News

  • MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., - Airman First Class Shawn Lundgren approaches a device using a Percussion Actuated Neutralizer during an Render Safe Procedure exercise. Airman Lundgren is an explosive ordnance disposable specialists assigned to the 446th Civil Engineer Squadron, an Air Force Reserve unit here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Abner Guzman)

    Reservists thwart insurgent activities

    Destruction. Chaos. Killing American troops. Iraq insurgents attempt to achieve these goals by using Improvised Explosive De-vices. However, the 446th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists here take personal enjoyment in continuously thwarting those efforts. Since May 2003, nine Air Force Reserve EOD specialists from
  • MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., - Airman First Class Nicole Cyrus, a Reservist with the 728th Airlift Squadron, became a U.S. citizen March 20. A native of the Caribbean island Trinidad and Tobago, Airman Cyrus immigrated to western Washington in 2001.

    Reservist completes journey from islander to United States citizen

    There are few people in this world who have the ability to completely blow your mind. Airman 1st Class Nicole Cyrus, from the 446th Airlift Wing, may definitely be one of them. She holds a law degree, helped transform a country’s human rights program, and pioneered a legal profession. Aside from that, she’s a devoted mother and wife. Keep in mind
  • MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., - Beth Crabtree, left, and Ruth Crabtree right, pin on Brig. Gen. Eric Crabtrees stars during his promotion ceremony April 1. General Crabtree is the commander of the 446th Airlift Wing.

    Crabtree pins on first star

    In a flashback to his childhood, Brig. Gen. Eric Crabtree found himself in a position of having his mother help him put the finishing touches on his outfit. In this case, it was a star on his shoulder. In a ceremony April 1, hosted by 4th Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Bob Duignan, then-Colonel Crabtree was promoted to brigadier general. His mother,

  • Activated squadron garners Verne Orr award

    Winston Churchill would be very proud of the 313th Airlift Squadron. The flying warriors of this C-17 squadron have done so much for so many so effectively that they have earned the 4th Air Force’s nomination for the Verne Orr Award. ("Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few," said Winston Churchill in a speech

  • Reservists serve those who gave all

    The national news reports another warrior has died. For a fleeting moment, sadness and anger mix with a feeling of disheartenment. Yet, in the next moment, most of us move forward with our lives without stopping to think of our fallen comrade’s final journey home. Most of us, but not all of us. Not five Reservists from the 446th Services Flight.

  • Controlling chaos one aspect of survival recovery center

    A mortar loaded with deadly chemicals has just slammed into a building at an air base, creating a raging inferno shrouded in toxic gas. Preliminary reports don’t look so good. The building that was struck contains supplies necessary to pull-off the base’s mission. If the supplies burn with the building, the chances of successfully completing the

  • 446th Airlift Wing Reservists start using common access cards

    The 446th Airlift Wing is increasing its network security levels by instituting the Smart Card. “Each wing member who has a network account will need a common access card, a PIN number, and the proper certifications loaded on the CAC by customer service at the military personnel flight,” said Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Ross, 446th Mission
  • MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., -- Staff Sgt. Robert Jimenez, 446th Operations Support Flight, digs through a mission kit. Maintaining the kits is just one of the many responsibilities for the Reservists who work at mission control.

    Mission Control keeps it all on track

    Combat airlift can be a fickle beast, to say the least. Providing airlift support for two combat regions, distributing relief aid to various countries of the world, and maintaining training all require a certain amount of flexibility. Keeping tabs on the missions assigned to 446th Airlift Wing aircrews can be an arduous job, but somebody has to do
  • ANTARCTICA - A C-17 from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., sits on the ice in Antarctica after 446th Airlift Wing Reserve aircrews deliver cargo to McMurdo Station. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Steve Mortensen)

    Flying into the Deep Freeze

    McChord pilots, loadmasters and maintainers have wrapped Phase III of Operation Deep Freeze, having ferried supplies for the National Science Foundation between New Zealand and Antarctica. Crews from the 446th and 62nd Airlift Wings operated Phase III Dec. 16 through March 1. Operation Deep Freeze is broken into three phases: Phase I is in August;

  • Wing earns outstanding unit award

    The accumulative efforts of the men and women of the 446 Airlift Wing have resulted in the wing receiving the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. Each member assigned to the wing from Oct. 1, 2003 through Sept. 30, 2005 is a recipient of this award. “This has been a long-deserved award for the wing; for everyone’s dedication and achievements made
  • Senior Airman Helen Dickinson, a Reservist with the 446th Mission Support Squadron, is deployed to Southwest Asia with the 379th Exepditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. She porvides briefings on standing orders and ground rules for servicemembers entering and leaving Iraq and Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Anne Knabe)

    MSS deploys to Southwest Asia

    Five members of the 446th Mission Support Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia Dec. 25 in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The deployment is to support the Air Expeditionary Force and will include two more MSS Reservists in the following months. All of the people who deployed from MSS volunteered to do so, said Chief Master Sgt. Janice

  • Wing passes safety inspection

    The 446th Airlift Wing stomped the tri-annual Ground, Weapons and Flight Safety Program Evaluation Dec. 12 through 15, receiving satisfactory overall scores across the board. The weapons safety program headed by Senior Master Sgt. David Ponce, shined the brightest during the inspection. It received an outstanding rating and was praised highly in

  • Rain or shine, weater affects missions

    No matter where we are or what  the season, weather affects the 446th Airlift Wing’s daily activities. To keep Reservists up-to-date on weather situations, McChord’s 62nd Operational Support Squadron’s eight-person team works around the clock. “We provide and support all weather-related operations for the entire base,” said Capt. Mark Barbire,

  • Wing bands together to help Airman in need

    Airman First Class Donivan Crews has only been with the 446th AW since October, but he is already a celebrity. “I was coming in the gate the other day and the dude was like, ‘Wait a second, I’ve seen you before.’ I’ve heard that a million times lately,” said Airman Crews, 86th Aerial Port Squadron. But if it was up to him, Airman Crews would
  • Tech. Sgt. William Burks, a Reservist with the 86th Aerial Port Squadron, performs a foreign object damage check on his vehicle while practicing for the June Operational Readiness Inspection.

    Unit prepares for ORI

    Operational readiness inspection is an often dreaded event that prompts many months of planning for some, and several days of scrutiny for others. ORIs are nothing new for the 446th Airlift Wing, as the unit is just off the heels of one such inspection last year. Now the wing is looking forward to yet another ORI in Alpena, Mich., this June. In
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