With the military downsizing and, as a result, the Defense Department's increased reliance on the Reserves, means many Guard and Reserve troops are donning their uniforms more often than ever before. Once referred to as "weekend warriors," many now find that their military jobs demand more of their time, whether it's to receive specialized training or to participate in exercises or real-life military operations.

Lt. Col. Kenneth "Rhino" Winslow, 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight nurse and director of operations - currently an occupational nurse practitioner in Issaquah - joined the Reserve out of persuasion from coworkers who were with 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, when he was an emergency department and helicopter nurse at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma nearly 27 years ago, reports Jake Chappelle with the 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs.

"I knew as a child, I wanted to continue this tradition," said Fisk - now an eight-year Air Force Reserve nurse with the 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron here. "My grandfather suggested the Reserve after I graduated from nursing school as an opportunity to see the world and serve my country."

The Aeromedical Staging Squadron, the Aerospace Medicine Squadron and Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron - all part of the 446th Airlift Wing - have a collection of nurses who share a common passion - helping people.

Read Chappelle's full feature on these awesome nurses here.

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There is an interest among top U.S. policymakers in coming up with new options on Syria.

The Defense Department has identified two soldiers killed earlier this week in an insider attack in Afghanistan as members of 3rd Special Forces Group.

International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people today for the lack of progress at peace talks in Geneva after their second round ended with little more than an agreement to meet again. 

Signs of a large amount of digging at North Korea's nuclear test site can be seen in new satellite images, though the purpose is not yet clear.

Time to talk plainly and clearly about nuclear weapons.

A picture showing an airman tongue-kissing a Prisoner of War-Missing in Action symbol has gone viral, infuriating bloggers and veterans.

NBA honors troops during All-Star Weekend.

The international market for upgrading the twin-engine jets won't be as large as that of the single-engine F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Why the U.S. should use British missiles on reaper drones.

Competition aims to inspire middle school cyber defenders.

U.S. defeats bitter rival Russia in men's hockey preliminary round in Sochi.

How to crash the Super Bowl without a ticket.

Jeff Bezos has some new competition in the crazy drone delivery race.

This gorgeous iPad-only app gathers scenes from Ken Burns' documentaries into a video textbook of American history.

Apple's next-generation Apple TV will likely be announced as soon as April.

Looks like the question of female likability in film and literature is up for debate. 

What is it about the giant shiny things that make us giggle and faint and salivate? We were just asking Siri to open us a beer and ponder that question when Air Force Space Command Public Affairs beeped us on our iphone.

"Air Force Next-Generation Mobility Solutions Beginning" read our tiny screen.

Did AFSPC invent a new warning buzzer for our phone when the N.S.A. is about to troll our personal data?

Nope. Apparently the initial rollout of modernized commercial mobile technologies has begun across the Air Force. The rollout of CMT devices will focus on BlackBerry replacement and executive users, and distribution will be focused on enabling approximately 5,000 iOS devices.

According to AFSPC Public Affairs, "each Air Force Major Command will be allowed to provision an accelerated amount of devices per month until their allocated licenses are used. Mobile device users should contact their MAJCOM Mobile point of contact to start the replacement process for their BlackBerry."

Read the full story here.

There is great power in numbers - especially when it comes to getting needed funds to programs, businesses and individuals. Enter crowdsourcing, a fairly new phenomenon that harnesses the power of many to accomplish tasks and fundraising large and small. Popular crowdsourcing sites range from fundraising site Kickstarter to mini-job site TaskRabbit.

And now there's a new kid on the block called Endless Crowds, launched just this week, designed specifically for active duty military, veterans and first responders. The site allows participants to pool resources, ideas and raise funds, but strives to go beyond what many think of as a crowdsourcing site.

Founded by Roger Mensah, Endless Crowds is designed to serve a variety of projects, including community service programs, entrepreneurial and personal projects. Mensah began working on the site soon after President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address. Obama told the nation that 34,000 troops would be coming home and Mensah realized this meant many of these returning troops would face employment challenges.

To help vets who want to forge ahead on their own paths to self-employment or starting a business, for first-responder companies who cannot meet their needs through available funding, for military community programs who need a boost - Endless Crowds is there to help. Mensah believes that the discipline, leadership and teamwork qualities taught and engrained into military and first responders are inherently intertwined with a site such as Endless Crowds, which amplifies and empowers such qualities.

 "I believe those that protect us deserve the very best from the community at large, and their challenges are better solved together, rather than alone. Endless Crowds aims to harness the instilled qualities of teamwork, discipline and leadership found in our military and first responders to find a new way to get things done," said Mensah via a recent press release.

While fundraising is one aspect of the platform, Endless Crowds serves a higher purpose as well. Where other sourcing sites usually gather funds and nothing more, Endless Crowds will offer support and guidance to participants beyond the fundraising push. The site brings together resources and tools available to participants and aims to offer a personalized experience, which most other crowdsourcing platforms do not.

Beyond military members, Endless Crowds will also serve first responders, who often end up on the short end of the stick with public funding and can't afford needed equipment or programs from D.A.R.E to National Fire Prevention Week.

Some of the projects already listed on the site include Our Home Transitional, a program that hopes to help single homeless female veterans by raising funds to help for job training, education, health care and home placement assistance. Another project, Police Unity Tour, which is a four-day bicycle ride from New Jersey to D.C. to raise awareness of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and to raise funds for the The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

To start a project or fundraiser, or find one to support, go to endlesscrowds.com. To see which programs are already listed on the site, go to Explore and you can peruse by Community, Entrepreneurial and Personal/Creative projects.

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Series of prison breakouts across Iraq have freed hundreds of militants who have joined radical Sunni groups operating in neighboring Syria and in Iraq itself.

Afghanistan released 65 detainees despite evidence that they killed or wounded Afghan and coalition troops, the U.S. military command there announced.

Senior US officials and lawmakers are sending new signals that a fledgling cadre of military spies is a done deal, despite no real substantive public debate.

The top commander in Afghanistan is being asked to explain why his staff attempted to diminish the findings of the government watchdog overseeing billions in construction projects there.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James shared her observations from her visit with airmen across the ICBM community following revelations of a proficiency-test cheating scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

Google's robot army will live in a military hangar.

Odierno pushed back against the idea of downsizing the military because the wars of the past decade were ending, saying it's hard to predict future conflicts.

The federal government may have shut its doors due to weather conditions - but the guards tasked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier aren't so quick to abandon their posts.

Video of crashed drone hit with rocks by Afghan villagers.

Can you spot the sniper hiding with camouflage in this picture?

Nuclear fusion breakthrough: More energy out than in.

The new movie Mirage Men‘s subtitle is: "How the US government created a myth that took over the world."

The final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will debut on Netflix.

Speaking of ... Star Wars dresses.

Watch the trailer for Melissa McCarthy's new movie, Tammy.

America's best dine-in movie theaters

Aaaahhhhh...

Air Force officials are seeking nominees for the 2014 Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award.

Established in 1996 by the Secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the award is named in honor of Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, both of whom contributed extensively to the support and welfare of U.S. military members and their families, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

For more information on Air Force recognition programs and other personnel issues, visit the myPers Website at https://myPers.af.mil.

The following Airmen and civilians were honored at the 62nd Airlift Wing/Team McChord Quarterly Awards Luncheon today - after the teriyaki beef and baked chicken were served, of course.

Civilian of the Quarter Category I: Judith Brown, 62nd AMXS

Civilian of the Quarter Category IIA: Brian Barbee, 62nd MXS

Civilian of the Quarter Category IIB: Eileen Rodriguez, 62nd OSS

Airman of the Quarter: Senior Airman Joshua Chambers

Noncommissioned Officer: Staff Sgt. Martin Harrison, WSA

Senior Noncommissioned Officer: Master Sgt. Preston Sims, 62nd MXS

Junior Company Grade Officer: 1st Lt. Joshua Jones

Company Grade Officer: Capt. Jonathan Robbins, WSA

Field Grade Officer: Maj. Ricardo Najera, 62nd OSS

Honor Guard Member of the Quarter: Airman 1st Class Jared Williams, 62nd MXS

The award winners and guests closed the ceremony by singing the "Air Force Song" in unison.

An enlisted retention board will convene here in June to consider eligible senior airmen through senior master sergeants for retention. The enlisted retention program is one of several expanded force management programs that have been or will be implemented this year - such as a chief master sergeant retention board, officer force shaping board; enhanced selective early retirement boards; a reduction in force board and officer and enlisted voluntary separation pay incentives.

To ensure senior airmen selected for promotion to staff sergeant do not meet the enlisted retention board, the Air Force will move the testing window up from May 1-June 15 to April 1-May 16.

For more information about promotions, force management programs and other personnel issues, visit the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil.

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The Army recently released new standards for how long some enlisted soldiers can stay in uniform.

The House could vote as soon as Wednesday on a bill that would raise the nation's debt ceiling and reverse a cut made to some veterans' benefits as part of the recent budget deal.

Afghanistan has now announced it will release 65 of 88 Afghan detainees that the U.S. deems dangerous and played a role in killing and wounding dozens of American and coalition forces. 

A new, dramatic video shows U.S. commandos nabbing a top terror suspect in Libya.

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) suggested military spending cuts made Benghazi compound more vulnerable.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno visited with NATO Land Component Command Headquarters personnel at Izmar, Turkey, to discuss the future of the Army and its NATO relationship.

Hillary Clinton had kind words for former CIA Director David Petraeus after his resignation.

Q&A: Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of US Pacific Air Forces

Three wounded warriors who recovered at Brooke Army Medical Center, are aiming to glide to gold in Sochi, Russia, next month to compete in the Paralympic Winter Games.

Since Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness launched its ArmyFit site two weeks ago, tens of thousands have logged on.

Meet Lt. Col. Luis Solano, the Army's first officer in a fellowship with the non-profit MITRE Corporation.

Training at Tuskegee: Turning dreams into reality.

Two factories that assemble the Boeing 787 are struggling to cope with a ramp-up in production that started late last year, and a huge backlog of unfinished work threatens to slow output. 

Here's some sad news: Shirley Temple has died. She was 85.

Really? Fred Armisen will lead the Late Night band for Seth Meyers.

Spend the day watching all of the Beatles' Ed Sullivan appearances.

The former Green Power Ranger broke a world record for, er, breaking pine boards while skydiving.

The actor who played McGruff the Crime Dog has been sentenced to 16 years in jail.

Saturday Night Live's Brooks Wheelan shot video of himself every day in 2013. It was a life-changing year for him, and the montage is inspiring to watch.

Bad dad or cool dad?

You know that master sergeant over at Wing Plans and Programs who everyone calls Master Sgt. Bark because he claims he could sell the brown, crunchy jerky-like crust on his ribs to Metropolitan Market and, as he says, "make a killin'. Has anyone ever tasted his ribs? (We get it. You don't want to go barking up the wrong rib.)

Seriously, though, it's time for Master Sgt. Bark to put up or shut up. The Air Force Personnel Center Directorate of Services is hosting the inaugural Air Force High Flyin' BBQ Challenge now through September. The competition is open to all active duty Airmen and sister service members at Air Force-led joint bases in the continuous United States who think their barbecue is the best in town and want to prove their barbecue prowess.

That's you Master Sgt. Bark!

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