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  • Operation Homefront recognizes 2022 Air Force Military Child of the Year

    At this year’s April 7 gala in Washington, D.C., Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. presented Anna Cummins, 16, with the Air Force Military Child of the Year award. Anna is the daughter of Amy and Lt. Col. Matthew Cummins, 70th Flying Training Squadron flight commander.

  • Operation Homefront seeks Military Child of the Year nominations

    Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization, is accepting nominations for the 2016 Military Child of the Year awards. Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500 volunteers nationwide who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded

  • Operation Iraqi Child donations packed, ready

    More than 50 Airmen from across the 407th Air Expeditionary Group came together here  Dec. 22 to help sort through thousands of school supplies items, toys and more for children in southern Iraq. Hundreds of boxes filled with donations were gathered to support the Operation Iraqi Child project. "We

  • Operation Iraqi Freedom marks new way of war fighting

    The successful application of teamwork and technology in Operation Iraqi Freedom marks a turning point in American war fighting, the U.S. military's senior officer said here April 16."What we've done in Iraq has been dramatically different" than how the American military has fought wars since the

  • Operation Joint Endeavor: Employers of guardsmen receive orientation

    Members of the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing and the Ohio Army National Guard's Camp Perry Joint Training Center hosted a joint employer event May 21, sponsored by the Ohio Adjutant General, welcoming 20 employers of Ohio Air National Guard and Army National Guard service members.The

  • Operation KIDS: Military youths get a glimpse of deployment

    More than 60 military children experienced first-hand what it's like for their parents to deploy thanks to a group of more than 100 joint service volunteers during Goodfellow Operation KIDS 2010 Nov. 13 here. Operation KIDS gave youths ages 5 through 18 the opportunity to play the role of their

  • Operation Lone Star underway

    Operation Lone Star, which provided health care to more than 11,000 South Texas residents in just two weeks last year, has expanded this summer to provide free health clinics in even more locations. Military personnel, state and county officials and hundreds of volunteers are providing free health

  • Operation Maggie Migration flies elephant to California

    The Air Force is flying Maggie, a 25-year-old African elephant, from the Alaska Zoo to her new home in California on a C-17 Globemaster III. Maggie will start her Air Force journey at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska and finish it at Travis AFB, Calif., on Nov. 1. Officials with the Alaska Zoo and

  • Operation Maggie Migration: a mammoth mission

    Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and Travis AFB, Calif., took part in the transport of an unusual traveler Nov. 1 -- possibly their largest airlift passenger ever. Maggie the elephant arrived at Travis for a quick stop before being transported to her final destination at the Performing Animal

  • Operation Pacific Angel 2013 soars in Vietnam

    The United States and Vietnam began humanitarian assistance operations here June 10 as part of Operation Pacific Angel.Operation Pacific Angel which is in its sixth year, is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance exercise led by Pacific Air Forces."We are here to provide medical care and

  • Operation Pacific Angel leaves lasting impression

    When temperatures approach 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity by 6 a.m. in the rural Cambodian province of Kampong Chhnang, excitement fills the air. News has spread far and wide by the Imam, a local religious leader, and by word of mouth. American medical people have returned to help the Cambodian

  • Operation Pacific Angel set to begin

    The United States will join local authorities in three Pacific nations in July and September to provide medical, dental, and engineering assistance as part of Operation Pacific Angel 2009. More than 150 Airmen and Soldiers will fly via C-17 Globemaster IIIs, C-130 Hercules, and KC-135 Stratotankers

  • Operation Pacific Angel-Sri Lanka concludes

    Representatives from the U.S., Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mongolia concluded Operation Pacific Angel-Sri Lanka Aug. 14 through 22 here after providing humanitarian civil engineering and medical aid to people living in the Anuradhapura and Puttalam communities.Pacific Angel-Sri Lanka medical teams

  • Operation Pillowcase softens sting of family separation

    An award-winning program designed to make children feel less anxious is softening the sting while a parent is away from home on military duty.Operation Pillowcase, developed by the 439th Airlift Wing family support center staff here, provides children of activated reservists with a pillowcase

  • Operation Provide Hope supports Ukrainian medical facilities

    The humanitarian-assistance program base in Pirmasens, Germany, recently completed an Operation Provide Hope project in Simferopol, Ukraine. A team of 10 civilians, two Soldiers and 12 U.S. Air Forces in Europe Airmen provided medical supplies and training to help increase their medical

  • Operation Purple reconnects children, parents after deployments

    It wasn't a typical cross country skiing race where skill and speed are factors. In this race, it was all about cooperation. Three children and two parents, lined up like a caterpillar with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, inching along in unison and trying not to trip

  • Operation Rapid Forge concludes

    The 10-day operation helped ensure U.S. forces’ ability to fulfill the European Deterrence Initiative, a policy to assure and defend NATO allies, while promoting deterrence in an increasingly complex security environment.

  • Operation Restore Paradise enhances readiness through adaptive basing

    Airmen deploy frequently, leaving their work centers behind. But what if Airmen stayed and their work centers deployed?The Air Force has two deployable Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories called a Rapid Assistance Support for Calibration unit. Mountain Home Air Force Base is trusted with

  • Operation Ruthless Raven: OSI cracks down on drug smugglers

    The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is heading up Operation Ruthless Raven, a joint task force to combat drug smuggling. Ruthless Raven Task Force goals are to identify vulnerabilities in the Air Force transportation and mail systems and to leverage internal and external capabilities to

  • Operation Season’s Greetings airs on AFRTS

    A television version of Air Force Reserve Command’s Operation Season’s Greetings will be broadcast Dec. 23 and 24 to American servicemembers worldwide on Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.The annual tour starred country music group Restless Heart, and also brought four New England Patriots

  • Operation Seasons Greetings brings holiday cheer to overseas Airmen

    What do you get when you cross a country music star, a latin pop sensation, a comedian and some cheerleaders? Ask Airmen here and they'll say a star-studded holiday tour called Operation Season's Greetings, which performed for the base's residents today. "It was cool," said Airman 1st Class Bryce

  • Operation Season's Greetings huge smash

    The surrounding mountains here echoed the sounds of rock, blues, country and laughter when national entertainment artists performed for servicemembers Nov. 28 as part of Operation Season's Greetings. Headlining the show was country artist Jamie O'Neal. She is best known for her No. 1 hits "There is

  • Operation Southern Partner ends

    Operation Southern Partner ended after two weeks in South America as 70 Airmen aboard a C-17 Globemaster III touched down at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at about 10 p.m Nov. 7 here. Airmen representing more than 25 career fields exchanged information and ideas with counterparts in the air forces of

  • Operation Southern Partner servicemembers paint brighter future in Belize

    Nearly a dozen servicemembers of Operation Southern Partner found time between their subject matter exchanges to help renovate and enhance the New Stella Maris School for the Physically Disabled with a fresh coat of paint here June 8. The small, 13-classroom school in the Belize City center was

  • Operation Toy Drive to bring joy to Iraqi orphans

    Approximately 40 volunteers from the base Company Grade Officers' Council here are on a mission to bring joy to the faces of local Iraqi orphans. Through Operation Toy Drive, the group collected toys and plan to present the gifts to Iraqi children in May. "We just received care packages from so many

  • Operation Toy Drop brings international, U.S. military together

    Army Private Gregory Amones sat on the ground with cherry pie oozing out the right thigh pocket of his uniform. Finishing his first parachute jump at Fort Bragg, N.C., the Soldier didn't mind the smashed cherry stain on his battle uniform. The "cherry pie" rite of passage didn't compare to the jump

  • Operation Uggianaqtuq: An Arctic security expedition

    While the Air Force is developing strategy to align efforts in the Arctic’s blistering cold with greater Defense Department strategy in the region, it’s also working to build international Arctic partnerships.

  • Operation Uniform Delta highlights heritage

    Air Force heritage walked before today's deployed servicemembers when 18 volunteer Airmen from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing wore vintage uniforms at showcase events here April 24 and again April 27. Operation Uniform Delta was a sample of a collection started and maintained by Tech. Sgt. Jack

  • Operation Unity Knight brings relief to Kenya

    Humanitarian and civic assistance supplies are ready to be palletized and loaded onto a C-130 Hercules for an airdrop Dec. 9. The Air Force is dropping more than 240,000 pounds of supplies to flood refugees in eastern Kenya. After weeks of rain in Dadaab region in Kenya, camps housing about 160,000

  • Operation Warmheart provides funds for those displaced

    Among the several organizations ready to support Airmen and their families here in times of need is Operation Warmheart. Its mission is to provide emergency grants to base members.Run by the first sergeants here, the organization has received more than $25,000 in donations and has seen contributions

  • Operation Warmheart: Taking care of Kadena families

    Military members prepare 275 bags filled with a Thanksgiving turkey and other canned goods at the commissary at Kadena Air Base, Japan, for families in need as part of Operation Warmheart Nov. 24, 2009. Operation Warmheart is a program designed to help young enlisted personnel and their families

  • Operation Winter Games -- Let the games begin

    Not long after the Olympic torch was lit honoring the beginning of the Winter Olympics games in Torino, Italy, a local team of Airmen were preparing for winter games of their own -- Operation Winter Games. The games, held Feb. 11 at Igriste-Vlasenica Ski Area, Bosnia, may have lacked the pomp and

  • Operational "Integrity" - lessons from the AFSO 21 Frontlines

    The U.S. Air Force faces intense operational demands and resource challenges that sit at the heart of the role that Air Force Smart Operations, or AFSO, plays in improving mission performance. We all understand the need to strengthen fighting capability, recapitalize, increase financial efficiency

  • Operational F-22's employ small diameter bombs during WSEP

    During a Combat Hammer exercise Alaska F-22 Raptors became the first operational F-22 unit to drop GBU-39 small diameter bombs.Although small diameter bombs have been employed by test pilots, Combat Hammer, a weapons system evaluation program sponsored by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, provided

  • Operational missile defense test a total success

    A test of the Ground-based Missile Defense System today was a total success, said Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering III, director of the Missile Defense Agency.General Obering called today's test, the first operational one for the system, a huge step in fielding of the missile defense shield. He said he

  • Operational Raptors fire first missiles in evaluation program

    The 27th Fighter Squadron made history when two F-22A Raptor pilots fired air-to-air missiles Feb. 14. It was the jet's first official air-to-air weapons system evaluation since becoming operational two months ago.Nearly 40 Airmen from the Langley Air Force Base, Va., squadron participated in the

  • Operational readiness exercise tests Airmen, Marines

    Airmen from the 18th Wing joined with elements from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to conduct a joint operational readiness exercise Dec. 3 to 7 here. During the week-long exercise, Kadena Air Base members and their Marine counterparts were tested on their ability to execute their wartime taskings,

  • Operational uncertainties require flexibility, Gates says

    The lesson Americans should take from recent military operations is that we cannot predict where or how U.S. forces will be engaged, and having flexible capabilities is the best defense for the nation, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here May 6.Since the Vietnam War, U.S. leaders have a

  • Operational weather squadron picks up new responsibilities

    The 15th Operational Weather Squadron here will assume short-term back-up responsibilities for the National Weather Service's Aviation Weather Center and Storm Prediction Center on April 1. AWC provides aviation warnings and forecasts of hazardous flight conditions at all levels within domestic and

  • Operations center in action

    Staff Sgt. Selena Matlock (foreground)tracks aircraft take-off and landing times at the coalition operations center. She is assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at a deployed location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Terry Blevins)

  • Operations security goes digital

    Click through any photo-sharing site and you will likely find at least one random shot of someone you know doing something highly inappropriate. While these photos may be hilarious, could they have the potential to reveal intimate details of your life to the world?Walk through a mall during a

  • Operator recognized for exceptional service with aircrew

    Tech. Sgt. Nathan, 25th Intelligence Squadron direct support operator, along with his fellow aircrew members were recently selected as the recipients of the Air Force Association's 2017 Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner Award..

  • Ophthalmic surgeons employ cutting-edge technology

    Ophthalmic surgeons here are the first in the Defense Department to employ a state-of-the-art laser that will shorten recovery times for corneal transplantation. Members of the ophthalmology department assigned the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, now use a femtosecond laser to

  • Ophthalmology academy honors military doctors

    Representatives of the American Academy of Ophthalmology presented military ophthalmologists with a Distinguished Service Award in San Francisco Oct. 25 for their ongoing service and contributions to vision care. "It is my distinct honor to accept this award on behalf of all ophthalmologists who

  • Ophthalmology residency program gets high rating

    The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently ranked the ophthalmology residency program at Wilford Hall Medical Center here as one of the top residency programs in the nation. The ranking is based on high scores on an in-training ophthalmology exam called the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment

  • Ophthalmology residency program receives top accreditation

    The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium Ophthalmology Residency Program at Wilford Hall Medical Center here has obtained the highest level of accreditation.Officials with the Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education have awarded the residency program a five-year

  • Ophthalmology teams give Guyanese the gift of sight

    The ophthalmology center at the Port Mourant Hospital was established to provide aid to the Guyanese population by screening and selecting patients to receive cataract and pterygium surgery in support of NH19.

  • OPM acts to protect federal workers, others from cyber threats

    U.S. Office of Personnel Management officials announced July 9, the results of the interagency forensics investigation into a recent cyber incident involving federal background investigation data and the steps OPM is taking to protect those affected.

  • OPM computer attack highlights bigger issue

    The attack on the Office of Personnel Management’s computer system illuminates a larger issue of deterrence, said the Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper June 25.

  • OPM helping to extend hiring preference to more veterans

    U.S. Office of Personnel Management officials are working to make veterans’ preference for federal jobs available to more veterans. One initiative is a new revised application that allows federal agencies to accept veterans’ disability letters.The revised application is being posted on OPM’s Web

  • Opportunities available in financial management

    Air Force line officers interested in applying for the Financial Management Leadership Program must submit their nominations to the Air Force Personnel Center by March 3.The four-year program specializes in Air Force leadership development by providing an opportunity for line officers outside of the

  • Opportunities available in financial management

    Air Force line officers interested in applying for the Financial Management Leadership Program must submit their nominations to the Air Force Personnel Center by Jan. 5.The four-year program specializes in Air Force leadership development by providing an opportunity for line officers outside the 65F

  • Opportunities exist for active-duty Airmen to become IMA Reservists

    Air Force Reserve Individual Mobilization Augmentee program officials are currently looking for Airmen from all career fields to fill worldwide taskings, according to a Reserve management group official. "Airmen who are leaving the active-duty force are encouraged to consider opportunities along the

  • Ops Airmen, key to mission success

    Before an F-22 Raptor takes off for training or a combat mission, maintainers and weapons Airmen are seen on the flight line preparing, servicing and readying the jet to contest any airspace. However, it takes more than fifth generation machinery and flight line crews to accomplish the mission. A

  • Ops center commands sky during Exercise Valiant Shield

    Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines are working together in the 613th Air and Space Operations Center here and within the airspace around Guam to enhance joint combat skills and interoperability during Exercise Valiant Shield 2007 held Aug. 6 to 13. The week-long exercise tests the military's

  • Ops center maintains smooth info flow

    When an A-10 Thunderbolt II lands after a mission protecting ground forces, it is critical to know what needs to be fixed before it is ready to take off again.Making sure the right people know what needs to be fixed and coordinating that maintenance is one of three jobs facing 354th Expeditionary

  • Ops officials conduct new warfighter training

    Positive progress continues for the Air Forces Northern Distributed Mission Operations program as the first individualized warfighter training event was held at the 601st Air and Space Operations Center here Jan. 28. DMO is a complex and comprehensive series of interconnected, manned command,

  • Ops support assists with KC-135 mission during Red Flag 18-2

    Airmen from the 92nd Operations Group from Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 6th OG from MacDill AFB, Florida and 931st Operations Support Squadron from McConnell AFB, Kansas, flew to Nellis AFB in support of the KC-135 Stratotankers’ role in exercise Red Flag 18-2.

  • Ops support center Airmen coordinate AF relief efforts

    Pacific Air Forces officials here activated the 24-hour PACAF Operations Support Center to coordinate Air Force-related relief efforts for the devastation caused by tsunamis that struck 12 countries following an earthquake Dec. 26. Center officials, who are working with Department of Defense and

  • OPSEC expands focus, remains critical

    "Do you think you'll deploy this year? How long will you be gone? What do you think you'll be doing? Where? Will you be going with a lot of people?"At this point in the conversation you should be wondering who is asking, why are they asking and who else might get their hands on the answers. Although

  • OPSEC tool pulverizes paper

    She’s called the “shredder queen.” Staff Sgt. Cassandra Ali, 379th Expeditionary Communications Squadron base records manager, keeps track of Airmen who sign up to shred paper. In the last two weeks, she’s moved 57 20-pound bags of pulverized paper from the base’s newest operational security tool, a

  • OPSEC, AF core values vital in social media

    While Airmen are encouraged to tell the Air Force story, they should be mindful to do so in ways that lend credit to themselves and the service, officials said.With the emergence of social media, information sharing has changed in unprecedented ways. It continues to be dynamic and evolving. Now a

  • Optimism helped Vietnam vet survive as POW

    When 2nd Lt. John "Spike" Nasmyth climbed into his F-4 Phantom II on Sept. 4, 1966, to fly a combat mission over Vietnam, he never foresaw that he'd be blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile.The last words he heard before his jet was transformed into a lump of crumpled, metal wreckage were

  • Optimize aviation fuel? The Air Force wants your ideas

    In partnership with AFWERX, Air Force Operational Energy has launched an Airmen Powered by Innovation Challenge to solicit ideas on how to optimize aviation fuel for the Air Force, enabling greater combat capability, range and more efficient operations.

  • Optometry leads KC-46 laser program

    With recent advances in technology and the addition of a laser system in the KC-46A Pegasus, there are precautions that the Air Force must take in order to keep Airmen safe.

  • OR technicians help save lives in Iraq

    Helping save lives every day in Iraq is something operating room technician Senior Airman Shannon Brito takes great pride in. Behind the doors of the hospital are three operating rooms where the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group's OR technicians feverishly work to ensure patients live to see another

  • Orange Flag brings test data to warfighter

    Orange Flag is an exercise born from a need to maximize resources across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains to include joint and coalition forces. The exercise aims to bring test as close as possible to the warfighter through combat relevant testing early in the development cycle.

  • Orange Flag, Black Flag collaborate to accelerate change

    Orange Flag, the large force test event carried out three times annually by Air Force Test Center’s 412th Test Wing, combined with the 53rd Wing’s Black Flag, brought several firsts for the test community March 2-4.

  • Ordnance Airman awarded Bronze Star for Iraq duty

    A "six-month adrenaline rush." That's how Master Sgt. Al Schneider described his deployment to Iraq. Assigned to Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Civil Engineer Directorate as the command explosive ordnance disposal superintendent, the Louisville, Ky., native left here last May for combat-skills

  • Ordnance disposal makes for no ordinary day

    Airmen assigned to the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight have a dangerous mission that keeps fellow coalition forces safe. It takes nerves of steel and a steady hand to do the work these Airmen do. After all, getting anywhere near an improvised explosive isn't

  • Oregon F-15s scramble to escort Hawaiian Airlines flight

    Two Oregon Air National Guard F-15 Eagles, under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command, scrambled Jan. 6 when the pilot of a commercial airliner reported having a disruptive passenger on board. The F-15s, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, piloted by Air Guardsmen

  • Oregon, Nevada Reservists join search for missing trio

    Reservists from the 304th Rescue Squadron here will team up again Dec. 17 with Air National Guardsmen from Nevada in hopes of finding three missing hikers lost on Mt. Hood more than a week ago. "This was our first opportunity to see the top of the mountain because of the poor weather and extreme

  • Oregon’s 142nd Fighter Wing conducts training with Navy counterparts

    As part of the DACT exercises, the Navy brought six F-18’s and approximately 125 Sailors to engage with the 142nd FW’s F-15C Eagles. The training focused on compliance and capabilities preparation, allowing both units to stay proficient while providing upgrade training to junior pilots.

  • Oregon-based KC-135 unit begins drawdown

    The first KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft from the 939th Air Refueling Wing departs Portland International Airport today, marking the beginning of a change in mission for the Air Force Reserve unit.Under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, all eight of the refueling aircraft and 900

  • OREs: being successful from 'StartEX' to 'EndEX'

    An Airman is sitting behind his computer when an operational readiness exercise reminder pops up on his screen. "Another exercise," the Airman exclaims. "The last one was brutal. We were getting written up on everything. I wonder who plans these things and what do we have to do make them easier on

  • Organ donation bolsters bond between classmates

    Col. Dave Ashley’s schedule since May 2017 included climbing a mountain, completing a 40-mile trail run, competing in a multiday athletic event that included bicycling and kayaking and achieving a perfect score on his military physical fitness test, his seventh in a row. Ashley accomplished all of

  • Organ donation gives woman life, hope

    The gift of life through organ donations took on a new meaning five years ago for a senior noncommissioned officer here.Master Sgt. Jan Cutrona, a 56th Fighter Wing information manager, was prepared for the worst after her sister’s heart was attacked by a virus in February 1999.Sergeant Cutrona’s