Quality assurance Airman turns hardship into strength
Tech. Sgt. Barry Armstrong, an 8th Maintenance Group weapons quality assurance inspector, poses for a portrait with an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, Jan. 17, 2012. Armstrong shares his more than 14 years of experience working as a weapons loader in the Air Force and what it took to get where he is. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton/)After graduating high school, he attended college at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. He was an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet determined to become an air-attack helicopter pilot. But after a year of study, it was apparent he wasn't ready for college. And so, following a great line of mechanics and the support of his Marine Corps uncle, Brian Sampson, Armstrong enlisted in the Air Force in February of 1998 with a guaranteed job as an F-15 Eagle crew chief. "My first supervisor at Edwards fostered an attitude of independence," Armstrong said. "This allowed us to do our own thing and even screw up some times so we could learn from our mistakes. It wasn't quite the leadership style I appreciated though. I'm more of a 'hands-on' learner. So while I learned a lot about my career field and how to accomplish the mission, he showed me how I didn't want to train when my time came." "The last time I was here, I met my wife," he said. "She was an American Forces Network broadcaster here. We were on the same Dungeons and Dragons group and when they had contests, I would visit AFN to pickup my prizes. I also volunteered my voice for commercials and such. We became friends quickly, started dating and got married within our one year tour.
Time Osan Afb Korea - News
"My wife and I both got orders to Korea and the rest is history." His wife, Genevieve, is serving in the public affairs office at Osan Air Base. They are able to visit as often as their respective missions allow. But for Armstrong it's a mission he
07:24 GMT, January 16, 2012 OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea | Members of 7th Air Force and the 607th Air and Space Operations Center welcomed the 8th Army Joint Interface Control Cell team to the Combat Operations Division here, a historic move that will
At Osan Air Base in Korea, members of the 51st Fighter Wing volunteered their time to help Red Cross staff sort thousands of cards they received at the base in late November. The Red Cross also partnered with the Cookie Crunch organization to
Last year, Bruce met an Albion man, Major Colby Kuhns, who is a U-2 pilot assigned to the 5th Reconnaissance squadron at Osan Air Base, Korea. Bruce gave Colby the sunglasses he wore on his missions during World War II, saying he hoped they guided
But there's a reason they've won seven Far East DI Tournament titles and have 11 Center Court appearances to their credit since 2003 – they've spent quite a bit of time banging bodies with post-level teams since first entering the Osan Pacificwide
