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  • Geren: AF fighting three wars

    The Air Force is now fighting three "wars," said the service's senior-most civilian leader. Those three wars are the war on terrorism, the effort to provide disaster relief in the United States, and the push for reform of the Air Force acquisition process, said Pete Geren, acting Secretary of the

  • CENTCOM command chief: Knowledge, actions have far reach

    The command chief for U.S. Central Command wants everyone who has deployed to go back to their bases and share their experiences.Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill also wants people to remember that their individual actions have a far-reaching effect.During his visit to the CENTOM area of

  • Airman views devastated hometown from air

    Airmen with the 822nd Security Forces Squadron are used to deploying into war-ravaged regions and securing airfields -- that is their primary mission. But for one of the squadron’s Airmen, the 822nd’s current mission to provide security here in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been

  • Airport chapel serves evacuees, relief workers

    Chaplain (Capt.) Dan Thompson admits he has never preached from an airline podium before.Then again, many aspects about the massive relief effort going on at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport are a first.The Air Force chaplain from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., was joined by Army

  • COMM ensures information gets to rescuers, Air Force

    The safety of those stranded in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast could hinge upon 450 Airmen deployed here as part of the 347th Expeditionary Rescue Group and their ability to communicate rapidly and effectively across vast distances.From setting up Internet connections and radio systems to

  • Security Forces Airmen prevent attack on Iraqi base

    Security forces Airmen on combat patrol interrupted insurgents as they set timers on rockets aimed at the base Sept. 11.The Airmen with the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron confiscated the rocket launchers several miles from the base while conducting a base-defense patrol mission. They

  • Air Force medics help Katrina victims locate loved ones

    Searching through handwritten passenger manifests and scouring computer databases is not in the usual day’s work for Air Force medics. However, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, medics with the 4th Air Expeditionary Group are doing just that for families separated from loved ones airlifted from

  • Recognition, treatment key in overcoming stress

    Now that the storm has settled, those Airmen and their families who were left with little in the wake of Hurricane Katrina could begin to show signs of stress. Individuals need to be able to recognize those signs and be able to point those stressed Airmen in the right direction.Stress symptoms can

  • Maintainers keep rescue helicopters flying

    As Air Force rescue helicopter aircrews plucked survivors from flooded New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, they drew upon adrenaline to keep going during the 10- to 12-hour missions.However, to keep their HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft flying, they relied on a

  • Air Force Association begins 2005 conference

    The Air Force Association's 2005 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition opened here Sept. 12.The conference features three days of workshops focused on professional requirements, networking and dialogue among active-duty and reserve-component Airmen, civilians, retirees and industry

  • Pharmacy assistance available to displaced military families

    Military evacuees displaced by Hurricane Katrina may request that their prescription records at military treatment facilities in the Gulf Coast be transferred to other military or retail pharmacies nationwide, Tricare officials said.With this policy, displaced beneficiaries with available refills

  • Taking care of Air Force families in Katrina's wake

    "I have U.S. Air Force on my uniform, he has U.S. Air Force on his. That's enough for me," said Col. Scott Walker about why he had no worries about inviting an Airman and his family displaced by Hurricane Katrina to stay with him.The colonel was talking about the base's "Adopt-a-Family" program,

  • Airman goes eye-to-eye with hurricanes

    It rips apart everything in its path. It destroys houses, businesses, lives and families. These past couple of weeks, America has been greatly devastated by it.Capt. Jeff Wright, a U-2S aircraft commander with the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron here, is one of few Airmen who was able to see the vast

  • Schriever brings total-force support to Katrina relief

    Space experts here are working around the clock to provide space system capabilities to civilian and military agencies, allowing the agencies to save lives and provide food, medicine and clothing to people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Airmen with the 50th Operations Group here provide navigation

  • 97th AEG stands up at Keesler

    When the call comes in for an air expeditionary group to deploy, it is usually to a destination with sand, located on foreign soil. Although the sand is still present, this time the group was called to deploy inside the United States -- right at Keesler.The 97th Air Expeditionary Group, comprising

  • Keesler commander: Don’t count us out

    Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina caused $500 million in damages at this training base, it has become a vital staging area for Gulf Coast disaster relief efforts.The base has a new transitional mission supporting relief efforts, said Brig. Gen. William T. Lord, 81st Training Wing commander. And the

  • Keesler cleanup going well

    Staff Sgt. Art Hughes brushed wood chips and sawdust from his black T-shirt, which smelled of sweat and fresh pine. After cutting down trees all morning, it was break time, so he grabbed a bottle of water and gulped it down.Across the street, the rest of “Youngblood’s Crew” kept working. The crew,

  • Rescue crews add new cyber tools to search

    After saving more than 4,200 people, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and active-duty Airmen are finding innovative ways to check for survivors and people who need help.Using the Internet, Web sites, e-mails, personal interviews and calls from families and friends, the helicopter-borne rescuers

  • Riding on empty: Coping with rising gas prices

    Master Sgt. Tony Frazier was just doing what anyone else would do when running low on gas -- he went to the gas station, pulled up to the gas pump and filled up his car’s tank. Before he knew it, the price on the pump read $43 and climbing.“I must have looked silly standing there with my mouth open

  • USSTRATCOM Airman absorbs family fleeing Hurricane Katrina

    Mornings at the Moten household became a little more chaotic on Labor Day as it grew from one to 10 people, but Tech. Sgt. Dorrell Moten does not mind because he knows all of his immediate family survived the hurricane.Eight days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Sergeant Moten, a personnel

  • Airmen reflect on Sept. 11

    Four years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Airmen here still think back to that day as they prepare to deploy for, or continue to support, the global war on terrorism, remembering exactly where they were, what they were doing and what they thought the next few years would be like

  • Guard counterdrug units aid hurricane rescue effort

    Guardsmen from several state counterdrug programs are here using their specialized equipment for recovery mission support after the devastating attack from Hurricane Katrina. Using Light Armored Vehicles, also known as LAVs, counterdrug Airmen and Soldiers have rescued more than 150 victims from

  • Air Force engineers make home for 82nd Airborne

    After a week of sleeping on ponchos inside hangars, nearly 900 Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division can now rest easy in an Air Force tent package thanks to the efforts of Airmen deployed to the 4th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.The engineers worked hard to establish a bare base for Airmen

  • War veterans care for peacetime victims

    Within 48 hours of Hurricane Katrina slamming the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, Capt. Frances Robertson was ready to go save lives.She reported for duty at 6 a.m., realizing the gravity of the situation, and promptly called her mother and asked her to watch her children, warning her it might be several

  • Air Force reservists fight fires in Idaho

    Two specially equipped C-130 Hercules and 29 reservists from here are helping squelch forest fires in Idaho.In the first three days since arriving Sept. 4 in Boise, Idaho, the C-130s and Airmen from Air Force Reserve Command flew 14 sorties and dropped 36,500 gallons of fire retardant supporting of

  • Edwards' testers 'propel' Hurricane Hunters through Katrina

    It has been labeled the greatest disaster in this nation's history by government officials. Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall Aug. 29, has devastated the Gulf Coast and left thousands homeless.As Air Force bases nationwide work to provide immediate aid through airlift, medical support,

  • Airmen, Soldiers provide hurricane support

    Air Force reservists with the 939th Air Refueling Wing here are providing around-the-clock support to airlift the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Brigade deploying to the area affected by Hurricane Katrina. Since Sept. 2, the 939th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the 83rd Aerial Port Squadron

  • C-130s to spray for insects in states affected by hurricane

    Two C-130 Hercules and 50 Air Force reservists from the 910th Airlift Wing left Youngstown Air Reserve Station on Sept. 8 to fly aerial spray missions in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.In coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control, the Air Force

  • Airmen serve in Iraq to honor 9/11 victims

    Never in a million years did Kara Gaines dream she would enlist in the military and follow in the footsteps of her retired Air Force father. That was until the senior airman with the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron here watched in horror as terrorists rammed three planes into some of the

  • Geren: People, equipment top Air Force priorities

    Beginning with operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern and Northern Watch and operations in countries such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, the Air Force has been on war footing since the summer of 1990, said the acting secretary of the Air Force."The men and women of the Air Force

  • Baby arrives during hurricane via C-section by flashlight

    Hurricane Katrina’s awesome power could not keep a baby from making her debut at the medical center here during a cesarean section illuminated by a ring of flashlights.“Our team delivered a healthy, robust baby girl -- definitely not a shrinking violet,” said Maj. Betsy Majma, a nurse anesthetist.

  • Little Rock welcomes China hurricane aid

    A China Southern Cargo 747 aircraft laden with 100 tons of humanitarian aid from China landed here Sept. 7 as part of Hurricane Katrina relief operations.Little Rock is the hub for receiving international humanitarian aid for hurricane relief.The flight, which originated in Beijing with a stopover

  • AF continues hurricane relief effort in Jackson

    After more than a week of 24-hour search and rescue operations from here, HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters switched to flying day missions Sept. 8.But the 347th Expeditionary Rescue Group -- with elements from six active-duty, Guard and Reserve units -- has not finished its vital mission, said Capt.

  • AFRC wants hurricane victims to check in

    Air Force Reserve Command officials said they are extremely concerned about reservists assigned to New Orleans or Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., who have not contacted their units with their status after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29."Only 63 percent of our (servicemembers)

  • AFOATS organizations hit hard by Katrina

    Air Force Officer Accession and Training School officials here are assessing the damage to Air Force ROTC detachments and Junior ROTC units affected by Hurricane Katrina.Twenty-five Air Force Junior ROTC units located in high schools in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama are potentially

  • Keesler chaplains receive welcome additions

    For nine Air Force chaplains, providing ministry to Airmen recovering from Hurricane Katrina at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., is challenging.The chaplains and chaplain assistants there are working overtime, yet with the prospect of post-traumatic stress-related issues affecting troops and families,

  • New policy decreases threat of identity theft

    The undersecretary of defense-comptroller and the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness have cosigned a new policy that directs military departments and all defense civilian employees to support the policy to eliminate paper copies of leave and earnings statements and W-2 tax

  • AFRC steps forward to help hurricane victims

    From coast to coast, people assigned to and associated with Air Force Reserve Command are stepping forward to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.Pararescuemen, aeromedical caregivers, airlift crews, aerial porters and reservists from dozens of other specialties have logged hundreds of missions,

  • Displaced families can seek safe haven within United States

    Military families and Department of Defense civilians and their family members ordered to evacuate military installations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama because of Hurricane Katrina are now authorized to select an alternate safe haven anywhere in the continental United States, defense

  • DOD, OPM offer information, help for displaced employees

    Defense officials vowed this week to keep Department of Defense civilian employees affected by Hurricane Katrina as up-to-date as possible on benefits and other entitlements and to help these employees continue to contribute to the department's mission."Our DOD civilian employees are a valuable

  • 552nd Air Control Wing supports hurricane relief efforts

    For the past week, news stations have been running nonstop coverage about the devastation in the Gulf Coast region.People have seen heroic rescues from rooftops and flooded homes, families opening their homes to those in need, and countless people and organizations donating money, supplies.Airmen

  • Displaced Airmen return to Keesler after hurricane

    Twenty Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., people who evacuated here because of Hurricane Katrina made a bittersweet day trip back to their homes and belongings Sept. 5, just one week after the storm devastated much of the Gulf Coast.The Airmen rode in a convoy of eight security-escorted vehicles for the

  • Air Force paralegals aid survivors through claims process

    The legalities of disaster recovery can seem murkier than floodwater, but for some Air Force families, making claims for belongings destroyed by Hurricane Katrina will be easier, thanks to Air Force paralegals.Two teams of Airmen from various Air Education and Training Command bases arrived at

  • Reservists charge into aeromedical evacuation effort

    Nerves of steel, the patience of a saint and the ability to forego substantial eating and sleeping for days at a time.Anyone seeking a job coordinating the aeromedical evacuation of thousands after a major disaster need not apply unless they have those traits. Some dry-erase markers, a telephone and

  • Keesler medical aid reaches community neighbors

    As a team of medics here walked to the doors of a local high school converted into a shelter, a man approached with wide eyes and a huge smile.Stopping a few steps from the Airmen, he raised a hand to his brow and said, “I salute you. I’m proud of you all and thank you for your support.”Jack

  • Some Airmen can carry over 'use or lose' leave

    Airmen who were recalled from or unable to take annual leave this past year for reasons such as support for contingency operations will be allowed to accumulate more than the normal 60 days after the fiscal year ends.Special leave accrual carry-over also applies to Air Force reservists and Air

  • Air Force rescues top 4,000 mark

    Since Air Force helicopters first started search-and-rescue operations 34 hours after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Airmen here have rescued more than 4,000 people as of Sept. 7.Of that number, active-duty rescue units picked up more than 2,800, said Lt. Col. Bob Thompson, spokesman for the

  • Helicopter mission changes as rescue tempo slows

    As the forced evacuation of New Orleans continues, Air Force helicopter crews here are flying fewer rescues and conducting more ferry missions from evacuee collection points.Though aircrews still have a high operations tempo and their helicopters are flying much more than usual, it is different from

  • Communication units deploy to support hurricane relief

    Airmen from Air Combat Command headquarters and the Air National Guard deployed during the past several days to provide around-the-clock service and support to the areas in the Gulf Coast ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Airmen are from combat communications and tactical communications units and

  • Geren lauds total AF Katrina effort

    As Hurricane Katrina passed through the Gulf Coast region, the Air Force responded even before the full gravity of the effects were known, taking care of its own people, and assisting in rescue and recovery missions afterwards."The total force of the Air Force -- the active duty, Guard and Reserve

  • AFMC provides assistance in Katrina's aftermath

    When disaster struck the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida in the form of Hurricane Katrina, Air Force Materiel Command stood up its crisis action team to assist with relief efforts to the region.Since then, support has come from each of the command's bases -- from

  • PJs airlift those devastated by Hurricane Katrina

    Nearly 3,000 people have been airlifted out of the New Orleans area and taken to local care centers in the arms of 374th Expeditionary Rescue Group pararescuemen.Pararescuemen from three rescue squadrons nationwide are deployed here participating in what has been described as the largest

  • Airmen repair helo in New Orleans, spend two days without food

    After a complete electrical failure rendered an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter useless during search-and-rescue efforts near New Orleans on Sept. 1, Air Force officials were quick to deploy two staff sergeants to the scene.When the call came in at 2 a.m., Staff Sgts. Brandon LaFountain and Kevin

  • Air War College revises nonresident program

    The Air War College here announced the revision of its nonresident studies course to ensure currency and relevancy.The college will launch the new curriculum in January.The accelerated content meets joint professional military education Phase II requirements and reflects recent changes in the Air

  • Combat communications squadron hooks up tent city

    One combat communications squadron convoyed more than 600 miles to provide support to an Air Force tent city here. More than 100 Airmen with the 33rd Combat Communications Squadron from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., arrived here Sept. 5 with more than 30 military vehicles after having spent more

  • Little Rock AFB hub for international Katrina aid

    The first international aid for Hurricane Katrina victims touched down in Arkansas on Sept. 5, and more international flights are on the way.The base was tapped as the hub and clearinghouse for all international aid air shipments for Hurricane Katrina victims."Little Rock Air Force Base is proud to

  • Reservists mobilize for Katrina relief efforts

    Some Airmen with the 908th Airlift Wing here returned to their home base Sept. 6 after participating in an overseas deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before they even returned, however, their commander said they were ready to serve again, only this time for disaster-relief

  • Animals in the aftermath

    When David Cook’s resolve crumbled after a week of surviving in his third-floor apartment amid Hurricane Katrina floodwaters, he searched for help that arrived too quickly.After Mr. Cook endured Katrina’s wrath Aug. 29, he said his two “hardheaded” roommates talked him into staying put another seven

  • AMC aircraft, people continue hurricane relief efforts

    In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Air Mobility Command has moved thousands of military support people, civilian emergency responders and evacuees, and has delivered tons of emergency equipment and supplies supporting relief operations.To handle the increased air mobility operations into and out

  • Couple weds outside Keesler shelter

    Five days after Hurricane Katrina dramatically changed many lives in the Gulf Coast region, a couple here began a new chapter in their own lives.Tech. Sgt. Daniel McMullen of the 335th Training Squadron and his girlfriend of three years, LaVerne, exchanged wedding vows Sept. 3 outside one of the

  • Keesler recovery efforts already showing results

    People here are well into recovery operations just a week after the base and much of the Gulf Coast sustained massive damage from Hurricane Katrina."We're in the recovery and reconstitution stages where we're assessing the damage and repairing the facilities we're going to need in order to be able

  • Vandenberg tests Minuteman III ICBM

    An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile successfully launched from here Sept. 7 and landed in the Marshall Islands about 30 minutes later.The mission, conducted by people with the 30th Space Wing and the 576th Flight Test Squadron here and the 91st SW from Minot AFB, N.D, tested

  • Air Force BEAR Base deploys supporting JTF-Katrina

    Airmen with the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group here began deploying in support of Joint Task Force-Katrina, the massive relief effort directed at providing humanitarian aid to Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina.The 49th MMG, the only Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources Base group in the Air

  • Airmen saving lives in New Orleans, Mississippi

    Air Force bases nationwide are deploying hundreds of Airmen to Louisiana and Mississippi to save lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.Search and rescue missions are under way around the clock to evacuate hurricane victims stranded along the Gulf Coast.Two 50th Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules

  • Lackland supports Hurricane Katrina evacuation

    Airmen here played a critical role in San Antonio’s hurricane evacuation operation.Over a 55-hour period, Lackland received 9,788 evacuees aboard 89 aircraft. Working in partnership with San Antonio first responders, Airmen helped unload passengers, provide medical assistance and prepare evacuees

  • Airmen evacuate hurricane victims

    Three Airmen flew their first humanitarian mission together here as part of the effort to evacuate Hurricane Katrina victims. After the storm hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, tens of thousands of residents there were left behind, trapped by the floodwater. They had little food and drinking water and no

  • Defense leaders praise Keesler resolve, spirit

    The military’s highest-ranking officials leading post-Hurricane Katrina relief efforts toured here Sept. 4 and personally delivered reassuring words to the storm-battered base’s troops and family members.The visiting delegation, led by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, included Gen. Richard

  • Special unit provides airfield operations in New Orleans

    Without the quick deployment of an Air Mobility Command special unit, the air evacuation plan here would not have happened.The 818th Contingency Response Group from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., arrived Aug. 31, a day after Hurricane Katrina demolished the area. They instantly provided relief to

  • Katrina floodwaters a biohazard-laden ‘soup’

    Airmen who continue to fly search and rescue missions must protect themselves from a host of biohazards in the floodwaters from where they pluck survivors.Contact with the polluted water, now called “the soup,” can cause rashes, illness and disease, said Col. (Dr.) Lewis Neace, a reserve flight

  • AFSPC Airmen support recovery efforts

    The magnitude of devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina may take months to realize. But help is needed fast, and Air Force Space Command is responding quickly.Examples of this expeditious effort lie with some of the command’s deployed officers.Col. Jay Santee, 21st Space Wing vice

  • 1st AF provides command, control for Katrina relief efforts

    When the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested Department of Defense resources to help with Hurricane Katrina relief operations, 1st Air Force here established the 1st Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force-Katrina Operation.The 1st AETF is the Air Force organization designated to perform

  • Air Force expands child care for hurricane-affected Airmen

    Air Force families affected by Hurricane Katrina and those involved in hurricane relief operations are eligible for free or subsidized child care.Air Force officials opened the Air Force Extended Duty Child Care Program to those involved with relief efforts and those affected by the hurricane,

  • Barksdale helps hurricane evacuees, families

    The family assistance control center here continues to help relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina.Hundreds of servicemembers and Department of Defense civilians have fled to the Bossier City and Shreveport area in northern Louisiana seeking a safe haven, said Theresa Marvin, family support

  • Recruiting service seeking hurricane-affected future Airmen

    Air Force Recruiting Service officials here are seeking contact from members of the delayed entry program who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.Those affected may contact the recruiting service at (210) 671-2951 Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT. After normal business hours,

  • NRO director supports hurricane relief, warfighter

    As a newly minted physicist, one of the first sets of experiments Dr. Donald M. Kerr worked on involved the use of small rockets. Today, many years later, Dr. Kerr is no longer simply experimenting with rocket science; instead, he is leading it as the new director of the National Reconnaissance

  • Keesler Airmen, Sailors, Marines rally to aid local community

    Military and civilian volunteers here are reaching out to help the local community after surviving and beginning recovery operations after Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29. More than 12 Airmen from the 81st Training Wing here provided medical aid, food, water and ice Sept. 3 to about 450 Biloxi

  • Guard chief describes Katrina response operations

    The chief of the National Guard Bureau declared the National Guard's role in Hurricane Katrina response operations "a great success story," after a recent trip to the Gulf Coast where he saw guardsmen providing almost three-quarters of the military's uniformed response.General Blum said he was

  • RC-26 assists Hurricane Katrina recovery operations

    The RC-26 is normally tasked to assist law enforcement in a counterdrug role, but now has now been tasked to assist state and federal officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.In the immediate aftermath of the devastating hurricane, the 147th Fighter Wing here dispatched its RC-26 to fly photo

  • Offutt services crew provides comfort to hurricane victims

    Some Airmen may wear the uniform for quite a while before they truly learn what it means to be in the Air Force.But for Airman 1st Class Keith Torgersen, it only took 10 months.Airman Torgersen is a services specialist with the 55th Services Squadron. He, and about 20 of his peers from Offutt Air

  • CLEP testing saves money, time, headaches

    There is a way for Airmen to earn their degrees using knowledge gained from work and personal study, while at the same time saving money and shortening time spent in classes.The College Level Examination Program and the Excelsior examination program are available to servicemembers in pursuit of a

  • Edwards tests production Global Hawk for possible deployment

    Global Hawk flight test efforts were completed Aug. 28, bringing the latest version of the aircraft one step closer to warfighter employment.The tests on the unmanned aerial vehicle, conducted here by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center's Detachment 5, the 31st Test and Evaluation

  • Airmen build tent city for relief workers

    While helicopters continue to airlift victims of Hurricane Katrina to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, a group of Airmen are constructing a massive tent city for relief workers.More than 70 Airmen of different backgrounds and units have come together to form the beginnings of

  • Pararescuemen hoist survivors to safety

    Though it is a city without electricity, rescue crews see plenty of lights as they fly over New Orleans each night searching for survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.Sporadic fires burn wildly, but through their night-vision devices, combat search and rescue crews from the Air Force

  • A city underwater gets help from above

    With their homes and city underwater, many citizens of New Orleans have been looking to the skies for help from helicopter rescue crews of the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and active duty.Hoisted aloft from rooftops and carried aboard from broken bridge spans and other locations isolated by

  • Eglin provides for displaced families through Airman’s Attic

    It is not unusual to see vehicles lined up, five to six deep, patiently waiting in the aftermath of a hurricane. Usually these long lines are for fuel to power cars and generators. Here, however, these cars are lined up for a different reason: they are waiting to donate goods to those in need.A

  • Rumsfeld, Myers visit New Orleans airport

    The secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited here to witness efforts to evacuate thousands this struggling city.Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard B. Myers toured the airport and visited with some of the more than 1,000 servicemembers living and working at the

  • Deployed Airmen prepare for life at Keesler after Katrina

    In most cases, when a loved one deploys it is the families back home who are worried, but for some the tables have turned here after the destruction Hurricane Katrina caused.A group of Airmen here who are deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., experienced the frustration of being away from

  • More active, Guard troops join Katrina response

    President Bush announced Sept. 4 the deployment of 7,000 more active-duty forces to support hurricane relief operations along the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast.There, they will join 5,000 other active forces and almost 22,000 National Guardsmen already on the ground evacuating stranded people,

  • Retirement home residents recall Katrina's wrath

    It was hot, muggy and scary. Temperatures hovered above 95 degrees in the 11-story high-rise home built for more than 600 military retirees, and there was no power or water as the aging veterans peered through windows watching the total devastation Hurricane Katrina left behind, including cars

  • Price family glad to leave New Orleans

    Ralph Price Sr. had a smile on his face Sept. 3 when he and his family got off the C-9 Nightingale aircraft that brought him here from New Orleans.He and his family had finally escaped what he called “the hell-hole of New Orleans.” And, he said, the nightmare of the New Orleans airport.The waters

  • World War II vets honored at 60th anniversary of war's end

    World War II veterans gathered with military, political and diplomatic leaders and the public to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the war's end Sept. 2 at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall here.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sponsored the event, and military leaders from every

  • Air Force MASF last stop for some hurricane victims

    Usually, this airport is pretty sterile. With waxed floors and fresh air, everybody moves through quickly and nobody plans staying long. That was before Hurricane Katrina. Now, instead of businessmen and vacationers, a different kind of traveler packs the airport -- evacuees trying to catch a plane

  • Air Force support of Hurricane Katrina continues

    A week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the Air Force continues its fever-pitch support effort to aid the people it has affected.Airmen, aircraft and equipment from bases nationwide are playing a vital role in the Federal Emergency Management Agency-directed Hurricane Katrina

  • Volunteers help keep Airmen safe by searching vehicles

    Several Airmen here recently received a small taste of what it is like to part of security forces for a day when they volunteered to help at the visitor control center search pit here.“Providing security for the base is our first duty as Airmen,” said Senior Airman Ben Abbott, a 407th Expeditionary

  • After recovery, Keesler’s future uncertain

    Hurricane Katrina tried to give Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., a knockout blow. But though it left a huge path of destruction in its wake -- it did not succeed. The massive storm devastated the base. No doubt about that, base officials said. And it claimed the base’s once vibrant training mission.

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    More than 60 men and women from throughout America have earned an opportunity to become Air Force leaders following their selection for a commission, officials here announced Sept. 2. Air Force Recruiting Service officials considered 467 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection

  • Hurricane-affected Airmen to redeploy

    More than 300 active-duty and Reserve Airmen deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., will return early from their deployments to attend to their families’ needs and aid in base recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.Nearly 100 Airmen who were scheduled to deploy from Keesler will remain

  • Airmen provide communications capabilities

    Several Airman from the 5th Combat Communications Group left their families here Sept. 1 to provide communications capabilities for servicemembers in the devastated Gulf Coast region. Airmen from all four squadrons of the 5th CCG loaded about 25 pallets of communications equipment and headed to

  • Safety enforced by motorcycle club

    Motorcyclists here know there is safety in numbers, which is one reason they created a motorcycle club.Missileers on Bikes is a private organization dedicated to offering motorcyclists here an opportunity to meet fellow riders, ride in a group, learn from more experienced riders and participate in