WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – After figuring out that a career in nursing wasn’t for her, Oklahoma City native Rain’a Arnold found a new path with the Air Force. She learned to manage airmen by specializing in administration and personnel, and had the good fortune of first being stationed in her hometown at Tinker Air Force Base.

“I’m the only child, and it was just my mom taking care of me, so I was like, ‘I need to get back home, so let’s make this happen,’ so I was very happy to get my first choice,” she said.

Arnold said her time at Tinker consisted of helping airmen learn their assignments, do evaluations, receive awards and decorations, and process their ID cards.

After six or seven years, Arnold was transferred to Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, where she took on a new role: resilience training, which helps airmen adjust back to civilian life.

“It kind of opened up my eyes to let other airmen know that, ‘Hey, you are not the only one going through that.’ A lot of airmen thought that nobody knows what they’re feeling and they need to turn to suicide or something like that,” she said.

After her time at Keesler, Arnold was sent to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and while she wasn’t on the battlefield, the skills she learned in Mississippi helped her understand and assist fellow airmen dealing with stress, pressure, and other emotions as they battled Al-Qaeda.

“There’s a higher scale of anxiety, aggression, depression, the whole nine yards, and there’s no time to play around or joke around,” she said.

Following Afghanistan, Arnold’s final stop of her active duty career was McConnell Air Force Base. This time around, she was doing admin work for the maintenance squadron.

In 2023, after 16 years of service, Arnold decided to retire early as a Master Sergeant and with good cause.

“My mom got sick, and she only had six months to live, so I had to decide how I wanted to do this,” she said.

Arnold says she made the right call and cherishes the time she spent with her mother before her passing.

Arnold then moved to Derby and found a job in human resources, which she says is right up her alley due to all her Air Force training.

“Being a veteran in Wichita is awesome! It’s wonderful. I get so much praise that I wouldn’t have even expected. You don’t see color. You don’t see anything. They are very nice to their veterans here, to their military members. Definitely, Wichita is a place to come live if you are a veteran,” she said.

KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.

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Would $6,000 entice you to move? If it does, consider Ottawa, Kansas.

The small town is rolling out the red carpet for potential new residents with a $6,000 cash incentive as part of the state’s first-ever relocation program.

Rural Kansas county will give you $6K to move to small town

Basically, the program is using $3 million in state funding to help local communities create “please move here” packages.

“Our community is really ready and primed to be able to grow. And hopefully this program allows the degree to kind of jump start that,” said Ryland Miller, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce president.

There are just a few requirements to apply. Applicants must be from outside the state, have a job secured before moving and maintain a household income of at least $55,000.

Here’s the link to learn more.

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• Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery to repair a torn left ACL.
• The injury occurred during a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, which eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention.
• Dr. Dan Cooper, a Dallas-based orthopedic surgeon, performed the procedure.
• Mahomes is expected to begin rehabilitation immediately and has about nine months to recover for the start of the 2026 season.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery to repair his torn left ACL on Dec. 15 in Dallas, Texas, the team said.

Dr. Dan Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon based in Dallas, performed the surgery. Cooper specializes in knee and shoulder injuries for the Carrell Clinic, based in Texas.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said earlier Dec. 15 that Mahomes was seeking a second opinion in the Dallas area. The Chiefs said Mahomes will begin his rehab immediately. The three-time Super Bowl winner will have roughly nine months to prepare for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

ESPN reported that Cooper also repaired Mahomes’ torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Mahomes suffered the injury on Dec. 14 as the Chiefs lost to the Los Angeles Chargers at home, which knocked them out of playoff contention. The two-time MVP was tackled from behind by Chargers defensive end Da’Shawn Hand. Mahomes immediately reached for his left knee after being rolled up from behind as Kansas City’s medical staff immediately tended to him.

He eventually walked off under his own power but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that the initial prognosis did not “look good.”

Gardner Minshew replaced Mahomes and purports to be Kansas City’s starter for the final three games of the season.

Contributing: Jacob Camenker

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