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  • Members of the 55th Communications Group rake mulch April 2019, at Peter Sarpy Elementary School, Bellevue. The squadron volunteers helped install a new playground for the school. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)

    New playground – product of partnerships

    Last fall, Bellevue West High School’s Future Business Leaders of America came up with a plan to build a playground at Peter Sarpy Elementary School.However, after exhausting fundraising efforts, they knew they were going to need additional partners to make their vision a reality.It didn’t take long to get buy-in from Margie Smith, PenFed Credit
  • Ruth Merwald, Giggles the clown, paints a child’s face April 9, 2019 at the Bellevue Lied Center, Nebraska. The 6th Annual Special Needs Fair also offered food and vendors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kendra Williams)

    Offutt, BPS collaborate special needs fair

    The Exceptional Family Member Program recently hosted its free annual special needs resource fair at the Bellevue Lied Center. The EFMP program, implemented in all services, was established to guarantee amenities were available for special needs dependents of active duty members regardless of where they were stationed. “The special needs fair
  • Staff Sgt. David Blackburn, 55th Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment (AGE) journeyman, center, and other AGE personnel, look over recently acquired generators on Offutt AFB, Nebraska. (U.S. Air Force photo by D.P. Heard)

    Air power requires ground power

    With five brand new generators and 12 on the way, Aerospace Ground Equipment’s Airmen are getting the mission accomplished faster.The previous fleet of generators were more than 20 years-old, surpassing their service life, and came with a laundry list of setbacks from system failure to the discontinuance of part manufacturing.  “Many of the
  • U.S. Air Force Col. Sherri LeVan, 55th Wing vice commander, cuts a ribbon April 15, 2019, during the Offutt Food Pantry ribbon cutting ceremony inside the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. LeVan also gave the opening remarks declaring the importance of the new food pantry helping individuals who are in need. (U.S. Air Force photo by Charles J. Haymond)

    Food pantry open to all, anonymous

    The Offutt Food Pantry recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony.The pantry was the result of the efforts of Team Offutt’s U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Brantley, 55th Wing, and Amber Christiansen, 55th Medical Group, who were looking for a way to give back to the community.It is open to military members,
  • Maj. Steven Bogert, 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, helped more than 500 flood victims see their property using drone footage. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Josh Plueger)

    Drone operator assists 500 flood victims

    There are often wingmen, behind the scenes, that go unrecognized for their selfless contributions.It is the devastating occurrences, such as natural disasters, that bring out these heroes and Maj. Steven Bogert, 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, is among them. Thinking outside the box, he harnessed technology and a new-found skill set to aid others
  • U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jessie, 55th Intelligence Support Squadron, speaks to a crowd of high school students April 10, 2019, during World Language Week at Bellevue West High School, Nebraska.Students who spoke Spanish, French, German, and Latin were able to ask questions to the panel of linguists from the 97th Intelligence Squadron and 55th Intelligence Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Charles J. Haymond)

    Airmen break down language learning barriers

    With linguists in high demand and the United States Air Force smaller than ever, members of the 55th Wing intelligence community decided to fill a school’s request for an interactive panel. In one day at Bellevue West High School, 813 students met with 11 Air Force linguists over seven break-out sessions as part of World Language Week.Inside two
  • Testing for the 2019 Maj. Gen. Doyle Larson Awards begins May 1, 2019. Enlisted Airmen, technical sergeant and below, from Twenty-Fifth Air Force, to include attached Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard components, and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, are eligible to test. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Vincent Childress)

    Larson Awards testing to commence, May 1

    Testing for the 2019 Maj. Gen. Doyle Larson Awards is scheduled to begin May 1.
  • Environmental restoration employees deploy a containment boom from a boat March 18, 2019, on Offutt Air Force Base. One-third of the installation was flooded and the boom was a precautionary measure for possible fuel leaks. (U.S. Air Force photo by Delanie Stafford)

    Offutt’s flood brings out the best

    At 11 a.m. on Friday, March 15, 2019, the 55th Wing leadership team met to discuss what needed to be accomplished to protect assets and facilities from possible flood waters that were creeping towards the installation. Using lessons learned from the 2011 flood, they knew that if the levy was breached significant flooding would occur to the southeastern side of the base.
  • Charles Cswercko, 55th Civil Engineer Squadron pavement and equipment operator, clears flood debris near building 500 to build a temporary parking lot March 27, 2019, at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The 12 person pavement and equipment team is responsible for all pavement repair on the installation, in addition to snow removal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Zachary Hada)

    Offutt’s pavement team serve as unsung heroes

    Offutt’s pavement team has been working tirelessly since November keeping snow off the roads, patching potholes and a myriad of other duties to ensure the mission continues. And with a winter that included more than 50 inches of snow, they were not lacking for opportunities to excel. “We had the eleventh most snowfall in history here this past winter,” said Richard Durr, 55th Civil Engineering Squadron equipment operator supervisor, “so we have been working a lot of weekends.” In fact, the pavement team has only had three weekends off since November.
  • U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 20th Intelligence Squadron, 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, sort and distribute clothes, cleaning supplies, toys and food at the Bellevue Christian Center in Nebraska, March 18-21, 2019. Airmen, civilian and industry partners from the 20th IS volunteered to provide assistance and relief efforts to those affected by recent flooding in Nebraska and Iowa. (Courtesy photo)

    20th IS supports flood relief community efforts

    Airmen with the 20th Intelligence Squadron partnered with civilian and industry volunteers to provide assistance with relief efforts to those impacted by recent, catastrophic flooding in Nebraska and Iowa.
  • U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Brian Thomas, 55th Wing command chief, left, U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Manion, 55th Wing commander, and Joe Spivey, 55th Wing Association president and retired Air Force colonel, unveil the new monument dedicated to all of the past, present and future members of the 55th Wing during a ceremony at the Omaha National Cemetery in Omaha on April 6, 2019. This is the second monument the association has dedicated to the 55th Wing with the first being located at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo by Charles Haymond)

    Association dedicates monument to Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth

    The 55th Wing Association dedicated a monument to all of the past, present and future members of the 55th Wing during a ceremony at the Omaha National Cemetery in Omaha on April 6, 2019.
  • The 55th Wing’s Recovery Operations Center staff works 16-hour shifts disseminating pertinent information to the base populous regarding the flooding caused by the Missouri River on March 19, 2019. The Missouri River breached the levee system which widened the river’s footprint - covering one third of the base. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Josh Plueger)

    Offutt flood recovery operations continue

    Offutt Air Force Base continues recovery operations following flooding of the base that began March 15, 2019.The water, which at one point covered one-third of the base, has receded significantly and the Emergency Operations Center was re-designated as the Recovery Operations Center.Inside the center are primary helping agency representatives
  • Dana Heard, 55th Wing Public Affairs photojournalist, adjusts the uniform of Lt. Col. Nelson Caraballo, 55th Strategic Communications Squadron director of operations, April 3, 2019, on Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Heard is the primary photographer in the photo studio. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rachelle Blake)

    Photo studio upgrades scheduling, hours

    The 55th Wing Public Affairs office, responsible for studio photography, recently streamlined the appointment process and updated its hours of operations to better serve the needs of Team Offutt and the unit’s staff.Before the recent change, appointments were made over the phone and the associated paperwork had to be emailed to the customer.“This
  • Charles J. Haymond opens the Air Force Office of Special Investigations app, Tip411, April 3, 2019, on Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The app is way for individuals to anonymously submit crime tips. (U.S. Air Force photo by Charles Haymond)

    AFOSI expands tip options

    The Air Force Office of Special Investigations recently expanded the avenues in which they can receive tips.AFOSI is a federal law enforcement agency that examines felony-level crimes. Examples of these crimes are drug possession and distribution, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and robberies. In 2012, AFOSI stood-up an anonymous tip line
  • CLICK2GO call box stands in the parking lot of the Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, Commissary April 2, 2019. The program started in 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo by D. P. Heard)

    CLICK2GO to end, be replaced

    The Defense Commissary Agency’s CLICK2GO program will discontinue on June 1. The program allows customers to order groceries online and have them brought to their car at their scheduled pick-up time.In September of 2013, Offutt Air Force Base was one of a handful of installations around the country selected to participate in the pilot program. “For
  • Offutt Against Drunk Driving is a volunteer organization that provides designated drivers to members of Team Offutt. (U.S. Air Force courtesy graphic)

    Offutt Against Drunk Driving just got easier

    Offutt Against Drunk Driving, a volunteer organization that provides designated drivers to members of Team Offutt, is focused on making innovated changes to benefit their customers, drivers and dispatchers. OADD is available on the weekends from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. and for events by request.  In order to improve the request process, the team has
  • Staff Sgt. Destine White, 55th Logistics Readiness Squadron NCO in charge of equipment accounts, assists Staff Sgt. Falena Green, 595th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, with returning an aircraft part in the Bennie L. Davis Maintenance Facility Warehouse Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, on Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Green is a regular customer of the warehouse bringing aircraft parts for repair and picking up new parts to take back to her unit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rachelle Blake)

    Military moms improve conditions

    In 1948, the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was passed allowing women in military service to receive the same pay and benefits given to men, but it didn’t protect women who wanted to be mothers. The act permitted the military to involuntarily discharge women who became pregnant. In the seven decades since, service women’s rights have
  • Airmen from the 26th Operational Weather Squadron (OWS) pose for a photo with pilots from the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, Feb. 21, 2019. The 26th OWS Airmen were given a familiarization flight aboard two F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft to see firsthand how their weather products affect the fighters’ mission. (Courtesy photo)

    26th OWS Airmen experience the pilot’s perspective

    Two Airmen from the 26th Operational Weather Squadron got to experience the weather they normally only forecast when they donned flight suits and took to the skies at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, Feb. 21, 2019. Tech. Sgt. Chris Bieber, 26th OWS shift supervisor, and Senior Airman McKayla Dejohnette, 26th OWS weather forecaster, received the opportunity to see firsthand how their weather products affect the mission when they took a familiarization flight on two F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft from the 4th Fighter Wing’s 333rd Fighter Squadron. “Seeing how important low cloud forecasts are to their planning process from a firsthand perspective will allow me to stress that importance to the 26th OWS forecasters,” Bieber said. “Doing our job without actually seeing the impact it has on the pilots can convolute the importance of what we do. This is especially true of a feature like low clouds as opposed to something more obvious like thunderstorms.” Based out of Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, the 26th OWS is one of six operational weather squadrons in the 557th Weather Wing’s 1st Weather Group. It provides weather operations support for the Southeastern and Southcentral United States as well as the Caribbean.
  • Senior Master Sgt. Patricia Wortham, 445th Force Support Squadron, assists a local veteran during the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center Homeless Vets Stand Down, Sept. 5, 2014. A dozen members from the wing volunteered to support the event by sorting and handing out clothing and other items to more than 150 homeless vets. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devin Long)

    Survey identifies potential homeless vets

    According to the United States Census Bureau there are more than 21 million veterans in United States and nearly 50,000 are homeless.Nebraska comes in slightly below the natural average with 241 homeless veterans.As a preventative measure, the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration and the Unites States Interagency Council on Homeless

  • Communicating during difficult times

    As leaders, we are constantly exposed to the latest and greatest equipment, training, and tools to increase mission effectiveness. But how often are we taught to communicate more effectively during times of crisis?Life’s ups and downs hit us all in different fashions and forms.  However, as we travel its winding road, we often find there are
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