Meet Your Military
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Airmen from the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., play an interactive video game in their dormitory dayroom, May 28, 2015. Gaming has become a popular way for Grand Forks airmen to connect outside of duty hours, providing an alternative to outside activities that require good weather. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ryan Sparks GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, North Dakota: Intramural sports have been a staple of life on Air Force bases for a long time as a way for airmen to connect with each other and become more involved on base.
The new generation of airmen has found another way to achieve that same goal. A "gaming" airman here has fostered a new way to connect with his fellow airmen. Finding ways for airmen to connect is a vital part of the Air Force’s “wingmanship” teamwork concept. Air Force Airman John Greenberg, a 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operator apprentice, said interactive video games helped him with his transition when he arrived here for his first Air Force duty assignment. "The day I got here, the first question was, 'Do you play games?'" Greenberg said. "It's an instant conversation starter."
Read more: Meet Your Military: Airmen Foster "Wingmanship" Through Gaming
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Air Force Master Sgt. Cesar Jurilla and his wife, Cora, travel annually to remote villages in the Philippines as a part of a medical mission with the Filipino ministry of California’s San Bernardino Roman Catholic diocese. Courtesy photoRIVERSIDE, California: Thousands of miles away in remote Philippine villages, families lack access to medication and basic health care. The medical needs of the people in the Philippines are tremendous, especially in the rural areas, where many suffer from treatable ailments.
Every January for the past five years, Air Force Master Sgt. Cesar Jurilla of the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing travels to these remote locations with his wife, Cora, as part of a team of doctors, nurses and nonmedical assistants who volunteer with the Filipino ministry of California’s San Bernardino Roman Catholic diocese in cooperation with Bishop Gerald Barnes. “A goal of the medical mission trip is to discover and rediscover Filipino roots through indigenous people in the Philippines -- to know their health situation and to respond to their medical needs,” Jurilla said.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Airman, Wife Help People in Philippine Villages
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Army Staff Sgt. Marcus Carr Sr. and Army Pfc. Milton Shelton, supply specialists with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, deliver food to soldiers training at Camp Konotop, Poland, May 20, 2015,. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Marcus FloydCAMP KONOTOP, Poland: Heading out at 4 a.m., Army Staff Sgt. Marcus Carr Sr. and his supply team put on their gear and jumped into their tactical vehicle to deliver breakfast to the soldiers in the field here. Although chow doesn't start for two more hours, Carr is adamant about getting the food to its destination on time.
“When I first came in the Army, I had a first sergeant and a commander who would ride me constantly, making sure the soldiers were fed on time,” said Carr, a unit supply sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “When I was younger I didn't understand it,” he said, “but as I got older, I understood that if a soldier is not fed on time, the soldier cannot complete the mission.”
Read more: Meet Your Military: Supply Soldiers Deliver the Goods in Poland
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Marine Corps Master Sgt. Thomas Draffen is promoted to master gunnery sergeant at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., April 1, 2015. Draffen was promoted by retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Michael Arnett, who was his drill instructor at boot camp. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Xzavior T. McNealMARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz., April 2, 2015 – Newly promoted Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Draffen stood at attention in front of the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 building here yesterday. His uniform’s collar lay bare for a moment before two pairs of hands deftly pinned in place the rank he has worked 20 years to achieve.
Behind him, friends and peers mirrored the air traffic controller’s tall stance. To his left, his wife, who he has been with since before his enlistment in 1994, secured one side of his collar. On his right, retired Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Michael Arnett -- the drill instructor responsible for making Draffen into a Marine -- secured the other.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Drill Instructor, Recruit Reunite Decades Later
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Air Force Senior Airman Julie Breault of the 97th Security Forces Squadron at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., is a 4th-generation service member, and she aspires to be the first female chief master sergeant of the Air Force. Breault said she chose security forces because she feels like she can make a difference as a defender. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Megan E. AcsALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., April 1, 2015 – Air Force Senior Airman Julie Breault said the desire to serve in the military was instilled in her at a young age. “I wanted to be security forces. I know a lot of people go into the Air Force and get weeded into security forces, but I chose it because I feel like as security forces I can truly make a difference,” said Breault, who is a 4th-generation service member.
While the security forces career field has traditionally been male-oriented, Breault said she remains undeterred and unaffected by gender-role stereotypes.
Gender ‘Doesn’t Matter’ “Being in a career field that is primarily male-dominated feels relatively normal to me,” Breault said. “I understand women are outnumbered in security forces, but the guys do a really good job of treating me equally. When stuff hits the fan, it doesn’t matter [the] the gender of the person to the left or right of you. We’re defenders. That’s the label I’d prefer.” Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kevin Smith, Breault’s supervisor at the 97th Security Forces Squadron here, noted that her performance is exemplary and said she performs her duties just as well, if not better, than many of the males in the same career field.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Female Airman Seeks to "Make a Difference"