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  • Airman awarded Purple Heart for valor in Afghanistan

    General Edward A. Rice Jr., commander, Air Education and Training Command, presented the Purple Heart and Air Force Combat Action Medals April 6 to an Airman for wounds received in combat action against a hostile enemy force in Afghanistan.Senior Airman Erik J. Schadler, an explosive ordnance

  • Warrior gears up for 'Games'

    Wounded warrior Israel Del Toro continues to improve his quality of life by way of different professional and sporting mechanisms. The latest, a custom-made Catrike Expedition, takes his love of competition to the next level.Returning to active duty despite disabling injuries received during combat,

  • Army drill sergeant pushes BMT flight

    When Army Staff Sgt. David Peters marched Air Force Basic Military Training Flight 258 past reviewing officials in the April 8 parade, it completed one half of a basic training instructor exchange between services.The drill sergeant-military training instructor exchange has given the Air Force and

  • SERE instructor at Fairchild doing what she loves

    As the sun ascends on a cold, mid-March morning in Colville National Forest, Wash., it marks the beginning of a 14-hour training day for survival, evasion, resistance and escape students and instructors. Three days of snow and rain have made the ground a wet, soggy, mud ice mixture. The temperature

  • Altus Airman helps train Iraqi air force firefighters downrange

    A dozen Iraqi air force and U.S.-contracted firefighters conducted a joint coordination exercise for a simulated C-130 crash here April 3. The exercise, led by the U.S. Air Force's base transition team, marked the initial steps in preparing Iraqi partners for increasing responsibilities as U.S.

  • WWII veterans' reunion continues tradition, legacy

    Four World War II veterans and their family members came together with the 434th Fighter Training Squadron here to share a weekend with their old squadron March 31 - April 3."The reunion this weekend got everyone together for a squadron tour, pig roast, piano burning ceremony, golf tournament, P-51

  • Recruiter turned hero: Sergeant pulls woman from burning car

    It was a typical Saturday night for one Air Force recruiter working a late-night marketing event. For a 43-year-old woman from Catasauqua, Pa., the recruiter's drive home turned out to be her lifeline. Staff Sgt. Joseph Maltese, an Air Force recruiter in Scranton, Pa., was returning home from the

  • 19th AF commander focuses on efficiency

    Become more efficient without sacrificing integrity was the message to Luke Airmen Tuesday during a commander's call from Maj. Gen. Mark Solo, 19th Air Force commander.General Solo visited Luke for two days as part of a base orientation tour. He attended briefings, toured units and met many Airmen

  • Luke AFB pilot reaches 5,000 F-16 flying hours

    A pilot at Luke Air Force Base reached a feat March 24 that only two other F-16 pilots have accomplished throughout their careers. Col. Robert McCutchen Jr., 56th Fighter Wing special assistant to commander, reached his 5,000th F-16 flying hour. Reaching such a milestone didn't come easy. In fact,

  • 97th Airmen contribute to training, operational missions in Italy

    Eleven Altus Airmen and one C-17 Globemaster III ventured to Italy last week to help three U.S. and Italian army and air force units fulfill airborne training. The almost baker's dozen and their winged chariot did just that - and more. During their week-long stint, they executed 1,480 paratrooper