Engineers honors deployers

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Airmen from the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron fired up the barbecues and treated their deploying members and the families to a cookout on the eve of their deployments. To give them a proper send off and to meet their families, volunteers and co-workers cooked hamburgers, hotdogs and sausages on the grills. More than 35 members from the squadron will be deploying as a team in the next two weeks and many others will deploy within the next two months. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Neville Thompson

Neville Thompson, Air Force Research Laboratory senior electronics engineer, is a recipient of the 2007 Professional Achievement in government Award. Mr. Thompson, assigned to the AFRL Munitions Directorate, received the honor for his outstanding accomplishments during the 21st anniversary of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference, held Feb. 15 - 17, in Washington D.C.

Good to go

Capt. Michael Frasco, a flight commander in the wing's 33d Maintenance Operations Squadron, joins representatives from each military service in the "Why We Serve" Speakers Outreach Program, traveling around the country for three months telling his personal story of serving.

Nice Cut

Staff Sgt. Anthony Brown, 58th Fighter Squadron Life Support Airman, carefully removes Velcro from a new G-suit to get the suit ready for use. Sergeant Brown makes up part of the 33d Fighter Wing Life Support Section that was awarded best small unit in Air Combat Command for 2006.

Spot Free

Airman Joshua Riffe, 58th Fighter Squadron Life Support Airman, finishes cleaning and prepping helmets after the pilots return from their sorties. Airman Riffe makes up part of the 33d Fighter Wing Life Support Section that was awarded best small unit in Air Combat Command for 2006.

Routine maintenance keeps Kingpin in control of skies over Iraq

Balad Air Base, Iraq - Technical Sgt. Kelvin Curry, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) shop Noncommissioned officer in charge, replaces a broken belt from an air conditioning unit at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Sergeant Curry is assigned to the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron (EACS) and is deployed from the 728th Air Control Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Also known as Kingpin, the self-sustaining 727th EACS is comprised of nealry 200 Airmen from 27 different Air Force specialties. Air conditioning units like this keep Kingpin's radars, computers and communication equipment cool, allowing its controllers to maintain positive control over aircraft operating in Iraq's 277,000 miles of airspace. (U.S. Air Force photo/Major Damien Pickart)