Luke, 24-hour operation

Luke Air Force Base is a hub of activity during the day with maintainers beginning at 6 a.m. to prepare for a day of prepping, launching and recovering F-16s at Luke. They, along with a host of others, support the day-to-day flying operations of the base. Maintainers still have a mission to perform

Airmen visit Grand Canyon

Twenty-nine servicemembers took a trip to Grand Canyon Sept. 24 to 26 to see the beauty and grandeur of Arizona's most famous national park.The base chapel and the Oasis, a Christian group at Luke, planned the trip so single Luke Airmen could have a fun vacation with Christian fellowship. According

Load Crew Competition

Lorenz on Leadership -- Leaders come in all Sizes

Earlier this year I wrote an article about our civilian force -- the solid foundation on which our Air Force is so securely postured. Often, it is the continuity our civilian partners provide that so effectively enables our warfighters to project air, space and cyberspace power when called upon.

Commander addresses Airmen

The 56th Fighter Wing commander began his third week in charge with a series of commander's calls in the Luke Air Force Base Fitness Center Monday and WednesdayBrig. Gen. J.D. Harris said the wing is doing very well, and he's not going to change anything just yet. But, he mentioned a few of his

Bomb builders outfit Fighting Falcons

Munitions flight Airmen begin a production process that takes unassembled bombs, puts them together and delivers them to the flightline for awaiting aircraft."The bombs just don't come out of a box ready to be loaded," said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Baker, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron conventional

Senior NCO improves fitness with CrossFit

Before trying CrossFit for the first time in January 2009, Master Sgt. Michael Helm, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit production superintendent, barely passed his physical fitness tests. Now, almost two years later, he is a completely different person."I noticed huge results after just two short

Command chief on board, ready to serve

Continuing in the footsteps of his father's 30-year U.S. Air Force career, Chief Master Sgt. Rory Wicks, 56th Fighter Wing command chief, begins his journey at Luke Air Force Base as the top enlisted member.The chief arrived here in September from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, where he served

Commentary: Looking back on Operation Iraqi Freedom

Aug. 31 marked a milestone in our nation's history and, in particular, our military involvement and mission in Iraq. On this date, combat missions by United States forces came to an end. No longer will armored U.S. HMMWVs patrol the streets of Iraqi cities and villages seeking out insurgents and

Triathlon exceeds organizers expectations

The weather was sunny and a mild 82 degrees when Luke Air Force Base held the 13th annual fall triathlon Saturday with more than one hundred participants."This year we exceeded our participant expectations with a record of one hundred and ten," said Kevin Bruaw, 56th Force Support Squadron fitness