Feb. 8, 2013 Medic awarded Purple Heart for deployed actions An Air Force medic assigned to dangerous duty with an Army logistics convoy unit when deployed to Afghanistan two years ago was awarded the Purple Heart during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.Staff Sgt. Jasmine Russell, 2nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Personnel Reliability Program
Feb. 5, 2013 Through Airmen's Eyes: Airman struggles back from rare illness Imagine having to relearn all the things you learned as kid: how to eat, how to walk, how to talk. Imagine how frustrated and devastated you would be.That's exactly what happened to Airman 1st Class Lori Cord, 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, when she acquired a rare illness in late
Jan. 30, 2013 Air Mobility Command mental health clinics offering resiliency enhancement visits Active-duty service members may be eligible for a program which offers four "off-the-record" visits at their local base mental health clinic with the Air Mobility Command.Currently only being used in AMC, the program, called resiliency enhancement visits, encourages active-duty service members who
Jan. 28, 2013 Depression has many signs Most people have experienced sadness in their lives, but when one is sad more than happy for long periods of time it could be a sign of depression.There are many symptoms of depression other than feeling sad or "blue," according to Capt. Neal Kennington, 56th Medical Operations Squadron clinical
Dec. 17, 2012 Wingmen, supervisors key to suicide prevention While many think of the holidays as a time to relax and be surrounded by family and friends, some feel isolated and alone during this time of year - especially Airmen spending their first holiday season away from home.Supervisors and wingmen are encouraged to keep a close eye on their friends and
Dec. 14, 2012 Airman helps friend using lessons from resiliency class This article is part of a feature series on how military members and their families apply skills learned in base resilience course by Airman 1st Class Jacob Eckhardt.Senior Airman Kayla Becker-Botero, 375th Force Support Squadron customer support technician, used her resiliency training skills to
Nov. 20, 2012 Woof! "Major" relief for PTSD Imagine a pet trained to understand the side effects that come with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Imagine a pet trained to understand your symptoms to aid a path to recovery. One such pet resides at Minot Air Force Base and is helping a member of Team Minot every day.Meet Major, an adopted
Nov. 20, 2012 AF leaders target sexual assault in latest 'Letter to Airmen' Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley, Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy issued a tri-signature "Letter to Airmen" Nov. 16.As part of an effort to increase awareness of sexual assault, the Air Force's top three
Nov. 13, 2012 Wounded warrior gets help with new battle buddy An Air Force wounded warrior has a new buddy that is helping him cope with his physical and mental pain, thanks to the Train A Dog - Save A Warrior program.Staff Sgt. Andrew Goligowski struggles with post-traumatic stress and the pain caused by sarcoidosis, a disease with no cure that causes
Nov. 9, 2012 Through Airmen's Eyes: Chief discusses how family, pet help PTSD issues (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)Coming back from deployment, Airmen face the home-station work environment, reintegrating with family and settling back into day-to-day life.What
Nov. 1, 2012 Dietary awareness system keeps Airmen on point A new dietary awareness system geared toward changing the way Airmen eat went into effect at the Aviano Air Base dining facilities Oct. 24. "Go for Green" is a new color-coded system that shows Airmen the calorie count intake of each item on the menu and what foods should be consumed less often than
Nov. 1, 2012 Family Advocacy, 81st MDG conduct domestic violence awareness 'experiment' Every year the Family Advocacy Program staff plans and implements a community awareness campaign designed to educate Team Keesler, as well as reinforce the reality that prevention and detection of interpersonal violence is truly a base-wide responsibility.This year, FAP teamed up with Brig. Gen.
Oct. 25, 2012 Through Airmen's Eyes: Airman battles breast cancer (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)"I was 21 years old and didn't think I was strong enough to beat two cancers -- I thought my life was over," said Senior Airman Latisha Chong.Chong, a
Oct. 25, 2012 Medical Group Commander signs National Red Ribbon Week proclamation The National Red Ribbon Week is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against substance abuse. Show your personal commitment to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon. The National Family Partnership (NFP), formerly known as the National
Oct. 22, 2012 Survival of the Fittest: Final Stand Survival of the Fittest is a three-part series on an Airman's battle with cancer while still serving in the Air Force.Cancer does not discriminate among its victims. Cancer does not care whether a person is male or female, old or young. Cancer - specifically brain cancer - did not care how hard
Oct. 18, 2012 Through Airmen's Eyes: Ultimate wingman helps save friend's life (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)An Airman here who noticed the suicidal signs of a friend reported the problem and helped save his friend's life.Airman 1st Class Albert Chang, 375th
Oct. 16, 2012 Building culture to sustain resilient Airmen Resilience: Merriam-Webster defines it as "an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change."Resiliency is a word used a lot throughout the Air Force, but not many take to heart; many see it, specifically Comprehensive Airmen Fitness, as just a program, but it's so much more."It's
Oct. 9, 2012 Resiliency efforts strengthen positive lifestyles Just as the Air Force continues to enhance warfighters' capabilities, an equally powerful role for Airmen and their families is to maintain a balanced lifestyle. The Air Force Compressive Airman Fitness model encompasses four pillars: mental, social, physical and spiritual. It is a proactive
Sept. 24, 2012 'An ounce of prevention...': Risks and Warnings Before intervention. Before support. Even before treatment ... there is prevention.The Air Force is committed to providing the best possible support, treatment and intervention resources for Airmen who have had their lives impacted by the loss of a fellow wingman or co-worker due to suicide.
Aug. 21, 2012 Overcoming PTSD: MICC contracting officer gets back in fight to help fellow Soldiers A trip to today's military hospitals reveals American warriors afflicted with many different ailments, including battle injuries, missing limbs and severe scars. Time and medical care eventually heals all physical wounds, but some wounds leave no physical scars. Stress and anxiety can take its toll