(Air Mail)
February 1, 2005... Just a note to say I was very impressed by the photography in the November issue, especially those by Tech. Sgt. Kevin Gruenwald ["Combat Boots and Cowboy Hats"]. His picture of boots was very well done. Staff Sgt. Steve Brown, Eglin Air...

Price is wrong.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... In "Cold and Dark, Hot and Bright" [October 2004, @eielson.af.mil], the price of milk is quoted incorrectly. A gallon of milk at the commissary or locally is around $4 and a gallon of gas is $2.15 at the base gas station. Master Sgt....

Corrections.(Air Mail)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2005... Master Sgt. Darron Williams' hometown is Tarpon Springs, Fla., "Where Air Meets Field" [November 2004]. Iran should be located directly west of Afghanistan on the map in "K-2 Connection" [November 2004]. Sue Sapp took the photo of...

War@home stories coming.(Air Mail)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The world is focused on the global war on terrorism and the efforts of U.S. military members overseas to win the fight. But many people tend to forget that countless others aren't fighting the war from the front lines. In the series war@home,...

Meet the staff.(Air Mail)
February 1, 2005... G. Patrick Harris is a 10-year veteran whose previous assignment includes the 104th Area Support Group Marketing Department, Hanau, Germany. As assistant design editor, he's responsible for the Web site, production of layouts and design of the...

The best of Jake.
February 1, 2005... "Yeah, I lit a match in there, but the fire wasn't my fault. Blame it on the dummy who used that shed to store flammables." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MRE taste test: Airman staff goes tactical to spill the beans on meals, ready to eat.(meal, ready-to-eat )
February 1, 2005... The Airman staff "took one for the Air Force" when it taste-tested--all in one sitting--23 of the U.S. military's 24 meals, ready to eat. Yummy and not so yummy. But as expected, the entire staff survived. Nobody got sick or hurled...

Bearing the burden: Kyrgyz Republic air base supports global war on terrorism.
February 1, 2005... Born out of the war on terrorism, Manas Air Base in the Kyrgyz Republic, uses the resolve from Sept. 11, 2001, as a beacon for freedom. Like mourning the loss of a loved one, servicemembers at Manas Air Base don't want to forget. Framed...

Duel over the Gulf: William Tell: intercepting drones, Noble Eagle homeland defense aircrew scramble--and more.(Gulf of Mexico)
February 1, 2005... Eight years have passed since fighter pilots last "locked on" to "enemy" targets and dueled in the skies over the Gulf of Mexico during a William Tell exercise. The Air Force's many global commitments contributed to the exercise's hiatus....

The store that goes to war: AAFES has been in every major conflict since World War I.(Army and Air Force Exchange Service)
February 1, 2005... With the birthday cake in place and candles lit, Regina Koenig and a few other Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees sang "Happy Birthday" to a 21-year-old colleague at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Halfway through the song a 127...

The Fairford few: a small group of airmen keep a base in England ready for when needed.
February 1, 2005... The "Subway" sandwich shop, "Community Bank" and base library are all situated in quonset huts dating to World War II. A new face here. some new paint there, but many aspects of life at this small base seem to have changed little over the...

Out of the comfort zone, into the combat zone: instructor jumps at chance to help train Iraqi noncommissioned officers.(Technical Sergeant Rich Parsons)(Biography)
February 1, 2005... Tech. Sgt. Rich Parsons was excited when he got orders to Iraq. Not the typical reaction most servicemembers have to such news. But this was a sweet deal, the professional military education instructor said. He'd be doing exactly what he...

An Air Force town: Mountain Home strongly supports its Airmen and is proud to be.
February 1, 2005... As she took a bite of her barbecue beef sandwich, Dorothy Tennant closed her big blue eyes and let out a slow "Mmm." Some of the tangy sauce oozed on her hands. But she didn't let any drip onto the sleeve of her black leather jacket. ...

An Idaho education.(Mountain Home, Idaho)
February 1, 2005... A one-horse town. That was my first impression of Mountain Home, Idaho. And first impressions usually last. So I didn't relish the thought of spending a whole week there. After one look, I wanted to hightail it back to Boise, get on a...

Then & now.(Senior Master Sergeant John Eklof)
February 1, 2005... As a young troop, Senior Master Sgt. John Eklof worked with combat controllers. But the aerospace physiology troop's dream was not just to help the controllers during high altitude jumps. "I wanted to jump with them, not stay on the...

Hang on.(Final Frame)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Like puppets on a string, a search and rescue team dangles 100 feet above the base from a line tethered to an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The high-wire act was part of a special patrol infiltration and extraction system training exercise...