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  • Test pilot school wins international award

    The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here received the 2003 Richard G. Cross Award on Nov. 19 in Lihue, Hawaii.Presented by the International Test and Evaluation Association, the award recognized the contributions the school’s short courses made to the training and education of test and evaluation

  • Cope North trains airmen in Guam

    Air Force fighter aircraft mechanics and Japanese air self-defense force members are participating in exercise Cope North 04-1 here, to enhance the execution of air operations defending Japan. This year, more than 100 airmen from Kadena Air Base, Japan, have been sharing techniques and experiences

  • History project tells story of veterans

    The letters, memoirs, audio interviews and photographs are "everything that you could imagine," said Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, director of the Veterans History Project. The project is an effort which began two years ago by Congress to preserve the stories and memories of America's war veterans.The

  • Fitness program showing results

    Airmen have been filling fitness centers and burning up running tracks in preparation for the new, tougher fitness-testing standard set to begin Jan. 1.Direct, immediate and overwhelming feedback from the field says that airmen are taking the new fitness challenge seriously, said Air Force Chief of

  • Student invents new math process

    Killie Rick found a new solution to subtraction problems involving whole numbers and fractions. She used the concept of negative numbers in a way that has never been done before, as far as her seventh-grade teacher has been able to ascertain. The 12-year-old girl is the daughter of Terri Rick, a

  • Deployed airmen help Kyrgyz children

    A small group of security forces airmen here made a large impact on the lives of a group of ailing, special needs and underprivileged children from a local orphanage Nov. 8 as part of an ongoing humanitarian effort.The group of 10 airmen, predominantly from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., used

  • AF sponsors Busch Series race car

    The next generation of the Wood Brothers racing team dynasty is “Crossing into the Blue” driving a specially painted Ford Taurus prominently featuring the Air Force logo and colors. Coming on the heels of his recent NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Martinsville, Va., Jon Wood is making his 2003

  • Work on 'LANs' proves airworthy

    A C-135C Speckled Trout crew recently tested an airborne local-area-network system designed to provide global broadband communications via satellite.A year in the making, the flight test launched a six-month initiative to prove this commercial off-the-shelf system can provide high-speed Internet,

  • Retired CMSAF shares lessons with airmen

    The fifth chief master sergeant of the Air Force, Robert Gaylor, retired from the Air Force 24 years ago, but he is still on a mission for bluesuiters.He said he spoke to about 500 people here recently with one goal in mind -- that the audience left feeling it was time well spent.“I think most of

  • First C-5 arrives at Balad

    The first C-5 Galaxy arrived here Nov. 12, from Dover Air Force Base, Del., increasing the Air Force presence at the Army's Logistical Support Area. A 14-person crew and about 21 truckloads of war materiel were on board the aircraft."This event is a significant milestone in support of the global

  • Elmendorf first to field new AIM-9X

    The 12th and 19th fighter squadrons here are the first operational units within the Department of Defense to field and train with the new AIM-9X Sidewinder.A ceremony celebrating the achievement was held here Nov. 13. “We’re thrilled the 3rd Wing has the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of

  • Plant saves money, resources

    The Air Force's first power plant to use methane gas piped in from a nearby landfill should be completed here by August, saving the base $600,000 per year in energy costs.Funded by the private sector, the plant will use methane gas from a nearby landfill, allowing power recipients to keep from

  • Fairchild captain receives 'world' award

    A Fairchild airman received the Junior Chamber International's Outstanding Young Persons of the World for 2003 award in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Nov. 7.Capt. Alan Adams, 96th Air Refueling Squadron readiness flight commander, was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 2002 and was

  • First C-5 Galaxy aircraft retires

    The first C-5 Galaxy to be retired from the Air Force inventory was delivered Nov. 4 to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.Maintainers here prepared the Lackland AFB, Texas-based aircraft for long-term storage. The gigantic C-5 is an outsized

  • Global Hawk returns from Germany

    The Air Force’s Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has returned home from a successful three-week deployment to Germany, according to program officials.Landing at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Nov. 7, after a 21.6 hour transatlantic flight, the vehicle

  • Survey helps turn things around

    Great deeds can be built on small gestures. And with a good plan, it is possible to turn a unit around on a dime.When Vicki Preacher came here in July 2001 to fill the top post in the environmental management directorate, she found problems with morale spilled onto the mission.“There was

  • Now showing: Nov. 10 edition of AFTV News

    The Air Force contribution to firefighting efforts in California headlines the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke and Staff Sgt. Melissa Allan report from the fire lines in two separate parts of the state, focusing on active-duty, Reserve and Air National Guard

  • Team helps get news to America

    Senior coalition leaders in Iraq are about to increase their ability to keep America informed.Two state-of-the-art ultracompact satellite terminals -- along with a two-person team to set them up and get them working -- are on their way to Iraq. Starting in late November, the satellites will beam

  • New equipment improves cancer treatment

    Wilford Hall Medical Center’s radiation oncology department recently purchased a new linear accelerator that is significantly improving patient care.Wilford Hall officials said they began performing radiation therapy more than 30 years ago, using a cobalt unit with an active radiation source, a

  • Reserve forces management reviewed

    Recruiting and retention has "held up nicely despite stress on the force as a whole," said David Chu to members of the House Armed Services Committee here Nov. 5. He is the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. A survey of active and reserve forces, which is done every four months,

  • Airmen arrive for AEF Silver

    About 20 airmen from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., arrived here on a C-130 Hercules as part of Air and Space Expeditionary Force Silver. They are assigned to the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. The 354th EFS will replace the 81st EFS from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, as AEF Silver

  • Top soldier advocates AF relationship

    The relationship of the Army to the airlift and tanker community is one of the “most important relationships that we have,” said the Army chief of staff during the 35th Airlift/Tanker Association convention here.In the convention’s closing address Nov. 1, Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker discussed

  • Airmen bring fallen firefighter home

    Two of the pallbearers who carried the casket bearing the body of California firefighter Steven Rucker had fought alongside him as he defended a house from the Cedar Fire. Another two had served as his captains in the Novato Calif. Fire Protection District where he worked. The pallbearers brought

  • More than 500 selected for chief

    The Air Force 2003 chief master sergeant promotion board has selected 526 senior master sergeants for promotion to the service's highest enlisted rank.The promotion list will be released the first duty hour Nov. 5. For units across the international date line, the list will be released Nov. 6. The

  • Fly Away teams provide remote security

    A C-130 Hercules crew landing at a classified location does not find many, if any, familiar faces when they step off their aircraft. Airfield officials seem polite and perhaps even friendly, but the ring of local security workers outside the airplane is more interested in the Hercules and its crew

  • Troops deliver child in Tallil tent city

    The cluster of tents in the corner of tent city here that make up the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group was bustling with unusual activity recently. In facilities designed to support the needs of a deployed combat unit, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Support troops gathered together to deliver a

  • Airmen dispose of enemy ordnance

    Crawling over more than a ton of explosives the way a child would go over a jungle gym requires a little something special, but it is just another day for explosive ordnance disposal airmen here.The 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s EOD flight airmen have recovered and blown up about 1.5

  • Quality of life improving at Kirkuk

    Airmen supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom here will leave their dusty tents for the last time when new modular dormitories open.The dorms, scheduled to open Dec. 1, will house up to 1,664 airmen in 13 buildings with six to eight people to a room.The construction project is moving rapidly, said Lt.

  • Deployable civilians provide expertise

    When their units are called to deploy, they line up for their smallpox and anthrax shots, they pack camouflage uniforms and dog tags, they get weapons training, and brush up on their self-aid and buddy-care skills. But these warriors are not airmen -- at least not in the traditional sense.They are

  • Falconer major player in Red Flag

    The airmen from U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s Falconer Air Operations Center are here integrating their craft with pilots and controllers who fly the missions over the “enemy” during Red Flag.The center is comprised of 100 airmen, mostly from the 32nd Air Operations Group at Ramstein Air Base,

  • Welch receives Fubini award

    Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz presented the 2003 Eugene G. Fubini Award to retired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Larry D. Welch on Oct. 23.The Fubini Award is given annually to individuals from the private sector who have made significant contributions to the Department of Defense in

  • Langley names first Raptor squadron

    The 27th Fighter Squadron will be the first of three squadrons here to transition to the F/A-22 Raptor. The Air Force’s newest fighter begins arriving in late 2004, said Col. Frank Gorenc, 1st Fighter Wing commander.“A major factor in this decision is heritage,” Gorenc said. “The (27th FS) is the

  • Moseley discusses reconstitution

    Department of Defense leaders met with the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on readiness Oct. 21 to discuss force reconstitution. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley told committee members that reconstitution is one of the Air Force's top concerns."Our No. 1 task is to

  • AF plans to fill first sergeant slots

    Before the end of the year, Air Force officials will have taken the first step toward eliminating a 10-percent manning shortfall in first sergeant billets. In November, as part of the new First Sergeant Selection Process, Air Force officials expect to release a list of master sergeants selected as

  • Red Tail Express makes final delivery

    Trucks. Lots of trucks. Trucks with aircraft parts, refrigerators, wall lockers, office desks, computer equipment, construction vehicles -- some even hauling other trucks, along with hundreds of other odds and ends. All these items are loaded and strapped onto 18-wheelers and flatbed trailers,

  • AF releases fitness standards

    Air Force leaders released the fitness-scoring charts that will be used beginning Jan. 1.“The amount of energy we devote to our fitness programs is not consistent with the growing demands of our warrior culture. It's time to change that,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper in a Sight

  • Honor Guard recruits airmen

    Air Force Honor Guard officials are always looking for motivated and dedicated airmen and noncommissioned officers for what they call the world's best job.Located here, the 250-person unit seeks airmen E-4 through E-7 for their experience, said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Buckley, the Air Force Honor

  • Eagle Flag's importance stressed

    The Air Force’s top two leaders got a first-hand look Oct. 15 at the service’s newest flag-level exercise, Eagle Flag. They also talked about what they want every airman to know about the exercise.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper

  • Airman honors Army friend

    Tech. Sgt. Robert Moore wanted to do something for the friend he had made and lost while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. So he got permission to name an airport fuel storage facility after Army Sgt. Roger Rowe, an Army transportation specialist killed by a sniper July 9.Moore, a fuels

  • Falconer will control Red Flag sky

    America’s ability to dominate air and space during war is being tested Oct. 19 to 31. About 90 airmen from U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s 32nd Air Operations Group will descend on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., to participate in Red Flag 2003.The airmen comprise what is called a Falconer Air Operations

  • Airman boosts host-nation relations

    During the pre-dawn hours of Oct. 11, Jackal Two, a 380th Air Expeditionary Wing security forces patrol, noticed a vibratory roller -- better known as a steamroller -- with its headlights on, parked outside the perimeter of the base fence. The night-shift patrol feared the worst at this undisclosed

  • HVAC/R -- Al Udeid’s thermostat

    How fast can your day go from good to bad, from comfortable to hot?Give up? Fifty-nine minutes. That is how long it would take.Without air conditioning inside a tent, the temperature can increase by more than 35 degrees in less than an hour. Without the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and

  • The birdmen of Baghdad

    Some airmen who routinely go into harm’s way to assist others, have taken another injured creature of the air under their wings.The New York Air National Guard’s 101st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron has adopted a pigeon that was injured during the Operation Iraqi Freedom conflict.According to Staff

  • Airman reacts to vehicle accident

    While some Air Force reservists were just hitting the snooze alarm at 5:30 a.m., Senior Airman Stacey Miller was hopping fences and wading through mud to get to an accident victim recently.Miller, an aerial porter with Air Force Reserve Command's 49th Aerial Port Flight here, left her Indianapolis

  • Tanker units integrate for teamwork

    In a deployed location, one thing is for certain: Teamwork makes a unit. For the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron here, teamwork went beyond that of one unit, combining assets of five KC-135R Stratotanker units.For a short time the 340th EARS comprised planes and people from the 6th Air

  • Young Iraqis arrive at Ramstein

    Eighteen Iraqi children are now receiving long-awaited medical care from the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, thanks to the help of the U. S. Air Force.The children, ages 6 months to 16 years, arrived here Oct. 6 on a C-141 Starlifter from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., out of Baghdad International

  • Rescue mission moves to AFSOC

    A ceremony held at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Oct. 1, marked the official transfer of Air Force combat search and rescue to Air Force Special Operations Command.The transfer is a result of an Air Force chief of staff direction to align the CSAR mission and assets under one command -- Air Force

  • Air Force will test Eagle Flag

    The Air Force will begin its newest flag-level exercise Oct. 13, targeting expeditionary combat-support skills and testing them to the maximum extent. Eagle Flag is to the expeditionary combat-support community what Red Flag is to the fighter community, said Maj. Gen. Christopher A. Kelly, Air

  • Special-duty recruiting teams combine forces

    Two Air Force recruiting teams have combined forces to make it easier for airmen to sign up for special-duty assignments, particularly as recruiters or military training instructors.The dual recruiter and MTI recruiting team provides servicemembers one briefing to learn about these and other

  • Changes limit quarterly IDTs for reservists

    Changes went into effect Oct. 1 limiting the number of inactive-duty-for-training periods a reservist may perform during a three-month quarter.The changes provide a training schedule policy for all Air Force Reserve Command airmen. They provide senior managers better management of training

  • Cop becomes crew chief for a day

    On a typical day at work, Airman 1st Class Andrew Cox is an entry controller with the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here, directing hundreds of cars through the entry control point. Recently, he spent his day directing a KC-135 Stratotanker into the air.The opportunity to launch a

  • Fighters benefit from Link 16

    A recent Electronic Systems Center effort has improved targeting accuracy and allowed air operations centers to change F-15 Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle mission variables “on the fly.”Members of the Tactical Data Link System Program Office equipped all 22 operational F-15 active-duty and Air

  • Guardsmen, reservists essential to war effort

    National Guard and Reserve forces "have been absolutely essential" to the war on terrorism, the commander of U.S. Central Command told the Senate Appropriations Committee. His comments came during a Sept. 24 hearing about the fiscal 2004 supplemental funding request for Iraq and Afghanistan."We

  • New R&R leave program set

    Servicemembers and Defense Department civilians on 12-month orders in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom now have a rest and recuperation leave program. The program allows them to take up to 15 days, excluding travel time, to visit family or friends in the United States or Europe.David S.C.

  • C-130 maintainers finish Herculean effort

    For two years, maintenance crews from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, have kept the 317th Airlift Group’s C-130 Hercules aircraft flying over lands far removed from the Lone Star State.This week, the unit ends 24 consecutive months of deployment and is heading home.Hercules aircrews with the 777th

  • DUI offenders relate experiences

    A Tyndall senior airman was leaving a Panama City restaurant parking lot when the tires of his sport utility vehicle squealed, gaining the attention of a city police officer nearby.As far as the airman was concerned, he had only consumed what he felt was a minimal amount of beer. He was startled to

  • Recruiting service names Blue Suit winners

    The Air Force Recruiting Service recently recognized the fiscal 2003 winners of Operation Blue Suite XXV. The program recognizes the Air Force's top recruiters worldwide."This is the first time I've received a Blue Suit award," said Tech. Sgt. Scott J. Wealton, from the 368th Recruiting Squadron in

  • October issue of Citizen Airman available

    Although thousands of Air Force reservists are still actively involved in supporting operations worldwide, Air Force Reserve Command officials are busy gathering lessons learned from current and recent operations.Read about the command’s effort to examine its performance in the October issue of

  • Guard F-16 crashes in Louisiana

    A Texas Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed during a routine training mission Sept. 22. The crash occurred in a wooded area approximately 200 miles northeast of Houston, near Rosepine, La. The pilot ejected safely and no one was injured on the ground.A search and rescue team from Fort

  • Air Force names best commander, spouse team

    The Air Force’s best wing commander and spouse team was recently named by Air Force Personnel Center officials at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.The 2003 recipients of the General and Mrs. Jerome F. O’Malley award are Col. William A. Chambers, 11th Wing commander here, and his spouse, Bonnie.“My

  • AF announces team-excellence awards

    Air Force officials announced the five teams selected for the 2003 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award on Sept. 16 during the Air Force Association convention in Washington, D.C.A total of 15 teams were nominated for this year’s award, which recognizes outstanding team performance and promotes

  • Junior ROTC seeks teachers

    The Air Force needs more military retirees to take on teaching roles in high-school classrooms as the service expands its Junior ROTC program. The 744 units in high schools worldwide offer many opportunities for qualified, eligible applicants, said Jo Alice Talley, Junior ROTC instructor management

  • AF Climate Survey launches Oct. 1

    Air Force leaders at all levels want to know, “How is my organization doing?” The 2003 Air Force Climate Survey begins Oct. 1 to answer this question with the help of Air Force people.Their participation in the survey is critical, said senior leaders.“Leadership must be made aware of what’s really

  • Lab earns DOD modeling, simulation award

    Showcasing better and more effective ways to train, warfighter training research division experts here captured top honors in the Defense Department's 2003 Modeling and Simulation Award training category.The training systems technology team earned the award that recognizes units, organizational

  • Bases provide hurricane refuge

    Nearly 180 aircraft worth billions of dollars have safely taken refuge at four Air Force Materiel Command installations, moving away from Hurricane Isabel's wrath.The aircraft moved as part of previously-agreed-to contingency plans between the impacted base and the evacuation point, according to

  • CAP helps Air Force face Isabel

    As Hurricane Isabel makes landfall on the Eastern seaboard, Civil Air Patrol officials are helping the Air Force manage storm-related operations.The CAP is the all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, located at Langley Air Force Base, Va., has moved its

  • Jumper addresses global chiefs

    The Air Force’s top uniformed leader addressed more than 90 air chiefs from around the globe Sept. 16 as part of the Air Force Association's Airpower Symposium. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper's comments covered a broad range of topics, including the making of today's heroes, the

  • Outstanding airmen honored

    The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2003 received a ceremonial tribute Sept. 15 at the Air Force Association convention here.Each year, the AFA honors the 12 airmen at its annual convention in Washington, D.C. The program was initiated at the organization’s 10th annual national

  • Squadron wins DOD maintenance award

    The 74th Fighter Squadron here has been named winner of the 2003 Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award in the small category.The A-10 Thunderbolt II unit was the only Air Force winner out of six units in the small, medium and large categories.The selection panel looked at mission accomplishments,

  • Distant cousins reunite in desert

    In a deployed environment, amazing things can happen. For Lt. Col. Kevin Turnbo and Tech. Sgt. Robert Turnbo, being deployed turned into a lesson in family history.“My first thought was, ‘Wow! There is a guy in the Air Force with the same last name and spelling as mine,’ ” said the colonel, who is

  • 2003 AFA convention opens

    The 2003 Air Force Association convention began Sept. 15 including a gathering of more than 90 global air chiefs from around the world.Honor guardsmen posted flags from each nation represented at the convention, visually reinforcing the global nature of the annual gathering. The Global Air Chiefs

  • Now showing: Sept. 15 edition of AFTV News

    The contribution airmen make at the detainee center in U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is chronicled in the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke has an exclusive look at how airmen are helping guard the hundreds of detainees being held at the center as part of

  • Eielson forces respond to base fire

    Firefighters and security forces here contained a fire in base housing Sept. 7 at around 6 p.m.The heating unit of an empty waterbed in the bedroom ignited the fire, according to officials.“The fire crews did an awesome job. It was a textbook operation,” said Master Sgt. Shawn Ricchuito, 354th

  • KC-135s stay perfect during 17-day hot streak

    Really good or just lucky – which describes the 376th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron?From Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, all of the KC-135 Stratotankers here were ready, willing and able to get the job done in the sky over Afghanistan.The mission-capable rate target for Air Mobility Command

  • No plans to extend Guard, Reserve

    Air Force officials do not plan to extend the involuntary deployment of Reserve and Air National Guard airmen to Iraq.About 4,700 ANG and Reserve airmen are deployed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. According to a senior Air Force official, about 12,000 deployed Air Reserve Component airmen have

  • Airman rings ‘Bell of Remembrance’

    One of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year helped the U.S. Senate pay tribute to the victims of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on America.Senior Master Sgt. Thomas McConnell represented the Air Force in a ceremony Sept. 11 to introduce the Senate Resolution of Remembrance. McConnell is an

  • Airmen remember pain of Sept. 11

    Time is said to heal all wounds, but how much time heals emptiness left behind when more than 3,000 lives are instantaneously and mercilessly cut short? Two years have passed since Sept. 11, yet servicemembers here, like all Americans, continue to sort through the pain of personal and symbolic

  • Deployed aircraft given ISO inspection

    Maintainers recently completed a comprehensive inspection of a deployed aircraft here for the first time when a Kentucky Air National Guard C-130 Hercules underwent a complete isochronal inspection.Isochronal inspections examine numerous essential aircraft systems like propulsion and hydraulics,

  • BRAC e-mail story deemed a hoax

    An e-mail hoax has been circulating through inboxes. The e-mail contains a spoofed Air Force Print News story about proposed base realignment and closure actions allegedly affecting all services.Air Force public affairs officials were alerted to the hoax by a military officers’ association in

  • Airmen patrol enemy’s side of wire

    In a hot and dusty Afghani valley, there is land scarred with land mines and tied down with concertina wire fences separating American heroes from terrorists. The environment alone is hostile, featuring sweltering summers and bone-chilling winters. The habitat is a haven for venomous creatures and

  • Satellite launches in Florida

    The last Phase III Defense Satellite Communications System launched on board a Delta IV rocket from here Aug. 29. The satellite system will operate for the next 15 years and replaces another that was launched in 1995, according to 45th Space Wing officials. The Department of Defense satellite

  • Airmen supporting JTF in Cuba

    A handful of airmen are among those supporting Joint Task Force-Guantanamo charged with supporting the detainee mission here. More than 2,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and airmen are supporting the war on terrorism by providing humane treatment and care to approximately 660

  • Airmen attend Army weather course

    Several experienced Air Force forecasters completed a pilot version of a new course designed to help airmen provide weather support for Army operations.The first official staff weather officer course is scheduled for October. Its instructors teach Air Force weather specialists some of the Army’s

  • Medical-grade oxygen available at Ganci

    “E-DOCS” is now up and running here but it is not a Web-based replacement for the medical staff.The Expeditionary Deployable Oxygen Concentration System is a big step forward for medical care at this forward base, said Maj. Cheryl Bott, chief of aerospace medicine for the 376th Expeditionary Medical

  • 'Hunters' fly with hurricanes

    As the midway point of hurricane season approaches, the 53rd Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" here remain vigilant about tropical-weather threats.The Hurricane Hunters are part of Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing here. They are the only Department of Defense organization still

  • Base is first to test alternative fuel cell

    A new fuel cell is giving airmen here a sneak peek at the Defense Department's proposed plan for using hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. The test unit installed here is the fifth in the Department of Defense and the first to be evaluated on an Air Force base, officials said.Thirty military

  • Fitness experts: Start training now

    Air Force fitness experts say airmen must begin preparations now if they want to pass the new fitness evaluations in January. "They need to start training today for year-round fitness to meet mission readiness. They must include running, push-ups and crunches into their program," said Sylvia Goff,

  • Former TAC commander dead at 76

    The general who led Tactical Air Command for more than six years died Aug. 26 in Las Vegas at the age of 76.Retired Gen. Wilbur L. “Bill” Creech, TAC commander from May 1, 1978, to Dec. 31, 1984, is survived by his wife Caroline A. Creech.Creech was a command pilot who flew more than 40 fighter,

  • Airmen play in national exercise

    Operations, logistics and medical experts here continue to assist state and federal agencies in a simulated nation-wide battle against the pneumonic plague, wildfires and bad weather, which began Aug. 18.The exercise, Determined Promise ‘03, was designed to test U.S. Northern Command’s

  • Teamwork reaches back to junior ROTC

    While flying combat missions over Iraq, 1st Lt. Brian Huster is never alone.As a co-pilot on a KC-10A Extender, he is part of crew of four aviators, and he is connected with the team of thousands of U.S. and coalition troops fighting the global war on terrorism. But for this new flier, there is an

  • Rumsfeld: Two options in terror war

    Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told servicemembers at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Aug. 25 the United States faced only two options in its war on terror: Fight the terrorists where they live today, or fight them in America tomorrow.Rumsfeld said the war on terrorism is unlike any the United

  • DOD students score high on national test

    Results show Defense Department school system students scored consistently higher than the national average on a standardized test.Numbers from the 2003 TerraNova 2nd Edition standardized test revealed DOD third-to eleventh-graders scored higher than the national 50th-percentile average in the

  • Tinker employee saves AF $5 million

    A logistics management specialist in the cruise missile product group came up with a suggestion to save the Air Force close to $5.5 million.In the process, Tracy Thompson earned $10,000 for himself through the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Thompson came up with his

  • AFMC welcomes new commander

    Air Force Materiel Command’s new leader officially accepted command Aug. 22 during a ceremony at the Air Force Museum here.Gen. Gregory S. Martin assumed command from Gen. Lester L. Lyles who held the position since April 2000. Following the change of command, Lyles retired after 35 years of

  • Air Force teamwork saves U.N. lives

    Airmen from several Air Force units at Baghdad International Airport rescued seven U.N. employees injured when a terrorist bomb exploded outside their headquarters here Aug. 19. Approximately 90 minutes after the attack, 301st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron officials sent two combat search and rescue

  • IMAX film crew wraps session at Nellis

    Filming wrapped for the summer here Aug. 22 on an IMAX film based on the Air Force and the mission of Red Flag.The 45-minute, multimillion-dollar film is scheduled to be released in 2004, according to officials.“IMAX is a spectacular venue in which to showcase the Air Force,” said Maj. Gen. Steve

  • Airman’s lifestyle change reaps benefits

    With preparation for the new Air Force fitness standards underway, some servicemembers are already getting in shape.A simple challenge from his leaders was all it took for one airman here to do just that, and lose 35 pounds.Col. Jack Gundrum, 731st Air Mobility Squadron commander, made a New Year’s

  • F-15 canopies buffed to visual perfection

    Even the slightest scratch in an F-15 Eagle windscreen can keep a pilot from seeing the enemy, according to F-15 test pilot Maj. Fritz Heck.That is why technicians in the F-15 canopy shop here work diligently to overhaul the acrylic bubbles in canopies and give fighter pilots a clear

  • U.S. aircraft return to Incirlik

    U.S. officials are sending four KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and six aircrews here to provide air-refueling support for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Aircraft and people began arriving Aug. 19 and should be in place by Aug. 23.The first aircraft and aircrew are from the Air

  • Now showing: Aug. 18 edition of AFTV News

    The work of Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard in three northeastern states to keep people and supplies moving to and from Southwest Asia is spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Staff Sgt. Bill Scherer visits Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., an ANG unit at