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The Journey – From First Sergeant to Flight Nurse
January 17, 2017 — After 22-years of service, most people start thinking about retirement… well, not everyone. In a somewhat unusual move, 1st Lt. Julia Lesage, a former first sergeant, decided after more than two decades in the Air Force to hang up her stripes and pursue a commission to become a flight nurse... MORE

(Left) 1st Lt. Julia Lesage, a former first sergeant now flight nurse with the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and Senior Airman Josh Lykins, 315th AES medical technician, buckle in a simulated patient during a training mission aboard a C-17 Globemaster III en route to Ramstein Air Base Germany Jan. 13, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tom Brading)

Airman earns doctorate while on Active Duty
August 16, 2016 — Pursuing a higher education requires both a time and financial commitment.The current Air Force Tuition Assistance program provides active duty military members with up to $4,500 per fiscal year for education expenses. Tech. Sgt. (Dr.) Louis Lough, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the dental laboratory from the 628th Medical Group, took... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Louis Lough, 628th Medical Group noncommissioned officer in charge of the dental laboratory, holds a cast teeth dental impression August 9, 2016, at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. Lough entered the Air Force in 2005 with no college education. He completed undergraduate and graduate degrees, and then earned a Doctorate of Business Administration while serving on active duty. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Kevin West)

CPTS leads the way in physical, professional fitness
August 15, 2016 — Airmen must be ready to deploy anywhere, at any time, for anything.With an obesity rate five percent less than any other squadron and zero use of tobacco products, the 628th Comptroller Squadron is a prime example of a squadron ready to be called upon at a moment's notice."You've got to push and strain yourself to improve," said Maj. Samual Shimp,... MORE

Members of the 628th Comptroller Squadron do push-ups together in their office at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base, S.C. Aug. 9, 2016. The 628th CPTS was recognized by the Health and Wellness Center (HAWC) as one of the healthiest and most fit squadrons on base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas T. Charlton)

Everyone, everything needs fuel
July 26, 2016 — Much like the pit crew for a high performance race car ensures their vehicle remains topped off with petroleum, oil and lubricant while navigating the track, Airmen provide the necessary fuel for non-stop Air Force missions around the world.Last year, more than 50 Airmen from the 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels flight provided the base... MORE

Airman Seth Roy, 628th Logistic Readiness Squadron fuels distribution operator, smiles while holding a fuel hose July 18, 2016, at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. Last year, over 50 Airmen of the 628th LRS fuels flight provided the base with more than 36 million gallons of fuel for missions throughout the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jared Trimarchi)

Spouse programs build strong bonds at Joint Base Charleston
June 15, 2016 — Spouses are a key ingredient in holding together military families. While military members deploy, spouses continue to hold down the fort at home, care for children, pay bills and maintain the house and car ... all with less manpower.Many members of Joint Base Charleston understand the mission could not be accomplished without the support of... MORE

Members of the Joint Base Charleston Key Spouse program participate in an aerial tour of Joint Base Charleston and the North Auxiliary Air Field, March 5, 2016. Key Spouses organize events with different units on base to provide military spouses with better connections to other wives and husbands on the base; helping increase their knowledge of the mission. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Thomas Charlton)

From orphan to Air Force maintainer
June 13, 2016 — "I was born Vanya Smirnoff Germanovich in Odessa, Ukraine," said Airman 1st Class Evan Hittle. "I lived in an apartment with my parents, Gera and Aleynea, and my older sister, Natasha. We were poor and always moving to new apartments. There isn't very much for young kids to do in Odessa so it was common to see them smoking or drinking."Hittle's... MORE

Airman 1st Class Evan Hittle, a 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron instrument and flight control systems specialist, stands in front of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Joint Base Charleston, June 11, 2016. Hittle was five-years-old and his sister was seven when their parents passed away and they were orphaned in the Ukraine. A few years later, Hittle and his sister were adopted in the U.S. and transitioned to a new life. Hittle now plans to make the U.S. Air Force a career. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman Megan Munoz)

C-17 pilot, Olmstead Scholar to study in Tel Aviv
April 8, 2016 — In March, Capt. Nick Burke, a 14th Airlift Squadron evaluator pilot and chief of standards and evaluations, was selected to participate in the Olmsted Scholarship Program. He will be traveling to Tel Aviv University, Israel, after attending the U.S. Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center to learn Hebrew.According to the Olmsted... MORE

Capt. Nickolas Burke, a 14th Airlift Squadron evaluator pilot and chief of standards and evaluations, will be heading to Tel Aviv University, Israel, after being accepted to the Olmsted Scholarship Program, sponsored by the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation. (U.S. Air Force Official Photo)

Team Charleston civilian concludes 54-year career
February 26, 2016 — "A lifetime of dedication, a lifetime of experience and commitment to our nation."With these words, Col. John Lamontagne, 437th Airlift Wing commander, summed up the 54-year career of Frank Metzger, a decades-long member of Team Charleston who has decided it's "Time to go."Metzger, a Wing Plans program analyst, celebrated his retirement Feb. 23,... MORE

Frank Metzger, a Wing Plans program analyst with the 437th Airlift Wing, smiles behind two C-124 Globemaster II model aircraft, Feb. 24, 2016, at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. Metzger, who is retiring after 54 years of combined federal service, served in the military as a navigator for 24 years and his first assignment was with the 1608th Air Transport Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, where he flew in C-124s. The C-124, nicknamed “Old Shaky,” is an unpressurized cargo plane that had to be flown low and in the weather. Metzger flew in a C-124 over the North Atlantic Ocean in the winter.(U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jared Trimarchi)

841st TB Soldier competes in Warrior Challenge
September 8, 2015 — Having the drive and motivation to keep going in the face of adversity is part of being a Soldier. Out on the battlefield, Soldiers are pushed both mentally and physically. Back home, the Army tests its top Soldiers through the Army's Best Warrior of the Year Competition. The competition also builds camaraderie and highlights the importance of... MORE

Army Staff Sgt. Armond Evansscott, 841st Transportation Battalion freight non-commissioned officer in charge, located at Joint Base Charleston – Weapons Station, S.C., rucks for 12 miles at Camp Atterbury Army Base in Edinburgh, IN, Aug. 27, 2015. This was the third and final day for the Army Materiel Command-level Best Warrior of the Year Competition. (Courtesy photo)

Gone in a flash
October 15, 2014 — "This is a date you'll remember for the rest of your life."That was what the Red Cross worker told me and my husband the day our home burned down. She was right.That date was Jan. 21, 2014 - the day our apartment building went up in flames, and so too, did most of our belongings.We lost nearly everything. Thankfully, we were safe, but most of our... MORE