HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • DEET first line of defense against insects

    Whether hiking in the woods at home or serving in the sands of the Middle East, Airmen need a repellent to shield themselves from biting insects.The active ingredient in most skin-applied repellents is commonly referred to as DEET. It is a must on almost every deployment checklist and for good

  • Officials unveil employment initiative for wounded vets

    Injured servicemembers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan will get individualized job training, counseling and re-employment services, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao said Oct. 4.During a signing ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, Ms. Chao joined Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth Farmer

  • Nondestructive inspection technicians ensure aviation safety

    Aircraft maintainers rely on nondestructive inspection technicians here to ensure military aviation safety in the Pacific region.As aircraft age, the need to inspect, repair or replace parts increases.“Our primary threats are aircraft fatigue damage and corrosion,” said Master Sgt. Bobby Fruge, the

  • McConnell firefighter saves eight lives

    A fire department emergency medic here helped save eight people after a rush-hour collision recently.Bradford Voorhees, of the 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron, was taking his two children to his brother’s house when he saw cars slowing down and dust and smoke rising across a local highway.He discovered

  • Kirkuk kicks into shape with Tae Bo

    The inventor of the Tae Bo fitness system, Billy Blanks, and his daughter, Shellie Blanks-Cimarosti, visited here Sept. 28 to conduct three Tae Bo classes with the troops during their Spirit and Body Tour.Mr. Blanks said he was excited to visit with the people deployed here supporting Operation

  • AMC officials recognize civil reserve employees

    Air Mobility Command officials have begun awarding hundreds of Aerial Achievement Medals and thousands of certificates of appreciation to the employees of commercial air carriers called to duty during the Civil Reserve Air Fleet activation in 2003.The fleet of commercial passenger and cargo aircraft

  • Tyndall's youth sports program earns award

    The youth center staff here will receive one of five 2004 Excellence in Youth Sports Awards from the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Athletic Business magazine. Baseball all-star Cal Ripkin Jr. will present the award Nov. 12 in Orlando, Fla.The award recognizes organizations worldwide that

  • DOD expands anthrax, smallpox vaccination programs

    Department of Defense is expanding its anthrax and smallpox immunization programs following an evaluation conducted by the Military Health System. Air Force officials released service-specific guidance recently.Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs,

  • Airmen use GBU-38 in combat

    During one particular night shift recently, a team primarily composed of Air National Guardsmen conducted the first successful drop of a GBU-38 bomb in combat.The majority of the people connected to the effort came from the Alabama Air National Guard and were supplemented by Airmen from Illinois and

  • Reserve pilots not reserved when protecting ground troops

    Ammunitions troops here charged with reloading a wingman’s A-10 Thunderbolt II Gatling gun had a busy night recently, following his return. New Orleans Air Force Reserve pilots proved that they are anything but reserved when it comes to protecting U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan. In defense of a

  • Fitness first piece of puzzle to healthier lifestyle

    “It makes you feel better.” “It reduces stress.” “It lowers blood pressure.”“Pick up any fitness magazine, and it’ll give you a bunch of boring definitions of what fitness will do for you,” said John Gahagan, 92nd Services Squadron fitness center director here.But to him, fitness means something a

  • Upcoming summit shapes new sexual-assault policies

    Decisions made at a senior-leader summit are expected to have a sweeping effect on the Defense Department's sexual-assault prevention and response efforts, said the task force commander charged with turning the group's recommendations into DOD-wide policies.The Oct. 6 summit, made up of senior

  • Overall health more than fitness, nutrition

    What do a pack of cigarettes and a clenched fist have in common? They are both signs of bigger problems.The first, a pack of cigarettes, has many detrimental effects on the body. Not only can it cause cancer, but it also increases the chance of emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and many

  • Airmen brace for new fitness test

    The Air Force chief of staff fired a shot across the bow in July 2003 that got the attention of Airmen everywhere.Gen. John P. Jumper forewarned that a new fit-to-fight program would replace the cycle ergometry test and encouraged everyone to get ready. Staff Sgt. Kurt Hartmann did not, and he paid

  • Academy Airmanship operations take flight under AETC

    The U.S. Air Force Academy’s airmanship operations realigned under the Air Education and Training Command as the newly named 306th Flying Training Group on Oct. 1.The operations are elective courses at the academy and are aimed at giving cadets firsthand knowledge and understanding of the flight

  • Air Force ROTC detachments remain open

    Five Air Force ROTC detachments previously identified for closure will remain open on a two-year period of evaluation, as recently approved by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche.The detachments are at the University of Memphis in Tennessee; University of Cincinnati in Ohio; Wilkes

  • Nutrition not fast claim, but way to go

    The low-carb diet. The low-fat diet. The cabbage soup diet. The grapefruit diet. The shake diet.There are “miracle” pills that claim weight loss without ever stepping foot in a gym. And there are all the herbal supplements for the Earth- and body-conscious consumers.It is all enough to make a

  • Shaw trains still chugging

    History stops here often. It chugs to a halt about three times a week outside an elongated single-story building as two 80-ton locomotives deliver jet fuel to the fuels management flight. Shaw's rail operation, which has been active since 1941, is almost an anomaly in the Air Force."We're one of

  • Airmen pull underground alert

    Officers from the 742nd Missile Squadron and others like them continue to carry on a 40-year legacy by pulling alert at a seemingly plain-looking wooden building on the North Dakota prairie. Located 60 feet below is the most important part of the facility -- a steel-reinforced capsule no larger

  • Officials release Predator accident report

    Crew error caused an MQ-1L Predator unmanned aerial vehicle to crash during a training mission June 14 at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., according to an Air Force report released Sept. 30.The instructor pilot allowed the student pilot to continue too far into a landing approach

  • Deployed Airmen experience local tradition

    Airmen deployed to the 3rd Air Expeditionary Group here experienced a South Korean tradition Sept. 28 that is more than 2,000 years old.Every year during the harvest season when the moon is full, South Koreans celebrate a holiday similar to the American Thanksgiving called Chu Sok or Harvest Moon

  • Stress management team helps when it counts

    Life-altering events have different effects on people, and a team of stress management specialists here help people deal with these events.The critical-incident stress management team features specialists trained to help prevent or mitigate stress when a sudden death, tragedy, serious injury or

  • Missile crewmember deploys with refuelers

    Most Air Force missile crewmembers spend the majority of their time in an underground launch control center monitoring intercontinental ballistic missiles. But one missileer experienced deployed life in the flying world.First Lt. Joe Page, a missile combat crew commander from Minot Air Force Base,

  • Hockey team participates in Air Force survival training

    A water-survival class normally held for aircrew members here was turned into a day of cross-training for American Hockey League players Sept. 23.The Philadelphia Phantoms participated in an all-day Air Force water-survival training exercise in hopes to build core strength and a “little mental

  • WC-130J team tracks hurricanes with improved radar system

    Experts here battled 155-mph winds and penetrated two hurricanes 15 times recently to put the WC-130J Hercules’ improved weather-radar system to the test.Together with Air Force Reserve Command's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., joint test team experts flew

  • Airman likes being part of bigger picture

    "I just love knowing that I'm part of taking care of this country and making sure that we keep all the freedoms that we have now," said Staff Sgt. Georgina Baldwin. "I just love it. I love the military. It's just like one big family."Sergeant Baldwin, an allergy and immunization technician with

  • ‘Eyes of the North’ steady as AF moves mission to Guard

    Defending the homeland is one of the key missions of the Air National Guard, and Oct. 1, the Alaska Air National Guard will officially assume operations of the Air Force’s regional air operation center here. The center’s mission is to provide ready teams to operate and maintain North American

  • Guardsmen, aircraft wow South African crowd

    They were daunted by the size of the C-5 Galaxy transport and KC-135 Stratotanker, and mesmerized by the sleek, bold designs of the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter and F-16 Fighting Falcon.So it was easy for crowds of children and military enthusiasts to swarm to New York Air National Guardsmen

  • Despite predictable weather, specialists still keep busy

    When an area averages an annual temperature of about 100 degrees and less than 1 inch of rain, a person could assume that the weather is fairly predictable. One could also assume that a bunch of weather specialists would not be gainfully employed at such a location. But then again, everyone knows

  • Humanitarian airlift brings $15 million in aid to base

    The largest amount of humanitarian aid to enter the Kyrgyz Republic since it became its own country in 1991 came by way of C-17 Globemaster IIIs from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., on Sept. 23.About $15 million worth of medicines and medical supplies were unloaded at the Bishkek International

  • Despite danger, convoy Airmen keep on trucking

    The hours are long, and their jobs are dangerous, but Airmen keeping supply lines running on northern Iraq roads are determined to keep on trucking. That is because they realize the importance of what they do, said Capt. Harley Smith, commander of more than 140 Airmen assigned to Detachment 1 of the

  • Air Force wins 10th-straight Service Academy Golf Classic

    The Air Force Academy golf team extended its winning streak to 10 on Sept. 26 and 27 at the annual Service Academy Golf Classic, as the Falcons finished four strokes ahead of Army with a three-round total of 1,107. Navy was third in the team standings (1,132), while the Merchant Marines came in

  • Airman gives static aircraft makeovers

    It might be the 96th Air Base Wing’s Air Force Armament Museum but for one Airman, he feels it belongs to him.Senior Airman Rick Miller, an aircraft structural maintenance journeyman for the 33rd Maintenance Squadron, can be found at the museum, donating four to five hours a day, four days a week.

  • McGuire welcomes first C-17 Globemaster III

    People here welcomed the nation’s newest, most modern airlifter Sept. 24 during a special arrival ceremony.“The Spirit of New Jersey” is the first of 13 C-17 Globemaster IIIs McGuire will eventually receive.“It is just a wonderful day for McGuire,” said Gen. John W. Handy, commander of U.S.

  • Tennessee Guard moves, prepares for C-5s

    Air Force officials signed a land-exchange agreement with the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority on Sept. 20 allowing the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 164th Airlift Wing more space to convert from C-141B Starlifters to C-5 Galaxys.Fred Kuhn, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for

  • Airmen help save lives following UH-60 crash at Tallil

    Just after 9:20 p.m. Sept. 21, two Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters took off from the flightline here.Two minutes later, something went horribly wrong with one of them.“The first thing I heard was a loud, dull thud, kind of like a fist hitting a wooden wall,” said Senior Airman John Byrum, a

  • Now showing: Sept. 27 edition of AFTV News

    The latest edition of Air Force Television News focuses on the conflict in Afghanistan. Tech. Sgts. Pachari Lutke and Joy Josephson spent a week in the Kyrgyz Republic, reporting on the Air Force mission in this former Soviet territory and how Airmen there are supporting Operation Enduring

  • Trial ends for Air Force translator

    Senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi, a supply clerk who served as a Guantanamo Bay translator, was found guilty of three charges and four specifications of violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The trial ended here Sept. 23.Col. Barbara Brand, the military judge for the case, sentenced

  • Deployed Airmen visit South Korean orphanage

    More than a dozen Airmen deployed to the 3rd Air Expeditionary Group here joined their South Korean counterparts for a visit to a local orphanage Sept. 24.Airmen witnessed the smiles, laughter and boundless energy of more than 80 children.“This was a wonderful opportunity to join with our (South

  • U.S. military supports South African trade show

    U.S. military equipment and Airmen from the New York Air National Guard are here for the Aerospace Exhibition.The event marks the first time aircraft and guardsmen from New York have participated in a South African air show, officials said.Visitors will get a close-up look at four static displays:

  • Gotta fix ‘em before you fly ‘em

    Nestled in a small, nondescript building among a dozen aircraft revetments here, the 353rd Maintenance Squadron’s consolidated tool kit section hums with activity around the clock.With more than 1,600 bench-stock items, 200 pieces of test equipment and 120 hazardous materials, it is the first and

  • Pax terminal gets Airmen where they need to be

    Long hours spent working in temperatures hovering around 100 degrees has made a trip home one of the sweetest ideas for Airmen in Southwest Asia. However, many troops face delays and hang-ups that would frustrate the most patient traveler. Fortunately, the “Mighty 8th” is ready to help.The

  • White House breakfast honors American Indian servicemembers

    President Bush took honored those to whom the newest Smithsonian Institution museum is dedicated Sept. 23.He praised the contributions of American Indians, both military and civilian, from Sacagawea's presence with Lewis and Clark to the Code Talkers of World War II."The National Museum of the

  • Number of officers receiving command pay reduced

    Command Responsibility Pay now received by some field-grade officers in command positions will end in October.In a Sight Picture titled, “Recognizing the Responsibility of Command,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced the Air Force would reduce the number of command positions that

  • Volunteer coach shares passion for boxing

    A maintainer here offers people an alternative to being on the street, one that teaches them lifelong skills. In turn, those people teach him how to become a better coach and allow him to be involved in the sport he adores."I love boxing," said Staff Sgt. Edward Rivas, a flying crew chief with the

  • Airborne network takes 'wireless' to new heights

    Leaders at all levels can soon access information from their home stations regardless of where they are in the world thanks to an airborne local-area network.Engineers at the 412th Flight Test Squadron here and the Air Force systems networking program office at Gunter Annex, Ala., developed and

  • AFRL tests new firefighting technology

    A new method of extinguishing fires is currently being tested and may revolutionize the way the Air Force and the nation fight fires.The Air Force Research Laboratory’s deployed base systems branch here has been developing new firefighting technology for nearly two years. Dubbed the ultra-high

  • Airmen run missile-alert facilities

    For the last 40 years, the great plains of North Dakota have been housing the 91st Space Wing’s intercontinental ballistic missiles. The missile-alert facilities are manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.There are security forces who protect and operators who run the nation’s greatest deterrence

  • ATOC keeps troops, supplies moving

    Get ‘em in, get ‘em out. From troops to supplies, the Airmen of the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s air terminal operations center here take care of it all, ensuring aerial transport lines keep flowing smoothly.With only about one-fifth the number of people with which the aerial

  • Command, control: Prescription for aeromedical-evacuation success

    A battlefield injury or illness poses a threat to those deployed worldwide. When that threat turns into reality, the Air Force’s extensive aeromedical-evacuation network ensures wounded warriors are moved rapidly to a medical facility to get the care they need. The expansive network includes Airmen

  • Special ops maintainers team up on Kadena's tiny troubles

    Ehren Wahl and Wesley Brown are both staff sergeants, they are assigned to the 353rd Maintenance Squadron, and they each have spent most of their careers here on Okinawa, a tiny island in southern Japan. That is where the similarities end.Sergeant Wahl is an outspoken, 24-year-old from New York who

  • Dental technician becomes U.S. citizen

    American citizenship for many people comes with birth in this country, while others choose it later on in life. For one Airman here, the teenage dream of American citizenship started by leaving the country of his birth, was realized Sept. 16 in a federal courtroom ceremony where he took the oath of

  • Airmen remain in control of their futures

    In spite of the Air Force’s force-shaping measures, Airmen are learning they remain in control of their futures, even in over-manned career fields.There are choices for those whose re-enlistments are coming up soon: retrain, join the Guard or Reserve, join the Army with “Operation Blue to Green” or

  • AFRL experts supporting C-5A evaluation program

    Scientists and engineers here are literally putting parts of a C-5 Galaxy under a microscope to help Air Mobility Command officials determine the cargo giant's current condition and future needs.Materials integrity experts from the Air Force Research Laboratory's materials and manufacturing

  • Deployed contracting makes it happen

    It is hard to believe that a stroke of a pen can cost the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars; it is even harder to believe that it is a staff sergeant’s pen that does this nearly every day.Such is the job of 379th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron Airmen at a forward-deployed location.

  • Flying dog’s parachute lands at U.S. Air Force Museum

    A parachute made for a dog that flew alongside pilots during the Berlin Airlift was recently added to the Berlin Airlift Exhibit at the U.S. Air Force Museum here.The parachute, donated by Clarence Steber, was worn by his boxer, Vittles, during their flights on C-47s and C-54s to help deliver food

  • Airmen evacuate injured Russian sailor

    Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from the 56th Rescue Squadron raced 230 miles to evacuate an injured 19-year-old sailor from a Russian destroyer Sept. 14. The mission off the southern coast of Iceland began after squadron officials were notified of the situation at 1:25 p.m. “We always keep one

  • Mountain Home ‘maintainer’ readies skis for season

    Flanked on two sides by nearby mountains, this high-desert fighter base is a short drive from prime wintertime skiing, snowboarding and sledding hotspots.Though the temperature is still in the 80s, Idaho’s winter season starts in mid-September for the staff of the busy outdoor recreation supply

  • Virginia Air Guard responds to Florida storms

    Nearly 50 Virginia Air National Guardsmen responded to hurricane relief efforts in Florida, making it the first time their unit has deployed to Florida for a natural disaster.The 203rd Red Horse Squadron from Virginia Beach deployed to assist in the clean-up efforts after Hurricane Frances and wound

  • Airman goes green to aid OIF medical mission

    When Senior Airman Gary Doran graduated from the Department of Defense biomedical equipment technician’s course in 2002 and moved to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., he thought his time at the joint-service school would be his last experience working with Soldiers for a long time. In fact, he said he

  • Academy water polo falls thrice at So-Cal Tournament

    Despite some gutsy performances, the 18th-ranked Air Force Academy water polo team was unable to record a victory in the So-Cal Tournament, held by the University of Southern California. The Air Force Falcons fell 12-1 in the first game to the USC Trojans on Sept. 18, before dropping a

  • Air Force announces team-excellence awards

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced the five teams selected for 2004 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards during a ceremony Sept 14.Fifteen teams were nominated for the awards, which recognize outstanding team performance and promote systematic process improvement. The awards

  • Air Force expands awards eligibility to recognize civilian teams

    The Air Force has expanded the eligibility criteria for the Time-Off Incentive Award to include recognition of civilian teams.The Civilian Team Incentive Award allows supervisors to grant a time-off award to individual employees who comprise a team. The team's joint achievements must contribute to

  • Air Force teams take two simulation awards

    Two Air Force teams are recipients of Department of Defense Modeling and Simulation Awards.The Air Force winners are:Acquisition -- Simulation and Analysis Facility Joint Unmanned Combat Air System Simulation Team from the advanced computational analysis directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force

  • Minot officer dies after fall

    A lieutenant colonel here died Sept. 18 at about 12:30 p.m. from injuries sustained in a fall earlier in the day.Lt. Col. David Patterson, 5th Maintenance Group deputy commander, fell from an obstacle at the base’s confidence course while participating in a team-building exercise.The colonel arrived

  • Jeanne sends ‘Hurricane Hunters' home

    Air Force Reserve Command's "Hurricane Hunters" are being hunted again. This time “Jeanne” is chasing them out of Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., and forcing them to return to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.About 120 reservists, 15 WC-130 Hercules weather reconnaissance aircraft and three C-130

  • AETC commander gives education update

    Right number, right skills, right training and right quality.That is the bottom line, said Gen. Donald G. Cook, commander of Air Education and Training Command, when he gave his stakeholders’ report at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition on Sept.

  • Bombers rotations continue on Guam

    Demonstrating once again that bomber forces can be sustained in the Pacific, about 250 Airmen deployed Sept. 10 to 12 from Louisiana to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of a 120-day air and space expeditionary force rotation.The 20th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron is the third of four existing

  • Hurricanes, home, mission focus of Gwangju Airmen

    Airmen deployed with the 3rd Air Expeditionary Group here focus daily on the task of ensuring the F-15E Strike Eagles can perform the mission and return safely. But for more than 100 of them, that focus is split between accomplishing the mission here and keeping their minds on the weather causing

  • Latest AFIT graduates earn degrees

    More than 70 scientists and engineers are the recipients of graduate and doctoral degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology.AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management held its graduation ceremony Sept. 14. The graduating class earned 67 master’s degrees and four doctorates.Air

  • Italians, Americans work together in mass-casualty exercise

    Senior Airman Shaun Hasha expected to spend his morning Sept. 13 strolling the aisles of a local store. Instead, he spent the time running from authorities and choking on toxic fumes.The 31st Medical Operations Squadron Airman was not overcome by criminal mischief; he was a volunteer during a large

  • ‘Hurricane Hunters’ track storm threatening their home

    Hurricane Ivan threatened their home, but that did not stop Air Force Reserve Command's "Hurricane Hunters." They kept tracking the Category 4 storm as it churned toward the Gulf Coast and Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.The reservists from Keesler's 403rd Wing and their WC-130 aircraft stayed on the

  • Last active-duty C-141B Starlifter makes final flight

    The last two active-duty C-141B Starlifters in the U.S. Air Force inventory flew their final journey Sept. 16 after a special departure ceremony here.This final flight marked the end of nearly 40 years of service to the nation by C-141s and their crews.“If you look at the sum total of its history,

  • Thirteen years later, Air Force dedicates its memorial

    Soaring 270 feet into the sky over America’s capital, three stainless-steel spires forming an equilateral triangle will memorialize the U.S. Air Force.The groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication for the Air Force Memorial was Sept. 15, in Arlington, Va. The ceremony included speeches by Chief

  • Not-so-common POW: Grandmother tells of imprisonment

    The many stories about American prisoners of war usually detail the experiences of servicemembers captured during combat overseas.The little-known tale of a teenage girl, now a grandmother in San Antonio, is also among the accounts deserving acknowledgement.Liz Lautzenhiser Irvine has scrapbooks

  • Officers enhance professional development through Project Connect

    Expertise, knowledge and mentorship is just a click or phone call away for officers here through one U.S. Air Forces in Europe program.Project Connect is designed to provide a forum for field-grade and general officers to counsel and enhance the individual professional development of junior officers

  • CSI: On the battlefield

    Some of today's most popular television shows feature crime scene investigations, but those pale in comparison to the real-life battlefield investigations an Air Force Research Laboratory scientist here carries out.In his role in the Air Force Reserve, Maj. Greg Moster, whose civilian job is with

  • EOD team enjoys ‘a booming business’

    Most boys dream of growing up to be just like their fathers. They imitate the way they walk, the way they talk and even the way they dress. Tech. Sgt. John Bell went a step further. He imitates the way his father made things explode.“I guess you can say blowing up things runs in the family,” said

  • Sailors, Airmen can 'go green'

    "Go Green" is not just the slogan of environmentalists anymore.The Army is increasing its end strength, and Operation Blue to Green is one method being used to assist in reaching the desired end strength, said Lt. Col. Roy Steed, recruiting policy branch chief at the Army's personnel

  • Airmen make an F-16 ‘Thunder-ready’

    It takes less than 72 hours to convert a red, white and blue Thunderbird F-16 back to combat status. But what about taking a combat-ready Fighting Falcon and making it "Thunder-ready?"That is exactly what the people of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, demonstrated

  • Special ops Airmen up to task of war on terror

    The war on terrorism has changed the way leaders think about managing conflict, but the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command said he is sure of one thing: His Airmen are right for the job.“(Sept. 11) redefined some key concepts,” said Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, AFSOC commander. “It

  • Starlifters retire from active-duty service

    The last two active-duty C-141B Starlifter transport aircraft will retire Sept. 16 at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.During the past 40 years, the C-141 has proven versatile for troop and cargo transport, humanitarian- and disaster-relief operations and aeromedical evacuation. As such, the Starlifter

  • Americans, Czechs honor those lost in World War II battle

    While people worldwide paused to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001, a few hundred residents and visitors here gathered to remember a different air disaster -- one that occurred the early afternoon of Sept. 11, 1944. That was when a particularly fierce and bloody World War II air battle took

  • Squadron ‘cleans house’ to build new home

    Stepping out of the sweltering heat into the cool shadows of hardened aircraft shelter No. 21, many visitors might notice the new paint on the walls or the freshly swept floors and the spacious room.The former Soviet-era shelter was not always so fresh, clean and inviting. Formerly used as a

  • NYC art society continues 52-year partnership with Air Force

    Civilian artists unveiled a bit of recent military history at an Upper East Side event Sept. 10, carrying on an American tradition that dates back to the Revolution.The artists, members of the New York City-based Society of Illustrators, have been embedded in Air Force operations to create original

  • Chief of staff outlines plans for fewer combat aircraft

    The Air Force will have fewer fighters and strike aircraft, but the lethality of those that remain will increase, the service’s top general said Sept. 13 at the 2004 Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition here.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper said the

  • Air Force Association’s 2004 conference opens

    Touting America’s superior air and space force, the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition opened here Sept. 13.Under the theme “Professional Development for the Total Force,” the conference features three days of workshops focused on furthering the potential

  • Air Force beats Army, wins softball championship

    The 2004 Armed Forces Men’s Softball Championship ended here Sept. 11 with the Air Force defeating the Army, 16-3, to win the gold.On Day 3 of the tournament, the Army had its second loss of the tournament to the Navy, but still could have taken it all since the championship game is a head-to-head

  • Record-breaking numbers ensure ‘boots on the ground’

    Airmen assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing had a record-breaking month supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.Active-duty, Guard and Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft at the wing’s forward-deployed location had more flying hours and carried more pallets and passengers during

  • Air Force women’s soccer stormed 3-0 by Central Florida

    The Air Force Academy women’s soccer team ran into a furious tropical storm that was the University of Central Florida. Falling to the Golden Knights, 3-0, the game featured heavy rainfall. The Falcons fall to 3-3-0 on the season.Central Florida improves to 5-1-1 on the season and came into the

  • Survey will measure personnel services delivery

    Airmen can help make their personnel services delivery system better through survey feedback beginning Sept. 20.Air Force officials said they are transforming the way personnel services are delivered to make them more effective, efficient and timely. This PSD transformation uses technology to place

  • Air Force finishes in 8th place at Falcon invitational

    The Air Force Academy golf team saved its best round for last, shooting a 289 on the final day of the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational held at the par-71 Eisenhower Blue Golf Course here Sept. 11.The Falcons finished in a tie for eighth-place with Weber State University at 887. Southern Utah State

  • Twins stick together, even on deployment

    For the past month, people here have been seeing double but family and friends of Staff Sgts. Sharon and Lerinda Carle have been seeing double for 22 years.Ever since these identical twins joined the Air Force two weeks after graduating from high school in Silverton, Idaho, their careers have

  • Airmen ensure medical lifeline in Pacific

    A ready, reliable and efficient war reserve materiel operation is the “heart and soul of medical readiness,” said Senior Master Sgt. Joe Alfaro, superintendent of the 374th Medical Group’s logistics flight here.WRM is pre-positioned equipment and consumable items needed to support Air Force

  • Civil engineers build ‘Airmen-Soldiers’ legacy

    Throughout Iraq, Airmen are working side-by-side with Soldiers performing what have been traditionally considered Army jobs. Among those blazing a trail for this new culture of “Airmen-Soldiers” are the 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen.The more than 240 combat-trained engineers in

  • Employee celebrates half century of service

    You might say the Air Force and Steve Espinosa grew up together.For a fact, the two have shared more than five decades together. In uniform and as a civilian, Mr. Espinosa has served the Air Force for 54 years, nearly as long as the service has existed.A small-parts sheet-metal worker at the

  • General earns Dutch gold medal of merit

    An Air Force general was decorated Sept. 9 with the Dutch Medal of Merit in Gold at the Netherlands Embassy here.Maj. Gen. John L. "Jack" Hudson, assistant deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs, received the prestigious award for his role in bringing the F-35 Joint Strike

  • Airman tells of medical response to Pentagon attack

    When terrorists attacked the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, the ops tempo at nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Md., hit a feverish pitch, said an Airman who was there.At that time, Senior Airman Andrea Taylor, a 319th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron bioenvironmental engineering journeyman, was working with a

  • Pilot recalls Sept. 11 medical flight mission

    Three years after terrorist attacks killed more than 3,000 people, Capt. Kenneth Langert is deployed fighting the war on terrorism.The terror war is a direct result of those attacks -- taking the fight to the enemy in an effort to prevent any future “9-11s.” For Captain Langert, this effort has

  • Radar techs keep combat zone airspace safe

    The sky over here is filled with aircraft around the clock -- A-10 Thunderbolt IIs share airspace with cargo aircraft and helicopters.Keeping those aircraft safe is an important and daunting task; but a team of Airmen recently installed new equipment to make that task a little easier.“We installed