U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth T. Bibb Jr., 18th Air Force commander, presents Col. David A. Fazenbaker, 62nd Airlift Wing commander, with the 62nd AW’s guidon during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, June 15, 2021. Prior to taking command of the 62nd AW, Fazenbaker was the 14th Flying Training Wing vice commander at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zoe Thacker)

For many, living life based on the Air Force’s core values of integrity first, excellence in all we do and service before self, comes as second nature once transitioning from the civilian world to the military. But for some, extending a helping hand and saying a kind word has been in their DNA since before they could even tie their shoes. On several accounts, Staff Sgt. Jerika-Deandra Thomas, 627th Civil Engineer Squadron structural journeyman, is one of those people.

The roar of four turbofan engines fills the cargo bay and flight deck of a C-17 Globemaster III while it flies about 1,500 feet in the warm, clear skies above Miami Beach. Four experienced pilots are focused on staying safe while conducting an aerial demonstration for their audience on the sand and in the water below them, but it is not hard to do in an aircraft like the C-17. The C-17 West Coast Demo Team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, traveled to Miami Beach, Florida, for the National Salute to America’s Heroes Hyundai Air and Sea Show, May 28-30, making it their fourth air show of the year, with another 12 lined up for the rest of 2021.

U.S. Air Force Tec. Sgt. Daylon Siverly, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flying crew chief, is the 2020 Lieutenant General Leo Marquez Award winner for the noncommissioned officer category. Siverly has been an Air Force maintainer for 15 years, recently achieving his goal of becoming a flying crew chief. (U.S Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tryphena Mayhugh)

Social media graphic made for master sergeant release July 16, 2020. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Senior Airman Charles Welty)

How do you track hundreds of pieces of equipment dispersed around the world? The 62nd Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment shop here began installing GPS trackers on their equipment in late April 2021. The shop is now able to track approximately 220 of their 420 assets globally.

A U.S. Air Force tactical air control party Airman with the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron holds his position during a small unit tactics exercise at Yakima Training Center, Washington, April 28, 2021. Small unit tactics are used for the combat deployment of platoons in a particular strategic and logistic environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Callie Norton)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Gustavo Burciaga, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, communicates with the pilots on a C-17 Globemaster III in preparation for an airlift mission as part of Exercise Rainier War at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, April 28, 2021. Rainier War tests the 62nd Airlift Wing's capability to plan, generate and execute a deployment tasking, sustain contingency operations, demonstrate full spectrum readiness while executing agile combat employment in a contested, degraded and operationally limited environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes)

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael “Dunk” Dunkelberger, 62nd Operations Group evaluator loadmaster, has served as loadmaster in the Air Force for 25 years. Dunkelberger began and is now ending his career in the 8th Airlift Squadron at McChord Field. During his time in the Air Force, he assisted in the transition of C-141 Starlifters to C-17 Globemaster III’s at McChord; helped evacuate people out of New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina; participated in Operation Enduring Freedom after 9/11; was a loadmaster evaluator for the 62nd Operations Group; and was a member of the 62nd Airlift Wing’s C-17 West Coast Demonstration Team to highlight the aircraft’s capabilities at air shows. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tryphena Mayhugh)