Focus
The U.S. military is likely due for some downsizing. That's how one former member of the U.S. House of Representatives sees it. Joe Sestak, a former House member who represented Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district from 2007 until 2011, spoke to small business owners and local civic leaders during a special forum held
Focus
Officials at the Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma have been wanting to host exhibits that appeal to military members and veterans for quite some time now. So when the chance to present an exhibit from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum came along, officials jumped on it. "Black Wings:
Focus
The Air Force Association's McChord Field chapter has a good thing going. The chapter recently captured the Community Partner Gold Award for the third straight year at the AFA's 2011 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 19-21 in Washington D. C. This award is given to chapters whose community partner
Military Life
Before Joan Shalikashvili met her husband nearly 45 years ago, she knew almost nothing about the military lifestyle. When she met her future husband John, he was a major in the Army. "I thought a major was one of the most senior ranks there were," Joan recalls with a laugh. A lot has
Business News
When brainstorming new names for his microbrew beers, Harmon Restaurant and Brewery co-owner and Tacoma native Pat Nagle usually bases them around things close to his heart: baseball, his hometown, important region landmarks and anything else he feels strikes a chord with customers. "We really like to have fun with it,"
Military Life
McChord Field spouse Marie Olson had been planning all along to have a drug-free labor when it was time to give birth to her second child. She got her wish, but not exactly the way she planned it. Olson gave birth to son David Matthew on Aug. 4 in the master bedroom
Veterans
With the game of softball having been a constant presence in Lindsay Ciullo's life since she was about five, it was only natural for it to overlap into her career in the Air Force. The 26-year-old has taken the opportunity to serve her country while doing what she loves and run
Schools
Located in a community that features a high population of active-duty and recently retired Servicemembers - as well as military spouses and family members - Tacoma Community College has concentrated on providing a high level of service to those affiliated with the military. That effort has not gone unrecognized. G.I. Jobs Magazine
Focus
She's swapped stories with former President Bill Clinton, rubbed elbows with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and even christened a Navy ship. Joan Shalikashvili has lived quite a charmed life as a military spouse. Joan was married to former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili for nearly 45
Focus
Every time Staff Sgt. Nicole Pearson meets with an Airman as part of her job as a substance abuse counselor, she has the chance to perhaps change a course of that Airman's life. Those opportunities are things that excite Pearson and keep her passion burning for the job at McChord Field's
News Articles
Air Force veteran Jonathan Harris spent eight years serving on active duty and another 25 years in the Reserves. Throughout his civilian career working on McChord Field since 1970, he's helped organize many air shows and Air Mobility Command's Air Rodeo event. Not once did an aircraft put his life in
Focus
The distinctive sound of a bugle starts emanating from the giant loud speakers positioned all over McChord Field Monday through Friday at 4:30 p.m. It's the start of Retreat, which signals the end of the official duty day, followed by the playing of the national anthem. But every Thursday from March until
Business News
With the harsh winter months just a handful of days away, now might be the perfect time to get the family car a much-needed tune up. One local business is making it easier for customers to check that off their to-do list with the click of a mouse, while at the
Focus
While volunteering at the United Service Organization's McChord Center preparing hot dogs and sandwiches for hungry Servicemembers who come through, retired C-141 Starlifter navigator Keith Idler rarely has time to chat with his fellow volunteers on his shifts. In fact, the Air Force veteran and his wife usually take shifts together
Focus
If Tuesday's turnout at the annual Combined Federal Campaign kickoff luncheon at the American Lake Club on Joint Base Lewis-McChord is any indicator of the level of excitement behind the 50th year of the CFC, then local charities have a lot to be excited about. Campaign officials, Servicemembers and those involved
Focus
More than 100 Airmen from McChord Field's 10th Airlift Squadron returned home from a 120-day deployment Sept. 1 with some significant mission milestones under their belt. During its deployment as the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron to an overseas contingency location in the Middle East, the 10th AS flew more than 1,600
News Articles
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Soldiers and Airmen will unite at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Sept. 29 for the 2011 Pacific Northwest CBRN Conference. The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Carey Theater. CBRN Soldiers embedded in Special Forces, Ranger battalions, medical brigades, field artillery units, engineer brigades,
Focus
McChord Field Medical Clinic Red Cross volunteer Don Hearon performs several duties in the pharmacy during the 10 hours a week he comes in. The 75-year-old recently built and adjusted existing shelving inside the pharmacy and has even applied his administrative skills to help improve workflow processes at the refill window. But
Focus
Over the last two years, the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings at McChord Field have flown many missions providing humanitarian aid to countries all over the world. From medical evacuations to Haiti and Antarctica to delivering relief supplies to Pakistan, Japan and Chile, the wings' impact has touched many lives. Air Force
Focus
Standing in a restoration hangar just north of the Museum of Flight, volunteer Dale Thompson's voice wavered a bit when he started telling the story of how the museum acquired its B-29 Superfortress. The museum's B-29, known as T-Square 54, fought in the Pacific during World War II, flying 37 bombing