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  • The most prominent feature of the A-10 Thunderbolt II is the 30-millimeter GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-gun cannon. Designed before the aircraft that carries it, this weapon is capable of firing 3,900 rounds a minute and can defeat an array of ground targets to include tanks. Both the A-10 and GAU-8 entered service in 1977 and the gun represents 16 percent of the aircraft's weight. Aircraft number 164 is one of 24 A-10s assigned to the 442nd Fighter Wing, an Air Force Reserve Command unit at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (US Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)

    Gun represents business end of wing's A-10s

    It might surprise you that the biggest guns in the U.S. aviation arsenal are housed right here with the 442nd Fighter Wing and more specifically on each of the wing's A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. Those entrusted with keeping these killer-cannons maintained work in the 442nd armament shop. They know the gun and take great pride in their mission.
  • 1st Lt. John Tice (right), a pilot with the 442nd Fighter Wing's 303rd Fighter Squadron, answers a visiting student's questions about the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Students from the Genesis School in Kansas City, Mo., and three other area schools, toured the A-10 and its facilities as a reward for successful completion of the Wing-sponsored Wright Flight mentoring program. The 442nd FW is an Air Force Reserve Command A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter unit based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (US Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Christina Suratos)

    Wright Flight soars -- program takes youth to new heights

    Following a tradition established by now-retired Col. Dewayne Burgess, the 442nd Fighter Wing's Human Resources Development Council continues to sponsor the Wright Flight program at area schools. Wright Flight is an aviation-themed youth mentoring program that uses some of manned flight's notable pioneers, such as Orville and Wilbur Wright, and
  • A television cameraman takes aim at Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, during his remarks to reservists in the 442nd Fighter Wing May 5. General Bradley presented the Air Force Meritorious Unit Award to more than 300 members of the wing who deployed to Afghanistan during the summer of 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Christina Suratos)

    Conversation with AFRC commander

    Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, answered a few questions for the 442nd Fighter Wing's magazine, The Mohawk, during his visit to the wing May 5. Mohawk: Currently the Air Force relies on the volunteerism of its Citizen Airmen to support Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF)
  • Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command presents a certificate for the Air Force Meritorious Unit Award to Col. Anthony Johnson at a ceremony May 5 for the 442nd Fighter Wing. Six reservists from the 442nd were chosen to represent the more than 300 Citizen Airmen from the wing who earned the award while deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in the summer of 2006. The six were (left to right): Colonel Johnson, then commander of the 442nd Operations Group; Maj. David Kurle, 442nd FW public affairs; Capt. David Casler, 303rd Fighter Squadron; Senior Master Sgt. Steve Smith, 442nd FW safety; and Tech. Sgt. Denise Brooks and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, both from the 442nd Maintenance Group. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. William Huntington)

    Lt. Gen. Bradley visits reservists during May UTA

    At a ceremony May 5, Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, the top general in the Air Force Reserve, presented the Air Force Meritorious Unit Award to 442nd Fighter Wing members who were deployed from May until mid-September 2006 in Afghanistan as part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. The general, who once commanded the 442nd in the 1980s, was quick to

  • 442nd reservist garners best in Air Force PA award

    An air reserve technician from the 442nd Fighter Wing was named the 2006 outstanding, wing-level field grade officer in public affairs for the entire Air Force May 8. Maj. David Kurle, the wing's chief of public affairs, was awarded the same honor for Air Force Reserve Command in March. In addition, Master Sgt. William Huntington was named the 2006
  • Under the watchful gaze of Senior Airman Pete Young and Tech. Sgt. Rob Exendine, 442nd Maintenance Squadron structures shop, fellow shop member Airman Bradley Dalton, inserts a drill bit into a power drill as he works to replace a badly-corroded floor panel in A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft number 237. The 442nd Fighter Wing reservists were tasked to remove a corrosion-degraded floor panel then fabricate and install a replacement, a task usually performed by technicians at the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (US Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)

    Maintenance Airmen fight corrosion in belly of the beast

    It's amazing what an Airman can do with a little time and material. When Airmen of the 442nd Fuel Cell shop discovered severe corrosion in a fuel cell on aircraft number 237 in late February, the wing's structure shop was faced with manufacturing and installing a floor in the cell, a repair job that had never been done at this wing. This work is
  • An on-line poll conducted by Workforce Management Magazine at its Web site asked if civilian employers might be reluctant to hire reservists and guardsmen because of the chance they could deploy for months at a time. (Photo illustration/Maj. David Kurle)

    On-line poll asks: Are employers reluctant to hire reservists?

    As reservists and guardsmen across the country continue to fight battles in the Global War on Terror, they might find getting hired for civilian employment could be a battle in and of itself. An unscientific poll, conducted on-line by Workforce Management Magazine at its Web site, www.workforce.com, may be an indication of reluctance on the part of
  • The Department of Defense announced that it will resume vaccinating U.S. military members against Anthrax. The Food and Drug Administration approved a new source for the vaccine and determined that it is safe and effective. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

    Anthrax shots mandatory for some wing members

    The Deputy Secretary of Defense recently announced the resumption of the mandatory anthrax vaccine immunization program for selected military members, including members of the 442nd Fighter Wing slated for deployment to certain locations. Airmen with orders to, or currently in, specific high-threat areas, such as the U.S. Central Command area of
  • WHITEMAN AFB, Mo. -- Lt. Gen. John Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, addresses 442nd Fighter Wing members, May 5, at a ceremony awarding some wing members the Meritorious Unit Award for their service in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom from the beginning of May until mid-September 2006. The award recognizes Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Air National Guard units for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding achievement or service in direct support of combat operations for at least 90 continuous days during the period of military operations against an armed enemy of the United States on or after Sept.11, 2001. (US Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)

    AFRC commander honors 442nd reservists

  • The 442nd Mission Support Group has come up with a creative solution to accomplishing ancillary training for Air Force reservists in the 442nd Fighter Wing with the development of "Ancillary University." (Graphic by Maj. David Kurle)

    Mission support group finds creative solution to training turbulence

    As commanders and first sergeants struggle to keep their Citizen Airmen up to date on ancillary training, leadership from the 442nd Mission Support Group recently established "Ancillary University." The two-month-old program, which features classes en masse versus individual and small-group training, is designed to meet the sometimes seemingly
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