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

Protest practice

Okinawa’s AM Radio returns on-air

American Forces Network's Surf 648-AM returns to broadcast Feb. 18 after being off-the-air for approximately one year. The AM radio station will restore Okinawa's favorite news, talk and sports-talk programming to the airwaves and will offer the audience an alternative to FM radio's music-based

Team Kadena kicks off last exercise before ORI

A simulated Kadena-based U.S Navy P-3 Orion aircraft crash kicked off Exercise Beverly High 08-4, Feb. 10. The "crash," which happened on base at 1 p.m. today, had Kadena firefighters responding quickly. "We arrived on scene and initiated incident command [center], then started fighting the fire,"

Navy trains with Kadena, sister service units

A Naval Air Facility Atsugi-based helicopter squadron's temporary duty here is helping to improve readiness for the 18th Wing and sister service units. Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 14 came to Okinawa recently to conduct training not available at sea or its home station. In the process they are

ACE has largest turnout ever for Gate 2 clean up

Cold rainy weather didn't stop more than 100 committed Kadena Air Base volunteers from cleaning up the Gate 2 Street area in Okinawa City on February 3. The Airmen Committed to Excellence organization sponsored the event to give back to the local Okinawan community. "Gate 2 is a busy shopping and

Kadena participates in Cope Tiger 2008

About 100 Team Kadena Airmen deployed to Thailand this week for Exercise Cope Tiger 2008. Personnel from the 18th Medical Support Squadron, 909th Air Refueling Squadron, 18th Communication Squadron and the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron were part of more than 1,400 service members from the

Base fans cheer on Super Bowl teams

The New York Giants battled against the New England Patriots for the National Football Championship Feb. 4 in one of the largest televised events of the year, the Super Bowl. On this side of the world, service members from Kadena Air Base gathered together to join the more than 95 million viewers'

New BX to offer 'one-stop shopping'

(Editor's Note:  This is the second in a series on  major construction projects here.)The new Kadena Base Exchange is tentatively scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2009 and will be nearly double the size of the current BX, while providing a 'one-stop' shopping mall for the military community.

Shogun redeploys in nick of time for son's birth

After a long and arduous journey, one member of the 18th Wing was able to make it home in the nick of time for a life-changing event. Staff Sgt. Bryan O'Sullivan, 18th Wing safety office, returned from a four-and-a-half-month deployment to Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, just in time for the birth of