April 11, 2014 Elmendorf dependent recognized as 2014 Air Force Military Child of Year An 18-year-old Air Force dependent from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, was recognized for his achievements and dedication to service at the 6th Annual Military Child of the Year Awards Gala here, April 10.During the Operation Homefront-hosted event, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
April 11, 2014 Surgeon general testifies before Senate on budget request The medical capabilities honed from 13 years of war must continue to expand for future needs, the three military surgeon generals' told Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense April 9.Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas Travis, the Air Force surgeon general, testified with Lt. Gen. Patricia
April 11, 2014 Iddins takes command of 59th Medical Wing Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bart Iddins took charge of the 59th Medical Wing during a change of command ceremony April 10 at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center.Iddins replaces a retiring Maj. Gen. Byron Hepburn, who led the 59th MDW through its integration with Army medical services as part of the new
April 10, 2014 AF selects 5 enlisted Airmen for medical prep school Five enlisted Airmen have been selected to participate in the inaugural Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said April 8.The program offers enlisted members a chance to attend medical prep school full time for two years, all expenses paid, while
April 10, 2014 MacDill builds partnership with Tampa General Hospital The 6th Medical Group and members of Tampa General Hospital conducted a meeting March 26, 2014 at TGH in Tampa, Fla. to mark the beginning of building bonds within the community. During the meeting, they discussed progress and growth of current partnerships.As a result of MacDill downsizing from an
April 9, 2014 Born Dead: AF medical miracle leads Airman back to military medicine What would you do to repay someone for saving your life? How far would you go?Col. Katherine Rearden, 59th Medical Wing Clinical Research Division chief, answers that question every day of her life."If I was going to be born dead anywhere, I thank God it was here in San Antonio at Lackland Air Force
April 9, 2014 MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD Each April, the military community pauses to focus on its youngest members, those who don't deploy or travel to war, but are affected by those events just the same - the military child.Military children are unique in that they face frequent moves and parental deployments, in addition to the typical
April 9, 2014 ANG 'guardian angel' team rescues girl stricken during Pacific voyage A California family and their extremely ill one-year-old daughter, stranded in choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean, was transferred safely aboard a Navy ship April 7, enroute to San Diego thanks to the efforts of an Air National Guard "Guardian Angel" team, according to a military spokesman.The
April 8, 2014 Service members required to get Hep B immunization The Department of Defense recently updated its immunization guidelines, requiring all service members to receive the hepatitis B virus immunizations. Hepatitis B is a potentially fatal liver disease spread by contaminated blood or body fluids.Since 2002, the Air Force has administered the
April 8, 2014 Air Force Wounded Warrior Trials begin Wounded warriors joined together here April 7 to celebrate the opening ceremonies of the first ever Air Force trials competition at the Warrior Fitness Center.The trials are an adaptive sports camp used to identify which athletes will be selected as members of the Air Force Warrior Games team and
April 6, 2014 376th Expeditionary Medical Group in Kyrgyzstan inactivates The 376th Expeditionary Medical Group here inactivated during a ceremony April 5, 2014, ending another era of providing world-class care to troops transitioning through Kyrgyzstan."You were the panacea that kept our Airmen in the fight, enabling combat airpower in Afghanistan," said Col. John C.
April 4, 2014 Medical group sharpens patient evacuation skills during exercise In 1964, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake ravaged Southcentral Alaska. Streets and buildings were ripped apart, tsunamis devastated towns and the need for medical services was dire. Fifty years later, the state of Alaska hosted exercise Alaska Shield 2014 from March 27 to April 3. Federal, state and local
April 4, 2014 Mom pushes through pain, 22.4 miles for autistic son On the last mile of a 22.4-mile, 72 hour challenge one runner's feet were in pain. She was exhausted and sweaty, but all she could think about was her son. On the back of her calves were the words "I run for my son."With sunglasses hiding tears, the runner and two others linked arms and ran through
April 4, 2014 Airman values quality of life in U.S. Air Force She was raised in a small, one-bedroom home made of wood. She and her mother lived in the small, dark, damp basement and slept on an old futon on the concrete floor. There was only one bathroom, which she shared with many cockroaches.These are the humble beginnings for one Airman, and the conditions
April 2, 2014 Disability claims backlog reduced by 44 percent WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- One year after the backlog of pending disability compensation claims peaked at over 611,000 in March 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reduced that number by approximately 44 percent to 344,000 claims -- a reduction of more than 267,000. At the same time
April 2, 2014 SABC training: preserving life, limb and eyesight Imagine you and a wingman are deployed and your base has undergone heavy rocket fire all day. As you finish up a post attack reconnaissance sweep you notice an Airman lying on the ground, bleeding -- what do you do?Knowing how to perform Self-Aid and Buddy Care immediately after a traumatic event
April 2, 2014 Failure sparks change "I worked too hard and waited too long to join the Air Force just to get kicked out because of physical training."That's what Airman 1st Class Samuel Hahn said when he failed his PT test in September 2013. Hahn, a 47th Medical Group Public Health technician, attributes his failure to three main
April 1, 2014 MWDs wage war on combat stress (Editor's note: This is the second in a series on military working dogs at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.)For a military member, the word 'Afghanistan' may bring about thoughts of bombings, gun fire and other war-related memories. For a dog, it's simply a word unknown to them.To prepare military working
April 1, 2014 April: National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month It's been 40 years since former President Richard Nixon signed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.Child abuse is still a major concern and, each year, the month of April is recognized as National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month, a time to acknowledge the importance of families and