Mission essential: Communications key to success

We've all been there - a thunderstorm knocks out communication lines and life comes to a complete stop. Minutes go by like days as we wait for the network to be repaired, sitting-often literally--in the dark. Without communications, military orders, threats or even emergency situations may not be

AGE matters: Airmen highlight maintenance capabilities

Post office delivers holiday cheer to deployed Airmen

It was well after 11 p.m. when the truck pulled up to the loading dock. Eager workers waited for the rear door to open so the task could begin."Let's get this started," one Airman said, as the door slammed to the roof and out of sight.The 379th Expeditionary Communications Squadron Mail Control

USTRANSCOM leader visits hub of Southwest Asia

When the Airman's voice began to falter as he briefed the visiting four-star general, a sharp, loud voice rang out in the small maintenance bay."You need it!" yelled Lt. Col. Scott Belanger, 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron commander. "We move it!" replied a formation of 8 EAMS

Joint STARS keeps watch as nearly nine-year war ends

"That's incredible," 1st Lt. Carter Matherly, an air weapons officer from the 7th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron, said to himself as fellow aircrew members gathered around his screen to watch live video feed of the last U.S. combat forces convoy roll out of Iraq and the gates

Flightline Fest offers unique community event in a deployed setting

For many service members, the deployed environment is one of long days, restless nights and a longing for the comforts of home. In this environment, it's easy to lose focus on how each unit is vital to contingency operations. Airmen got a visual, hands-on reminder of how units work together to

Refuelers return from supporting Operation New Dawn

Airmen from the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron Detachment 4 recently returned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing following a forward deployment in Iraq supporting Operation New Dawn. The squadron's mission enabled the U.S. military to safely transition personnel and equipment out of

Armory helps support U.S. Forces transition out of Iraq

The drawdown of U.S. service members from Iraq to meet a Dec. 31, withdrawal deadline has made headlines around the world. What is less well known is the work done behind the scenes to make the exit a reality.All of the "beans and bullets" and other various instruments of war used in Iraq since the

Deployed Airmen remember Pearl Harbor

Although 70 years have passed since "a date which will live in infamy" the events of Dec. 7, 1941 still resonate with many Americans and their allies.The members of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and coalition partners here are no different. They gathered together today to reflect upon the

Laughs, lyrics uplift deployed service members

Dazzling lights filled the eyes of spectators while vibrations echoed through their bodies as the sounds grew louder and louder. While most Airmen deployed here are accustomed to these sensations as B-1B Lancers take-off and land, these were derived from a more symphonic source on an eventful night,