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  • Fireworks ... the easy way

    There are safe methods of lighting fireworks and there are dangerous ways of lighting fireworks. Two Darwin heroes were eliminated from the gene pool when they chose the later method of ignition. Generally, firecrackers are illegal in several states for this very reason. However, as most of us know,

  • Drop and roll

    Christopher arrived home with a case of beer. "He drank a quantity of beer," his wife, Jacqueline said, "and then started smoking." His drinking binge progressed. At some state of inebriation Jacqueline observed him clumsily attempting to fill his lighter, spilling the flammable liquid on his

  • History of the Turkish Air Force

    (Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series.) The first Turkish encounter with hostile military aircraft took place in 1911 when Italy invaded Libya, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. During the war with Libya, the Italians used aircraft for reconnaissance and dropping bombs on

  • ALS puts eyes on nightlife

    For most people, a normal Friday night at Incirlik consists of drinking in the dorms or housing units before heading to the Alley, then going to the club. If a few of us hadn't been assigned to Eyes On for ALS, we probably could have been found out in the Alley too. We started the night early,

  • Feral Friday

    Allan was a 33-year-old computer technician and by all accounts a smart and competitive guy. So when it came to entering the local Feral Friday competition Allan was raring to go. For those of you unfamiliar with the word feral, it means untamed, wild, savage. The drinking competition was aptly

  • Ataturk memorial

    The Turkish people pay tribute to the father of their modern republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, with nation-wide memorial services Nov. 10. During the day, which marks the 68th anniversary of Ataturk's death, the entire country will stop for two minutes at 9:05 a.m., the moment of his death. This

  • The Risk of Slipping on Ice

    A guy from Michigan buys himself a brand-new $30,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee for Christmas. He goes down to his favorite bar and celebrates by tossing down a few too many brews with his buddies. The five of them decide to take his new vehicle for a test drive on a duck hunting expedition. They load up

  • The role of the Wingman

    Wingman Day, Nov. 9, gives us all an opportunity to review Wingman roles and responsibilities and consider what went wrong with regard to Wingman mutual support during the recent fatalities throughout USAFE. As we review the facts surrounding these mishaps, one thing should become obvious: the

  • The alley; reality not a video game

    The main street in the alley is not an imitation wall or floor waiting for the first smart drunk who thinks it can be conquered, so he can move to the next level to win the game. It wasn't designed to be tested by adolescents pretending to be grown adults. For the most part it's simply a commercial

  • Keeping the mission moving

    In 1999, I was the investigating officer of a major mishap that took place at Tinker Air Force Base on the KC-135 Stratotanker depot maintenance line. We were asked to figure out how a KC-135 in its final stages of quality checks prior to reentering the operational inventory could explode during a