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  • Overseeing operational control of the day-to-day law enforcement mission and access control is part of the provost marshal duties. U.S. Air Force Maj. Michael Holt, 627th Security Forces Squadron commander, recently became JBLM deputy provost marshal. (Courtesy Photo)

    Joint Base Unique – Airman makes history through Army partners

    The U.S. Air Force’s Security Forces has a long history dating back to World War II. Since 1942, the team we used to identify as the Army Air Forces have evolved to the security forces known today. In 1952, five years after the birth of the Air Force, Airmen began to transition away from Army military occupation codes to Air Force specialty codes. One of the changes implemented over time was commanders of security forces squadrons would no longer be called provost marshal, while our Army counterparts kept provost marshal as an enduring identifier of their commanders. In order to further build cohesion between the Air Force and Army at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the 627th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) commander, Maj. Michael Holt, has also been named the JBLM deputy provost marshal, making him the first Airman to hold the position in over half a century.
  • McKay Neel, McChord’s newest Pilot for a Day participant, sits in the pilot seat of a C-17 Globemaster III during his tour of McChord Field at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Feb. 20, 2018. During his day as a 4th Airlift Squadron pilot, McKay visited military working dogs; the fire department; survival, evasion, resistance and escape training office; a C-17 Globemaster III simulation and received of tour of a C-17. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tryphena Mayhugh)

    4th AS welcomes newest ‘Pilot for a Day’

    If the proverb is true that laughter is the best medicine, then perhaps a smile could go a long way for a child with a serious or chronic condition. For McChord’s Pilot for a Day program, the hope is to spread a smile across the face of a participating child for the full day they are part of the McChord Field family as an honorary pilot. With a motto stating, “A special day for our special kids,” the McChord Field Air Force Association (AFA) is in charge of the program and is responsible for funding and child nominations. February 20, 10-year-old McKay Neel became the newest honorary pilot in the 4th Airlift Squadron as he, his family and his friends received a tour of a variety of places to experience what it is like on base.
  • Tech. Sgt. Christopher Groessler, 62nd Maintenance Squadron munitions technician, practices kneeling behind a barricade during the 627th Security Forces Squadron’s Combat Arms Training and Maintenance class at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Jan. 31, 2018.

    Combat arms help Airmen sharpen sights on readiness

    The 627th Security Forces Squadron holds combat arms training and maintenance courses to train Airmen on the characteristics, nomenclature, assembly, disassembly, maintenance and firing of small-arms weapons such as the M-4 carbine and M-9 pistol at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
  • Staff Sgt. Daniel Watkins, 627th Security Forces Squadron unit training manager, stands at a podium while teaching an Expeditionary Active Shooter class at the 627th SFS, Jan. 18, 2018 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Watkins was recognized for outstanding Airmanship after escorting an ill, elderly veteran to an out-of-state Veterans Affairs appointment of his own volition, and ensuring the gentleman’s continued care. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Taylor)

    ‘Guardian Angel’ Airman aids ailing Korean War vet

    There are many who believe there is no such thing as coincidence; things happen for a reason and people enter their lives for a purpose.If retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ronald Price and Staff Sgt. Daniel Watkins, 627th Security Forces Squadron unit training manager, did not count themselves among those who believe in fate prior to their
  • The National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station, as seen from the summit of Observation Hill, Antarctica. The station was established in December 1955 and is the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program, with a harbor, landing strips on sea ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad. (Courtesy Photo)

    62nd, 446th Airlift Wings support science through Operation DEEP FREEZE

    In conjunction with the 446th Airlift Wing, the 62nd Operations Group kicked off the 2017-2018 season of Operation DEEP FREEZE (ODF), a mission offering unparalleled Department of Defense support to the National Science Foundation (NSF)-managed U.S. Antarctic Program, with operations that began in late September.According to the NSF website,
  • Tech. Sgt. Henry Achilles, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron air transportation standardization evaluation program, smiles for a photo, Dec. 5, 2017 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

    62nd APS lifts cargo, spirits on island of Dominica

    During what will likely be remembered as one of the fiercest hurricane seasons in a century, the Caribbean island of Dominica was devastated by Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in mid-September as a Category 5 hurricane.In response, the 62nd Airlift Wing deployed members of the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron to support air mobility operations for
  • Retired Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Burns, 60th Operations Support Squadron, poses for a photo inside a C-5M Super Galaxy at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., June 6, 2016. Burns flew from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., to Travis AFB on July 9, 1986 in just two hours to be present for the birth of his son Matthew. Burns served 25 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired in 2007. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Heide Couch/Released)

    McChord to Travis: Retired chief recalls son’s birth

    Mothers and fathers look forward to the birth of a child, especially their first. Many military fathers miss the birth of a child because they are serving thousands of miles away supporting missions all over the world.
  • 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
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