Airman articles from March 2009

Airman archives from March 2009

CCAF: Education Now.(COMMENTS)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After reading your article "CCAF: Education Now" as well as the op-ed piece by Chief Master Sgt. Proietti, [January-February 2009] I am further convinced of the importance and priority of a college education in...

SERE cheer.(COMMENTS)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I just finished reading the latest article on SERE Training [January-February 2009] and have to say that overall it showed huge improvement over many past articles. The key thing I noticed is the use of the term...

'Go Air Force!'.(COMMENTS)(Correction notice)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's pretty bad when someone can find a proofreading error by reading the nametag of a person in one of your magazine photos. In the bottom right-hand photograph on pg. 17 of the Nov/Dec issue the caption should...

USO kudos.(COMMENTS)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although a Kiwi (New Zealander), I live in Colorado with my wife and son, but my work is in Afghanistan contracted to assist U.S. clients and work beside U.S. forces. In a recent time on one frontline forward...

Airmen spread airpower around the globe.(Frontline Duty)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Around the world, the dedicated men and women of America's Air Force are demonstrating airpower to allies and enemies alike. Whether flying F-15E Strike Eagles over the hard-packed terrain of Afghanistan or the Air Force Honor Guard...

Firing flares.(Frontline Duty)(F-15E Strike Eagle)
March 1, 2009... An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Bagram Air Base, deploys heat decoys during a combat patrol in Afghanistan. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] photo by STAFF SGT. AARON ALLMON

Strike out.(Frontline Duty)(Exercise Allied Strike II)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Staff Sgt. Nathan Depew and Senior Airphoto man Ronald Colletti call in air support during urban mount training in Germany in support of Exercise Allied Strike II, a combined coalition forces exercise training for...

Watch tower.(Frontline Duty)(Joint Base Balad in Iraq)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The setting sun silhouettes the air traffic control tower at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad runs the tower and is a forward-deployed Air Force wing in support Operation Iraqi...

Casualty care.(Frontline Duty)(combat lifesaver)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Airman 1st Class Jonathan Guzman attaches tape to Army Spc. Jeremy Gary's head as part of a combat lifesaver course on Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The Army, Air Force and Navy used a mass casualty exercise as the final...

Prayer power.(Frontline Duty)(airmen prayer)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Airmen as signed to Det. 3, 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Multi-National Division--Baghdad group together for a prayer. The prayer is a tradition for the Airmen, prior to heading out on their daily...

Interceptor enroute.(Frontline Duty)(ground-based missile interceptor)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A ground-based interceptor lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch was a test of the Ground-based Mid-course Defense element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. The missile successfully...

Waiting warbird.(Frontline Duty)(F-16 Fighting Falcon)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An F-16 Fighting Falcon sits tethered to the hot cargo pad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The aircraft, with the Minnesota Air National Guard's 179th Fighter Squadron, is tethered to...

Reflections.(Frontline Duty)(C-17 Globemaster III)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A C-17 Globemaster III taxis on the runway after landing. The aircraft is reflected in a body of water created by a recent flood at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Stagnant bodies of water can become breeding grounds for...

Exhibition of excellence.(Frontline Duty)(The Air Force Honor Guard)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Air Force Honor Guard drill team performs during a nationally telecast Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers basketball game in front of nearly 20,000 fans in Los Angeles. photo by STAFF SGT. RAYMOND HOY

Predator power.(Frontline Duty)(weapons load competition)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Staff Sgt. Bobby Domanski and Airman 1st Class Aaron Weddington lift a Hellfire missile for loading onto an MQ-1 Predator during the 432nd Wing's weapons load crew competition. This was the first weapons load competition since the 432nd Wing...

Shuttle security.(Frontline Duty)(Space Shuttle Endeavour)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Senior Airman Gary Nygard secures a gateway near the Space Shuttle Endeavour at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. The Space Shuttle Endeavor, atop a National Aeronautic and Space Administration's modified Boeing 747,...

Jumper away.(Frontline Duty)(soldiers training)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Army Soldiers jump out the troop door of a C-17 Globemaster III. The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division partnered with the 517th Airlift Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, for jump training...

Inauguration.(President Barack Obama's inauguration)
March 1, 2009... Airmen are first and foremost Americans. These proud patriots pride in protecting their nation and performing their sacred duty as American citizens. In January, Airmen joined Soldiers, Sailors and Marines from their sister services in a...

Air Force UFC: new course teaches Airmen the basics of UAS operations.(unmanned aircraft systems Fundamentals Course)
March 1, 2009... The Air Force is now offering a new UFC course. But, put down those gloves and forget taping those wrists. In this case, UFC doesn't mean they tossed their hats into the Ultimate Fighting Championship arena. Here, UFC is actually an...

Student--UA operator: 2nd Lt. Raquel Dronenburg.(PROFILE)(Unmanned Aircraft)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Although I'm not a UAS aircrew member yet, I very much look forward to being a part of such a unique and dynamic mission. This isn't the guts and glory of a fighter pilot mission, but the UAS mission saves lives and...

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance: Air Force mission to meet tomorrow's challenges.(United States Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For more than 60 years the way the Air Force conducts its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission evolved as a result of global events. Since the end of World War II, Airmen have watched, listened and...

Re-invigorating the nuclear enterprise: Air Force implements new roadmap to safeguard its nuclear deterrence capabilities.(Unites States Air Force)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For Senior Airman Robert Waziak, mistakes are not allowed. In his job, one mistake can have catastrophic results. No one has to tell him, though. All he has to do to remind himself is look at the nuclear weapons...

Nuclear weapons technician: Staff Sgt. Chris J. Misenheimer.(PROFILE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I like the fact that while serving in the Air Force, I have the opportunity to work on a strategic weapon system that has the largest deterrence factor in our arsenal. I get to meet and...

Cyber update: Air Force cyber operations evolve into numbered Air Force.
March 1, 2009... As Senior Airman Robbie Arp sits down at his computer on a normal Monday morning, he is about to enter another dimension. With a turn of his wrist the Air Force broadcaster swings his common access card into place. As the high-tech circuits...

Global Strike: Air Force activates provisional command.
March 1, 2009... A team of experts, charged with a critical element of rebuilding the nuclear enterprise, is currently grinding out details to stand up the Air Force's new Global Strike Command. The team, comprising approximately 55 Airmen, led by Brig....

Warrior Airmen: National Museum of the United States Air Force opens new exhibit.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force now gives visitors a chance to see not only the service's past, but also its present and future. Called "Warrior Airmen," the new exhibit...

The gender challenge: tough times--women to Airmen.(HERITAGE)
March 1, 2009... With the stroke of a pen, on June 12, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 625, the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, and opened military doors for the enlistment and appointment of women in the Regular and Reserve Air Force....

WASP nest: museum honors the memory, sacrifices of the first female military pilots.(HERITAGE)(Women Airforce Service Pilots)
March 1, 2009... When Betty Jo Reed was introduced to flying, it was love at first sight. She was six years old and her father paid a dollar for her to take a ride in a Ford tri-motor airplane at the local fair. Once airborne, she was hooked. "I...

Fulfilling a dream.(NOTEBOOK)(Betty Jo Streff-Reed)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was a sunny day in Sweetwater, Texas, in 1944. A steady breeze flowed over her face as her scarf twirled in the wind. Sitting in the cockpit of a Stearman biplane for the first time in her life, with adrenaline...

Frigid fighters.(THE FINAL FRAME)(snowstorm)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Maintainers assigned to the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron make their way across the flightline at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., during a rare Pacific Northwest snowstorm.