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  • Youth center goes global

    Children at the youth center here are going global -- the old-fashioned way.In a world of e-mail, modems and ever-changing technology, the center's “Journey Around the World” club gives its members the chance to make friends with others their age who live on Air Force bases worldwide, by simply

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    The Air Force is giving 18 enlisted members the chance to trade in their stripes for gold bars after being chosen to attend Officer Training School.Air Force Recruiting Service officials conducted OTS Selection Board 0305, which considered 239 total applications, selecting 164 for a 67-percent

  • President Bush proclaims end to major combat operations in Iraq

    Major combat operations in Iraq are over, and America and her allies have prevailed, President Bush said this evening on the flight deck of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. "In this battle we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of

  • Success in Iraq result of lessons learned

    The reason the Air Force performed so well during Operation Iraqi Freedom can be traced back to lessons learned from earlier conflicts, according to the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at the Pentagon.“We were better trained, better organized and better equipped than we have ever

  • Air Force earns two public service awards

    Organizations at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and Schriever AFB, Colo., recently earned Public Service Excellence Awards from the Public Employees Roundtable.The 355th Aerospace Medicine Squadron’s airman’s attic at Davis-Monthan, earned the award in the community service category.The

  • Focus yields 98 percent mission-capable rate

    An “extra shot of adrenaline” let aircraft maintainers ensure that nearly every scheduled aircraft was available to fly when needed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.The chief of logistics for the combined forces air component commander said the performance by maintainers during OIF has been nothing less

  • POL troops fuel massive air campaign

    Equipped with not much more than grit and determination, deployed airmen have dispensed jet fuel at a pace up to nine times faster than their stateside counterparts.According to Col. Duane A. Jones, chief of logistics for the Combined Forces Air Component Command, three bare-base airfields

  • Test sets world land speed record

    A 192-pound, fully instrumented Missile Defense Agency payload traveled a little more than three miles in 6.04 seconds April 29, validating Holloman's high-speed test track hypersonic upgrades and setting a world land speed record.Air Force Materiel Command experts conducted the test in New Mexico's

  • Mr. Rumsfeld goes to Baghdad

    Perhaps symbolizing the importance of special operations forces to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad on an MC-130 from the Air Force's 919th Special Operations Wing today. Less than a month after the fall of Baghdad, Rumsfeld flew from Kuwait to Basra

  • Colonel runs 1,000 miles on deployment

    After completing his goal of running 500 miles during a 90-day tour here, Lt. Col. Rod Matte upped his goal to 1,000 miles when his tour was extended to 150 days.Running about the equivalent of a marathon -- 25 miles -- every two days for the last three weeks, Matte has pushed himself hard to

  • Program documents art of war

    Four aviation artists spent two days visiting Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq to visually document and experience firsthand bare-base Air Force operations there. John Witt, Phil Weisgerber, Gregg Thompson and Harley Copic traveled to Southwest Asia to support the Air Force Art Program. Their job

  • CSAF presents Purple Heart to pararescueman

    After being hit by enemy fire April 18 during a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Staff Sgt. Robert L. Disney Jr. was on the receiving end of the lifesaving steps he knows well as an Air Force pararescueman.At a Pentagon ceremony April 30, he received a Purple Heart presented by Air

  • War reunites deployed brothers

    None of them were supposed to be here. Two pairs of brothers thrown together as if a game of jacks were being played with aircraft and aircrew; each one being snatched up and dropped randomly at a Royal Air Force base in the eastern Mediterranean. But before anyone could swipe all the Air Force

  • U.S. aircraft leaving Saudi Arabian base

    Department of Defense officials said the combined air operations center here will be mothballed and all U.S. aircraft operating at the base will be gone by August.The decision was made by "mutual agreement," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld following a meeting with Saudi defense minister

  • Now showing: April 28 edition of AFTVNews

    The gradual Air Force shift from war to support in Iraq is highlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Chris Vadnais reports from Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq on how airmen are helping get supplies to troops on the ground. In the United Kingdom, Staff Sgt. Michelle

  • Deployed airman attacks educational dreams

    Most airmen serving overseas supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom use their spare time catching up on sleep or writing to loved ones back home. But one sergeant kept education as a priority in his busy schedule.Master Sgt. Craig Pate is the first student to complete an Air Force Institute of

  • Aziz brings total of 'Top 55' in custody to 12

    With Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and sometime-spokesman Tariq Aziz now in American custody, 12 of the 55 most wanted Iraqis are accounted for, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today. Rumsfeld said during a noon Pentagon press briefing that coalition forces also have "a number" of other

  • People are the key to air power, CSAF says

    The men and women of the Air Force are the basis of America’s air and space power, according to the Air Force chief of staff.“It’s all about smart people and the tools they’ve used in new and different ways,” Gen. John P. Jumper told an audience April 24 at the National Air and Space Museum

  • Rotary-wing asset saves lives

    Saving lives in a combat environment means taking risks. It means going where no one else can to get the person to medical help. The 41st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron airmen from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., do just that. Their mission, it takes 12 airmen -- six each in two HH-60 Pave Hawk

  • Tinker employees awarded $10K for ideas

    Collectively saving the Air Force more than $700,000 in the next year recently made two employees here $10,000 richer thanks to suggestions submitted to the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Karen Goss, a publications systems specialist earned her $10,000 by discovering a

  • Team brings captured base online

    Warfighters had a big problem as coalition combat forces pushed through Iraqi defenders: their tactical communications systems were not enough for the job at hand, but a better, more permanent solution wasn't yet available anywhere near the front.Air Force engineering installation teams stepped up

  • Engineering installation team brings captured base on line

    Warfighters had a big problem as coalition combat forces pushed through Iraqi defenders: their tactical communications systems were not enough for the job at hand, but a better, more permanent solution wasn't yet available anywhere near the front.Air Force engineering installation teams stepped up

  • Possible SARS cases at Hill; patients recovered

    Test results April 21 identified two probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome here, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two retired Air Force officers, who recently returned to Utah from a trip to Asia, have now recovered from the symptoms.However, officials from

  • NCO retraining programs begin

    The Air Force recently began the voluntary phase of its fiscal 2003 and 2004 noncommissioned officer retaining programs. The program is designed to help the Air Force balance its enlisted force by moving NCOs in specialties with surpluses to those with shortages, personnel officials said. It

  • Roche, Jumper to speak at academy graduation

    Air Force officials announced April 23 that Dr. James Roche, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, will speak at this year's Air Force Academy grauation. "Both personally are very much involved in the Air Force Academy and Air Force military education, and

  • Possible SARS cases at Hill; patients recovered

    Test results April 21 identified two probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome here, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two retired Air Force officers, who recently returned to Utah from a trip to Asia, have now recovered from the symptoms. However, officials from

  • Iraqis need work, paychecks, U.S. administrator says

    American officials are working to reconstitute Iraqi government ministries and get employees back to work and receiving paychecks, the man charged with getting Iraq running again said today.Jay Garner, director of the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, said in a Baghdad

  • Bomber group heads home

    After dropping 3.2 million pounds of explosives and 9 million leaflets during 120 combat sorties, more than 1,000 airmen are packing up and going home from this forward-operating location. The redeployment of the 457th Air Expeditionary Group began April 24 with approximately a dozen B-52

  • Readiness troops break new ground at Iraqi base

    Setting up shop at Tallil Air Base, Iraq has the very first civil engineer readiness troops in-country working around the clock and setting milestones for their career field.Readiness teams employ the Air Force's full spectrum threat response plan to prepare the base for any attack or disaster, from

  • Feedback from survey to improve civilian leadership development

    A sampling of Air Force civilians in the grades of GS-12 through GS-15 have received and completed the civilian long-term training survey via e-mail in recent days.The 12-question survey, which is being distributed through April 25, is an opportunity for people to express their thoughts or concerns

  • Damage docs patch, repair battle aircraft

    With aircraft battered and torn from the fight, aircrews depend on the "damage doctors" to get them and their aircraft back into the fray.During the conflict in Iraq, members of the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron here have been the "docs" carefully patching and repairing aircraft, making

  • Air Force pilots help Japanese go the distance

    When your car runs low on gas during a long trip, it is easy to pull up to the pump like you have done a hundred times before. It involves a lot more planning if you are at 25,000 feet, traveling several times your average freeway speed and practicing a foreign language. When your vehicle is one

  • Ground commander lauds land troops' success in Iraq

    Coalition forces are nearing the end of combat operations, but the campaign will continue, the chief of coalition land forces said during an interview from Baghdad.In a videoconferenced briefing with Pentagon reporters, Army Lt. Gen. David McKiernan said the ground campaign against the regime of

  • Mobile aeromedical staging facility touches lives in Iraq

    From Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to Tallil Air Base, Iraq, may seem a long way, but for Air Force Reservists of the 433rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, it was the chance of a lifetime to practice skills that are literally a matter of life or death to a wounded soldier.Their journey to Tallil

  • Total force team excels at bare base

    A total force team of active-duty, reserve and Guard airmen deployed to this austere deployed location have worked together to provide "amazing" support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, their commander said.The 485th Air Expeditionary Wing here is composed of active-duty F-15 Eagle fighters from Langley

  • Software analyst becomes agricultural inventor

    Farming and a little laziness combined to earn a software analyst here a patent for a self-opening gate that operates with no electricity, batteries, solar panels or remote controls.Possibly revolutionizing life for cattle farmers, Dan Hix's gate, according to a patent search, is like no other. It

  • U.S., Poland finalize deal on F-16s

    This month's signing of a military hardware deal with Poland is expected to kick off a long-term relationship between the United States and the former Warsaw Pact nation, according to Air Force officials.On April 18, Polish officials signed a deal to purchase 48 new F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft

  • New ID cards are secure, ready

    The high-tech identification common access card currently replacing the familiar green ID card worldwide is secure and proven in combat, despite some rumors to the contrary."Worries are unfounded" that the new ID cards are easily accessible to identity thieves or even hostile forces, said Chief

  • Readiness center orchestrates contingency support

    David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, walked through the Great Wall of China and made audience members vanish, only to reappear somewhere else. But, those were just magic tricks -- grandiose illusions.Try making 3,000 soldiers, more than 200 aircraft and nearly 5,000 tons of

  • SARS has minor impact on upcoming exercises

    With major combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom wrapping up, airmen are watching the news closely for a potential new enemy -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.Recent intense media coverage may make it seem as though the virus, known as SARS, is spreading uncontrollably. However, the

  • Some 'doctors' still make house calls

    Have mat, will travel.That is the newly adopted creed of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group's three-person physical therapy team at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. The 332nd EMDG is from the 10th Medical Group at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.Realizing that many of the pilots

  • Promotion study guides arrive in May

    The 2003 promotion fitness exam and supervisory examination study guides are expected at Air Force locations worldwide in May.Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron officials here said Air Force Pamphlet 36-2241, Volumes 1 and 2, Promotion Fitness Examination and U.S. Air Force Supervisory

  • U.S. not asking for long-term Iraqi bases

    The United States has neither asked nor considered asking a future Iraqi government for use of four air bases, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.Rumsfeld called a New York Times story that suggested such a thing "unhelpful." He said such articles left people in the Middle East with the

  • Air component commander updates troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom

    Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Operation Iraqi Freedom Combined Forces Air Component commander, visited this deployed location recently to update the troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom and to award a B-1B Lancer flight crew from the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing Distinguished Flying Crosses for

  • Tanker pilots fly with a little more in common

    Flying missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom has truly been an experience for Capt. Joel Higley and 1st Lt. Matt Mierek, 28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron pilots deployed here from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.When they initially met back at their home station, they found they had a little

  • Time-sensitive targeting adds combat flexibility

    An infusion of human decision making and 21st century technology has resulted in a system that has helped U.S. forces and their coalition partners dominate the battlefield in Iraq.Known as time-sensitive targeting -- TST for short -- this rapid response system is building a new level of flexibility

  • Surgeon's skills stay sharp helping base

    The doctor and nurses, shrouded in gowns, gloves and facemasks, lay stainless-steel scalpels and clamps neatly on the plastic-covered tray next to the patient.One of the nurses squeezes around the operating stretcher to adjust the overhead lamps while the doctor picks up his tools and prepares to

  • DOD's leaders thank military for heroism, courage, talent

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked the men and women of the department for their service in the campaign in Iraq, but said much still remains to be done.Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers spoke to Pentagon employees during a Town Hall meeting

  • Doolittle Raiders honor fallen comrades

    The Doolittle Raiders held their traditional goblet ceremony April 16 during the group's 61st annual reunion, held here and in the local community this week. During the goblet ceremony, the men toast with cognac and then turn over the goblets of those who have died since the last meeting.Each

  • Predator is headache for enemy

    One of the most formidable aircraft in the Operation Iraqi Freedom arsenal does not even carry a pilot. Appearing almost toy-like at a mere 27 feet long, the RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle that remains a huge headache for enemy forces.Operated remotely by a pilot and sensor

  • DOD getting $62.9 billion to help pay for war

    The Defense Department is receiving $62.6 billion as a result of the emergency supplemental bill President Bush signed today.With the war in Iraq costing $20 billion to date, DOD officials said they are grateful that Congress acted so quickly, said Dov Zakheim, DOD comptroller.Of immediate interest

  • Operation Iraqi Freedom marks new way of war fighting

    The successful application of teamwork and technology in Operation Iraqi Freedom marks a turning point in American war fighting, the U.S. military's senior officer said here April 16."What we've done in Iraq has been dramatically different" than how the American military has fought wars since the

  • Aerial-refueling team awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses

    While conducting air-refueling operations above Iraq on April 7, a four-person crew took their KC-135 further into harm's way to help airmen in trouble.They were recognized for their actions by Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Combined Forces Air Component commander, who flew in to Camp Oasis on April

  • B-1 crew members receive Distinguished Flying Crosses

    Four Ellsworth B-1 Lancer crew members, who on April 7 struck a "target of opportunity" believed to be the site of a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting, have received Distinguished Flying Crosses.Capt. Chris Wachter, aircraft commander; Capt. Sloan Hollis, pilot; and weapon systems officers 1st Lt.

  • Joint effort stands up Iraqi air base

    The Army said it was "austere." The Air Force called it "downright primitive."Regardless of the description, commanders on both sides agree the effort to turn an Iraqi air base into a coalition operations hub has been one of the finest examples of teamwork seem so far during Operation Iraqi

  • Spouses make flags to honor ultimate sacrifice

    Two Air Force spouses are helping revive an old tradition to honor the families of servicemembers killed in battle.Julie Gindhart and Claudia Schmucker, both wives of Air Force majors, have joined with other members of the Military and Civilian Spouses Club here to make "gold star service flags."

  • Airman sent home to donate bone marrow

    While the war is waged and aircraft launch in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, another kind of mission is taking place ... a potentially life saving mission.Col. Erik Hearon, the regional air movement and control center director, jumped aboard an Air Mobility Command aircraft recently in hopes of

  • U.S., U.K. medical forces work together

    Wounded British forces may speak the same language as some of their new medics, but they definitely have a different accent.Air Force medical teams have joined British forces to receive and care for British soldiers evacuated to a deployed Operation Iraqi Freedom location. While United Kingdom

  • Bands orchestrate aviation's first 100 years

    Celebrating the 100th anniversary of powered flight, Air Force Band of Flight musicians here are working with five professional composers to set history to music.This year marks the 100th anniversary of powered flight and celebrations are scheduled across the nation to honor the Wright brothers'

  • Coalition forces still conducting operations

    While major combat action is certainly winding down in Iraq, coalition forces are still conducting operations in the country, said U.S. Central Command officials in Qatar today.In Al Ramadi April 15, a commander with the 3rd Infantry Division accepted the capitulation of the Iraqi regular army 12th

  • Kirtland Guard, active duty work together in Bulgaria

    Supporting air-refueling operations for aircraft striking targets in Iraq has found Kirtland active-duty and Air National Guard airmen working together at Camp Sarafovo, Bulgaria.Security forces airmen from the New Mexico Air National Guard's 150th Fighter Wing and support people from the 377th

  • Trip changes airman's view of Iraq

    For a combat cameraman from upstate New York, a six-hour ride from Kirkuk to Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq, was an eye-opening experience he will not forget.Trained to look for and document with his camera those moments that tell a story, Tech. Sgt. Steve Faulisi said he put away his camera and

  • Bush: Coalition victory in Iraq certain but not complete

    "These are good days for the history of freedom," President Bush said during a Rose Garden ceremony this morning.In one month Iraq has transformed from being "a prison to its own people, a haven for terrorists (and) an arsenal of weapons that endanger the world," Bush said during remarks on his

  • Airmen stay busy despite end of major hostilities in Iraq

    Even though hostilities in Iraq appear to be winding down, airmen who fly combat missions over that war-torn nation say their job is not finished yet."We still have pockets of resistance in various areas, and until we have complete control we need to have air power up there supporting the ground

  • Airlift takes toll on Bashur Airfield

    The landing of many heavy cargo aircraft at Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq, has forced the closure of 2,000 feet of runway that cracked under the constant strain.That still leaves a 5,000-foot runway, more than enough for C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules aircraft to continue the airlift

  • Shape of coalition forces will change as war winds down

    As the war in Iraq winds down, the shape and number of coalition forces in the area will change, DoD officials said during a briefing in the Pentagon.Two carrier battle groups centered around the USS Constellation and Kitty Hawk will leave the area, Navy officials said today. This still leaves three

  • Moody AFB attorneys support 'Operation I Do'

    Dressed to the nines in his best desert camouflage uniform and surrounded by his security forces family, a nervous but calm deployed senior airman took part in "Operation I Do."Even though they were separated physically, Senior Airman James Evans and his fiance, Andrea, were reunited via fax and

  • War sharpens air traffic control mission's focus

    Operation Iraqi Freedom is providing students attending the Air Force's only air traffic control school real-world examples of how their training will be used after graduation.The air traffic control school here trains about 1,000 airmen and international students each year, including new airmen,

  • Bashur Airfield on roll; future still not set

    After two weeks of living on the edge of the noisy flightline, the airmen at Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq, moved their camp to higher ground.But the move -- 100 yards farther away from the airstrip - does not mean the 86th Expeditionary Contingency Response Group is planting roots at this

  • F/A-22 provides technological leap forward

    One cannot view the F/A-22 Raptor as only a replacement for current Air Force fighters, the service's top acquisition official told lawmakers April 11."(The F/A-22) is basically a technological leap forward to counter the threats we perceive (we will face) in the future," said Dr. Marvin R. Sambur,

  • Care packages raise morale at deployed location

    When you're deployed in the middle of nowhere, there are few things that can brighten your day like receiving a care package. After being deployed for more than two weeks, members of the 86th Expeditionary Contingency Response Group received a bundle of care packages from home April 12."Getting a

  • Air Force band members become 'warehouse warriors'

    Six Air Force band members traded their musical instruments for power tools recently as they competed in an episode of "Warehouse Warriors."Warehouse Warriors is a DIY (Do It Yourself) network television show that pits two teams against one another in a race against the clock to see who can complete

  • Motorcycle safety leaves no margin for error

    In December, a young airman was visiting his family for the holidays. After dinner and a movie with his mother, he told her he was going for a ride on his motorcycle. That was the last time she saw her son alive.He was 10 minutes from home when he lost control of his bike and was killed instantly.

  • Commander recounts historic Iraq C-17 airdrop

    It was by any measure a landmark moment for airlift operations and the C-17 Globemaster III. The nighttime airdrop last month of 1,000 "Sky Soldiers" from the 173rd Airborne Brigade behind enemy lines into northern Iraq was the largest combat airdrop since the invasion of Panama in December 1989

  • Coalition command post: coordination keeps aircraft, info flowing

    Flexibility is the key to airpower, but a lot of coordination and some planning are the keys to a successful integration of coalition partners in wartime. Such is the case for the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing command post, temporarily located at a Royal Air Force base in the eastern

  • Tough, brave troops fight for freedom

    America's men and women in uniform are brave, tough and courageous, President Bush said today after visiting more than 70 wounded service members and their families at two military hospitals."It's an amazing thing when you see a person wounded, sitting there in a wheelchair or bound up in bandages

  • Bush relays stories of oppression, compassion and respect

    Two worlds collided in Baghdad this week. Coalition forces and Western journalists were shocked by emerging evidence of Saddam Hussein's tyranny and inhumanity, and the long-oppressed Iraqi people experienced the compassion and respect of coalition troops.President Bush addressed this week's

  • 484th AEW brings airpower to battlefield

    It is the largest and most diverse Air Force unit supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, yet few people know it exists, according to 484th Air Expeditionary Wing officials.Behind the scenes, the 484 AEW works quietly, providing combat enabling, contingency response, terminal attack and combat weather

  • Airborne Red Horse teams joins the mix

    The Air Force has a new capability thanks to the members of three new Airborne Red Horse teams. Red Horse teams provide the Air Force with a mobile, rapid-response civil engineer force to support contingency and special operations in remote, high-threat environments worldwide. In wartime, the

  • New Milstar launches from Cape

    "Milstar," a military communications satellite, launched from here on a Titan IV-B rocket April 8.The satellite was placed into its proper orbit and should be fully operational in May.Milstar is a joint service communications satellite system that provides secure, jam-resistant, worldwide

  • Coalition dealing with Iraqi civil disturbances

    The most important mission for U.S. service members in Iraq is to win the war, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during a Pentagon press conference.They will also deal with civil disturbances and create conditions for peace and stability, but it isn't going to happen immediately, he

  • Improved 'Dragon Lady' still seeks, finds today's prey

    The 48-year-old U-2 "Dragon Lady" still reigns supreme as the leader among manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.Even with newer, unmanned aerial vehicles like Global Hawk and Predator -- welcomed by increasing numbers of warfighters, and now joining the U-2 in ISR missions

  • Former CMSAFs continue serving airmen

    Eight former chief master sergeants of the Air Force met with the man who currently holds the position and other senior leaders during a conference at the Pentagon on April 8 and 9.Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray said the two days provided many opportunities for the group to

  • Iraqi regime disintegration continues

    Signs of the disintegration of Saddam Hussein's regime abound in Iraq, U.S. Central Command officials said in a briefing in Qatar today.Pockets of regime resistance remain, but CENTCOM intelligence reports regime leadership and control systems have been broken, said Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks.

  • Airlift into Iraq shows no sign of slowing

    The airlift armada flying into Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq for the past two weeks has dropped off more than 10 million pounds of cargo bound for coalition forces.More than 170 C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules flights have brought in the cargo. The planes land day and night and the

  • Parts of Baghdad still dangerous for coalition troops

    Following yesterday's scenes of jubilation, there was still fighting overnight in parts of Baghdad, U.S. Central Command officials in Qatar said today."Baghdad's still an ugly place," Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart said. Many parts of the city have not been secured by U.S. forces, he said, and

  • Free Iraqi forces: 'Members of the team' liberating Iraq

    They're intimately familiar with Iraqi language and culture, they wear distinctive uniforms, they serve with U.S. civil affairs troops in Iraq -- and they don't like Saddam Hussein.Who are these guys?They're members of the Free Iraqi Forces working with U.S. Army and Marine Corps civil affairs units

  • Coalition addressing Iraqi humanitarian needs

    Coalition forces are addressing concerns about Iraqi humanitarian needs, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said today.She said the Iraqi people have real needs, but that these needs pre- date the war. Clarke observed that the regime of Saddam Hussein spent billions on palaces and weapons of mass

  • Coalition continues fight in Baghdad, northern Iraq

    The deaths of two American service members since Iraqis toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad yesterday emphasized that combat in Iraq is not over."The enemy is surrendering and scattering, but not everyone, and not yet," Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said during a press conference

  • New office consolidates FM workforce development

    The Air Force financial management community recently consolidated all its various workforce-development efforts into a single centralized office.The financial workforce management directorate at the Pentagon is now the single point of contact for providing the FM community with professional

  • Airman participates in 'Jocks-to-GIs' program

    A personnel specialist deployed to the 444th Air Expeditionary Group at a forward-deployed location is one of the nation's first servicemembers to participate in ESPN's "Jock-to-GIs Direct" e-mail pen pal program.Staff Sgt. Marty Markos, from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was selected by

  • Nuclear forces transform to meet requirements

    The Air Force is modernizing its strategic systems even as the nation reduces its nuclear stockpile, the director of Air Force nuclear operations said April 8.Brig. Gen. Robert L. Smolen, director of nuclear and counterproliferation at the Pentagon, testified before the Senate Armed Services

  • Initial enlistment bonus program on track

    New recruits are now getting signing bonuses within days instead of months thanks to a completely revamped process, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here."It's a tremendous success story," said Master Sgt. Robert Tullgren, superintendent of the center's enlisted accessions and

  • Munitions tool passes wartime test

    A new munitions-tracking program has passed the wartime test at a forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.The command and control concept of operations software allows real-time tracking of the number and status of munitions worldwide.The program was developed for wartime, but

  • B-52 dons new upgrade

    Aircrews flying the Air Force's oldest aircraft can now better verify targets and pick them themselves thanks to experts integrating a targeting pod on the B-52 Stratofortress.Maj. Keith Colmer, one of the original operational test pilots here for the Litening II targeting pod that was developed for

  • Airman pulls man from burning building

    When fire roared through an off-base house here, the actions of a 1st Special Operations Squadron pilot saved a 94-year-old man's life.Capt. Tom Geiser was on a cordless phone late April 2 outside his house about three kilometers from Kadena Air Base."I saw smoke rising from a house about 50 yards

  • IRS provides combat zone tax assistance

    Servicemembers serving in a combat zone can learn about the tax benefits available to them by logging onto a new section of the Internal Revenue Service's Web site.The information is available on the front page of www.irs.gov by clicking on "Armed Forces Tax Benefits."The new Web section provides

  • Lancer hits regime leadership target

    An Air Force B-1B Lancer struck a building in a residential area in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 7 where a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting was believed to be ongoing.Officials at U.S. Central Command confirmed the attack during the daily press briefing at their forward headquarters in Qatar on April

  • 3 armed forces vacation spots closing

    The war in Iraq, increased force protection and a declining dollar value overseas has forced Army officials to close three of its armed forces recreation centers in Europe a year earlier than planned.The Von Steuben Hotel in Garmisch will close April 15, while the Chiemsee Lake and Park hotels will

  • B-1 crew describes taking out 'The Big One'

    An Air Force B-1 Lancer crew rode an "adrenaline rush" as they prepared to strike a recently discovered target of opportunity believed to be the site of a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting April 7."There wasn't a lot of time for reflection," Lt. Col. Fred Swan told Pentagon reporters via telephone