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  • Human factor is primary cause of aviation mishaps

    The "human factor" is the primary cause of military aircraft mishaps.That testimony by Air Force Chief of Safety Maj. Gen. Kenneth W. Hess came as part of a congressional hearing on military aviation safety, Feb. 11, where safety directors from all four service branches testified before the House

  • 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

  • Indecent assault gets airman discharge, prison, demotion

    Committing an indecent assault on a female airman earned a 377th Security Forces Squadron airman here a bad conduct discharge, 15 months confinement and demotion in rank to E-1.Senior Airman Alfredo Preciado was convicted in a general court-martial here. He elected to be tried by a military judge

  • Air Force plans first official charity ball

    The Air Force is holding its first official charity ball April 3 at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. The proceeds will go to the Air Force Aid Society, the official charity of the Air Force.“This is the first-ever official charity ball, and we only want it to get bigger and better,” said Cathy Chilton,

  • 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

  • Soldiers experience Air Force military education

    The Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Gunter Annex here has some new faces among its students: those of Army soldiers.The Army is back after pulling its students out of other service senior NCO academies in 1998 to teach them exclusively at the Army Senior NCO Academy in Fort

  • Retired NCO credits blood donations for saving his life

    Blood drives are almost as common as commander's calls here because Air Force leaders stress the importance of donating blood.Retired Tech. Sgt. Derrick Duncan, a former jet-engine mechanic instructor here, knows better than most the significance of those lifesaving donations.Sergeant Duncan packed

  • Reserve system streamlines Air Force travel processing

    Accurate and secure records, universal e-mail copies of vouchers and possibly faster payouts are what Air Force travelers have to look forward to starting this spring.Financial management offices throughout the active-duty Air Force are set to begin using Air Force Reserve Command’s Reserve Travel

  • Storytelling serves as favorite pastime

    In Africa, storytelling is a tradition and a favorite pastime. After a hard day's work and after dinner, elders and children sit around the fire to tell stories.Some are fables with fictional characters, but others are true stories of great warriors from long ago.When Africans were captured and

  • Officials update enlistment test norms

    Department of Defense officials announced Feb. 6 that new norms for the enlistment test, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, will be implemented this summer. The ASVAB is a multiple aptitude test battery originally designed to predict training and job performance in military occupations.

  • Test uniforms hit the streets

    Airmen at two bases will get a first-hand look at the proposed new utility uniform Feb. 9 when the tiger-striped blue-, green- and gray-patterned ensemble begins its wear-test phase.Officials will deliver the distinctive uniforms to testers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and Langley AFB,

  • 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

  • Special operators recount Iraq missions

    Multiservice special operations troops have led the way to victory in overseas campaigns during the war against terrorism, a senior U.S. military officer said.Special operators' expertise was a factor in driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan as well as in the ouster of former Iraqi dictator Saddam

  • 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

  • Security forces announces annual award winners

    The deputy chief of staff for air and space operations recently announced the 2003 Air Force Outstanding Security Forces Individual Award winners.These annual awards recognize the top security forces members in each category.The 2003 winners are:Career field-wide award:-- Col. Billy Jack Carter

  • 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

  • Emulator boosts GPS training

    Gone are the days of using a compass for direction finding.Now, through a constellation of 29 satellites, warfighters, banks, automobile drivers and others benefit from the Air Force's technological advancements with the Global Positioning System.Owned and operated by the Air Force, GPS provides

  • 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

  • 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

  • New dining facility opens in Iraq

    After several months of planning and construction, the new dining facility here officially opened for business Jan. 27. The facility broke ground in early December and served its first meal Jan. 22. With a full-sized kitchen, serving lines and a highly trained professional staff, Maj. Robert

  • K-2 airmen use innovation to prevent ‘Groundhog Day’

    For 25 members of the aerial port flight here, every day would be "Groundhog Day" if they focused only on the day-to-day task of moving passengers and cargo. But for this team from the Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Airlift Wing, the mission is not just loading and unloading aircraft, it is

  • '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

  • Air Force boxer takes national crown

    The Air Force has its first national boxing champion since Jerome Bennett in 1977.James Johnson, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, took home the title in the 165-pound weight class at the 2004 Everlast U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., recently.Johnson won four fights on his way

  • Multimedia shop keeps focus

    An airman peers through the lens of the weapon, anticipating the moment the target is in sight. The target steps off the plane. “Closer,” the airman murmurs as her eye shoots back and forth in the lens, checking the scene. Her finger squeezes gently. Click. She shoots, and another distinguished

  • Civil engineers’ work noticed every day

    Every day, airmen of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron are seen doing a multitude of tasks, from digging trenches for electrical wiring to setting up restroom facilities.The unit’s accomplishments can be noticed when one makes a 2 a.m. trip to the restroom and comes face to face with a

  • 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

  • USTRANSCOM tackles rotations

    The U.S. Transportation Command's basic mission is moving the nation's military wherever and whenever required. The current task is to redeploy the forces who defeated the Iraqi military and liberated that country and replace them with fresh troops. At the same time, forces must be redeployed from

  • TO management becoming easier

    Ever receive an update to a technical order that is out of sequence? For instance, update No. 11 came after update No. 12 rather than before.Ever ask for a specific technical order and never receive it? Technical orders provide the blueprint maintainers use for the upkeep of aircraft in the Air

  • Commander selections get boost

    The latest 503 officers selected as support commanders highlights a new way of identifying future commanders using force development, said Air Force Personnel Center officials here."Squadron commanders are the heart and soul of the Air Force and support command is a prestigious leadership position,"

  • Guard legal team working hard

    For some, the base legal office is a place to take care of wills or powers of attorney, but the office staff here does a lot more than that.Lt. Col. Brent Wright, an Oklahoma Air National Guard staff judge advocate, and Master Sgt. Mary Alice Rebis, a New York ANG paralegal, are teamed together to

  • 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

  • Sergeant sentenced for larceny

    A staff sergeant with the 377th Security Forces Squadron was found guilty of larceny, making false official statements and destroying and altering public records. He was sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge, reduction in rank to airman basic, 10 months confinement and total forfeiture of pay and

  • 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

  • Airmen test skills on Korean peninsula

    More than 100 airmen, 12 F-15 Eagles and three KC-135 Stratotankers returned to Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 27 after a four-day deployment here. The mission was a test of the 18th Wing’s ability to deploy during a scheduled operational readiness exercise that began at Kadena on Jan. 24 and is

  • Randolph gets its first T-38C

    The first T-38C Talon destined for operations in the 12th Flying Training Wing touched down here Jan. 21 at 10:06 a.m.There were no brass bands or flag-carrying marchers to greet the new arrival. In fact, the small cluster of people waiting on the ramp gave no hint of the importance of the event.

  • 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

  • Targeting pods bolster F-16 training

    The 149th Fighter Wing received something Jan. 14 that will literally put its current class of F-16 fighter pilots right on target with their training.The unit will be the first in the Air Force to graduate pilots from the F-16 Fighting Falcon basic course with targeting-pod training. The enhanced

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Battlefield calls go through MacDill

    American military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan reach for their satellite phones when they want clear, secure and fast communications. More often than not, the operator who patches through their calls is sitting in a building here.People at the one-stop-shop Regional Satcom Support Center here

  • Forces prepare for Yama Sakura

    U.S. airmen and Japan self-defense forces are gearing up for exercise Yama Sakura ‘04 taking place here Jan. 25 to 31. Yama Sakura is an annual joint/bilateral command post exercise, and is one of the most important simulation-driven, force-on-force battle staff training exercises in Japan, said

  • 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

  • Air traffic controllers own Iraqi sky

    From American and coalition aircraft to civilian airliners now traveling through the Iraqi airspace, the number of aircraft coming and going over Iraq has increased exponentially in the last year. In southern Iraq, 19 Air Force air traffic controllers here are ensuring the safety of the aircraft

  • 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

  • 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

  • Tactical controllers stand strong

    For Air Force tactical air control party airmen, "The strong will stand, the weak will fall by the wayside," is more than just a motto; it serves as a battle cry.Wherever American military forces are found, TACP airmen are usually nearby. Unofficially nicknamed the "Air Force infantry" because they

  • Back pain becomes Childs’ play

    Capt. John Childs, a physical therapist, is literally taking on a pain in the backside. By studying how patients respond to certain treatments, Captain Childs is aiming to reduce lower back pain, a condition that afflicts millions of Americans.Captain Childs, an Air Force Institute of Technology

  • 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

  • Development changes affect chiefs

    The Air Force is transforming the way it manages and develops chief master sergeants as part of a servicewide change in professional development.“For more than a year now … we have begun major cultural changes in the Air Force, a new vision -- how to best develop our force for the future” said Brig.

  • 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

  • Prescribed fire destroys 30 acres at MacDill

    A raging fire decimated 30 acres of forest in 12 hours here Jan. 7. The good news is that was the whole idea.Since Tampa Bay is the lightning capital of the world, the prescribed burn dramatically cut the chance of a wildfire. Lightning strikes could naturally set off a fire that would be

  • Safety concerns ground aircraft

    Forty-five aircraft assigned here have been grounded amid safety concerns after Air Force quality assurance evaluators discovered contractor maintenance irregularities. The grounding affects cadets participating in soaring and parachute training, and the Cadet Flying Team.Safety concern was

  • Mom breast-feeding despite cancer

    Breast-feeding is something Grayson Riley Connel’s mom always wanted to do. But Jenn Connel almost did not get the type of bonding with her now 3-week-old son that she craved for so long. Mrs. Connel was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 after seeing a plastic surgeon about breast augmentation

  • Cadets take controls of tomorrow’s fighter

    Tomorrow’s fighter pilots got a taste of tomorrow’s combat airpower Jan. 8 and 9 at the Air Force Academy when F/A-22 Raptor manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corporation let cadets take the controls in their updated F/A-22 cockpit flight simulator.The F/A-22 Raptor is the next generation of multi-role

  • Development teams up, running

    Every officer career field now has development teams set up to “vector” officer career development. "They're up and running," said Col. Kathleen Grabowski, chief of assignment policy at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "They're applying a great deal of collective officer career experience to

  • Elmendorf squadron gets 'the goods' in Iraq

    "Get in and get out." That was their motto whenever they journeyed to downtown locations in Iraq. "Our air base got hit a lot. We had drive-by shootings, and we knew that hostilities lay just outside the gate. So, every day we looked to intelligence, and we evaluated whether or not it was safe to

  • Sheet metal shop workers help warfighters

    Fifty years ago, William "Bill" Shirah picked up a skill that today is helping "shape" the U.S. Air Force.Over the years, as a master sheet metal worker, he has bent and shaped the metal that wraps around countless Air Force aircraft.Today he shares his years of experience with 53 other people in

  • Airman selected for flight attendant program

    It is not every day you get to cook dinner for Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, but that is what Staff Sgt. Melissa Magyari will soon be doing -- and at 30,000 feet, no less.The 19th Air Refueling Group command section information manager was one of 10 active-duty servicemembers recently

  • Four airmen vie for GEICO awards

    Four Air Force noncommissioned officers have been chosen to represent the Air Force and vie for the 2003 Government Employee Insurance Company Military Service Awards.The NCOs' records will compete against other members of the armed forces in three categories. Staff Sgt. Mashawn Black and Senior

  • Airmen ensure runway safety

    Aircraft come, and aircraft go. Whether it is for training or a real-world mission, it is an everyday part of Air Force life.Without certain people to accomplish certain missions, the aircraft will not come, and the aircraft will not go. Maintainers, air traffic controllers, flight engineers,

  • Poor awareness causes F-16 crash

    Poor situational awareness was the likely cause of an F-16 Fighting Falcon crash in South Korea on Sept. 9, a U.S. Air Force investigation team determined.Capt. Kevin Dydyk, of the 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, sustained minor injuries when the aircraft he was flying crashed

  • Airman fulfills 'the American dream'

    She is of Bulgarian descent, her last name is Irish and she picked up English as her fifth language.Although Senior Airman Deliana Kelly, of the 376th Mission Support Group, has lived in the United States for less than five years, she feels she is the living, breathing embodiment of “the American

  • 2005 BRAC process begins

    Base commanders in the United States and its territories and possessions have been asked to gather data on their installations in preparation for the 2005 round of base realignments and closures, Defense Department officials said here Jan. 6. The fiscal 2002 National Defense Authorization Act

  • Rumsfeld outlines DOD priorities

    The war on terrorism will remain the Defense Department's top priority in the new year, as officials continue to focus on improving and modernizing its programs, systems and forces to make them more responsive to 21st century requirements.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the department

  • Crew recounts enemy attack

    Teamwork, training and the durability of the C-17 Globemaster III are what got a McChord aircraft safely on the ground after it was attacked by hostile forces over Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, according to the aircrew.The five crewmembers recently recounted what happened during the

  • More airmen may live off base

    A change in how the Air Force figures unaccompanied housing requirements will call for fewer dormitory rooms -- meaning more airmen could move off base in the future.Under the new policy, which took effect Jan. 1, the Air Force must provide dormitory housing for unaccompanied E-1s through E-3s and

  • Turbine blade causes F-16 crash

    Failure of a turbine blade caused an F-16C Fighting Falcon to crash in an unpopulated area near Rosepine, La., on Sept. 22, according to a report Air Force officials released Jan. 6.The pilot ejected in a sparsely wooded area about 12 nautical miles southwest of Fort Polk Army Airfield.The aircraft

  • Airmen escape minefield unharmed

    Two security forces airmen on patrol along the base perimeter here Jan. 5 were rescued two hours after becoming trapped in an unmarked minefield.Staff Sgt. Michael Klinkert and Airman 1st Class Christopher Coble were in a heavily armored Humvee at about 8 p.m., when six explosions rocked the

  • Now showing: Jan. 5 edition of AFTV News

    The celebrated history of the Air Force’s precision aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, is the subject of the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Produced and anchored by Staff Sgt. Marty Rush, the program is the third in a series of four special editions during the holiday

  • Airmen provide humanitarian relief

    An adolescent Afghan girl watched protectively over a group of small children as they looked for winter clothing amidst a pile of boxes containing humanitarian relief supplies. As crowds of people from neighboring villages pressed their way forward, the girl stood her ground and pushed people back

  • AFMC improves deployment process

    Air Force Materiel Command officials fielded a tool in the summer designed to help people keep better track of their deployment information and they said it is already making a difference.The Deployment Qualification System is a Web-based tool providing units with capabilities they have never had

  • Academy part of Rose Bowl parade

    People from the U.S. Air Force Academy will participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1.The academy's parachuting and demonstration team, the Wings of Blue, is scheduled to parachute into the parade, while four cadets and the entire 69-person Air Force Academy Band will march in the

  • Gingerbread King builds sweet memories

    For more than 35 years, Tommie Jones has been making gingerbread structures. This year, he has added 13 pieces to his repertoire. Seven are displayed at the enlisted dining area at the Milazzo Club; six can be seen at Mitchell Hall here.Jones said that many other organizations have gingerbread

  • Airmen deliver holiday supplies to islanders

    Airmen here teamed up with people from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and the surrounding Guam communities to airlift Christmas supplies to more than 50 Micronesian islands. This was the 51st anniversary of the Christmas Drop mission.Four C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 36th Airlift Squadron

  • Concurrent receipt pay reality in Jan.

    Military retirees will begin receiving both retired pay and Veterans Affairs disability compensation as the disability offset is phased out.Previously, the offset reduced the amount of the military retiree’s pay by an amount equal to any disability payment received from the VA.Legislation

  • ‘First-strike rations’ developed

    "Ration stripping" is what they call it when forward-deployed combat servicemembers get rid of all but the most essential items from their Meals, Ready to Eat so they do not have so much to carry as they set out on a mission.Servicemembers in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan reported sacrificing

  • Rumsfeld welcomes combat controllers

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld welcomed a new crop of Air Force combat controllers Dec. 18 during a visit to Pope Air Force Base, N.C.During his graduation remarks, Rumsfeld said the Combat Control School "produces some of the finest warriors in the Air Force and the armed services."In fact,

  • Lackland civilian wins DOD award

    Department of Defense officials named the 2003 Outstanding DOD Employee with a Disability Award during a recent ceremony in Bethesda, Md.Raymond Jenks, an instructional systems specialist with the 37th Training Support Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is the winner.“It really feels great

  • AF names environmental winners

    The Air Force civil engineer announced the winners of the Gen. Thomas D. White Environmental Award for 2003.Nine of the winners are eligible for the secretary of defense environmental-security award and will go forward as the nominees.The 2003 winners are:-- Environmental Quality Award

  • SG prioritizes influenza vaccinations

    The Air Force is taking prudent steps to protect the health and safety of all its beneficiaries in light of the early onset of influenza.The nationwide increase of influenza cases and reports of severe complications, including deaths, has led to a higher demand for influenza vaccination than in

  • Cadets get job assignments

    Senior Air Force Academy cadets got an early holiday present this month when they found out which Air Force jobs they will perform after graduation.Fifty-three percent of the senior class -- 530 of 988 -- are bound for undergraduate pilot training. Another 34 cadets will be navigators and seven

  • Airmen bring holiday cheer to remote village

    Every now and then, people see the true embodiment of the Christmas spirit -- gifts given with no associated commercialism, joy shared with no negative undercurrents and help offered with no expectation of return.The airmen and spouses of the 517th Airlift Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base,

  • C-17 debuts in exercise

    For the first time, the C-17 Globemaster III was included in a mission-employment exercise held here the first two weeks of December. The C-17 adds a greater air-mobility presence to the exercise, which allows combat air forces to get a better idea of how the airlifters are used, said Lt. Col. John

  • Replacements sought for aging helicopters

    An aging fleet of combat search and rescue helicopters is leading Air Force officials on a quest for a new personnel recovery vehicle.The HH-60G Pave Hawks that comprise the CSAR helicopter fleet are 14 years old on average. The oldest are 23 years old and have surpassed the 7,000 flying-hour mark.

  • Secretary discusses Air Guard’s future

    Bold innovation and seamless integration of active-duty and Air Reserve Component forces are vital to winning America’s future battles, the service’s top executive said.“The Air National Guard must remain ready, reliable and relevant … to meet the joint force’s needs in theater combat,” Secretary of

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    Air Force officials are giving 84 enlisted airmen the chance to trade in their stripes for gold bars by choosing them to attend Officer Training School, officials announced Dec. 16. Air Force Recruiting Service officials considered 515 applications and selected 157 as part of Officer Training

  • Group explains re-employment rights

    Bobby Hollingsworth calls it “closing the loop.”He is the executive director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, commonly referred to as ESGR. He is referring to how that organization is taking its message to members of the National Guard and other reservists,

  • Airman plays big role in B-2 legacy

    He is Whiteman 7. He is Spirit 36. He is “GQ.” He is the first Whiteman-trained B-2 Spirit instructor pilot. And now, he is the project officer for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Spirit of Missouri’s arrival here Dec. 17.Col. Scott Land, 509th Operations Group deputy commander,

  • Fuels airmen keep aircraft fighting

    Working out of a tiny corner of a dilapidated, Soviet-built aircraft hangar here, four airmen work around the clock to do their part in supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.They are the Air Force's petroleum, oil and lubricant specialists assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group.The POL

  • Airmen ongoing an ‘Amazing Race’

    Many organizations here have active group fitness programs. Some airmen head to the fitness center to play volleyball, while others go there and do timed push-ups and sit-ups.Each month, Space and Missile Systems Center Detachment 11 and Electronic Systems Center Detachment 5 airmen come together

  • Marines storm Eglin for exercise

    Marines stormed the beaches of the Eglin Gulf Test Range here Dec. 12 for a weeklong training exercise. The exercise involves ships, a submarine, aircraft and about 1,600 troops from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit of Expeditionary Strike Group Two.The Air Armament Center's 46th Test Wing airmen

  • FEGLI rates rise for some

    Some Air Force people covered by Federal Employees Group Life Insurance will see an increase in premiums in January.Civilian employees in the Option B 70 to 80 or older age bands are slated for the increase the first full pay period of the new year, said Janet Thomas of the Air Force Personnel

  • Smithsonian opens new facility

    One of the most popular museums of the Smithsonian Institution here celebrated its expansion with a day honoring military aviation veterans.Military aviators from conflicts as far back as World War II were invited to the "Salute to Military Aviation Veterans" Dec. 9, at the National Air and Space