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  • End of runway checks ensure safe flying

    A small group of Airmen with the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron spend 12 hours a day at the end of the runway here for one primary purpose--to ensure F-15 Eagles get one final checkup before take off. Even with Kadena Air Base in the middle of a local operational readiness exercise, these Airmen

  • Kadena, Japanese fire departments team for joint exercise

    The 18th Wing Civil Engineer fire department joined forces with the Nirai department in a joint hazardous material exercise Thursday. The two fire departments conduct these joint exercises occasionally in order to further develop the cooperation and teamwork necessary to combat any type of fire or

  • Forecasters, pilots partner for mission success

    An armada of aircraft is one of the elements that makes the 18th Wing the largest combat wing in the Air Force and a provider of unmatched air superiority in the Pacific. But none of those aircraft can get off the ground without knowing about a critical piece of information...the weather. The task

  • The club that keeps on giving

    For one Kadena Air Base organization, "service" is not just a buzz word. It's a mission... and the proof is in the numbers. The Kadena Officers' Spouses' Club, a non-profit organization with nearly 170 members, donated more than $180,000 for the welfare of American and Okinawan communities last

  • Civilians add stability during emergencies

    Airmen here are fighting the base during this week's local operational readiness exercise Beverly High 08-04 and a special group of civilians is right alongside them contributing to the mission. These civilians, categorized as "Emergency Essential," stay with military forces even if a non-combatant

  • Keeping our canine protectors safe

    The protective gas mask used in local operational response exercises like Beverly High 08-4 is very effective in a chemical environment for most Team Kadena members, but its design leaves some unprotected. One group at the 18th Security Forces is preparing in a different way to handle the

  • Feature -- A day in the secret life of the IG

    As a sharp noise cuts through the fog of sleep, he turns over and hits the button to turn off the alarm clock. The clock reads 3 a.m. and despite his weariness Maj. Jason Settle pulls himself out of bed to prepare for the day ahead, starting with his morning prayer. As he eats a bowl of cereal, he

  • Japanese organization honors Kadena NCO for bringing Airmen together

    A Kadena Air Base senior noncommissioned officer received a unique award recently for his work enhancing cooperation and friendship with the Japan Air Self Defense Force. Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth Trawick, 18th Wing AFSO 21 process manager, was recognized in a ceremony Feb. 8 by the Japan-American

  • Firefighters 'save' pilots during local exercise

    Firefighters with the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 18th Wing crash response team responded to an exercise scenario simulating a KC-135 Stratotanker fire Tuesday as part of local operational readiness exercise Beverly High 08-04. Arriving upon the scene, the firefighters quickly worked to

  • Kadena Airmen welcome inbound forces during exercise

    Airmen working in the Kadena Air Base Reception Processing Unit welcomed simulated inbound forces Feb. 12 during Exercise Beverly High 08-4. The Airmen had the opportunity to practice one of Kadena's primary functions, to serve as a forward-staging base and receive military units that may be needed

  • Tower Airmen control more than just the skies during exercise

    Airmen in the Kadena Air Base air traffic control tower know what it takes to accomplish the mission during Exercise Beverly High 08-4, held from Feb. 10-15. It's the same job they do every day. "From engine start, we maintain control of the aircraft," said Tech Sgt. Thomas Vezie, 18th Operations

  • Airmen provide relief to China, test new initiative

    Kadena Airmen loaded more than 225,000 pounds of food, medicine and cold weather supplies onboard Pacific Air Forces aircraft here Feb. 8 as part of a humanitarian mission to China. U.S. Pacific Command coordinated delivery of the humanitarian supplies to the People's Liberation Army at Shanghai