• U.S. Airmen pose for a picture during the Combat Survival course July 25, 2019, at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Combat Survival Training course is a refresher course, which assures that Airmen can win today’s fight and are ready to win tomorrow’s fight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever).

    31st Fighter Wing SERE operations and training

    Cool, yet crisp air hits your face as you go 25 mph per hour up a narrow white road, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, searching for the pilots who are immersed in a Combat Survival training scenario.
  • Cristin, an Italian native from Fontanafredda, won the Air Force Chaplain Corps Outstanding Civilian of the Year in 2018.

    Wyverns Win Top Air Force Awards

    Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer, was once quoted as saying, “Competing at the highest level is not about winning. It’s about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people, and heart. Winning is the result.”
  • The 308th fighter squadron had a part in preparing for the launch of Operation DRAGOON and providing escort to paratroops. Lt. Bob Goebel, pictured here, flew as a flight leader during the missions, recording his experiences in his memoir, Mustang Ace.

    The 31st Fighter Group and Operation DRAGOON

    Operation DRAGOON was conducted Aug. 15 to Sept. 14, 1944, during World War II (1939-1945) to open another front in southern France. The goal of the operation was to secure the vital ports on the French Mediterranean coast and increase pressure on the German forces by opening another front. This was an important invasion of southern France that liberated a huge portion of the country in only four weeks with comparatively light casualties.
  • Military Working Dog Cigan lays down during his retirement ceremony at Aviano Air Base, Italy, July 19, 2019. MWD Cigan has worked at Aviano since September 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rebeccah Woodrow)

    31 SFS retires MWD Cigan

    July 19 marked Military Working Dog Cigan’s last day as a crucial part of the 31st Security Forces Squadron K-9 team. He has worked at Aviano Air Base since September 2015.
  • Genavieve Osuna, dependent of Senior Master Sgt. Jesus Osuna, from the 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron and Sinead Osuna, contractor for the 31st Medical Group receives a scholarship July 3, 2019, at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Aviano Teen Center, located on Area 1 in the Community Center, offers a fun and safe environment for teens ages 13-18 under the supervision of trained program assistants. (Courtesy Photo)

    Aviano Youth of the Year- Genavieve Osuna

    In the freezing cold winter, 15-year-old Chester Greenwood of Maine had enough of her ears being cold. So she decided to make a wire loop and asked her grandmother to sew fur onto the ends. She invented what we now know as earmuffs.
  • U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jared, 57th Rescue Squadron aircrew flight equipment technician and drop zone control officer, right, communicates with aircrew via radio during over-water parachute training off the coast of Italy, July 9, 2019. The 57th RQS trains periodically to keep their Airmen technically proficient in their job and to provide day or night personnel recovery operations in and out of combat. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kelsey Tucker)

    57th Rescue Squadron stays rapidly ready

    Two boats idled together in the Adriatic Sea just off the coast of Northern Italy, battered mercilessly by the waves as eight pairs of eyes searched the sky. The silence stretched for long moments, a hint of anticipation on the cool sea breeze before a radio crackled to life.
  • The 31st Medical Group held a Community Health Care Services Forum at Aviano Air Base, Italy, July 8, 2019. The forum was held to hear concerns and inform patients of improvements at the 31st MDG. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Caleb House)

    Aviano Hosts Community Health Care Services Forum

    The 31st Medical Group held a Community Health Care Services Forum on July 8 at the Community Center on Area 1. Similar to a town hall the purpose of the event is to come together to understand concerns and develop potential solutions as a community. The medical group also informed those in attendance on improvements they have made and the plans they have for the future.
  • This month, Aviano Air Base will be the first in U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) to try out an innovative new frequency monitoring system.

    Aviano AB Innovation: Electromagnetic Visual Recording System

    This month, Aviano Air Base will be the first in U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) to try out an innovative new frequency monitoring system.
  • U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jacob Elliott, first sergeant from the 731st Munitions Squadron from Camp Darby, Italy, poses for a photo, at Aviano Air Base June 28, 2019. The 731st Munitions Squadron endeavors to be U.S. Air Forces in Europe's premier munitions hub, capable of receiving, maintaining, and shipping munitions by rail, sea, or road to any destination globally. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever)

    Leadership at a Geographically Separated Unit

    Air Force bases are designed to be self-contained communities with everything Airmen need to live and raise their families. Especially overseas, base amenities such as shopping centers, libraries, chapels, education centers, automotive centers and vet clinics help improve the quality of life for Airmen.
  • U.S. Air Force Airman Basic Jeffery Jenkins, aircraft metals technology technician from the 31st Maintenance Squadron, works on the MJ-1 STEP project, July 1, 2019 at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Jenkins’s primary duties on the project are to analyze and interpret the blueprints of the MJ-1 STEP. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever)

    Innovation at its finest: MJ-1 STEP

    Munitions Airmen often use the MJ-1 series bomb lift truck to help transport, load and unload a wide variety of munitions and other supplies. Typically, a ladder is used to make small adjustments for precise positioning of supplies during loading. But now, members from the 31st Maintenance Squadron are innovating a locally manufactured platform called the MJ-1 STEP. It’ll be attached to the front wheel area of the MJ-1, where the weapon troops can step up on, eliminating the need for a ladder.
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