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  • Vietnam War pilot returns home

    The remains of U.S. Air Force pilot Col. Ernest Leo De Soto, who went missing during the Vietnam War, have finally come home.

  • Echoes of Vietnam: An Air Force family legacy

    Maj. Gen. Sharon Bannister accompanied Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall to The Wall at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial to pay respects and conduct a commemorative paper rubbing of the engraving of her father’s name, as well as other names.

  • MLK Day: Honoring his life and legacy

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a U.S. federal holiday marking the birthday of the civil rights leader. This year, the MLK Day of Service will be recognized on Jan. 16 as a way to channel King’s life and teachings into community action.

  • Empowered aviation pioneers leave inspiring legacy for modern Airmen

    The First Flight Society recently hosted a celebration recognizing the 119th anniversary of the first powered and controlled flight, the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force and the induction of Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine. The event took place at the

  • Remembering Flying Tiger Flight 923

    Flying Tiger Flight 923 may not be a well-known story; however, it is a story military history should never let die. As the Air Force celebrates its 75th anniversary, now is the best time to look back and reflect on aviation moments like this.

  • AFA legends weave together past, present, future

    Former Air Force leaders visited Nellis Air Force Base to connect Airmen and Guardians with their living heritage as well as to provide mentorship, advice and encouragement to those currently serving in uniform during the the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Force 75th Anniversary Legends

  • End of an era: U-2 flies last OBC mission

    The Air Force’s high-altitude, all-weather reconnaissance aircraft, the U-2 Dragon Lady, recently flew Beale Air Force Base’s last Optical Bar Camera mission. This move allows processors to consolidate film closer to mission-required reconnaissance collection. 

  • ‘Candy Bomber’ passes away at 101

    Starting his career in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, Halvorsen served as a pilot until his retirement in 1974, after accumulating more than 8,000 flying hours and 31 years of military service. He was also known as the "Candy Bomber."

  • Tuskegee Airman celebrates 102nd birthday at 12th FTW

    Tuskegee Airman, retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee, and several members of his family, visited JBSA Dec. 6 and were treated to a heritage tour of the 99th Flying Training Squadron, where they also saw a T-1A Jayhawk on the nearby flightline with his name painted on the side.

  • P-47 pilot honored on POW/MIA recognition day

    Southward from Advanced Landing Ground A-6 near Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France, the P-47 Thunderbolt fighters pilots flew. Two months after D-Day, they were on a summer evening armed reconnaissance mission which took them to the St. Nazaire area, still occupied by Nazi forces. But before they

  • Last of Doolittle Raiders memorialized

    Remembered as a man who faithfully served his country and was a devoted father and a man of faith, Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” Cole, the last of the Doolittle Raiders, was honored and posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel during a Sept. 7 ceremony at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston

  • 25 Years Later: Remembering Khobar Towers

    “I still don’t know if the bloody footprints on the ground are those of a survivor or one of the 19 who lost their lives that day.”Those are the words of Master Sgt. Norma Gillette, U.S. Air Forces Europe - Air Forces Africa Innovation and Transformation Office superintendent and survivor of the

  • New ‘Women in the Air Force' exhibit to open with virtual event March 5

    The exhibit, titled “Women in the Air Force: From Yesterday into Tomorrow,” covers historical issues, changes in laws and attitudes, and women's contributions to the Air Force mission. These displays, which are located throughout the museum, contain one of a kind artifacts used by women in the Air

  • To care for Airmen more than anyone thinks possible: Four Chaplains Day

    Four Chaplains – U.S. Army chaplains, Lt. George Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander Goode, a Jewish rabbi; Lt. John Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; and Lt. Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister – gave their lives as their final act reinforcing today’s vision of the Air Force Chaplains

  • 78th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid

    April 18 marks the 78th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, in which Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Forces, and Vice Adm. William F. Halsey Jr., U.S. Navy, led a joint bombing operation on the Japanese mainland aimed to inflict both material and psychological damage upon the enemy

  • “I Have a Dream” still inspiring

    Dr. King Jr. was a Baptist minister, turned social activist and civil rights leader who called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism.

  • Royal Air Force Museum American Foundation honors Berlin Airlift veterans

    The Royal Air Force Museum American Foundation celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of Berlin Airlift at their annual “Spirit of the Battle of Britain” banquet last month to honor these veterans for their contributions to the alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom.

  • Final AC-130U Spooky returns from combat deployment

    While still on alert to respond to contingencies as needed for the next few months, the Spooky is being replaced downrange by the AC-130J Ghostrider, the most lethal and innovative gunship in the world.

  • Whiteman AFB commemorates 30-year anniversary of B-2 test flight

    For three decades, B-2 crews have participated in five major military operations and countless training engagements. The bomber has completed missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and, most recently, Libya. The B-2 was also the first aircraft over Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, for which

  • Displaying "Old Glory" with honor

    This week, American flags will be displayed across the nation in celebration of the Independence Day holiday. Following a few guidelines can ensure we are displaying Old Glory properly.

  • Air Force space legend visits the Pentagon

    Air Force legend, space pioneer and Guinness Book of World Records record holder, retired Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford held a question and answer session at the Pentagon, Jan. 29.

  • Remembering the Berlin Airlift

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson discussed the significance of the 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift during a commemoration ceremony at the Air Force Memorial Sept. 16, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia.

  • “Memphis Belle” exhibit opens at National Museum of the USAF

    Through the cockpit windscreen, Capt. Robert Morgan saw flashes of light from the wings and engine cowling of a German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 at his 12 o’clock and closing at an incredible rate. Each wink of light from the fighter’s wing root meant another 20mm cannon shell was heading directly at his

  • Squadrons 'beating heart' of Air Force

    In the Air Force, squadrons are the basic level of operations, its “beating heart” as Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Goldfein calls them.To better understand how significant the squadron is to the Air Force, it’s also important to know what a squadron is.

  • Solo mission

    Standing proudly in front of a B-25 Mitchell on display for a recent airshow in the central Texas town of Burnet, retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole slowly walked up to the antique bomber and clutched one of its propeller blades.

  • 'Candy Bomber' delivered chocolate, hope to Berlin

    Seventy years ago, with Adolf Hitler’s crumbled Third Reich still fresh in their memories and Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union having a choke hold on their future, Berlin’s children were starving.

  • Phantom of Takur Ghar: The Predator above Roberts Ridge

    A once quiet landscape turned battlefield, the clash of gunfire and shouts ripped through the Shahi-Kot Valley in the early hours of March 4, 2002. As part of an early war effort that targeted al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan, the Battle of Roberts Ridge is still known as one of the

  • Galaxy wraps upgrades to become C-5M Super Galaxy

    The first flight of the Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy took place on June 30, 1968, with an audience including President Lyndon Johnson. Now, 50 years later, the Super Galaxy is still going strong.

  • 301st Rescue Squadron supports SpaceX resupply rocket launch

    Airmen from the 301st Rescue Squadron supported the successful launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket June 29, 2018. The launch of the Falcon 9 marked its fifteenth commercial resupply services mission lifting off at 5:42:42 a.m. EDT, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,

  • 20th EBS aid in rescue off coast of Guam

    The B-52 is world-famous for its long-range capabilities, but during a routine flight near Guam June 25, 2018, crew members with the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and deployed to Andersen AFB, were tasked with a unique situation: to use their

  • 74th FS pilots receive DFC

    Two Airmen received the Distinguished Flying Cross May 23, 2018, in recognition of their actions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.Maj. Matthew “Chowder” Cichowski and Capt. William “Archer” Dana both, 74th Fighter Squadron A-10C Thunderbolt II pilots, risked life and limb while deployed to

  • Memphis Belle opens at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

    Seventy five years ago on May 17, 1943, the crew of the B-17F Memphis Belle completed their 25th combat mission in Nazi-occupied Europe. They overcame insurmountable odds by becoming the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions and return to the U.S. Exactly 75 years after

  • 6th ARS in-flight refueling section recognized as best in Air Force

    At the 39th Annual Boom Operator’s Symposium at Altus AFB, Oklahoma, the section received the 2017 Senior Master Sgt. Albert L. Evans Trophy. The award is given to the most outstanding air refueling section in the Air Force each year. The 6th ARS received the honor for the sixth time, more than any

  • 24 Airmen awarded DFCs at Hurlburt Field

    There were 808 lives that hung in the balance as terrorists launched coordinated attacks against friendly forces. Joint special operations teams were exposed and under duress as AC-130U Spooky Gunship crews circled above, pushing the limits of gun barrels to the melting point and providing precision

  • JB Charleston trains ANG to be globemasters

    The first of four C-17 Globemaster IIIs was transferred from Joint Base Charleston to the Charlotte Air National Guard, N.C. April 7, 2018 as part of a congressional mandate.Through this directive Joint base Charleston will send 16 C-17s to four Air National Guard bases.

  • Under Secretary checks in on progress of KC-46

    Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Donovan visited the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus production and modification facility in Everett, Washington, March 14, 2018, after the latest announcement of a further delay in the first aircraft delivery to the Air Force.

  • KC-135 aircraft boom instructor platform wins Spark Tank cup

    Master Sgt. Bartek Bachleda, 22nd Air Refueling Wing aircraft boom instructor, from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, won the inaugural Air Force Spark Tank competition cup at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 22, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, for his KC-135 aircraft boom instructor

  • T-X to replace T-38 at pilot training bases

    The Air Force announced Feb. 21, 2018, that the Advanced Pilot Trainer (T-X) will replace T-38C Talon aircraft at existing undergraduate pilot training bases, with Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph named as the preferred location for the first T-X aircraft scheduled to arrive in 2022.

  • 122nd FW takes joint training to new heights

    The 122nd Fighter Wing recently completed Operation Guardian Blitz during a two-week joint training exercise at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, which included air-to-air refueling, training alongside Navy rotary assets and joint terminal attack controllers.

  • Helping Haiti’s children: 315th AW delivers school buses

    Reserve Airmen of Joint Base Charleston’s 317th Airlift Squadron, with support from three additional Reserve Airmen of the 514th Air Mobility Wing from JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, transported school buses in a C-17 Globemaster III from JB Charleston to Port-au-Prince, where they were

  • 35th FW relocates for Vigilant Ace 18

    The 35th Fighter Wing relocated 18 F-16 Fighting Falcons and more than 280 personnel to participate in Vigilant Ace 18, an annual flying exercise at Osan Air Base, South Korea, occurring Dec. 4 - 8, 2017.

  • 386th AEW celebrates 75 years of history

    On Dec. 1, 2017, the 386th BG, now the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, celebrates its 75th birthday; a journey that started at MacDill Air Field, Tampa, Florida, in 1942 and continues to this day at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

  • Flying Jennies ready for combat airlift mission

    In Greek mythology, a phoenix is a bird that obtains new life by rising from the ashes. Many members of the 815th Airlift Squadron might be able to relate to this tale of renewal or resurrection, except their symbol isn’t a legendary bird, but a hard-working and practical pack mule—a Flying Jenny.In

  • C-130Js resupply U.S. SOUTHCOM Honduras mission

    A 317th Airlift Wing C-130J Super Hercules crew at Dyess AFB completed a routine global channel mission to provide sustainment and supplies to Airmen supporting U.S. Southern Command Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras Oct. 18, 2017.

  • 71st Rescue Squadron brings home a win

    The 71st Rescue Squadron was presented the That Others May Live Foundation’s 2017 Rescue Squadron of the Year Award, Oct. 21, 2017, in Melbourne, Florida.

  • F-35A scheduled for first operational deployment to Indo-Asia-Pacific

    Approximately 300 Airmen and 12 F-35A Lightning IIs from Hill Air Force Base, Utah’s 34th Fighter Squadron are set to deploy to Kadena Air Base, Japan for a six month rotation. The aircraft and supporting personnel are scheduled to arrive at Kadena AB in early November 2017.

  • 386th ESFS trains for high risk response

    At any given moment, the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron stands ready to protect, defend and fight against all threats to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. Among those men and women who guard the wing’s high valued assets and people, is a newly formed group of defenders who dedicate

  • 500th F-35 pilot takes to the sky

    The Air Force trained and graduated the 500th F-35 Lightning II pilot across the joint and international enterprise Sept. 19, 2017, at Eglin Air Force Base.

  • Celebrating Air Force heritage: The “Great Centennial” squadrons

    This calendar year has marked many great anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of Air Training Command and the 70th anniversary of the Air Force. August marks the 110th anniversary of the Aeronautical Division of the Sign Corps—an unbroken line of Airmen began with its creation on Aug. 1,

  • 17th ATKS celebrates 75 years of aviation excellence

    For the past 75 years, the 17th Attack Squadron have played an integral part in the defense of the nation by providing combatant commanders with reconnaissance capabilities, and more recently, with precision attack capabilities.

  • Honoring a legacy of 100 years

    ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (AFNS)--Bringing the past to the present, honoring 100 years of heritage, the 34th and 37th Bomb Squadrons and associated aircraft maintenance units have always played a significant role in the nation’s defense - a heritage stemming from World War I that has only

  • MQ-1 squadron celebrates 100 years

    The 15th Attack Squadron patch depicting a pigeon clutching a telescope harkens to the squadron’s long history of reconnaissance missions. On May 9, 2017, the 15th ATKS celebrated their 100-year anniversary and reflected on the unit’s extensive and honorable heritage, which coincidentally includes

  • Red Tail legacy comes full circle

    Airmen assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing take great pride in the heritage created for them by the Tuskegee Airmen. Today a key piece of the wing’s history has once again returned to its flightline.

  • Lost, found, repatriated

    In early May 2016, Andy Fuller, a groundsman from Royal Air Force Honington, England, swept his metal detector over the soil of what used to be known as RAF Knettishall. Once designated as U.S. Army Air Force Station 136, the base was home to the B-17 Flying Fortress, an aircraft utilized for

  • AF veteran survivor of three wars, plane crash

    Retired Lt. Col. Alma Skousen, a humble, soft-spoken 89-year-old fighter pilot, served his country during three wars, encountered Soviet MiG fighters in battle and survived a jet crash before ending his flying career as the 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, now known as the 311th Fighter

  • German village honors fallen US Airman

    Second Lt. Priesley Cooper Jr. was shot down during a mission 70 years ago near the village of Dietingen, Germany, during World War II. Cooper remained buried at the village's local cemetery until 1950 when he was moved to an American cemetery in Belgium. But the village felt they could still do