Meet Your Military
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PHOTO: Air Force Airman 1st Class Benny Le prepares to perform a deadlift exercise, July 15, 2014, at a fitness club in Wichita, Kan. Le is training for a powerlifting competition in August. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class David Bernal Del Agua MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – Twelve hours of patrolling on the graveyard shift drained his energy, but not his drive. The job was done, but the work wasn't. The airman steps through the fitness club doors with only one goal in mind: to achieve powerlifting superiority. He sees an empty bench press. He feels the grip of the iron bar covered with chalk powder, and the only sound he hears is the music through his headphones. In that moment, his new environment separates him from the rest of the world. Air Force Airman 1st Class Benny Le, 22nd Security Forces Squadron patrolman, powerlifts to stay fit, but the sport is more than just lifting heavy weights, he said. "Powerlifting is mostly mental," Le explained. "I try to clear everything in my mind, and I imagine myself as the Hulk, being able to lift whatever weight is in front of me." Le was first introduced to the sport that would improve his fitness, both physically and spiritually, by his first supervisor at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. "The first time I powerlifted, I loved it," Le said. "There were a lot of friendly people, and even those who didn't know me showed support. That really motivated and hyped me up for the meet." Bench pressing, deadlifting, and squatting soon became routine for Le. Although his first powerlifting competition was easy for him to do, he said, fitness was not always his thing.
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PHOTO: Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Floyd W. Atkins refuels a B-1B Lancer over Afghanistan, July 17, 2014. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Colin Cates SOUTHWEST ASIA – Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Floyd W. Atkins, a 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, has reached 8,000 refueling hours in his career, a rare feat for a boom operator. "The milestone signifies the love for what I do," Atkins said. "Reaching the 8,000 hours means I have been blessed to maintain good health -- good enough to remain on flying status for 28-plus years." Atkins said he hopes to reach the 8,765 hour mark, which would equal one full year of flying time. “I think I will have to get a patch that says 1-50 since I will probably be 50 when I reach that mark," he added. But just like every other boom operator, he said, he had to start somewhere.
"The feeling as a young boom operator was one of amazement," Atkins said. "I couldn't believe the Air Force was letting me do this for a living. One of my first missions was refueling the Thunderbird just after arriving at my first duty station. It's got to be the greatest job ever." Now, he said, he has the privilege of seeing the new faces in the boom operator career field and relives some of the same feelings he had as a young boom. "Being a boom is special -- no two days are the same, and again it's a rush of excitement at times,” he said. “Now it's fun to watch a brand-new boom refuel and get excited, and see that same look on their face that I had over 20 years ago.” Early in his career, Atkins said, he never gave much thought to how many hours he had. “To me, I was just doing what I enjoyed and never worried about the hours," he explained. "Only recently has it become interesting as people are amazed by the number of hours I have logged."
Read more: Meet Your Military: Boom Operator Reaches 8,000-hour Milestone
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PHOTO: Air Force Tech. Sgt. Geoffrey Jensen places a cap on a fuel booster pump of a B-29 Superfortress he is restoring with other volunteers inside a Boeing hangar in Wichita, Kan., July 22, 2014. MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – As a child, he spent countless hours drawing aircraft from his World War II book collection, daydreaming about what it would like to be fly in one of them. The volunteers are restoring one of the last two B-29s to flying condition. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier Now, as an adult with 19 years of Air Force service, his aircraft dreams are still alive and are even more vivid as he spends much of his free time restoring one of the last flyable B-29 Superfortress bombers. Tech. Sgt. Geoffrey Jensen, 22nd Maintenance Group logistic resource management program noncommissioned officer in charge, became a volunteer for the “Friends of Doc” restoration project in March and has been hooked on helping ever since. Doc, a B-29 named after a character from the fairy tale "Snow White," was built in Wichita, Kansas, during World War II.
It has been parked inside a Boeing hangar next to McConnell Air Force Base, close enough for Jensen to do a little work during his lunch break, something he does frequently. “It’s like bringing history to life,” Jensen said. “There are a lot of people who have never even heard of this airplane. It’s the same model that dropped the atomic bomb and ended World War II, and it’s so cool that I get to be a part of that.” Working on an aircraft is nothing new to Jensen. He was a flightline crew chief for 18 years and has brought all of his experience with him to aid the restoration project. But he’s not the only one involved in the project who has military experience. “We’ve got a large number of veterans helping out here, including a 95-year-old,” said TJ Norman, volunteer manager. “It’s so nice having these Air Force guys over here, because all I have to do is show them what project we are working on, and they know exactly what to do.” The aircraft is being pieced together to resemble its original image with a few modifications for increased safety. Jensen said he has helped to implement modern avionics technologies while trying to maintain the aircraft’s originality.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Airman Helps to Restore B-29 Superfortress
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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