April 12, 2018

“Summer”time starts at the 13th RS

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — Summer and Sunshine stood brightly onstage while rain poured outside the Valley Chapel. As Lt. Col. Karyn L. “Sunshine” Christen relinquished command of the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron April 7, Lt. Col. Summer A. Fields stepped up with a smile to fill her shoes. Col. David S. Edwards presided over the squadron’s change of command ceremony. He is

March 30, 2018

“… She never took ‘no’ for an answer…”

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — “Women are often treated differently in both my military and civilian career fields, since they are male-dominated. I’m an equipment operator here, working with heavy machinery, and I’m a geologist on the civilian side. We, as women, have to grow tough skin and show people we can do the work just as well as men can. Doing that has made me not want

Feb. 28, 2018

“… Saw it as a way out…”

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — Promoting to chief master sergeant was an indescribable moment for Martez D. Banks, 940th Operations Group superintendent. He felt fortunate to accept such a trusted position, however, he never planned to climb so high up the ranks.“It wasn’t a relief,” he said, explaining how pinning on chief was never his goal. “It wasn’t like ‘I’ve

Feb. 14, 2018

Spouses get first-hand look at refueling

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — Thirteen husbands and wives of 940th Air Refueling Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen flew on KC-135 Stratotankers to watch air-to-air refueling Feb. 10.    It was the first spouse flight for the 314th Air Refueling Squadron since the wing’s re-designation to the tanker mission in 2016. The tankers, belonging to the 314 ARS at Beale Air Force Base,

Jan. 1, 2018

“… Looking forward to a new start …”

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — “I’ve had a lot to overcome in the past couple years. In 2016, I was tested for a gene linked to breast cancer, called the BRCA 1 mutation, since multiple women in my family have battled it. After testing positive and being told I had a very high risk for developing breast cancer by age 40, I decided to go through with preventative surgery and

Dec. 31, 2017

Same job, different clothes

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — For many reservists, work life does not end when they take off the uniform. Maj. Francis J. Tobias is one of these Airmen. Aside from a change of setting and suit and tie, his profession remains the same."I do the exact same job; I just change clothes," he said. In uniform, Tobias serves as the director of Equal Opportunity for the 940th Air

Nov. 22, 2017

“…They’re the reason I do anything…”

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — “I was first assigned to Beale when I was active-duty. I was, and still am, an aircraft maintenance officer. I wanted to settle down and start a family, so I transferred to the Reserve. Now, I have been married for eight years and am a father of two. My wife loves Thanksgiving. We moved to a bigger home two years ago with the goal being to host all

Nov. 9, 2017

Suits and boots: Reserve readiness exercise

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — More than 90 Beale reservists demonstrated their readiness capabilities in a simulated chemical environment during their unit training assembly Nov. 4 here.   The Ability to Survive and Operate exercise prepared Airmen for working in hostile locations by allowing them to practice in gas masks and protective suits.   “It was a great exercise,”

Oct. 20, 2017

“…‘Til they can’t walk anymore …”

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — “My uncle used to scare my siblings and me when we were younger every Halloween. He would always buy these unique, limited edition-type masks and come out when we weren’t expecting it. One of my favorite Halloween memories was the time I got him back. I put on the wolf mask I had for my costume, hid in my grandparent’s basement and waited for my

Aug. 30, 2017

"... I'm working my way up..."

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California — “One thing I’m really into these days is weightlifting. I started about nine months ago and am working toward my first competition early next year. My journey started in high school when I was bullied and turned to food for comfort. I eventually was able to replace that with fitness. I got a job as a lifeguard, which helped because I would swim