Pave Hawks prepared to rescue personnel

To the rescue

A defining trait of any tragedy is that you never know when it will take place or the kind of repercussions it may have. It’s thus a responsibility of all military personnel to be trained to handle crises whenever and wherever they occur. Thanks to the quick reactions of two 18th Munitions Squadron

Training to fight day or night

A U.S. Air Force civil engineer Airman operates heavy machinery to perform airfield damage repairs during a no-notice exercise April 12, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron is capable of quickly repairing a damaged runway to ensure aircraft are able to take off and land

LEAP and bound

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody recently retired, handing off the responsibility of CMSAF to Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright on Feb. 17, 2017. Several distinguished visitors were present for the retirement ceremony, according to a speech given by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.

Who's the bomb?

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Bouvy, 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons load standardization crew member, gives the opening remarks of a quarterly weapons load competition April 3, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The competition was held between the 44th and 67th Aircraft Maintenance

Welcome Home

An U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle from the 44th Fighter Squadron arrives from Cope Tiger 2017, April 3, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Cope Tiger 2017 is an annual multilateral exercise aimed at improving combined combat readiness and interoperability between the Republic of Singapore Air Force, Royal

Dealing with a blowhard

The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Emergency Management flight is conducting events for Typhoon Preparedness Month throughout April. The events are a way for the 18th CES to provide information on how to be ready for typhoon season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.The primary duty for the

Lucky number 13

Boys and girls throughout the United States visit airshows with their families to watch pilots do what they do best: fly.Nowadays, those pilots come in a variety of types from a wide range of backgrounds, but it wasn’t always that way. It’s important to take a step back every once in a while to

Building blocks

The walls are covered in stickers, children’s shows on the television and toys in the waiting room, pint-sized patients play under their parent’s watchful eye. The pediatrics unit at the Kadena Air Base, Japan, Clinic tries to make children and parents as comfortable as possible when they come in

Ready at a moment’s notice

Japan Self-Defense Force members conducted bilateral training with U.S. Soldiers and Airmen March 14 and 16 to strengthen relations and increase readiness.

Top “Dawg” flies with SOG

The usual items on a 353rd Special Operations Group cargo and passenger manifest can list Humvees, rafts, ATVs, supply drop crates, special forces Army Soldiers, Air Force pararescuemen, a forward area refueling party, or a platoon of Marines armed to the teeth. However, the manifest listed only a

Cope Tiger enhances interoperability between three nations

A U.S. Air Force F-15 pilot assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan taxis on the runway during exercise Cope Tiger 17 at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, March 24, 2017. The annual multilateral exercise, which involves a combined total of 76 aircraft and 43 air

Off the leash

It is said that dogs are man’s best friend; military working dogs take that role very seriously. Working in conjunction with their handlers, they deter crime in a multitude of ways: from detecting bombs and narcotics, to catching the bad guys. These dogs are specially trained for their missions,

Fighting together

Every branch of service has its own unique capabilities, a fact that may be forgotten in the day-to-day operations of a single branch. The joint Okinawa experience professional military course aims to remedy that problem. Enlisted leaders from across Okinawa joined forces for a week-long joint

Up to speed

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ryan Celestino, 909th Aircraft Maintenance Unit instrument and flight control systems journeyman, removes and replaces a digital speed indicator from the dashboard of a KC-135R March 15, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Maintainers from the 909th AMU ensure that the