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  • Myer’s wife featured as Mother's Day 'Power Player'

    Military spouses and servicemembers' mothers commit their lives as their servicemembers do, and they love them because they love their country, said the wife of the nation's top military officer on a Mother's Day nationwide television appearance May 8.Mary Jo Myers, wife of Gen. Richard B. Myers,

  • Internet-based health care can degrade mission readiness

    The Internet can be used to do research, download music and even shop for cars. However, Airmen should use caution before using the Internet as a means for receiving medical treatment, officials said.Many Airmen are taking advantage of the increasing number of Internet physician and pharmaceutical

  • Young Airmen protect base, people

    Cops. They are everywhere -- on the flightline, on the roadways, at the entry control points, in the search pits. They work the beat on base and beyond -- and take their role supporting the war on terrorism seriously.“The most important thing we must (do) is to remain focused,” said Master Sgt.

  • Eye in the sky protects ground forces

    Soaring through the air looking for prey, the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle is an aircraft ground forces do not want to be without. With its large infrared eye, it surveys the land and relays intelligence to servicemembers in the field.“The Predator is the greatest reconnaissance tool the

  • Official: DOD committed to meeting military child-care needs

    Defense Department officials are actively engaged in improving child-care services for military parents, a top Pentagon official said here May 6.John M. Molino, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said the days of mostly single, barracks-dwelling servicemembers

  • Force structure, military value at heart of BRAC

    The U.S. military fighting the war on terrorism is far different from the military forces developed to confront the Soviet Union.Today's military is smaller than the Cold War force but is already more agile and more flexible. And experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan show that joint operations allow

  • Deployed security forces take on military police mission

    Because of a shortage of Air Force security forces in recent years, the Army has helped out by providing Soldiers at bases worldwide. The 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group’s Detachment 1, an Air Force detachment from Balad Air Base, Iraq, is repaying the security debt by filling the role of

  • Woman reclaims her life after sexual assault

    Tricia Van Prooyen is an Air Force spouse, a mom, a college student -- and a rape survivor.Sharing such a personal story is not easy, she said, but it is a valuable part of the healing process for the 33-year-old wife of Staff Sgt. Tim Van Prooyen, who is assigned to the 81st Training Support

  • Officials warn about insurance, investment rip-offs

    Defense Department officials said they are working to thwart insurance and investment marketing practices that exploit servicemembers."You really have to be a little bit skeptical if somebody says if you invest a little bit of money with us today you'll have a great deal of money tomorrow," said

  • Air Force changes testing dates for chief master sergeant

    The testing window for those competing for promotion to chief master sergeant will move to the second week in September."As a result of ongoing efforts to improve the enlisted promotion testing system and recent validation of the Weighted Airmen Promotion System process, ... we are changing the

  • May issue of Airman available

    Read about how the Air Force Personnel Center supports Airmen, see how some single sergeants balance kids and work, and learn about a Hungarian-born pilot whose dreams of flying for the Air Force are coming true. These features and more highlight the May issue of Airman magazine, now available in

  • BRAC recommendations follow lengthy process

    Few people dispute that the U.S. military has too much infrastructure to face the threats and opportunities of the 21st century. The question is, what is the best way to close or realign installations to match challenges of the new world?Since 1988, the answer has been the Base Realignment and

  • Air Force continues search for Junior ROTC instructors

    Officials continue to search for qualified instructors to serve in rapidly expanding Air Force Junior ROTC programs, said Jo Alice Talley, chief of instructor management for Air Force Junior ROTC here.The Air Force is opening 48 new Junior ROTC units in high schools in 21 states, with more to

  • Defense Department to resume anthrax vaccinations

    The Department of Defense will resume its Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program, officials said May 3.A memorandum signed April 29 allows military commanders to resume the vaccination program using the emergency use authorization conditions issued by the Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 27,

  • Airman inspired by father’s service

    In her homeland, Airman 1st Class Duong Ngo looked over countless rows of rice crops while growing up on the south Vietnamese countryside in rural Ben Tre. Today, she looks over rows of deployment equipment at the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron mobility warehouse here. The mobility flight

  • Digital advances produce improved unmanned aerial vehicles

    One day on a gray-painted aircraft carrier tossed by turbulent seas, a grizzled Navy commander awaits the arrival of a new pilot.A teeny knock pings from the outside of the officer's watertight steel door."Come in," the commander growls. The door swings open and a squat, cylindrical object

  • Rocket-powered final exam launches

    Two semesters of work boiled down to a 10-second countdown before a cadet-built rocket blasted off here April 30.The rocket-powered final exam reached a 13,400 feet altitude in 20 seconds.The launch was part of this year’s academy FalconLaunch program, an astronautical engineering course here. The

  • Academy graduate named Cadet of the Year

    Second Lt. Delavane Diaz was named the British Air Squadron’s 2004 Cadet of the Year during an April 28 ceremony at the Pentagon. Lieutenant Diaz was honored for her performance as a cadet while enrolled at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The award was established in 2000 by the private British Air

  • Officials announce 2004 mission support awards

    Officials recently announced the winners of the 2004 Air Force Mission Support Awards. The awards recognize Airmen and their units for outstanding performance in the areas of personnel, military equal opportunity, professional military education and training. Winners for 2004 are: -- General

  • Academy sports recap: Falcons snap 47-game losing streak

    Karl Bolt's 11th inning walk-off home run snapped the Air Force Academy's 47-game Mountain West Conference losing streak April 30 at home.The Falcons defeated Brigham Young University 8-7 in a game called by umpires April 29 because of darkness. The game was tied 7-7 after nine innings.Bolt, who was

  • Two Airmen among recipients of military service award

    Two Airmen were among the six recipients of the annual Government Employees Insurance Company Military Service Awards. For 17 years, GEICO has recognized servicemembers from all branches of the service -- including the Guard and Reserve -- for work in drug and alcohol abuse prevention, fire and

  • Air Force journalists win DOD awards

    Air Force print and broadcast journalists won 10 categories in the 2004 Thomas Jefferson Awards for excellence in military media.The awards recognize military and civilian employee print and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievements in furthering the Department of Defense internal

  • Air Force focuses on religious respect

    One’s religious beliefs, or the absence of beliefs in an established religion, should never be grounds for unlawful discrimination, the chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service said.Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Charles C. Baldwin recently explained the role of chaplains and respect for others’ beliefs

  • Academy launches religious respect training program

    Air Force Academy officials have launched a religious respect training program called Respecting the Spiritual Values of all People. The training focuses on educating cadets, faculty members and base employees on the importance of respecting the spiritual beliefs of a diverse force.Officials are

  • Promotion study guides hit streets in May

    The latest edition of enlisted promotion study guides will hit the streets by the end of May, Air Education and Training Command officials here said.Both the Promotion Fitness Examination and the U.S. Air Force Supervisory Examination, officially known as Volumes 1 and 2 of Air Force Pamphlet

  • Wilford Hall team flies to Alaska to evacuate infant

    A 10-month-old girl battling a severe case of pneumonia was flown 4,000 miles by Airmen from Wilford Hall Medical Center here April 28.Carle David was hospitalized in Anchorage when officials requested help. The neonatal critical-care air transport medical team, which stays prepared to launch on

  • Airmen strut their stuff for civilian leaders

    As part of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a weeklong tour of military installations for top civic and community leaders nationwide, the 347th Rescue Wing pulled out all stops April 26 for the visiting group of civic leaders.The tour highlights the latest U.S. military equipment and

  • Andrews chief goes to wire on quiz show

    An Airman from here got a chance to “Stump the Schwab” on ESPN2’s nationally televised sports quiz show April 26.Chief Master Sgt. Troy Marvin, the 89th Communications Group superintendent, finished as the top contestant and came within one question of winning $5,000.The show is centered around

  • Officials outline squadron commander selection process

    Support squadron commanders will be selected at development team meetings held at the Air Force Personnel Center here this summer. Selected officers will assume their positions in 2006.Officers who believe they are eligible, but have not been notified, can submit a statement of intent for their

  • Expeditionary supply technicians order up success

    Ensuring continuous supplies are available to support military operations here falls in part to a group of six Airmen from the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron’s supply section.If vital aircraft spare parts for the C-130 Hercules are needed, it is their responsibility to order and

  • Airman convicted for defrauding government

    An Airman here was convicted recently in a special court-martial for defrauding the U.S. government.Staff Sgt. Louise Smith, of the 71st Medical Support Squadron, was found guilty of violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s Article 132, Fraud Against the United States.The military judge

  • Deadline set to apply for developmental education

    Mission-support and certain nonrated operations officers considering basic developmental education programs in 2006 have until June 15 to apply.Officers in logistics, civil engineering, program management, developmental engineering, communications and information, services, public affairs, manpower

  • Technology unites Airmen in matrimony

    Nearly 7,000 miles of desert and ocean could not keep two Airmen from tying the knot. Maj. Heather Villasenor, who is at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia, married Lt. Col. Michael Bryant on April 26. The wedding was held in Southwest Asia -- and Virginia. Colonel Bryant, the Joint

  • Air Force garners 18 Presidential Rank Awards

    White House officials recently released the names of the 2004 Presidential Rank Award recipients. The awards program was established to recognize career senior executive service and senior professional people who exemplify the highest level of integrity, leadership and personal conduct and who have

  • Wounded troops, families receive free airline tickets

    Through the good will and generosity of thousands of people with unused frequent flier miles and U.S. airlines, the Fisher House Foundation has given out nearly 3,000 free airline tickets to war-wounded servicemembers and their families since the giveaway program started in January 2004.About 1,000

  • Overseas quarterly assignment listing available May 3

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for the January to March 2006 cycle overseas requirements will be available May 3.Airmen need to work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences by May 20. Deployed Airmen can work with their personnel representative to update

  • America remembers Desert One heroes

    America honored eight American servicemen April 25 who died attempting to rescue American hostages in Iran 25 years ago.A ceremony here brought together the families of those killed, their comrades and those servicemembers who carry on the special operations mission.In November 1979, Iranian

  • Space command takes youth fitness to new level

    Airmen have been plugging away at the new fitness test for more than a year now, but they are not alone in the quest to increase their activity level on a regular basis.Air Force Space Command children are increasing their fitness levels as well as part of an Air Force initiative, “Fitness in Time,”

  • Airman’s actions save neighbor’s home

    An Airman here recently extinguished a house fire that threatened to destroy a nearby Panama City home.Master Sgt. Dave Delmar, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron’s noncommissioned officer in charge of plans and programs, used garden hoses to extinguish the fire, saving his neighbors’ home and most of

  • C-17s get state-of-the-art home

    When the 452nd Air Mobility Wing here welcomes eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs later this year, the aircraft will be maintained in an environmentally friendly hangar that is larger than a football field and incorporates advanced construction technology.“We wanted it to appear it belonged here -- have it

  • Air Force officials announce OTS selections

    More than 130 people were selected for an Air Force commission, Air Force Recruiting Service officials here announced April 26.The officials considered 231 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection Board 0504, which selected 138 people for a 60-percent selection rate. Of those, 29

  • McConnell holds wingwide fitness test

    More than 1,200 Airmen from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing took their physical fitness test here April 22.All 1,200-plus Airmen completed their run and received a series of “wingman” briefings within a four-hour span, but working out the logistics of the wingwide test took months of planning.To

  • Distance learning courses require good time management

    For servicemembers deployed or on crew shift, distance learning and online correspondence classes are a good way to continue their college education; however, they should just make sure they know what they are getting into, said Don Dooly. He is the education services officer at the education

  • Center receives DOD’s most powerful supercomputer

    Aeronautical Systems Center’s major shared resource center officials here announced April 25 the installation of the newest and most powerful supercomputer in the Department of Defense.The 2,048-processor supercomputer will aid weapon systems design of innovative materials, advance design concepts,

  • Air Force family opens arms to autism

    The walls in the Dallas’ home are not festooned with art, but with boards. There are boards with schedules, charts and pictures to guide 4-year-old Liam, and establish routines for everyday tasks such as washing his hands or using the potty. The charts are part of structured, routine life they must

  • Military struggling with rising health-care costs

    Rising medical costs and the expansion of health benefits for retirees, guardsmen and reservists, and their families, are putting a strain on the military health-care system, Defense Department health and personnel officials told members of Congress on April 21.“Rising health-care costs are not

  • Army general: Air Force helped logistics success in Iraq

    The U.S. military’s task to supply troops serving in Iraq during the past year “was one of the most complex and challenging missions in our history,” a senior Army general said April 20.Yet, logisticians “proved successful in supporting a force of (about) 165,000 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and

  • 'Lifecycle Funds' aim to maximize retirement savings

    Recent surveys show most people contributing to Department of Defense-sponsored thrift savings accounts shun riskier investment options and are not getting maximum returns to build bigger retirement nest eggs, a DOD thrift savings plan specialist said here April 20.“The vast majority of participants

  • New program helps smokers kick habit

    For smokers looking to kick the habit, nothing could be more useful than a little guardian angel sitting on their shoulder, keeping track each time they reach for a smoke, taking notes and reviewing the results with them each week.Although not angels, health and wellness center officials here said

  • Officials announce environmental award winners

    Officials recently announced the Air Force, Department of Defense and White House environmental award winners.The winners of the 2004 Air Force General Thomas D. White Environmental Award are:-- Environmental Quality Award (Industrial): Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.-- Environmental Quality Award

  • Officials announce visual-information winners

    Defense Information School officials at Fort Meade, Md., recently announced the winners of the 2004 visual information awards. The awards recognize, reward and promote excellence among servicemembers for their achievements in military photography, videography and graphic arts, officials said. Air

  • 5-year-old cancer survivor plays pilot for a day

    The newest member of the 334th Fighter Squadron here cannot even reach the rudder pedals in an F-15E Strike Eagle, but that does not keep Evan “Big E” Moriarty from being one of the squadron’s Fightin’ Eagles.The 5-year-old Fayetteville, N.C., native recently had a cancerous tumor the size of a

  • Child-abuse prevention begins at home

    More than 900,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect in 2003 with many suffering from neglect, followed by physical and sexual abuse, and emotional or psychological maltreatment, according to a National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System report.Eighty percent of the perpetrators were

  • Airmen maintain national defense in weapons storage area

    Separated from the rest of the base by miles of fence topped with razor wire and high-tech surveillance equipment, certain Airmen here see few people during the duty day other than their military counterparts. For that, their daily efforts go largely unnoticed.They are Airmen assigned to the 5th

  • Air Force officials postpone technology conference

    The 2005 Air Force Information Technology Conference scheduled for Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 in Montgomery, Ala., has been postponed until after January 2006.The move follows an announcement by Air Force officials to redirect as much funding as possible to support the war on terrorism, said Frank Weber,

  • Reservists travel to Badlands to do good

    A disaster does not have to strike for Americans to help other Americans in need.Twelve reservists from the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron provided medical care to an American Indian reservation hospital April 2 to 16 in South Dakota.The reservation, home to 30,000 Lakota Sioux, is located 35

  • Services presents marketing excellence awards

    Air Force Services officials here recently announced the winners of the Achievement in Marketing Excellence Awards. This is the premier for this awards program, modeled after the American Advertising Federation’s “Addy Awards.” “Air Force Services marketing developed this recognition program to

  • Base honors Airmen killed in Oklahoma City bombing

    More than 50 family members of an Airman killed in the Oklahoma City bombing visited Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., on April 18 to see the base's bombing memorial and attend a service at the base chapel before the 10th anniversary of the April 19 bombing.Airman 1st Class Lakesha Levy was killed when

  • Airmen disciplined for AFIM misuse

    Air Force officials are taking a hard look at the misuse of the Air Force Instant Messenger service on Air Force Portal.Airmen were found violating standards of conduct prompting officials to clarify responsible communication over the service.“Air Force Portal users took offense to the inappropriate

  • Contingency response team prepares airfield for Italians

    In fewer than 45 days, tanker airlift control element Airmen will achieve what some may deem impossible.This 47-person team, primarily deployed from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., is preparing nearby Herat for more than 300 Italian troops as they lead the

  • General explains what space brings to fight

    The commander of Air Force Space Command expressed the importance of space superiority, leadership development and integrating space with military operations during an April 16 visit here.Space superiority is an important part of what is done in the U.S. Air Force and in the rest of the military,

  • Officials announce 2004 organizational excellence award winners

    The Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council recognized the following units as 2004 Air Force Organizational Excellence Award winners during the specified periods of time:-- Air Education and Training Command headquarters: Oct. 1, 2002, to Sept. 30, 2004.-- Air Force Special Operations Command

  • Officials expand existing whistleblower protections

    Blowing the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse at work seems like the last thing workers would do if they wanted to keep their jobs and advance their careers.But that is exactly what servicemembers and federal civilian employees are required by executive order to do, and officials at the Office of

  • Airman spends free time living only way he knows -- fast

    While other 16-year-olds were satisfied driving around the neighborhood, Warren Howard was not happy unless he was driving at least 85 mph around an oval track.Now a master sergeant and the environmental coordinator with the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron here, began stock car racing in 1977

  • Language latest weapon in America's 21st century arsenal

    Despite the tremendous advances in military hardware and technology on display in the war on terrorism, there are still some capabilities only humans can provide.That was the thinking behind a new initiative to improve foreign language and cultural expertise at the Defense Department, said a top DOD

  • Aircraft lighter ban also applies to servicemembers

    Anyone -- including servicemembers -- carrying lighters will be required to surrender them at U.S. airport security checkpoints before boarding aircraft under a new federal law that became effective April 14, Transportation Security Administration officials said.The new law also applies to military

  • Air Force Academy selected as ‘Best Value College’

    The U.S. Air Force Academy is one of the nation’s "best value" undergraduate institutions, according to a Princeton Review report.The New York-based education services company announced April 18 that it chose the academy as one of 81 schools it recommends in the new 2006 edition of its book,

  • New course helps Airmen get combat ready

    Airmen graduating from the fuels apprentice course are now two to three months closer to combat-ready status after arriving at their first base, said course instructors here.Students are learning how to set up a mobile gas station and other duties during a new seven-day contingency course, said

  • Commanders get sexual-assault prevention, response help

    The new sexual assault response coordinator at Air Force bases will help commanders improve response to sexual assault. As part of an effort to curtail sexual assaults within the ranks, DOD officials directed the services to appoint a coordinator at all appropriate levels of command. The

  • Frequent deployments require emphasis on vaccinations

    Frequent, short-notice deployments worldwide demand the military step up its emphasis on keeping the force vaccinated for contingencies it may face, said the Defense Department’s deputy director for the Military Vaccine Agency.The expeditionary nature of the force requires that DOD officials plan

  • Policy offers confidentiality to sexual-assault victims

    A new Department of Defense policy allows sexual-assault victims to confidentially report crimes against them. In a March memorandum to service secretaries, DOD officials directed all military branches implement restricted (confidential) reporting withing 90 days.The policy allows victims of sexual

  • C-130 maintainers keep mission-capable rates high

    C-130 Hercules maintainers with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here are keeping mission-capable rates for C-130s as high as 15 percent above the Air Mobility Command standard.“Mission-capability rates are a measure of the percentage of time an aircraft is capable of performing its designed

  • Officials announce recipients of 2004 PA achievement awards

    Air Force officials have announced the 2004 Air Force public affairs achievement award recipients.They are:Winners of the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs director’s excellence awards are:-- Major command category: The Brig. Gen. Harry J. Dalton Jr. Award goes to U.S. Air Forces

  • England briefs Senate on new civilian personnel system

    The Civil Service system began in the 1880s to foster a professional federal work force, and the National Security Personnel System continues that spirit, said Navy Secretary Gordon R. England here April 14.Secretary England is the Defense Department’s senior executive for the system, which will

  • Tyndall Airman becomes U.S. citizen

    A revolt, a family separated and a little girl who grew up to become a defender of freedom in a foreign land.It may sound like a big-budget Hollywood flick, but for one Airman, this is real life.Airman 1st Class Celene Delice, a relocations technician with the 325th Mission Support Squadron here,

  • Tallil joint security force upholds law, order

    Airmen of the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron have joined forces with military policemen of the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division to uphold law and order here.The base is an air hub and ground logistical supply point that has a growing population of coalition military

  • Brain Injury Center treats new affliction for war on terrorism

    Land mines, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices are taking their toll on deployed U.S. troops’ bodies. What is not as easily recognizable is the damage these weapons are doing to servicemembers’ brains.Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is becoming an increasingly common

  • Gunner missing from World War II buried at Arlington

    Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office officials announced April 12 that the remains of an Army Air Forces crewman have been identified and were buried with military honors April 12.Staff Sgt. Robert McKee, of Garvey, Calif., was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.On Dec.

  • AFRC streamlines augmentee program

    Air Force Reserve Command officials here are working with other major commands to streamline management of individual mobilization augmentees.In the past, the Air Force's 12,900 IMAs in the Selected Reserve reported administratively to the various active-duty units where most of them are assigned.

  • Sustainability of installations, environment key to readiness

    The best way to ensure that today’s warfighters have what they need to fight and win in the post-Sept. 11 world is to sustain the viability of both military installations and their surrounding environments, a defense official said here April 12.That idea of sustainability -- of the military

  • Grone: BRAC 2005 important for many reasons

    Base Realignment and Closure 2005 is in full swing and this round is important for many reasons, said Philip Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment.To support ongoing force transformation, to improve the joint use of Department of Defense assets and to convert

  • Two chiefs, one marriage, love for Air Force

    In a small farming town near what was then Loring Air Force Base, Maine, 18-year-old Roger Sirois made a decision. What he did not know was it would lead him and his high-school sweetheart on a 25-year personal and professional journey. In 1980, Roger asked his girlfriend, Lisa Warrington, to

  • Airman’s life-altering decision takes turn for the better

    Before Airman 1st Class Shannon Cavasos enlisted in the Air Force, she was at a crossroads in her life.With high-school graduation on the horizon, the Midland, Texas, native lived alone her senior year after her mother moved away. Her mom sent her small checks to cover bills while she cleaned

  • Balad’s pharmacy techs help save lives

    Within the chaotic center of the Air Force Theater Hospital here is a group of Airmen whose job is to ease pain and help people heal faster.The Airmen in Balad’s pharmacy ensure people on the way to surgery or on the way out of the hospital have their medications.“We support the whole hospital,

  • Joint fuels effort allows airlift to keep rolling in Uzbekistan

    Keeping deployed C-130 Hercules and transient C-17 Globemaster IIIs fueled up takes a joint effort that includes Air Force fuels technicians, Army fuels distributors and civilian contractors. They are responsible for fueling up aircraft and ensuring the fuel is clean, dry, serviceable, and

  • Russian delegation tours F.E. Warren

    A delegation of senior Russian military officers and experts on nuclear security visited the base April 8.The Russians were in the United States for a meeting of the Joint Coordinating Group, the primary organization for implementing the Department of Energy's program of nonproliferation assistance

  • Rumsfeld supports extended careers, longer tours

    Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he would like to see sweeping changes to the military services’ personnel systems.In particular, Secretary Rumsfeld said, he would like to do away with the system that forces servicemembers out at the prime of their careers and moves people between jobs too

  • Airmen get view from tower

    Picture yourself sitting in your car, stopped at a traffic light on a very busy highway. Every time the light changes, vehicles take their turns crossing the intersection. If not for that traffic light, you probably would not be able to cross the road to go home. Airmen of the 20th Operations

  • Separate services make distinct contributions to joint force

    The trend toward “jointness” does not mean Defense Department officials expect all the services to become cookie-cutter copies of each other, a senior official said.Military operations increasingly call for close collaboration among all the services as they pursue a common mission, a trend that is

  • Officials announce Thrift Savings Plan open season

    Civilian and military employees can sign up for, or change, their Thrift Savings Plan contribution amounts during the "open season" April 15 to June 30."TSP is a long-term retirement savings plan, which everyone should consider," said Jackie Holland, task manager at the Air Force Personnel Contact

  • Chatting on Air Force Portal requires decorum

    Airmen are chatting it up in growing numbers using the Air Force Portal’s instant messaging service.But recent inappropriate comments made by some Airmen in chat rooms led officials to clarify responsible communication over the service.“The majority of the 7,000 plus Airmen using (Air Force Instant

  • Ship takes heroic legacy to the fight

    A fallen Air Force hero from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., was honored April 8 at the Military Ocean Terminal here. A Navy cargo ship was named for Air Force Cross recipient Tech. Sgt. John Chapman.The combat controller’s legacy will live on as the Motor Vessel Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman carries

  • Military children recognized during April

    Never underappreciated, but sometimes overlooked for their contributions to the Department of Defense, military children are the focus for April as “Month of the Military Child.”The military provides protection and defense for the U.S. and, in turn, military children make great sacrifices. They

  • Contact lens wear discouraged on deployments

    Blowing sand, smoke and fine dust particles are an eyeball’s worst nightmare. Now imagine holding up your unit because you have “something in your eye.” This type of scenario is exactly what optometrists said they fear most when Airmen wear contact lenses instead of their glasses while working in a

  • ‘Operation Purple’ summer camp registration begins April 15

    Registration for “Operation Purple” summer camps for children of deployed servicemembers begins April 15 on the National Military Family Association’s Web site, program officials announced April 7.The 22 Operation Purple camps provide summer camp experiences for more than 2,000 children whose

  • Vehicle maintainers keep Balad moving

    People here rely on hundreds of vehicles every day to accomplish the mission, and the Airmen of the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s vehicle maintenance section are responsible for keeping those vehicles on the road.“We have more than 800 vehicles in our fleet,” said Chief Master

  • New campaign medals recognize Iraq, Afghanistan service

    Two new campaign medals announced April 7 recognize servicemembers for their contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan.Defense Department officials announced the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal for servicemembers who directly supported Operation Enduring Freedom between Oct. 24, 2001,

  • Air Force aggressively meeting challenges

    The two senior leaders of the Air Force spoke April 6 on Capitol Hill about budget cuts, the service's commitment to meeting end-strength requirements, total-force integration and fleet recapitalization. During testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee on defense, Michael L.

  • Official details DOD efforts to transform, retain quality force

    Defense Department officials are working to reduce stress on the force and negate the need for more people in uniform, a top official said here April 6.“Transformation of how the U.S. military is structured … is the biggest way in which the department is working to reduce demand on U.S. forces,”