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  • Security forces ensure airmen return safely

    In the upcoming weeks, the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing will inactivate, ending the American presence here.By then, most of the deployed airmen here will have already rotated home or to other forward locations.However, the airmen of the 363rd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron will be on guard

  • Deployed airmen getting small-town living

    Airmen deployed here will soon be saying farewell to their tents and hello to small-town living.This welcome change for airmen is just part of the transformation of this expeditionary base into a permanent air base with most of the amenities found at home.“We’re in the process of building a small

  • DOD is transforming training

    A Marine unit facing combat runs into opposition. The call goes out for fire support. In the past, the call would likely have gone to a Marine artillery unit or air asset.Today, that call could go to an Army helicopter unit or an Air Force precision- strike aircraft. It could go to a Navy

  • Feedback vital to uniform test

    Feedback will be key for Air Force leaders making their decision on the newly proposed utility uniform, said the Air Force’s top enlisted airman. “We want airmen’s feedback,” said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray during his visit here Aug. 6 to 10. “We don’t want

  • Vietnam veteran serves in Iraq

    Master Sgt. Terry Upchurch has a unique perspective serving in Iraq. He can compare his experiences here with those he had 35 years ago as an 18-year-old airman in Vietnam."I had been married only three months," said Upchurch, who is with the 506th Operations Support Squadron. "I was an air

  • Airmen recognized for dispute resolution

    Air Force legal teams have earned a unique award for excellence in alternate-dispute resolution.The American Bar Association presented the Lawyers as Problem Solvers Award to the Air Force at a conference in San Francisco on Aug. 8. In the past, the award was given only to individuals. This year

  • B-2 drops 80 test bombs

    In an effort to increase the B-2 Spirit's operational capability, a test force here conducted an airborne release of 80 Joint Direct Attack Munitions separation test vehicles. The separation test vehicles are inert weapons used to collect data.The Aug. 6 test was one of more than nine sorties flown

  • Combat Shadows helping with Liberia

    Airmen from the 398th Air Expeditionary Group embarked on a refueling flight Aug. 6 in an MC-130P Combat Shadow, originally from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, now supporting operations in Liberia. The mission was to refuel three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, also part of the 398th AEG, from

  • Airmen keep planes, spirits flying high

    Eglin airmen working at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, are wearing various hats to keep the airplanes in the air and airmen on the ground safe.Airmen from the 728th Air Control Squadron deployed more than three months ago and have had to learn to deal with the danger and boredom that accompany

  • Air Force leads EUCOM transformation

    U.S. European Command’s deputy commander wants the command to become a more flexible, expeditionary-based fighting force for the 21st century.Key issues within the plan that will affect airmen include securing better training areas, airspace for fighter training and new forward locations for

  • New service-commitment policy coming

    Starting Oct. 1, Air Force Reserve Command will implement a comprehensive, service-commitment directive for certain kinds of training, education and promotions.“The Reserve Service Commitment policy accomplishes two goals," said Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, AFRC commander. "First, the RSC

  • Civil engineers build Iraqi base

    Everything that does not move is covered in a grayish-brown, powdery dust. The heat is oppressive -- more than 120 degrees in the shade. Open fields and roads bear craters large enough to swallow small trucks.In March, the area around Tallil Air Base looked more like the surface of the moon than

  • CAP recognized for post-9/11 work

    For its work in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Civil Air Patrol has been selected to receive the Associations Advance America Summit Award.CAP is one of only six associations chosen for this award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Society of Association Executives

  • BMT sets new fitness standards

    Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper announced July 30 the Air Force would be raising fitness standards in January. More rigorous basic military training graduation standards will take effect here Oct. 12.Basic military training daily physical fitness regimens are now tougher and more focused on

  • Airmen support operations in Liberia

    Far from the forests and castles of Germany, a handful of security forces airmen from the 52nd Security Forces Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base are deployed to the palm trees and jungle canopy of Africa supporting operations in Liberia. The airmen deployed to Dakar, Senegal, on July 13 and set up

  • Security forces ensure convoy safety in Iraq

    Convoys have been the lifeblood for operations here ever since coalition forces took control of this former Iraqi air force field at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.The job of the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron is to ensure that the convoys get through. Since March, the defenders

  • Ganci AB supports flood of soldiers

    A flash flood of fully armed, desert-camouflaged warriors swept through the flightline here this week, leaving the base’s passenger and cargo moving experts wiped out.The huge influx of Army troops stopped here briefly before heading to Afghanistan to relieve troops already in place. At times, the

  • Mother, daughter promoted together

    An Air Force mother and daughter shared a unique moment Aug. 1 when they were promoted together.Kareema Palmer-Johnson pinned master sergeant stripes on her mother, Sharita Johnson, then she received airman first class stripes of her own after her graduation from basic training earlier that day.Four

  • Promotion study list now available

    Promotion-eligible enlisted people can now find out which materials to study for the 2004 testing cycles.The most current Weighted Airman Promotion System catalog, which lists the materials used by test writers to develop the 2004 promotion tests, is now available on the Air Force Personnel Center

  • Chaplain’s Bible study a big hit

    Most people would not associate the somewhat irreverent nature of the long-running sitcom, “The Simpsons,” with church.However, Chaplain (Maj.) Steve Schaick, 39th Air Base Group senior Protestant chaplain here, is not most people. He not only managed to create a tie between a dysfunctional cartoon

  • Lightning strikes tanker -- twice

    Twenty minutes before landing, all systems were normal, the mission had gone flawlessly and the crew of “Shell 02” was ready to complete another successful refueling flight supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. But 10 minutes and two lightning strikes later, the only thing resembling “normal”

  • Chief facing court-martial found dead

    A chief master sergeant facing a court-martial was found dead here Aug 7. Winfred B. Harrison, from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron, failed to appear for court-martial proceedings, prompting a search by base and law enforcement officials. A squadron member found the chief's body in one of the

  • American forces unearth hidden aircraft in Iraq

    American forces have found Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an Aug. 5 press briefing. "We'd heard a great many things had been buried, but we had not known where they were, and we'd been operating in that immediate vicinity for weeks and

  • Program desperately needs blood

    The Armed Services Blood Program needs eligible Type O blood donors to support ongoing military operations worldwide and to replenish the military's frozen blood reserves.A single battlefield injury victim can require more than 40 units of blood in an emergency. Type O donors are especially

  • Airmen get peek at new uniform

    A prototype of the new Air Force utility uniform was unveiled July 9 in various duty sections at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and Bolling AFB, D.C.Senior Master Sgt. Jacqueline Dean, from the Air Force uniform board, enlisted the aid of eight airmen to demonstrate both the men’s and women’s version

  • Vandenberg air tower goes civilian

    The airfield tower here has become the first active-duty Air Force tower to be manned by contract civilian air traffic controllers. The switch took place Aug. 1.The bottom line for the change boils down to manning and bucks."Switching to civilian air traffic controllers frees slots in a critical

  • August Airman now available

    The August issue of Airman features “aces,” snipers at Bashur Airfield, the upcoming Air Force Academy football season and road maintenance airmen in a Washington national forest. These stories and more can be found in this month’s magazine, now available in print and online.Ace in the Sky -- World

  • Combat communicators keep airmen in touch

    As the fourth aircraft touched down after the Army seized the airfield here, the base gained one of its mission essential teams -- combat communicators.The team’s sole purpose is to deploy into a bare-base environment and set up expeditionary communications. For them it is not a challenge. It was

  • Americans bring peace, stability to Afghanistan

    For the first time in more than 30 years the people of Afghanistan are beginning to see signs of peace and stability.Elders and leaders from local villages in the Bagram area of Afghanistan said the U.S. military and coalition partners have enabled them to begin living without the fear that comes

  • McChord couple overcomes tragedy

    Reserve Senior Airman Chris Murphy was in the hospital operating room to see the birth of his daughter, Katie, at 11:34 a.m. May 1. Moments later, he told his wife, Reserve Staff Sgt. Becky Murphy, one last "I love you," before he was told to leave so the oncologist could start the fight to save

  • Airman swaps stripes for wings

    Less than two years ago, Staff Sgt. Jerry Bennett raised his eyes to the sky as a weather forecasting instructor. Today, he takes to the sky as an Air Force pilot.On Aug. 8, the second lieutenant will complete three weeks of C-21 training with the 45th Airlift Squadron, just blocks away from the

  • Myers convinced of coalition progress in Iraq, Afghanistan

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff came away from his just-concluded Iraq and Afghanistan visit pleased with the progress the coalition is making in both countries.Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers visited both countries and consulted with allies in Qatar, India, Pakistan and Oman. He left July

  • Travis, Patrick airmen earn big $$$

    An airman from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and another from Patrick AFB, Fla., each earned a coveted $10,000 cash award for suggestions submitted through the Air Force’s Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Staff Sgts. Nick Bugni and Al-Quaddir Vines received their checks for

  • CAAs help airmen make informed decisions

    Air Force career assistance advisers do more than advise commanders on retention issues; they help shape the force and assist airmen in making informed career decisions.The position was created three years ago to help counter the service’s declining retention rates. The job has evolved since then,

  • Test Pilot School reaches new heights

    The increasing push for a military space force has led Department of Defense officials to expand the Air Force envelope to include space education, with an emphasis on military applications.The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here has followed suit, answering DOD’s call by creating the first

  • CSAF announces fitness program

    Airmen will begin hitting the track soon as the Air Force begins a new physical fitness program, the service’s senior leader announced in his July 30 “Fit to Fight” Sight Picture.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper directed that airmen will now test their fitness levels by performing

  • Maintainers keep helos ready

    Maintainers from the 85th Maintenance Squadron here have a huge responsibility to keep mission-critical helicopters ready to fly at a moment’s notice. The 31 maintainers deployed from Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, are part of the 398th Air Expeditionary Group providing support for operations

  • Pilot values liaison work with Army

    It takes more than a pilot in a plane to put bombs on target.Air Force pilots, acting as air liaison officers and assigned to Army units, paint a roadmap in the sky for pilots overhead so they can drop bombs on the enemy without harming nearby friendly forces.Capt. Danny Stout, a liaison officer and

  • Quilting for a cause

    Natalie Veum’s life was progressing at a normal clip. She was young, happily married and working a full-time job she enjoyed.But in the course of one night, her life changed forever.It started when the 24 year old woke with a coldness on her right side, which a series of MRIs, spinal taps and

  • Teamwork marks new academy tradition

    Students here participated in a new part of basic cadet training July 30 that involves heart, sweat and a desire to complete the training as a team, officials said.The Warrior Run required freshmen cadets to complete an arduous 35-mile relay run along the Front Range and into the mountains above the

  • Desert Hawk enhances security

    It launches with a bungee cord and looks like it is made of plastic foam.But three deployed airmen from the 72nd Security Forces Squadron swear by their “Desert Hawk” and the technology behind it.The portable unmanned aerial vehicle is an “eye in the sky,” seeing all and transmitting real-time

  • Conjoined twins born at Wilford Hall

    Conjoined twins Brynleigh and Victoria Smith beat the odds when they were born July 25 at Wilford Hall Medical Center here. While roughly 60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn, Brynleigh and Victoria survived birth. However, their premature lungs required immediate ventilation in the neonatal

  • 'First shirts' use tough love, care for troops

    It is 2 a.m. and pitch black outside when suddenly the phone rings and the voice on the other end says an airman needs help.The first sergeant gets up and prepares for an early day. This is not new; it is part of the job, and could mean anything from a car accident to domestic violence or other

  • Ammo troops build more than munitions

    Six airmen from the 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron’s ammunition flight say conditions are much better here since they constructed a wooden shelter to shade their work on the munitions pad.“Our table has an aluminum cover and by regulations, it has to be grounded,” said Master Sgt. Robert Byrd,

  • Air Force seeks female MTIs

    Staff Sgt. Lynn Barron came to Air Force basic military training in 1995 carrying one bag and one mental image of a basic military training instructor: a big, loud, gruff man with a "Smokey the Bear" hat.When Barron first encountered her MTI, the person she met was not quite who she was

  • AF announces Boeing inquiry results

    Air Force officials announced July 24 that the Boeing Company has committed serious violations of federal law. This determination is based on the service’s review into allegations of wrongdoing by Boeing during the 1998 evolved expendable launch vehicle source selection. As a result, the Air Force

  • Pentagon is scene of major exercise

    Fire trucks, ambulances and police cars from Arlington, Va., and nearby Fort Meyer sped into the Pentagon’s south parking lot early July 23.There was no emergency, however. These agencies were there to participate in the Pentagon's chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear exercise called

  • Liberia evacuations continue

    Flying 200 feet above palm trees and myriad grass huts, the 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron completed its mission -- inserting the remaining members of the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team and evacuating more people from the U.S. Embassy in Liberia.The squadron, out of Iceland’s Naval Air

  • Travis puts new face on blood program

    A $1 million upgrade in frozen-blood processing and thawing here is expected to help level the inventory in the "feast-or-famine" business of blood collection in the Department of Defense.The Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Lab-West, a tenant unit at Travis, is one of two tri-service storage

  • Officer sets sights on silver oak leaves

    His personal data sheet is a blow-by-blow inventory of educational achievements, professional successes and impressive assignments that span a career of more than 16 years.When he went before the lieutenant colonel promotion board in November 2001, his chances for promotion looked promising.However,

  • August issue of Citizen Airman available

    The August edition of Citizen Airman highlights how F-16 Fighting Falcon instructors in Arizona are going above and beyond in their efforts to provide the Air Force with top-notch combat fighter pilots.The magazine tells how airmen from the 944th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base are kicking the

  • Airman signs humanitarian contracts in Mali

    With thousands, sometimes millions of dollars at stake, contracting officers take their jobs seriously. They visit work sites, meet the employees and get a feel for the job at hand.Tech. Sgt. Brad Smith, of the 39th Contracting Squadron here, is no exception. But his most recent work site was not

  • Motorcycle crash kills airman

    An airman assigned here was killed in a motorcycle accident July 23 in Misawa City, Japan. Staff Sgt. Adam R. Peck, 27, died when his motorcycle collided with a truck driven by a Japanese civilian. The accident happened at an intersection about one mile from the base. Peck, who was wearing a

  • AF releases 2004 realignments

    The Air Force will lose 2,260 military and 2,839 civilian manpower positions, and 1,055 reserve drill authorizations next year, according to the 2004 force-structure announcement released July 23.Many bases, both active duty and reserve component, are affected by the realignment. In many cases,

  • Airmen fly Marines to Liberia

    Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters flew a Marine antiterrorism security team to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia, on July 21, according to officials here. They also evacuated 23 people.The airmen and helicopters are assigned to the 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron from Naval Air Station

  • Officials warn of heat-stress dangers

    As temperatures heat up across the country, heat stress is a concern that requires notice, according to officials here.Early signs of heat stress include dizziness, headache, dry mouth, unsteady walk, weakness and muscle cramps.“If you experience these symptoms, you should remove yourself from the

  • ‘Dateline NBC’ features Alaska ANG

    The NBC News program “Dateline NBC” features Alaska Air National Guard's pararescuemen accomplishing a high-altitude mountain rescue. The show is scheduled to air July 27. The story is about the 210th Rescue Squadron’s mission in 1998 that saved six travelers after their airplane crashed onto a

  • Airman wounded in ambush

    Getting ambushed and shot will not stop a Tactical Air Control Party airman from going back to war.Tech. Sgt. Kevin Whalen was one three people wounded when their convoy was ambushed July 19 about 30 miles north of here.Whalen's job is to call in close-air support for soldiers on the ground. He is

  • Five students earn COF Awards

    Five high-school students from across the nation were awarded cash prizes totaling $17,000 during the Century of Flight Awards ceremony July 17 at the 2003 Dayton Air Show.The students, chosen from 175 competitors, received their awards from Maj. Gen. Paul Nielsen, Air Force Research Laboratory

  • Vietnam vet ensures others never forgotten

    As a young boy, Roberto Barrera remembers looking through stacks of pictures his father had taken while stationed in Italy as an Army infantry private during World War II. The images stirred his curiosity and interest in the military and, shortly after high school, he decided to enlist in the

  • PACAF names first responders

    Military commanders used to look at a deployment location and ask, “Who’s going in first?” Gen. William J. Begert, Pacific Air Forces commander, answered that question for PACAF by creating the 613th Contingency Response Group here. “We were developed to provide a short-notice, light and lean,

  • Multinational effort rebuilds runway

    Servicemembers from five nations are working together to rebuild the runway here.Completion of this Army-funded project is anticipated for November, according to Capt. Elton Sledge, of the 455th Civil Engineer Squadron. Airmen from the 455th CES are working with Army engineers and servicemembers

  • Airman convicted of drugs, forgery

    An airman received a bad conduct discharge, 20 months confinement and forfeit of all pay and allowances after being convicted of several crimes in a general court-martial here.Airman Basic Joseph J. Loehr, of the 377th Medical Support Squadron, pleaded guilty to willfully disobeying a superior

  • Guardsmen detail close-air support

    Three days into Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. Col. Dave Kennedy got a new mission: Go to Tallil Air Base in Iraq and ready it for A-10 Thunderbolt II missions.Kennedy, the commander of the Michigan Air National Guard's 110th Operations Group, knew the mission could be an enormous asset in the war

  • Pilot describes Baghdad crash

    Maj. Jim Ewald had just finished a close-air support mission over Baghdad when his A-10 Thunderbolt II was hit by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile April 8. It physically moved the plane "like the hand of God," Ewald said during a Pentagon interview July 16.Ewald is a pilot with the 110th Fighter

  • Langley tests new traffic safety vests

    Gate guards here are testing a new, light-emitting, traffic safety garment called the integrated tactical traffic vest that could make directing traffic in the dark safer. The new vest uses fiber-optic light rope woven through the vest's mesh along with traditional reflective material and

  • Controllers receive AFA award

    Five tactical-air command and control airmen accepted the Air Force Association’s Air Force Outstanding Team of the Year award July 14 in Arlington, Va.Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray coordinates with command chief master sergeants to select the career field to receive the award.

  • Airmen support operations in Liberia

    It is a hot, humid, rainy day here, and airmen from the 56th Rescue Squadron out of Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, are feeling the heat. The airmen, along with others from the 786th Security Forces Squadron at Sembach Air Base, Germany, deployed here July 13 to support operations in Liberia.

  • Tallil’s post office delivers

    As the Air Expeditionary Force “Blue” rotation gains momentum, so does life at one organization here. The Air Force’s local post office helps troops stockpile goodies from home and lighten their load when they leave.The post office has come a long way since it opened and continually tackles

  • Civilian career brief now online

    Air Force civilians now have the ability to view their own career information online from any Internet-connected computer, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.The virtual Civilian Career Brief offers information that might help in career planning like current position data, pay

  • PSAB equipment gets 2nd chance

    As the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing here draws down and inactivates this summer, there is a large amount of equipment that must be accounted for, organized and disposed of.That job falls to four airmen from the base’s 363rd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron who oversee the defense

  • Museum welcomes pioneering technology

    Two aircraft technology demonstrators will become part of the U.S. Air Force Museum in a turnover ceremony July 16.The Bird of Prey and X-36 technology demonstrators will be officially transferred to the museum during the ceremony.Featuring a shape similar to its Klingon namesake from “Star Trek”

  • Airman, friend help deliver baby

    An airman here watched his son come into the world in a way he and his wife never expected.Airman 1st Class Aaron Taylor, of the 27th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, and his wife, Jessica, welcomed Aidan recently with the help of their neighbor and a clear telephone connection. Jessica woke up at

  • Shaw airmen help save local boy

    Three Air Force maintenance troops recently helped save a local boy from drowning at their apartment complex's pool."It was about 8:30 (on a) Sunday night," said Senior Airman James Winter, an electrical/environmental systems journeyman in the 20th Component Maintenance Squadron here. "We had just

  • AWACS techs get paperless link

    The E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System became the first weapon system to provide technicians with a paperless link between an aircraft parts manual and the base supply system.Technicians from the 552nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron here have been participating in a test program for a

  • Family recovering after fire

    A Tinker airman deployed to Iraq is home helping nurse his family to health after a fire recently destroyed their home.The 2-year-old daughter of Staff Sgt. Steven Mitchell, a power production chief with the 34th Combat Communications Squadron, was the most seriously injured. She had first- and

  • Identity theft lands cop in confinement

    An airman was discharged from the Air Force, given 14 months confinement and reduced to airman basic after being convicted of several identity-fraud-related crimes during a recent general court-martial here.Senior Airman David A. Daniel, from the 377th Security Forces Squadron, was charged with

  • AF names 12 outstanding airmen

    Air Force officials announced the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2003 on July 10. The top airmen were chosen from a field of 46 members representing organizations at all levels of command throughout the Air Force.The winners are:-- Staff Sgt. Omar Ali Abed, from the 37th Security Forces

  • Officials announce AF services awards

    Air Force Services Agency officials announced the winners of the 2003 services awards July 7.Misawa Air Base, Japan, won the Gen. Curtis E. Lemay Trophy for best overall services unit at a large base. Incirlik AB, Turkey, won the Maj. Gen. Eugene L. Eubank Trophy for best services at a small base.

  • Combat controller earns Pitsenbarger award

    A combat controller from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., has been named the 2003 Pitsenbarger award winner.Staff Sgt. Gabriel Brown was selected for his heroism while supporting Operation Anaconda during Operation Enduring Freedom.While attached to the 75th Ranger Regiment, his quick-reaction

  • Moody NCO earns first sergeant award

    A senior noncommissioned officer assigned to the 347th Maintenance Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., is the recipient of the 2003 Air Force First Sergeant of the Year award.Master Sgt. Jeffery Hollinshead is being recognized for transforming a marginal unit into a first-rate one, while

  • Air Force names top combat controllers

    Four veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom earned top honors as the Air Force’s 2002 Combat Controllers of the Year, according to officials.Capt. Patrick Ward, from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is the Combat Control Company Grade Officer of the Year.Ward served as the

  • Lancer drops joint standoff weapons

    A B-1B Lancer test crew here recently dropped the Joint Standoff Weapon for the first time from the long-range bomber, according to Air Force Flight Test Center officials here.The four-person test team from the 419th Flight Test Squadron released two standoff weapons as part of ongoing separation

  • Combat training goes rangeless

    The P5 Combat Training System introduced recently promises to revolutionize training by allowing warfighting pilots to test their skills anywhere, versus in limited air space, according to Air Armament Center officials here.The system uses pods that communicate with each other. The pods enable

  • AEF rotations begin at Tallil

    Five airmen stepped off a C-130 Hercules aircraft June 30 to become the first Air and Space Expeditionary Force Blue arrivals here.The AEF Blue rotation is the first of two 120-day tours designed to replace most people who are still deployed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and help normalize the

  • Officials release HH-60 crash report

    Air Force investigators were unable to determine the primary cause of the March 23 crash of an HH-60G Pave Hawk in Afghanistan.Investigators found substantial evidence that three factors contributed to the accident, according to an Air Combat Command accident investigation board report released July

  • KC-135 adds communications-relay capability

    While mostly known as a “flying gas station,” the KC-135 Stratotanker has served in many mission roles throughout its 45-plus years of service.The aircraft has been a flying command post, an observation platform for the Open Skies Treaty, a zero-gravity simulator and a flying hospital.Soon, this

  • Aviano 'prince' wins hand of returning warrior

    After being off to war for more than six months in a country ruled by royalty, it’s fitting that an airman from here returned into the waiting arms of her Prince Charming.Well, actually, Prince Charming wasn’t waiting; he was running a few minutes late, and Tayeisha Gibbs was not happy.The senior

  • Ganci airmen rebuild children's playground

    About 40 children from the nearby Kyrgyzstan Tuberculosis Research Institute are smiling more broadly since airmen from here completed a playground.More than 68 airmen here put the finishing touches on the playground and dedicated it to the children June 30.The initial idea for the project started

  • Luke officials ground F-16s

    Officials here grounded F-16 Fighting Falcons with certain type of engine July 2 after investigators of a June 10 crash found a fleet-wide engine-related problem.The aircraft will be grounded until all aircraft with this type of engine have replacement parts installed, according to Col. Philip

  • OSI finds more than ‘bad guys’

    They are commonly perceived as undercover agents in black hats and trench coats, but the agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 410 here are capable of much more than investigating the “bad guys” on base. Special agents also maintain close liaisons with local authorities

  • Predator team prowls Iraq

    It hunts alone, flying quietly for more than 20 hours at a time, carefully scouring the Earth for the most minute evidence of ground activity and discretely relaying intelligence information to analysts half a world away. But on a moment's notice, the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle can transform

  • EOD experts keep assessors safe

    Finding a bomb that accurately struck an Iraqi target but did not go “bang” is not a good thing, according to combined weapons effectiveness assessment team officials. They said unexploded ordnance is not good because it is a weapon that did not perform as intended. It is also a danger for both

  • ‘Red Horse’ rides in to Tallil

    Part of the 1st Expeditionary Red Horse Group stepped off a plane here June 26 on the very runway they came to repair. The 11-person heavy operational repair team will fix more than 40 surface chips in both base runways, according to officials.Onced repaired, the runways will be able to withstand

  • Upgrade halts service temporarily

    An upgrade to the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System will shut down its services July 18 to 31, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.The improvement, which affects the servicing of more than 130,000 Air Force civilian employees, will allow all Department of Defense civilians to

  • Team testing hazardous-waste detection

    Three organizations here are testing and demonstrating what could be the future of buried hazardous-waste detection, ultimately improving the Air Force's compliance with Department of Defense and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.Officials from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center are

  • Officials release T-38 accident report

    Air Force investigators have determined that pilot error caused a T-38A Talon to crash March 8 near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.The pilot ejected from the aircraft and sustained minor injuries. The aircraft, assigned to the 7th Combat Training Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., was part of a two-ship

  • Reservists help shark-attack victim

    Reservists from the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron here aided a shark-attack victim at Johnston Atoll June 22.Lt. Col. Nancy Byrne, a flight nurse, along with Master Sgts. Jeffery Streit and Brian Marquardt, aeromedical technicians, received the call to provide support. They were performing a

  • Air Force JAGs make History Channel

    With the exception of several law degrees and a handful of gavels, the office of Brig. Gen. Jarisse J. Sanborn could be mistaken for any senior leader's workspace.Recently, however, her office was transformed into a miniature production studio, complete with audio and video cables, a 1,000-watt

  • Hardships affect mobilization length

    Mobilized reservists may request to remain on or get off active duty because of personal or financial hardship caused by mobilization, early deactivation or demobilization."We look at each situation, whether it's a request to remain mobilized or a request to demobilize early," said Col. Mike