Members of the 501st Combat Support Wing gather for the 501st CSW Change of Command Ceremony at RAF Fairford, England, July 25, 2025. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Paul Moga, Third Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony where command was transferred from Col. D. Landon Phillips to Col. Michael J. Jewell. (U.S. Air Force video by Tech. Sgt. Jessica Avallone)
Members of the 501st Combat Support Wing (CSW) render a salute during a Wing change of command ceremony at RAF Fairford, England, July 25, 2025. The ceremony formally recognizes the transfer of the Wing’s responsibilities from one commander to another. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jessica Avallone)
When Technical Sergeant Erik Stauffer supported the 2022 Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the world’s largest military airshow, he didn’t expect an introduction to lead to marriage.
Stauffer, the 420th Air Base Squadron (ABS) noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of radio frequency transmissions at RAF Fairford, joined the RIAT communications team and met Sophie, a longtime British volunteer since 2003.
“Our boss said, ‘This is Erik. He’s single.’ Then introduced Sophie the same way,” Stauffer said. “It was definitely a setup.”
They spent long hours working in the summer heat and quickly connected.
“It was ridiculously hot,” Sophie said. “We were on the same jobs, hanging out a lot. Then on...
