Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Staff Sgt. Arjune Haynes poses for a photo Jan. 30, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Haynes, originally from Trujillo, Panama, was inspired to join a branch of the U.S. armed forces after a life-changing encounter with a service member during Operation Just Cause in 1989. Haynes is the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary services assistant NCO in charge. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Aubrey White)A dream born from chaos
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Arjune Haynes poses for a photo Jan. 30, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Haynes, originally from Trujillo, Panama, was inspired to join a branch of the U.S. armed forces after a life-changing encounter with a service member during Operation Just Cause in 1989. Haynes is the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary services assistant NCO in charge. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Aubrey White)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Staff Sgt. Arjune Haynes directs Senior Airman Robert Hart through a pulmonary function test Jan. 16, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. After multiple failed attempts at the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and being disqualified during his physical, Haynes, a native of Panama, thought his dream of becoming an American Airman were out of reach. Now an Airman of eight years, Haynes said he tells the younger Airmen he comes in contact with to never take no for an answer. Haynes is the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary services assistant NCO in charge and Hart is an 633rd MDOS cardiopulmonary technician. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Aubrey White)An innocent dream born from chaos
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Arjune Haynes directs Senior Airman Robert Hart through a pulmonary function test Jan. 16, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. After multiple failed attempts at the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and being disqualified during his physical, Haynes, a native of Panama, thought his dream of becoming an American Airman were out of reach. Now an Airman of eight years, Haynes said he tells the younger Airmen he comes in contact with to never take no for an answer. Haynes is the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary services assistant NCO in charge and Hart is an 633rd MDOS cardiopulmonary technician. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Aubrey White)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Staff Sgt. Arjune Haynes reviews an echocardiogram Jan. 16, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Haynes, originally from Trujillo, Panama, was inspired to join a branch of the U.S. armed forces after a life-changing encounter with a service member during Operation Just Cause in 1989. Haynes is the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary services assistant NCO in charge. This photo has been altered to protect patient information. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Aubrey White)An innocent dream born from chaos
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Arjune Haynes reviews an echocardiogram Jan. 16, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Haynes, originally from Trujillo, Panama, was inspired to join a branch of the U.S. armed forces after a life-changing encounter with a service member during Operation Just Cause in 1989. Haynes is the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary services assistant NCO in charge. This photo has been altered to protect patient information. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Aubrey White)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

A dream born from chaosPublished Feb. 1, 2015
                    
                    By Senior Airman Aubrey White
                    
                    
                    633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) --***(This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)*
In the early hours of Dec. 20, 1989, when most of Panama City was sleeping, a 10-year-old boy and his family were awakened by explosions and helicopters overhead. The family exited their home, only to witness pandemonium: buildings burning down, people running and screaming.
War was reality for Arjune Haynes and many other Panamanian citizens during Operation Just Cause - the U.S. invasion of Panama to overthrow military dictator Manuel Noriega.
"My mom woke me up and I could hear the firefights," Haynes recalled. "All I could see were buildings burning and falling apart. I was scared."
In the confusion, Haynes said all he could do was cry.
After sleeping at a family friend's home, Haynes said he remembers witnessing troops and tanks patrolling the streets as criminals looted nearby stores.
A couple days later, Haynes and his family returned to see what was left of their home. He recalled peering at the smoldering rubble of what used to be his neighborhood. His mom left for a moment to visit the families of loved ones they’d lost in the midst of the chaos.
Standing on a curb alone and upset, Haynes said he noticed an unlikely companion walking toward him.
"I was crying and scared, and that's when one of the (U.S.) Soldiers came up to me and said, 'Are you all right?'
"I was just looking at him and I didn't say anything," Haynes said. “He gave me a Baby Ruth, I'll never forget.  He said, 'Everything's going to be all right. Don't worry; it's going to be all right.'"
Haynes said the small gesture of the sweet, snack-size candy bar -- something most would consider insignificant -- was just enough to ease the young boy’s nervous tension and leave a lasting impression.
"(The Soldier) impacted my life in such a great way," Haynes said. "After that instance, I knew I just wanted to wear the uniform; I didn't know if it was Air Force or Army, I just knew it was the United States armed forces and that's all I wanted to be."
Days later, Haynes spoke to his father, a Panama Canal worker, about his interest in the U.S. military.
"As I got older, I realized I wanted to join the Air Force -- mostly because of the planes," Haynes said. "After a little more research, I told my dad my dreams and he immediately enrolled me in a bilingual (elementary) school. At the time I didn't know what was going on, but he was setting me up for (a career in the U.S. military)."
Haynes continued attending bilingual schools, learning English throughout middle and high school. He eventually enrolled in college, still hopeful for a chance to go to the United States and join the Air Force.
One day in 2000, Haynes' father returned from a long day's work at the Panama Canal with an opportunity Haynes couldn't pass up. His father, who had worked for the United States for more than 20 years before the canal's control was transferred to Panama, was offered the opportunity to move to the United States. This move meant Haynes could finally fulfill his dream of joining the Air Force, and although his parents denied the offer, Haynes left with no hesitation.
"Though I knew I would miss my family and friends, I couldn't let the opportunity slip through my fingers," he said. "I was going to make something of myself; make my family proud, and change someone else's life for the better, just as mine was."
The day Haynes first set foot in the United States, Dec. 20, 2000, he visited a recruiter's office in hopes of being accepted into the Air Force.
"I was nervous but I had wanted this for so long, the nervousness was overpowered by anticipation," he said. "This was it; this was my chance to accomplish my dream."
Not knowing what to expect of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery pretest, the Air Force-hopeful failed the exam. After retaking it and passing, Haynes unsuccessfully attempted the ASVAB, realizing he could use more time to study.
"I wasn't as prepared as I had first thought walking into the recruiter's office," he recalled. "I tried not to allow the failed attempts to deter me from trying again, so I took a few more months to study."
Haynes took the ASVAB for a second time and passed. He was another step closer.
So he thought.
"When I was doing my physical, I got disqualified because apparently I had a heart murmur," Haynes said, remembering the heartbreak he felt being denied again. "My dreams were shut down, so I put that on hold and found a civilian job at a hospital in Staten Island, New York."
Haynes said the hustle of working to provide for himself seemed to make days and nights blur together, and before he knew it, six years had passed.
When Haynes' best friend came to visit from Panama, he gave Haynes the awakening he needed to try his hand again at bringing greater significance to not only his own life, but now, with a 2-year-old daughter, his family's life through the Air Force.
The friend asked, "What are you doing?" Haynes said. "Your entire life you've said you wanted to join the Air Force. You left your family. You left your friends because you were seeking your dream and you're sitting here doing something that's not what you wanted. Go back and take the physical again."
"He was right," Haynes said. "I couldn't let my father's hard work in getting me here be in vain. I wanted to make my family proud. I wanted to do for someone else what that Soldier had done for me, and the only way I was going to accomplish that was by getting back up and trying again."
With his renewed drive, Haynes re-entered the enlistment process. This time, he took the ASVAB and physical and passed.
The words he said he had been longing to say finally flowed from his lips as he recited the Oath of Enlistment Sept. 19, 2006.
"The moment I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, I let out a sigh of relief," Haynes said. "Now, all I had to do was make it through (Air Force Basic Military Training). If I could make it through years of trying to get into the Air Force, I knew I could make it over one more obstacle."
After graduating from BMT, Haynes returned home to Panama to visit family, friends and his old high school.
"Everyone was super proud. I can't find the words to describe how good it felt," Haynes said. "That was a way of life telling me to never take no for an answer. I was shut down so many times. This was the best decision I've made in my life for so many reasons."
Haynes said he was reassured that fulfilling his dream proved he truly had made the right choice.
Now, Staff Sgt. Haynes, the 633rd Medical Operations Squadron cardiopulmonary assistant NCO in charge, often reminisces on the eight years he has spent in the Air Force and how a childhood dream had flourished into a dream come true. When he deployed in 2009, Haynes said he felt he fulfilled the second half of his goal -- impacting lives with one small act of kindness at a time, just as his was.
"I deployed to Bagram Airfield, (Afghanistan,) in 2009, and had an extraordinary experience," he recalled. "This was the best experience, knowing that I was taking care of those who are wearing the uniform outside the wire. I had no problem working 12-hour shifts every single day, just knowing I was going to take care of someone and do my best to make sure that person returned home safely."
In an effort to continue his work of positively impacting lives through his military service, Haynes said he always makes sure to give the Airmen around him one specific piece of advice.
"Find your 'why,'" he said. "There's a (reason) for whatever you want to become or whatever you want to do. If you focus yourself on the 'why,' you'll get there no matter what. My 'why' was to impact someone's life and the only way I was going to do that was to wear the uniform and do the same thing that Soldier did for me."
Sometimes a dream can form from a grand revelation or epiphany, but other times a dream can begin as a snack-sized candy bar -- insignificant to most, but a source of hope and reassurance to those who need it the most.Joint Base Langley-Eustis 



TAE Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil