Focus
It was yet another example of "Team McChord" accomplishing the mission. When the commander in the active-duty 4th Airlift Squadron wasn't able to deploy with the unit in October due to an upcoming inspection, wing leadership looked to the 446th Airlift Wing to fill the void. Lt. Col. Tony Angello, a Reservist
Operation Family Support
Single Airmen living in the dorms on McChord Field can expect to receive a delivery of a dozen homemade cookies in the next couple weeks as part of Operation Cookie Drive 2012. The McChord Officers Spouses' and Enlisted Spouses' Clubs have spearheaded the yearly project since 2005. In year's past, the drive
Focus
Working as a real estate agent in a housing market hit hard by the economic downturn, Army spouse Melynda Bosch came to the realization it was time for a career change. "I started researching ways to start working from home," said Bosch, who PCSed with her husband and three children to
Military Life
McChord Field spouse Tiffany Swaggart had seen what kind of home-based businesses some of her friends and acquaintances were getting involved with. Tupperware. Sentsy candles. "The market was flooded with those (kinds of) consultants," said Swaggart, whose husband is a staff sergeant in the 627th Security Forces Squadron. But selling tea? That was
Focus
A four-year starter and team captain on the Washington High School football team as well as a squadron commander within the school's Air Force JROTC unit, Jesse Tuivaiave laid the groundwork to become a leader within the Army after his high school graduation. Six months into his studies at the United
Focus
Ella Young spent the final years of her life doing what she loved most: volunteering and putting a smile on the face of Servicemembers visiting the United Service Organization's McChord Field Center. Young passed away Dec. 28 at the age of 88 at an area hospital. Young volunteered with the USO Puget
Focus
With orders to deploy to Afghanistan in hand, Staff Sgt. Brandon Salah started putting the wheels in motion to make sure everything was taken care of at home before he left.But before he could start planning, his wife Ana, a sergeant, received orders to deploy to Afghanistan as well. The
Resources
Military families having trouble adjusting to a family member's deployment have a new resource to help those with school-age children with the transition. Sesame Street and The Electric Company unveiled a new collection of resources for military families last month at a launch celebration at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va.
Focus
As a kid growing up in South Dakota, Tech. Sgt. Tavis Delaney loved military aircraft. There wasn't a speck of wall in his bedroom that wasn't covered by a poster of an aircraft. "I was infatuated," Delaney said. Years later, that love still burns strong. Delaney, now a joint terminal
Kids
When Shirley McGann sent out an e-mail alerting her United Service Organization Puget Sound Area volunteers of the opportunity to volunteer at the yearly Snowball Express event, the response she received was overwhelming. "I had about 30 who wanted to do it but I could only take 12," said McGann, who
Operation Family Support
The Captain Meriwether Lewis chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army delivered more than 300 turkeys to Servicemembers on Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Camp Murray prior to Thanksgiving as part of "Operation Turkey Drop." With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, the chapter is now turning its attention to delivering hams
Schools
Clover Park High Air Force JROTC cadet Priscila Desiderio admits she used to be really shy. But a new tutoring program started by the unit in November is helping the sophomore really come out of her shell and show her leadership qualities. Each Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m., a
Military Life
While living apart from her Soldier husband in her native Minnesota for three years, Army spouse Sarah Carruth was surrounded by a strong network of support made up family members and church friends. But she didn't know what it was truly like to be a military spouse. "I had a lot of
Focus
State Rep. Troy Kelley (D-Tacoma) is used to juggling many things at the same time. The Democratic member of the Washington State House of Representatives has represented District 28 since 2006. He has also owned and operated a small business, a document tracking company, since 1984. And his service in the U.S.
Military Resources
When Jennifer Westby's mother died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage two years ago at the age of 60, it sent the Spanaway woman's life into a spin. "It was my first major loss (of a life)," Westby said. "(It was) completely unexpected." The grief brought on by the loss had Westby teetering
Focus
A group of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Soldiers who gained YouTube and Facebook fame for videos of themselves making trick basketball shots on base has done it again. This time, the Soldiers are using ping-pong balls. "T Wo Trick Shots" filmed its basketball video at hoops around the base in June. The latest
Veterans
There are several fitness "boot camps" across the Puget Sound area, each vowing to make participants sweat, push them to their physical limits and whip them into great shape. But there is only one boot camp taught by someone who has actually been to the real thing. "You don't have the right
Schools
Faced with the chance to be part of something that the Clover Park High Air Force JROTC unit had never done before, cadets Joel Johnson and Jason Stancil boldly accepted the challenge. This year the unit started an Information Technology Squadron within its ranks, with the goal of setting up a
Focus
Having lived and worked in the South Sound for the last few years, Phyliss Bethel was familiar with the heavy military presence in the area. But she had no idea what went on behind the gates of McChord Field. Now she knows perhaps more about the base's mission than she might
Focus
The fire started quickly, spreading through the residence in base housing. When it was finally out, it left one McChord Field family without nearly 90 percent of their belongings. Fortunately for the family of five, the outpouring of support from the McChord community was just as swift, and perhaps even stronger than
