Former contemporary Christian singer-songwriter and Navy linguist Paden Smith sits in the center row as one of 15 graduates of the Uniformed Services University's Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., May 16, 2018. Photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Pagan
Floyd D. Cheatham, Jr., from Deland, Florida, killed in action January 13, 1945 in the Battle of the BulgeIt is the American Soldier,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the American Soldier,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the American Soldier,
not the poet or professor,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the American Soldier,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the American Soldier,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the American Soldier,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Thompson, an electronic systems mechanic serving with the West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing poses for a photo in Martinsburg, W.Va., May 3, 2018. A Vietnam veteran helped Thompson’s family and inspired him to join the military.
Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Emily Beightol-Deyerle
MARTINSBURG, W. Va -- By Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Emily Beightol-Deyerle
Forty-three years ago, as the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong took over the South Vietnam capital city of Saigon, thousands of refugees fled their home country and the communist government.
Left to right: Marine Corps aviators Capt. Evan Slusser, Maj. John Stuart and Capt. Andrew Thornberg pose for a photo aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in the Pacific Ocean, March 15, 2018. The trio are F-35B Lightning II pilots with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, embarked aboard the USS Wasp. All three Marines graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, also known as Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Va.
photo by Cpl. Bernadette Wildes
PACIFIC OCEAN -- April 23, 2018 - by Cpl. Bernadette Wildes
Three Virginia Tech alumni are now serving as Marine Corps aviators.
Marine Corps Maj. John Stuart, Capt. Evan Slusser and Capt. Andrew Thornberg fly the F-35B Lightning II out of Iwakuni, Japan, with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121.
Marine Corps Sgt. John Verhage III, a native of South Brunswick, N.J., is a surveillance sensor operator with Task Force Southwest in Afghanistan, March 12, 2018. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sean J. Berry
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, April 10, 2018 — by Sgt. Sean J. Berry
“I’d rather take lessons from the past than learn lessons the hard way,” said Marine Corps Sgt. John Verhage III, who hails from South Brunswick, New Jersey, and is a surveillance sensor operator with Task Force Southwest here.
“It’s better to use something like ground sensors now, rather than something happening and wishing we would have employed measures like this beforehand,” Verhage said.
Verhage leads the ground sensor operations in Helmand province, which helps employ remote sensors as general surveillance and early warning systems to aid the Afghan National Defense and security forces.
Supporting Afghan Forces
The constant management of the remote sensors systems helps Afghan forces maintain a high level of awareness during combat operations.
“We’re all working together here; we’re protecting ourselves and the [Afghan National Police] at the same time with these sensors,” said Verhage, who has logged numerous security patrols — both mounted and dismounted — to help boost the Afghan’s defense capabilities through sensor emplacement.
“If I do my job, the police feel safer, which in turn makes us all feel safer,” he said. “Every life matters out here, and I’m just doing my part.”
The ability to detect enemy activity through remote surveillance is nothing new. The Marines’ sensor control and management platoons employed unmanned remote sensor systems since 1967 during the Vietnam War.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Engelke, a regional dispatch center superintendent for the 721st Civil Engineer Squadron, his wife, Jenna-Brie Engelke, and his twin brother, Air Force 1st Lt. Cody Engelke, the deputy commander of training for the 18th Space Control Squadron, embrace after Chris’s reenlistment at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo., March 8, 2018.
Photo by Robb Lingley
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 26, 2018 — by Robert Lingley
It’s quite possible, if you’re at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station here in the near future, that you’ll come across identical twins working for the 721st Civil Engineer Squadron. You may think you’ve seen one of them but it could be the other.
The twins were born Sept. 1, 1982. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Engelke was born first, one minute ahead of his brother, Air Force 1st Lt. Cody Engelke. They’re both highly competitive with each other and love sports and academics. Coincidentally, they were born on the same day that Air Force Space Command opened at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
“I absolutely love being in the Air Force,” said Chris, the regional dispatch center superintendent here for the 721st Civil Engineer Squadron. “Personally I think it’s great having the structure above you to make sure you’re taken care of, but at the same time you’re developed and you’re doing it voluntarily 100-percent of the time for the national needs. It’s a humbling experience.”
Chris and Cody previously served together in South Korea, but at different bases, and for a short period of time they served together at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where Cody pinned on staff sergeant, joining Chris at the same rank.
“That was fun for the commander, having twins, both staff sergeants, both in the same unit,” said Cody, who now serves as the deputy commander of training for the 18th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
