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U.S. Air Force News

  • Airman receives national engineer award

    An Airman here was selected by Society of American Military Engineers officials to receive the society's president's medal.Col. Josuelito Worrell, director of the engineering support directorate for the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, will receive the award for outstanding leadership and

  • Hurlburt Airmen bring space power to Joint Red Flag

    U.S. space forces are using their knowledge of joint and interagency operations to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield during Joint Red Flag 2005, an exercise aimed at improving joint training and experimentation capabilities among U.S. and coalition forces.Air Force space capabilities have long

  • Air Force announces media contest winners

    A panel of civilian journalists, teachers and public relations professionals selected the best in Air Force print and broadcast journalism for the 48th annual Air Force Media Contest. The winners were announced March 31. Geoff Janes, from the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the

  • Final Joint STARS aircraft delivered

    Officials from the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., delivered the 17th and final E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft to the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., on March 23.The wing is the only unit to fly the aircraft. The Joint STARS

  • Pilots give feedback on F-16 upgrade

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., were here recently to give feedback to members of the F-16 Systems Group on upgrades made to the aircraft.Lt. Col. John Montgomery, 55th Fighter Squadron commander, and Capt. Jim Govin, a 55th FS pilot, flew two of the newly modified F-16s

  • Officials announce Air Force comptroller awards

    Air Force financial management officials announced the winners of the 2004 financial management and comptroller awards.They are:Financial Management and Comptroller: -- Organization, 347th Comptroller Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. -- Individual, Lt. Col. Trent Edwards of the 92nd Air

  • Academy honors distinguished graduates

    Contributions to the Air Force and nation have earned two Air Force Academy graduates the academy’s distinguished graduate awards.Retired Col. Frederick Gregory and retired Gen. Ronald W. Yates have earned the 2004 Distinguished Graduate Award. The awards will be presented on behalf of the academy

  • OSI keeps Baghdad Airmen, Soldiers safe

    Force Protection. To many Airmen, it means fishing for identification, showing it to the gate guard, and then going to work for a 12-hour shift. To the special agents of Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 2408, force protection encompasses a range of discreet, 24-hour operations

  • Myers speaks to ROTC cadets of integrity, commitment

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff left the Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings National Convention here March 28 more confident than ever about the future of America’s military.About 1,500 ROTC cadets and civilians from around the country listened as Gen. Richard B. Myers spoke of the challenges

  • Federal law assists troops' dealings with creditors

    Federal law prohibits mortgage lenders from immediately foreclosing on homes owned by servicemembers deployed overseas on military duty, a senior legal officer said here.All servicemembers, including those deployed, are protected under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, signed by President Bush on

  • Officials announce contracting awards

    Air Force officials announced the winners of the 2004 contracting awards.They are:Secretary of the Air Force Professionalism in Contracting: -- Supervisory, Christine Clark of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.-- Nonsupervisory, Suzanne White of the 50th

  • Unit deployment managers ensure readiness

    Described by officials as the squadron lifeline to deployment processes anywhere, unit deployment managers are tasked with ensuring their unit’s troops and cargo are ready for deployment.“Ask any commander who has a deployment mission, and they will tell you their UDM is invaluable,” said Lt. Col.

  • Iraqi Freedom deployments help Airmen understand war

    For Tech. Sgt. Aaron Otte and Staff Sgt. Ron Beard, both security forces Airmen assigned to the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron security forces flight and deployed here from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on past deployments is something they said they

  • Maintainers keep Stratotankers airborne

    A KC-135 Stratotanker is considered a support aircraft in the war on terrorism, but for many members of the 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, that is an understatement.Tasked with the responsibility of keeping Air Force, sister service and coalition aircraft refueled and flying, these Grand Forks Air

  • Military dogs dig into security

    Not all Air Force equipment has engines, wings or even operating instructions. One unit here is responsible for equipment that has a mouth packed with sharp teeth and a hide of fur.“Osan has the largest operational dog kennel in the Air Force,” said Tech. Sgt. Jerry Woodard, 51st Security Forces

  • Nine recently selected for promotion to E-8 must now re-compete

    Personnel officials are correcting circumstances that recently led to nine master sergeants being selected for promotion to senior master sergeant in the incorrect Control Air Force Specialty Code during the 05E8 cycle.The problem began when 46 Airmen who were attending the First Sergeant Academy

  • Deployed Airmen take on a different enemy

    The hum of C-130 Hercules resonated throughout a base at a forward-deployed location as the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s mission of putting boots on the ground in Iraq continued.However, more than 300 Airmen took time from their duties to battle another enemy when they participated in a Relay for

  • Officials announce 2005 Hennessy Trophy winners

    Air Force Services Agency officials have announced the winners of the 2005 Hennessy Trophy Awards.Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the winner in the single-facility category, and Hurlburt Field, Fla., is the winner in the multiple-facility category.The Air Force Reserve Command award winner is the

  • Combat communicators provide more than ‘terabyte’ of support

    If you ask Staff Sgt. Brandon Miranda what a “terabyte” is, the communications-computer systems operations journeyman with the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron communications flight here will tell you it is a computer server that can store more than 1,000 gigabytes.For the nearly 1,000

  • Exercises prepare Airmen for deployment

    The Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center here nominates sourcing for about 38 exercises each year so Airmen can exercise their deployment capabilities before actually deploying, officials said.Exercises provide a realistic contingency environment to familiarize combat operation forces and

  • Air Force receives last F-16

    The general who was the F-16 System Program Office director here when the contract for the aircraft was awarded delivered the Air Force's last F-16 Fighting Falcon on March 18.While the Lockheed Martin Aero plant in Fort Worth, Texas, will continue to produce F-16s for international coalition

  • Officials recognize company for contributions to war on terror

    Air Force officials recognized FedEx for the company's support to the military during the war on terror with a brief surprise ceremony at the Pentagon on March 22.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper presented Frederick W. Smith, FedEx chief executive officer, with a certificate of

  • AFIT graduates Class of 2005

    More than 230 scientists and engineers received graduate and doctorate degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology here March 21. AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management held its 2005 graduation ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The graduating class was

  • Officials announce new chief of AF Scientific Advisory Board

    Acting secretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets selected Heidi Shyu as chair of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board on March 22. The board is an independent group that provides technical advice to Air Force leaders. Ms. Shyu, an electrical engineer with Raytheon Company, will start her duties

  • College tests offered for Airmen manning internment camp

    Armored Humvees roll in and out of here several times a day escorting supply convoys. But they brought a unique passenger and cargo to this remote outpost March 17.The passenger was Staff Sgt. Alan Smith, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing test control officer. His cargo was a box full of College Level

  • Services work together, keep convoys off streets

    As Operation Iraqi Freedom continues, American servicemembers are put in harm’s way daily. The Department of Defense’s various services are working together to make Iraq a safer place for the servicemembers. This is the primary thinking behind the Tanker Air Lift Control Element, a mostly Air

  • Officials announce Air Force safety awards

    Air Force safety officials announced the winners of the 2004 safety awards.They are:-- Secretary of the Air Force Safety Award: Category I, U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Category II, Air Force Academy, Colo. -- Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois Memorial Award: Air Combat

  • Special ops request funding to modernize, transform

    A continued need for modernization and transformation of special operations forces brought that community’s leaders to Capitol Hill on March 17 to testify on their portion of the president’s military spending request.The fiscal 2006 defense budget request that President Bush submitted to Congress

  • Creek Defender convoy prepares security forces Airmen

    Airmen of the 786th Security Forces Squadron here proved their grit alongside more than 80 U.S. Air Forces in Europe security forces Airmen at a convoy and static position live-fire event March 14 at a training range in nearby Baumholder.The Creek Defender exercise primed the participants for

  • Air Force seeks Airmen for detainee operations

    The Air Force needs about 100 enlisted Airmen to serve in Iraq as interrogators, analysts, and command and control specialists later this year.Eligible volunteers from across the total force, who want to serve at the forefront of the war on terror, must be sharp and meet certain qualifications,

  • OIF two years later: Progress continues on all fronts

    On March 18, 2003, the clock was ticking on President Bush’s ultimatum for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq within 48 hours.The next day, two days after the president’s televised ultimatum, coalition forces launched operations to disarm Iraq.“On my orders, coalition forces

  • Predator fleet to expand

    Air Force officials plan to expand the current Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle fleet to as many as 15 squadrons.This increase, announced March 18, is in response to the escalating demand for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability in the war on terrorism. The plans are intended to

  • OIF experience benefits Airmen deployed elsewhere

    For two years now, Airmen have deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving either in Iraq or locations elsewhere in Southwest Asia.Many Airmen deployed here said previous experience supporting OIF has paid dividends in understanding even more their current deployment supporting Operation

  • Air Force 2005 design and construction award winners named

    Air Force officials announced the winners of the 2005 Air Force Design Awards, Air Force Agent Awards and Air Force Design Excellence Awards.Recipients of an honor award in the design competition:-- Concept Design: indoor community pool at Osan Air Base, South Korea.-- Interior Design: bowling

  • DOD programs ease force stress without hiking end strength

    Ongoing Defense Department transformation initiatives are designed to relieve force stress without increasing the number of military forces, a senior defense official told House Armed Services Committee members March 16.“By focusing attention on efforts to reduce stress on our forces, we believe we

  • Kadena children get deployment experience

    With a mobility bag slung heavily over one shoulder, the petite “Tech. Sgt.” Natasha Dumpert stands in a deployment line waiting for her immunizations before setting off for a deployment to Iraq.Oh, by the way, Natasha is 8-years-old and her immunizations are jellybeans.Natasha, along with more than

  • Airman convicted of possessing child pornography

    An Airman was found guilty of possessing child pornography during a court-martial held here March 10.Airman Ryan Stephens, of the 18th Security Forces Squadron, was sentenced to eight years confinement after being found guilty at a general court-martial of two charges of possessing child

  • Personnel records to stay at AFPC

    Airmen who retire or separate don't have to wait several months to receive requested copies of certain records because of a recent change in how the Air Force maintains personnel records.The 49-year-old practice of sending nearly 5,500 personnel records each month to the National Personnel Records

  • Airmen keep Iraqi airways clear

    As 1st Lt. Damian Wanliss enters his cold, dark office, dimly lit by the green glare of the screen ahead, he takes a deep breath and anticipates another day of directing traffic in the chaotic Iraqi sky.The lieutenant, a 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron weapons control officer, is just one

  • BRAC turned out to be good news for Texas capital

    Though the fear of losing jobs and revenue grips nearby cities and towns when the Defense Department decides to close a military installation, the bad news can be made good.Such was the case when Bergstrom Air Force Base here closed in 1993, its fate sealed by the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure

  • Benefits offset exchange rates at overseas military banks

    Servicemembers overseas will not suffer from higher currency exchange rates at military banks, officials said, because allowances increase to offset the higher rate.Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials said that overseas servicemembers and other customers of the Community Bank have asked

  • Escorts serve as base’s second line of defense

    They come from different career fields, but while deployed, they come together to serve as a critical line of defense for the base.Deployed Airmen throughout U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility serve as escorts to foreign workers daily. The program falls under each base’s expeditionary

  • C-130 crew delivers cargo, morale to remote locations

    When Soldiers, Sailors or Marines need something moved, C-130 Hercules crews here answer the call, and recently, that request took one 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew to Africa and beyond.Their cargo ranged from helicopter rotors to medical supplies to personal mail. Their mission was to

  • Air Force officials project budget shortfall

    Supporting the war on terrorism and ongoing operations around the world have created a projected budget shortfall forcing the Air Force to tighten its belt.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper has directed all major commands to cut back on low priority spending in an attempt to stave off a

  • Task force aims to prevent sexual assault

    Everyone has a role in preventing and responding to sexual assault, said the commander of the Joint Task Force on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response during her remarks at a women’s history luncheon here.Brig. Gen. K.C. McClain assumed command in October 2004. The task force is establishing

  • Troops become U.S. citizens during Bush library ceremony

    It’s been a long time coming, but U.S. Army Spc. Arafat Khaskheli, who was born in Saudi Arabia but whose nationality is Pakistani, can finally say that he is truly an American.“The feeling is really great, I’ve waited for this a long time,” Specialist Khaskheli, 28, of Fort Hood, Texas, said March

  • Communities affected by BRAC have transition partner

    As the next round of base realignment and closure looms on the horizon, officials at the office of economic adjustment stand ready to assist affected communities.The office’s role is to help communities affected by Defense Department program changes, said Patrick O’Brien, the office’s director. That

  • Technicians use aircraft wreckage for testing

    After 11 years of service as a flight trainer, a T-1A Jayhawk aircraft is joining the Aeronautical Systems Center here.The aircraft, although damaged past the point of repair, still has its avionics and other subsystems intact, along with most of its fuselage. Technicians in the center’s training

  • Albuquerque high school student wins ‘Perfect Prom’

    An Albuquerque, N.M., student from Del Norte High School is the grand prizewinner of the U.S. Air Force-sponsored “2005 Win the Perfect Prom Sweepstakes.”Erin Whitaker, a junior, was selected at random from more than 70,000 entries. She won $1,500 for her prom expenses and use of an SUV limousine

  • Health officials recommend changes to fitness program

    Air Force health officials recommended seven changes to the fitness program during the program’s first annual review.This first annual assessment consists of reviews by three panels: functional, external and leadership, said Lt. Col. Sherry Sasser, chief of health promotions for the Air Force

  • States let taxpayers donate refunds to military families

    Illinois led the charge last year when it began letting taxpayers check a box on their state tax returns to donate their tax refunds to families of deployed guardsmen and reservists.Illinois’ example -- which has paid out $2.7 million so far to more than 5,000 military families -- is quickly

  • Air Force center takes Public Agency Award

    The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence here has won the first Public Agency Award presented by the Society of American Military Engineers.Based in Alexandria, Va., the society is a professional organization that includes members from all the military branches as well as the public and

  • Pilots make long commute to Global Hawk University

    For Global Hawk pilots, training is a little like going to a university with a large main campus and an extension campus a few miles away -- make that half a world away.While that is one heck of a commute, it is necessary because the Global Hawk, an unmanned aerial vehicle used to provide real-time

  • Air Force surgeon general testifies on four health effects

    The Air Force surgeon general spoke before Congress on March 3 on the state of medical care for servicemembers serving in the war on terrorism. Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr. told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on military personnel that

  • Good vibrations, music lends healing hand

    Have you ever found yourself tapping your foot or bobbing your head when listening to upbeat music? It is nearly impossible for most of us to sit perfectly still when we hear a beat we like. Similarly, a softer, slower rhythm can be calming and relaxing. These involuntary motor responses to

  • GPS satellites help outdoor hobbyists link up

    The coordinates N 47 degrees 12.595 W 110 degrees 55.990 mean very little to most people, but to a group of hunters know as “geocachers,” it is the beginning of an adventure that starts on a nearby mountainside and ends with a hidden treasure in the belly of a state park.Geocaching is a sport where

  • Fitness instructor loses nearly half of herself

    Keyra Donaldson was sitting on the bathroom floor while her children were taking a bath. Her back was in pain, and her patience was growing thin because they were taking too much time in the tub. This was the moment, she said, when she admitted to herself that she was severely overweight.The year

  • Air Force doctors perform alternative back surgery

    Doctors at Wilford Hall Medical Center here performed a total-disc arthroplasty procedure March 7. The procedure was the first of its kind to be performed at any Air Force medical center.Maj. (Dr.) Steven Cyr, chief of orthopedic spine surgery, successfully removed and replaced a spinal disc from

  • Filipino Airman sets his sights high

    He left a career, his home country and some members of his family to become part of the bite behind America's bark.Airman 1st Class Michael Dizon is an Airman-in-training at the 381st Training Squadron here, studying to become a dental technician. But he was much more than that before enlisting in

  • Air Force reaches privatization milestone

    The Air Force recently surpassed the 10,000-home milestone in its military family housing privatization program. In February, Air Force officials closed a deal privatizing more than 1,300 homes at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. This means the Air Force now has more than 10,900 privatized homes.

  • Airmen ready to snag an Eagle

    The Airmen of the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron power production flight ensure there is plenty of electricity to power facilities here. However, another crucial aspect of their job is maintaining and operating the mechanical system that stops problem aircraft on the runway. During

  • Exercises test mobilization process

    Air Force officials will kick off a "push-pull" mobilization test March 10."Push-pull" is the process used to quickly access and return reservists, categorized as Pretrained Individual Manpower Airmen, back into the active-duty force to meet wartime and contingency needs. They are Individual Ready

  • AF maintains contact with missing servicemembers’ families

    Wearing a nametag with the name of his brother, Raymond Kelly, a 74-year-old veteran, personifies the families of missing servicemembers and their continued efforts to find closure for the loss of their loved ones. In 1951, Airman 1st Class James Kelly’s aircraft crashed in North Korea during the

  • Airmen track terrorists off base

    To keep Balad Air Base, Iraq safe and secure, the Airmen of Task Force 1041 venture off base daily to take the fight to the enemy.“This is a war against insurgents, and the battlefield is asymmetric,” said Lt. Col. Chris Bargery, task force commander. “The vast majority of attacks against air bases

  • Air Force lifts Boeing suspension

    Air Force officials removed the suspension of three Boeing Co. units associated with its rocket business March 4. The company’s Launch Systems, Boeing Launch Services and Delta Program business units were suspended July 24, 2003, for serious violations of federal law, officials said. The 20-month

  • Guardian Challenge 2005 canceled

    Guardian Challenge, the Air Force’s annual space and missile competition, has been canceled for 2005 to allow Airmen to focus on real-world deployments and ease budget constraints, Air Force Space Command officials said.“It takes a lot of manpower and resources to support an event like Guardian

  • AMC stands up first contingency response wing

    Air Mobility Command stood up the Air Force’s first contingency response wing here March 1.The wing, which replaced the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group, expands the group's current mission and embeds all necessary capabilities, such as security forces, finance, intelligence and civil

  • First B-2s deploy to Andersen

    B-2 Spirit bombers have deployed here for the first time to support Pacific Command’s security efforts in the Western Pacific. More than 270 Airmen of the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron deployed from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., currently the only B-2 unit in the Air

  • Proper hygiene keeps coalition fit to fight

    Proper hygiene is critical to remaining combat-ready.To ensure servicemembers stay healthy, most forward-deployed locations throughout Afghanistan offer plenty of opportunities for good hygiene, like running water for showers and hand-washing stations next to the chow line.However, the situation

  • Air Force identifies non-vol candidates for first sergeant duty

    Air Force officials have identified Airmen as candidates for first sergeant duty for the second time in two years through a nonvolunteer process. Historically, first sergeants were chosen from a pool of volunteers. But in recent years, there has not been a sufficient number of volunteers to keep

  • New Horizons provides training, spreads goodwill

    Nearly 600 U.S. servicemembers from every branch of the military are working together with Salvadoran military and civilian counterparts to improve communities with humanitarian-assistance projects.The lead unit for the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored readiness training exercise, New Horizons 2005

  • Adopt-a-plane program preserves history

    George Jones is a man with a plan: to restore the static aircraft displays at the Air Force Armament Museum here.The aircraft are “dying a slow death” because of adverse weather conditions that are taking a toll on the 25 displays that surround the museum, said Mr. Jones, an aerospace museum

  • Hanscom children honored with medal

    Base officials have a new medal in their arsenal to recognize family sacrifices made during the war on terrorism.The Children's Home Front Hero Medal, which features a replica of the American flag, is for children of deployed servicemembers.Dawn Andreucci, a community readiness consultant for

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    More than 120 people were selected for an Air Force commission, Air Force Recruiting Service officials here announced March 2. The officials considered 266 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection Board 0503, which selected 128 people for a 48 percent selection rate. Of those, 17

  • Bagram mail team delivers

    Delivering messages from home to more than 700 deployed Airmen is a “mission of morale” being carried out on a daily basis by the mail team here.Anywhere from seven to 20 pallets of mail arrive here daily -- anywhere between 15,000 to 50,000 pounds of mail.“We have a core team of seven Airmen --

  • Cadet research helping NASA return shuttles to space

    Academy research here is helping NASA shuttles return to space.The shuttle program has been landlocked since the Feb. 1, 2003, loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia.This academic year, the academy is assisting NASA’s return-to-flight program by using the skills of instructors and cadets to put a model

  • Services searching for teens with their eyes on the sky

    Teenagers who share a fascination with flight, both airplanes and spacecraft, can apply for the 2005 Teen Aviation Camp and the 2005 Space Camp, but they need to get their application packages in soon, Air Force Services Agency officials said.“Applications for acceptance into the Teen Aviation Camp

  • Hill shop helps Soldiers see in the dark

    Repair work by a few technicians in one of the 309th Electronics Maintenance Group's shops here is helping Soldiers see in the dark. Electronics and instruments branch workers repair single-lens night-vision goggles for Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, while they rotate in

  • Tuskegee Airman visits Cannon

    Retired Lt. Col. Herbert Carter is the embodiment of walking history. He was part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the famous “Red Tails,” made up of a group of black pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen.Colonel Carter visited here recently to speak at Cannon’s Black History Month dinner.“I actually

  • Officials spread word about DOD civilian jobs

    Human resources specialist Linda K. Stouffer said when she visits college campuses, she tells students the Defense Department is "the 'employer of choice,' and our job is to support America's defense around the world."Ms. Stouffer, who works for the DOD civilian personnel management services defense

  • Missing Korean War Airman identified

    Department of Defense officials announced Feb. 25 that the remains of an Air Force pilot, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will soon be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.Capt. Troy Cope of Norfolk, Ark., will be buried in Plano, Texas, on May

  • Air Force continues support, donates homes

    Base officials here plan to donate more than 20 housing units to American Indian tribes in North Dakota this summer as part of the decade-old Operation Walking Shield program.So far, more than 460 excess housing units here have been donated to 11 tribes in North Dakota, South Dakota and

  • IDT policy change gives augmentees flexibility

    A recent policy change modifies the inactive duty training policy for individual mobilization augmentees, and gives the reservists more flexibility to schedule training requirements.“While it is expected our IMAs will participate on a quarterly basis to maintain viability and visibility within their

  • Troops deal with stress of working 'inside the wire'

    Working "inside the wire" of the enemy combatant detention facility can lead to stress for the U.S. troops working here. But experts and leaders are working hard to help servicemembers deal with the unique conditions of working on this isolated island base.Stress-control issues are something the

  • Participation puts more books on library shelves

    There are rewards in a good book -- or in stacks and shelves of them -- as some youngsters here are learning.About 20 children in kindergarten through eighth grade are enrolled for the spring session in the Read by Mail program at the youth center.Last summer, Tinker was one of the top 10 bases Air

  • Tinker employees share ‘positively presidential’ names

    Tinker has been visited by many men who have been presidents of the United States, but a quick look at the personnel directory might cause people to wonder if some of America’s past chief executives are part of the Tinker family.Georgia Washington, operations director in the propulsion product

  • Cadets to sing at NBA All-Star Game

    The National Basketball Association has asked the Air Force Academy’s Cadet Chorale to sing the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game in Denver on Feb. 20.The choir’s visit is part of the NBA’s salute to the servicemembers of the armed forces, and the cadets will be introduced by “The Admiral,”

  • Medals updated in personnel system

    Air Force officials have completed a batch update to currently reflect award of the Korean Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism-Expeditionary Medal in the military personnel data system.Air Force Personnel Center officials here recently completed a mass decorations update for more than

  • General Jumper: Air Force will uphold standards

    The Air Force will uphold its standards, and people who break the service’s core values “will pay the price,” the Air Force chief of staff said.Gen. John P. Jumper also told the more than 1,000 attendees at the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium here Feb. 17 the service will not

  • Officials announce civil engineer unit awards

    Officials from the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency here and the Society of American Military Engineers announced the winners of the 2004 civil engineer outstanding unit awards. The winners of the society’s Maj. Gen. Robert H. Curtin Award and the Air Force Civil Engineer Outstanding Unit

  • FAST mission for security forces

    Their job is simple: Cockpit denial and ground security. The training is intense, and only the best will get the assignment.The two-man teams are called fly-away security teams and are an offshoot of Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Raven program. Due to a high volume of intratheater airlift

  • Battlelab gives armor 'thumbs up'

    Air Mobility Battlelab officials here recently completed their evaluation of a life-saving vehicle armor kit produced by the Army.The Armor Survivability Kit was designed by experts from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command. The kit provides protection from a range of threats in

  • Deployed Airman keeps aircraft aloft

    Looking out a window high in the sky, he calls the shots. As aircraft approach, he talks to them, setting the stage for a smooth connection. The lineup has to be near-perfect -- too much to the left or right and the mission could fail. As the communication link to aircraft needing fuel, he knows

  • Court-martial finds Airman guilty of rape

    A court-martial found an Airman of the 97th Security Forces Squadron here guilty of rape, dereliction of duty and falsifying an official statement recently. After seven days of testimony and deliberation, a panel of officer and enlisted Airmen found Senior Airman Justin Howard guilty of one charge

  • Inspector General investigates eight Air Force contracts

    Eight Air Force defense contracts not previously identified for in-depth review have been referred to the Department of Defense inspector general for investigation.The referral resulted from a review by Defense Contract Management Agency officials of 407 contracts under the control of or influenced

  • DOD IG finds fault with former SECAF

    The former secretary of the Air Force was found recently to have committed two technical violations of the Joint Ethics Regulation.The findings are the result of an investigation by the Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General and were published in a report Jan. 27.In May 2003, then

  • Air Force moves radios to narrowband

    As the demand for radio frequencies continues to grow, so does the need to increase efficiency. Air Force Communications Agency officials here helped create more capabilities by providing the roadmap for moving the Air Force away from wideband to narrowband radios. Land mobile radio systems enable

  • Falcons pin a loss on Orediggers, 37-12

    Winning eight of 10 bouts, the Air Force Academy wrestling team dominated the Colorado School of Mines, 37-12, here Feb. 11. The Falcons improve to 5-4 in dual action, while the Orediggers drop to 3-6.The dual began with the 133-pound bout, as Falcon Matt Benza went up against Garrett Eller. Benza

  • Symposium students complete 32,000 hours of instruction

    Students and instructors said they developed a new appreciation for the word “training” during the 2005 Environmental Training Symposium, which ended here Feb. 11.About 153 instructors taught 111 courses to more than 1,250 students throughout the week-long event.More than 32,100 hours of instruction

  • Firefighter dies during rescue attempt in Iraq

    A firefighter from here was killed Feb. 13 while on a rescue mission in Iraq.Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel, 29, died while attempting to rescue two Soldiers trapped in a Humvee that overturned in a canal. He was deployed to an Air Force unit operating out of Balad Air Base, Iraq. He was permanently