Major Fausto Tapia, of Ecuador, stands next to a T-6 on the flight line at Vance Air Force Base. Tapia has been at Vance since January 2007 as part of an exchange program between the Air Force and Ecuador’s air force, the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, or FAE. (Staff Photo by Billy Hefton)
When Maj. Fausto Tapia came to Vance Air Force Base through an exchange program with Ecuador’s air force, the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, or FAE, he had experience as an instructor pilot.
But teaching experienced pilots, as he did in Ecuador, and teaching Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training students at Vance are as different as life in Ecuador and Enid.
“I know how it is to be expecting the best from the students, but, at the same time, being prepared for the worst, as well,” he said. read more...
Capt. Christy Cruz (left) and Maj. Ronald Johnson discuss the assistance offered to members of Team Vance by the base’s mental health clinic. Johnson is chief of mental health services at Vance, while Cruz is the clinic’s social worker. (Staff Photo by Billy Hefton)
Asking for help isn’t the most natural thing in the world for most people, particularly for America’s military men and women.
The men and women of the U.S. read more...
Vance Air Force Base’s primary mission is pilot training, but that doesn’t mean Vance personnel aren’t being deployed. read more...
Self-Protection Lt. Col. James Gifford, 8th Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, teaches Sheryl McMullen, base sexual assault response coordinator, a new self-defense move. The technique is used to break the hold of an aggressor. (U.S.Air Force photo by Stephen Fuller)
Rodney McKinley, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho (AFPN) — This is my memory about a young airman named Ed.
Ed was a technical school airman assigned to the 366th Training Squadron at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, when I was a military training leader there. read more...
Seven members of Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 08-10 were honored June 6 during the class graduation dinner at Vance Air Force Base.
In the T-38 track, 2nd Lt. read more...
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) — Distorted data introduced by a B-2 Spirit’s air data system skewed information entering the bomber’s flight control computers ultimately causing the Feb. read more...
1st Lt. Jimmy Arnold dives into the Plains Pool at Vance Air Force Base. A new $80,000 liner will keep the pool open for many summers to come. Arnold is assigned to fly C-17s in Hawaii after follow-on training at Altus AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Wiles)
A new liner in the Plains Pool should add many years of use for Team Vance swimmers. Those swimmers used the pool more than 12,000 times last summer alone. read more...
Donald Marquardt, president of Chapter 37, The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), invites military retirees to the TREA meeting at 1 p.m. read more...
Altus Air Force Base airmen volunteer to help an Altus resident in the aftermath of a storm that struck June 5. Winds gusting to 87 mph felled trees, damaged electrical grids and damaged more than 100 residences. The airmen assisted in clean-up on Altus AFB and then were released to help area residents clear debris. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cherice Bryant)
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE — Altus Air Force Base and the City of Altus were struck at about 7 p.m., June 5, by sustained winds of 40 mph and gusts clocked at 87 mph by the National Weather Service. read more...
WASHINGTON (AFPN) —Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ trip to Langley Air Force Base, Va., Peterson AFB, Colo., and Scott AFB, Ill., was a gesture of respect and confidence in airmen following a rough week for the Air Force. read more...
Captains Stacy Nimmo and Megan Leitch talk with the children of Yanama, Peru, during a visit to the construction site for a school being built in support of New Horizons Peru 2008, a humanitarian event that benefits thousands of Peruvians. Nearly 300 members from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy came together to provide Peruvians with new schools, clinics and water wells. The captains are deployed from the 820th RED HORSE Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tracie Forte)
HUAMANGA, Peru (AFPN) — The air is a bit thin in the mountainous region of Ayacucho, Peru, where Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine service members are participating in New Horizons-Peru 2008, a humanitarian mission set on improving the quality of life of underprivileged Peruvians. read more...
Recently an Air Force member returning from deployment arrived at the airport, placed her bags and her assigned government weapon into her privately owned vehicle and went on leave out of state.
The weapon was left in the trunk of her car throughout the entire trip. read more...
WASHINGTON (AFPN) —The top Air Force safety officer appears in a video for the service’s annual “101 Critical Days of Summer” safety campaign, which started May 23 and ends Sept. read more...
FORT LEE, Va. — The U.S. Army marks its 233rd anniversary Saturday. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress established the Army and named George Washington its commanding general. read more...
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has recommended President Bush nominate Michael B. Donley, the Defense Department’s director of administration and management, to be the next secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Gen. read more...
The Enid Marine Corps League Toys for Tots has scheduled a golf tournament July 19 at Pheasant Run Golf Club.
This will be a two-person scramble, with lunch provided, for a $60 entry fee. read more...
NIM’s ISLAND — A young girl inhabits an isolated island with her scientist father and communicates with a reclusive author of the novel she’s reading. read more...
WASHINGTON — For deployed service members and their loved ones, maintaining close family ties takes more than the occasional phone call or e-mail.
It happens through a free, personalized and password-protected Web site. read more...
Disclaimer:
The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S.
Air Force of this Web site or the information, products, or services contained
therein.
