Airman supports Baltic air policing mission
SIAULIAI, Lithuania, December 3, 2008 – The son of a New Albany couple understands how fighter jets, ready at a moment’s notice, make up a vital element in national defense – particularly since the 9/11 terror attacks in America...
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Airman boards Navy ship USS Kearsage
to provide humanitarian aide to Caribbean nations
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, November 6, 2008 – Leaving your job behind to spend months on a ship cruising the Atlantic to tropical, remote Caribbean locations is an ideal vacation dream for many of us. For the son of a Natick woman, the scene became reality when he boarded a Navy amphibious assault ship on a mission of bringing humanitarian aide and civil assistance to people in need...
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Soldier provides security
for national political convention
DENVER, August 24, 2008 – As Barack Obama stood center stage here to accept his party’s nomination, the soldier son of an El Paso man stood quietly in the shadows, far away from the spotlights and cameras that focused on the candidate and his supporters...
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Airman supports high-altitude reconnaissance
as Beale AFB aircrew performance specialist
BEALE AFB, Calif., 8 August, 2008 – The extremely tight security surrounding this remote air base in northern California seems out of place for the son of a Chicago woman stationed here. Earthtone buildings with high tech gadgetry are tucked into an area more fit for rattlesnakes and coyotes than for the men and women who call this place home...
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Army medic learns realities of war
at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
LANDSTUHL, Germany, 14 July, 2008 – Caring for wounded or ill warriors is top priority for the son of a Durbin couple who works at the largest American hospital outside the United States...
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Air Force cadets face challenges at Maxwell 'boot camp'
MAXWELL AFB, Ala., 29 June, 2008 – For most college students taking the summer off between their sophomore and junior years, life is usually filled with a summer job, time at the beach or a little extra time in front of their favorite video games...
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Airmen trains with coalition partners
during exercise Maple Flag 41
COLD LAKE, Alberta, Canada, 30 May, 2008 – When the daughter of a Manorville couple arrived recently at this remote Canadian prairie setting where it seems like the sun never sets and is haven for hikers, hunters, and fishermen, it was like stepping back in time—a time of no four-lane, congested highways and full service gas stations...
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Soldiers serve as embassadors of good will
during Republic of Georgia training mission
TBILISI , Georgia, July 24, 2008 -- At first glance, the son of a Machesney Park, Ill., couple looks nothing like what you’d expect of an American soldier. He wears long, loose-fitting Arab clothing, a scarf-like head cover, grows facial hair and lives in the desert in a small Arab village. He stands with Iraqi natives as Arabic calls to prayer can be heard over loud speakers...
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National Training Center soldier role-plays
to help save deploying soldiers' lives
FORT IRWIN, Calif., May 3, 2008 -- At first glance, the son of a Machesney Park, Ill., couple looks nothing like what you’d expect of an American soldier. He wears long, loose-fitting Arab clothing, a scarf-like head cover, grows facial hair and lives in the desert in a small Arab village. He stands with Iraqi natives as Arabic calls to prayer can be heard over loud speakers...
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1st Cavalry Division Soldier redeploys from Iraq duty
FORT HOOD, Texas, Apr 18, 2008 – There’s no fast way of “getting back” to normal for soldiers who are deployed away from home for more than a year. Separation from loved ones and friends, along with an accustomed way of life can be hard for even the toughest GI...
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Guardsman honors World War II veterans
at 19th Bataan Memorial Death
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M., Mar 31, 2008 – On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino Soldiers surrendered to Japanese forces. They were marched for days along a 65-mile grueling route in the scorching heat through the malaria-infested Philippine jungles, with limited rations and no medical support. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp...
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Mission Flight Control Officer supports
modern space program at Vandenberg AFB
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Mar 7, 2008 – It was 50 years ago this year when rocket scientists and airmen gathered here at this rugged, coastal base with nothing more than chalkboard theory, and test fired a missile capable of dropping a nuclear bomb on an enemy located thousands of miles away. The successful test put the Soviets on notice and spawned an Air Force space program...
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Airman enhances interoperability skills
during 24th Balikatan exercise
PHILIPPINES, Mar 7, 2008 - When Mount Pinatubo erupted and devastated portions of this lush, tropical island with lava and ash in 1991, no one thought that U.S. military personnel would ever set foot again on Filipino soil...
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Prior Wounded Warrior now helps others heal
at Brooke Army Medical Center WTU
SAN ANTONIO, Feb 28, 2008 – They say “time heals all wounds,” but for injured soldiers returning home from war, it takes a great deal more than that – it takes the help of an army...
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Wounded Warrior honored
at Army All-American Bowl
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan 5, 2008 – Sometimes when the son of a Deltona man is asked why he was awarded the Purple Heart for his efforts in Operation Iraqi Freedom his common response is “I was just doing my job.” But for the 36, 534 fans in attendance at the Alamodome for the Army-sponsored “All-American” Bowl high School all-star football game, they knew that the soldiers on the field were being honored for far more than “just doing their job.”
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Airman provides critical OIF support
from isolated Ali Air Base
ALI AIR BASE, Iraq, Dec 15, 2007– For the son of a Norman, Okla., couple, life at this coalition air base in isolated southern Iraq, is a struggle of extremes. A cold, drenching rain replaces sun-baked, cracked desert conditions, making life constantly a challenge for the men and women supporting the Air Force’s only major airfield in the southern part of the country...
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Airman provides contingency response capability
at strategic staging area in Guam
ANDERSEN AFB, Guam, Sept 27, 2007 – Most people are drawn to this tiny Pacific island for the warm weather, pristine coral reefs and lush tropical flora. Japanese honeymooners flock here and this U.S. territory is closer to Japan, the Philippines and Australia than to its closest American neighbor Hawaii. Because of its location in the western Pacific and west of the international dateline, it’s the first place on American soil to see the sun rise each morning...
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Maintainer helps rewrite aviation history
with Air Force's new F-22 fighter
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. – Working with the most advanced and lethal fighter aircraft in the world has gained the son of a Louisville couple quite a bit of attention over the past several months. It seems that just about everything he does lately finds him involved with rewriting the aviation history books...
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Armament Center officer plays key role
in war on terrorism
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Long before al-Zarqawi became a household name in America, Air Force men and women here were developing specialized ways to attack terrorists and their infrastructure. High-tech bombs with precision pin-point accuracy are developed and tested at the Air Force’s main armament center...
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Services 'drop in' for airfield repair in JFEX '06
FORT BRAGG , N.C. – Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes is a common sight in the skies above this training ground for America’s premier first response unit – the 82nd Airborne Division. But for the son of an Estacada woman, jumping out of an airplane meant making military history...
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Airman risk life to save others in combat
MOODY AFB, Ga. — When American soldiers and airmen lie severely injured, pinned down by enemy fire and caught miles behind enemy lines with no visible means of escape, they don’t lose hope because of the efforts of the son of a Port Richey, Fla., couple...
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Soldier deployed 'In Front of Them All'
PAN MUN JOM, South Korea — The son of two Lubbock residents works in an area of clear and present danger at all times. To top it off, Army Spec. Derek Owen Doe has enemies in his personal space every day...
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Wolf Pack member prepares for emergencies
KUNSAN, South Korea — At first glance, life in this sleepy fishing village tucked into a corner of southwestern Korea on the Yellow Sea seems tranquil and at peace with the world. Men and women scurry to haul their catches onto the docks, where vendors scramble to get the best of the catch straight to market...
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Soldier uses military skills to battle Oregon fires
UNITY, Ore. - When the son of a Louisville woman joined the Army, he knew he'd eventually be called upon to defend his fellow Americans. That time has come, but for Army Spec. Travis J. Johnson Homeland Defense has taken on a whole new meaning in the hilly terrain of eastern Oregon.
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Soldier serves at Enduring Freedom Outpost
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — A year after the United States began its military operation to free Afghanistan from the Taliban’s oppressive rule, the son of a Brooksville woman continues to play an important role in helping to keep American service members safe in a still dangerous land...
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Guardsman earns commission
at grueling Officer Candidate School
FT. LEWIS, Wash. — Most people simply ask their boss for a raise, but the son of a Mason City, Iowa man had to push an armored car one-half mile up a road during one step of a grueling process he had to complete to show his country that he was ready for a step up the military career ladder...
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Soldier competes in demanding
expert infantryman badge competition
HOHENFELS, Germany — To many Americans, a stroll through the rolling German countryside may seem like a great way to spend a summer day, but for the son of a Port Ryan, Calif., woman, the pressure to finish a 12-mile road march with 40 pounds of weight strapped onto his back in less than three hours makes the journey he has embarked on anything but a European vacation...
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Airborne soldier sharpens peacekeeping skills
in Chile exercise
SANTIAGO, Chile - Soldiers are used to training for war, but the son of an Edmond, Okla., man is in this South American country training to keep the peace for future United Nations peacekeeping missions...
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Crewmember tests skills in exercise Maple Leaf
COLD LAKE, Alberta, Canada — When the son of a San Jose, Calif., couple walks onto his driveway in this small town tucked into the middle of nowhere on the high plains of central Canada, it seems like the entire town comes out to greet him. It’s a common experience this time of year in this remote area where moose and trout far outnumber people...
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NCO practices warfighting skills in frigid Alaska
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — There's a joke that the son of a Paris, Ky., woman shares with other service members stationed in this nether region where temperatures can drop to close to 100 degrees below zero and the nearest neighbor can literally be found a hundred miles away. They say that they may not be at the end of the earth, but they can sure see it from here...
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Airman fights war on terrorism from tropical reef
AMP JUSTICE, Indian Ocean – The daughter of a Lockport, N.Y., couple serves her country on a watery edge in the war on terror. Her new, albeit temporary, home is a narrow tropical jungle reef in the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 miles south of the southern India coast...
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Airman part of elite Thunderbirds crew
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – With necks craning, ears aching and the ground vibrating under their feet, the crowd of more than 100,000 stares into the sky in awe as six Thunderbirds perform precise aerial maneuvers and seemingly death-defying stunts in their F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft...
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Army medic supports U.S. forces in Afghanistan
KANDAHAR AIR BASE, Afghanistan — Bone-chilling cold, lung-choking dust storms, and the constant threat of enemy land mines and sniper fire are just a few of the challenges the son of a Hesperia, Calif., couple is facing as he stands on the front line of the war on terror in Afghanistan...
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Officer part of force guarding Kuwait
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait — The threat remains. Eleven years after the end of Operation Desert Storm, U.S. soldiers continue to stand guard in the country of Kuwait, helping to maintain peace in the Persian Gulf region and deter Iraqi aggression toward its small southern neighbor....
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Soldier guards suspected Al Qaeda terrorists
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — It's a scene that could easily have been ripped from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel. Hundreds of American service members guarding some of the world's most dangerous terrorists against a backdrop of never-ending tensions, where the only thing separating freedom from communist tyranny is a concertina-wire draped fence...
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JTF-Bravo airman spends holidays in Honduras
SOTO CANO AIR BASE — While the eyes of America may be focused on Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism, the son of a Bluffton, Ind. couple will be spending his Christmas in the Central American country of Honduras helping to improve the lives of thousands of people...
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Airman part of Afghanistan relief effort
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — s American bomber and fighter aircraft drop bombs on Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, the son of a Paw Paw, Ill. couple is playing a vital role in dropping something different to Afghani citizens - relief from the cold and hunger running rampant through the population of the war-torn country...
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Airman provides high-tech surveillance of battlefield
ROBINS AFB, Ga. — Barely a year into the 21st Century, the daughter of a North Tonawanda couple is involved with a one-of-a-kind unit that is revolutionizing the way we do business on the battlefield. In the face of the recent attacks on American soil, and peacekeeping missions in strife-torn areas such as Kosovo and Bosnia, information that's fresh and accurate is critical to military commanders who need to make quick, decisive responses...
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Soldier battles Washington wildfires
OMAK, Wash. — When firefighters called in the Army in their battle to snuff out wildfires in northeastern Washington, the son of a Sisters, Ore., woman traded his M-16 rifle for a pick and shovel and joined the cause...
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Airman control British skies at RAF Lakenheath
RAF LAKENHEATH, UK -- During World War II, Americans and British dominated the skies over Europe with feisty P-51 Mustangs, speedy Spitfires and the deadly P-47 Thunderbolts. They raced to aerial battles, and embarked on risky missions to save lives and establish world peace...
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Soldier part of rapid-response
GIEBELSTADT, Germany — For the son of a Browns Mills, New Jersey, woman stationed in Europe, life on the surface seems idyllic. Picturesque thirteenth century castles sit on lush green mountaintops where vineyards lay heavy with grapes that produce some of the world's best white wine. Quaint German shops lined along centuries-old cobblestone streets provide a life few Americans get to experience....
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SETAF soldier jumps to the rescue
AVIANO, ITALY — The son of a Nevada couple is in Anglia, where U.S. soldiers arrived by parachuting from an airplane into an angry mob poised to harm innocent Americans trapped inside an embassy building in the middle of a warzone...
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Soldier competes in language 'olympics'
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. — What is ... Spain!, exclaimed Army Spec. Jeffrey M. Carnes, anxiously slamming his hand on the buzzer as onlookers watch in hushed anticipation. It's a game of Jeopardy but the host isn't Alex Trebek and the questions in this contest would stump even the brightest gameshow champion, unless he or she happened to speak Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Persian-Farsi, Spanish or Korean....
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Air traffic controller serves on island airfield
LAJES FIELD, Azores — The daughter of a Cedar Rapids, Iowa couple can't disagree when people say she's stuck in the past. It has been a while since she's eaten at a fast food joint or shopped at a neighborhood strip mall. And on her way to work, she's much more likely to get stuck behind a lazy cow or a farmer's horse-drawn cart than a sports car...
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Airman hones skills in Paraguay
CONCEPCION, PARAGUAY — Traveling 6,500 miles for some on-the-job-training may make the son of an Orange City, Fla. woman look a bit overzealous to some. But, to people in several poor communities in this small South American country in severe need of medical care, clean drinking water and new community facilities, he looks like a hero...
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Soldier part of 60-hour non-stop competition
FORT BENNING, Ga. — Reality shows like the Survivor series have become the rage on American TV. Popular sports events such as the Ironman Triathlon, the Tour de France bicycle race and the international endurathon Eco Challenge push athletes’ body, mind and spirit to the absolute limit. The Army has its own competition...
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Soldier helps keep peace and stability in Kosovo
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Two years ago, thousands of ethnic Albanians fled their homes to escape the carnage of Serb paramilitaries bent on destruction and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. NATO intervention put an end to the brutality, but left the former Yugoslav province in tatters...
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Soldier tests 21st Century technology
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — The first day on the job was a brutal one for the son of a Chicago woman. Sent to one of the most desolate stretches of California’s Mojave Desert to face one of the most formidable enemies on the face of the Earth, the Army sergeant found himself smack dab in the middle of a sand storm with 60 mile-an-hour winds totally obscuring everything around him...
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Airman honors survivors of Bataan Death March
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — Fifty-nine years after thousands of forgotten U.S. soldiers were battling for their lives in the Bataan Peninsula on a grueling 65-mile march to prison camps, the son of a Knox, Ind., couple is on a march of his own. But his isn't a march for his life, it's a march to bring history to life...
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Airman trains for hotspots
at Phoenix Readiness course
FORT DIX, N.J. — When the son of a Hampton, Va. couple first arrived in the war ravaged country, he was told not to drink the water, eat the food or interact with the locals. Malaria, AIDS and Yellow Fever were common, as were the dead bodies littering the devastated streets and village paths. And, to top it all off, he was in constant danger. One mistake could cost him his life...
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Airman monitors missiles at early warning facility
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — During America’s first world war, troops atop lookout towers were often forced to warn of impending air raids or danger by ringing bells, blowing whistles or shouting to alert those below. Only a couple of decades later, the invention of radar drastically changed the face of "early warning" forever, giving soldiers on the ground, in the air and below the sea time to escape possible disaster..
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Air Force officer inhabits sci-fi world
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. — In the world of science fiction, starships maneuver through outer space, firing laser beams at the speed of light. Super-powered telescopes peer far into the void, spotting new galaxies and constellations, and soldiers take to the battlefield armed with pen-sized weapons capable of cutting through armor like a knife.
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Airman trains as military training instructor
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – The daughter of a Ville Platte couple, like most men and women who have survived the trials and tribulations of military basic training, left with a certain awe and respect, and more than just a little fear of the larger-than-life drill sergeant who tormented her for six weeks. But, unlike most of her peers, Air Force Senior Airman Tav Leggett is looking forward to repeating the experience.
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NCO part of Initial Brigade Combat Team
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — In the early 20th Century soldiers faced a transformation. Gone were the hordes of cavalry on horseback charging with drawn sabers. In their place came rumbling tanks rolling with metal tracks, steel armor and immense firepower. A century later, the son of an Amity, Ore., man is going through changes even more dramatic.
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NCO helps prepare welcome for new U.S. President
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The son of a Seattle couple is throwing a welcome party for his new boss. But this isn't the typical office party complete with flimsy party hats and paper-thin streamers. This is a party of epic proportions, with a music-blaring, banner-waving parade and a guest list numbering in the millions....
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Army specialist is modern-day sleuth
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii — When Army Sgt. James T. Higgins headed off to North Korea to serve his country in 1950, his family figured he'd be back home in about a year. But one fateful night, after a deadly assault by Chinese forces, Higgins disappeared. His family was left with a devastating loss and a lot of unanswered questions...
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'Techno soldier' takes on opposing forces
in Advanced Warfighter Experiment
FORT POLK, La. — In times past, all the American soldier needed for battle was a full complement of ammunition, his M-16 and John Wayne style grit. But now, the son of two Virginia residents goes into battle armed not only with bullets, but with enough technology and microchips to make a computer nerd jealous...
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Soldier promotes peace in exercise Foal Eagle 2000
PUSAN, Republic of Korea – The daughter of a Morgan Hill woman plays the same role in international politics as U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. While Albright negotiates an end to a cold war between North Korea and its southern neighbor, this soldier was also doing her part to promote peace, albeit in a starkly different fashion...
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Airman competes in first "Wilderness Challenge"
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. – When Air Force Staff Sgt. Lisa Sanchez and her teammates first arrived at this pristine wilderness whitewater rafting spot nestled next to the rugged New River Gorge National River in the mountains of southeastern West Virginia, they had no idea what lay ahead...
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Soldier takes out the trash on remote island
JOHNSTON ISLAND — It’s the son of a Mechanicsville couple’s job to take out the trash. But, not the usual Hefty bags full of discarded candy wrappers and outdated office memos. This trash is made up of thousands of tons of nuclear warheads and deadly nerve agents that could easily take out the population of New York. He does all this on an island no bigger than the size of an 18-hole golf course...
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Soldier battles Idaho Fires
BURGDORF, Idaho — It's a cunning enemy fighting on its home turf. It slinks silently through the forest, challenging the soldiers fighting it to even find it. It goes unnoticed until it strikes, and in a matter of seconds, turns a spruce tree into a towering inferno or silently topples several hundred pounds of smoldering fir.
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Airman helps improve life for Grenadians
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA — When U.S. forces invaded Grenada in 1983, they came armed to the teeth with tanks, mortars and automatic weapons, all the tools needed to oust a corrupt Marxist regime. The military son of a Kansas City couple has come to this island armed with tools of a different nature, leaving the tanks and rifles behind in favor of hammers, shovels and bulldozers...
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Army wrestler trains for Olympic gold
FT CARSON, Colo. — Though physically fit and well-versed in the art of combat, the son of a Florida couple is far from being a typical soldier. He's traded the high tech tanks and rifles of the modern battlefield for a 12- by 12-foot rubber mat. His opponents aren't enemy armies but rival athletes, and the medal he earns, more likely Olympic gold than a Purple Heart.
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Soldier's sights set on Australian gold
FT BENNING, Ga. — Joetta Dement is on a 21st Century quest not much different from her 19th Century Wild West ancestors. The daughter of a Washington couple may not be wielding a six-shooter in a high-noon shootout or panning for gold in a California mountain stream but she is involved in a modern-day shootout of sorts and is definitely interested in a search for gold.
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