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U.S. Air Force News

  • Tech conference stresses 'partnerships'

    "Partnerships for War-Winning Capability" was the theme here May 13 to 15 as military and industry representatives discussed changes in military operations, requirements, challenges and solutions at the fourth annual National Aeronautical Systems and Technology Conference.Operation Iraqi Freedom's

  • Air Force name added to ‘The Wall’

    The name of an Air Force staff sergeant was among six added to Vietnam Veteran's Memorial here May 13. Staff Sgt. Donald S. Carson, a San Francisco native, was injured in a military aircraft accident in Thailand on April 12, 1963, and died a few days later. His name was omitted from “The Wall”

  • 90-year-old veteran delivers

    A Depression-era work ethic, plus some faith and stubbornness, keeps fueling Martin "Mike" Mikulski who is in his 63rd year of service to his country. Mikulski, 90, has spent most weekdays for the last 24 years volunteering his time."What the hell am I gonna do at home? Watch TV?" Mike says in a

  • Plan will get AEF back on track, fix ‘disparity’

    While many deployed airmen are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom to hero's welcomes, others deployed for as much as three times longer are still waiting to hear when they will go home.What appears to some as an obvious disparity is actually a case of differing mission objectives, said the

  • Air Force preparing for next contingency

    Even as deployed airmen return home from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Force officials are focusing on what they need to do to reload the service for the next contingency.According to Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, the three priorities in reconstituting

  • Total force team excels at bare base

    A total force team of active-duty, reserve and Guard airmen deployed to this austere deployed location have worked together to provide "amazing" support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, their commander said.The 485th Air Expeditionary Wing here is composed of active-duty F-15 Eagle fighters from Langley

  • Hunters becomes gatherers for hungry families

    A sergeant here has found a way for base hunters to feed the hungry.Staff Sgt. Damion McElroy, the 30th Security Forces Squadron game warden, has begun Hunters Against Hunger, a program that gives hunters the opportunity to donate their excess game to feed homeless adults and children in Lompoc,

  • Water flowing into southern Iraq; food on the way

    With the help of the Kuwaiti government, fresh water is flowing into coalition-held areas of southern Iraq, and food is on the way, the American officer in charge of these efforts said today.Coalition forces are coordinating delivery of water from a pipeline the Kuwait government set up into

  • Fix nets new stripes for 23 airmen

    Nearly two dozen enlisted airmen will receive an unexpected promotion since personnel officials discovered systemic errors involving people who returned to the Air Force after a break in service.While no stripes will be taken away, officials discovered that 35 "prior-service" airmen had -- unknown

  • Scientists, engineers vital to Air Force mission

    The Air Force is having difficulty recruiting and retaining its civilian and military scientist and engineering workforce, Gen. Lester L. Lyles, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, told senators March 31.If the service wants to retain its position as the world's premier air and space force, it

  • Vice chief airs readiness concerns to Congress

    Today's high operational tempo is affecting the Air Force's ability to conduct necessary training, which may affect readiness, the service's vice chief of staff told lawmakers March 18.Gen. Robert H. Foglesong also told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on readiness he was

  • Air Force offers free tax preparation, filing

    Filling out and filing income tax forms is an annual burden Americans must bear, but Air Force legal officials say servicemembers need not pay extra for the privilege.According to a legal services official at the Pentagon, more and more airmen are being tempted by the promise of quick refunds to

  • WASP make weather history

    Women's roles in the military may not have started at Offutt, but the Air Force Weather Agency was here when women stepped forward to serve their country.The Air Weather Service was one of the first military agencies to use military women as pilots during World War II.In early 1943, the first

  • Sheppard unit will train ALC maintainers

    The 982nd Training Group, the Air Force's advanced maintenance training unit, joined with Air Force Materiel Command to tackle a critical need in the world of aircraft systems maintenance.The 982nd TRG instructors will teach and certify 19 new civilian instructors who will join existing field

  • Promotion test change impacts deploying airmen

    Commanders of technical and master sergeants facing short-notice deployments now have greater flexibility as to when their airmen test for promotion.New overseas manning requirements and the freezing of the air and space expeditionary force cycle prompted officials at the Air Force Personnel Center

  • Protocol, aide de camp special duties move

    By May, the special-duty positions of protocol officer and aide de camp will become regular duty as part of the Air Force services career field.Those officers holding these positions will gain a new Air Force specialty code -- 34M -- services April 30. The change is part of an Air Force move to

  • Air Force rethinks air operations centers

    The Air Force needs to start thinking of its air operations centers as weapon systems if the service wants to remain the best in the world, the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations said."The AOC is fundamental to what makes us great as an Air Force," Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys said. "If

  • Donations bring joy to children

    The left-handed nine-iron was a little tattered around the edges, showed a few scars and had been discarded by someone who had no more use for it. Remarkably, it had a lot in common with the 10-year-old boy who was delighted to be its new owner.It did not matter that Jerome Espinoza had never

  • Transition help vital, chief tells Congress

    For airmen who plan to hang up their uniforms and say goodbye to the military, whether after four years or a career, the future can be filled with uncertainty.A changing economy coupled with a competitive job market makes the idea of finding a good job a bit scary, Chief Master Sgt. Elizabeth S.

  • Priest tackles life at Tinker

    He is new at cooking, new at cleaning and relatively new at English, but the new chaplain here still counts his blessings.In his Midwest City apartment, the Chaplain (Capt.) Gildardo Garcia could not be happier."Here, I live like a king," he said.Hundreds of miles from his family in Colombia, Garcia

  • Pilot survives U-2 crash, recovery continues

    An Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady pilot ejected safely before his aircraft crashed Jan. 26 near Hwa Song city, south of Seoul.The pilot was taken to the base hospital here where his was listed in stable condition. He is being treated for a back injury and is expected to recover fully. The pilot is

  • Idea earns sergeant $10,000

    A noncommissioned officer here recently earned $10,000 from the Air Force's Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program. He received the money for writing an inspection and maintenance manual for the Department of Defense and the Air Force concerning metal shipping containers.Tech.

  • Need for blood donations grows

    With a smaller pool of eligible military donors and a recently decreased stock of frozen blood, the Air Force assistant vice chief of staff is calling on servicemembers and their families to donate blood.In a recent memo to the field, Lt. Gen. Joseph Wehrle asked airmen worldwide to support the

  • Team heats things up while deployed

    They work around the clock, seven days a week, in subzero temperatures, with hundreds of people's lives in their hands. Members of the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning team at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, will call this life for at least the next

  • Airmen put a new roof over their heads

    Twenty-five "Project Orphanage" volunteers replaced a dilapidated ceramic tile roof with sheet metal recently on a covered outside play area for children at the Adana Orphanage here.The roof gives the 150 children at the orphanage a place to play during Turkey's upcoming rainy season and shade

  • Eight bases add chiropractic services to medical facilities

    Eight Air Force medical treatment facilities added chiropractic medicine, and others will follow suit in the future.Chiropractic medicine became available to the Air Force in 1995, after Congress directed the Department of Defense to test the feasibility of providing that service at its facilities.

  • Weather flight keeps 'em flying

    There may be rain today and heat tomorrow, or snow today and dusty winds tomorrow. These are some of the conditions the nine-member Air Force weather flight must contend with at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.Everyone needs to know what the weather is going to do, from the A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots

  • First lady touts 'Troops to Teachers' program

    The birthplace of aviation became a launching pad for new career possibilities Oct. 16 as first lady Laura Bush spoke here about the Defense Department's Troops to Teachers program.Bush recognized educators and the potential roles departing military members can play in education during a rally

  • Kunsan civilian re-connects with Korean War savior

    A civilian employee here recently re-established ties with the man who saved his life and the Air Force unit that adopted him during the Korean War.Yong Ku "Mike" Yi, an employee at the base skills center, received an honorary induction into his savior's unit, the 6147th Tactical Control Group's

  • Program helps prevent, deal with domestic violence

    The Department of Defense considers all forms of family violence as unacceptable and provides extensive resources that focus on prevention, intervention and treatment.The Air Force's Family Advocacy Program, charged with the prevention and treatment of family maltreatment, has the shared goal of

  • Part-time civilian jobs available for students

    Two Air Force civilian educational employment programs offer high school, college and professional school students the opportunity to earn money and gain valuable work experience while still in school."The Air Force has always looked to educational institutions to find people who have the skills