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  • Pit stop

    Staff Sgt. Randy Simmons and Senior Airmen Benjamin David, Steven Campos and Matthew Easton push a new B-52 Stratofortress tire toward its mount April 7 at a forward-deployed location. Two or three of the 500-pound tires get changed each day at this base. The process takes about 20 minutes for

  • ONW fighters say final goodbye to Incirlik

    The last Operation Northern Watch mission flew March 17, but the end of the operation was not obvious until the last fighter aircraft roared out of here April 7.The last fighter planes, eight F-16CJ Fighting Falcons from the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., left for home and did

  • Academy programs rank among nation's best

    The U.S. Air Force Academy has one of the nation's top undergraduate engineering programs, according to U.S. News & World Report.The national news magazine just released its America's Best Colleges 2003 edition, which rated universities in a number of general areas. In terms of specific academic

  • Personnel data system upgrade smooth, uneventful

    One week before the end of March, in the middle of a war, the military personnel data system underwent a major database upgrade -- and nobody noticed."After some of the things we've gone through that made MilPDS almost a four-letter word throughout the Air Force, this is an important

  • Night check

    Capt. Steven, a B-52 Stratofortress pilot from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., checks his night-vision equipment at a forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is deployed with the 457th Air Expeditionary Group. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Stacia M. Willis)

  • Assignment keeps recruiter, recruitee together

    When Airman 1st Class Natasha Butler reported for duty to the 463rd Airlift Group at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., in September 2000, she felt like she was coming home again.Not only was she from Little Rock, but her recruiter, Master Sgt. Lorenzo, was assigned to the same unit and she had

  • Coalition air effort runs gamut of missions

    With their dazzling accuracy played out frequently for worldwide television audiences, precision-guided weapons have made media favorites out of strategic and tactical bombing missions.But there is a wide variety of other air operations going on around the clock that are just as important to the war

  • Transient-alert team keeps flightline running

    The flightline is a busy place and no one knows that better than the people who keep it all running smoothly at one forward-deployed location.The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's transient alert team has aircraft crew chiefs who ensure all the transient aircraft -- aircraft that do not belong to the

  • Team helps troops travel on stomachs

    Underscoring the value of a well-fed force, Napoleon once asserted, "An army travels on its stomach."Despite a rapid and massive buildup for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 386th Expeditionary Services Squadron's food services team didn't flinch at the task of feeding thousands of coalition bellies for

  • Keeping a promise to POW, MIA families

    The day before five soldiers became prisoners of war in Operation Iraqi Freedom, a meeting for relatives of some still lost from past wars demonstrated the eternal promise that everyone comes home.A "Family Member Update" brought experts working on POW and MIA cases together to share information

  • Moseley: 'Softening' not accurate description

    "Softening" Iraqi Republican Guard forces in and around Baghdad is not the way Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley would describe the effect of coalition air strikes."We are not softening them up. We are killing them," Moseley said April 5 in a teleconference with Pentagon reporters from his headquarters

  • Dover team serves to honor fallen heroes

    With the arrival of remains from Operation Iraqi Freedom, the honor guard is performing more than its usual duties.Besides providing military funeral honors, honor guard airmen, working with the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), bring the remains to the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs

  • JAG discusses rules of combat

    When Americans go to war, they are armed with more than the best weapons and training the nation has to offer -- they are equipped with the "rule of law."According to the Air Force's senior lawyer, the United States fights wars differently from other nations."The Constitution governs everything we

  • Guard, Reserve airmen testify about effects of mobilization

    Members of Congress turned to a panel of noncommissioned officers April 3 to determine the price military reservists are paying to help defend the nation.Two members of the Air National Guard and an Air Force reservist were on the multi-service panel that told members of the House Armed Services

  • Agreement establishes Fighter Associate Program

    Air Force Reserve Command and Air Combat Command have joined forces to begin the Fighter Associate Program.Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, ACC commander, and Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, AFRC commander, signed a memorandum of agreement that took effect April 2.The Fighter Associate Program is designed to

  • Renamed airport gateway to Iraq's future

    Saddam International Airport is under new management and has been renamed Baghdad International Airport, U.S. Central Command officials said today.Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, during a news conference in Qatar, said Army 5th Corps forces took the airport after heavy fighting. He said the airport

  • Team's efforts help warplanes go farther

    What do a maintenance scheduler, an information management specialist and an F-16 Fighting Falcon crew chief have in common?Normally, not a whole lot. But at a desert air base, they are all part of a 16-person team sent from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., that augments the 363rd Expeditionary

  • Teachers take to the field

    They say those who cannot do, teach. But do not say that around the advisers from Ammo U, who just arrived at a forward-deployed location to give, and get, an education.The 40 or so airmen from the Air Force Combat Ammunition Center at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., have closed the school and moved

  • Aviano volunteers make deployment transit experience memorable

    Luke-warm coffee and a plate of stale cookies while waiting to move forward are deployment facts of life, right up there with tent living and a quarter-mile hike to the bathroom.Thanks to a program named Operation Yellow Ribbon, individuals passing through here are treated to something a little out

  • Forces join together to fuel the coalition

    The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force have joined forces at an RAF base in the Eastern Mediterranean to set up a refueling mission.A refueling system was needed that was more efficient than refueling aircraft by fuel trucks, according to RAF Warrant Officer 2nd Class Paul

  • Tower a pinnacle of support for fliers

    As B-52 Stratofortresses lift off from a deployed location, the last person to wish them well is not the commander or maintainers. It is Airman 1st Class Jeremy Beecher, an air traffic controller with the 457th Air Expeditionary Group.Air traffic controllers direct all air and runway traffic. They

  • Reserve, active duty blend seamlessly

    Active-duty and Reserve airmen are working side by side and facing the same wartime challenges while deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.Air reserve technicians from the 917th Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., work in tandem with their active-duty counterparts as members of the 5th

  • Congress ponders exchange merger

    Department of Defense leaders met with the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on total force April 2 to discuss the future of the department's three exchange services.Of specific interest was a potential merger of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the Navy Exchange and the Marine

  • AF provides Congress with Raptor update

    Air dominance is the first priority of any combat commander and the F/A-22 Raptor will provide it for them, Lt. Gen. John D.W. Corley said in congressional testimony April 2.Corley is the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition at the Pentagon."Air dominance provides

  • Day in the life: B-52 commander's day filled with make-or-break decisions

    His day begins shortly before 6 a.m., making deposits.Each person he sees, he pats on the shoulder, shakes hands with or offers a warm greeting -- deposits of confidence, calm and comfort. He treats them all alike, from the single-stripe airman to the blue-oak-leaf lieutenant colonel.For Col. Dan

  • Snow duty

    Moving a patient front of the Old Faithful ranger station here are, from left, Ranger Jan Cauthorn-Page Senior Master Sgt. Johnny Cupp (left) and Senior Airman Nathan Steele. Cupp and Steele are emergency medical technicians with the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force

  • Advanced scopes give engine mechanics an edge

    New digital borescopes are allowing mechanics here to more efficiently and accurately inspect aircraft engines getting aircraft back in warfighters' hands quicker.The fiber-optic borescopes detect, measure and retrieve damaging foreign debris from inside aircraft engines. This allows Oklahoma City

  • Fix nets new stripes for 23 airmen

    Nearly two dozen enlisted airmen will receive an unexpected promotion since personnel officials discovered systemic errors involving people who returned to the Air Force after a break in service.While no stripes will be taken away, officials discovered that 35 "prior-service" airmen had -- unknown

  • Letterman features Alaska airmen

    Ten members of the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron here will share the spotlight with David Letterman when they present a "top 10 list" on his TV show April 4. The airmen will give late-night audiences the "Top 10 Cool Things about Being Stationed in Alaska." The segment was taped in front of

  • Last American flag on Iwo Jima flies over Buckley

    In 1968, Old Glory was lowered on the island of Iwo Jima for the last time as the island returned to the Japanese government.A flag had flown day and night on Mount Suribachi since U.S. Marines famously raised on there during the battle for Iwo Jima.On March 27, that last flag flew here as part of a

  • Female B-2 pilot makes history

    Military women are continuing to knock down barriers and make history.Capt. Jennifer Wilson, a B-2 Spirit pilot deployed with the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, landed on the runway April 1 at her forward-deployed location, making her the first female B-2 pilot to fly a combat mission. "Flying

  • Wing prepares for CV-22 training

    With two CV-22 simulators on board here, 58th Special Operations Wing workers are making strides toward setting up training for the new aircraft.The Air Force officially accepted ownership of its first full-motion CV-22 simulator at the 58th Training Squadron recently.The unit will receive four

  • Airmen jump in, prepare airfield in northern Iraq

    As part of what may be the largest airborne assault since D-Day, 20 airmen of the 86th Contingency Response Group parachuted into northern Iraq on March 27 with more than 1,000 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.The people who jumped into Iraq comprised a team of specialists from the

  • 9-11 flag inspires people at Ramstein

    Reserve Capt. Eric Szillus hangs an American flag flown at Ground Zero in a fitness center turned medical staging area here. Szillus is a clinical nurse with the 514th Aeromedical Staging Squadron from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., and a full-time New York firefighter who was at the World Trade

  • April issue of Airman available

    Take a look at how the Air Force entered space, learn about the A-10 Thunderbolt II mission over Afghanistan, and read about the silent wings of history. These features and more highlight the April issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online.In the early 1950s, America slowly began

  • Senior leaders welcome independent academy review

    Even as the Air Force takes its first steps toward correcting problems that led to allegations of sexual assault at its academy, the service's leaders told lawmakers they would welcome a third-party investigation.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P.

  • Air Force surgeon general: 'We are ready'

    Improvements in the deployment process since the 1991 Gulf War have resulted in a more fit and healthy fighting force, the Air Force surgeon general told a House committee March 27."Our military now finds itself engaged in war on multiple fronts -- in fact, a greater percentage of our troops are

  • Personnel training teams visiting bases

    Help is on the way for Military Personnel Data System users, which should lead to better customer service for airmen and commanders, according to an Air Force Personnel Center official here.Six-person training teams from the center are traveling to every base in the Air Force."We're training each

  • Troops hope their work doesn't come home

    They descended on a forward-deployed location with one focus: building bombs. Not just any bombs. They wanted to build the kind that don't come back. It is the lifeblood of any ammo troop.They didn't build for two weeks, just long enough for them to get antsy, wondering when they would get their

  • AWACS keep flying despite challenges

    About 45 people deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., work together to make sure the E-3 Sentry, better known as the Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft or AWACS, is ready to launch within an hour if needed.That is no small task, according to the man in charge of the maintenance of

  • Scientists, engineers vital to Air Force mission

    The Air Force is having difficulty recruiting and retaining its civilian and military scientist and engineering workforce, Gen. Lester L. Lyles, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, told senators March 31.If the service wants to retain its position as the world's premier air and space force, it

  • KC-135 Stratotankers keep allied forces flying

    As the Air Force's operating tempo climbs to unprecedented heights in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the efforts of refueling tankers are keeping the air war on track.With the average daily number of air sorties going from 1,000 to 1,800 in the past two days, according to a defense official,

  • Towing the line

    Airman 1st Class Adam McChord helps tow an F-16 Fighting Falcon at a forward-deployed location. McChord is a crew chief assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Terry L. Blevins)

  • Program offers close-up look at police work

    The last place most people want to find themselves is in a cop car, but that is exactly where one local teenager found his dream.Travis Sheets, a 17-year-old Enid High School student, is focused on an Air Force career thanks to his "Ride-Along Program" experience.The program, managed by 71st

  • Weather clears skies for bomber pilots

    While accurate bombs, jet-propelled missiles and well-trained crews mean the difference in a war, none of it gets off the ground without good weather.As aircrews and others at a forward-deployed location will tell you, weather is paramount for the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom. No one knows

  • Now showing: March 31 edition of Air Force Television News

    The vast array of Air Force assets contributing to Operation Iraqi Freedom are spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Leigh Bellinger shows all the ground and air people plus materiel making up the Air Force part of the war against Iraq; Master Sgt. Dan Robinson

  • C-130s are SUVs of airlift

    In a world where fighters are seen as the sleek Lamborghinis of the flying world, C-130s are still carrying the load as the SUVs of airlift. According to workers from of the C-130 system program office and the production people who maintain the aircraft here, that is just what it should be

  • Air Force names top command post controllers

    Air Force operations and training officials here have named the following airmen as 2002 Command Post Controllers of the Year:-- Command Post Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year is Master Sgt. Joseph A. Howell Jr., Yokota Air Base, Japan.-- Command Post NCO of the Year is Staff Sgt. Rodney D.

  • Strikes target Fedayeen, other regime operations

    Coalition airmen kept the heat on the Iraqi regime March 29 with precision strikes on Fedayeen, air-defense and command-and-control facilities.Coalition aircraft bombed the main training facility of the Fedayeen paramilitary forces in eastern Baghdad. The Fedayeen in this area are in charge of

  • After first week of war, airmen charged, ready

    With the first week of Operation Iraq Freedom successfully waged, 40,000 airmen spread across 30 locations stand poised for the long and difficult road ahead.But to airmen such as Senior Airman Jennifer Raney, the duration of the journey is secondary to dispelling the regime of Saddam Hussein."I'm

  • Moving forward

    Airmen of the 821st Tanker Airlift Control Element wait to board a C-130 Hercules aircraft March 27. The aircraft will move the airmen to another undisclosed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Quinton T. Burris)

  • Air Force wins 5th straight bowling crown

    For anyone who says sports dynasties are dead, say hello to the Air Force bowling team.The team dominated the 25th annual Armed Forces Bowling Championship held March 14 to 20 at the Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.Airmen swept all the gold medals, claiming their fifth consecutive interservice team

  • Buildup

    Staff Sgt. Matthew Duncan puts a fuse into a 2,000-pound Mk-84 bomb before it is loaded onto a B-52 Stratofortress bomber. Duncan is assigned to the 457th Air Expeditionary Group at a forward-deployed location. He is deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st

  • Strike Eagles destroy Ba'ath leadership facility

    A pair of Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles attacked a Ba'ath Party headquarters building in southern Iraq on March 28, where some 200 leaders of the Iraqi "irregular forces" were meeting.According to Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart, U.S. Central Command director of operations, the attack was meant to destroy

  • Experience levels vary in Operation Iraqi Freedom

    The level of experience of Air Force members currently deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia runs the gamut, from battle-tested veteran to bright-eyed teenager.But whether they are new to the game or have seen it all before, the mission must go

  • Air National Guard unit ensures safe flying

    Communication is vital. It is the key to the success of any operation. Without it, assumption and perception take over, causing malfunctions and putting lives at stake.This is something the air traffic control and radar approach control airmen at Bagram, Afghanistan know well.Listening for

  • Most airlines change luggage weight limits

    Most major airlines have changed their checked baggage policy concerning weight limits and excess charges for luggage on domestic flights, according to Air Mobility Command transportation officials. These changes will affect military travelers."The carriers will continue to accept luggage up to 100

  • Base is no place for owls

    As sprawling neighborhoods take over wide-open spaces and devour wildlife habitats, some animals are forced to move to new homes. Sometimes those homes are on military installations.Most animals pose no threat, but others -- like a pair of barn owls that made their home in a hangar here -- can

  • Timeline for parts cut in half

    Airmen assigned to the 320th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron began getting parts March 22 in half the time it previously took.A Department of Defense-contracted carrier streamlined normal customs procedures to deliver cargo directly to the designated unit.The airmen and other base leaders

  • Controllers keep air traffic in sync

    Air traffic controllers have handled up to 1,600 sorties a day as the "shock and awe" air campaign continues and ground forces make a beeline for Baghdad.The torrid pace shows no signs of slowing, said Tech. Sgt. Mark Morrison, a controller working at a forward-deployed location. He works in radar

  • Combat vets wage public-info campaign

    Four Air Force combat veterans began a new campaign March 27 -- informing the public of the Air Force's role in Operation Iraqi Freedom.The airmen -- three aircrew members and a combat controller -- spoke to reporters from across the nation in a television studio here on topics including the latest

  • Science, technology investment determines future

    Warfighting effects and what is needed to achieve them drive the Air Force's science and technology program, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering told members of Congress on March 27."We're committed to a robust science and technology program that

  • Female astronaut pioneers last frontier

    Whether they sailed across the oceans, climbed mountains, or rolled across the Great Plains, pioneers were first to explore new frontiers. Col. Susan Helms is not rambling across the prairie in a covered wagon, but she is a pioneer. She is an astronaut. Her frontier: space.Helms was the first

  • UAV 'roadmap' helps warfighter

    The Department of Defense's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Roadmap provides a defensewide vision for UAVs and related technology, said the deputy of the UAV Planning Task Force in congressional testimony here March 26.The goal of the plan is to ensure UAV programs proceed in a coordinated and efficient

  • Combined security

    Jeko Jekov (left) and Staff Sgt. Olga Valery patrol the beach area here. Jekov is with the Bulgarian military police while Valery is assigned to the 409th Air Expeditionary Group's security forces. U.S. security forces airmen work with Bulgarian military police to maintain security on Camp Sarafovo

  • Airborne opens new front in Iraq; Mines delay food aid in Umm Qasr

    Several hundred "Sky Soldiers" of the 173rd Airborne Brigade opened a new front in a Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq, defense officials announced.The troopers jumped onto an airfield. Now that the area is secure, flights will bring in more equipment and personnel. The 173rd is based in

  • Supply lines pumping, sorties rolling

    B-52 Stratofortresses keep rolling down the runway at a deployed location, carrying the fight and firepower to the Iraqi regime.As the operators and maintainers of the 457th Air Expeditionary Group keep the Buffs flying, having parts and equipment at the ready is critical."The relationship between

  • Stop-Loss affects deployed airmen

    Even though Air Force officials have identified 99 career fields affected by Stop-Loss, all airmen currently deployed are affected as well.Responding to erroneous news reports and some confusion in the ranks, officials are re-emphasizing how Stop-Loss affects deployed airmen.Stop-Loss is keeping all

  • Act may protect active-duty reservists

    Guardsmen and reservists called to active duty to fight the global war on terror may seek credit protection under a law passed to aid GIs in an earlier global war. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 protects military members from certain legal obligations while they are actively

  • Remote returnees get a breather

    Airmen returning from overseas remote "short" tours will receive six-month exemptions from deploying with their new units on scheduled air and space expeditionary force deployments.The policy change is the result of input from airmen in the field, according to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe, special

  • Sandtrooper

    Airman Matthew Jensen sits atop a Humvee during a sand storm at a forward-deployed location March 26. Jensen is assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Donovan)

  • Airman grew up behind Berlin Wall

    For Senior Airman Anke Dzincielewski, the day the Berlin Wall fell is one she will never forget."Senior Airman D.," as co-workers call her, was born and raised in Kleinmachnow, a small town on the southwest corner of Berlin in East Germany. She grew up knowing that the West was there but never

  • Wing's aircrews and support side help maintain mission

    Although most members of the 321st Air Expeditionary Wing may see their participation in the war against terrorism as being behind the scenes, the action is main stage for the flying squadrons at this deployed location.C-130 Hercules crews based here fly daily missions supporting the war effort,

  • Air Force, Army leaders examine air-ground ops

    The Air Force and Army chiefs of staff are leading a focused effort to examine air-ground operations in order to improve the two services' combat capability.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki said they recognize the need to improve air-ground

  • Association recognizes airman for heroism

    Life-saving actions have earned an Eglin sergeant the Noncommissioned Officer Association's Vanguard Award for heroism.Senior Master Sgt. David Popwell, superintendent of the 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron here, saved the lives of three people injured in a two-car collision on Florida's

  • Fitness center becomes aeromedical facility

    One of the fitness centers here became a contingency aeromedical staging facility March 23.The staging facility, the first of this type stood up by the Air Force since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, is designed to hold injured servicemembers who have been medically evacuated from Operation Iraqi

  • Leaders outline academy overhaul

    Four U.S. Air Force Academy leaders will be replaced as part of sweeping changes designed to ensure a safe and secure environment for the school's cadets, officials announced at a Pentagon press briefing March 26.The changes were announced by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air

  • Electrons get B-52s to battle

    It is not just jet fuel that launches B-52 Stratofortresses to the fight. It is electrons forming air-tasking orders streaming through a secure, secret military network that propels the bombers into flight."No comm, no bomb!" and "If you can't talk, you can't fight a war," boast the troops of the

  • Sandblast

    Airmen struggle to walk through a heavy sand storm at a forward-deployed air base March 26. Troops supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom are battling sand storms throughout Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Derrick C. Goode)

  • Airman dies of injuries in Kuwait

    An Idaho Air National Guardsman has died of injuries received from a grenade attack on his tent in Kuwait on March 22.Officials announced Maj. Gregory L. Stone died March 25 at a U.S. Army field hospital in Kuwait.Stone had been serving as an air liaison officer with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne

  • The ultimate line dance

    C-17 Globemaster IIIs await orders to load and launch in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at a forward-deployed location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Isaac G.L. Freeman)

  • Diversity stressed for civilians

    As the Air Force takes the first steps toward transforming the way it develops its civilian employees, its leaders are stressing the importance of diversity in the workplace.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche said ensuring diversity in the work force is much more than a legal obligation

  • Sands of time

    Senior Airman Lisa Jones loads air-to-ground missiles for an F-16 Fighting Falcon on the flightline at a forward-deployed location March 25. Jones is a precision-guided munitions crew member with the 363rd Expeditionary Equipment Maintenance Squadron. She is deployed from the 18th Fighter Squadron

  • U.S., aid agencies ready to assist impoverished Iraqis

    United States and international relief workers are poised to enter the Umm Qasr port to address acute shortages of public drinking water and unsafe sanitary conditions in southern Iraq, particularly in the city of Basra to the northwest.Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for

  • K-9 partners operate on vigilance, trust

    At base gates, military working dogs and handlers are doing their part in the war with Iraq while guarding against the threat of terrorism.These threats mean there are more reasons than ever to suspect that America's enemies will target its most valuable resources with explosives or hazardous

  • Coalition pilots strike satellite guidance jammers

    Coalition airmen struck Iraqi equipment used to jam satellite guidance systems March 24, according to defense officials.B-1B Lancers and F-117 Nighhawks bombed six Global Positioning System jammers during coalition strikes. Iraq was using the jammers in an attempt to disrupt the guidance system of

  • Reserve taps 776 for promotion to major

    Air Reserve Personnel Center officials here selected 776 captains for promotion to major, they announced March 25.The officers were selected from the 2004 Air Force Reserve line and health professions major promotion selection boards held at the center Feb. 3 to 7.Board members reviewed the records

  • Act may protect active-duty reservists

    Guardsmen and reservists called to active duty to fight the global war on terror may seek credit protection under a law passed to aid GIs in an earlier global war.The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 protects military members from certain legal obligations while they are actively

  • Navy, Air Force sink Iraqi patrol boat

    U.S. Navy and Air Force assets teamed together to target and sink a fast-attack Iraqi patrol boat in the Arabian Gulf on March 21 using precision-guided ordnance.A Navy P-3C Orion long-range patrol aircraft located and tracked the patrol boat and then relayed the information to an Air Force AC-130

  • A somber moment

    Army Chaplain (Col.) Richard Rogers leads a prayer March 25 for six airmen killed when their HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, on March 23. The helicopter crew was on its way to pick up two Afghan children for treatment in U.S. medical facilities at Bagram Air Base. The

  • Crash victims identified

    Air Force officials have identified the airmen killed in the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan on March 23.The airmen were deployed from here supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Killed in the crash were:-- 1st Lt. Tamara Archuleta, co-pilot.-- Staff Sgt. Jason Hicks, flight

  • Wounded troops receive top medical attention in Germany

    One of Ramstein Air Base, Germany's fitness centers became a contingency aero-medical staging facility March 23.The CSAF, the first of this type of facility stood up by the Air Force since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, is designed to host injured service members medevaced here from forward deployed

  • Three deployed airmen featured on MTV

    Three airmen supporting war operations at a forward-deployed location have been featured on "MTV Diaries," a reality series that airs weekly on the international music TV channel.Senior Airman Tia Schroeder, a still photographer with the 405th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, and Airman 1st

  • Pilots face increasing ground threats

    Coalition pilots have not yet had to face the intense air defenses over Iraq they had to deal with during the Gulf War.Still, the Iraqis fire on coalition aircraft on every mission, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with five combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom said. And as coalition forces

  • Brrrr...

    Senior Airman Josh Swisher guards an entry control point to the KC-10 Extender parking area at a forward-deployed location. The 409th Air Expeditionary Group flies air-refueling missions supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Ahlschwede)

  • B-52 pilot still flying high after 33 years

    During the evacuation of Quang Tri in 1972, 1st Lt. Bill Jankowski, an O2-A pilot, flew out of DaNang Air Base, Vietnam, to find enemy targets and bring air support assistance to South Vietnamese who were resisting North Vietnamese. Quang Tri had Americans within the area, and Jankowski's role was

  • Air Force announces maintenance award winners

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards, along with the 2002 Maintenance Effectiveness Awards.The winners of the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards are:For aircraft maintenance:-- Field Grade Manager: Maj. David M. Coley, Travis

  • Six airmen die in helicopter crash

    An Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, on March 23, killing all aboard, said Combined Joint Task Force 180 officials at Bagram Air Base.Six airmen died in the crash, task force spokesman Army Col. Roger King said. Names of the dead are being withheld pending

  • Secretary, chief address Operation Iraqi Freedom

    The following is a joint message from Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper:"As our nation calls upon its armed forces to meet this next challenge in the war on terrorism, the men and women of the U.S. Air Force will play a pivotal role in

  • Hurry and wait

    More than 250 soldiers from the 720th Military Police Battalion based at Fort Hood, Texas, relax at the tent city here during a stop on their way to support contingency operations. In all, more than 1,300 troops gathered here March 21 to 22, filling the tent city, contingency billeting and fitness