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  • Lynch visits reservists who brought her to U.S.

    At the time, it was a matter of doing their job. In retrospect, it was a brush with history.Airmen from Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing here helped transport then-Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch along with other injured servicemembers from Germany back to the United States in April 2003. It

  • ‘SOLE power’ present during experiment

    When most people think of special operations forces the image that comes to mind is a dusty, gritty warrior with a rifle in one hand and a land-mobile radio in the other.Within the Combined Air and Space Operations Center these warriors have traded their stealth and rifles for a computer and a

  • Rome engineer receive Harold Brown Award

    H. John Mucks, an electronics engineer for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s information directorate here, is the recipient of the 2004 Harold Brown Award, the Air Force's highest honor for research and development.The award, named for the former secretary of the Air Force and later secretary of

  • Fallen friend’s memory drives Vermont father, son

    While growing up in the lush Green Mountains near South Burlington, Vt., he was considered part of the family. Ultimately, the childhood playmate and best friend became a hero when he gave his life as a Marine in battle. The memory of Marine Cpl. Mark Evnin is what puts the fire in the fight of

  • Air Force chief of staff presents Kolligian Trophy

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper presented the Kolligian Trophy to Capt. Michael Matesick during a ceremony July 30 in the Pentagon. Captain Matesick, currently assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., earned the air safety award for saving his damaged aircraft in the sky over Iraq in

  • Sergeant enjoys ‘clowning around’ for children

    At work, he is a supervisor in the Joint Intelligence Center of U.S. Strategic Command here. During his off time, he takes on a whole different persona -- two personas to be exact.Senior Master Sgt. A.J. Johnson has two alter egos, and they both are a couple of clowns. Kleenax is a friendly

  • Three Air Force athletes competing in Olympics

    After years of hard work, only days remain before three Air Force athletes will compete at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.Thousands of athletes have begun arriving and checking into the Olympic Village, with opening ceremonies scheduled for Aug. 13. Second Lt. Seth Kelsey, 22, of Brush

  • Warfighters get ‘sneak peak’ at JEFX

    Battle management in the Air Force is changing, and 58 Airmen and two Soldiers from 14 different home bases are helping to shape its future.The Battle Control Center-Experimental, currently being tested and evaluated at the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004, is a bridge between the Air

  • Air Force general denies Schmidt appeal

    A U.S. Air Force general has denied the appeal of an Illinois Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot regarding the punishment he received for his role in a 2002 friendly fire incident in Afghanistan.Gen. Hal Hornburg, commander of Air Combat Command, denied Maj. Harry Schmidt’s appeal Aug. 3.

  • Captain finds fitness, less stress with yoga

    Breathing instructions are repeated in minute-long counts while people hold an asana, or posture, that resembles a row boat. Piano music plays while the noon sun bounces around the room’s mirrors, making the atmosphere almost heavenly during the class.This is all part of Capt. William Uhl’s

  • Going from Air Force to NASA blue for astronaut wings

    It is the all too famous image seen across the world -- the orange suits, the big smiles, the friendly waves -- as an astronaut crew prepares to launch out of Earth’s orbit. Since the first U.S. manned space flight in 1961, the Air Force has been a part of the nation’s space program.There are some

  • Army, Air Force sharing battle information

    Parked under camouflaged netting in the heat of the Nevada sun is an extended cab Humvee equipped with all the modern comforts of home: vinyl seats, air conditioning, tinted windows and four 23-inch plasma displays.It is not the Army’s version of a stretch limousine, but an element of the Army’s

  • Paul Revere takes flight during JEFX

    Paul Revere is no longer a lone rider on horse. Here it is the name given to a task force of Air Force, Department of Defense workers and government contractors flying in a contracted government Boeing 707, allowing warfighters to experiment with and test the latest communication technology.Time is

  • Promotion study list now available

    Promotion-eligible enlisted Airmen can now find which materials to study for the 2005 testing cycles.The most current Weighted Airman Promotion System catalog, which lists the materials used by test writers to develop the 2005 promotion tests, is now available on the Air Force Personnel Center Web

  • Raptor continuing Air Force's air superiority record

    With air dominance training under way here, the Air Force's newest asset, the F/A-22 Raptor, is proving its worth every day as it nears initial operational capability.The Raptor will eventually replace the F-15 Eagle, an aircraft with an undefeated 104-0 combat record, according to Brig. Gen. Larry

  • Service names top enlisted aircrew members

    The Air Force has selected its top enlisted aircrew members for 2003.The following Airmen are winners of the Staff Sgt. Henry E. “Red” Erwin Outstanding Enlisted Aircrew Member of the Year award:Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Master Sgt. Clive C. Bond, 964th Airborne Air Control

  • Deployed senior NCOs offered course in leadership

    Future senior noncommissioned officers at one forward-deployed location were recently given an opportunity that until now might have been available only to those at their home stations.Twenty-six master sergeant selectees attended the first Senior Noncommissioned Officer Symposium held in the U.S.

  • Weather officers provide key launch data

    A great deal of preparation goes into launching a missile or rocket here. Logistics, maintenance and operations are just a few essential aspects.One critical piece of a launch mission is determining and evaluating weather conditions up to the very second the vehicle lifts off from a pad or blasts

  • Airmen helping researchers by living in the clouds

    A handful of Air Force Academy Airmen are living in the clouds on the 14,110-foot Pikes Peak summit this summer as part of an Army/Air Force acclimatization research study.The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, based in Natick, Mass., and the academy’s Human Performance

  • Pentagon Channel available to all Airmen

    The Pentagon Channel is available to practically every active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airman and his or her family thanks to a recent expansion of services.Officials from the office of the secretary of defense for public affairs made the Pentagon Channel free to all cable

  • Gridlock technology brings coordinates to warfighters

    Gridlock, or precision Geo-registration of Imagery from Airborne Platforms, provides a machine-to-machine capability for military imagery interpreters that can do in one minute what a targeteer, or target designator, would take between 20 minutes to never to accomplish.This technology for tomorrow’s

  • Plans on table to sustain Minuteman III

    The officer in charge of America's intercontinental ballistic missile force said plans are well under way to sustain the life of the Minuteman III missile until the year 2020.Maj. Gen. Frank Klotz, 20th Air Force commander, visited here recently and spoke about the future of America's ICBM force.

  • Air Force ROTC closing detachments next summer

    Air Force ROTC officials are closing detachments at the University of Akron in Ohio, and Grambling State University in Louisiana next summer.In the summer 2007, officials will close AFROTC detachments at the University of Memphis in Tennessee; University of Cincinnati in Ohio; Wilkes University in

  • Phase maintenance prevents problems for aircraft

    Like automobiles, combat aircraft need regular preventative maintenance to minimize breakdowns.Unlike combat aircraft, though, automobiles do not normally need to be virtually dismantled for a 30,000-mile checkup. Each A-10 Thunderbolt II here is taken apart after 400 flying hours so the

  • Pentagon launches 'Operation Blue to Green'

    Sailors and Airmen may soon be able to "Go Army" under a new Defense Department program intended to rebalance the size of the military. The program is generating new opportunities for continued service and career advancement for those willing to transfer into the Army from other services.Under

  • Air Force approves humanitarian medal for OEF

    The Air Force has authorized the Humanitarian Service Medal for certain people who supported Operation Enduring Freedom.During the operation, hundreds of Airmen participated in packaging and delivering nearly 2.5 million individual human daily rations that were air-dropped to beleaguered Afghans.The

  • Board meets at academy to discuss issues

    The U.S. Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors met here July 24 and 25 to discuss a variety of issues affecting the institution. The board is required to meet at least annually to review morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical education, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other

  • Weather forecasters helping coalition forces

    No matter what the season, weather changes quickly in the Afghanistan mountains. Within 30 minutes, sky can go from clear blue to dark and stormy, or the wind can pick up drastically, whipping up dust and reducing visibility to nearly zero.With air and ground forces conducting operations around the

  • Experiment testing new data system

    The Data Link Automated Reporting System is set to be one of the revolutionary initiatives tested here during the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004.JEFX 2004 is an Air Force-sponsored experiment that assesses new and emerging technologies that can be quickly fielded.“With this system we’ve

  • Commodity council makes $10 million impact on spending

    The Air Force’s first commodity council stretched Air Force buying power for laptop and desktop computers by $10 million throughout the last year.The Information Technology Commodity Council was established after a review of acquisition data from across the Air Force by a procurement transformation

  • Edwards Airmen return from 'explosive' deployment

    During a recent deployment to Southwest Asia, two Airmen here put their lives on the line disposing of improvised explosive devices.For Staff Sgt. Neil Gertiser and Senior Airman Stephen Szczurek the danger never took over their thoughts, and they saw it as an opportunity to put their years of

  • Guardsmen fighting California fires

    Air National Guard crews from the 146th Airlift Wing here are helping battle wildfires raging on the West Coast.Crews have been fighting fires in California during July, most recently against the Crown Fire near Santa Clarita. Forty-five ANG people and two specially equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft

  • Local citizens receiving Air Force leadership training

    Airmen are not the only ones reaping the benefits of formal Air Force leadership training here. Two citizens from the local community completed five weeks of leadership classes July 23.The training they received on base coincided with the education Airmen receive at the Senior Master Sgt. David B.

  • Ramstein NCO captures first sergeant award

    A senior noncommissioned officer assigned to U.S. Air Forces in Europe headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, has earned the 2004 Air Force First Sergeant of the Year Award.Senior Master Sgt. Ricky Price, who works in construction and training, is being recognized for building then teaching the

  • Airmen shatter blood donation record

    Airmen here shattered their own record July 19 by donating 1,341 units of blood in a single day.Last year, base donors set the state's single-day, single-site blood donation record when they donated 1,151 units, earning the national "most first-time donors" award from the American Red

  • ROTC cadets pass field-training test at Lackland

    “Uncle Sam” requires all Air Force cadets to go through field training before they can think about receiving their commission and sporting the gold second lieutenant bar on their shoulders. Field training is a fierce mental and physical regimen that can make or break the spirits of aspiring Air

  • Two of four quads experiencing life in Iraq

    One is the older, “more mature” sister, freely giving advice and guiding her younger sibling -- even if she is only senior by about two minutes.The sisters, two of a set of quadruplets born to Joanne and Reginald L. Brown Sr., are deployed here together from their home units at Kadena Air Base,

  • Absentee ballots can make a difference

    In the Nov. 2 general election, the next president, vice president, 34 senators, 435 representatives, 13 governors and hundreds of local officials will be elected. American voters play a very important role in this process, said Maj. Rickey Harrington, U.S. Air Forces in Europe voting officer.“The

  • Air Force bids farewell to World War II hero

    The Air Force family bid farewell to a World War II hero July 20.Retired Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney, the man who flew the historic B-29 Superfortress flight that dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan during World War II, died July 16 in Boston. He was 84. “He was the best patriot, best father

  • Privatization helping DOD meet housing goal

    With funding levels making it increasingly difficult to maintain acceptable housing conditions at many military installations, Defense Department officials in the mid-1990s turned management and maintenance of some 200,000 "below standard" quarters over to private firms."We knew that we would never

  • Advisers warn Congress about special operations retention

    Retaining special operations people is crucial to the war on terrorism, special operations senior enlisted advisers told Congress on July 20.Special operations troops are deployed around the world in greater numbers than at any time in history, officials said. These senior advisers -- responsible

  • Atomic bomb returns to Air Force Museum

    A poignant symbol of World War II history returned to the Air Force Museum here July 15 after a yearlong restoration project. The museum received its “Little Boy” atomic bomb following restoration at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. It is the same type as the one the dropped

  • Reservists provide humanitarian aid in Chad

    Armed with sufficient medications, medical equipment and a surplus of enthusiasm and care, a team of Air Force Reserve Command medical professionals provided aid to the central African nation of Chad as part of a humanitarian effort July 1 to 15. The 13-person medical team deployed with a Marine

  • Leaders discuss future test pilot school curriculum

    Representatives from around the Air Force met here recently to help U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School experts modify the institution's current curriculum to fit future test and evaluation demands.Test pilot school graduates and nongraduates representing organizations from Air Force Materiel Command

  • Health officials give researchers data access

    Defense Department health officials are making anonymous data taken from surveys of active-duty servicemembers available to government researchers.Since 1980, DOD officials have conducted confidential, anonymous surveys among active-duty people through the "Survey of Health-Related Behaviors Among

  • Next group of Airman-Soldiers set to move into Iraq

    More than 150 Airmen completed the final stages of live-fire convoy training here July 16 before deploying north to Mosul as part of the 494th Air Expeditionary Force Truck Company. “You will be on the frontlines. You will be facing the enemy everyday in some of the most dangerous areas in Iraq,”

  • Airman dies in maintenance accident

    Tech. Sgt. Joseph Gardner III died early July 18 while performing an inspection on a C-17 Globemaster III.An investigation is currently under way to determine how he became pinned under the spoiler on the aircraft’s wing.Sergeant Gardner, 37, was an integrated avionics technician with the 437th

  • Now showing: July 19 edition of AFTV News

    The use of what looks like a model airplane to help provide security at Balad Air Base, Iraq, spotlights the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke reports on a small unmanned aerial vehicle called Desert Hawk that is playing a vital role in monitoring areas around

  • Special team searches for aircraft cracks

    All combat aircraft go through extreme stresses when completing their missions. Those stresses can cause metal fatigue -- tiny cracks in the joints and welds of the frame or invisible fractures in the metal.The sooner these invisible cracks are found, the safer the aircraft will be.Finding those

  • Treatment available to troops suffering from combat stress

    The servicemember who goes to combat and the one who comes back are never the same person, the Defense Department's director of mental-health policy said July 14."No one comes back unchanged," said Army Col. (Dr.) Tom Burke.Dr. Burke and other DOD health officials try to reach out to those returning

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials released the names of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2004.An Air Force selection board considered 45 nominees who represented major commands, direct reporting units and air staff agencies. The board convened at the Air Force Personnel Center here in May and selected

  • Safe, adequate housing gets highest priority

    Caring for Air Force families is the highest priority and one way to reinforce that commitment is to provide safe, adequate and affordable housing, said the Air Force’s senior military leader.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper released a Site Picture on July 6, detailing his and Air Force

  • A-10 pilots guard ground forces

    As ground forces travel throughout Afghanistan, they can rest assured there is somebody available to watch over their shoulders.Actually, two somebodies: a flight of two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, often known as Warthogs, regularly keep watch over the countryside and ground troops.While deployed to

  • Loggies keep aircraft, parts flowing to field

    In the war on terrorism, Air Force fighter, tanker and cargo aircraft are flying 200 to 250 sorties per day average, which is tasking mechanical functions to the extreme. Crew chiefs and unit-level maintainers know certain maintenance procedures, which are beyond their scope, are needed to keep the

  • Services officials want a lot of happy campers

    Services officials want to see a lot of happy campers this summer.More than 500 Air Force teenagers are rock climbing, orienteering, camping, getting leadership training and even visiting the Supreme Court in a series of camps offered by the Air Force Services Agency.“For the past several summers,

  • Airman dies in Iraq

    An Airman assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and attached to the U.S. Army’s 494th Truck Company at Balad Air Base, Iraq, was killed in action July 11.Staff Sgt. Dustin W. Peters, 25, died when the convoy he was riding in encountered an improvised explosive device.Sergeant Peters served as

  • AFMC leads Air Force in alternative dispute resolutions

    Air Force Materiel Command is the "Air Force's most dominant major command" regarding workplace disputes and resolving them via alternative-dispute-resolution techniques, according to a recent Air Force general counsel report.Coming from general counsel's dispute resolution division, the report

  • Officials announce services award winners

    Air Force Services Agency officials announced the winners of the 2003 services awards recently.Ramstein Air Base, Germany, won the Gen. Curtis E. Lemay Trophy for best overall services unit at a large base. Minot Air Force Base, N.D., won the Maj. Gen. Eugene L. Eubank Trophy for best services at a

  • Supply Airmen keep materials rolling in

    When people think of supply support, the first item that comes to mind may not be water.And yet, a weighty part of the supply Airmen’s job in the arid environment here is to process 15 pallets of the liquid each week. More than 25,000 bottles of water are used each week by 600-plus Airmen deployed

  • Course trains Airmen to drive convoys for Army in Iraq

    Riding in a truck through Iraq, manning a weapon and facing armed adversaries is not a scenario many Air Force vehicle operators thought they would see.But that is exactly what more than 500 of these Airmen are doing -- driving convoys for the Army supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Chief Master

  • Rewritten Airman’s Manual coming

    An Airman’s most important deployment tool just got better.The original Air Force Manual 10-100, the “Airman’s Manual,” published in 1999, has been revised and updated and hits the streets July 19. “Within four weeks, we will distribute more than 675,000 copies to every active-duty member,

  • Red Cross swimming in money thanks to retiree

    His name is Rich Rasmussen, but most call him “the fish.” That is because the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel swam in a Red Cross event for the last 13 years, raising more than $19,500 for the organization.Swimmers collect pledges to raise funds for the American Red Cross.Notorious for his

  • Airman charged with double murder

    An Airman here was formally charged July 8 with killing two people. Senior Airman Andrew Paul Witt, an avionics technician with the 116th Air Control Wing, is charged with two counts of premeditated murder, covered under Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Senior Airman Andrew

  • MedFlag 2004 kicks off

    About 250 U.S Airmen from bases in Europe and the United States joined their South African defense force partners here July 2 to begin Exercise MedFlag 2004.The annual two-week joint-combined medical training and civil assistance exercise in Africa includes units under U.S. European Command. It

  • Ammo: Giving Warthog its lethal bite

    As coalition soldiers conduct operations throughout Afghanistan, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, or Warthogs as they are commonly known, are a frequent sight in the sky.When a Warthog must strike, one team here “sharpens its tusks,” making sure that the aircraft’s “bite” is effective and lethal.The Airmen of

  • Engineers develop improved robotic tractor

    Engineers here are designing, building and testing a more advanced, robotic trenching tractor so combat engineers can perform cable trenching and excavation missions in dangerous locations. An early version of the tractor was developed last year and used in Iraq.Air Force Research Laboratory’s

  • Air Force amputee returns to flight status

    An Airman here who had his leg amputated above the knee will soon fly an Air Force aircraft again.Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, the Commander’s Action Group chief, has been medically cleared to return to flight status.The Air Force surgeon general, Lt. Gen. George Peach Taylor, medically cleared Colonel

  • Air Force symbol now official

    The Air Force symbol is now official, four years after the service first applied for trademark protection.“I'm proud our symbol is now an official part of our heritage," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. "It represents our storied past and links our 21st Century Air Force to our

  • Pilot reprimanded, fined in friendly fire incident

    Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson, 8th Air Force commander, has found Maj. Harry Schmidt guilty of dereliction of duty for his role in an April 17, 2002, bombing incident which resulted in the deaths of four Canadian soldiers and the serious injury of eight others. Major Schmidt’s punishment includes a

  • Taking care of patients in air

    Most military aircraft are not well known for passenger comfort.But when passengers are seriously ill or injured, a team of medical experts is always on hand to ensure as comfortable a ride as possible.“We are responsible for moving casualties in-theater as well as between theaters,” said Capt. Karl

  • Vietnamese boy finds success in AF blue

    Maj. Phuong Tran holds a deep appreciation for America.In 1975, at age 11, Major Tran, his family, and hundreds of other Vietnamese families fled Saigon, Vietnam, to escape communism.Although he knew nothing of the language or culture of the United States when he left his war-torn country, Major

  • ‘Military One Source' helps with family problems

    The Defense Department has established a "one-stop" place to go whenever servicemembers or family members need assistance with any kind of problem.It is called "Military One Source," and is available anytime, worldwide, said John M. Molino, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and

  • Expeditionary mindset provides stability, predictability for Airmen

    Nothing much stands out at the Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center at Langley Air Force Base, Va.The rooms upon rooms of cubicles are standard for a work center. A snack room provides lunch for those too busy to leave, and a larger parking lot would make people happier.Everything appears

  • Air Force uniform heads to French army

    When a French army sergeant asked Col. David Adams for his uniform, the colonel did not know what to think. When working at a NATO base with 30 different nations, the real meaning is not always in the message.Sgt. Willy Brunet, a signal noncommissioned officer with the French National Intelligence

  • DOD expands troop anthrax, smallpox vaccination

    More U.S. servicemembers, including those serving in South Korea, will be vaccinated against smallpox and anthrax, the Defense Department's senior medical adviser said June 30.The availability of additional smallpox and anthrax vaccine will allow for vaccinating all servicemembers assigned to U.S.

  • Medical center responds to train derailment victims

    An early morning train collision and release of toxic fumes near San Antonio on June 28 sent at least 22 people to Wilford Hall Medical Center here for treatment. At least two people died as a result of the derailment.Workers from the 59th Medical Wing immediately responded, decontaminating people

  • General revises clothing policy for Airmen deploying to SWA

    All Airmen deploying to the Central Command area of responsibility must now ensure the clothing they pack is in step with a recent dress and appearance policy revision now in effect.The most significant change requires Airmen to wear either desert camouflage uniforms or physical training gear while

  • Officials announce Air Force chaplain service award winners

    Officials announced the Air Force chaplain service award winners on June 25.Established this year, the award program recognizes outstanding individual and organizational performance within the chaplain service. The 2003 winners are:-- Richard C. Schneider Award (chaplain’s assistant, Airman):

  • Air Force honors Youth of the Year

    A ceremony at the Pentagon on June 23 honored Air Force youth representing bases worldwide.This year’s master of ceremonies was both the Air Force Materiel Command Youth of the Year and the Oklahoma State Youth of the Year. Michael Goodman, son of retired Master Sgt. Randall and Donna Goodman from

  • Yokota aircraft parts store never closes

    Airmen assigned to the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron is aircraft parts store element here work around the clock supporting the Air Force airlift mission in the Pacific region.The group of inventory management technicians receive, store and issue needed parts worth $46 million for C-130 Hercules

  • General Bradley will command Air Force Reserve

    On June 24, the Senate confirmed Maj. Gen. John A. Bradley as chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, and appointed him to the rank of lieutenant general. General Bradley is the former assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for reserve matters at the

  • Robotic warriors display capabilities

    Pentagon officials and guests were treated to a demonstration of the remote detection challenge and response, or REDCAR, initiative June 23.REDCAR uses unmanned robotic platforms to provide perimeter defense of Air Force bases and forward-deployed units.“With REDCAR we can integrate a family of

  • NCO earns American Legion Spirit of Service Award

    Her father picked up a soldier carrying his life in a duffel bag on his way home from Vietnam in 1971. He gave the man a little money and took him to his house to finish his journey home. This act of kindness influenced Staff Sgt. Catherin Lammon and motivated her to do community service.The

  • Major getting Article 15 for friendly fire incident

    Air Force officials will proceed with nonjudicial punishment in the 2002 Canadian friendly fire incident.This decision, made by Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson, 8th Air Force commander, grants Maj. Harry Schmidt’s petition to withdraw his request for trial by court-martial.General Carlson offered Major

  • Congress recognizes four Air Force people

    Four members of the Air Force family received Congressional Award Gold Medals along with 171 other young men and women during a ceremony on June 23 at the Russell Senate Office Building.The program recognizes outstanding achievement in people ages 14 to 23 and involves setting goals in four areas:

  • Murray talks deployments, force shaping

    Combat needs, not current manpower standards, are what Air Force officials are using to determine how many people are filling the ranks, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray said. This, he said, is the first time in Air Force history that combat needs have been the determining

  • UAV Battlelab stands up at Indian Springs

    Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field near here is entering a new era in providing unmanned aerial vehicle support to the combat air force.Currently the only installation with a fleet of operational remotely piloted aircraft, Indian Springs is now also the home of the Air Force’s Unmanned Aerial

  • EOD is making Afghanistan safe for future

    Today, there are literally tons of explosive materials hidden throughout Afghanistan. Some, like land mines the former Soviet Union liberally scattered around the countryside, lie deceptively under a thin veneer of dirt. Others lie hidden away in caches of weapons carefully horded and

  • NCOs help with air cover

    More than 200 noncommissioned officers are helping the Army by providing air cover for patrols protecting convoys, performing raids, responding to mortar and road attacks, and training Iraqis to provide their own security.They are part of a tactical air control party, which is a self-supporting team

  • Airmen attend Coast Guard academy

    For a few select senior noncommissioned officers, attending the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy in Petaluma, Calif., is an opportunity to embody the school’s motto, “Altus Tendo -- I Reach High.” It is also a chance to teach their classmates about the mission and expeditionary nature

  • C-5 workers take to sky

    A group of C-5 Galaxy production workers recently took to the sky to become more familiar with the huge aircraft they work on every day.The flight was the first of a series of familiarization flights maintenance officials have scheduled to show workers how important their jobs are.“The organization

  • Cadets get ‘constructive’ engineering experience

    Cadets exchange computers, backpacks and books for hard hats, lumber and a bulldozer when they sign up for a summer civil engineering course.The entry-level course takes place in the academy’s Jacks Valley at the field engineering and readiness laboratory. The five-week program acquaints 60 cadets

  • Doctor reports from field

    Keeping in touch with family and friends at home is a high priority for many deployed Airmen, but Lt. Col. (Dr.) John Torres, or "Dr. John" as he is known back home in Colorado, goes a step further.Besides being an emergency room doctor, Dr. Torres records a medical segment three times a week for

  • Mechanics finish six-year F-15 engine upgrades

    Jet engine mechanics have turned the final wrenches on a unique F-15 Eagle engine upgrade program here, saving the Air Force more than $100 million, officials said. For the last six years, more than 100 jet engine mechanics with the 18th Maintenance Group have been converting F-15 engines. They

  • TACC commander receives management award

    The commander of the Tanker Airlift Control Center has received the 2003 Eugene M. Zuckert Management Award.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche presented Brig. Gen. Paul J. Selva with the award during a ceremony at the Pentagon on June 16.“I have the coolest job on the planet, because I

  • Laughlin Airmen get fit during 'adventures'

    “Are you fit to fight?” That is the question Air Force officials are asking Airmen these days, and it is the catch phrase for the new fitness focus.One squadron here upped the ante among its Airmen recently asking, “Are you fit to race?”More than 100 Airmen from the 86th Flying Training Squadron

  • Long-term care insurance still available

    Active-duty Airmen, some reservists, appropriated-fund civilian employees, retirees and qualified family members can still apply for the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program.The program is a benefit authorized by Congress to help federal employees defray the costs of in-home care, nursing-home

  • Reserve volunteers needed for force-protection duties

    Reserve component enlisted Airmen in any career field are eligible for a unique program allowing them to help protect Air Force bases nationwide. The air reserve component force protection volunteer program gives individual mobilization augmentee, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members

  • Air Force family fights fire with generosity

    A first-term Airman from the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here, her husband, and their two small children were left homeless when an unexplained fire destroyed everything in their base housing unit recently.Out of the ashes of this tragedy, however, rose an unexpected phoenix. The Vazquez's

  • New focus puts future training over the 'edge'

    Department of Defense servicemembers participating in Northern Edge '04 have a new focus this year, joint warfighter training, as well as a different focus in 2005, homeland defense.Pacific Command and Northern Command officials have agreed to share Alaska Command's premier joint exercise.In