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Elkins native currently serving with the U.S. Air Force in Japan

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brooke Binns Abbey Yardley recently earns new rank with U.S. Airforce.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth article in The Inter-Mountain’s Unsung Heroes series, which will feature veterans in our area and share first-hand accounts of their military service. The series will publish each Monday through Veterans Day. To suggest an Unsung Hero, call 304-636-2121, ext. 120.

ELKINS – An Elkins native believes that because of the U.S. Air Force, there is nowhere to go but up.

Senior Airman Abbey Yardley says that she has intentions of furthering her education so she is able to be a positive member of the U.S. Air Force throughout her entire career.

Currently serving in Okinawa, Japan, Yardley’s job is part of the Air Crew Flight Equipment Journeymen, which requires her to maintain and prepare equipment.

“I inspect, maintain and preposition equipment on the aircraft that the air crew would need either in every day flight or in the event of an emergency,” Yardley said.

The Airman said that furthering her education by pursuing a four-year degree while she is an active member of the Air Force is one of her highest priorities.

“I will do different things throughout the tiers. Right now, I’m doing ‘grunt’ work — I inspect all of the equipment, put it on the air craft, do pre-flights and post-flights and pack parachutes, but as I move up I’ll be doing more and more (administration) type things,” Yardley said. “I’ll be going to talk to people who aren’t getting things done or things like that.”

Yardley said the relationships she has formed, and will continue to form, with people she has been lucky enough to encounter will be an important part of her journey in the Air Force.

“There are a couple of girls from basic that I still talk to — none of them are stationed here, but I’m actually here with three people from my tech school that I work with every day,” Yardley said. “You’re like each other’s family.”

In addition to forming new bonds with people along the way, Yardley has been able to create tighter bonds with her own family.

She explained that while she was enrolled in college — before she enlisted in the military — her parents were working extremely hard to fund her education. Because she was unsure of the path she was looking to take, she decided that joining the Air Force may be just what she was looking for.

In addition to the appreciation she and her parents gained for one another, she noted that several generations of her family has served in various branches of the military.

Yardley said that her time in Japan has been an experience that has allowed her to experience another culture in the world while be immersed in it.

“Coming from a small town and not knowing much of anything about any other culture in the world,” Yardley said in regards to something that she benefited from.

“Going and living in the culture and talking to the locals and living in Japan is an experience,” Yardley said. “The food here is amazing — I don’t look forward to leaving it.”

She joked that adjusting to the traffic flow and pace in Japan is something worth noting that she gained in experience — saying you must be patient driver.

Yardley is 23 years old and will be continuing her career on a controlled tour at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in England.

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