U.S. Air Force aircrew assigned to the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron and the 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron respond to an alert call during a Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, May 3, 2025. The Air Force maintains and validates high standards of readiness through periodic inspections required by the nuclear mission, such as the NORI. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Monique Stober)

927 ARW News

News Search

  • Liberty Bells Visit 927th Members

    Three members of the Liberty Bells, the only chartered United Services Organization show troupe, performed for the 927th Air Refueling Wing Friday, September 7, 2012. The trio were in Tampa for the opening of the USO Tampa Bay, and made time in their schedule to serenade members of the wing with

  • Fighting As A Family: Reservist and her mother fight breast cancer

    It was a warm day in July when Senior Airman Andrea Lucy, a dental technician with the 927th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, awoke. When she went to bed that night, her life would be changed forever. That day, her mother was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer."One minute it was all fine, and the

  • Facing Fear: Aeromedical Evacuation team helps wounded New Zealand troops

    Shrapnel, open chest wounds, missing limbs - they'd seen it all before. On this flight, Captain Esma Etan and her aeromedical evacuation team from the 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., had to care for an invisible wound. The injured soldiers aboard her

  • Serving God, Country, and Congregation

    The pastor knew that talking wouldn't be enough to incite his parishioners to action. Outside the walls of the church, there was a war going on, and every able-bodied person would be needed if their cause was to prevail. To let the men and women of his parish know he was not just a man of empty

  • Not Standing Idly By

    The thing that 1st Lt. Charles Ferree, an Air Force pilot with the 9th Air Force, remembers most about Dachau was the stink."The smell burned my nostrils and permeated my pores," he commented. The only way he could get rid of the smell, he said, was to burn his uniforms.Ferree was stationed in

  • Where it's always in season: Military highlights of St. Petersburg

    There's little doubt that Tampa is a military-friendly town. However, many are unaware that the sandy beaches and busy communities of St. Petersburg across the bay are home to men and women who serve their country. With approximately 50 reserve members of the 927th Air Refueling Wing living in,

  • Getting everything back: 927th Reservist pursues comission in the Army

    All servicemembers pledge to give their life to the military. It's not every day that you run across someone who the military has given everything to in return.For Staff Sgt. Leonardo Velez, a personnelist with the 927th Operational Support Flight here, that is exactly the case. A spouse, education,

  • Commentary: Tips For New Airmen

    I was recently asked by a new Airman what 'tips' I could give him to be successful in the Air Force. After taking a few moments to reflect, my response was, "Do the right thing at the right time for the right reason for the right people."Do the right thing. Always. Hold yourself above reproach, do

  • Shoot, Move, Communicate

    "The first thing you do in a firefight is find cover," said Tech. Sgt. Walter Dworak, as the acrid smoke of gunpowder surrounded him on the firing range here July 15, 2012. Dworak is a veteran of three combat tours - two in Iraq, one in Afghanistan - and knows what it takes to survive a shootout.