On April 30, 2008, the 148th Fighter Wing became the first unit in the Air Force to receive recognition as an Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Worksite. Recently, the Wing received notification it has been officially recertified as an OSHA VPP Star Worksite effective February 15, 2023. The recertification
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Women’s History Month is a moment of reflection on women’s achievements in our society. One such woman from the 133rd Medical Group works in two separate career fields with the reward of helping people. U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Sarah Brown-Jager is the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive,
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Select Minnesota National Guard Soldiers, along with volunteers from the Croatian and Canadian Armed Forces competed to find this year’s best Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier during Minnesota’s 2023 Best Warrior Competition held on Camp Ripley March 29 – April 1, 2023. Bolstering the Minnesota National Guard’s 27-year relationship with Croatia through the U.S. Department of
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Three members from the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 133rd Contingency Response Team traveled to the West Pacific to support an exercise called COPE NORTH. COPE NORTH is an annual multinational exercise where units conduct an Air Base Opening of remote landing zones on the islands throughout the region to facilitate the movement of cargo and
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CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. – When Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Connolly arrived at the first station of the grueling, eight-mile, Valor Ruck March on March 30, 2023, he was immediately immersed in the history of one of America’s legendary World War II heroes, Army Combat Medic, Pfc. Desmond Doss. He was the first conscientious objector to
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Last year, during an engine run check, maintenance personnel discovered a leak on one of their C-130H Hercules propellers. After further inspection, more cracks were found, and the U.S. Air Force issued a time compliance technical order (TCTO) which grounded the C-130H fleet utilizing four-bladed propellers. The U.S. Air Force had been working on ways
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Attaining the rank of sergeant major is not an easy task. Less than 1% of the Army is comprised of Soldiers holding the rank.  To achieve the rank, master and first sergeants must complete 18 months of rigorous distance learning and a two-week resident course phase at the Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas. 
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Former 148th Fighter Wing Commander, retired Brig. Gen. Kenneth J. Stromquist, has a long, storied military career having served in both the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard for 31-years. One of his first chapters starts at III Corps, South Vietnam where Stromquist served as an O-2 Skymaster pilot with the 19th Tactical Air
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Vince Lombardi once said, “leaders are made, they are not born.” Leadership is a skill that is developed over time through experience, reflection, study and practice. 148th Fighter Wing Vice Commander, Col. Babette S. Van Hees brings a diverse set of experiences to her role. Van Hees enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a
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