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  • TRUE GRIT - Instructor pilot conquers life-threatening tumor

    With every step, Lt. Col. John Turnipseed's legs burned so badly it felt as though he was turning into a human torch. Had someone offered him a lounge chair and a cold drink right then, his exhausted brain and body might have flirted with the idea. And who could blame him? He'd just biked 26 miles

  • JOE vs. H2O

    Growing up in California, Joe and I had been inseparable. Yeah, we were both military brats, which right away placed us in an "exclusive club" based on our experiences, and we had a lot of the same interests. But it was our differences that seemed to bring us together.I was shy, a bit cautious and

  • 'WAR BIRDS' - Safety experts spearhead efforts to minimize bird strikes

    Americans witnessed firsthand the severity of bird strikes when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crash landed in the Hudson River in New York City after hitting a flock of birds in January.Lt. Col. Charles Wallace and his team of seven safety experts with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Safety Office at

  • PAINTBALL! - An exercise in combat leadership

    Capt. Maygen Wilson adjusted her lumpy, 5-pound flack vest as she crouched silently behind a large gray concrete pipe.Her wide, thick-lashed blue eyes cautiously scanned for even the slightest movement. A protective full-face mask pressed awkwardly down on her nose, somewhat impeding her vision. She

  • HUNTED! - War hero mauled by dog

    As Stacy Pearsall ran in the pre-dawn darkness of a chilly morning in Goose Creek, S.C., she listened to music blaring on her iPod. She liked working out alone while most people still slept. But 15 minutes into her jog, joy turned to terror.She caught a white blur out of the corner of her left eye.

  • Our First 15 Years

    Established in 1994, Torch has been going strong ever since. Our readers and their stories have been our life-blood. Every Airman who enters the Air Force gets a chance to read Torch, and we're happy to say many of them become loyal customers. Together, we've expanded worldwide to nearly 200,000

  • The Ghost of 'Jenny' - Ninety years later, aircraft still has story to tell

    With almost 600 hours of flight experience, 2nd Lt. Philip R. Meyer remained confident when he spied an obstruction 500 feet down the makeshift "runway." After all, it was just a fence. To clear it, he'd have to get the aircraft to at least 45 mph, but he had plenty of open pasture to reach that