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  • Commander concludes fini flight, prepares for new horizon

    Brigadier General John T. Quintas, the commander of the Air Expeditionary Wing, completed his final flight Thursday marking the end of his command.An aviator Air Force tradition, the fini flight is the last flight with the wing or squadron in which fellow aircrew, friends and family members hose

  • Airmen exercise cultural awareness during Ramadan

    U.S. military personnel serving in the Middle East are constantly reminded to be familiar with host-nation customs and courtesies to help facilitate a long-lasting mutual respect with the local community.A significant religious period happens in the Middle East during the ninth month of the Islamic

  • U.S. Army celebrates 240th birthday with coalition partners

    The 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment celebrated the U.S. Army’s 240th birthday by hosting a five-sport event at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia June 12-13.  The activities included a 5K color run, volleyball, softball, tug-o-war and dodgeball. Several teams, made up of

  • Blood, Sweat, Tears: crew chief’s pour everything in to OIR

    (Editor’s note: Due to safety and security reasons,last names and unit designators were removed.) At the beginning of each shift, Staff Sgt. Oren grabsa pair of green and orange foam hearing protection packaged in a little whitebox; he rolls them in to a fine point and puts them in his ears. His

  • HVAC Airmen withstand the heat to deliver the cool

    Desert environments contain harsh elements, which can beextremely difficult to become acclimated to. One element in particular, tendsto grab people’s attention immediately making its presence known in anunforgiving way.As soon as new members get here and step off the plane theyexperience the

  • Maintaining the vehicles that move the mission

    (Editor’s note: Due to safety and security reasons,last names and unit designators were removed.)Imagine unloading 60 thousand pounds of cargo byhand. Aircraft missions, personnel movements, and supply distributions wouldcome to a screeching halt. The time and resources necessary to accomplish sucha

  • Competition unites coalition off the frontlines

    The U.S. Air Force along with four other coalitionorganizations, which included the host nation, came together to compete in theFriendship Games, a one-day tri-sport event, at an undisclosed location inSouthwest Asia May 27, 2015.   The competition started at 7:20 a.m. with a 5K run andwas followed

  • Running on High Octane: POL fuels support, combat operations

    Sweat starts to pour down Airman 1st Class Arnaldo’sface. It’s only 9 a.m., its 100 degrees outside and the temperature is climbing.Chatter comes across his radio for a fuel request; he wipes his face off, hopsin his R-12 refueler and heads to the flightline. It’s an ordinary day, but themission he

  • IPE, barrier between Airmen and affliction

    Gas! Gas! Gas!...is a common warning drilled into the mindsof Airmen from the beginning of their enlistment. The unsettling alert prompts themto immediately dawn their individual protective equipment.  Airmen first employ IPE in basic military training when theyare exposed to tear gas, also known as

  • Maintainers extend the battle against ISIL

    Fly, fight and win. Those words are etched throughoutAir Force history, earned from countless sorties flown in combat operations aroundthe globe. Today, we continue to fly, fight and win in support of Operation INHERENTRESOLVE. Nearly every OIR mission requires support fromtanker aircraft to put