Final step in ORI prep

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over, but it must be true because my daughter is starting high school this month. It's been a busy summer for the 442nd Fighter Wing, and our outstanding Citizen Airmen are doing great things around the globe. The 442nd Civil Engineer Squadron is finishing

917th FG prepares for first combat deployment

The 917th Fighter Group, based at Barksdale AFB, La., and assigned to the 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo., deployed here, Alaska, July 23 to Aug. 9 for an exercise, Operation Distant Frontier, to prepare for an upcoming air and space expeditionary rotation.The deployment, called Operation

Tip of the Spear: August 2011

Reservist reenlists after 19-year break in service; sworn in by son

Nineteen years after separating from the active duty Air Force, Staff Sgt. Scott Long, 476th Maintenance Squadron fuel systems craftsman, enlisted into the Air Force Reserve.Sergeant Long's son, U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Brandon Long, 1-169 Aviation Support Battalion liaison officer, presided over the July

Calls from Afghanistan

For retired Lt. Gen. John Bradley, former commander of the Air Force Reserve Command and the 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo., and his wife, Jan Bradley, a single deployment to Afghanistan was a life-changing event. In December 2007, John Bradley was about to go on his fourth deployment to

Civil engineers head to Texas, prepare for deployment

Approximately 35 reservists from the 442nd Civil Engineers Squadron boarded a C-130 Hercules, July 30 and headed to Fort Bliss, Texas, where they will attend three weeks of combat skills training prior to leaving for Afghanistan. The Citizen Airmen, who have been preparing for the deployment for

A military-civilian symmetry

For someone working two jobs, it can be exasperating to learn to cope with the challenges that develop from competing demands. However, local veteran, Senior Master Sgt. Mike Bax, has successfully subdued such concerns while working at RR Donnelly and serving several tours in the Air Force Reserve.

442nd Medical Squadron: Dashing Warriors

Approximately seven to 10 members of the 442nd Medical Squadron will compete in the Warrior Dash in Kansas City, Mo. July 30.Warrior Dash is an extreme sports event hosted annually across the United States which consists of a timed run on a 3.1-mile course with 10 different obstacles. A few of these

Sweating it out

With the 442nd Fighter Wing's phase I operational readiness exercise in July and inspection in August, the words wet bulb will be used often, but many Citizen Airmen have never seen this mythological creature or understand its implications.The wet bulb globe is an instrument that measures how long

Downrange, up to speed

Approximately 35 reservists from the 442nd Civil Engineers Squadron are scheduled to deploy to Southwest Asia in August.The Citizen Airmen will support U.S. Army and coalition forward operations.Lt. Col. Mark Davison, commander of the 442nd CES, and Senior Master Sgt. Nathan Hooton, 442nd CES