Airman articles from July 2005

Airman archives from July 2005

Surviving and thriving.(attitude of an air force officer)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... "What doesn't kill me only makes me that much stronger." Based on this personal philosophy tragically acquired in Iraq, Brian Kolfage Jr., could be considered a pillar of strength. A mortar attack left the senior airman without legs...

Crossing into the blue.(THEN AND NOW)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... From age 6 to 12, Staff Sgt. Zach McKinney toiled in the sweltering summer heat of Lubbock, Texas (pictured below with sister, Jessica Joy, in 1991). He picked cotton, laid irrigation pipe and drove a tractor on the 400-plus acre cotton farm...

From the Chief.(opinion)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Osama bin Laden and people like him are not at war against our Army or our Marines or our Air Force or our Navy. They are at war against our way of life, and we need to remember that. They want us all dead. Not because they have a better vision...

The other front lines: Airmen in Central America provide a different kind of support to the war on terror.
July 1, 2005... Staff Sgt. Yyolany Estrada hustled from one patient to another. She was busy translating--from English to Spanish, and vice versa--for several doctors and patients. She had lots of work because there were hundreds of sick children at the...

New look, same name--Airman goes quarterly.(AIRMAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... As you may have noticed, Airman magazine has a new look--enhanced photography, new departments and a more visual layout and design. Additionally, Airman is now published quarterly versus monthly, to include the popular January almanac edition,...

Personal choices.(AIRMAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I was disappointed to see the magazine glamorizing the choices of single military parents in the article "Kids, Yes... Spouse, No" [May 2005], particularly the individual who was proud that people forgot she was a parent. As a single...

Everyone's vital.(AIRMAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... In "Service Not Honored" [Airmail, May 2005], an Airman complained about his career field not receiving mention, while he said other "less vital" jobs where highlighted. I would like to know exactly what are "less vital" jobs in the Air...

Cold case.(AIRMAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I had to laugh at one of the captions from your feature on Antarctica, "Operation Deep Freeze" [April 2004]. The caption describes the big trucks that carry cargo from the C-141s to McMurdo Station across the "frozen ice." I would just like to...

Ghosts among us.(AIRMAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I enjoyed reading "Just Silly Ghost Stories" [October 2004] and would like to share my own story involving a missile site at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. In August 1965, a civilian crew was working underground in the silo of this...

USAF Aids South Viet-nam: as the communist pressures increase American training and supplies are expedited.(August 1962 (Pages 38-41))(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
July 1, 2005... Lt. Col. Robert de T. Lawrence Hq, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Viet-nam With the USSR relaxing pressure on Berlin, world attention at the time had shifted focus to the struggle for South Viet-nam to keep its independence. In...

Spin cycle: Airman photographer takes on the air force centrifuge.(AIRMAN XTREME)
July 1, 2005... "LEGS TIGHT... BUTT TIGHT... BREATHE," a voice yells at me. With all that I can muster, I turn my lower body to stone and when told to--breathe. It's all one can do when riding a human salad spinner with an attitude and 1,000 horsepower. That...

Marlins & platypuses: wait around too long, and they'll get away.(TOP TEN)
July 1, 2005... Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Three words you don't want to say' when you look back on your Air Force career--be it four, 20 or 30 years. You've seen the lists: "Top 100 Things You Should Do Before You Die," or "Top 10 Adventures of a...

The unsung workforce: civilians keep the homefront operating when Airmen deploy.
July 1, 2005... If the name "Quiet Professionals" wasn't already claimed by special operations, it could be used to described the 141,000 other Air Force people heavily engaged in the war on terrorism. They don't wear camouflaged uniforms, but blend into...

Reason to smile: Airman-Seabee builds bonds in Panama.(PROFILE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Capt. Star Longo has reason to smile. He commands a construction Navy Seabees, travels to distant lands and gets to make people happy. He did all that in the three months his team spent building a community center in tiny Llano de Piedra,...

Balad downtime.(management of time)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Heat and choking dust. Long hours and family separation. Mortar attacks and the stress of war. These are just a part of life for Airmen at Balad Air Base. Iraq. Life there is not easy to say the least. So when they get the downtime. Airmen...

Tough love.(personal profile)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Staff Sgt. Yolandra Rodriguez enjoyed 11 years in the missile maintenance career field. But she wanted something more--the opportunity to make a difference in a personal way. Today, the military training leader provides guidance and...

Unmanned, unmatched, unafraid: the little plane that could.(reports of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
July 1, 2005... A sniper fires on a U.S. patrol as it rumbles through Iraq. The U.S. forces can't locate him without exposing themselves to fire, and they're pinned down. Help comes in the way of a Predator. Being a remotely piloted aircraft, it can...

Changes make Soto Cano more permanent.(The Americas)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras -- Traits that for 20 years made this tiny Central American outpost a bit unique among U.S. military bases are starting to erode. That's good. The culprit? Change. But Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines of...

Group prepares for emergency actions in Asia.(The Pacific)
July 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO -- There's a contingency response group at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, that was only two-months old when it jumped into action during the Christmas Eve tsunami in Asia. Activated in November 2000, the 613th Contingency...

U.S. pilots train Iraqi counterparts to fly C-130.(The Central AOR)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq -- U.S. pilots are training their Iraqi counterparts to fly three C-130 Hercules the Iraqi air force received from the Department of Defense. Airmen from the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air...

New wing enhances support in United Kingdom.(Europe)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England -- A new United States Air Forces in Europe wing will provide support to its geographically separated units in the United Kingdom. The Airmen of the 501st Combat Support Wing will focus on units that are...

Senior Airmen Jason Dunigan pounds a stake into the ground.(AF UPDATE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIRFIELD, Romania -- Senior Airmen Jason Dunigan pounds a stake into the ground while building a 50-foot mast for exercise Combined Endeavor 2005 in May. Airman Dunigan is assigned to the 1st Combat Communications Squadron...

DoD readies biometric ID system to protect troops, save lives.(THE HOT FILES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department is fine-tuning a $75 million biometric identification system designed to improve force protection at U.S. military bases in Iraq. The system will use biographical data, facial photographs, fingerprints...

Air Force launches 'AF eMail'.(THE HOT FILES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Air Force began the first phase of a new e-mail system in May that will enhance communication of Airmen around the world. The AF eMail (a.k.a. eMail-for-Life) is a single, static e-mail address that will not change during...

BRAC falls in line with future total force vision.(Base Realignment And Closure)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Air Force leaders kept a steady eye on the big picture, to include the future total force, when they began planning four years ago to make recommendations to the Base Realignment and Closure committee. "It is...

"Air Force continues search for Junior ROTC instructors.(THE HOT FILES)(Reserve Officer Training Corps)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Officials continue to search for qualified instructors to serve in rapidly expanding Air Force Junior ROTC programs. Forty-eight new Junior ROTC units will be opened in high schools in 21 states, with more to...

Airman allowed to show service colors while traveling.(THE HOT FILES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Airmen traveling to and from the U.S. Central Command Air Forces' area of responsibility now have the option to wear the desert combat uniform on those flights. "This was about pride. Other services were coming home in...

How to ... dodge a surface-to-air missile.(HOW TO ...)
July 1, 2005... 1. AVOID IT BY USING INTEL OR RECONNAISSANCE INFORMATION IN THE MISSION BRIEFING, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FLY AROUND A THREAT OR MAKE A PLAN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ITS INHERENT WEAKNESS. 2. IF THE ENEMY GETS LUCKY ENOUGH TO TAKE A SHOT AT YOU,...