The 909th Air Refueling Squadron was awarded the 2022 Senior Master Sgt. Albert Evans Award, distinguishing themselves as the U.S. Air Force unit with the best in-flight refueling operator section.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Jessica Wallander, 909th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, conducts a preflight check on a KC-135 Stratotanker at Kadena Air Base, Japan, April 5, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Zachary Priest, 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, delivers fuel to a 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1B Lancer during a flight over the Pacific Ocean, March 19, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Theo Moran, 909th Air Refueling Squadron aircraft commander, looks outside the cockpit of a KC-135 Stratotanker prior to takeoff at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 17, 2023.
Tech. Sgt. Brandon Harmon, 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, prepares the boom on a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker for aerial refueling over the Pacific Ocean, Feb. 2, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jordan Barker, 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, watches an F-16CM Fighting Falcon assigned to the 35th Fighter Wing approach a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 909th ARS to receive fuel over Hokkaido, Japan, Jan. 27, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nasia Harris observes Senior Airman Seth Amiott, 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operators, as he prepares for aerial refueling over the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 10, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Connor Wilkins, 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, controls the boom of a KC-135 Stratotanker during refueling over the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 30, 2022.
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Jonah Urlaub, left, and Capt. Alexander Ling, 909th Air Refueling Squadron pilots, review KC-135 Stratotanker maintenance records at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 23, 2022.
U.S. Air Force SSgt. Andrew Chase, 909th ARS boom operator, delivers fuel to an F-15C Eagle during a flight over the Pacific Ocean in support of exercise Keen Sword 23, Nov. 17, 2022.
As a kid, every New Year I would look forward to a sweet jelly called kouhaku kanten. Kanten is a jelly made from boiled tengusa algae and seaweed. It is known for being low-calorie and rich in fiber, so it is often used as a healthy alternative to regular sweets.
Turmeric, or “ukon” in Japanese, is a kind of ginger, known as a spice for Indian curry, and in Japan, it is mostly recognized as a food that can help avoid hangover.
It has been said that food is the soul of a country. This couldn’t be truer for Okinawa. A mix of favorable natural conditions and diverse foreign influences produced unique eating habits and a cooking style that is now known as “Okinawan cuisine”.
