Airman articles from May 2008

Airman archives from May 2008

Airman Villers.(COMMENTS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... Thank you! We loved the article ["Michelle's Yellow Rose," March-April 2008]. It was beautifully written. The pictures you chose are awesome. We are so touched and so grateful for your work in all of this. What a beautiful tribute to our...

True warriors?(COMMENTS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This "warrior" thing is spiraling way out of control. Your "Home Front Warriors" headline [January-February 2008] is outrageously preposterous. While I'm all for the "total force" concept, calling a stateside...

The "Book".(COMMENTS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... The Book 2008 [February-March issue] is another truly great and near flawless annual edition. I was a little disappointed when perusing the missiles pages when I didn't see the AGM-114 Hell fire included, though Hellfire missiles hang from the...

Into the future": Air Force secretary, Chief of Staff detail how airmen will continue safeguarding America tomorrow.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How will the Air Force continue to safeguard the United States in the future? By flying and fighting of course. But charting the Air Force's strategy for the future is not that simple. What Secretary of the...

Airmen at war: taking the fight straight to the enemy.(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After more than 17 years of fighting in the Middle East, Airmen continue to prove their worth and commitment to winning the war on terrorism. Overhead, during every battle of the war--right in the enemy's...

C-130 Hercules pilot: the joy of flying low and slow.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the sun slowly dips below Afghanistan's horizon, Capt. Malinda Hammond is just beginning her duty day. She walks briskly toward one of the workhorses of the Air Force fleet, a C-130 Hercules, heading to the...

MQ-1 predator maintainer: healthy predator can strike back.
May 1, 2008... The thing about enemy rockets and mortars is they don't distinguish between man or woman, local national or foreigner, active-duty Airman or Air Force contractor. So when the alarm of an imminent attack sounds, all most people can do is...

Weather forecaster: looking for a break in the clouds.
May 1, 2008... On a miserable winter night at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, Staff Sgt. Michael Ragsdale was working the graveyard shift. Outside, a thick fog cut visibility to less than a quarter mile. The January 2008 temperatures averaged 30 degrees below...

Combat operations director: protection is still his games.(Walter Manwill )
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Protecting people is his business, and Lt. Col. Walter Manwill takes it personally. The former Brigham Young University offensive lineman once protected his quarterback Jim McMahon, who later went on to the...

Aerospace medical technician: keeping the survival rate high.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A true oasis in the desert, the Air Force theater hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq, is one of the most advanced field hospitals ever used in wartime. The survival rate--for American servicemembers, Iraqi military...

Avoiding the plague of non-combat injuries: simple guidelines help keep Airmen healthier.(TOP 10)
May 1, 2008... It's obvious that some of the greatest dangers to Airmen serving in a war zone are insurgents, roadside bombs, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and bullets. But what crawls around beneath their feet, sneaks into their lungs or worms its...

B-2 spirit crew chief: staff Sgt. Joshua A. Varga.(PROFILE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "My job has its challenges every day. I troubleshoot, manage short-term and long-term maintenance forecasts and training, break sweat and bust knuckles to modify, inspect, service and maintain my aircraft. And if at...

Air traffic controller: orchestrating aerial and ground movements.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An airfield in a war zone is like an orchestra of aerial and ground activity. That's the case at Sather Air Base, Iraq, located next to Baghdad International Airport. It's one busy place. There are planes...

Air component coordinator: keeping things moving in Africa.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a C-130 Hercules pilot, Maj. Jeff Ausborn sees the world from high above the ground, where people and animals are indistinguishable. The world looks different when viewed through tiny cockpit windows. But he...

Air transportation specialist: leader of 'the pack'.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How do you take a disoriented gaggle of travel-weary passengers, 50 tons of equipment, high-tech weaponry and anything else you can strap to a pallet and stuff it into the back of a war-zone bound cargo plane in less...

Combat camera videographer: what you see is what you get.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Loaded down like a pack mule, Senior Airman Michelle Emery was ready for another early morning rendezvous with the Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division. Today the combat videographer would document them doing a...

C-17 loadmaster: keeping warfighters supplied.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On any given day, Staff Sgt. Adrienne Gariglio could load anything, from pallets of plastic spoons to a 100,000-pound tank, into her C-17 Globemaster III. But people, especially those she helps fly in and out of...

The Air Force's last ace? It took 55 years to confirm pilot's Korean War kills.(HERITAGE)
May 1, 2008... When retired Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland answered the phone, he thought nothing of it. It was probably just one of his buddies looking to chat or someone trying to sell him another magazine subscription. But it turned out to be one of the...

Frontline duty: faceless warriors sustain war effort.(Frontline duty)
May 1, 2008... To fight the war on terrorism, Senior Airman Bryan Gallagher makes sure aircraft have fuel to fly and fight--night and day. On any given day in Iraq and Afghanistan, other faceless Airmen do their part to win the war. Airman Gallagher,...

The Baghdad beat: living and working in a dangerous town.
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Airmen in Iraq welcome all the help they can get as they fight to stabilize one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Security forces Tech. Sgt. Traci Bauder knows that's especially true in Baghdad. ...

Quick escape.(THE FINAL FRAME)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An Air Force firefighter rappels from the top of the 185-foot tall Baghdad International Airport air traffic control tower during a training exercise. Towerworkers routinely practice escapes they may have to make in...