This week on NRA's Life of Duty Network, we take a look at 3 Echo 9; the men and women who serve as U.S. Air Force Emergency Management Specialists. These are the people who gear up in the Level A HazMat suits to take care of everything from major aircraft accidents to the ever-present threat of an offensive biological warfare.

"My wife doesn't have any fears about what I do," explains TSGT David Yeo, an Air Force Emergency Management Craftsman. "If something was going to go wrong then it was going to go wrong whether I mitigated it or not."

It's difficult to explain all they go through to prepare for these incidents. For a better understanding, click here to see the trailer and link to the full 3 Echo 9 video event.

How do you come to terms with the dangers involved in your spouse's job? When there's no one else to talk to, no one who can understand, it's the spouses of our service men and women who face their own private battles here at home.

NRA Life of Duty provides a look at those struggles in this Valentine's Day week video. See more on their website at www.nralifeofduty.tv.

NRA's Life of Duty recently took a look at the exploits of Jim Allen, a World War II paratrooper wounded at Market Garden in September of 1944. After successfully leading his comrades from a would-be ambush, Allen was hit by a grenade. Recovering over time, Allen eventually joined one of the first group of American Smokejumpers based out of Okanogan, Washington.

Read the full story, titled "Under Fire Over Fire," in the latest edition of American Warrior magazine.

Shooting Illustrated's Ed Friedman appears to be on a lucky streak as of late. Not only does he get to play with all the guns and gear, but he also has an inside track to some of the most accomplished personalities in the industry. As an example, he's a taste of his interview with American Sniper Chris Kyle: :

An American Hero
I don't get to interview legends every day. Today, I did.

I just interviewed Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, author of the bestselling book “American Sniper.” Kyle is a genuinely nice guy and extremely modest. What’s more, he is donating 100 percent of his cut of the book’s profit to the families of fallen servicemen and to veterans’ charities.

If you’ve been living under a rock, Kyle is the most prolific sniper in American history, with 160 confirmed kills in Iraq. Despite holding that title (by a wide margin), he does not rank himself as the greatest sniper we’ve produced.

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Project Enduring Pride helping transition of wounded soldiers

Project Enduring Pride participant enjoys his marksmanship with a M1 Garand rifle at the NRA Range

Fairfax, Virginia - There were two parts to Project Enduring Pride's visit to the National Rifle Association earlier this week — the National Firearms Museum and the NRA Headquarters Range. While Kerrin accompanied those who toured the Museum, I stayed with the men and women who decided to take on the range.

Enduring Pride helps those who were wounded in the service of our country with the transition from military to civilian life. If one uses Tuesday's outing as a barometer of Pride's progress, I'd say they're doing one heck of a job.

"A number of people go through the range every week," said Customer Service Specialist Debra Crews. "I can't remember the last time we've seen so many smiling faces out on the line. Now that they all have their Range ID Cards, I hope to see them down here more often."

Volunteers from NRA Headquarters and the U.S. Border Patrol took personal time to man the thirteen open bays, each with either a pistol or rifle ready to fire. Among the options were a Smith & Wesson 4566, a Mac 10, a 1911, an M-1 Garand and a M4 rifle. Taking turns, the soldiers and family members spent a few hours sending shots down range with great success.

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Fairfax, Virginia - As Lars told you yesterday, we had the honor of welcoming a group of wounded warriors from Project Enduring Pride as they visited NRA Headquarters here in Fairfax, Virginia. The group of nearly 40 included combat disabled veterans and their family and friends. After a quick lunch at the NRA Café, half of the group went to the range with Lars, and the second half came with me to the National Firearms Museum.

Senior Curator Doug Wicklund took the group on a tour of the entire National Firearms Museum, explaining the significance of certain firearms, particularly those relating to the military. The tour began in the Petersen Gallery and included a stop to look at the guns of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders. The group also looked at galleries containing the guns of the first and second World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and firearms used in modern warfare in the Middle East. But what were the group's favorite guns? Those contained in the Ruger Gallery's "Hollywood Guns" Exhibit.

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The National Rifle Association welcomes wounded warrior group

Fairfax, Virginia - Project Enduring Pride creates recreational and educational opportunities to wounded service members. Founded at the Walter Reed Army Hospital back in 2006, Enduring Pride helps bridge the return of our wounded service men and women to the civilian world. One of those event took place today at the National Rifle Association.

With a group numbering around forty, including volunteers and family members, Enduring Pride arrived with plans to experience what some of us here at NRA Headquarters see every day. Among the stops were the NRA Cafe, the Headquarters Range and the National Firearms Museum.

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Fairfax, Virginia - Debbie Crews from the NRA Headquarters Range contacted us a few weeks ago to talk about an event at NRA Headquarters for the Enduring Pride Project. To quote from their website, “Project Enduring Pride is a community outreach program that works with and assists the severely wounded warriors returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and now recuperating at Military Medical Centers and Veterans Administrations Hospitals in the Washington, Richmond or Baltimore areas.”

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 24th, a group of these wounded warriors will arrive at the National Rifle Association to enjoy a little lunch, take a tour of the National Firearms Museum, and fire off a few rounds down in the range.

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On Monday, December 5th, The Military Channel hosted a premier of their new show Triggers at the National Rifle Association. In exchange for taking care of the guests and facilities, they provided the food, the drink, the show and the host ... not too bad a deal.

The host is a man by the name of Wil Willis. As a former Army Ranger and Air Force Pararescueman, Wil is definitely a man who knows his way around the trigger. That's why we decided to head up to National Firearms Museum Director Jim Supica's office to give Willis the opportunity to gander at Jim's collection.

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