HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Officials announce environmental award winners

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

  • Guard, Reserve leaders testify on Capitol Hill

    The directors of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve testified April 20 on readiness and management support before the Senate Armed Services Committee subcommittee.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, Air National Guard director, told senators he sees positive benefits to the community basing

  • Officials announce visual-information winners

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

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

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

  • Airman remembers day she lost four friends

    In the blink of an eye, lives were lost, children became motherless and fatherless, and others were forever scarred when a drunk driver ended four people’s lives and critically injured another in a head-on collision eight years ago.Four Airmen and another Airman’s spouse were returning from a

  • Child-abuse prevention begins at home

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

  • Airmen maintain national defense in weapons storage area

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

  • Airmen, Soldiers donate goods to Uzbek baby orphanage

    Seven Airmen, four Soldiers and five civilian interpreters recently delivered handmade baby quilts, baby formula, diapers, clothes, toys and other humanitarian goods to a baby orphanage in nearby Qitab.“Seeing the children smile and laugh as we played with them was the highlight of my visit there,”

  • Fuels specialist is ‘for the birds’

    Nicknamed “Nature Boy” by his colleagues, Master Sgt. William Burke spends much of his free time in the more pristine parts of the base.Amidst a green, tree-filled landscape, he tends to his true passion -- nature, and more specifically, the Eastern Bluebird.“Although Eastern Bluebirds aren’t

  • Reserve, active-duty pilots battle for air superiority

    In the animal world, a 500-pound gorilla would pose relatively no threat to a 1,200-pound Mako shark swimming at 65 mph. However, when these two creatures take on the form of fighter pilots and step into an F-15 Eagle or F-16 Fighting Falcon to face off in the sky, anything is possible. For two

  • Reservists travel to Badlands to do good

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

  • Services presents marketing excellence awards

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

  • Shaw F-16 crashes, Airmen eject safely

    An F-16D Fighting Falcon from here crashed April 18 near Charleston, S.C. At the time of the accident, the pilots, Maj. Steve Granger and Lt. Col. Maurice Salcedo, had just begun a training mission. They ejected safely into a river near Charleston and were taken to a local hospital where they were

  • Comm squadron makes mission possible

    Miles of wires weaving information through walls and underground pathways connect each facility together to form a network so Airmen can make a phone call or log onto a computer and accomplish their mission here.Communication is what most people take for granted. Having a working phone or computer

  • Airmen guard diverse flying mission

    With fighter, tanker, cargo, transport, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft at the largest wing in the area, the flightline at a forward-deployed location is nothing short of active.Such diversity of aircraft and missions requires a level of uniformity that keeps maintenance

  • Dad travels world with 'Mini Alyssa'

    Nine-year-old Alyssa DeGreef has seen quite a bit of Central Asia from her cozy seat in her dad’s pocket.Lt. Col. Mike DeGreef, 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron commander at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, has carried a small copy of a picture his daughter, Alyssa, drew of herself since he was

  • Weather Airmen protect shuttle

    Airmen of the 45th Weather Squadron here methodically calculate and determine if weather will threaten a future shuttle launch. Rain, lightning, wind and cloud coverage can instantly delay or “scrub” any shuttle, mission or rocket launch.“We have temperature, wind and rain constraints (because of)

  • Officials announce 2004 organizational excellence award winners

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

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

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

  • Academy sports recap: gymnastics coach honored

    Air Force Academy men’s gymnastics head coach Lou Burkel was named West Region Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Gymnastics Association April 6. He also was awarded the Richard M. Aronson Special Service Awards, which honors individuals who have provided exceptional service to the

  • Air Force Academy selected as ‘Best Value College’

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

  • New course helps Airmen get combat ready

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

  • Airmen cross 100-mission milestone

    Somewhere out there is an old Air Force veteran who has been around and has seen practically everything. Impressing him will not be easy, but you try. First, you tell him you just logged 100 combat missions in a tanker. Impressive, but he does not flinch. Then you tell him you did it in just

  • F-16 crew chiefs combat odds to keep jets in flight

    As the sun beats down upon him, an Airman wipes the sweat from his brow, spreading the layer of grease and oil from his hands onto his forehead. Consumed by the task at hand, he remains focused knowing his jet needs to be ready to take off within the hour.Suddenly, his work is put on hold.“This is

  • C-130 maintainers keep mission-capable rates high

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

  • Officials announce recipients of 2004 PA achievement awards

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

  • Tyndall Airman becomes U.S. citizen

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

  • Female Airman tosses hat in boxing ring

    Besides the issued M-9 or M-16, an installation entry controller here packs additional weapons like a left hook, upper cut and jab that would make even the boldest intruders stop in their tracks.Senior Airman Celsa Reyes, with the boxing team here, is an up-and-coming boxer who, when not pulling

  • Upgrades retrofit T-38 with latest technology

    Airmen from the 416th Flight Test Squadron wrapped up flight tests on software upgrades in an ongoing T-38 Talon avionics upgrade here recently.The latest set of upgrades is the third in a series. During this series, testers performed about 18 sorties October through April, validating the new

  • Tallil joint security force upholds law, order

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

  • Lakenheath Airman lauded for 'cutting edge' efforts

    The AIM-9X Sidewinder is an air-to-air missile used by the F-15 Eagle at the 493rd Fighter Squadron here. It is a short-range, heat-seeking weapon used in both offensive and defensive counterair operations.Sergeant Guerrero was involved in every aspect of field introduction of the AIM-9X and

  • Airmen rescue Icelandic fisherman

    Airmen of the 56th Rescue Squadron here completed their second rescue in a month when they evacuated an injured Icelandic fisherman April 10.They flew a fisherman suffering from multiple injuries and having difficulty breathing after receiving a blunt trauma caused by a broken cable about 200 miles

  • Bowsers make draining KC-135s more efficient

    A new piece of equipment is making things cleaner and easier for 92nd Maintenance Squadron Airmen here.While the two fuel bowsers are still new, Airmen have found the machines greatly improve the process of draining fuel from KC-135 Stratotankers, said Staff Sgt. David Shurley, a fuels systems

  • C-17 makes first polar airdrop

    Aircrews from here airdropped life-sustaining cargo to National Science Foundation scientists at the North Pole in the C-17 Globemaster III’s first polar airdrop April 12.The last polar airdrop was flown in 2001 by the C-141 Starlifter which is being taken out of the Air Force inventory. This time,

  • Life-support techs keep OEF airlifters rescue ready

    For C-130 Hercules aircrews flying a combat airlift mission, there are various forms of lifesaving equipment on the plane and on the Airmen every time they fly.Whether it is a parachute or a helmet, aircrews here are fitted with the best equipment available from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift

  • AFRC streamlines augmentee program

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

  • Two chiefs, one marriage, love for Air Force

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

  • Airmen keep B-2 Spirits safe

    The B-2 Spirit bomber’s capabilities to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most heavily defended targets depend on Airmen who help maintain the aircraft’s stealth characteristic. Mechanics deployed from the 509th Maintenance Squadron’s low observable section apply

  • Vandenberg launches micro-satellite

    Airmen of the 1st Air and Space Test Squadron launched XSS-11, a self-maneuvering, micro-satellite, into polar orbit from here April 11.An Orbital Suborbital Program Space Launch Vehicle carried the 220-pound satellite designed to further explore, demonstrate and flight-qualify micro-satellite

  • Airman finds, destroys UXO

    An Airman assigned to watch over foreign workers working at a construction site near the flightline at a forward-deployed location spied something peculiar poking out of the ground recently.What Airman 1st Class Juan Jordan saw was an unexploded ordnance, probably left behind by Iraqi forces more

  • Lieutenants help nab purse snatchers

    Two lieutenants stationed in northwest Florida came to the rescue after they witnessed a purse snatching in a local parking lot.Second Lts. Justin Herman, from here, and Nick Garvey, from nearby Tyndall Air Force Base, chased two suspects they saw snatch a purse April 8.After shopping at a local

  • Dominguez: Recapitalization No. 1 priority

    Modernizing the Air Force’s aging systems is the No. 1 priority for the service’s acting secretary.Michael L. Dominguez recently gained the responsibility as acting secretary of the Air Force, besides his other duty as assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. "The

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

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

  • Air Guard medics return from homeland security exercise

    More than 20 guardsmen from the Scotia-based 109th Airlift Wing here returned home from Newark Airport, N.J., on April 7 after participating in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Top Officials 3 exercise.Medics from the 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and an LC-130 Hercules flight crew

  • Balad’s pharmacy techs help save lives

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

  • Joint fuels effort allows airlift to keep rolling in Uzbekistan

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

  • NDI Airmen play big part in mission

    For Senior Airmen Kenda Lewis and James Cone, the nature of their work is among the most obscure in the Air Force. What they do, however, prevents disaster from taking center stage on the mission.Assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron’s nondestructive inspection lab at a

  • Airmen get view from tower

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

  • EOD protects people from explosive hazards

    Putting their lives on the line, sweating in heavy bomb suits, lugging cumbersome equipment, working with robots and occasionally blowing things up is all part of the job for Airmen with the explosive ordnance disposal unit here.“I enjoy my job. I get to blow stuff up,” said Senior Airman Chris

  • Ship takes heroic legacy to the fight

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

  • Airman gets perfect scores on CDC exams

    Scoring a perfect score on a career development course end-of-course exam is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone. Doing it twice is even more amazing.Airman Melynda Meshlovitz, of the 82nd Civil Engineer Squadron, did just that when she became the first in her career field, an environmental

  • Medical readiness instructors receive new C-130 trainer

    The next improvement to training medics at the 381st Training Squadron's medical readiness flight here has landed -- sort of.The flight received a C-130 Hercules on April 2 that will enhance medical evacuation training for medics scheduled to deploy.Giving medics an "as real to life as possible"

  • Military children recognized during April

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

  • Contact lens wear discouraged on deployments

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

  • Vehicle maintainers keep Balad moving

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

  • Airmen help improve B-2 aircraft maintenance in Guam

    Airmen from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., are helping improve aircraft maintenance for future rotations of B-2 Spirit bombers worldwide during a deployment here. “Our deployment is going fairly well, but there have been some unique maintenance challenges for us here,” said

  • New campaign medals recognize Iraq, Afghanistan service

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

  • Air Force aggressively meeting challenges

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

  • Airmen adopt-a-village … or two

    Airpower’s “global reach” took on a whole new meaning recently, when more than 50 Airmen traveled to two villages, a few miles from here, to equip local Afghan children with supplies for their future.Airmen of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing delivered bags filled with basic school supplies to about

  • Official details DOD efforts to transform, retain quality force

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

  • Two generations of air traffic controllers keep Nellis sky safe

    A sixth-grade student chose to write a school report about her dad, who is an air traffic controller in the Air Force. The student said she admired her father and his career, and watched him dress in uniform every day preparing to protect the sky for the military.That was 14 years ago. The

  • Service demographics offer snapshot of force

    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.More information can be found online at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/demographics/. New U.S. government rules now provide

  • Navy to name ship in honor of fallen Airman

    The Navy will rename one of its cargo ships April 8 after an Air Force combat controller from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C.A 670-foot cargo ship in the Navy's Military Sealift Command, currently named Motor Vessel Merlin, will be renamed MV Tech. Sgt. John

  • Security forces receive realistic deployment training

    Crawling around the wet grass in England may not, at first glance, compare much to being in hostile territory. But for 13 Airmen of the 100th Security Forces Squadron here, it felt pretty real.Spending 12 to 15 hours each day for five days at the training complex here, Airmen rode around in Humvees

  • Airman earns GEICO award

    Government Employees Insurance Company officials selected a firefighter from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., as the recipient of their 2004 GEICO Military Service Award in the fire prevention and safety category.Senior Master Sgt. Charles Funkhouser installed more than 200 smoke detectors in one day.

  • Little Rock receives second C-130J

    The Air Force's second active-duty J-model C-130 Hercules joined the other in the 314th Airlift Wing fleet here April 5.Flown by Lt. Gen. John Baker, Air Mobility Command vice commander, the aircraft is assigned to the 48th Airlift Squadron, which has been training aircrews to fly it since February

  • PT still mandatory for those on profile

    Many Airmen believe being on profile is an escape route from participating in unit physical training, but officials here said it is not.“Just because a (person) has a profile that says ‘no running, jumping, crunches, push-ups, and no cycle ergo’ does not mean that the (Airman) cannot go to the

  • Modified game show prepares Airmen for ORI

    The answer was, “The upper receiver, the lower receiver and bolt receiver,” but the question eluded the runner-up team during an operational readiness inspection “Jeopardy” tournament here.“I wish I had known the three parts of an M-16,” said Senior Airman Sarah Rogers, a crypto-maintenance

  • Civil engineers improving Uzbek base

    From digging to designing, Airmen with the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron’s civil engineer flight have been busy making improvements here.CE Airmen here are involved in a majority of the construction projects that support the Air Force mission, said Maj. Frederick Cade, the flight’s

  • F.E. Warren 0-0-1-3 program teaches responsible drinking

    The 0-0-1-3 program here began one year ago as a reaction to a national health crisis. Binge drinking, underage drinking and driving under the influence had become all too common. “(Alcohol) has affected every community every campus (and) pretty much every place that touches lives across the

  • Keesler cop encounters fugitive

    A security forces Airman and his canine partner escaped severe injuries recently when a sport utility vehicle driven by a fugitive rolled over the Airman’s patrol car near here.Staff Sgt. Daniel Short, an 81st Security Forces Squadron patrolman, and Bobby, a 5-year-old German shepherd narcotics

  • Tyndall Airman convicted of possessing child porn

    An Airman was convicted of possessing child pornography during a recent court-martial here.A military judge sentenced Airman 1st Class Axel Acevedo, a 325th Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, to five months confinement, reduction to airman basic and a bad conduct discharge.Airman

  • Joint Red Flag concludes

    The first U.S. forces and coalition Joint Red Flag exercise concluded April 2. The two week joint exercise is considered one of the largest distributive exercise in the history of the U.S. military with more than 10,000 participants in 44 different sites nationwide.Participants were stationed

  • Academy cadet wins $30,000 scholarship

    Cadet 2nd Class Christopher Culver is among the 75 winners of the Truman Award nationwide, Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation officials announced recently. The scholarship provides $30,000 for graduate study, along with priority admission and supplemental financial aid at certain premier

  • Airman teaches Soldiers to call for CAS

    "Continue dry," crackled through the radio as Army Spc. Jarrod Stranahan guided British pilots onto a target.Specialist Stranahan, a forward observer for the 5th Infantry Regiment, is one of 20 Soldiers who participated in emergency close-air-support training at here recently.Infantry units are

  • Dental lab techs keep Pacific forces smiling

    Dental laboratory Airmen assigned to the 374th Dental Squadron here are providing a special service to Department of Defense people by designing, preparing and fabricating dental prostheses and oral appliances, said a dentist specialist here.“Our mission is to improve our patient’s oral health and

  • Avoid false alarms by knowing notification procedures

    A recent phone message had a family convinced they received the news that all loved ones of a deployed servicemember dread -- their loved one was either hurt or killed in action. Fortunately, the phone call was a scam.Unfortunately, the wife experienced several hours of unnecessary stress and worry

  • PACAF welcomes new command chief

    Chief Master Sgt. Rodney McKinley is the new Pacific Air Forces command chief master sergeant. Chief McKinley serves as the principal consultant to the PACAF commander on all enlisted issues. His responsibilities include keeping the commander apprised of matters concerning the health, morale and

  • Airman receives national engineer award

    An Airman here was selected by Society of American Military Engineers officials to receive the society's president's medal.Col. Josuelito Worrell, director of the engineering support directorate for the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, will receive the award for outstanding leadership and

  • Report: flight control deficiency causes Raptor damage

    An accident investigation board determined that a flight control system deficiency caused an F/A-22 Raptor aircraft mishap Sept. 28 near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The flight control system allowed the aircraft to exceed set angles of attack and G-force limits. The resulting aircraft damage is

  • Nine Airmen killed in crash

    Nine Airmen were killed in an MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft crash in Albania on March 31, Special Operations Command Europe officials announced April 4. The Airmen were supporting a joint training mission with the Albanian military. They are:-- Capt. Todd Bracy, 34, of Murphysboro, Ill.-- Capt.

  • Hurlburt Airmen bring space power to Joint Red Flag

    U.S. space forces are using their knowledge of joint and interagency operations to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield during Joint Red Flag 2005, an exercise aimed at improving joint training and experimentation capabilities among U.S. and coalition forces.Air Force space capabilities have long

  • Say ‘hello’ to the bad guy

    Seeing the MiG-21 Fishbed static display in the parking lot, a Soviet flag hanging from a doorway and a picture of a smiling Joseph Stalin on a nearby counter top, might make it difficult for some to believe they are actually on a U.S. Air Force base.Things definitely look and work differently here

  • Fighters flying new missions, Airmen serving jointly

    In the war on terrorism, both aircraft and Airmen are performing missions nobody ever thought they would, a U.S. Central Command official said. Air Force fighter aircraft are performing intelligence missions today that they have not in the past, said Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith, CENTCOM’s deputy

  • Airman sentenced to 19 years for sodomy

    An Airman here was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, 19 years confinement, reduction to Airman Basic and forfeiture of all pay and allowances by a general court-martial March 29.Master Sgt. Bart Lipscomb, from the 86th Maintenance Squadron, was convicted of one charge of

  • Air Force announces media contest winners

    A panel of civilian journalists, teachers and public relations professionals selected the best in Air Force print and broadcast journalism for the 48th annual Air Force Media Contest. The winners were announced March 31. Geoff Janes, from the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the

  • Airman designs new EOD vehicle

    An Airman here designed an explosive ordnance disposal vehicle that will serve as an Air Force benchmark.The original design was drawn on the back of a napkin by Staff Sgt. Phillip Hauser with the 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron here and Air Force officials have purchased more than 30 of the $274,000

  • Bagram Airmen recover hundreds of pallets

    The numbers 88- by -108 by -2.25 inches and 290 pounds represent lifeblood for the Air Force’s logistics readiness officers and air transporters.They are the measurements of a pallet type used to carry combat supplies in and out of war zones … and they are “wanted.”A critical shortage of these

  • Final Joint STARS aircraft delivered

    Officials from the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., delivered the 17th and final E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft to the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., on March 23.The wing is the only unit to fly the aircraft. The Joint STARS

  • Pilots give feedback on F-16 upgrade

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., were here recently to give feedback to members of the F-16 Systems Group on upgrades made to the aircraft.Lt. Col. John Montgomery, 55th Fighter Squadron commander, and Capt. Jim Govin, a 55th FS pilot, flew two of the newly modified F-16s

  • Officials announce Air Force comptroller awards

    Air Force financial management officials announced the winners of the 2004 financial management and comptroller awards.They are:Financial Management and Comptroller: -- Organization, 347th Comptroller Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. -- Individual, Lt. Col. Trent Edwards of the 92nd Air

  • Second Predator crashes in Iraq

    An MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle crashed in Rawah, Iraq, at about 7 p.m. on March 30, officials said. The Predator is the second one to crash here this week.The aircraft was assigned to the 15th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. It was in the U.S. Central

  • Academy honors distinguished graduates

    Contributions to the Air Force and nation have earned two Air Force Academy graduates the academy’s distinguished graduate awards.Retired Col. Frederick Gregory and retired Gen. Ronald W. Yates have earned the 2004 Distinguished Graduate Award. The awards will be presented on behalf of the academy

  • OSI keeps Baghdad Airmen, Soldiers safe

    Force Protection. To many Airmen, it means fishing for identification, showing it to the gate guard, and then going to work for a 12-hour shift. To the special agents of Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 2408, force protection encompasses a range of discreet, 24-hour operations

  • Myers speaks to ROTC cadets of integrity, commitment

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff left the Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings National Convention here March 28 more confident than ever about the future of America’s military.About 1,500 ROTC cadets and civilians from around the country listened as Gen. Richard B. Myers spoke of the challenges

  • Through the eyes of a child

    The military working dog demonstration ended, and the audience dispersed, heading back toward an overflow parking lot where a fire truck and security forces patrol car waited.Lt. Col. Derrick Richardson of the 327th Contractor Logistics Sustainment Group here walked toward the pavilion when a small

  • Officials announce contracting awards

    Air Force officials announced the winners of the 2004 contracting awards.They are:Secretary of the Air Force Professionalism in Contracting: -- Supervisory, Christine Clark of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.-- Nonsupervisory, Suzanne White of the 50th

  • Unit deployment managers ensure readiness

    Described by officials as the squadron lifeline to deployment processes anywhere, unit deployment managers are tasked with ensuring their unit’s troops and cargo are ready for deployment.“Ask any commander who has a deployment mission, and they will tell you their UDM is invaluable,” said Lt. Col.

  • Iraqi Freedom deployments help Airmen understand war

    For Tech. Sgt. Aaron Otte and Staff Sgt. Ron Beard, both security forces Airmen assigned to the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron security forces flight and deployed here from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on past deployments is something they said they

  • Maintainers keep Stratotankers airborne

    A KC-135 Stratotanker is considered a support aircraft in the war on terrorism, but for many members of the 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, that is an understatement.Tasked with the responsibility of keeping Air Force, sister service and coalition aircraft refueled and flying, these Grand Forks Air