Tag Archives: Afghanistan

Blog

Best holiday deployed moments of 2014

By Tech. Sgt. Steve Grever
Air Force Public Affairs Agency

Let’s face it, being deployed during major holidays feels a bit like getting a lump of coal in your stocking. Some deployed locations have Wi-Fi access for Airmen to chat with their friends and family back home during these special times. However, there are still many places so small and remote they don’t have the communication infrastructure to accommodate commercial internet access.

To overcome these challenges at some “undisclosed” locations, Airmen rely on different base services to help them feel the spirit of the holidays. In 2014, there were five events that warmed our hearts, and brought a slice of home to our Airmen serving at deployed locations around the globe.

Continue reading Best holiday deployed moments of 2014 →

Blog

We are all pieces of the puzzle

1 Comment

By Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez
445th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Although I grew up near a military base, the thought of joining the military never crossed my mind. While I was in high school, my cousin joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and when he returned home from boot camp it seemed as if a new person stood before me. He was my height, but seemed to walk taller and was proud in his Marine Corps dress blues. I was fascinated by his stories of traveling and, most importantly, the fact that he was part of something bigger than himself.

Continue reading We are all pieces of the puzzle →

Blog

Holding the line

By Senior Master Sgt. Mike Hammond
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

It was just after 4 a.m., July 17. Many on the base at Kabul International Airport, and forward operating base Oqab nearby, were still catching a last hour or two of sleep before the day would begin.

The bad guys, however, were not sleeping. Under the cover of darkness, a small force determined to attack the Kabul Airport and Afghan air force base next to it, took over a multi-story building under construction just north of the target. Armed with multiple rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons, suicide vests and a vehicle rigged to explode, the attackers crept up to the rooftop and prepared to unleash hell.

Continue reading Holding the line →

Blog

After the Battle: The return home

3 Comments

By Senior Airman Chris Willis
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth article in a six-part series about medical response capabilities for deployed service members from start to finish and the various milestones for care and transportation of combat-wounded troops throughout Afghanistan.

I have spent more than a year telling the story of our nation’s wounded warriors as I followed their transport from the mountains of Afghanistan to their medical care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Unfortunately, concluding this series will never end what our troops have to endure in the face of war, but this last entry will give me a chance to finish a chapter in my life.

Continue reading After the Battle: The return home →

Blog

Airmen get first look at ‘Inside Combat Rescue’ series

By Senior Airman Charles V. Rivezzo
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Inside Combat Rescue photo
Airmen and family members attended the premiere of “Inside Combat Rescue” at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Feb. 7, 2013. “Inside Combat Rescue” is a six-part documentary series about pararescuemen assigned to Moody who were deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Paul Francis/Released)

Nearly 10,000 miles away from Afghanistan, the war’s realities are sometimes hard to imagine. Businesses prosper and grocery stores remain stocked. Other than maybe a spike at the pump, many carry on with life with little regard of the turmoil that takes place on the other side of the globe.

Continue reading Airmen get first look at ‘Inside Combat Rescue’ series →