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  • MacDill night flying key to proficiency

    When the sun sets over Tampa Bay, the lights come up over MacDill’s flight line. While many prepare to put the kids down to bed and head that way themselves, the prestigious pilots of MacDill’s 50th and 91st Air Refueling Squadrons kick-off their shifts with the roar of the KC-135 Stratotanker’s

  • NCOs: unprecedented challenges, effective leading

    In the profession of arms, the noncommissioned officer is often considered to be the backbone of the force. NCOs, being technical experts themselves, are entrusted to develop, lead, manage and mentor subordinate troops as front-line supervisors.

  • MacDill ALS: Ready, flexible, innovative

    Although many of the Air Force’s education and training courses have been put on hold, the 6th Force Support Squadron’s Airman Leadership School instructor team remains diligent. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that their students will be given the same high quality training they need to join the

  • Right place, right time: Airman saves lives

    March 7, 2020, started off as a long day, coming home from working during the Nuclear Operational Readiness Exercise, Tech. Sgt. Lowery was on his way southbound over the Alafia Bridge in East Tampa. As he drove closer to the base of the bridge, a car and motorcycle collided, and for the next two

  • Back to the basics: finding work-life balance during a pandemic

    Though the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced changes to the normal operating environment, the Airmen of the 6th Air Refueling Wing have stepped up, as they always do, to ensure that the mission of delivering unmatched air refueling support carries on.For Tech. Sgt. Shawna Wise, a 6th

  • Delivering excellence: MacDill boom operators train for perfection

    There’s a saying in the Air Force about refueling aircraft, something along the lines of nothing accomplishes mission success without tanker aircraft gas. This saying rings true in Tampa. Refueling aircraft such as MacDill Air Force Base’s KC-135 Stratotanker are vital to mission success and keeping

  • 6th AMXS: On the grind to make them fly

    For the Airmen of the 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, hard work is a common theme echoed throughout the squadron. The AMXS Airmen are dedicated to their craft, and they constantly ensure that MacDill’s aircraft are ready to take the fight to the enemy at any

  • Cramped spaces and fuel vapors: MacDill “Tank Divers”

    Tucked away behind U.S. Central Command and MacDill Air Force Base, Florida’s traditional hangars lies a hangar originally built to house fighter jets. On a given day, peeking out of that hangar will sit a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft seemingly out of place in the considerably smaller maintenance