Airman articles from July 2004

Airman archives from July 2004

Putting his best foot forward: amputee pilot helps Airmen on road to recovery, hopes to return to cockpit.
July 1, 2004... More than five years ago, in the woods of southern Maryland, Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake was out for a Halloween ride on his dirt bike when a throttle malfunction changed the motorcycle's direction and altered the course of his life--forever. ...

The killing fields of Iraq: a personal account of the discovery of one mass grave.(Commentary)
July 1, 2004... SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, there have been bone-chilling discoveries, almost on a daily basis, of the atrocities committed by the former Baath party. These grisly reminders come in the form of mass graves dotting...

Defender training.(Airman's World)
July 1, 2004... SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Senior Airman James McGregor, a vehicle operator with the 2632nd Air Expeditionary Farce Truck Company, scans the horizon for potential threats in preparation for upcoming convoy operations throughout the region. Airman...

Two new medals recognize units.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas--Secretary of the Air Force James Roche approved two new medals recognizing units for outstanding heroism in combat and for achievement or service in direct support of combat operations. The Gallant Unit...

True action heroes.(Airman's World)
July 1, 2004... RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shakes hands with Airmen during a visit here in May. The governor thanked Airmen for their "outstanding jobs" and said they were "true terminators and true action heroes."

Team takes medical aid to Sri Lanka.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... JAFFNA, Sri Lanka -- A decades-long civil war has claimed tens of thousands of Sri Lankan lives, and land mines continue to maim an untold number of civilians caught up in the aftermath of the war. A team of 20 military medical specialists...

Civil engineers play role in Honduras exercise.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... SABA, Honduras -- The 934th Civil Engineer Squadron at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport took 48 of its Airmen and deployed here in April to participate in New Horizons 2004 as part of Joint Command Task Force Orengo. The main...

Idaho Air Guard helps test stackable pallets.(Airman's World)
July 1, 2004... GOWEN FIELD, Idaho -- As part of an ongoing Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab initiative, a team tested a new bilevel aircraft loading system aboard an Idaho Air National Guard C-130 Hercules here in April. People from the battlelab, a...

Weapons testing enters new era.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.--Engineers and technicians here ushered in a new weapons-testing era by dropping an inert, precision laser-guided bomb from an F-15E Strike Eagle that struck an offshore floating target 21 miles away. The test is...

Rare pair fix fading cameras in Nevada.(Airman's World)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... NEVADA AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Nev. -- Endangered species are scattered around the world, sometimes in the least likely of places. The few hundred remaining mountain gorillas are found deep in the Congo. A few dozen Amur tigers exist in...

Dragon breath.(Airman's World)
July 1, 2004... TAMPA, Fla. -- Maj. Michael Hamill, Air Force team coach for a dragon boat race, takes a dragon breath after getting indoctrinated into the coaching ranks the old-fashioned Skinny, colorfully painted dragon boats swiftly paddled through Tampa's...

Reservist pitches for San Diego Padres.(Airman's World)
July 1, 2004... ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- When he isn't wearing the blue and gray uniform of the San Diego Padres, relief pitcher Jason Szuminski switches to Air Force blue as a first lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve. The 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound...

Packing it in: Air Force Portal: one password, endless opportunities.(Airman Consumer)
July 1, 2004... More than 442,000 people have entered the Air Force Portal. Doing so required filling out yet another online registration form, providing a user name and coming up with one more password to contend with. But that's where similarities end....

Pay attention.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I was very interested in a letter warning of a "breakdown in general military discipline" if "improper wear of the uniform or misfolding the flag" goes uncriticized In the pages of your magazine [AirMail, March 2004]. Another article from...

Good read.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... The new March Airman looks better than ever! My son had an appointment, and I took it with me and read it from cover-to-cover. What a plethora of great, interesting stories. The academy sex abuse story ["A Time for Healing"] was especially...

Squeaky wheel.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I'm curious why the March 2004 issue dedicated eight pages and a cover to the Air Force Academy? Why continue to focus on this embarrassment to the Air Force? By your records ["The Book," January 2004] only 19 percent of officers come from the...

Heartfelt thanks.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I'd like to give special thanks to Airman magazine, especially Master Sgts. Tim Barela and Scott Wagers for the wonderful job, attention to detail and profound sensitivity to such a horrific event in our lives ["Mail from Hell," April 2004]....

'Get over it'.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I've been reading your stories about Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and noticed you ignore the most present aircraft in theater--the C-130. The C-130 has always been the workhorse, but you showcase the pretty airplanes. While not...

Who are we to argue.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I just read "Two Cultures, One Force" [April 2004] and noticed the photograph on Page 22 identified the aircraft in the background as an E-8C. As a KC-135 crew chief, it caught my eye immediately. I see a distinct Air Mobility Command gray...

More 'yakkin'.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I enjoyed the kayaking article ["Water Workout," April 2004], but I'd like to offer some supplemental information gleaned during my assignment at Kadena Air Base, Japan, where I did a bit of "yakkin" on the crystal clear waters surrounding...

The 'Kun'.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I just read Tech. Sgt. Orville Desjarlais' story on Kunsan Air Base ["Running with the Pack," April 2004]. I hated to leave for my follow-on to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., after my tour there. I made so many friends there, and I still keep in...

Not fair.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I read "Embracing Korea" [May 2004] and laughed. It seems to me you're placing a lot of high regard on one base as if none of the other bases, including Osan Air Base. have an important mission there on the peninsula. Osan is a lot closer to...

Different opinion.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article "Embracing Korea" [May 2004]. About 50 years ago, I was a radio operator assigned to the Suwon Bomb and Gunnery Range located on the Yellow Sea. While assigned to Osan Air Base, Korea, we lived and...

Army Good Conduct Medal.(Air Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I'm responding to the answer you provided in the May 2004 AirMail about the Army Good Conduct Medal clasp being awarded to Air Force members when they were part of the Army Air Forces. However, Air Force members were also awarded the medal and...

Meet the staff.
July 1, 2004... Master Sgt. Scott Wagers is a 20-year veteran from Atlanta. Ga., whose previous assignments include Colorado, Nebraska, Germany and California where he started his career processing reconnaissance Imagery for the intelligence community before...

The best of Jake.
July 1, 2004... "So Murdock, despite my warning about flyin' over D.C. last night during the 4th of July fireworks finale...." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The steep and rocky road: steps to successful rock climbing.(Airman Fitness)
July 1, 2004... After hang gliding above the earth and diving through the depths of the ocean, Don Vincent was searching for something different. He hadn't hit a brick wall yet, but he was soon climbing something similar after visiting the outdoor...

AEF: training, going, gone: expeditionary mindset provides stability, predictability for Airmen.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... Nothing much stands out at the Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The rooms upon rooms of cubicles are standard for a work center. A snack room provides lunch for those too busy to leave, and a larger...

The wild life: Airmen and animals find harmony in Alaska.
July 1, 2004... The F-15 Eagle shares airspace with the bald eagle at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, while below, the base populace cohabitates with moose, bear, beaver and other critters. Maintaining harmony between Airmen and fauna at America's last...

The house love built: since 1990, one program has been taking care of military families during times of medical crises. Meet three families who learned first-hand the love and support of the Fisher House program.
July 1, 2004... Airman 1st Class Preston Bromley was on leave in Maryland in June 2001 when he got a bad cramp in his leg during his workout. As he tried to walk it off, the cramps became worse. A few hours later he felt faint, and his temperature rose to 103...

Power plant plus: raw power with a creative and artistic touch.
July 1, 2004... When you live 120 miles south of the Arctic Circle, staying warm is deadly serious. At Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, that vital function is the responsibility of the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron team at the Central Heat and Power Plant. ...

The wrench turner: after taking his chances on the "outside," a crew chief comes home.(Airman Profile)
July 1, 2004... There was a time when Staff Sgt. Jeff Cody traded Air Force blue for civilian khaki. Now he's back in blue, but it's a distinctly different blue than most Airmen wear. Sergeant Cody, 27, is a crew chief --a "wrench turner," he said--for...

Celebrating the snow: Alaska festival celebrates winter's passage.(@elmendorf.af.mil)
July 1, 2004... In 1935, a few citizens of Anchorage, Alaska, came up with the idea of a party to celebrate the beginning of the end of winter. It also provided an opportunity for fur traders to sell their wares directly to the customer in an effort to cut out...

Second thoughts about the last frontier.(Airman Notebook)
July 1, 2004... As my plane descended into Anchorage, Alaska, enroute to Fairbanks, Alaska, I realized I might have made a big mistake. A few years ago, I had a chance to apply for an assignment to Elmendorf Air Force Base, but opted instead for sunny San...

Hittin' the dusty trail.(Final Frame)
July 1, 2004... Master Sgt. Richard Burch (far left) and civilian spectral analyst/ geologist Bruce Gerrick, both of the Space and Missile Defense Command, kneel in a dust cloud as the helicopter bringing them to a suspected mass grave site departs and Dutch...

Then & now.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... When 23-year-old Scott Kapanke was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1995, his life was reduced to the flip of a coin. Heads, he lives. Tails, he dies. The cancer had spread through his stomach and chest, which contained 20 to 30 tumors in...