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Dobbins Air Reserve Base leadership salute a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules as it takes off for a deployment from Dobbins ARB, Georgia. Jan. 8, 2015. More than 150 members from the 94th Airlift Wing deployed to support the Central Command Area of Responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Brad Fallin)
Security Forces Airmen attending the Base Security Operations course at the Silver Flag Alpha Range Complex north of Las Vegas drive HUMVEEs through desert terrain as they demonstrate skills to perform mounted and dismounted operations Dec. 17, 2014. This is the last BSO course that will take place at Silver Flag Alpha, as the 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron is projected to close in early 2015. All Air Force tactical security forces based training will be moved to the new Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center at Fort Bliss, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Nadine Barclay/Released)
Sgt. 1st Class Jon Ewald, tandem instructor with the U.S. Army Parachute Team: The Golden Knights, and Maj. Brooke Cortez, 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs chief, conduct a tandem jump high over Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., on Jan. 29. The Golden Knights are conducting their sixth straight year of winter training at Homestead ARB. (U.S. Army photo/Sgt. Trey Martin)
The "Ghost Rider" is prepared for an early morning taxi test on Feb. 12, 2015, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. The B-52H Stratofortress was decommissioned in 2008 and has been sitting in the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group's "Boneyard", but is being restored to join the active fleet of B-52s. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Greg Steele/Released)
Lt. Col. Teresa Simpson watches 1st Lt. Frances Santiago practice her intubation technique on a mannequin Feb. 21, 2015 during a training mission in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The training mission was part of a three day fly-away with Airmen from the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina and aeromedical Airmen from the 459th Air Refueling Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The training mission was a cost-effective means to accomplish currency items and evaluations for flight crew members and provided C-17 familiarization and proficiency training for aeromedical Airmen. Simpson is a critical care physician and Santiago is a critical care nurse. Both are assigned to the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane Ellis)
Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Landis, 315th Maintenance Squadron, spins a basketball on his finger tip with Harlem Globetrotter "Zeus" McClurkin outside a C-17 Globemaster III earlier this week. Landis was selected as the Globetrotters' Hometown Hero for their March 10 game in North Charleston. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Thomas Brading)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nadia Rowell, health services management journeyman, 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., stands for a portrait outside the aeromedical evacuation crew tent at Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La., March 15, 2014. Service members at JRTC 14-05 are educated in combat patient care and aeromedical evacuation in a simulated combat environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John R. Nimmo, Sr./RELEASED)
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III (second from left) invites the junior most ranking member in the Office of the Air Force Reserve (RE), Staff Sgt. Ivanka Vrechkov (third from left) to cut a cake celebrating the Air Force Reserve’s 67th birthday during a ceremony in the Pentagon, April 6, 2015, Washington, D.C. Also on hand for the ceremony was Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer (left) and Chief of the Air Force Reserve Lt. Gen. James “JJ” Jackson (right). Vrechkov is the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Policy Integration for RE. The Air Force Reserve was established on April 14, 1948 by President Harry S. Truman, seven months after the active duty Air Force was established as a separate service. Originally, the Air Force Reserve was a standby force for use in wartime and national emergencies. The Air Force Reserve has worked closely with their active duty counterparts since the first associate unit stood up at Norton Air Force Base, Calif. in 1968 The Air Force Reserve also performs unique missions such as aerial fire fighting, aerial spray and weather reconnaissance. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Varhegyi)
More than 1,000 Guard and Reserve Airmen had the opportunity to listen to U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Mark A. Welsh III speak April 11 about key issues affecting the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Caleb Wanzer)
Members of the 931st Security Forces Squadron and 931st Civil Engineer Squadron pulls a "wounded" Airman to safety during a combat training exercise at Camp Gruber Training Center, Okla., April 15, 2015. More than 80 members of the 931 SFS and 931 CES participated in ten days of training at Camp Gruber, which included land navigation, weapons training, tactical movements, convoy operations, base defense, room clearing procedures, foot patrols, military operations on urban terrain (MOUT) and combat lifesaving. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Zach Anderson)
Tech. Sgt. Nick Horine, 931st Security Forces Squadron, secures an area while participating in Military Operations on Urban Terrain training at Camp Gruber Training Center, Okla., April 15, 2015. Members of the 931 SFS and 931 Civil Engineer Squadron participated in ten days of combat skills training at Camp Gruber, which included land navigation, weapons training, tactical movements, convoy operations, base defense, room clearing procedures, foot patrols, military operations on urban terrain and combat lifesaving. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Zach Anderson)
Sixty-nine members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team await takeoff on a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Dover Air Force Base, Del., April 26, 2015. The specially trained team and approximately 70,000 pounds of their supplies are deploying to Nepal to assist with rescue operations after the country was struck by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class William Johnson)
Lt. Col. Matthew Muha, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron commander, presents Ian Richards, who works for the Government Information Service office for St Kitts and Nevis, a Hurricane Hunter coin recognizing him for his excellent service April 24, 2015, during the Caribbean Hurricane Awareness Tour. The outreach program, which began in the 1970's and is a joint effort between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center and the 403rd Wing's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, promotes hurricane awareness and preparedness throughout the Caribbean region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Marnee A.C. Losurdo)
Lt. Col. Christopher Hammond, commander/leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Squadron, maneuvers his F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to close in on the refueling boom of a KC-135 Stratotanker from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., May 21, 2015. The KC-135 was one of two McConnell tankers providing cross-country air refueling support for the Thunderbirds. The KC-135 aircrews, all Air Force Reservists from the 931st Air Refueling Group, provided several air refuelings for the Thunderbirds, taking them from Nellis AFB, Nev., to Long Island MacArthur Airport, Islip, N.Y., ensuring the demonstration team made it to their May 23 flight demonstration at the Jones Beach Air Show in Wantagh, N.Y. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Zach Anderson)
Master Sgt. Michael Stahl, 18th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, refuels a B-52 Stratofortress operated by Reservists from the 307th Bomb Wing out of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., while Jimmy Jordan, BNSF trainmaster looks on, during a "bosslift" sponsored by the local Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), June 6, 2015. More than 19 local employers participated in the flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Zachary Anderson)
Tech. Sgt. Norman Green, 914th Maintenance Squadron, Crash Damaged and Disabled Aircraft Recover Team Chief, verifies air pressure at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, June 6, 2015. Green led a team of more than 20 personnel through a simulated crash and recovery exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Burke)
A 6th Civil Engineering Squadron fire fighter scrubs an Airmen in a Level A hazardous material suit during a joint responder training at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., June 24, 2015. The HAZMAT decontamination line ensures that all personnel leaving the hazardous material “hot zone” are properly cleaned of any and all contaminants. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ned T. Johnston)
Airman Mario Hill, 919th Special Operations Maintenance Group, checks the intake of an engine on a C-145 June 6 at Duke Field, Fla. The 919th SOMXG is comprised of 919th SOMXS, 919th SOAMXS, 919th SOMOF, and the 592nd SOAMXS. Their primary mission is the maintenance of the C-145 aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)
Dream Big
Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft are on static display during the 34th Fighter Squadron’s activation ceremony held July 17 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The 34th will be the first combat squadron to fly the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, the F-35A. The squadron has an extremely rich history. After many contributions in major U.S. conflicts, the 34th was relocated to Hill AFB on Dec. 8, 1975, where they became the first fighter squadron to receive the F-16 fighter aircraft. The squadron’s first F-35A will arrive in September. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd/Released)
The August issue of Citizen Airman is now available on the web at www.citamn.afrc.af.mil. The cover story is a Profiles in Leadership piece on Howard Cannon. Cannon survived a plane crash in World War II as a member of the Army Air Corps, attained the rank of major general in the Air Force Reserve and served as a member of the U.S. Senate. The August issue also includes stories on an instructor pilot in Texas who is a single mother of three boys and decided to adopt two little girls, the 39th Flying Training Squadron and its mission of training those who will train future Air Force pilots, two brothers -- one a Reservist and the other an active-duty member -- serving together at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, a security forces Airman who also works for the San Antonio Police Department Gang Unit, a Reservist who made the decision to go small when it comes to her living arrangements, and a Reservist who founded a nonprofit organization to provide vacations for military members. The print version of the August issue is scheduled to be mailed out the second week of August.
A B-52H Stratofortress pilot and copilot practice an aerial refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The B-52 is assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command's 307th Bomb Wing, which hosts the only schoolhouse where Reserve and Active Duty aircrew learn to fly the B-52. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Greg Steele/Released)
Three A-10 Warthog’s from the 122nd Fight Wing in Fort Wayne, Ind., form up next to a KC-135R Stratotanker during an Indiana Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve event held here Aug. 7, 2015. Employers saw two inflight refuelings and learned what their employees do in support of Air Force objectives. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette)
A participant in the Beast Mode Challenge sponsored by the Air Force Reserve, races through an obstacle course in Snoqualmie, Wash., Aug. 15, 2015. The challenge was composed of a 3.5-mile mud-ridden obstacle course - with 12 football-themed trials of hills, blockades, water, and sludge, created to trigger one's inner Beast Mode. A portion of the race proceeds and 100% of donations went directly to the Fam 1st Family Foundation co-founded by Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks. The Fam 1st Family Foundation is dedicated to uplifting and empowering youth in the Bay Area and throughout the United States. The foundation’s mission is one of empowerment and education,aiming to build self-esteem and academic learning skills in underprivileged youth. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Daniel Liddicoet)
Senior Airman Aaron Bradley, 919th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, looks out over the vast landscape during the squadron’s annual training at Camp Guernsey, Wyo., Aug. 3. More than 20 Airmen went out West to help train two other Reserve security forces squadrons in ground combat and field training. The 919th SOSFS Airmen lived in the makeshift camps and acted as opposing forces and local villagers interacting with the occupying security teams. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)
The most infamous storm in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina carved a path of destruction from Miami to New Orleans, and up the Eastern United States. The storm reached a maximum intensity of Category 5 status, with 175 mph sustained winds. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the morning of August 29, 2005. This infrared satellite imagery shows the storm’s intensity: white is the most intense, followed by red, green, and blue. (Image courtesy of NOAA)
SrA Jade Hamilton inspects the wing of a C-130 at Ramstein AB, Germany during exercise Swift Response. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Trevor Saylor/Released)
A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, taxis to a parking spot at Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand, Aug. 21, 2015, in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program’s winter fly (WINFLY) operations. WINFLY takes place at the end of the Antarctic winter when the sun first begins rising over the Southern Hemisphere. Deep Freeze is a multi-agency operation, the military component of the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Madelyn McCullough)
Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs with the 303d Fighter Squadron that falls under the 442d Fighter Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., land at Leilvarde Air Base in Latvia Aug. 26. These are the first two fighter jets to ever land here making history on this day. This mission is part of Operation Atlantic Resolve where U.S. forces are strengthening their relationship by working, training, and partnering with European allies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Denise Haeussler)
The first two operational F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Sept. 2, 2015. The jets were piloted by Col. David Lyons, 388th Fighter Wing commander, and Lt. Col. Yosef Morris, 34th Fighter squadron director of operations. Hill will receive up to 70 additional combat-coded F-35s on a staggered basis through 2019. The jets will be flown and maintained by Hill Airmen assigned to the active-duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing(U.S. Air Force photo/Alex R. Lloyd)
The U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing helped successfully launch the fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 40 here Sept. 2, 2015, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 6:18 a.m. EDT. The U.S. Navy-delivered MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system, built by Lockheed Martin, designed to significantly improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move. (Photo by Michael Deep/Spaceflight Insider)
Staff Sgt. Leland Hastings, 919th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, launches Raven-B, a four-by-four foot unmanned aerial system, into the skies above Camp Guernsey, Wyo., Aug. 4. The 919th SOSFS brought the UAS to demonstrate its capabilities to other security forces units involved in a large field training exercise at the camp. The Raven-B has the ability to take photos, video in day or night, and even designate locations via an IR laser. It also provides coordinates, magnetic azimuths, and linear distances creating a birds-eye view to topographical map. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)
The Air Force Reserve Command MAJCOM Challenge Team poses with Lt. Gen. James Jackson, commander, Air Force Reserve Command after completing the Air Force Marathon Sept. 19, 2015. The team consisted of traditional reservists, air reserve technicians, individual mobilization augmentees and Air Guard Reserve members. The MAJCOM challenge included six Airmen participating in the half marathon and four in the full marathon. (U.S. Air Force photo /Tech. Sgt. Patrick O’Reilly)
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody, left, poses with Staff Sgt. Kresston Davis, Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin and Scott Van Cleef, Air Force Association Chairman of the Board. Hewson and Van Cleef had just presented Davis with her Outstanding Airman of the Year plaque and a certificate for a lifetime AFA membership. The Air Force Association officially recognized Davis Sept. 14 as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2015. Davis, from the 908th Airlift Wing's Security Forces Squadron, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, received her plaque as a part of the association's annual conference at the Gaylord Hotel in Washington D.C. Davis said participating in the 12 Outstanding Airmen events has allowed her to do things she probably never would have had the opportunity to do. She said she has met many leaders from across the Air Force as well as those from business and government. (US Air Force photo/Lt Col Jerry Lobb)
Maj. Christina Hopper, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 524th Fighter Squadron pilot, crosses the finish line at the U.S. Air Force Marathon Sept, 19, 2015 with a time of 1:35:53. Hopper, a member of the Air Force Reserve Command MAJCOM Challenge Team placed first in her division. The team consisted of traditional reservists, air reserve technicians, individual mobilization augmentees and Air Guard Reserve members. The MAJCOM challenge included six Airmen participating in the half marathon and four in the full marathon. (U.S. Air Force photo /Tech. Sgt. Patrick O’Reilly)
Left: Master Sgt. Mike Maroney embraces 3-yar-old LeShay Brown after rescuing her and her family from a New Orleans rooftop after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Right: Mahroney and 13-year-old Brown reunite after a 10-year search by Maroney to find the girl who's smile and hug helped him through the difficulties of the rescue effort. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman First class Veronica Pierce/Waner Brothers photo/Erica Parise)
Col. Karl Schmitkons, 440th Airlift Wing commander, left, Command Chief Master Sgt. Rocky Hart, 440th AW command chief, middle, and Col. Robert Blake, 440th AW vice commander, right, join Jeff "Goldy" Goldberg and Jim Cooke of WFNC 640 AM radio for a live on-air interview celebrating the third anniversary of WFNC's 'Good Morning Fayetteville' radio show Sept. 25, 2015,at the Chick-fil-A on Skibo Road, Fayetteville, North Carolina. (U.S. Air Force photo/Marvin Krause)
Swift Response 2015 was the largest combined airborne training on the continent since the end of the Cold War. The exercise included more than 4,800 participants from 11 NATO nations including Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain the United Kingdom and the United States. Three Air Force Reservists from the 302nd Airlift Wing deployed to Ramstein Air Base, Germany to direct air operations for the multinational training exercise. (Courtesy photo)
Divorce, financial problems, recent loss of a family member or friend and duty problems, such as an article 15, are reasons why someone may contemplate if not act on suicide. Recognize when someone’s behavior has changed and ask the question "Have you been considering suicide?" If the answer is "yes", know and take the appropriate actions to help before it's too late. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Staff Sgt. Brandy L. Grace)
Timberwolves Power Forward/Center Kevin Garnett visits with military members during the open practice. (Air Force Photo/Paul Zadach)
Air Force Reserve Col. Melissa Coburn stands next to her during at the unveiling the Profiles in Leadership display in the Pentagon, Washington D.C., Dec. 7, 2015. The display highlights outstanding examples of leadership in the Air Reserve forces, and celebrates and honors Citizen Airmen's contributions in serving the nation. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Jim Varhegyi)
A B-2 Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing, 13th Bomb Squadron Whiteman Air Force Base, Miss., prepares to be refueled by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. during a nighttime aerial refueling mission over Southern Kansas, Oct. 21, 2015. The KC-135 has a system of exterior lights located on the belly of the aircraft, just behind the nose gear, and flood lights on the boom pod used to pass fuel to the receiver aircraft during low-light conditions.
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Col. Doug Schwartz, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander, listen as Tech. Sgt. Ben Bond, 434th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, explains his Air Force generational background during a KC-135R Stratotanker tour at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., Dec. 16, 2015. As part of her two-day visit, James had the opportunity to meet with Grissom Airmen and witnessed first-hand the Hoosier Wing's air refueling mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen)
Maj Gen Richard S. Haddad, Air Force Reserve Command vice commander, flips the coin prior to the kickoff of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Dec. 19. (Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chance Baibn)
Air Force Reserve Command leadership take the field for the coin toss at the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Dec 19 in Atlanta. The game featured the champions from the SWAC and MEAC in a winner take all the championship of Historicall Black Colleges and Universities. North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in a exciting game. (Air Force photo/Master Sgt Chance Babin)
The twin streaks of light represent a time lapse photo showing both the launch and landing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which completed the round trip from Earth to space (where the rocket placed 11 satellites in orbit) and back in roughly 10 minutes. The Falcon blasted off from Launch Complex 40 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, then executed a perfect vertical landing and the former Launch Complex 13 -- now Landing Zone 1 -- a little more than five miles south from where it took off. It marked the first time a rocket delivered spacecraft into orbit and returned safely to Earth. SpaceX hopes to reuse their rockets, greatly reducing the cost of their space program. The reservists of the 920th Rescue Wing provide range clearance and safety contingency support for all rocket launches from CCAFS/Kennedy Space Center. (courtesy photo/SpaceX)