442nd supports special needs with pilot-for-a-day tour

Michael Gracey, a fourth-grade student at Sterling elementary, Warrensburg, Mo., toured the 303rd Fighter Squadron here, July 26. Gracey, who has attention deficit hyperactive disorder and Asperger's syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism, got up close with an A-10 Thunderbolt II and learned

Launch, fly, recover: A pilot who can do it all

Just three short years ago, Lt. Aaron Berry was maintaining A-10s. Today, he's flying them.In April 2009, Tech. Sgt. (now 1st Lt.) Aaron Berry was selected by a Deserving Airman Commissioning Board to attend Officer Training School, and then attend a pilot-training program.An assistant crew chief at

Help wanted: Reservists, all backgrounds welcome

On Friday, Dave Paladino assembled a torpedo, but his job is probably not what you'd expect. He owns two sandwich shops, but he's also a bomb builder. The same Friday, Nicola McConnell taught eight graders about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Saturday, she assembled a laser-guided bomb. Jeff Wetzel spent

47th FS demonstrates maritime capabilities

Pilots of the 47th Fighter Squadron demonstrated the maritime capability of the A-10 Thunderbolt II by sinking an abandoned naval vessel July 14 during the Rim of the Pacific exercise at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HawaiiThe exercise was unique in that it required A-10 pilots to take on a

Heart of a reservist

A bright Hawaiian sun rises over the peaks of Oahu into a clear blue sky, but Staff Sgt. Justin Browning, 917th Maintenance Squadron crew chief, has no time to enjoy the site as he is already hard at work preparing an A-10 Thunderbolt II for a mid-morning mission at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam,

Patriotism from afar

The man remembered walking into an American electronic store for the first time and seeing stereos, televisions, cameras and computers galore. He had a sense that the doors of heaven opened. As he looked around at all the objects of his desire, he thought the room had a yellow glow and was sure he

Ammo Airmen build bombs

Capt. David Wennerstrom is an iron man

Within seconds of the Ironman triathlon's first leg, his goggles were kicked off his face by one of the 1,800 other swimmers. Water splashed all around him making it impossible to see. At that point a man pushed him under and swam over top of him."I thought my nose was broken -- I struggled to

Airmen of the 442nd Fighter Wing head to a 'distant frontier'

About 300 reservists and a dozen A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft left today for Eielson AFB, Alaska, to participate in Distant Frontier, a live-munitions exercise.The training will allow Airmen to gain experience in areas within their career fields that will promote mission readiness and team

Fitness: Your ticket to a happy life and a military career

As I left the Shoppette yesterday, I noticed the "New PT Rules" cover story on the current Air Force Times. The Air Force has had fitness standards and testing for my entire career, so it made me chuckle to think we're still making changes to the program after all these years even though the intent