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  • A joint terminal attack controller assigned to the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., performs a radio check before a B-1 bomber flyby near Belle Fourche, S.D., Nov. 16, 2016. The fly-by was part of a show-of-force before a rescue helicopter could proceed to the area. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class James L. Miller)

    Combat Raider keeps joint-force proficient, ready for battle

    A young pilot dangles dangerously far from the grassy South Dakota tundra, held on by nothing more than a strap, a cable and a medic from the South Dakota National Guard.  As the Soldier and Airmen are hoisted up toward the HH-60 Pave Hawk medical helicopter, fake blood runs down the captain’s face.  Personnel recovery is a pilot’s nightmare, but
  • Capt. Robert Allen, 62nd Airlift Wing historian, poses for a photo in front of an AC-130 Spectre sign in 1972 at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. While stationed in Thailand, Allen flew as a navigator in AC-130’s over Vietnam. (Courtesy photo)

    Vietnam Veteran preserves Air Force history

    Hidden away in the 62nd Airlift Wing history office, works a Vietnam Veteran and retired lieutenant colonel. While working daily to preserve McChord and Air Force history, Dr. Robert Allen, 62nd AW historian, holds a rich history of his own. Allen grew up as an Army brat in the 1950’s. His father was a signal officer in the Army and was stationed
  • Robert Snyder, McChord Field Air Force Recovery Care Coordinator, speaks to an Airman inside the 62nd medical clinic June 20, 2016 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Snyder, a recent amputee has assisted more than 140 Wounded Warriors throughout the state of Washington and Oregon for the last three years. (Air Force Photo/Staff Sgt. Naomi Shipley)

    Overcoming challenges - McChord's Wounded Warriors

    “I’m not a deeply religious person, but I believe there is something or someone out there and whatever he or she is doing is guiding me, because it’s going to help me see what I need to.”These words from Robert Snyder, McChord Field Air Force Recovery Care Coordinator, ring true throughout his life, especially now.It’s Snyder’s job to help our
  • A B-17 Flying Fortress is parked on the ramp at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash., June 6, 2016. This B-17 was restored by the Experimental Aircraft Association and was brought to Seattle to make it available for public flights throughout the summer. (U.S Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Tim Chacon)

    Living History: WWII vets and B17 take to the sky over Seattle

    The B-17 Flying Fortress is an icon of World War II, especially when talking about the aerial war in the European theater. A bomber that could do things no other could before it. With a payload of 9,600 pounds and a range of 3,750 miles the B-17s were able to inflict heavy losses on Axis’s infrastructure facilities and defenses.A fully restored
  • Lt. Col. Chad Marchesseault, 92nd Operations Group deputy commander, flew a KC-135 Stratotanker from Fairchild Air Force Base during an air-refueling exercise over Washington State April 5, 2016. One of the receivers, a C-17 Globemaster hailing from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was flown by Chad’s youngest brother, Capt. Lance Marchesseault, 62nd Operations Support Squadron airlift director. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell)

    Connecting at 22,000 feet

    It was a beautiful spring day in April 2016, when two KC-135 Stratotankers took flight from Fairchild Air Force Base to participate in an ordinary air-refueling training exercise. The sun was warm, the sky was blue and there was nothing in the way of the flight the Marchesseault brothers were about to experience; for them, the day was anything but
  • Airmen from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s 627th Air Base Group help fix the edging on Tumwater’s Pioneer Park baseball fields during the “Third Thursday in Thurston” Oct. 15.

    Airmen find way to pay it forward

    Celebrating the second annual "Third Thursday in Thurston" Oct. 15, 184 Airmen from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord's 627th Air Base Group volunteered their time for a day of giving back to nine different organizations throughout Thurston County.Colonel Will Phillips III, JBLM deputy commander and 627th ABG commander, said it was an opportunity for
  • Airmen from the Civil Engineering Squadron cheer on their teammates in this month’s CE Fitness Challenge April 25, 2014, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The 627th CES has created a unique PT program that promotes competition and focuses on improving fitness assessment scores. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jacob Jimenez)

    Team McChord Airmen have unique methods for PT

    Tech. Sgt. James Abney, Civil Engineer Squadron heavy equipment shop NCO in charge, smiles at the workout he has assembled for his Airmen. It is called Tabata. This relay challenge consists of eight rounds of push-ups, sit-ups, squats and a single lap around the McChord Field track. It was created to be brutal and exhausting. It was also designed
  • Tech. Sgt. David Buchanan, 446 Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor, observes McChord Field Airmen to ensure the firing line is safe at all times at Range 108 next to North Fort Lewis, April 9, 2014 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The red hat instructors wear is specifically for the firing range in order to easily distinguish them. As a result, combat arms instructors have acquired the nickname, “Red Hats.” (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Russ Jackson)

    Who Are Those Airmen with the Red Hats?

    It is just a typical day for Staff Sgt. Christopher Hoffman, 627th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor. His office for the day is Range 108 next to North Fort Lewis at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he prepares for the students heading his way. Hoffman walks around his "office" as the gravel crunches under his feet. He notices a
  • From the left, Senior Airman Chase Vento, Senior Airman Paul Gonzalez, and Senior Airman Curtis McWoodson, 627th Security Forces Squadron phoenix raven members, strike a pose March 13, 2014 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Whether in a remote airfield in Africa or a battlefield in Iraq, Ravens are prepared for sudden violence at any moment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jacob Jimenez)

    Ravens help protect deployed C-17 crews

    During a routine inspection in January on a remote airfield in the Central African Republic, Senior Airman Chase Vento discovered a teenage boy hiding in the wheel well for the landing gear of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft."He told me that he was trying to get to Tanzania to see his mom," Vento said.But the aircraft was actually transporting
  • This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Staff Sgt. Andrew Snow. Snow is a force aerospace ground equipment journeyman with the 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron. The Portland, Ore. native is deployed from the 62nd Maintenance Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Desiree Moye)

    Age Ranger makes his mark while deployed

    Staff Sgt. Andrew Snow is an aerospace ground equipment technician from the 62nd Maintenance Squadron who has commanded the attention of his supervision by exceeding standards and going above beyond his assigned duties while deployed with the 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Southwest Asia. Snow deployed to Ali Al
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