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  • Civil Air Patrol experiences ANG mission firsthand

    Twenty-four Civil Air Patrol cadets from Peoria and McLean County got a taste of the Air National Guard when they toured the 182nd Airlift Wing on drill weekend May 2.The cadets visited the Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, Security Forces and the Aircrew Flight Equipment shop before taking

  • Cold weather won't stop his flight

    It's early in the morning and the sun is shining. That doesn't matter to  the resilient crew chief standing outside on the tarmac and visually inspecting a C-130 Hercules. He will tell you the sunshine doesn't really help when it's five degrees Fahrenheit and a stiff wind is blowing. Weather is just

  • ChalleNGed: An Airman’s choice to succeed

    Senior Airman Christopher Kurtz made a decision seven years ago, a choice that changed the very direction of his life in ways he never expected. Instead of being held back, the 18-year-old from Orland Park decided to quit school. It may have been the best decision he had ever made.Kurtz, now a

  • Practice makes precision

    There are many skillsets that could prevent a casualty, but one taught to every Airman in basic military training is the ability to fire a weapon and to fire it accurately.Whether it be the M9 pistol or the M16 rifle, any Airman could be put into a situation in which their precision could make the

  • Building Teamwork for the Battlefield

    Physical fitness is not just a regular part of being an Airman assigned to a Tactical Air Control Party with the 169th Air Support Operations Squadron in Peoria. It is just as vital as any other type of job training.The TACP career field is demanding on the body, and requires each member to maintain

  • Wheels up: Peoria ASOS commander becomes Springfield's XO

    In the case of Lt. Col. William "Wheels" Wheeler, what one unit loses another will gain. Lt. Col. Wheeler, the commander of Peoria's 168th Air Support Operations Squadron, took the executive officer seat at the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield October 20. He took with him 37 years of enlisted,

  • Safeguarding your digital footprint

    Social media is a great resource for Airmen and their families to share information and stay connected to relatives at home and abroad.Although many depend on these wonderful tools, recent events have encouraged us to re-evaluate our digital footprint to ensure our personal and professional

  • US, Latvian TACPs join forces for Operation Northern Strike

    Tactical air control party specialists with the 169th Air Support Operations Squadron and the Latvian military joined forces August 2014 to sharpen their special operations skills at the 3rd-annual Operation Northern Strike in Grayling, Michigan. The exercise brought the TACPs to one of the largest,

  • Chaplain ends 8-year journey, achieves calling

    Chaplain (Capt.) Kristi Hopp took her place at the Peoria Civic Center theater for a special moment June 6, 2014. The teacher, counselor, elder and officer was a woman of many skill sets, all which led up to that night. Three reverends - her husband, a mentor, and a church leader - joined Hopp on

  • MEOC bridges communication gaps

    It might look like a camping trailer being towed behind a Ford F-550 diesel pickup, but this vehicle does more than one might imagine. The deceptive looking vehicle is known as a Mobile Emergency Operations Center. A MEOC is a self-contained unit that can sustain continuous operations for three to