Wake Island assessment nears completion

The damage assessment team from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, has moved into its second phase of operations here. After three days of comprehensive walk-through inspections on more than 135 facilities, the team has gathered enough data to begin putting together estimates. When Super Typhoon Ioke

PACAF celebrates Air Force's 59th Birthday

Eagles, Falcons take to Hawaii skies

Eagles and Falcons, the U.S. Air Force's premier "birds of prey," faced off in a two week air to air exercise called "Sentry Aloha" over the skies of Hawaii. F-15 Eagles from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Texas Air National Guard's 149th

Young Airman excels, learns at Wake Island

Super Typhoon Ioke left Wake Island in shambles. The category 5 storm raged through the atoll on Aug 31, demolishing buildings and tossing around anything that wasn't bolted down--and many things that were. Assessing the damage includes some repair work, and it's a mission that calls for the most

90th FS returns home from Guam AEF tasking

When almost 300 people returned with the 90th Fighter Squadron from Andersen Air Force Base recently, some didn't understand why an Aerospace Expeditionary Force went to Guam instead of Southwest Asia. In these days of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, it can be difficult for some to

Tech to Master in one STEP

Tech. Sgt. Ruben M. Vazquez, an independent duty medical technician from the 36th Medical Operations Squadron received another shock to his Air Force career Sunday when Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Paul V. Hester and his wife Lynda surprised him and his wife, Jennifer with an instant promotion

KC-135 turns 50; withstands test of time

The farthest north Tanker Wing celebrated the 50th birthday of the KC-135 Stratotanker in a Sept. 9 ceremony at the 168th Air Refueling Wing's maintenance hangar. The celebration honored the Stratotanker as a premier refueling aircraft in the Air Force's, Navy's and Marine Corps' heritages; its

Airmen add up damage at Wake Island

Airmen from the 15th Civil Engineering Squadron and the 15th Communications Squadron are working around the clock to provide accurate estimates of the storm damage here. Super Typhoon Ioke brought 155 mph winds and 190 mph gusts to the small atoll on Aug 31, just days after the 188 residents had

C-17 Returns to Wake Island

Three weeks after evacuating 188 people out harms way from a category 5 typhoon Trek 15, a C-17 Globemaster III from the 535th Airlift Squadron, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii is returning and bringing back some of its residence and a team to asses the damage. "I flew the mission that brought the

Andersen team prepares Wake Island for aircraft

After Super Typhoon Ioke's 165 mph winds, driving storm surge and waves devastated Wake Island on August 31 the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam was the initial assessment team sent in. "Prior to the storm the experts where all saying there would be no runway left