• Soldier 1 of 8 to finish Fireweed 400

    For some, the idea of hopping onto a bicycle and riding almost nonstop for 400 miles of hilly road might sound like punishment, but for Army Staff Sgt. Trevor Jones, 59th Signal Battalion master resiliency trainer, there's no better way to kick off a weekend.The Fireweed 400 is a bike race that

  • Operational F-22's employ small diameter bombs during WSEP

    During a Combat Hammer exercise Alaska F-22 Raptors became the first operational F-22 unit to drop GBU-39 small diameter bombs.Although small diameter bombs have been employed by test pilots, Combat Hammer, a weapons system evaluation program sponsored by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, provided

  • Welsh 'humbled' to serve as Air Force chief of staff

    The Air Force chief of staff flag passed to the service's 20th chief in a ceremony here Aug. 10.Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, a 36-year Airman, stepped into the position, taking over for Gen. Norton Schwartz, who also retired from the Air Force during the ceremony."Mark is respected throughout the Air

  • Australian airman pilots F-22s at JBER

    A transient Kadena Air Base F-15 Eagle roared down the JBER airfield like a top-fuel funny car blasting down a quarter-mile track. An instant after lifting off the tarmac, the pilot turned the Eagle's nose nearly straight up, and the engines' afterburners catapulted the jet skyward in an almost NASA

  • Waiting loved ones receive reunion training

    People line the runway, making for a sea of shifting bodies, anxious for the aircraft door to open. They are wives, husbands, children, girlfriends, boyfriends and family members who have been waiting these long months for their Soldiers to come home. There are signs and banners showing the

  • Civil Air Patrol hosts summer encampment at JBER

    The Civil Air Patrol was founded December 1, 1941 by more than 150,000 citizens concerned about the defense of America's coastline, one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor."The Civil Air Patrol became the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force in 1948; charged with three primary missions - aerospace

  • Tuskegee Airman donates Congressional Gold Medal to Alaska Reserve unit

    The 302nd Fighter Squadron is now home to a Congressional Gold Medal in Aviation.Tuskegee Airman Col. (Ret.) Charles McGee presented his personal medal to Col. Bryan Radliff, 477th FG commander during the 41st Annual Tuskegee Airmen Convention in Las Vegas, Nev. Aug. 2. During World War II McGee was

  • Guard, active-duty aircrew provide airlift to reserves

    A combined Alaska Air National Guard and JBER active-duty aircrew provided a team of JBER reservists airlift support to Hill Air Force Base, Utah on Friday.Members from the 249th and 517th Airlift squadrons transported equipment and personnel for the 477th Fighter Group. The Reserve team is headed

  • Tuskegee Airmen unit emblem officially recognized

    During the 41st Annual Tuskegee Airmen Convention Col. Bryan Radliff, 477th Fighter Group commander announced that the Chief of Staff of the Air Force had officially recognized the insignia used by the 477th Bombardment Group, a Tuskegee Airmen unit, during World War II. In a letter to the Tuskegee

  • Soldiers entertain crowd at open house

    The 2012 JBER Arctic Thunder Open House kept crowds of spectators and families entertained for an entire weekend with static displays and aerial demonstrations including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team and civilian air demonstrations.Additionally,