18 Jan 2007

Super Bowl Extravaganza

Stanley Cup, World Series, NBA Championships, World Cup and Daytona, but the king of all sporting events is the Super Bowl. The 319th Services Squadron planned an event to give base members and their families a chance to have some fun and win prizes, and send a lucky Warrior of the North to Super Bowl XLI. "Our contracting officer worked with a

11 Jan 2007

Attention to conditions imperative to ice safety

It's January and ice fishing is in full swing; well, maybe not! Only recently have our temperatures started dropping toward the normal winter range, and while the balmy high 30 and 40 temps were great for snowbirds, they've taken their toll on outdoor enthusiasts. Many local lakes, especially the larger bodies of water, still have open water

11 Jan 2007

Living without him

In one house, a mother reads a card from her deployed husband, while their children sit next to her, wondering when Daddy will return. In another house, a woman says good-bye to her husband, wondering if this is the last time she will see him, as he is deploying to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The life for spouses of deployed military

4 Jan 2007

Command post makeover

The command post will upgrade the old, clunky office set up to a state-of-the art, cutting-edge system that will be more effective in providing critical communication. The decision to remodel was made after Air Mobility Command notified the command post of a scheduled telephone system upgrade, according to Tech. Sgt. Roger Pestana, 319th Air

4 Jan 2007

Thank you – whoever you are

I am a civilian who has been teaching at Twining School on the base since 1987. Jan. 2, I had a flat tire and limped my car to the shoppette where I saw the tire was almost coming off the rim. No one was working there who could help me out; when we tried the auto skills center, there was no answer. I tried a few of my friends here on base, but

4 Jan 2007

Base bids farewell to three canine warriors

As 2006 comes to a close, the Grand Forks Section US Army Veterinary Services shares the sacrifices of a small group of dedicated Airmen; military working dogs. This past year we said good-bye to three members of that crew, one from a dedicated lifetime of service, one due to unbridled enthusiasm and the third from a medical tragedy. Military

21 Dec 2006

From print to progress

Before Grand Forks was a refueling wing, it was a fighter wing, bombardment wing and missile wing. Before this base was home to the KC-135, it was home to the B-52s, B-1s, F-101s and F-106s. Before the Leader Online, there was The Leader newspaper. For the past 40 years, The Leader has brought news coverage from around base in a hard copy form to

21 Dec 2006

To honor with dignity

Their patches read "to honor with dignity." They are more than fixtures at commander's calls or retirement ceremonies. They are often the last memory family members have after laying their veteran loved one to rest. "The first and foremost benefit of being a ceremonial guardsman is the service," Staff Sgt. Matthew Padgett, NCO in charge of the base

16 Nov 2006

In case of emergency: survival equipment

Ten Airmen are held accountable for the lives of every aircrew member and passenger that steps aboard a 319th Air Refueling Wing tanker. Survival equipment Airmen, often referred to as riggers, inspect and repair the equipment aboard the KC-135 that no one wants to put to use. Life rafts, egress slides, parachutes and even infant life-saving

31 Oct 2006

Hair's tolerance

One-one thousandth of an inch or smaller, that's the tolerance Metals Technology Airmen here must work within when making parts for 50-year old tankers, tools or special projects, and it's less than one-third the thickness of a human hair. These Airmen must constantly train and practice to keep their skills sharp, but it's where they apply that