Focus
Last year was a banner year for the local Air Force Association Chapter 334 Thanks to a robust community partner program - which swelled to 138 members - the chapter received a gold award at the AFA National Conference and was named one of the AFA's top three Community Partners Programs
Veterans
When Bill Cannon enlisted in the Air Force in 1952 as an 18-year-old in the midst of the Korean War, he had no idea where his career might lead him. The Providence, R.I. native knew only one thing for sure at the time - he wanted no part of being drafted
News Articles
The month of December was a busy one for Washington Rep. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, but he's poised to have another successful year serving soldiers and their families in the South Sound. Smith returned Dec. 2 from leading a congressional delegation to Afghanistan. The delegation met with U.S. and Afghan officials, U.S.
Veterans
The Washington State Chapter of the Retired Sergeants Major and Chiefs Association makes it a priority to meet on a professional and social level to inform its members about the latest military, legislative, health and Veterans Affairs news. But at the very core the group is about something so much more. "Ninety-five
News Articles
Alexis Feredinos was raised in a household that held great respect for the qualities a career in the military teaches. His father was born in Greece and served in the military there before coming to the United States. But that fact alone didn't immediately pave a path for Feredinos to enlist in
News Articles
A C-17 Globemaster III recently surpassed 2 million flying hours during an airdrop mission over Afghanistan on Dec. 10. The aircraft was part of the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron operating out of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The milestone mission was a low-cost, low-altitude assignment to deliver 70,000 pounds of fuel to a
News Articles
As a young Marine coming home from serving in the Vietnam War, Kaylene Webb's husband wasn't treated like someone who had fought for his country. While seated on a commercial airliner on the flight home, the young Marine was refused food service. Nearly 40 years later, that memory was still fresh in
News Articles
While working at Costco before enlisting in the Air Force, Senior Airman Jesse Hughes remembers that there were always days where the hours would just creep by before it was time to go home. That's far from the case nowadays for the 25-year-old airman. Hughes, who works in the 62nd Comptroller Squadron
Veterans
As the McChord Field School Age Program entered the dining room area at the American Lake Veterans Affairs facility, Alyssa Adamsky and Julia Patrick quickly gathered a stack of homemade Christmas cards. The two 10-year-olds bounced from table to table, wishing veterans "Merry Christmas" and handing them a card. "I hope it
Focus
Even if Sandy Cooper never needs to utilize her emergency medical technician training again, the time it took for her to earn her certification was time well spent. Cooper, a 27-year Air Force veteran who's now a battalion chief with Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fire and Emergency Services, was recently recognized by
Schools
A star prep basketball player and a stellar student at Bellarmine Prep High School in Tacoma, senior Simonne Potts had many options when it came time to choose where she would be attending college. In the end, her military upbringing played a major role in her college choice. In August, the 5-foot-11
Focus
Between overseeing cargo and passengers on flights crisscrossing the globe and long deployments, it's no wonder that airmen who work as loadmasters develop some strong bonds between each other during their time in the Air Force. Call it a byproduct of their job. "You're spending so much time together in very close
News Articles
All Chauncey Henry wanted was an opportunity to win the game for his Army team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The Navy team had other ideas. Sailor Art Martinez picked off a pass bound for Henry in the game's final minute to preserve a 20-15 victory for Navy Dec. 3 in the 11th
Focus
United Service Organization volunteer Herb Schmeling is just glad he was in the right place at the right time. It yielded him yet another opportunity to help local soldiers and their families. While working his shift at the USO Sea-Tac location, Schmeling got a call from someone looking to donate some recordable
Focus
Senior Master Sgt. Maureen Arroyo never has to wait long to get a message of affirmation that she's in the right line of work. Every time one of her cadets in Clover Park High School's Air Force JROTC program earns a scholarship or overcomes a personal obstacle in their lives, Arroyo
Operation Family Support
Just because mom or dad is away on a deployment doesn't necessarily mean they have to miss a host of important family events and milestones. Call it a job for the deployed servicemember's stand-in. More specifically, Flat Daddy. SFC Graphics, a Toledo, Ohio based company, has been producing Flat Daddies since late
News Articles
One could almost call it a homecoming for Col. Paul Norwood. After spending four years at Joint Base Lewis-McChord when he was a young child while his father served in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from 1968 to 1972, Norwood returned to the base Wednesday morning as the new 201st Battlefield
Focus
Curtis High School senior Colby Carr didn't exactly plan on becoming part of a family legacy. His father, Lt. Col. Colin Carr, and two uncles all attended the Air Force Academy. Colby just wanted to play lacrosse at the Division I level. But the two elements came together recently as Colby accepted an
News Articles
After serving in the Air Force for 19 years and being stationed at five different duty locations, Senior Master Sgt. Michael Lantz finally got the opportunity to come home. The Tacoma native and Washington High School alum was transferred to McChord Field in 2007 to serve as the 361st Recruiting Squadron's
News Articles
In a draft report released Nov. 5, the Army said stationing a combat aviation brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord would have some significant environmental impacts. The Army also prefers to put a brigade at Colorado's Fort Carson. "These locations have existing runways and airfields, provide adequate maneuver and airspace for CAB operations,
