Active duty

Air Force Airman Christopher E. Blake graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. Blake earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the son of Karolyne Davidson of Everett and is a 2004 graduate of Mariner High School.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Marty F. Escalante, son of Elena and Francisco Escalante of Oak Harbor, recently spent time in Guyana in South America as part of a humanitarian exercise called New Horizons. He and more than 200 service members provided medical and dental care and built schools and other community facilities to aid the people of the poverty-stricken nation. Escalante is a computer network and cryptographic systems specialist. He is 1996 Oak Harbor High School graduate and earned associate degrees in electronic systems technology and construction technology from the Community College of the Air Force.

Army Reserve Staff Sgt. James A. Lindstrand has returned after his service in Iraq. Lindstrand is a chaplain assistant assigned to the 63rd Regional Readiness Command at Los Alamitos, Calif. The staff sergeant has served in the military for 11 years. He is the son of Norman and Linda Lindstrand of Marysville. His wife, Misty, is the daughter of Tom and Cheryl Klein of Marysville. The sergeant is a 1998 graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

Navy seaman apprentice Michael J. Hunter, a 2008 graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. He is the son of Carolyn and Michael Hunter of Marysville. During the eight-week program, Hunter completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

To submit news for the Active Duty column, contact reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.