• The fighter

    It’s 7 p.m. on Friday, September 23, 2016. I have the weekend off. Tonight is my club’s motorcycle event. So I head over to the hotel and start setting up. My buddy calls and asks if I can have some water bottles ready for him. I put my helmet on, tighten the straps, hold the ignition and crank the

  • The peak of fitness

    The trail forced them to walk slowly, taking 6 inch steps, and continuously look down at their feet. They were in a tunnel of mile-high mountains, so high they couldn’t see the sky without straining their necks. Car-sized boulders, blistering cold and slow-moving clouds surrounded them.

  • Rise of the machines

    After thousands of hours and long nights of planning, designing and building two robots, a dream became a reality. It was unlikely for a small high school robotics team in the middle of Missouri to make it all the way to the World Championships, but this team possessed a tremendous amount of desire

  • 13th Bomb Squadron: “Appropriating” planes once again

    On June 14th, 2017, the 13th Bomb Squadron (BS) “The Grim Reapers” turned 100. Yes, 100 years old. They have participated in every major conflict since World War I and are one of the more storied squadrons in the Air Force. That’s not to say they didn’t go through their rough and tough adolescent

  • Historic first for Air Force strategic bombers

    A B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress are parked on the ramp at Royal Air Force Fairford, U.K., June 12, 2017. This marks the first time in history that all three of Air Force Global Strike Command’s strategic bomber aircraft are simultaneously in the European Theatre, demonstrating the

  • Grandson of Enola Gay pilot flies refurbished B-29 Doc

    Wichita’s beloved B-29 Superfortress, Doc, took to the skies yet again June 9, from McConnell Air Force Base, this time with an added aspect of historical significance and Air Force heritage.Sitting in the co-pilot seat was Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV, 509th Bomb Wing commander. Taking control of the

  • Flightline fitness: One-stop shop for gains

    Maintainers and flightline personnel put in long hours working to keep the B-2 Spirit ready to roll at a moment’s notice. They work lengthy and strenuous shifts. On top of that, add the time it takes to get in and out of the entry control points and onto one of the most secure flightlines in the Air

  • MO Air National Guard Airmen participate in annual training exercise

    Approximately 400 131st Missouri Air National Guard members participate in an annual training week at Camp Clark in Nevada, Mo., May 15-24, 2017. Guardsmen exercised their skills with self-aid and buddy care, Humvee rollover training, and a simulated state emergency exercise. Training also included

  • Hails and farewells: Team Whiteman hosts deployment party

    Members of Team Whiteman attend a deployment party at Ike Skelton Park at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., May 25, 2017, as part of the Air Force Global Strike Command Year of the Family initiative. The party celebrated Airmen who have recently returned, as well as those leaving soon with prizes,