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  • Base Airmen and civilians would've wrapped themselves in the flag Wednesday--or anything else they could find to shield them from the searing, mid-day sun as temperatures here hovered at 100 degrees. Although the thermometer stopped one degree short of Massachusetts' 54-year-old mark for the hottest day on record, the oppressive conditions prompted base officials to declare a "Black Flag" heat condition, which limits outdoor activities to critical missions. Even then, workers must follow the 20/40 rule--40 minutes rest for every 20 minutes of work--and consume 1-2 quarts of water every hour.

    A Blaze of Glory

    Base Airmen and civilians would've wrapped themselves in the flag Wednesday--or anything else they could find to shield them from the searing, mid-day sun as temperatures here hovered at 100 degrees. Although the thermometer stopped one degree short of Massachusetts' 54-year-old mark for the hottest day on record, the oppressive conditions
  • Patriot Wing C-5s get cozy on Westover's flightline with Galaxies from Dover AFB, Del., and Travis AFB, Calif. The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world. The aircraft carries fully equipped combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice then provides field support required to help sustain the fighting force. Ground crews can load and off load the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings. The giant aircraft also makes its home at Altus AFB, Okla., Kelly AFB, Texas, Stewart ANG Base, N.Y., Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and at the Tennessee ANG in Memphis.

    Birds of a feather

    Patriot Wing C-5s get cozy with visiting Galaxies from Dover AFB, Del., and Travis AFB, Calif. The C-5 is the Air Force's largest aircraft. It carries fully-equipped, combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice then provides field support required to help sustain the fighting force. Ground crews can load and off load the
  • OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM -- A C-5 Galaxy transport from the 439th Airlift Wing, 337th Air Reserve Squadron, Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, Mass., sits on the ramp at Ramstein Air Base Germany while its crew prepares to upload the day's cargo in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, March 31, 2003. The C-5 Galaxy is the largest aircraft in the Air Force inventory and is capable of delivering completely-equipped combat units, support forces and all types of supplies to any location in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cherie McNeill)

    Going global

    A C-5 Galaxy from the 439th Airlift Wing, 337th Air Reserve Squadron, Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, Mass., sits on the ramp at Ramstein Air Base Germany while its crew prepares to upload the day's cargo in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The C-5 Galaxy is the largest aircraft in the Air Force inventory and is capable of delivering
  • This C-5 Galaxy lies in a field on the south side of Dover Air Force Base, Del., after it crashed Monday, April 3, 2006. Specialists roped off the area with caution tape to preserve the scene until a safety investigation board completes its task. (U.S. Air Force photo/Doug Curran

    Westover contributes to crash investigation

    When Air Force officials began assembling a team of investigators to sift through the wreckage of the C-5 that crashed April 3 at Dover Air Force Base, Del., they looked to Westover for help. Four Patriot Wing members were hand-picked to serve on Air Mobility Command’s safety investigation board, the largest contingent from any base. Lt. Col.
  • TANZANIA, Africa -- Airman 1st Class Ryan Hockertlotz, a member of Westover Air Reserve Base's 42nd Aerial Port Squadron, crouches on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest free-standing mountain. The young porter used only Air Force physical fitness training to prepare for the six-day climb to the top. (Courtesy photo)

    Westover reservist climbs Mount Kilimanjaro

    If you think the Air Force's new fitness standards aren't tough enough, go climb a mountain.In January, a member of Westover's 42nd Aerial Port Squadron climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest free-standing mountain. Yet, with nearly two years to prepare, Airman 1st Class Ryan Hockertlotz chose an unlikely candidate as his personal trainer:
  • OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM – Two Westover pilots are deployed to the Combined Air Operations Center at an air base on the Arabian Peninsula, where they monitor the status of ongoing missions supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The CAOC was the nerve center for all U.S. Central Command air operations when the first air strike occurred early March 20, 2003. Cruise-missile attacks and the start of massive air operations with thousands of sorties a day followed this opening strike. By May 2, major combat was over and the stabilization phase of the operation began. (Photo by Ministry of Defence-Royal Air Force Sgt. Gareth Davies)

    Westover pilots help keep forces in Southwest Asia supplied, ready

    Two Patriot Wing pilots are deployed to the nerve center of Air Force operations in Southwest Asia where airlift can be a matter of life and death for the men and women they support in combat. In May, Lt. Col. Jennifer W. Farrelly and Maj. Vernon M. Wegener of the 337th Airlift Squadron began four-month Air and Space Expeditionary Force tours at
  • Brig. Gen. Wade Farris, 439th Airlift Wing commander, steps down from a Westover C-5 June 4 following his four-month deployment to a Southwest Asia location in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech Sgt. Andrew Biscoe)

    Generals return, complete last flight

    Two flag-ranked officers piloted C-5s into history at Westover in June. Brig. Gen. Wade Farris, 439th Airlift Wing commander, returned June 4 from his four-month deployment to Southwest Asia, while Maj. Gen. Martin M. Mazick, 22nd Air Force commander, flew his final training mission on a C-5 June 3. General Farris was deployed as the deputy
  • Two Marine ambulance drivers (left) and civilian medical volunteers watch a Rhode Island Army National Guard helicopter lift off from Dogpatch training area. The exercise combined the elements of military and civilian medical technicians in real-world accident scenarios. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Tom Allocco)

    Westover medics team up for joint field exercise

    Once a year, Westover's Team Yankee medical exercise brings together good people and makes them even better. Team Yankee 2006, the premier New England joint military and civilian medical exercise, assembled teams of highly-experienced medical specialists and ran them through a mass casualty scenario that could have been a replay of operations in
  • Master Sgt. Helen Crouch holds a trophy she won from a recent canoe regatta she paddled in New York state. (Courtesy photo)

    Reservist paddles famous New York waterway

    Master Sgt. Helen Crouch, 439th Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical technician, recently paddled a scenic route famous in American colonial history and took first place in the women's division of a racing canoe regatta. Sergeant Crouch maneuvered her racing canoe 70 miles down New York's Susquehanna River from Glimmerglass Lake at Cooperstown,

  • Marathon Men

    Two Patriot Wing reservists proved on Patriot's Day they can go the distance … a very, very long distance. On April 17, Technical Sgt. William J. Brown, 58th Aerial Port Squadron, and Senior Airman Michael P. Kraus, 439th Airlift Wing finance office, competed in the 110th running of the prestigious Boston Marathon. Finishing the winding, 26.2-mile
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