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  • War teaches major about Air Force

    Maj. Ken Sersun said he learned more about the Air Force mission during his first deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom than at any point in his 16-year career.As chief of staff for the Air Support Operations Center at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Sersun was one of nearly 150 airmen among 10,000

  • Work continues at Osan crash site

    Base workers labored throughout the night surveying debris from the F-16 Fighting Falcon that crashed near a gate at approximately 8 p.m. May 29. A pilot from the 36th Fighter Squadron was taking off on a training mission in the F-16 when the crash occurred. The aircraft was carrying inert bombs

  • Airman convicted in arson case

    Senior Airman Jeffrey Beagle has been sentenced to five years confinement, reduction to airman basic, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge for destroying a $1.77 million vehicle maintenance building here March 16.Beagle was also convicted and sentenced for

  • Two convicted of financial crimes

    Two airmen have been convicted of various financial crimes during separate general courts-martial here.Master Sgt. Clarence Lott pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, submitting a false official document, larceny of housing allowances in excess of $500 and obstruction of justice. The sergeant,

  • Japanese fighters join Alaskan exercise

    Fighters from the Japanese air self-defense force touched down on North American soil for the first time to take part in an exercise. Cooperative Cope Thunder, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored air-combat training exercise, is set for June 5 to 20. “The Japanese involvement is very significant in the

  • Guardsmen open Baghdad facility

    The 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron has opened a 10-bed mobile medical staging facility near the military flightline at Baghdad International Airport. Facility workers there conduct joint service, coalition and civilian air evacuation missions.In the field, after self-aid and

  • Sentry crews finish mission, end era

    As the big white bird gracefully touched down on the windblown runway at a forward-deployed location May 28, the mission of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia completed a 13-year, continuous mission.The aircraft, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System deployed to the 363rd

  • June issue of Citizen Airman available

    Thousands of mobilized reservists, along with hundreds of volunteers, performed critical roles supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since the beginning of the effort to liberate the Iraqi people, Air Force Reserve Command airmen have been involved in a variety of areas, including aeromedical

  • Life support ensures pilot comfort, survival

    When a pilot must eject from his aircraft and parachute to the ground, he builds a fire, drinks water and signals for rescue using the survival kit provided by the life-support unit at home base.The life-support unit here ensures all aircrews receive the best life-support equipment for flights and

  • World War II Ironman's remains return home

    In the hallway of the 71st Fighter Squadron here hangs a large wooden board adorned with framed names of "Ironmen" pilots from World War II and Operation Desert Storm. One of those names is 1st Lt. Carl Hoenshell. Three Maltese crosses under his name indicate the number of enemy aircraft he shot

  • Air Force opens hospital in Iraq

    The "medical torch" passed from the Army to the Air Force at Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq with the grand opening of the Expeditionary Medical Support hospital. After nearly six years of development, EMEDS is the latest in expeditionary medical care. The Army's 86th Combat Support Hospital is

  • SECAF, CSAF approve Air University test

    The secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force have approved the testing of an initiative designed to improve interaction between officers and enlisted members in the professional military education environment at Air University. The plan calls for students attending the Air and Space Basic

  • Split disbursement now mandatory for all military travelers

    All military travelers must now select the split disbursement option on their travel voucher claims to directly pay their government travel card expenses, according to finance officials.Split disbursement requires travelers to tally up their GTC expenses and authorize enough funds to be sent

  • Country music star shows appreciation for military

    One of country music’s biggest stars visited Colorado Springs to thank the troops with a free concert May 21.Tim McGraw and the Dance Hall Doctors played to more than 20,000 area military members at Pershing Field on Fort Carson.“The band and crew were completely enthused at the chance to come

  • Dover's 'first airman' visits base

    As he flew over the area on approach to the dirt "runway," he saw the farmhouse that would double as his office.There were no dorms, no paved runway lined with C-5 Galaxies, and certainly no Super Port.The year was 1941, and that was the first view of what Dover Air Force Base had to offer Drexel

  • Now Showing: May 26 edition of Air Force Television News

    The end of an era in Turkey and Air Force ground support in the wake of the war against Iraq spotlight the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Senior Airman Israel Aviles reports on the end of Operation Northern Watch, a decade-old operation that enforced the northern no-fly zone over

  • Air boss conference discusses war plan

    Leaders from around the world came together here May 22 to discuss deterrence and change the war plan regarding the North Korean threat.The annual event provided an opportunity for coalition members, who would fight together if deterrence were to fail, to hear from the U.S. Forces Korea commander

  • Former CMSAFs offer advice

    Two key members of Air Force enlisted history and former chief master sergeants of the Air Force are visiting with U.S. Air Forces in Europe airmen. Retired Chief Master Sgts. of the Air Force Paul Airey, the first person to hold the title, and Sam Parish, the 8th CMSAF, are here as guest speakers

  • Hill prepares F-16s for Italian air force

    Italian defense officials accepted the first of 34 modified and refurbished F-16 Fighting Falcon A and B models from experts here May 16.Maj. Gen. Tommaso Ferro, air defense and defense cooperation attaché for the Italian air force, lead a delegation of military and diplomatic dignitaries in

  • AFRC sets missed-training policy

    Air Force reservists, who have been mobilized, demobilized or who served on voluntary military personnel appropriation tours supporting a contingency since Oct. 1, will not be required to perform an annual tour between now and Sept. 30.Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, commander of Air Force Reserve

  • Air Force punishes cross burners

    A cross-burning incident in Albuquerque, N.M., in March has resulted in discharges for three airmen from here. An investigation revealed three Air Force personnel actively participated in the burning of a wooden cross in the fenced-in backyard of one of the member’s apartment. While the

  • Air Force Reserve support continuing

    As Operation Iraqi Freedom shifts from combat to reconstruction, hundreds of mobilized Air Force reservists are returning home to family and civilian life. Thousands more, however, remain on active duty, and Air Force Reserve Command officials here say they have no clear picture as of May 21 as to

  • KC-135 receiving communications relay ability

    The KC-135 Stratotanker will soon add a communications capability to its mission.The installation of Roll-on Beyond Line of Sight Enhancement equipment, will help the flow of information on KC-135s while the aircraft conduct their primary mission of air refueling.Used primarily as a "flying gas

  • Predator proves worth in war against terrorism

    The Air Force officer is a transport plane pilot, but these days his aircraft flies "solo," and he doesn't leave the ground.Capt. Sam J. Vanzanten, is an earthbound controller of the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. He's been in the Predator program for the past two years, the eight-year military

  • Deployed airmen send love with music

    Leaving loved ones behind is one of the most difficult aspects of deployment, but now deployed airmen can send their love back home in a unique way.For several years, the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band here has produced compact discs for troops and their families. Now the band has expanded

  • Med tech follows dream of becoming doctor

    Reserve 2nd Lt. Cynthia Reed, formerly an active-duty senior airman, is pursuing her goal of becoming a primary-care doctor through the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program.Reed is attending the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, a satellite school of Midwestern University in

  • Speed of Iraq battle tested U.S. logistics efforts

    The speed of the battle in Iraq strained the logistics effort, but the service men and women were up to the task, said Army logistics officials in Iraq and the United States.Speaking via a teleconference call from Iraq, Brig. Gen. Jack C. Stultz Jr. said the unprecedented speed of the coalition

  • President presents trophy to academy team

    President Bush presented the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to senior cadets of the Air Force Academy football team during a May 16 ceremony in the White House.The trophy is presented annually to the service academy football team that bests its academy rivals in collegiate football. The Air Force

  • B-52 undergoes worldwide testing

    The B-52H Avionics Midlife Improvement project recently completed two missions to test new hardware and software upgrades in extreme conditions around the world.The missions were part of the research and developmental test for the project before it moves to operational test and evaluation, allowing

  • State National Guards to combine headquarters

    Each state National Guard will combine its top three headquarters into one "joint force headquarters," said Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, the head of the National Guard Bureau.There are 162 headquarters units in the 54 state and territory National Guard entities and by Oct. 1, 108 of these will no

  • Airman sentenced in first OIF court-martial

    An airman first class from the 405th Expeditionary Munitions Squadron at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia pleaded and was found guilty May 18 of larceny and violation of a general lawful order. This was the first Air Force court-martial held at an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployed

  • Gate guards help civilians trapped in tornado’s path

    With low-traffic volume, Marauder Gate here is usually a quiet posting for the 72nd Security Forces Squadron, but swing shift May 8 changed all that.Airman 1st Class Amanda DeBoer and Oklahoma Army National Guard Spec. Theea Stephens were not long into the shift when civilian workers arriving at the

  • Tech conference stresses 'partnerships'

    "Partnerships for War-Winning Capability" was the theme here May 13 to 15 as military and industry representatives discussed changes in military operations, requirements, challenges and solutions at the fourth annual National Aeronautical Systems and Technology Conference.Operation Iraqi Freedom's

  • Tanker lease vital to global operations

    To quickly begin the recapitalization of its tanker fleet, the Air Force is pursuing a deal to lease 100 Boeing 767s converted into tankers.The proposal awaiting Department of Defense approval is vital to sustaining the Air Force’s tanker fleet, said Dr. Marvin R. Sambur, assistant secretary of the

  • Love of flight unites Cochran, Yeager

    On the face of it, the long friendship between Jackie Cochran (Odlum) and Chuck Yeager seems a little improbable. Mixing two strong-willed overachievers, both of them whom were known public figures, is more like a formula for conflict.Yet the fighter pilot and the wealthy businesswoman had genuine

  • Officials release A-10 accident report

    Air Force investigators determined pilot error caused the Dec. 4 collision of two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs on the Nevada Test and Training Range approximately 98 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.Capt. Eric Palaro, assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, died as a

  • Airman killed, 2nd injured in ambush

    Staff Sgt. Patrick Lee Griffin Jr., 31, of Elgin, S.C., was killed in action May 13 near Diwaniyah, Iraq. Griffin was killed when his convoy was ambushed en route to Baghdad. Master Sgt. Jeffery Gore suffered a leg wound in the ambush and is in stable condition. He is the weapons and tactics

  • Myers praises 64th AEW during visit

    America’s top general stopped briefly at a forward-deployed location May 11 to thank the people of the 64th Air Expeditionary Wing for their contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom.Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a crowd of active-duty, Guard and Reserve

  • Unit puts the 'deploy' in 'deployment order'

    Television images of jets launching and bombs dropping during Operation Iraqi Freedom showed airmen doing what they are trained to do. What most viewers did not see were the people responsible for getting the jets there to put bombs on targets and patrol the sky.The Air Combat Command Air

  • Pilot tours with his ‘Dream Machine’

    Air Force Reserve Command’s recruiting service has teamed up with a veteran F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot and aerobatic performer to increase command awareness and attract young people interested in aviation.Maj. Ed Hamill is a private contractor in civilian life. He owns and operates the Air Force

  • Dog team assists with drug bust

    A 21st Space Wing military working dog team was key in a recent bust on the Mexican border that netted $375,000 worth of cocaine.Staff Sgt. Joseph Saputo and his dog, Nero, both from the 21st Security Forces Squadron, were on temporary duty supporting the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border

  • Helicopters squeeze into modified hangar

    What a difference 4 feet makes -- in this case it was $20,000. Every May, the 76th Helicopter Flight's fleet has to move because its hangar here is used for Guardian Challenge ceremonies. Guardian Challenge is an Air Force Space Command five-day competition of space and missile units. For years,

  • Now showing: May 12 edition of AFTVNews

    A list of symptoms and simple precautions to protect airmen against Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome are spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Joe Wallace’s story on SARS emphasizes the Air Force has not been affected by the virus, thus far, but as a member of

  • 90-year-old veteran delivers

    A Depression-era work ethic, plus some faith and stubbornness, keeps fueling Martin "Mike" Mikulski who is in his 63rd year of service to his country. Mikulski, 90, has spent most weekdays for the last 24 years volunteering his time."What the hell am I gonna do at home? Watch TV?" Mike says in a

  • Sergeant earns Vanguard Award for heroism

    Staff Sgt. Gabriel Brown is the Air Force's 2003 recipient of the Vanguard Award for heroic action, Air Force Personnel Center officials here announced May 12.Brown is assigned to the 720th Special Tactics Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The award, sponsored by the Non-Commissioned Officers

  • Plan will get AEF back on track, fix ‘disparity’

    While many deployed airmen are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom to hero's welcomes, others deployed for as much as three times longer are still waiting to hear when they will go home.What appears to some as an obvious disparity is actually a case of differing mission objectives, said the

  • Air Force civilians among top 50 Hispanics

    Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology magazine has included two Air Force civilians among this year’s Top 50 Hispanics in Business and Technology.Michael L. Dominguez and Michael Montelongo were selected from among hundreds of workers in government, academia and corporate America for their

  • Arlington chaplains provide spiritual support

    More than 280,000 people are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Another 25 are added to those ranks each day.For the organization charged with providing spiritual support to those left behind when a veteran passes away, those numbers can add up to a hectic schedule. But according to the head

  • Official: Ranges important to success

    Training ranges are vital to the Air Force’s success on the battlefield, Air Combat Command’s chief of ranges, airfields and airspace operations told a congressional committee May 6.Col. Frank DiGiovanni's testimony was part of a fact gathering effort by the House Resources Committee as it considers

  • Air Force journalists win DOD awards

    Air Force print and broadcast journalists won 12 categories in the 2002 Thomas Jefferson Awards for excellence in military media. The results were announced May 6 by Defense Information School officials at Fort Meade, Md.Air Force winners in the print-media category are:-- Print Journalist of the

  • Airmen blend science of healing with art of caring

    Air Force medical troops are playing an instrumental role in restoring the quality of life of individuals experiencing problems from physical trauma or general “wear and tear.”The seven-person physical therapy team from the 374th Medical Group here provides services that help restore function,

  • The faces behind the faces on the 'most wanted' deck

    The faces of Saddam Hussein's defeated regime on the now-famous "most wanted" card deck have become ever familiar with more than 1 million decks printed and sold.The faces of the cards' creators, however, were a mystery, until now, that is.Enter Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Mahoney, 31, and Sgt. Scott

  • Civil engineers repair runway in Afghanistan

    Tech. Sgt. John Foster sits in a truck on an active runway at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, and simply covers his ears as a C-130 Hercules races by just yards away and takes off into the blue.Foster is not lost. As the cargo plane heads over Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range, Foster climbs

  • Robins spouse wins Joan Orr Award

    When her phone rang on an otherwise routine afternoon last week, Tammie Bocook was surprised at what she heard: "Please hold for General Wetekam."In seconds, Maj. Gen. Donald Wetekam, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center commander, was congratulating Bocook on being named winner of the 2003 Joan Orr

  • May issue of Airman available

    Learn about stripe-wearing pilots before the days of the Air Force, read about the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom and take a behind-the-scenes look at the enlisted Thunderbird members. These features and more highlight the May issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and

  • Jamming squadron accomplishes mission

    After more than 220 sorties, almost 2,000 combat flying hours and more than 6,000 jammed enemy signals in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the airmen of the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron can call it a day.As part of the 64th Air Expeditionary Wing deployed to Southwest Asia, the

  • Domino effect began with weather forecast

    Trace any Operation Iraqi Freedom mission back to its origin, and you will find the first action in the series of events was a weather forecast, said the senior weather officer for U.S. Central Command Air Forces.“We’re domino pushers,” said Lt. Col. Tom Frooninckx, commander of the 28th Operational

  • Air Force earns environmental awards

    Two Air Force installations and one Air Force archaeologist are winners of Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards for 2002.Representatives from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Tinker AFB, Okla., along with Karlene Leeper of the 611th Air Support Group at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, will receive their

  • Ceremony ends Operation Northern Watch

    The Combined Task Force Operation Northern Watch guidon was encased May 1, in a ceremony signifying the successful end to its mission of enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolutions north of the 36th parallel. Gen. Charles F. Wald, U.S. European Command deputy commander, officiated the ceremony -- an

  • Air Force preparing for next contingency

    Even as deployed airmen return home from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Force officials are focusing on what they need to do to reload the service for the next contingency.According to Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, the three priorities in reconstituting

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

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

  • Cheney declares Iraqi Freedom 'most extraordinary military campaign'

    Vice President Richard Cheney knows what it takes to launch a war in the Persian Gulf. He did just that in 1991 as the nation's 17th defense secretary. Who better then to compare operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom 12 years later? In a speech to the Heritage Foundation today, Cheney called

  • Air Force earns two public service awards

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

  • POL troops fuel massive air campaign

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

  • 2002 mission support awards announced

    Officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Air Force Mission Support Awards.The awards recognize airmen and their units for outstanding performance in the areas of personnel, military equal opportunity, professional military education and training.The winner of the Gen. Robert J. Dixon

  • Test sets world land speed record

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

  • AFSOC taking combat search, rescue

    The Air Force will turn over functional management of the combat search and rescue mission to Air Force Special Operations Command on Oct. 1.The transition to AFSOC from Air Combat Command is meant to consolidate the management of CSAR and to take advantage of the synergies of combining like

  • Program documents art of war

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

  • CSAF presents Purple Heart to pararescueman

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

  • War reunites deployed brothers

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

  • U.S. aircraft leaving Saudi Arabian base

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

  • Dover airmen bring their parents to work

    More than 100 parents beamed with pride and admiration as they walked arm-in-arm with their sons or daughters here. For many of these parents, this was their first exposure to the Air Force’s inner-workings and lifestyle.Bring Your Parents to Work Day, held at the Air Mobility Command Museum on

  • Services strives for better frontline meals

    The immediate requirements of conducting war demand a no-frills approach to frontline living. However, that does not mean conditions have to stay that way.The chief of logistics for the Combined Forces Air Component Command said that once the basic resources needed to effectively fight a war have

  • Former Robins employee sentenced for fraud

    A former Robins employee was recently sentenced to five months imprisonment, five months house arrest with electronic monitoring and three years supervised probation after being convicted of Federal Employees' Compensation Act fraud.A U.S. district judge also ordered the former aircraft electrician

  • ‘Red Tail Express’ delivers in Iraq

    Taking a page from the annals of Air Force history, members of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing are doing whatever it takes to get the job done.Faced with the problem of getting much-needed supplies to airmen at remote locations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, and no apparent way to get it

  • Ammo flight puts ‘force’ in Air Force

    Without munitions, the Air Force would be just the world’s largest, fastest airline.The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing put more than 3.2 million pounds of ordnance on target in Iraq, more than 90 percent of it precision-guided weapons. Those bombs came from the airmen in the 379th Expeditionary

  • One doctor makes up deployed dental flight

    The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing has a dental flight. It is a flight of one.Lt. Col. (Dr.) Alan Sutton is the sole source of minor dental treatment for servicemembers at this forward-deployed location. Treatment includes extractions, fillings, root canals, maintaining orthodontic appliances and

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

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

  • Rotary-wing asset saves lives

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

  • Officials announce AF comm, info awards

    Officials announced the Air Force’s communication and information awards for 2002 here recently.Individual winners:-- Outstanding Field Grade Officer: Maj. Eric J. Bjurstrom from Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.-- Outstanding Company Grade Officer: Capt. Robert K. Lyman from the 50th Space

  • Homeward-bound crew thankful for support

    Among the many missions B-52s flew during Operation Iraqi Freedom, crewmembers aboard one Stratofortress said their most eagerly awaited sortie was the one they were on April 24.The crew spoke to reporters at the Pentagon via a radio-to-telephone connection as they flew home to Minot Air Force Base,

  • Tinker employees awarded $10K for ideas

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

  • Team brings captured base online

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

  • Engineering installation team brings captured base on line

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

  • Cooperation key for coalition success, Hailston says

    The key to the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom was the outstanding cooperation among all of the services and coalition partners, the top Marine in the command said today.Speaking from his headquarters in Bahrain, Marine Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston said that force planned and executed the operation as

  • Bomber group heads home

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

  • Space units provide impact during OIF

    During Operation Iraqi Freedom, thousands of Air Force reservists helped drop bombs on the enemy, deliver supplies and fuel to coalition forces, and rescue stranded or besieged troops on the ground.Many of these reservists worked behind the scenes, including several hundred Air Force Reserve Command

  • Mobile aeromedical staging facility cares for war's wounded

    Providing medical care to injured soldiers and airmen is the main job for 26 active duty and Reserve airmen of the 387th Air Expeditionary Group, deployed to a location in Southwest Asia.Comprising the Expeditionary Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility staff, the team members are a model of the

  • Murderer killed in coalition raid in Kandahar province

    Coalition forces in Afghanistan believe they killed the man who murdered a Salvadoran Red Cross worker March 27, officials at Combined Joint Task Force 180 said today.The action occurred April 21 in Kandahar province in the southern part of the country. Coalition forces worked with officials of the

  • Second F-15E crewmember confirmed dead

    Department of Defense officials announced April 23 that Maj. William R. Watkins III, 37, of Danville, Va., was killed in action April 7 while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Watkins was assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.Watkins was the weapons system

  • Air Force, Army coordinate fire

    Whether they are jumping out of aircraft or rolling in a convoy, one essential entity in any of the 82nd Airborne Division's operations carried out at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, is an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party.Without the TACP, soldiers would not have a team to arrange air cover

  • Former POW recounts 67-month experience

    Even after 67 months as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, Col. George "Bud" Day could still recognize his wife Doris' footsteps as she walked up behind him at March Air Force Base, Calif., March 17, 1973.He said it was because of his lifelong faith in God and his deep-rooted love of country and

  • Damage docs patch, repair battle aircraft

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

  • Ground commander lauds land troops' success in Iraq

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

  • Mobile aeromedical staging facility touches lives in Iraq

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

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

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

  • Firefighters keep watch over planes, people

    Firefighters are an insurance policy the Air Force can't afford to be without, according to Operation Iraqi Freedom's top fire chief."What we bring to the fight," said Chief Master Sgt. Darryl R. Stewart, the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility fire chief, "is a safety factor that the Air

  • Security forces keep base secure

    At this forward-deployed Operation Iraqi Freedom location, two security forces airmen in an observation post keep a close watch on local shipping traffic with high-powered binoculars.At the search pit, military working dogs sniff through a vehicle before it is released to approach the entry control

  • JPRA helps return captives to normal life

    It's going to take more than returning Pfc. Jessica Lynch to the United States for her to get back to a normal life.Much the same could be said about the seven prisoners of war - her five unit comrades and two pilots - rescued April 13.After spending eight days in Iraqi captivity and a nearly equal

  • First impressions

    Tech. Sgt. Joseph Vest, a support airman for the 8th Fighter Squadron here, meets his 1-week-old son, Joseph Jr., for the first time after returning from a deployment. He was one of the airmen who returned April 17 after supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 300 people from Holloman AFB who