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  • Airmen shatter blood donation record

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

  • House hears space cadre testimony

    Air Force leaders provided key testimony July 22 to the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic force subcommittee about efforts to develop the professional space cadre.The undersecretary of the Air Force, Peter B. Teets, and the commander of Air Force Space Command, Gen. Lance W. Lord, explained

  • Keesler Airmen send aid to Afghanistan

    Thanks to Airmen here, cargo earmarked for needy families is on its way to Afghanistan aboard an Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules.The 403rd Wing here flew five pallets to Dover Air Force Base, Del., on July 21. Three more pallets are scheduled to leave July 29."I don't think we've done this type of

  • ROTC cadets pass field-training test at Lackland

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

  • CSAF: Air Force key in Pacific operations

    The Air Force will become more active in the Pacific theater in the future in response to emerging hot spots, said the Air Force chief of staff after a recent tour of the Pacific Air Operations Center here.Gen. John P. Jumper discussed the importance of the Pacific area.“As we’ve seen over the past

  • PME incorporates Fit-to-Fight program

    Professional Military Education students will exercise under a more formal structure beginning in August as part of the Fit-to-Fight initiative. Students will perform physical conditioning three days a week to reinforce the school’s new focus, said Chief Master Sgt. Sharon R. Turk, vice commandant

  • Service demographics available online

    Air Force Personnel Center officials here recently published the quarterly demographics report offering a snapshot of the service's active-duty and civilian force as of June 30.The report outlines information regarding the Air Force’s 376,926 active-duty Airmen and 143,886 civilian employees, such

  • Test pilot school selection board date set

    The Air Force plans to hold its next test pilot school selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center here Nov. 15.The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School trains pilots, navigators and engineers to test and evaluate the newest aircraft and weapons systems.Applicants from all aircraft types and

  • Bases earn awards for energy, environmental management

    Several Air Force bases were among the winners of top awards for leadership in federal energy and environmental management during a presidential ceremony held July 15 at the State Department headquarters here.The Leadership in Federal Energy Management Awards honor teams of federal employees who

  • Two of four quads experiencing life in Iraq

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

  • Senior NCO promotion video 'demystifies' board process

    Officials from the Air Force selection board secretariat and the enlisted promotions branch at the Air Force Personnel Center here have a new video to help shed light on the inner workings of the selection board process.The video is an effort to educate all Airmen about senior enlisted promotion

  • Absentee ballots can make a difference

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

  • Air Force bids farewell to World War II hero

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

  • Privatization helping DOD meet housing goal

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

  • Officials complete T-6A accident investigation

    Air Force officials completed the investigation of a T-6A Texan II that crashed April 3 at the Savannah Hilton-Head International Airport in Georgia killing two Air Force pilots.The investigation determined the accident was caused by pilot error.The pilots, Capts. Judson Brinson and Thomas Moore,

  • Teets discusses national security space strategy

    Peter B. Teets, the undersecretary of the Air Force for space, spoke about the future of space during the National Defense Industrial Association symposium on space policy and architecture.Representatives from the secretary of defense’s office, unified combatant commands and service space components

  • AF pharmacies implement new formulary guidelines

    Air Force pharmacies will no longer distribute some high-use, but expensive medications. This was outlined in a memorandum recently sent out to all Air Force pharmacies by Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Joseph E. Kelley, assistant surgeon general for health-care operations.“It’s no secret that (fiscal 2004) has

  • Air University earns accreditation

    After an exhaustive three-year process, Air University has been granted initial accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools retroactive to Jan. 1.The commission accredits degree-granting higher-education institutions and entities that meet its

  • Advisers warn Congress about special operations retention

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

  • Reservists provide humanitarian aid in Chad

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

  • Yokota pharmacy ensures a mission-ready force

    Airmen from the 374th Medical Group’s pharmacy here ensure Pacific Air Force’s most important weapon system -- its people -- are fit, healthy and mission-ready.Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play a key role in reducing medication errors and improving pharmacy practices. The nine-person team

  • Pilot discovers he’s not an ‘American’ after all

    In a perfect world free of glitches, one 380th Air Expeditionary Wing pilot would have arrived at his deployed location hassle-free. But as glitches go, the one this officer ran into was one of the biggest. It all started when Maj. Donald Temple, a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and

  • Health officials give researchers data access

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

  • U.S. now training Arab air forces

    The United States, working with United Arab Emirates, is now training future Arab air force leaders. Iron Falcon, a monthlong exercise held at the Emirate Air Defense Air Warfare Center in the United Arab Emirates, is upgrade training for mission commanders. Plans are set for all members of the

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

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

  • Now showing: July 19 edition of AFTV News

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

  • DOD developing training to help potential captives

    Defense Department officials are taking a hard look at the way they train servicemembers to avoid capture and, if they do fall into enemy hands, how to handle themselves.A new "core captivity curriculum," expected to be completed this summer, is designed to update training currently being provided

  • New privacy rules intended to reduce suicide risks

    The Air Force has revised Air Force Instruction 41-210, “Patient Administration Functions,” to better protect privacy rights and ensure an appropriate flow of information between commanders and support agencies.Air Force officials believe this will reduce suicide risks among its

  • American infants receive special gifts from 'hidden grandma'

    An 82-year-old woman from Benwick, England, fills a grandmotherly role to infants born to servicemembers here, even though she has never met a single baby she serves.With no other ties to the tri-base area of Royal Air Forces Alconbury, Molesworth and Upwood, England, or the U.S. military, Queenie

  • Force development includes civilians

    Career civilian employees will soon have more focused career guidance and expanded opportunities because of a new initiative taking place at the Air Force Personnel Center here this summer.Civilian career field management is a part of force development that will align civilian and military career

  • Treatment available to troops suffering from combat stress

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

  • Cadet court-martial ends with dismissal

    The general court-martial of Cadet 1st Class Shane T. Thomas ended July 14 with a guilty verdict for two of three offenses, and a sentence of dismissal with no confinement.Original charges were preferred against Cadet Thomas on Oct. 31 for Uniformed Code of Military Justice violations including the

  • IT conference scheduled for August

    Industry chief executive officers and senior Air Force leaders will convene in Montgomery, Ala., Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 for the 2004 Air Force Information Technology Conference.More than 5,500 government employees, students and industry partners attended the 2003 conference, and organizers said that

  • Safe, adequate housing gets highest priority

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

  • Airmen making a difference in South Africa

    MedFlag participants are focusing on bringing medical and civic assistance to six clinics surrounding nearby Hoedspruit Air Base. “We keep busy,” said Capt. Molly O’Brien, a 48th Medical Group dentist from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. “We’re seeing (about) 60 patients a day, mostly for

  • Program gives more than $400,000 in gifts to troops

    Since the Army and Air Force Exchange Service began “Gifts from the Homefront” last year, people have contributed $406,745 toward the program.The program is designed to lift the morale of deployed troops worldwide by offering gift certificates which can be purchased by any individual or civic

  • Loggies keep aircraft, parts flowing to field

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

  • Reserve forces taking advantage of VA home loans

    There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of Department of Veterans Affairs home loans to National Guardsmen and reservists in recent years, a top department official said.The amount would increase even more if they knew that being on active duty dramatically reduces the time it takes for

  • Services officials want a lot of happy campers

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

  • Military working dog sniffs out suspicious vehicle in Florida

    A four-legged 45th Security Forces member did his job correctly but caused quite a stir here July 8.While doing his daily sniffing around inbound trucks at the truck inspection area at the base’s south gate, Pancho, a 7-year-old military working dog, alerted his handler to a suspicious vehicle.

  • Airman dies in Iraq

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

  • AAFES goes where troops are

    When orders come down for troops to move to forward-deployed locations worldwide, they quickly pack their bags and go. After that, it is only a matter of time before a small contingent of civilians pack their bags as well.They are Army and Air Force Exchange Service workers.Mr. Allan Heasty is the

  • Rules restrict political activity for DOD people

    With election activity steadily picking up, defense officials remind servicemembers and Defense Department civilians that they are subject to rules regulating their involvement in political activities.Gone are the days when the military posted troops at the polls after the Civil War, an act that

  • Tops in Blue touring European bases

    Tops in Blue, the Air Force’s premier entertainment group, will perform at various military installations across Europe from July through October. Performances include:July 14 -- Moron Air Base, Spain.July 16 -- Incirlik AB, Turkey.July 18 -- Ankara AB, Turkey.Sept. 18 -- Patch Barracks,

  • Twin sisters assume command of AMC squadrons

    Twin sisters, Majs. Shawna O'Brien and Dawn Keasley, assumed command of two Air Mobility Command mission support squadrons on the same day recently.Major O'Brien took command of the 319th Mission Support Squadron at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., and her sister, Major Keasley, took command of the 375th MSS

  • Mildenhall Airmen recognized for heroic efforts

    Two Airmen of the 321st Special Tactics Squadron here were lauded recently for their quick action and rescue efforts after a vehicle accident in September 2003. Senior Airmen Ivan Ruiz and Jared Pietras, a pararescueman and combat controller, respectively, were involved in a tragic accident on a

  • Course trains Airmen to drive convoys for Army in Iraq

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

  • Army recruiting departing Airmen

    After they "Cross Into the Blue" Army officials said they hope Airmen leaving the Air Force will join the "Army of One."A new program, Operation Blue to Green, seeks to recruit into the Army Airmen and Sailors leaving their service because of force reductions. The Army is temporarily increasing its

  • Airman charged with double murder

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

  • Airmen among White House Fellows

    Two Airmen are among 12 people from across the country selected to serve as White House Fellows.Majs. Wesley Hallman and Daniel Orcutt will participate in the White House Fellows Program from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2005.Major Hallman, 37, is a student at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at

  • July issue of Airman available

    Read about an amputee pilot helping other amputees returning from war, learn about how Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center officials handle deployments and take a look at the harmony between man and beast at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. These features and more highlight the July issue of

  • Air Force amputee returns to flight status

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

  • Finance agency opens new reserve pay center

    The Defense Department's new Reserve Pay Center of Excellence has officially opened for business.The operation, part of Defense Finance and Accounting Service, will further improve service "to the men and women who defend America," according to a DFAS news release. It will offer "better

  • Some extended guardsmen, reservists may get GI Bill boost

    Guardsmen and reservists whose active-duty time is extended past the normal 12-month call-up may be eligible for active-duty-level benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill under certain circumstances, said a senior Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman.Currently, people participating in the active-duty

  • NCOs teaching at ROTC detachments

    Air Force ROTC cadets at 10 universities will soon see stripes in their classrooms.In a new program, noncommissioned officers will begin serving as instructors at Air Force ROTC detachments, positions normally held by commissioned officers.The three-year program will incorporate enlisted

  • Four cadets charged with steroid-related violations

    Air Force Academy officials announced July 6 that four cadets have been charged with steroid-related violations.The cadets involved are Cadets 1st Class Eric Swartz and Jonathan Belkowitz, and Cadets 2nd Class Overton Spence Jr. and Matthew Ward. They are being charged with violations of the

  • Air Force Intern Program develops future leaders

    The Air Force Intern Program Central Selection Board will convene here Sept. 20 to 24. The program lets 30 junior captains study the application of air and space power and observe senior Defense Department leaders in critical decision-making processes. The fast-paced 18- to 24-month program is

  • Overseas returnee assignment listing available July 13

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for November to January requirements will be available July 13 to overseas returnees and continental United States mandatory movers, Airmen facing mandatory reassignment.Airmen can work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences by

  • New booklet helps families of deployed reservists, guardsmen

    Separations can be tough on any child whose parent is deployed overseas, but particularly for the estimated 500,000 sons and daughters of deployed National Guardsmen and reservists, said an expert on issues involving military families.Many Guard and Reserve families lack the tight-knit support

  • Air Force symbol now official

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

  • Pilot reprimanded, fined in friendly fire incident

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

  • Taking care of patients in air

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

  • Now showing: July 5 edition of Air Force Television News

    What is fast becoming the Air Force hub for its operations in Iraq is spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke reports from Balad Air Base, Iraq, on how Airmen there are supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Master Sgt. Jim Lawson reports on another

  • Registration drive for overseas voters under way

    With the November general elections coming up, Defense Department officials have designated July 4 to 10 as Overseas Citizens Voters Week to get eligible DOD people stationed abroad registered to vote.The objective is to get overseas voters involved in the electoral process and to stress the

  • Vietnamese boy finds success in AF blue

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

  • Class of 2008 arrives at academy

    More than 1,300 cadet appointees said goodbye to their families July 1 and entered the academy to begin their careers in the Air Force. Inprocessing was a long one-day event filled with medical and dental evaluations, haircuts, clothing and equipment issue, and squadron and dormitory room

  • ‘Military One Source' helps with family problems

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

  • Expeditionary mindset provides stability, predictability for Airmen

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

  • Uniform board releases results

    Air Force officials recently released the results of the 96th Air Force Uniform Board held June 18 and 19.The chief of staff approved a number of changes, affecting everything from cell phones to scarves. Among the changes are:-- Establish a standardized Air Force physical training uniform.--

  • Air Force uniform heads to French army

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

  • SECAF approves 'V' device for heroism award

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche has authorized use of the “V” device, to represent valor, on Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded for heroism.The decision is intended to clearly distinguish and denote a DFC awarded for heroism. It allows any Reserve, Guard or active-duty Airman or Air

  • Air Force, Navy share chess title

    The Air Force and Navy are sharing the Interservice Chess Championship trophy this year, the first tie for the team title in the tournament’s history.The Air Force came to the tournament as a two-time defending champion, but tied with the Navy in points June 25, the last day of the six-day

  • Students get behind-the-scenes look at Air Force

    More than 1,500 of the nation’s top high-school students and 500 adult advisers visited here June 29. Representing all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the students were in Las Vegas from June 26 to 30 for the National Association of Student Councils 68th Annual National Conference.While here, the

  • Reservists, guardsmen may be eligible for FICA refund

    An interpretation of a government rule may mean that mobilized National Guardsmen, reservists and their employers may get a refund on some taxes paid to the federal government.While researching tax rules for deployed National Guardsmen and reservists, retired Army Reserve Lt. Col. Frank Scattene, a

  • ‘American family’ supports NATO, humanitarian effort

    Military convoys are a common site in Kosovo, so when a military convoy set out from Kosovo Force headquarters here headed for Gracanica on June 27, it was not given a second look. However, this convoy was not carrying weapons, military supplies or security forces for post relief. It was carrying

  • Air Force makes big waves at annual surfing invitational

    Under picture-perfect tropical skies, more than 70 surfers from all five branches of the armed services competed for bragging rights in the third annual Military Surfing Invitational at Oahu’s Kewalo Basin on June 26 and 27.The Air Force team took second place in the overall “Best of Branch”

  • Medical center responds to train derailment victims

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

  • Pilot wins Good Housekeeping award

    An unwavering faith, a good clean life and a sparkling career -- not necessarily a clean house -- earned a 524th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot here a Good Housekeeping award.Capt. Christina Hopper was presented Good Housekeeping magazine’s Woman in Government Award for 2003 recently

  • General revises clothing policy for Airmen deploying to SWA

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

  • Airmen deliver 35,000 helmets to Afghanistan

    Airmen flew more than 35,000 Romanian military helmets to Afghanistan from here June 24 in a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The helmets are for the Afghan army.Donated by the Romanian government, the helmets were packed and loaded by a team of Romanian servicemembers and a three-person U.S.

  • Officials announce Air Force chaplain service award winners

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

  • Iraqi delegation visits Balad, applauds U.S. military efforts

    Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi minister of foreign affairs, and other members of the Iraqi governing council, including Iraqi defense minister Hazim al-Shaalan, visited here June 27 on their way to Istanbul, Turkey, to the NATO summit. While here, Mr. Zebari thanked the United States for its assistance in

  • F/A-22 goes ‘On the Record’

    Fox News Channel is scheduled to broadcast a special edition of "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” from here June 28.The one-hour live broadcast from Nellis' F/A-22 Raptor hangar includes footage from a June 27 chase mission Ms. Van Susteren participated in. The program also will include an

  • Air Force honors Youth of the Year

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

  • Yokota aircraft parts store never closes

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

  • NCO earns American Legion Spirit of Service Award

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

  • Major getting Article 15 for friendly fire incident

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

  • Congress recognizes four Air Force people

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

  • Airman becomes 'Met for a Day'

    One McGuire airman traded his flight suit for a baseball uniform June 22 and became an honorary member of the New York Mets for a day.Senior Airman Chardo Richardson, a boom operator with the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron here, shadowed Mets left-handed pitcher Al Leiter in the second part of a job

  • Murray talks deployments, force shaping

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

  • Officials detail global posture realignment process

    The realignment of U.S. forces in the world will mirror the changing threats and be a result of a fundamental shift in national security, the DOD undersecretary for policy told the House Armed Services Committee on June 23.Douglas Feith said that the effort now under way thinks through how U.S.

  • House hears military construction testimony

    Justification for the Air Force’s annual construction budget request can usually be summed up in a couple of words, the service’s top uniformed official said.Mission accomplishment.That message was the central theme during testimony on Capitol Hill on June 22, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P.

  • Manpower, personnel functions merging

    Manpower, personnel, and education and training functions will merge and realign under mission support squadrons at installations throughout the Air Force beginning July 1."Manpower and personnel have been separate disciplines throughout the Air Force's history," said Col. Douglas V. Bell, Air

  • GI Bill still important 60 years later

    Times were tough. The nation was slowly emerging from the Great Depression when World War II flared up in 1941.Before the war, the unemployment rate hovered at 15 percent, more than 11 million homes did not have running water or electricity, and fewer than 50,000 taxpayers earned more than $2,500 a

  • Nature center brings children joy, education

    Sharon Batchelder said some days she feels like she works in a zoo.But she has a good reason. As a recreation aid at the Spalding Nature Center here, she spends her time working in the only Air Force facility that is home to snakes, rabbits, turtles, a variety of birds and even a couple of

  • NCOs help with air cover

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

  • Airmen attend Coast Guard academy

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

  • American C-17 airlifts Iraqi child to Hungarian hospital

    Medics from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron helped airlift a 13-year-old Iraqi to Budapest, Hungary, recently.A dozen crewmembers aboard a C-17 Globemaster III helped transport Abbas Jabbar, who was injured last month when he ran in front of a Hungarian convoy patrolling near

  • Symposium highlights changing times

    Future Air Force budgets with fewer modernization dollars are requiring Air Force people to change processes to make current aircraft last longer.This is one topic Dr. Marvin Sambur, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, discussed here at the 25th Annual Air Force Association Focus

  • ‘Air and Space Power Journal’ available in Spanish

    A Spanish-language version of “Air and Space Power Journal” is now available online and through a free electronic subscription service.Just like its English-language sister, the Spanish version provides a forum for professional discussion on air and space power, and its role in national