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  • Don't forget about the garlic bread

    In the Air Force, we focus on safety during key times of the year, like the Critical Days of Summer, or prior to the winter holidays. We also focus on safety before missions with increased risk levels. But the truth is, we must have safety on our minds at all times, whether we are flying a refueling

  • Keep us out of a job!

    Fire Prevention Week is a long and well-established annual tradition of all fire departments across the nation. In memory of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, we continue to expand our training, encouraging members of the public to practice fire safety in their homes in hopes of keeping them away from

  • United by the flag

    As an aircraft electro-environmental systems air reserve technician on both cargo and tanker aircraft, I am required to deploy worldwide in support of varied missions. Being away from home can be stressful and lonely, and small things can make a big difference in the quality of life while

  • MARCH MINUTES: Keeping the records straight

    Tech. Sgt. Faviola Venegas is an Air Force reservist and member of the 452nd Operational Support Squadron.  Here, she shares a day in her life as a flight records manager (the date she tracked was Aug. 18, 2011).  0722 Chief Rae is already in her office. I greet her, fire up my computer and print

  • CHAPLAINS' CORNER: Learning to stay sharp

    One thing that drives me nuts is having a knife with a dull blade. Unfortunately, most of the knives in my house are dull and in need of sharpening. However, it wasn't always that way. When my wife and I were engaged and registering for wedding gifts, I remember taking hours trying to find the

  • MARCH MINUTES: Running the Air Force Half Marathon

    Staff Sgt. Steve Sobieraj is an Air Force reservist and member of the 452nd Security Forces Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. He flew to Wright-Patterson AFB on Sept. 16 with 92 other runners from March to participate in the Air Force Marathon weekend races.  Here, he describes running the

  • The morning everything changed

    On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was at home in Murrieta with my 3-year-old and 6-month-old sons. My husband is a United Airline pilot and he was on a trip with a layover in Hawaii. He called me around 7 a.m. and told me to turn on the news. I was in shock and could not take my eyes from the news

  • Cliffwar notes

    Modern literature is not built on the perfect iambic pentameter, a seamless haiku, or even a flawless sonnet, but rather, modern literature has created a phenomenon of truth, a question of events and an examination of accuracy. In yonder times, authors such as Stephen Crane and Ambrose Bierce wrote

  • CHAPLAINS' CORNER: Who is the wingman for the chaplain?

    A top priority for all of us in the Air Force is to be a good wingman and to have a wingman. Have you ever wondered who the wingmen are for the chaplains? We have them and they are the best -- they are our chaplain assistants.The job description for a chaplain assistant reads: "To provide support