Page 6 - Desert Lightning News So. AZ Edition News – Year in Review 2023

6 January 2024 Desert Lightning News www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
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Freedom Fest 2023
June
Prime BEEF field exercise
July
DM Airman saves Tucson motorcyclist’s life
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Abbey Rieves
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Thomas Snyder, 357th Fighter Generation Squadron crew chief, performs a post flight check on an A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, July 17, 2023. Snyder has been a crew chief at DM for three years. On July 4, 2023, Snyder stopped to render help in Tucson to a civilian who had wrecked his motorcycle and whose head was bleeding profusely. Without hesitation, Snyder acted, applying first aid to the critically injured community member, keeping the civilian talking and alert. Workload, task management, office tempo and his recent deployment were some of the job aspects Snyder attributed for his ability to think clearly amidst the moment’s stress.
LEFT: U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Michael Becker, 355th Wing command chief, at left. and Col. Scott Mills, 355th Wing commander, visit the welcome center at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, July 18, 2023. The command team regularly met with units and organizations on base to connect with them. Raised in a military family, Becker’s passion for service and dedication to protecting the United States led him
to join the Air Force in February 1999 as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. Throughout his career, he has displayed a strategic understanding of the global threat environment and the critical importance of the Air Force’s mission in maintaining national security.
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Devlin Bishop
Combat Leader Course TITAN missile silo rescue
U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Zohn Manet Cepeda, 355th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy instal- lation management flight commander, fires his rifle at simulated enemy combatants during a prime base engineer emergency force field training exercise at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, June 29, 2023. The Prime BEEF exercise included op- posing force actors to realistically simulate a possible scenario the Airmen could face in a deployed environment.
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jhade Herrera
A child watches bubbles during Freedom Fest at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, June 30, 2023. Freedom Fest was a parade that included various activities for military kids such
as a a bubble pit, fireworks display, car show, splash zone,
and family-friendly water inflatables. After dark, Sophia Rankin and the Sound performed in concert with Chad Freedom and Redline during Freedom Fest, which was held to boost morale leading up to the celebration of Independence Day.
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Devlin Bishop
A U.S. Airman, train- ing with the 68th Res- cue Squadron, is low- ered into the deepest section of a missile silo during a Combat Leader Course train- ing exercise at the Ti- tan Missile Museum in Green Valley, Arizona, Aug. 21, 2023. The student who descend- ed to the lowest level had a limited amount of oxygen which re- quired him to manage his time effectively while rescuing the simulated casualties.
DM welcomes new command chief
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos