Features

1st CTCS photographer captures first place spot in the Annual MILPHOG competition
April 3, 2012 — It's Sept. 15 and the mid-day sun is beating down on a company of soldiers. They know something is about to happen, they can feel it in the air. The heat has sweat dripping and anticipation has their hearts racing. BLAST! A car bomb goes off and the chaos begins. Staff Sgt. Ashley Hyatt, a photographer with the 1st Combat Camera Squadron at Joint... MORE

Staff Sgt. Ashley Hyatt shows her award winning photo, March 30 at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. Hyatt took the photograph while at the National Training Center, Fort Irvine, Calif., in Sept. 2011. The photograph is of a simulated wounded U.S. Army solider being transferred onto a litter during a training scenario in a simulated Afghan village. Hyatt's photo took first place after going up against 434 other entries in the combat documentation category during the Department of Defense's Annual Military Photographer of the Year competition. Hyatt is from the 1st Combat Camera Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Nicole Mickle)

Airman forecasts clear skies as TV weatherman
March 28, 2012 — Every night, thousands of families across South Carolina gather around their television sets to watch the evening news. For more than 25 years, they have entrusted Bill Walsh, a two-time Emmy Award Winner, to provide them accurate and updated weather conditions as the on-air chief meteorologist at WCSC-TV Live 5 News in Charleston, S.C.As one of... MORE

Lt. Col. Bill Walsh (left) and Capt. Wayne Capps (right) review a script in the 315th Airlift Wing public affairs studio at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base. Productions from the studio have garnered two Telly Awards for excellence in multimedia promotional development. Walsh is the 315th Airlift Wing Chief of Public Affairs and Capps is a 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Officer. (Courtesy photo by Stacy Pearsall)

One shop keeps Security Forces operational
March 27, 2012 — When security forces Airmen deploy, they don't receive their deployment gear like Airmen in other career fields. Instead, the 628th Security Forces Squadron handles deployments differently; internally. When most career-fields pick up their deployment gear from the base's individual equipment section, Security Forces personnel is done in house. That... MORE

Staff Sgt. Vincent Bustillo and Tech.Sgt. Anthony Waldon inspect mobility gear at the 628th Security Forces Squadron warehouse at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base Feb. 27. 628th SFS personnel are responsible for issuing individual field equipment required for contingency operations and ensuring security forces and unit task code standards are maintained. Bustillo is a 628th SFS vehicle non-commissioned officer in charge and Waldon is a 628th SFS supply NCOIC. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Katie Gieratz)

Original Tuskegee Airman: Shares military legacy, fight for equality
March 27, 2012 — He stared at the faded black and white photograph, his eyes filling with tears, as his mind overflowed with nostalgic thoughts of a different era. It was a time when the United States was at war; not only against other countries, but also at war against itself for racial equality. The photo he gripped tightly in his furrowed hands contained a... MORE

Tuskegee Airman Edward Gibson smiles for the camera at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base Feb. 16. Gibson served in the Army Air Corps as a bombardier-navigator and logged 2,300 flight hours. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ashlee Galloway)

Vehicle Ops keeps Joint Base moving
March 21, 2012 — People, equipment and supplies are constantly being moved throughout Joint Base Charleston making the 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Operations section vital to overall mission support and daily operational success.Vehicle Operations has 37 military members and 11 civilians working at JB Charleston - Air Base and Weapons Station,... MORE

The 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Operations section has 37 military members and 11 civilians working at both the JB Charleston – Air Base and Weapons Station, operating 70 vehicles ranging from sedans to buses, utility trucks and full 18-wheel tractor/trailer combinations that transport personnel and materials. Military and civilian vehicle operations specialist also perform vehicle dispatching, receive requests for transportation services and assign and provide instructions to military motor vehicle operators. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anthony J. Hyatt)

Shipmates Forever: Vietnam vet tells his story, mentors young Airmen
March 7, 2012 — It's the summer of 1967 and deadly race riots are breaking out across the United States, The Beatles are revolutionizing music and young men from every U.S. state are being drafted to fight a war thousands of miles away from home.Meanwhile, at Yankee Station, 130 miles off the coast of Vietnam, proudly fighting the war was business as usual for... MORE

(Ret.) Master Chief Petty Officer Samuel Kirton dedicated more than 20-years to the U.S. Navy. Kirton circled the Equator, the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Circle and thousands of miles of deep blue seas numerous times. He currently works in the heating, venting and air conditioning shop at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base. (U.S. Air Force Photo / Airman 1st Class Ashlee Galloway)

Working under pressure
March 2, 2012 — The 437th Airlift Wing's C-17 Globemaster III's are a vital asset to humanitarian, airdrop and contingency operations and without the ongoing dedication of the hydraulics shop, there would be no mission.Hydraulics Airmen begin their career at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Their initial 10-week training teaches Airmen their primary Air Force... MORE

Norman Riley performs a filter inspection on a C-17 Globemaster III at the Home Station Check hangar at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base Feb. 21. The inspections are performed on each engine of every aircraft in the HSC. Riley is a 437th Maintenance Squadron aircraft hydraulics technician, 437th Airlift Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Katie Gieratz)

One Airman leaves mark as Team Charleston's first African-American female command chief
February 29, 2012 — Throughout the years, Joint Base Charleston, formerly known as Charleston Air Force Base, has had many different command chiefs. But one command chief greatly differed from the rest. Not only was this chief the first and only female to lead Team Charleston, but she was also Charleston's first African-American female command chief.In 2007, after... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Bernise Belcer, Chief of Enlisted Promotions and Evaluation and Fitness Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower and Personnel, Directorate of Force Management Policy at the Air Staff/Pentagon in Washington D.C. (Courtesy photo)

Civil Air Patrol: A legacy of selfless sacrifice
February 23, 2012 — From flying through the skies conducting search and rescue missions to training tomorrow's leaders, one volunteer organization has been leading the way in making profound differences in America's communities.The Civil Air Patrol is a congressionally chartered, non-profit, national corporation that was founded in 1941, one week prior to the Japanese... MORE

Cadet Airmen Jack Clavenna and father Col. James Clavenna read the Civil Air Patrol Leadership Manual to at the Coastal Charleston Composite Squadron, Joint Base Charleston - Air Base Feb. 13. Clavenna takes his son to weekly CAP meetings. The Civil Air Patrol has one of the largest fleets of single-engine aircraft in the world, with more than 550 aircraft nationwide. Clavenna is the commander of the 437th Maintenance Group, 437th Airlift Wing. Jack has been in CAP for nearly a year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ashlee Galloway)

War from within: Master Sgt. Kapanke's resilient internal battle
February 15, 2012 — (This feature is the follow up to "Life after Death: 45 tumors didn't slow this Airman down", which is featured as part of "Through the Airman's Eyes" series on AF.mil. The story digs deeper into the emotional war Master Sgt. Scott Kapanke fought within himself and how he found the resiliency to fight back when the odds of survival were against... MORE

Master Sgt. Scott Kapanke fishes at Bushy Creek in Goose Creek, S.C. Feb. 14. Kapanke successfully defeated testicular cancer in 1997. He used his desire and love of fishing to help him survive. He went on to deploy to Iraq for a year and served as a crew chief with the Air Forces Thunderbirds. He is currently assigned to the 437th Maintenance Squadron, 437th Airlift Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo / Staff Sgt. Nicole Mickle)