Episode 785
Above and Beyond: Inside Today's Air Force
Why watch: Episode 785 goes inside the U.S.
Episode 785 goes inside the U.S. Air Force through BLUE, the service's flagship television program from Air Force TV and the Defense Media Activity. The Cyber Shield (2017) introduces the Airmen who protect the computers behind everything from GPS to advanced aircraft and weapons systems against hacking and ransomware. Testing the Minuteman visits the Airmen responsible for keeping America's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile fleet ready at a moment's notice. Life Cycle of an Airman follows an Air Force career from recruitment to retirement. The half-hour closes behind the camera with the making of Own the Sky, the 2022 Air Force commercial filmed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, featuring fifth-generation fighters and their pilots. For viewers, the program honors the skill and service of today's Airmen. For veterans' organizations, military families, recruiters, healthcare partners, broadcasters, sponsors, and funders, it opens a conversation about the demands of military service — and the hearing health that service can cost.
In this program
- BLUE Episode 21 The Cyber Shield
- BLUE Episode 22 Testing the Minuteman
- BLUE Episode 25 Life Cycle of an Airman
- U. S. Air Force Making of Own the Sky
Sound Tips™ Companion
Military service is loud. Jet engines, flight lines, weapons, generators, and vehicles expose Airmen to hazardous noise, and deployments add dust and debris that make hearing protection harder to wear well. According to the Department of Defense, hearing loss and tinnitus — a ringing, buzzing, or whistling in the ears — are among the top three reasons for VA disability compensation claims. Noise is the main cause: years of repeated unprotected exposure, or even one unprotected blast of extremely loud sound. The Air Force runs a Hearing Conservation Program with regular hearing tests for Airmen in noisy jobs, and Defense Department policy now requires hearing-protector fit testing for personnel with high noise exposure, because protection only works when it fits. Sound Tips™ for service members, veterans, and families: wear earplugs or earmuffs every time around loud equipment, on or off duty; ask for a fit test; get hearing checked regularly and report ringing or muffled hearing right away; and veterans with hearing loss or tinnitus can seek care and benefits through the VA.
- Source: U.S. Air Force — BLUE: The Cyber Shield
- Source: U.S. Air Force — BLUE: Testing the Minuteman
- Source: U.S. Air Force — BLUE: Life Cycle of an Airman
- Source: U.S. Air Force — Own the Sky airpower ad
- Source: Air Force Medical Service — Hearing conservation protects Airmen
- Source: Defense Centers for Public Health — Hearing Conservation and Readiness
- Source: Health.mil — How Fit Testing Saves Hearing
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