Air Drop: Behind the Scenes Part III

"Crew, one minute advisory.""Crew, five seconds.""Green light."As soon as the order is uttered by the navigator the cargo is released over the drop zone.The two words seem simple in nature; however the process leading up to the air drop is not."No matter how long you do this you can never relax

Airman of the Burgh: Master Sgt. Helen Henry

"I love my job. I love what I do," she said with sincerity in her voice. "I am here for the mission. I am mission-oriented. I know if I help people, my job is complete," said Master Sgt. Helen Henry, a flight medical technician with the 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron here.Henry, 22 years into

Customs, courtesies of reveille, retreat

American politician, Mike Fitzpatrick said, "the American flag is the symbol of our freedom, national pride and history."As military members, that freedom, national pride and history become more evident in the customs and courtesies protocol during certain flag ceremonies.  Reveille and retreat are

Aerial porter carries on family tradition

Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Senior Airman Ryan Wright always knew he was destined to serve his country like much of his family before him."Serving our country is kind of a family tradition," Wright said. "Both my dad and my grandfather were in the military."In fact, before his

32 APS trains 24/7 at Travis AFB for upcoming deployment

With deployment readiness a top priority in the Air Force, the 32nd Aerial Port Squadron traveled recently to this northern California base to train with their active duty counterparts as part of a run up to an upcoming deployment.Beginning Jan. 19, reserve aerial port Airmen worked in tandem with

Airman of the Burgh: Senior Airman Christian Scott

As a structure specialist with the 911th Civil Engineering Squadron, Senior Airman Christian Scott's duties include building and maintaining infrastructure such as buildings, stairs, handicap ramps etc.  His job in the Air Force directly relates to his civilian job, which is being a carpenter.Scott

Air Drop - Behind the Scenes part II

Fuel? Check.Liquid Oxygen Reading? Check.Brakes, Tires? Check and Check."Inspect. Service. Maintain. That's what we do," said Master Sgt. Bill Richie, a crew chief with the 911th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, as he explains the process of conducting a pre-flight aircraft inspection.Up to 72 hours

Act of kindness

For many, the holiday season represents cheer and good will. For others, the cold weather symbolizes hard times. However, the season brings many opportunities for random acts of kindness that change the lives of strangers.You only see the last in the movies though, right? Not always.Senior Master

Pittsburgh Airman helps at car accident, prevents certain disaster

Early in the morning before the sun rose Jan. 6, Senior Master Sgt. Bruce Zimmerman, 911th Security Forces Squadron operations superintendent, was driving to work for the early shift. The night before, several local news stations had predicted about three inches of snow. However, the snow fell so

Commander, union representative sign new CBA