March 31, 2022 Braving the Last Frontier: Recounting the ITI 1,000-mile ultramarathon Frozen air whips by, sinking its teeth into any inch of exposed skin it can find. Snow pushes in from all sides, forcing its way through waterproofed layers and attempting to soak everything beneath. Dozens of pounds of gear are pulling and dragging and begging to stop as they are carried ever
Jan. 27, 2022 Invisible Wounds Initiative helps build a supportive culture for Airmen, Guardians, and families through focused leadership The Command Team Campaign is a communications effort to increase knowledge and enable command teams to build connectedness, trust, and openness to tough conversations about cognitive, emotional, or behavioral conditions associated with trauma or adverse life events.
Oct. 14, 2021 Academy prep school commander stays ‘Husky Strong’ in battle with cancer Melissa Youderian cried when she donated her long hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit for children suffering hair loss, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.“Though it was a deliberate decision and I thought it would be uplifting to donate my hair before the treatment took it, I had tears
Sept. 16, 2021 Air Force medic earns 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year recognition after heroism in Kenya As the sole aerospace medicine technician on a three-person medical team deployed to Manda Bay-Camp Simba, Kenya, Staff Sgt. Colleen Mitchell found herself trying to unwind off-duty one Sunday by watching television at the Morale, Welfare, and Readiness center at 5 a.m. The events thereafter would
Aug. 16, 2021 The Initial Perception There are many common sayings that go along with how important the first impression you leave on someone is. No matter the circumstances for someone’s behavior, on any particular day, there is no way to reverse that initial interaction, conversation, attitude, etc. For this reason, and many more,
Aug. 2, 2021 Wounded warriors share message of resilience in Florida On the day a bullet tore through his legs inside an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. August O’Niell, 414th Combat Training Squadron Detachment 1 flight chief in charge of ground operations at Davis-Monthan, Air Force Base, Arizona, said his world changed.
July 23, 2021 OST increases readiness, resilience In August 2020, Dover Air Force Base developed the Operational Support Team, a five-person medical team that embeds into units for three to four months focusing on preventative care.The team is made up of a physical therapist, physical therapy technician, a social worker, a psychologist and a
Feb. 24, 2021 AFRL partnership seeks to “engineer” improved human performance For athletes, achieving peak performance takes more than skill and practice. Other important but less obvious factors - including nutrition, sleep, mental state, resilience, and more - are critical in maximizing potential. The Air Force Research Laboratory has teamed with small business partners to
Feb. 4, 2021 Wellness Advocacy Team supports Airmen resilience, wellness The 100th Air Refueling Wing is leading the charge on Airman and family health and wellness with the creation of the Royal Air Force Mildenhall Wellness Advocacy Team.
Oct. 2, 2020 New medical support team works to help keep Airmen mission ready In an effort to help Airmen sustain the high levels of fitness and performance necessary to execute their missions and maintain operational readiness status, the 75th Medical Group has stood up an Operational Support Team, or OST.
June 9, 2020 Embedded mental health essential during pandemic (Part 2) Air Force mental health teams embedded in operational squadrons are helping Airmen deal with stress created by the COVID-19 pandemic to sustain essential operations during the crisis.
May 28, 2020 Embedded mental health essential during pandemic (Part 1) Embedded Air Force mental health professionals play a critical role in keeping Airmen mission ready, and during the COVID-19 pandemic they are even more important to maintaining readiness.
Nov. 14, 2019 Taking care of Airmen: How the AF Academy's Peak Performance Center helped a cadet recover The Peak Performance Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy helps cadets overcome challenges.
Sept. 19, 2019 Overcoming domestic violence: A story of resilience As a little boy, the Airman watched, terrified, as his father shoved his mother against a wall, screaming in her face. The angry shouts became muffled as he cupped his tiny hands around his ears in an attempt to escape the horror.But, for the longest time, he could not escape it.
Sept. 4, 2019 Peterson Airmen save life In the beginning of August, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein ordered all wings to stand down for a day and focus on resiliency and suicide prevention due to the alarming increase of suicide rates in the U.S. Air Force in 2019.
Aug. 28, 2019 Helping wounded airmen recover with dignity, resolve, and resiliency With his personal life and military career spiraling out of control due to increased alcohol consumption, heightened self-doubt, and an amplified apathy for living, Air Force Master Sgt. (Ret.) Adam Boccher eventually exited the road to rock bottom and ruin through a program initiated to assist
Aug. 27, 2019 Wounded warrior talks resiliency during tactical pause In the wake of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein’s Resiliency Tactical Pause directive, Master Sgt. Jose E. Rijos, Air Force Wounded Warrior ambassador, recounted the traumas of his career with his service dog, Cairo, at his side.
Aug. 14, 2019 CMSAF Wright talks resiliency and readiness at all call Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright discussed resiliency and readiness with Tinker Airmen during an All Call held at the Hudiburg Chevrolet Center.
May 24, 2019 Director of psychological health dedicated to normalizing mental health Michelle Pennington, 104th Fighter Wing director of psychological health, has been involved in social work since she was a child.She now works to promote mental health awareness for members of the 104 FW and their families, and ultimately improve their quality of life.
Feb. 7, 2019 My cancer is not my crutch “I’ll never forget the day the doctor came into the waiting room, looked through the window of my soul and said, ‘you have cancer’. Four days later I was on the surgery table so he could save my life.”Those are the three words that Master Sgt. Christofer Galbadores, 821st Contingency Response