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  • My heritage lives in me

    I'll never forget the night I first met him.   It was late and raining outside. We pulled up to his house in Tennessee and my dad and I walked up to the front door. When the door opened I saw a tall shadowy figure standing in front of me. He didn't say a single word. He just held out his hand and

  • The power of public affairs after a disaster

    It’s 8 a.m. on a Friday and I just finished physical training with my office. I checked my work cell phone and realized I missed a call. I called the number back to find it was a representative from Air Education and Training Command public affairs. I was told to start packing for a short-notice

  • Valentine's Day love story

    This Valentine’s Day we would like to celebrate the love of two Keesler couples. Below is the story of retired Master Sgt. Kenneth Flynn, an EMSEC instructor. Kenneth Flynn met his wife while he was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany in October 1983. Flynn was 22 at the time and his now

  • I’m terrified and I will not fail

    I was sitting on the floor at Denver International Airport waiting for a flight to San Antonio. I leaned against a cool glass window in jeans and a black tee shirt, holding the Airman’s Creed on a business card with tiny letters in my hands. Several other trainees-to-be and I were taking turns

  • Celebrating 30 years of SOMS heritage

    This year marks the 30 year anniversary of Keesler Air Force Base hosting the Special Olympics Mississippi summer games. Al Watkins, 81st Infrastructure Division chief of operations, shared his thoughts as he reflects on his years of being a SOMS volunteer. 30 years of SOMS and Keesler

  • Special Olympics Mississippi – The perfect community partnership

    It takes attributes like dedication, loyalty, honesty, collaboration, and trust to nurture a relationship for 30 years--it’s no easy feat. The difficulty of the task is even represented by a rare gemstone, a pearl, on a couples’ 30th wedding anniversary. Over the past three decades, dedicated Airmen