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  • Service demographics available

    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 March 31.The report outlines information regarding the Air Force’s 375,093 active-duty Airmen and 139,373 civilian employees, such

  • Base motorcycle clubs will promote rider safety

    The formation of motorcycle clubs on Air Force bases worldwide may increase mentoring, an important element for promoting safe riding, said the Air Force’s senior safety official.Air Force leaders are alarmed at the rate that the Air Force is losing its Airmen, not only in four-wheeled vehicle

  • Mother reunites with son 24 years after birth

    On a late night, Maj. Betsy Majma returned from a temporary duty trip and was really tired, but her husband urged her to go to the airport with him early the next morning to pick up someone. She was overjoyed she did.The 81st Surgical Operations Squadron nurse anesthetist was reunited that following

  • Overseas quarterly assignment listing available May 4

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for overseas assignments for the January to March cycle will be available May 4.Airmen should work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences by May 20. They will be notified of their selection by mid-June.EQUAL advertises upcoming

  • Child-abuse prevention: Break cycle of pain

    “Rose’s” earliest memories are not of family trips to the zoo or picnics at the park; they are of three-hour-long beatings and endless pain. She said she remembers nothing but terror and abuse. “There was always food in my house, but also an ever-present sense of fear,” said Rose, whose name was

  • Tanker aircraft delivers 1 billionth pound of fuel

    If you were to count from one to 1 billion it would take about 95 years. It took a little over a year for U.S. Central Command’s Combined Force Air Component Command-controlled tanker airlift to deliver 1 billion pounds of jet fuel. A KC-135 Stratotanker delivered 84,000 pounds of fuel to three

  • Officials explain CJR 'waiting list'

    To help meet end-strength goals under force shaping, Air Force officials will limit re-enlistments of Airmen in constrained specialties by establishing quotas, a waiting list and career job reservation application windows."All first-term Airmen must have an approved career job reservation prior to

  • Air Force announces design awards

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2004 Air Force Design Awards Program and the 2004 Air Force Agent Awards. Awards will be presented to winners at a July 29 luncheon here. Winners for the 2004 Air Force Design Awards are: -- Honor Award, Planning Studies and Design Guides:

  • Bagram Airmen receive taste of America

    With hand-written messages like, “We support you 100 percent,” and “Thanks for protecting our country,” on every package, reinforcements recently arrived here from the United States.More specifically, about 150 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sent by Brownie Troop 2859 from Marlboro, Mass., showed up at

  • Organ donation gives woman life, hope

    The gift of life through organ donations took on a new meaning five years ago for a senior noncommissioned officer here.Master Sgt. Jan Cutrona, a 56th Fighter Wing information manager, was prepared for the worst after her sister’s heart was attacked by a virus in February 1999.Sergeant Cutrona’s

  • JEFX 04 Spiral 2 showcases future of air battle management

    Responding quickly to lessons learned in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 04 showcased the future of air battle management command and control. The experiment, the Air Force’s primary venue for innovative command and control technology and

  • Online system reduces trips to education office

    Four features now available under the Air Force's virtual education system give Airmen more control of their academic pursuits.The Air Force Virtual Education Center is a Web-based system available to the total force that allows Airmen to do many of the things online that once required a trip to a

  • Officers must complete online education application

    Officers who want to compete for a developmental education opportunity in the 2005 to 2006 school year must now complete the required preference application online. The 2004 Developmental Education Designation Board meets here Oct. 4 to 8.The senior and intermediate developmental education

  • Airmen complete ‘Books for Baghdad’ drive

    The company grade officer's council at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Rome research site here is sending a text message to Baghdad University.Nearly 5,000 books, predominantly textbooks and university-level literature, have been collected from laboratory people and others in the community since

  • Air Force restarts job reservation system May 1

    As part of force-shaping efforts, the Air Force will restart the career job reservation system May 1.The CJR system will reduce career field shortages and overages, and balance the career force within each skill, according to officials. The CJR system allows Air Force officials to limit the number

  • Organizations adopt Wings Across America, WASP museum

    The Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings organizations adopted Wings Across America and the National Women’s Airforce Service Pilots World War II Museum as their joint national projects for 2004. The announcement came as more than 1,800 delegates from every Air Force ROTC detachment in America

  • NASA selects Air Force pilot for astronaut training

    An Air Force pilot was recently selected by NASA to be an astronaut candidate for the space shuttle program.Maj. James P. Dutton of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is the only Airman among 11 military and civilians to be accepted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration this year."Two

  • Sheppard sergeant becomes 250,000th CCAF grad

    An aircraft maintenance instructor from the 362nd Training Squadron here will leave a footnote in the history books of the world's largest community college when he graduates April 23.When Staff Sgt. Kalaeone Needham gets his associate degree, he will be the Community College of the Air Force's

  • AAFES necessity becomes collectible craze

    Since the inception of online Internet auction sites, collectors worldwide have been able to find exactly what they are looking for from the comfort of their own home.Historically, Americans have been collectors of countless types of things, from stamps and coins to military memorabilia and baseball

  • Roche visits Bagram

    Damp, drizzly weather greeted Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche when he visited Camp Cunningham and men and women of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group here April 16. But the conditions did not dampen the spirits of the hundreds of Airmen and civilians who enthusiastically turned

  • Know limitations, stay alert for safe motorcycle ride

    Bennie Brashear hopped on the motorcycle he had just finished repairing and took it for a spin to make sure everything was working right.The training manager for the 382nd Training Squadron here has been riding since he was 15 years old and drove a 30-mile paper route. As he was test-driving the

  • Lamb Chop visits Kadena during Month of Military Child

    Children at Kadena Elementary School and Bob Hope Primary School here got a special visit from a hand-size celebrity April 14.The famous sock puppet, Lamb Chop, gave a special performance for the students courtesy of the United Service Organizations’ celebrity-education program.Mallory Lewis,

  • Yokota Airmen teach music to Japanese students

    The sweet sound of harmony reverberated throughout the cavernous city hall here April 15 as Air Force musicians shared their knowledge and experience with more than 100 Japanese high-school students during a music clinic.Airmen from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia at Yokota Air Base,

  • Immigrant brings music to military service

    From the capital of Peru to Wichita, Kan., the only zampoña player here is sharing his gift of music with the Air Force.Airman Fredy Pasco works on the commander’s support staff of the 22nd Maintenance Operations Squadron, but spends his off-duty time filling the air with the sound of an Inca

  • CMSAF becomes honorary master chief

    At the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy graduation here April 14, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray became an honorary master chief petty officer.Chief Murray spoke at the ceremony to salute four Airmen who were graduates.“What a great honor to be recognized by this

  • SECAF outlines top priorities, future Air Force goals

    The Air Force’s top civilian focused on Air Force priorities, the war on terrorism and future goals during a visit here April 14. “People, of course, are the No. 1 priority,” said Dr. James G. Roche, secretary of the Air Force. “Any organization is only as effective as the people in it. We do a

  • Airmen respond to motorcycle accident

    A busload of Airmen from here were on their way to an observance honoring prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in action. They had no idea they would be the first people on the scene at a motorcycle crash April 9.The bus was en route to nearby North Little Rock but stopped along the highway

  • Colonel reflects on 40 years of service

    When Dave Thurston joined the Air Force as an airman basic in 1964, there had been no moon landing, the SR-71 Blackbird was about to fly for the first time, the Vietnam War was just beginning, and postage stamps cost a nickel. Now a colonel, he is deployed as the director of public affairs for

  • Air Force band performs in Hiroshima

    Aiko Hayashi smiled, cheered and laughed as she listened to a U.S. Air Force band perform here April 14.“They’re very good,” she said. “They really play great music. I’m glad they came here.”Almost 60 years ago, the thought of a U.S. military presence here was unthinkable. Ms. Hayashi knows of

  • Vice president thanks servicemembers in Alaska

    Amid a sea of nearly 3,000 flag-waving Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, Vice President Dick Cheney thanked servicemembers stationed in Alaska for their efforts in the war on terrorism.“I stand here today to say ‘thank you’ from a grateful nation -- and not just to the military

  • Librarians encourage people to turn off TVs, pick up book

    As National Library Week kicks off April 18, Air Force librarians are encouraging people to visit their base library for a refreshing change from another night of channel surfing. Libraries throughout the Air Force offer many programs for active-duty Airmen, retirees, spouses and children. Some

  • Despite ‘tough' period, U.S. won't waver in Iraq, Bush says

    The United States will continue in its commitment to an independent, free and secure Iraq, and the United States "must not waver" despite "a tough, tough period," President Bush said at a news conference April 13.The president stood before reporters in the East Room of the White House to make his

  • Travel cardholders have online-payment option

    Airmen with government travel cards can now make payments to their accounts online. The “MyEasyPayment” system allows Airmen with government travel cards to pay off residual or unexpected charges not covered by split disbursement payments, said Josephine Davis, the Air Force banking liaison

  • Enlisted Heritage Hall honors fallen Airman

    A fallen hero was honored recently when the Enlisted Heritage Hall on Gunter Annex dedicated the Tech. Sgt. John Chapman exhibit.Members of Sergeant Chapman's family and colleagues from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron were among more than 200 people attending the dedication ceremony. A combat

  • Hospital develops pregnancy wellness program

    A new program at Wilford Hall Medical Center here teaches expectant mothers about the effects of stress on the mind and body during and after pregnancy. The pregnancy wellness program is a joint project between specialists in the clinical-health psychology and the obstetrics and gynecology

  • Now showing: April 12 edition of AFTV News

    This edition of Air Force Television News focuses on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Tech. Sgt. Rusty Barfield went to the Pacific island to report on Andersen’s growing importance for the Air Force mission.Sergeant Barfield examines the role of Andersen since the Korean War, the deployment of B-52

  • Two new medals recognize units

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche approved two new medals recognizing units for outstanding heroism in combat and for achievement or service in direct support of combat operations.The Gallant Unit Citation and the Meritorious Unit Award can be awarded to Air Force active-duty, Reserve

  • Guard, Reserve leaders address Senate subcommittee

    Reserve component leaders from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps met before a Senate subcommittee reviewing the fiscal 2005 military budget here April 7.The leaders discussed transformation goals and spending requirements. They also touched on issues such as deployments, stress on the force and

  • Software helps Airmen track fitness progress

    The Air Force recently released a tool to help Airmen keep track of their fitness efforts. The Air Force Fitness Management System is available to all Airmen through the Air Force Portal. The system provides a history of their fitness scores and allows unit fitness managers to enter new scores.

  • Leaders approve combat device for expeditionary ribbon

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper have approved the addition of a gold border to the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon to signify satisfactory participation in combat operations. "This gold border, signifying participation in combat

  • New special-duty assignment process under way

    Enlisted assignments division officials at the Air Force Personnel Center here unveiled a new assignment process to account for many special-duty jobs now being coded as maximum tour assignments in the continental United States.The new process, starting in mid-April, is called the CONUS Mandatory

  • Overseas returnee assignment listing available soon

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for people returning from overseas August to October will be available April 13.Airmen need to work through their military personnel flights or their commander's support staff to update their preferences by April 30. Airmen will be notified of their

  • Airmen train in Italy

    Twenty-six Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, participated in Exercise Leaning Tower here from March 29 to April 3. They trained on formation low-level flights, evasive maneuvers and airdrops using night-vision goggles. “This whole exercise was made possible

  • Air Force blue shines at baseball opener

    For one Airman, opening day for the 2004 Major League Baseball season was “pretty incredible,” especially in St. Louis, where fans are passionate about their professional sports teams.For Staff Sgt. Kelly Grant-Ramstack, a vocalist with the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America, her incredible day

  • Top chief discusses Air Force issues

    Force shaping, housing plans, the proposed uniform and fitness proved hot topics for the Air Force's top enlisted leader as he talked with Airmen during a visit here.Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray said the retention rate for first-term Airmen is the highest the Air Force has

  • Air Force announces 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 Senior Master Sgt. Felipe Ortiz, superintendent of the Air Force

  • Airman receives 48 months confinement

    A 33rd Maintenance Squadron Airman here pleaded guilty and was convicted recently of illegal drug use and distribution involving Ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana. Airman Basic Brian M. Baird also pleaded guilty to four additional charges: disobeying his commander’s orders, using Ecstasy and

  • Air Force wins sixth boxing championship

    The Air Force boxing team clinched its sixth consecutive National Collegiate Boxing Association title here April 3. Senior Clell Knight earned his second national title and was named the outstanding boxer of the tournament.Air Force won the national team title with 40 points, edging out Navy who

  • F/A-22 important to all Airmen

    To Air Force people who do not fly or maintain aircraft, the oft-repeated characteristics of the F/A-22 Raptor, “stealth, supercruise, agility, integrated avionics, and supportability” probably mean about as much as “independent front suspension” and “aluminum alloy heads” mean to someone who is not

  • Electronic recorder adds realism to bugle playing

    The Tinker Air Force Base Honor Guard recently received three ceremonial bugles which play a high-quality recording of “Taps,” helping to show the nation’s deepest gratitude at the funerals of those who have served their country.The Department of Defense worked with a private company to create the

  • Airmen save life using defibrillator

    Four Airmen saved an Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center employee’s life after he recently suffered a heart attack at the Tinker Annex gym.Mario Martinez, a quality-assurance specialist at the center, went into cardiac arrest while playing racquetball with Tech. Sgt. Douglas Keller, a radar

  • Air Force wants new human-resources system

    In testimony before Congress on March 31, the Air Force chief information officer said the service would like to accelerate development of a new joint personnel system.Air Force Chief Information Officer John Gilligan told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on terrorism,

  • Air Force Reserve begins fitness testing

    Air Force reservists across the country are under the new Air Force fitness-testing standards as of April 1.Previously, fitness was measured by height-based weight restrictions, and reservists were tested on aerobic health through a 3-mile walk. The new standards include a waist measurement,

  • Band brings harmony to U.S., Russian relations

    U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band’s Check Six ensemble was music to Russian ears March 31 as they entertained and fostered relations between the United States and Russia.The command’s premier band served as musical ambassadors helping the U.S. Consulate General celebrate its 10-year anniversary

  • Academy celebrates 50th anniversary

    Two honors were presented to the Air Force Academy on April 1 in a ceremony commemorating its 50th anniversary.The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a commemorative 37-cent stamp, and the U.S. Department of the Interior bestowed the National Historic Landmark honor to the academy. It was 50 years ago

  • Cold War space approach must change

    Transformation across the armed forces is happening much faster than expected when the concept was announced two years ago, the Defense Department's director of force transformation told the Senate subcommittee on strategic forces."It's happening due in large part to the information and power

  • Compass Call crew details mission, OIF success stories

    At the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, dozens of Iraqi soldiers waited patiently near the al Faw Peninsula for instructions being transmitted from higher headquarters to blow up key oil fields there.The message never came.In its place, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force’s EC-130H “Compass Call”

  • Awareness can prevent sexual assaults

    In line with April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Air Force leaders encourage all Airmen to be knowledgeable about sexual assault risks, consequences and prevention. “Sexual assault in an organization that depends on each individual in life and death situations is simply intolerable,” said Gen.

  • Airmen reach out to help Iraqis

    The bright yellow ball bounced boldly out of the box as Iraqi children eagerly clamored to snatch the sphere from an Air Force chaplain’s hands.One young Iraqi boy emerged victorious, waving the soccer ball wildly over his head before tossing it back and forth to a friend in the crowd gathered

  • Major volunteers as instructor in Presidential Classroom

    An Air Force officer was on hand when high-school students from around the nation met here recently to participate in the Presidential Classroom program.Maj. Aurelia Carr-Olverson, chief of Air Force plans and programs staff services division, spent a week as a volunteer instructor for the

  • Air Force conducts network-defense exercise

    Air Force officials finished a two-week computer network-defense exercise March 26, which validated and strengthened the Air Force’s ability to defend its network against a wide range of attacks.About 200 people at network operations security centers and associated network control centers Air

  • Official urges balanced treatment for reserve components

    With Reserve and National Guard forces now critical elements in the war on terrorism, the Defense Department's senior reserve affairs adviser told a Senate subcommittee here March 31 that the country must do more to care for them and their families. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for

  • Crime-scene investigators train at Nellis

    Two vehicles were destroyed during a staged explosion here March 29 helping crime-scene investigators hone their skills. FBI officials detonated more than 550 pounds of explosives to provide a more realistic environment for a large-vehicle bomb post-blast investigation class. The five-day class,

  • Airmen recruit Iraqi military

    Two Air Force recruiters are using their training and skills to recruit a distinct group of people into an organization far different from the U.S. Air Force.Capt. Pete Ellum and Master Sgt. Greg Elmore are in Iraq recruiting that country’s new military. They are recruiting for the armed forces,

  • Academy cadet named Truman Scholar

    A cadet is a Truman Scholar and has won a $26,000 scholarship. The Harry S. Truman Foundation officially announced its winners across the United States on March 30.Cadet 2nd Class Andrew Sellers, a computer science major, earned the merit-based scholarship to attend a graduate or professional

  • Academy honors distinguished graduates

    Contributions to the Air Force and nation have earned two Air Force Academy alumni the school’s distinguished graduate awards. Retired Lt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer and Richard T. Schlosberg III have earned the 2003 Distinguished Graduate Award. The award is recognized by the academy and Association

  • Reserve employment information program begins

    A new Defense Department reporting system has begun so members of all seven reserve components can register their employers. DOD decision-makers need to know the civilian employers and government agencies of the department's nearly 1.2 million National Guardsmen and reservists, officials said. The

  • Students, deployed reservists share experiences

    Students at Hopewell Memorial Junior High School in nearby Aliquippa are learning about Iraq and the Middle East, but not from a textbook or the television.They are getting an insightful perspective of the region from local Air Force reservists deployed overseas. The reservists are getting a bit of

  • Airman teaches English to Afghan pilots

    Sometimes a language barrier can be more than an inconvenience. It can be dangerous. Consider, for example, the dialogue between an Afghan aircraft pilot and a German air-traffic controller at the local airfield during an in-flight emergency.Maj. Susan Washington said she is well aware of the

  • Flying ‘bug’ bites WASP early, pilot recounts service

    It was not Charles Lindbergh, but “a fella before him” whose name escapes her now. She remembers he came through Charleston, W.Va., when she was very young, and she said he inspired her to learn to fly.“I was about 7 or 8 years old when this famous flier came to town. Everyone turned out to see

  • Air Force seeks to eliminate inadequate housing

    Air Force senior leaders spoke with members of Congress on March 30 about the service’s requests for military construction funding in the fiscal 2005 budget. In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee on military construction, the Air Force civil engineer, Maj. Gen. L.

  • Beale receives Installation Excellence Award

    Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld has announced the winners of the 2004 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence. Beale Air Force Base, Calif., was selected as the Air Force winner.The other winners include:Fort Stewart, Ga.Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, Calif.Naval

  • Minuteman ICBMs upgraded as Peacekeepers get mothballed

    The U.S. military will upgrade its Minuteman III ICBMs while retiring its Peacekeeper missile force, a senior officer told a Senate subcommittee March 25. The larger, multinuclear-warhead-carrying Peacekeeper ICBMs are being decommissioned as the first step in reducing operationally deployed

  • Family continues training tradition

    It is like father, like son in the Gutierrez family when it comes to conducting military training.Staff Sgt. Victor Gutierrez is serving as an instructor in the same course his father, Ernesto, taught during his military years.Now, both trainers are serving in the 81st Training Group here. Sergeant

  • ROTC instructor duty now includes NCOs

    Air Force ROTC officials have just expanded instructor duty opportunities to include enlisted Airmen from diverse career fields.The secretary of the Air Force has approved a test program designed to incorporate enlisted perspectives into the curriculum. The addition of enlisted instructional staff,

  • Air Force announces new SRB list

    Bluesuiters will see significant changes in the newly released selective re-enlistment bonus list resulting from solid retention rates, Pentagon officials said.Following the selective re-enlistment review board, the Air Force has published the latest SRB list which contains 62 Air Force

  • Airmen make sure A-10s keep flying

    When many people were passing out candy to trick-or-treaters last October, 26 crew chiefs left their home at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and arrived here, ready to do their part in the war on terrorism.Through the holidays, this group of Airmen has not missed a beat in keeping the A-10

  • Families of high-school seniors may get to stay in place

    Some Air Force families with a child entering his or her senior year of high school may get to stay longer at their current duty stations thanks to a new policy announced in March."In today's environment of deployments and high operations tempo, it's important that we alleviate stress on families

  • Now showing: March 29 edition of AFTV News

    Air Combat Command’s “Canadian connection” highlights the latest edition of Air Force Television News. In a special “Eye on the Air Force,” Tech. Sgt. Bill Scherer goes to North Bay, Ontario, to examine the close relationship between ACC and the Canadian air force. Before Sept. 11, the Canadian

  • Officials announce Air Force comptroller awards

    Air Force officials announced the 2003 financial management and comptroller awards.Award winners will be recognized at a ceremony June 2 at the American Society of Military Comptrollers Professional Development Institute in Cleveland.Michael Montelongo, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for

  • AFPC works to keep people connected

    For those having problems with computer connections, technicians at the Air Force Personnel Center here have some words of advice.Instead of assuming what is tripping up the computer connection, report it."We've had cases where customers trying to take care of personnel business on the Web assume

  • Vice president visits base in Ohio

    Vice President Dick Cheney expressed his appreciation for the Airmen and community here during a visit March 26. A throng of enthusiastic people from the base community waved flags and cheered loudly for the vice president during a ceremony. Gen. Greg Martin, commander of Air Force Materiel

  • AF officials testify regarding importance of space

    Air Force officials joined those from the U.S. Navy in congressional testimony March 25, speaking before a Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces, about future plans for using space.Peter B. Teets, undersecretary of the Air Force and director of the National

  • Airmen from European bases support special ops in Africa

    Airmen from bases throughout Europe are supporting special operations forces along the fringes of the Sahara Desert in the continuing war on terrorism.Currently, Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Stuttgart, Germany, are training African soldiers in Mali

  • April issue of Citizen Airman available online

    For the past 33-plus years, Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III has been contributing to the Air Force mission as a reservist, with the last five-plus years as the commander of Air Force Reserve Command and chief of Air Force Reserve. During that time, he has fought for better benefits and entitlements

  • X-45A successfully releases inert weapon

    The Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System X-45A successfully carried out an inert-weapons release here March 20, marking the first weapons release from the internal bay of the high-speed, stealthy unmanned aircraft."All testing leading up to (the) weapon jettison went extremely well," said Maj. Mike

  • Quick action at fitness center saves man's life

    March 9 is a day that will forever be etched in Elmer Bicoy's mind.Not because he was winning a racquetball match like usual, but because the 69-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and nearly lost his life while playing a game at a fitness center here.Mr. Bicoy was preparing to serve the ball to

  • Joint Strike Fighter under attack on Capitol Hill

    A senior Air Force official told lawmakers March 25 that the service would not be interested in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter if a technical glitch could not be overcome or if program funds were cut off.Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, bluntly told members

  • OSI agents help with historic drug seizure

    With less than one month on the job, a special agent with Detachment 311 of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations here answered a call from a Drug Enforcement Administration detective in Jacksonville, Fla. What he had to tell OSI agents ultimately culminated in the largest single narcotics

  • ANG welcomes new command chief

    Confident that he still has a lot to give to this country, Chief Master Sgt. Richard Smith is preparing to move from his home in rural Lexington, Ohio, to Washington to become the ninth command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard."My appetite to serve is still there," said Chief Smith,

  • Officials announce program for retiree employment

    Defense Department officials implemented a new policy March 22 allowing defense managers to hire civil-service retirees needed in critical positions without offsetting their retirement pay, which was required under a previous law. A similar provision was previously implemented for military

  • AFIT class includes first enlisted graduates

    Eight enlisted Airmen graduated from the Air Force Institute of Technology on March 23, marking one of the more historic achievements in the history of the service's enlisted force.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche, in delivering the graduation address to a crowd of more than 1,000

  • Abizaid focuses on Iraq, career Airmen

    Talented people are the reason why today’s U.S. armed forces are the best they have ever been, said Army Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command, during a visit with 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen here. He urged them to “stay with the team” as the United States continues to

  • Airmen provide exercise tips to prevent pain

    Military hospitals have seen more injuries than usual since the Air Force adopted the new physical fitness test.The majority of these injuries could have been prevented with common sense and "listening to your body," said Maj. Chu Soh of the 374th Medical Operations Squadron’s physical therapy

  • AFIT graduates Class of 2004

    More than 200 scientists and engineers received graduate and doctoral degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology.AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management held its 2004 graduation ceremony March 23 at the Air Force Museum. Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche delivered

  • Officials working for reserve health benefits

    Defense Department officials are working as quickly as possible to implement enhanced Tricare health-care benefits for reserve component sponsors and their family members, officials said.The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act and the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the new

  • Ethics regulations guide Airmen in political activities

    With less than nine months until the next federal election, political activity is heating up in the nation's capital and around the country.Airmen may want to get involved in what are some of the most fundamental activities of American democracy: campaigning and politicking. But as employees of

  • Base recalls teamwork following ramp horror

    A visit to Building 900 brings back a visual that retired Senior Master Sgt. Eric Truesdale said he has spent the last decade trying to forget.It was there March 23, 1994, that 24 Fort Bragg, N.C., Soldiers were killed, more than 100 were injured and countless other troops’ lives were changed in

  • Two generations, one similar mission

    One joined during the height of the Cold War. The other joined long after the Berlin Wall crumbled. One wears dress blues, the other, greens. One has more than 25 years of service, while the other -- just barely eight months.But the two are so intimately connected that all their differences are

  • Women play important role in military

    Throughout history, women have broken barriers to serve in the military, some legitimately and some not. Many women worked as nurses on battlefields, while others disguised themselves as men so they could join. Even though the contributions women made were recognized, Americans would not allow