PHOTO: Air Force Senior Airman Devin Litton uses a sewing machine at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., July 18, 2014. MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – The “chuka chuka chukka” sounds from a needle punching through fabric cease momentarily. The Air Force enlisted man working the sewing machine wipes the sweat off his brow and dives right back into his passion. As an aircrew flight equipment journeyman, Litton must apply his sewing skills to repair life rafts and other emergency equipment. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Air Force Senior Airman Devin Litton, 22nd Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment journeyman, has spent hundreds of hours developing his sewing skills since he was introduced to the needle and thread. When he was waiting in the recruiter’s office three years ago, he said, he did not expect running a sewing machine to be part of his job description. “When I first learned to sew in technical school, I really found myself enjoying it,” Litton said. “I thought it was one of the coolest things, and it’s [become] such a useful and lucrative hobby ever since.” Sewing is a craft that requires precision, patience and discipline. It’s a skill used frequently by aircrew flight equipment airmen like Litton, who does not use it for making quilts.Meet Your Military
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PHOTO: Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Burns II prepares Monterey chicken July 17, 2014, on Moody Air Force Base, Ga. Burns garnished his plate with sweet peas and mushroom sauce. MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – He can bust down a burning door and save lives from a flaming inferno, and if the kitchen survives, he might whip up some elegant blackened salmon, too. He is a 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ryan Callaghan On duty, Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Burns II is a fire inspector with the 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron. On duty, he ensures fire code compliance across the base. Off duty, the 33-year-old staff sergeant does almost everything he can to fulfill his appetite for good cooking: teaching youth cooking classes, competing in cook-offs, cooking for friends, and even working as a chef at a local restaurant. Burns has been cooking for "15 years strong, at five different bases and through six deployments," he said. "I cook on a regular basis, and I always try to challenge myself with whatever I'm cooking."
Burns' interest in cooking is fueled by a desire to improve, he said, sparked by a fellow airman's badgering. "It was because one day I was told that I couldn't cook, and it went from there," he said. "I brought [leftovers] to work to eat. … I tried to warm lasagna up in a skillet. Everybody laughed and said, 'Burns, you don't know how to cook at all. This is horrible. You can't do this with a skillet.' From then on, we were always challenging each other to cook better." Eric Mortensen, the 23rd CES assistant fire chief, said Burns simply enjoys taking on a new venture. "He's very interested in expanding his horizons, and he's very adventurous," Mortensen said. "This is just one more thing. He's passionate about everything he does. Burns has jumped into cooking. He also did some gardening with no background in that, either. He grew some stuff, grew it very large, and entered it into a farmers market fair.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Firefighter Feeds Burning Passion for Food
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PHOTO: Army Pfc. Paul Ieti poses with some of his “little fans” on Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., after his performance on the NBC program “America’s Got Talent.” HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. – When 21-year-old Army Pfc. Paul Ieti was in Afghanistan, he and a friend made a video of him singing “Stay” by Rihanna. And like a million young dreamers before, they posted it on YouTube. He credits a strong family bond, faith and his friends with keeping him grounded as his singing career rises. Courtesy photo The video went viral, and has since been viewed by more than a million people worldwide. He never expected the video would have such an impact. He also never expected that the producers from “America’s Got Talent” would invite him to sing on the popular NBC television variety show.
Ieti wowed the crowd and judges with a performance that has made him a very popular guy right now. Ieti -- assigned to Company A, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade -- is still in the competition, with a very real opportunity to win a million dollars. The combination of fame and potential for fortune has a way of making normal people go a little crazy. The streets of celebrity are paved with young stars who couldn’t handle the pitfalls that money and success can bring. But what is apparent to most who meet Ieti is just how humble and grounded the young singer has remained.
The singing soldier remains true to his family, his faith, and his true friends, which he said helps to keep him grounded through this exciting period in his life. Ieti said he’s never understood why people change after making it to celebrity status. “I’m still going to be Paul Ieti, the normal-but-hyperactive guy I’ve been,” he said. “I know my talent is God-given, and I just want to share it with the world.” Ieti also gives credit to his mother and father for giving him the right perspective about his newfound fame and that he wants to share his success with them. “Both of my parents have told me that no matter how far I get or how famous I get, I need to remember where I’m from and to stay humble,” he said.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Soldier Stays Grounded While His Stardom Rises
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PHOTO: Air Force Senior Airman Devin Litton uses a sewing machine at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., July 18, 2014. MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – The “chuka chuka chukka” sounds from a needle punching through fabric cease momentarily. The Air Force enlisted man working the sewing machine wipes the sweat off his brow and dives right back into his passion. As an aircrew flight equipment journeyman, Litton must apply his sewing skills to repair life rafts and other emergency equipment. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Air Force Senior Airman Devin Litton, 22nd Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment journeyman, has spent hundreds of hours developing his sewing skills since he was introduced to the needle and thread. When he was waiting in the recruiter’s office three years ago, he said, he did not expect running a sewing machine to be part of his job description. “When I first learned to sew in technical school, I really found myself enjoying it,” Litton said. “I thought it was one of the coolest things, and it’s [become] such a useful and lucrative hobby ever since.” Sewing is a craft that requires precision, patience and discipline. It’s a skill used frequently by aircrew flight equipment airmen like Litton, who does not use it for making quilts.“A lot of guys may think it’s not the manliest thing to do, but sewing really can have its masculine aspects,” he said. “There’s a lot you can do with a sewing machine. You’d be surprised.” From stitching harnesses and canopies for emergency rafts to repairing oxygen-mask cases, aircrew flight equipment airmen help to keep aircrew members mission-ready around the clock. Litton came here in 2011 as an aircrew flight equipment apprentice. His job was to learn the basic mechanics of his career field: maintaining emergency equipment, taking inventory, sewing and more.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Airman Sews to Keep Aircrews Safe
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PHOTO: Air Force Senior Airman Lorenza Kates, left, and Senior Airman Victoria Hill, 455th Expeditionary Communications Squadron mail clerks, deliver mail at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, June 26, 2014.BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – The 455th Expeditionary Communications Squadron’s mail clerks work daily to boost morale by delivering packages, online orders and letters to the airmen deployed here. Kates and Hill are responsible for handling mail for airmen in the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. The duo handles thousands of packages and letters each month. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez “My favorite part of the job is seeing people’s faces light up when they get mail,” said Air Force Senior Airman Victoria Hill, a 455th ECS mail clerk deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
She hails from Blanchard, Louisiana. Hill is one of two mail clerks responsible for delivering mail to airmen assigned to the wing. Although some of their normal duties at home station involves records and data management, here they ensure timely mail delivery every day. Early in the morning Hill and her comrade, Air Force Senior Airman Lorenza Kates, start their day by coordinating transportation to pick up the mail tri-walls -- pallet-sized boxes -- from a centralized mail location. “I report to work by 6 a.m. then pick up our forklift to lift tri-wall boxes,” said Kates, who is deployed from Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and a native of Dublin, Georgia. “Then we make calls to figure out how many pallets we received for the day before we make our way to pick the mail up.”
After picking up mail and taking it back to their office, Kates and Hill unload the pallets for sorting. While one of mail clerks moves the pallets with a forklift, the other arranges them neatly into rows. They sort an average of 77 pallets of mail each week that amounts to approximately 38,500 pounds. “The most difficult part of the job is constantly being on the go,” Hill said. “It is heavy physical labor; we run around loading and unloading. But, I really enjoy it.” Once the packages are sorted, which takes about three hours depending on the number of tri-walls on a given day, Kates and Hill load their truck for mail delivery to mission essential organizations. According to Hill, mission essential units are those unable to leave their work area during the day to pick up mail.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Airmen Deliver Morale-boosting Mail
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PHOTO: Marine Corps Pvt. Alexander D. Klopfenstein stands in a basic warrior stance during the body sparring event of the Crucible at Edson Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 1, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tyler ViglioneMARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. – For many potential recruits, enlisting in the Marine Corps is as easy as talking to a recruiter. But for some, it takes some willpower. Marine Corps Pvt. Alexander D. Klopfenstein, Platoon 1025, Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, had to put in some grueling work before he could even consider enlisting. Klopfenstein was born in Bakersfield, California, but he moved around a lot during his high school years. Eventually, the family decided to settle down back in Bakersfield, where he became a member of the Bakersfield High School’s swim team until graduating in 2012.
Klopfenstein said he loved to swim and competed in the 50-, 200- and 500-meter races. It wasn’t until he graduated from high school, he added, that he started dealing with weight problems. “When I was on the swim team, I would be on a very high-caloric diet,” the 20-year-old Marine said. “After the school year was over, I kept eating the way I had been and wasn’t doing enough exercise to burn it all off, which resulted in me gaining a substantial amount of weight.” At the peak of his weight, and standing at 5 feet 11 inches, Klopfenstein weighed about 270 pounds. His dream always had been to pursue a life in the Marine Corps, he said, but he didn’t know if he would be able to serve because of his weight. “When I first went to talk to the recruiter, they told me I was too big to join,” he said. “I knew that I had to lose the weight and get down to the Marine Corps standards because of how bad I wanted it.” Klopfenstein said he began jogging every day and changed his diet to six small, healthy meals in pursuit of his goal. “The only thing that kept me motivated was that I have always wanted to become a Marine, and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass by,” he said.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Marine Completes 90-pound Weight Loss