U.S. Army Advanced Individual Training students in the 128th Aviation Brigade rotate through stations during an aircraft structural repair course at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Jan. 5, 2026. The course teaches students to identify, evaluate and repair damage to components and structures across multiple airframes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cherish Chavez)
Blood trickled down a Senior Airman’s leg. Breathing heavily, she grunted in pain as she stood after crawling under barbed wire. Covered in mud, sweat and now blood from a fresh scratch, she pressed up a black diamond ski hill transformed into a Spartan obstacle course.
She had one goal: keep moving. The Senior Airman had already run, swam and crawled through punishing challenges scattered across the steep terrain. As contestants around her paused to rest, she questioned herself: What have I gotten myself into?
From childhood through adolescence, the Senior Airman was always active. She fondly remembers tossing a ball with her dad and testing herself on the backyard obstacle course he built for her; moments that fostered her...
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. – Every service member faces challenges. Whether it's high operational tempos, frequent relocations, long deployments, or time away from loved ones, these stressors can take a serious toll on one's mental health and overall well-being. At Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, leadership and support teams work proactively to ensure no one has to face these challenges alone.
According to the Centers for Disease...
