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  • An explosive ordnance disposal Airman with the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron climbs over a wall during a special ruck and run event in support of the Combined Federal Campaign. The 786th CES’s EOD flight conducts ruck marches at the last Friday of every month. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Magbanua)

    Ramstein community builds bonds with EOD ruck and run

    EOD Airmen conduct ruck marches on the last Friday of every month as one of the ways to keep themselves ready for their mission.
  • An Airman assigned to the 65th Security Forces Squadron simulates securing a room at Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal, Oct. 5, 2016. Leaders from the 86th Airlift Wing, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, visited Airmen at Lajes to thank them for their service and tour the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicole Keim)

    Airpower and Portuguese partnership

    Wheels go up as aircraft emerge into the blue sky over the choppy, Atlantic abyss. Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal, is a critical piece of the 86th Airlift Wing mission to provide airlift capabilities around the globe. “There are only a few islands that actually exist in the middle of the Atlantic,” said Col. Dan Furleigh, 65th Air Base Group
  • Senior Airman Jordan Burge, 86th Munitions Squadron munitions operations technician, takes accountability of ammunition at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 26, 2016. Airmen of the 86th MUNS inspect, sort and ship munitions according to the intended destinations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Magbanua)

    86th MUNS Airmen help keep Air Force in the fight

    Munitions Airmen are responsible for inspecting the munitions to ensure their serviceability, sorting the munitions according their type and shipping them to their appropriate destinations.
  • Airmen from the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron remove the wing leading edge to facilitate structural repair on a C-130J Super Hercules wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2016. Crew chiefs and aircraft electrical and environmental specialists often work together to repair and troubleshoot aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nesha Humes)

    86th AMXS stays wired

    From cabin pressurization to engine control, the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft electrical and environmental systems specialists work to inspect, troubleshoot and maintain all C-130J Super Hercules’ systems touching down on Ramstein’s flightline.
  • An engraved stone stands in the American Kindergraves in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Oct. 15, 2016. The stone reads, “Although gone from us they are not forgotten.” The Ramstein Area Chiefs’ Group held a dedication ceremony for Gary Currie, an infant who lost his life in 1952. Joy Caffey, Gary’s mother, does not know where her son is laid to rest. Her family reached out to the Ramstein Area Chief’s Group and they offered to dedicate a gravestone to Gary within the Kindergraves. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tryphena Mayhugh)

    A mother’s love never fades, a community never forgets

    In 1952, Joy Currie, a young wife to an Air Force master sergeant in Koblenz, Germany, was staying in Wiesbaden awaiting the birth of her first child, a little boy. Arriving a week late, Gary Currie was born a full-term, 8-pound baby on Sept. 17, but there was a problem. “I was barely 18 years old,” Joy said. “Very naïve. I saw him when he was first born, but then they rushed him off to the nursery. I thought that was just the normal thing to do, I didn’t know anything was wrong.” Gary lived for about 12 hours before succumbing to aspiration pneumonia, a condition caused by inflammation in the lungs from inhaling materials such as food or liquids.
  • A nurse holds up Kevin Ormsby’s head at a hospital in New Zealand. Ormsby was found unconscious by members of the group he was skiing with after an accident on July 29, 2002. (Courtesy Photo)

    A pilot grounded, a life rebuilt

    “I remember the ride up the mountain in the van,” he recollected with some effort. “I recall the room you get ready in, I had (my equipment) and I remember prior to putting on my boots. As far as I remember I have never put on my ski boots in New Zealand.”Kevin Ormsby, a former Air Force pilot, had seemingly lost everything after a life-changing
  • Heavy snow equipment is parked in front of the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron’s heavy equipment facility at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 19, 2016. The members of Ramstein’s snow removal team are comprised of Airmen throughout the 786th CES and 86th Maintenance Squadron. This is a secondary job that they perform before and throughout the winter season. Preparations for winter weather hazards are made to ensure Ramstein’s 24-hour operation can continue during inclement winter weather. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer)

    Ramstein stays winter ready with snow removal team

    Ramstein base operations run 24-hours a day, which means preparations have to be made and attention to detail is critical.
  • U.S. Air Force and Spanish air force air traffic controllers, watch the flightline at Morón Air Base, Spain, Oct. 4, 2016. With a unit of only 600 personnel, Airmen at Morón make up only 25 percent of that population. Team Morón is comprised of U.S. Airmen, Marines and Spanish air force members, who operate together to keep wheels off the ground and in the fight. The 496th Air Base Squadron, a geographically-separated unit from the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, provides a worldwide platform for air power. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicole Keim)

    496 ABS provides air power platform

    The tarmac is lined with aircraft, waiting and ready to move to a forward deployed location. The 496th Air Base Squadron, a geographically-separated unit from the 86th Airlift Wing, provides a worldwide platform for air power. With a unit of only 600 personnel, Airmen at Morón make up only 25 percent of that population. Team Morón is comprised of
  • Senior Airman Jordan Hebner, 86th Dental Squadron dental technician, poses with portraits of her grandmother and great-aunts at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Hebner’s grandmother and great-aunts have been affected by breast cancer, which is the second most common cancer for women in the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Magbanua)

    Going pink: an Airman’s fight for breast cancer awareness

    Breast cancer runs in Hebner’s family, and seeing her relatives suffering from it has affected her personally, she said. That is why she decided to join the fight against the disease, adding that she knew there is a possibility that she herself could be affected by it in the future.
  • (Courtesy Photo)

    Military members race for PTSD, suicide awareness

    After returning from a 2014 deployment, Staff Sgt. Aaron Nagy, U.S. Air Forces in Europe Air Ground Operations School Joint Terminal Attack Controller instructor, began looking for a hobby--an outlet to relieve stresses of the deployment-- so he bought a four-wheeler. What he didn’t expect to find was a group of like-minded veterans who found that racing was a healthy way to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
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