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  • Secretary briefs lawmakers in ‘posture’ hearing

    The F/A-22 Raptor, sexual harassment, force blending and the tanker lease program were all topics of discussion as the service’s senior executive testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 2.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche, along with the other service secretaries,

  • Predators move to Balad

    The unit came packed and ready to position themselves autonomously, so they could pursue their prey quietly, unseen for hours.Arriving ready to set up one of the most impressive unmanned aerial aircraft in the U.S. inventory, the Nevada unit was ready for business within days of their arrival here.

  • Lieutenant wins national track, field championship

    First Lt. James Parker, an Air Force world-class athlete from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., won the 2004 USA Track and Field Indoor National Championship Weight Throw, held Feb. 26 to 29 in Boston.The weight-throw competitor credited the win to his intense training regimen and fine-tuning his

  • Personnel services now available on AF Portal

    The days where people need to remember numerous user IDs and passwords for basic online personnel services are coming to an end thanks to the Air Force Portal."The portal is a powerful tool," said Col. Gregory Touhill, director of personnel data systems at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "We

  • Guard, Reserve reach out to employers

    The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is teaming up with local Chambers of Commerce to salute local employers who have demonstrated exceptional support for their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.The initiative is part of a broad outreach program to provide

  • AFRL technology tested in California

    Take the bus and leave the driving to embedded software.While it might not be a catchy slogan, that is exactly what happened when California Department of Transportation officials test drove software developed under the Air Force Research Laboratory-managed Model-Based Integration of Embedded

  • Reserve maintainer cashes in on award-winning idea

    A reservist here is $10,000 richer thanks to a suggestion that will save the Air Force millions of dollars each year.Master Sgt. Andrew Calvello, an aircraft engine mechanic supervisor with the 512th Component Maintenance Squadron, submitted the idea through the Innovative Development through

  • Airmen answer National Call to Service

    Since its inception in October, more than 240 trainees who enlisted under the National Call to Service Program have attended basic military training here.Under the terms set by the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act, the new airmen can serve a 15-month enlistment, followed by a possible

  • Air Force brings aid, experts to Morocco

    In the early hours of Feb. 24, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Al Hoceima Province in northern Morocco. Within the next few hours, two smaller aftershocks measuring 4.3 and 4.1 shook the remote region. Initial reports indicated more than 570 people were killed and 405 injured. On Feb. 28,

  • Now showing: March 1 edition of AFTV News

    A landmark University of Rochester study of suicide in the Air Force headlines the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. John Anderson talks to the study author, Dr. Kerry Knox, who said the Air Force program could be a model for private-sector businesses. The study found the

  • Still time to leave active duty early

    Nearly 1,250 airmen have applied to leave the Air Force early under force shaping. As the March 12 application deadline draws near, officials looking to trim the force by more than 16,000 are encouraging all airmen to carefully look at options to retire or separate earlier than they might otherwise

  • Officers selected for development

    More than 170 company grade officers from five career fields were recently selected by the Development Team Special Selection Board to attend developmental education programs.They will be sent to attend the Air Force Institute of Technology; education with industry; space lift education and

  • Services initiative lets 'you be you'

    A new initiative to introduce new airmen to the leisure and recreational activities available to them on base will kick off in March.A joint venture between Air Education and Training Command and the Air Force Services Agency, the new UBU program lets “you be you.” It allows airmen basic through

  • Leaders talk to Congress about long-range strike

    A variant of the F/A-22 Raptor is one consideration for the Air Force’s next long-range strike aircraft, the Air Force’s senior leaders said.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper met with members of the House Committee on Armed Services on

  • Officials release report of Sheppard review

    The preliminary findings of a special review team sent to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, to examine reports of sexual assaults indicate students feel the base provides a safe training, working and living environment.Gen. Donald G. Cook, commander of Air Education and Training Command, released the

  • General briefs senators on sexual harassment in Air Force

    Sexual harassment is a problem in the Air Force, but the service’s second-highest ranking officer assured members of the U.S. Senate that it has the full attention of senior leaders.Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley testified Feb. 25 before the Senate Armed Services Committee

  • Air Force leader discusses U.S. space program

    The executive agent for space testified before the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on strategic forces Feb. 25 on the status of America's space program.Undersecretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets, who is also the director of the National Reconnaissance Office, told committee members

  • CMSAF addresses quality of life

    The service’s ranking enlisted member addressed quality-of-life issues to the House subcommittee on military construction Feb. 25.Overall, quality of life in the Air Force has greatly improved, contributing to increased morale and retention, said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray.

  • NASA names MacDill landing site for space shuttle

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials have named this base an alternate landing site for space shuttle missions.Alternate sites are typically selected based on weather conditions or the power level of the shuttle during re-entry.Software updates to the shuttles’ landing programs

  • Reservists vital for seamless flow of business

    In this time of heightened operations tempo, Air Force units are constantly cycling in and out of different conflict zones worldwide. With a few exceptions, servicemembers in almost every career field in the military have the potential to be sent on a temporary duty assignment for extended periods

  • Raptor program still flies

    Air Force officials said they will continue with the F/A-22 Raptor program. Fervor over the Army's cancellation of the $6.9 billion Comanche helicopter program Feb. 23 raised questions about the future of the Air Force's F/A-22, said the director of Air Force combat force capability requirements.

  • Airmen help community by building homes

    Spending a Saturday morning working on your house may not seem like anything new, but what about spending that Saturday morning working on the house of someone you do not even know? This is what a group of airmen from throughout the base here have been doing with their spare time for Habitat for

  • Asian Aerospace 2004 highlights capability, technology

    The flying was fast, loud and very impressive as Asian Aerospace 2004 kicked off Feb. 24. The international air show, held at the Changi Exhibition Center here every two years, provides an opportunity for nearly 800 exhibitors from 33 countries and more than 23,000 trade visitors to promote the

  • Servicemembers encouraged to invest in TSP

    A money savvy servicemember serving in Iraq did not wait to get back home to buy a shiny new car with his $30,000 re-enlistment bonus. Instead, he invested all of it into the Thrift Savings Plan."Assuming a 7-percent rate of return, his $30,000 is projected to be $345,000 by the time he reaches age

  • Leaders call for re-energized suicide-prevention efforts

    After 11 active-duty suicides since Jan. 1 and 14 during the final quarter of 2003, Air Force senior leaders are asking commanders and leaders across the service to assess and re-energize suicide prevention efforts at all levels. The 2003 calendar year suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people was

  • U.S. forces provide medical, dental assistance in Thailand

    U.S. forces participating in Cope Tiger ’04 here helped improve the health and welfare of more than 2,100 Thai villagers during a three-day medical and dental civic assistance program visit Feb. 20 to 22.About 20 U.S. physicians, dentists and medical technicians -- comprising airmen, Marines and

  • OSI comes face-to-face with evil

    For a group of specially trained airmen serving in Afghanistan, coming face-to-face with evil is just "another day at the office" as they conduct counterintelligence and anti-terrorism operations. Tasked with providing military leaders current, accurate information about enemy threats, the Air Force

  • Airmen train Navy's 'Rocky' to become contender

    In the 1980s, Rocky Balboa knocked out many contenders. At Charleston a new Rocky is poised to arise and become victorious in 2004.The 437th Security Forces Squadron canine unit here is helping the Charleston Naval Weapons Station develop a kennel program. The unit here has opened its doors to

  • Camera maintainers are two of a kind

    Endangered species are scattered around the world, sometimes in the least likely of places. The few hundred remaining mountain gorillas are found deep in the Congo. A few dozen Amur tigers exist in out-of-the-way Siberia. The surviving giant pandas are located in secluded southern China.But the

  • Chief of staff takes aim at safety

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper has made it clear that he wants a mishap-free Air Force.General Jumper posted his thoughts on safety in his Feb. 18 “Chief’s Sight Picture.” The Sight Picture can be accessed through the Air Force’s Internet home page at www.af.mil. “Our ultimate goal is

  • Center steps up airlift support

    Strategic airlift directorate officials here are supporting an Air Mobility Command surge request with implications far beyond any in recent history.This strategic airlift surge, requiring both parts and aircraft, stems from an ongoing troop rotation touted as the largest swap out of U.S. forces

  • Sexual assault review panel visiting Sheppard

    A cross-functional review panel is examining reports of sexual assault by students at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.Gen. Donald G. Cook, commander of Air Education and Training Command, selected Col. K.C. McClain, AETC deputy director of operations for technical training, to lead the panel's review

  • Reservists help clear Iraq streets, fields of bombs

    One wrong move could mean death for people who earn a living making bombs safe.Encountering weapons, explosive devices and booby traps is a daily activity for four explosive ordnance disposal technicians currently deployed to Iraq from the 917th Wing here."I put my life in the hands of my

  • Now showing: Feb. 17 edition of AFTV News

    The latest edition of Air Force Television News is devoted exclusively to the Air Force mission in Iraq. Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke and Staff Sgt. Leigh Bellinger spent about two weeks in the country working with various Air Force elements to tell “The Air Force Story in Iraq.”In this program,

  • Idea earns sergeant $10,000

    An noncommissioned officer assigned to the 4th Component Maintenance Squadron here earned $10,000 through the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Tech Sgt. Scott Weimann used the IDEA program to propose a new method for replacing damaged electrical connectors on the F-15E

  • AFMC pilot initiative aids test, operational worlds

    An Air Force Materiel Command initiative to trade more than 20 unfilled military pilot positions for civilian personnel funding may bring more experience to the test world while putting more pilots in operational aircraft.The trade allows AFMC officials to hire civilian test pilots, primarily

  • Two Air Force reserve units earn DOD awards

    The top family readiness programs in the reserve component for 2003 were honored Feb. 13 during the Defense Department's annual awards ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.Master of ceremonies Marine Lt. Col. Ian Ferguson, of DOD's reserve affairs office, said the DOD Reserve Family Readiness

  • AFMC correcting capability shortfalls

    The commander of Air Force Materiel Command outlined the findings of the latest Capabilities Review and Risk Assessment at the 2004 Air Force Association Warfare Symposium in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Feb. 12.Gen. Gregory Martin explained how Air Force leaders meet to take a look at capabilities

  • 'Transformation Flight Plan’ gives airmen roadmap to future

    Air Staff officials have put the finishing touches on the “Transformation Flight Plan,” which spells out the future direction of the Air Force.The TFP, a 176-page document, can be accessed through a link on the Air Force’s Internet home page at www.af.mil or on the office of force transformation Web

  • Air Force ready for 2005 BRAC

    The Department of Defense published in the Federal Register on Feb. 12 the criteria that will be used in selecting installations for the 2005 round of base realignment and closure. Air Force Director of Installations, Environment and Logistics Nelson F. Gibbs spoke that same morning to the House

  • Secretary reveals future systems at AFA symposium

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche revealed a list of new focus areas, as well as planned changes to existing systems and proposals for new aircraft that could significantly increase the service’s lethality and effectiveness.The secretary laid out plans to improve special operations,

  • Eglin people deliver valentines to veterans

    Valentine’s Day came early for more than 200 local veterans.The veterans were recipients of “Valentines for Vets,” thanks to a program that was initiated by former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman, as an offshoot from the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week, fittingly Feb. 8

  • ARC team offers link home, comfort

    There is a one-stop shop here that offers books to read, candy to eat, videos to watch and a shoulder to lean on during times of trouble. More than 1,000 books line the tent shelves, dozens of videos sit beneath a videocassette recorder and television, candy and snacks fill plastic containers, and a

  • New temporary health benefits for reserves announced

    Department of Defense officials announced Feb. 12 they will implement the 2004 Temporary Reserve Health Benefit Program for eligible reserve component servicemembers and their family members.“These new temporary provisions were designed by Congress to improve readiness and enhance access to care for

  • Patriot Express missions diverted to support redeployments

    Air Mobility Command officials have temporarily cancelled several Patriot Express missions between the United States and Europe to use those aircraft to fill requirements for the massive Southwest Asia rotation of forces. AMC is supporting the movement of 250,000 troops in 60 days, a feat military

  • Stretching program loosens up work force

    Robins workers will soon be loose and ready for whatever may come along thanks to a new stretch and flex program. The program provides a five- to six-minute series of stretching exercises before beginning work shifts and throughout the day as needed.The program's activities focus on musculoskeletal

  • When all else fails, egress prevails

    The piercing sound of the terrain alert fills the cockpit. The engine has taken enemy fire, and despite the pilot’s attempts to regain control of the jet, it is on a downward spiral. At this stage, there is only one thing left to do. While the scenario may not be common here, the possibility of it

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign begins Feb. 16

    The Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign runs Feb. 16 to May 7, asking airmen to contribute to any of four Air Force-related charities. The charities benefit active-duty, Reserve, Guard, retired Air Force people, surviving spouses and families. This is the 31st year of the fund

  • Wrestler's eyes fixed on Athens

    Sitting in a quiet corner of the wrestling room at the Olympic Training Center, Jacob Hey stares into the bright yellow color of the floor mats mentally preparing himself to conquer his next obstacle.A year after successful reconstructive shoulder surgery, the Greco-Roman wrestler is back to 100

  • Ogden center delivers first Falcon STAR F-16

    Maintainers here recently handed off to the Minnesota Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing the first F-16 Fighting Falcon to undergo a nearly $1 billion upgrade that promises to make the fleet operational beyond 2020.The revamped F-16 was part of the Structural Augmentation Roadmap program, also

  • Officials limit re-enlistment window to three months

    Air Force personnel officials are changing the re-enlistment eligibility window beginning March 5.The new policy requires active-duty airmen to re-enlist within three months of their term of service expiring, a change from the 12-month window currently in effect.“In our effort to shape the force, we

  • IDEA program awards technical order savvy

    Two equipment specialists here are saving the Air Force more than $140,000 through a suggestion to stop digitizing certain technical orders for an aircraft system that is headed for retirement.Michael Simmons and Calvin Haugen submitted the suggestion using the Innovative Development through

  • Flying Old Glory for a grateful nation

    The spirit of Sept. 11, 2001, is still evident in the sky above Afghanistan as airmen here do their part to support a long-standing tradition of carrying U.S. flags onboard aircraft flying combat missions.Crewmembers from the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Support Squadron and the 22nd Expeditionary

  • Defense Department axing Internet voting plans

    Defense Department officials are axing an Internet voting program because of concerns about security, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Feb. 6.The Federal Voting Assistance Program, which aids Americans serving overseas in the voting process, will not use the SERVE system in November. The acronym stands

  • Doors open for active duty to join Air Force Reserve

    The Air Force is opening doors and modifying programs to give people leaving active duty an opportunity to continue their military careers in the Air Force Reserve.As the active force tries to reduce manning by about 16,600, the Air Force Reserve is seeking to hire many of those experienced airmen

  • Next Aerospace Vehicle Test Course launches

    The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here is accepting student applications for the Aerospace Vehicle Test Course that begins May 30.The deadline for applying is March 16, and only 15 slots are available, officials said.Designed as a four-week program, the curriculum includes about 80 hours of

  • Air Force salutes hospitalized veterans

    Airmen worldwide are visiting Veterans Affairs medical centers this month to deliver support and encouragement.They are joining celebrities, civic groups and community leaders during 2004 National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans week Feb. 8 to 14. The annual salute honors hospitalized veterans and

  • Air Force, FAA continue air traffic control modernization efforts

    Air Force sites in Michigan and Arizona joined the growing list of airfields replacing aging legacy air traffic control systems with state-of-the-art technology through the National Airspace System upgrade.The Alpena Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan and Luke Air Force

  • C-130s modernized with new avionics

    After extensive air and ground testing, Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard will begin modernizing their fleets of C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft with new avionics.C-130H-2s from AFRC's 908th Airlift Wing here, along with C-130E models from the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Wing

  • Basic trainees now clean M-16s in new facility

    A recently completed 9,000-square-foot facility here has added a few hours and a new activity to the Air Force basic training program: M-16 cleaning.The more than 40,000 trainees who attend basic training each year will now use the $365,000 weapons cleaning pavilion to clean their rifles after

  • International student training requests increase

    The business of training international students is booming for a small unit here.Requests for globetrotting teams from the Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron have skyrocketed in recent months with the expansion of the global war on terrorism.Already this year, AFSAT is ahead of pace to

  • Combat Flightline keeps C-130s flying

    The year was 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive and man had yet to land on the moon. Amazingly, most of the C-130E Hercules aircraft currently based here were flying in 1965; many were used during the Vietnam conflict. Like a car, these aircraft will last longer and perform better

  • Donations arrive in Iraq, Afghanistan

    Donated goods collected here and nine other bases are beginning to arrive in Iraq. A similar donation program in Afghanistan is expanding to weekly visits, after a year of monthly deliveries. In January, workers here shipped nearly 500 pounds of school supplies, children's clothes and personal

  • IDEA brings Davis-Monthan man $10,000

    A suggestion that saves labor and material costs on F-4 Phantom actuator assembly repairs here earned an aircraft pneudraulic systems mechanic $10,000, courtesy of the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Steven Herman, who works in the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration

  • Leave program helps activated fed employees

    Federal employees who are called up by a Reserve or National Guard unit to support a contingency can use special leave to supplement lost wages.They can receive their civilian income instead of military pay for 22 days if their civil service job pays more than the military.“Although not new to the

  • 'Force shaping' means some can leave active duty early

    There is good news for thousands of airmen considering leaving active duty who thought they could not because of existing service obligations.An effort dubbed "force shaping" is opening the exit doors to officers and enlisted servicemembers in select career fields and year groups by waiving some

  • DOD has civilian buyout, retirement authority

    The Department of Defense now has permanent authority to offer civilian employees voluntary early retirements and buyouts (voluntary separation incentives) without having to get Office of Personnel Management approval each year.The voluntary early retirement and voluntary separation incentive

  • Group develops C-5 grease

    A low-cost, multipurpose grease developed by Air Force Research Laboratory technicians has received a positive evaluation from Air Force maintainers. The evaluation follows nearly 1,529 airframe hours, which adds up to roughly 11 months of operation, on the C-5 Galaxy aircraft.Equipment specialists

  • February issue of Airman available

    Take a look at changes to the face of U.S. bases in Germany, read about life at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, and take a behind-the-scenes look at Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. These features and more highlight the February issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at

  • Nominations open for employer support award

    The Defense Department began accepting nominations Feb. 1 for the 2004 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which recognizes significant contributions and sacrifices made by employers of National Guard and Reserve members.For the first time since the awards program was established in

  • Patriot Express restructures

    Fiscal realities and limited use have led U.S. Transportation Command to restructure Patriot Express. Patriot Express is the military's chartered commercial air service for transporting servicemembers on permanent-change-of-station orders and their families to and from overseas locations. Air

  • Homelink ensures family communication

    Operation Homelink is a nonprofit organization that facilitates e-mail communication between deployed servicemembers and their loved ones by providing free, refurbished computers to families of junior-enlisted servicemembers deployed overseas.“Military families want to know their loved ones are safe

  • Now showing: Feb. 2 edition of AFTV News

    The growing effect long activations are having on reservists and Air National Guardsmen spotlights the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Staff Sgt. Melissa Allan visits a reservist at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., whose family is trying to decide if re-enlistment is an option because of

  • Airmen combat sickness in community

    Airmen of the 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron joined soldiers to provide medical care and humanitarian assistance to residents of a local community Jan. 23. The visit to a small, impoverished town about 10 miles from here was part of the Medical Civic Action Program. The program

  • Proposed budget shows AF path

    The fiscal 2005 Defense Department budget provides the foundation upon which the Air Force will continue the war on terrorism.Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for budget, discussed how the service’s budget priorities would allow airmen to be a better air and space

  • Oversight office changes name

    The agency that ensures the Air Force gets its money’s worth from contracts totaling more than half the service’s annual procurement budget takes on a new identity Feb. 1.The Air Force Program Executive Officer for Combat and Mission Support officially stands up, changing its name from AFPEO for

  • Reservist selected for NASA crew

    A reserve officer assigned to the F-16 Fighting Falcon system program office here is one of four NASA astronauts named to fly on space shuttle mission STS-121. The mission, planned for November, will follow a shuttle mission scheduled for September. Making his first flight into space will be

  • February issue of Citizen Airman available

    Air Force Reserve Command's 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is on the leading edge of the Air Force's effort to modernize its fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft.C-130H-2s from the 908th, along with C-130E models from the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Wing in Boise, will be the

  • New software eases workload

    Advanced software technology has arrived at the 43rd Fighter Squadron that will soon benefit all of Tyndall and beyond.Known as the Combat Crew Training Management System, the automatic tracking program checks the progress of F/A-22 Raptor students, what stage of training they have completed, and

  • Sergeant deploys with casino

    As a child, Master Sgt. Thomas Shircel enjoyed sharing games of rummy with his grandparents, and playing black jack on his video game system.Some years later, as a college student, his appreciation for casino games expanded to providing casino equipment for charity and social functions. He

  • Firefighters keep flames at bay

    Sixty seconds. Just 60 seconds is all it takes for a fire to decimate a tent in a deployed environment.But the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing’s team of firefighters is here to prevent that from happening. The team has many missions, but fire prevention is the most critical so the team never has to

  • Escorts keep base safe

    When it comes down to getting the mission done, there are few things more valuable than a reliable force multiplier.Each day dozens of mostly one-, two- and three-stripe airmen provide the multiple necessary to ensure base functions continue unimpeded. Wearing arm bands identifying them as “Force

  • Wife helps identify drug problem

    “No matter what kind of person you are, drugs will ruin you,” said an obviously uneasy, 21-year-old Airman Basic Michael Dancer as he nervously turned the wedding band on his finger.Wearing a blue correctional custody jump suit, Airman Michael spoke from experience. Though he was not caught driving

  • ‘Spiderman’ joins OEF

    Airmen are known for their innovation, and are encouraged and challenged to continually look for better and smarter ways to accomplish the mission.For one senior noncommissioned officer supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, that challenge led to a labor of love. He developed a computer tool --

  • Air Force saves native remains

    Quick action and the use of high-tech radar at an old radar site allowed an Air Force team to find 15 unmarked graves of Alaska natives that were in danger of being washed out to sea this winter.Earlier in the year, the rural village of Port Heiden, Alaska, saw their old graveyard get torn apart by

  • Changes in law environmental friendly

    Portions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2004 make it easier for the Air Force to execute its mission while protecting the environment at the same time.The act includes language allowing the National Fish and Wildlife Service to legally consider measures that may already be in

  • Tricare Standard allows civilian care

    People covered by the Tricare Standard military health care plan no longer need approval from their military treatment facility to seek inpatient care at civilian hospitals.The need to get a nonavailability statement before seeking civilian inpatient care expired Dec. 28 under a provision of the

  • AF creates personnel system team

    The Air Force has formed a team to implement the Defense Department’s most dramatic civilian personnel system transformation in the last 50 years.The National Security Personnel System gives DOD managers the flexibility to place civilian workers where they are needed most, without delay. It reduces

  • Mentoring Month brings out role models

    Most people know how hard it can be to take time, especially quality time, to spend with their children.But finding time in a busy schedule to spend with other people’s children takes dedication -- the dedication given to children by adults who choose to be their mentors.January is National

  • Dental techs to train as hygienists

    The Air Force has teamed up with Trident Technical College in Charleston to send dental technicians to an Air Force-sponsored dental hygiene training scholarship program.Tech. Sgt. Alycia Miller from Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and Staff Sgt. Noreena Svoboda from McChord AFB, Wash., are the

  • JDAM team earns precision strike award

    The Air Force Joint Program Office received the William J. Perry Strike Award for developing and delivering the Joint Direct Attack Munition to the warfighter.The award was presented by the Precision Strike Association on Jan. 21 at its Winter Roundtable meeting in Arlington, Va.The award recognizes

  • AF wife takes deep breath after transplant

    Theresa Merkal was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 2. Like 30,000 other Americans with CF, she struggles to live with the most common fatal hereditary disease among Caucasians, according to the American Lung Association. Cystic fibrosis is the result of a defective gene that causes the body

  • Program offers ‘Vigilant Look’ at AFSPC

    While the Air Force encourages its personnel to "cross further into the blue" through its new force-development philosophy, Air Force Space Command officials have been using a unique application of that philosophy -- the Vigilant Look program.Nearly four years old, Vigilant Look encapsulates the

  • Now showing: Jan. 19 edition of AFTV News

    The last of four special editions of Air Force Television News focuses on Air Force people and some of the outstanding contributions they have made to the service’s mission and to their communities during 2003.In the first segment, Staff Sgt. Joe Wallace discovers what life is like for an airman who

  • Simulator gives airmen realistic training

    A new simulator is providing realistic, localized training for 72nd Operations Support Squadron air traffic controllers here.The simulator gives airmen the opportunity to operate in a computer-based environment before they take the helm in the tower.“Our new controllers customize what they have

  • Hold off embroidering logo

    Air Force clothing office officials are asking airmen to wait a few weeks before having their lightweight blue jackets embroidered with the Air Force logo.“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response in regards to placing the logo on the jacket,” said Libby Glade, Air Force clothing office chief.

  • Academy aircraft return to flight

    Forty-five aircraft previously grounded amid safety concerns were cleared for normal flight operations Jan. 17. Air Force officials regained confidence in the contract maintenance program and permanent fixes were established for all discrepancies identified.Three UV-18 Twin Otter aircraft of the

  • Combat Nighthawk increases awareness

    Company grade and senior noncommissioned officers here are teaming up to further develop their leadership skills and increase their overall understanding of all aspects of the operational mission, as part of a Combat Nighthawk initiative.Combat Nighthawk is a leadership development and

  • AAFES helping deployed troops

    Since setting up a mobile store at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, in April, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service continues providing "a little bit of home" to deployed troops.There are 30 exchanges in Iraq and 52 throughout operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, said Judd Anstey, AAFES public

  • Tyndall trains first Raptor pilot

    Maj. Michael Hoepfner said he has the greatest job in the world.As the first local fighter pilot to complete his F/A-22 Raptor checkout flight here, few would argue."I feel so lucky that I got to be the first to qualify," he said of his recent feat.The assistant director of operations for the 43rd