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U.S. Air Force News

  • U.S. aircraft leaving Saudi Arabian base

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

  • Dover airmen bring their parents to work

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

  • Services strives for better frontline meals

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

  • Former Robins employee sentenced for fraud

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

  • Military Appreciation Month begins May 1

    Organizers for National Military Appreciation Month are asking Americans to show their appreciation for the military by displaying the American flag and the POW/MIA flag May 1 through Flag Day on June 14.In 1999, a resolution was passed in Congress proclaiming May as National Military Appreciation

  • Conventional missile plays crucial role

    From the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, much of the success coalition forces experienced depended largely upon the ability to inflict maximum damage to precise targets while incurring minimum risk. The plan required accurate weapons as much as skilled strategists.One such weapon is the

  • OIF contracting effort proves successful

    The early insertion of contracting officers into mobility packages may prove to be one of the most cost-effective decisions the Air Force made during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the coalition air force’s top logistics officer said.“At first blush, you might ask why we’d deploy a contracting officer to

  • ‘Red Tail Express’ delivers in Iraq

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

  • DOD expands vaccination eligibility list

    Adult family members of some servicemembers have joined the list of those eligible to receive smallpox and anthrax vaccinations.According to Department of Defense officials, the voluntary vaccinations are available in designated higher-threat areas, including State Department missions. Eligible

  • Ammo flight puts ‘force’ in Air Force

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

  • One doctor makes up deployed dental flight

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

  • Now showing: April 28 edition of AFTVNews

    The gradual Air Force shift from war to support in Iraq is highlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Chris Vadnais reports from Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq on how airmen are helping get supplies to troops on the ground. In the United Kingdom, Staff Sgt. Michelle

  • Deployed airman attacks educational dreams

    Most airmen serving overseas supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom use their spare time catching up on sleep or writing to loved ones back home. But one sergeant kept education as a priority in his busy schedule.Master Sgt. Craig Pate is the first student to complete an Air Force Institute of

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

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

  • People are the key to air power, CSAF says

    The men and women of the Air Force are the basis of America’s air and space power, according to the Air Force chief of staff.“It’s all about smart people and the tools they’ve used in new and different ways,” Gen. John P. Jumper told an audience April 24 at the National Air and Space Museum

  • CV-22 reaches high point in history

    The CV-22 Osprey test program recently reached a high point in its flight test history when Osprey 7 successfully completed a terrain-following radar exercise during the multimode radar test plan segment here.Osprey 9, expected to return to normal flight testing in June, is undergoing hydraulic and

  • Rotary-wing asset saves lives

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

  • Officials announce AF comm, info awards

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

  • Homeward-bound crew thankful for support

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

  • Tinker employees awarded $10K for ideas

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

  • More regime leaders captured, three Marines die in accident

    The Iraqi deck lost three more cards April 23, and coalition special operations forces took into custody another regime member who might be able to name all the Iraqi spies in the United States. Also, three Marines died and seven more were injured the same day when the rocket-propelled grenade

  • Team brings captured base online

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

  • Engineering installation team brings captured base on line

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

  • U.S., China say 'No Nukes' to North Koreans

    The North Korean government shouldn't feel threatened because the United States, China and other nations want the Korean peninsula to be nuclear- weapon-free, the top U.S. diplomat said here today.North Korea, which is suspected of having one or two nuclear weapons, has "nothing to fear from de-

  • Possible SARS cases at Hill; patients recovered

    Test results April 21 identified two probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome here, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two retired Air Force officers, who recently returned to Utah from a trip to Asia, have now recovered from the symptoms.However, officials from

  • NCO retraining programs begin

    The Air Force recently began the voluntary phase of its fiscal 2003 and 2004 noncommissioned officer retaining programs. The program is designed to help the Air Force balance its enlisted force by moving NCOs in specialties with surpluses to those with shortages, personnel officials said. It

  • Roche, Jumper to speak at academy graduation

    Air Force officials announced April 23 that Dr. James Roche, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, will speak at this year's Air Force Academy grauation. "Both personally are very much involved in the Air Force Academy and Air Force military education, and

  • Possible SARS cases at Hill; patients recovered

    Test results April 21 identified two probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome here, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two retired Air Force officers, who recently returned to Utah from a trip to Asia, have now recovered from the symptoms. However, officials from

  • Cooperation key for coalition success, Hailston says

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

  • Iraqis need work, paychecks, U.S. administrator says

    American officials are working to reconstitute Iraqi government ministries and get employees back to work and receiving paychecks, the man charged with getting Iraq running again said today.Jay Garner, director of the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, said in a Baghdad

  • Bomber group heads home

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

  • Readiness troops break new ground at Iraqi base

    Setting up shop at Tallil Air Base, Iraq has the very first civil engineer readiness troops in-country working around the clock and setting milestones for their career field.Readiness teams employ the Air Force's full spectrum threat response plan to prepare the base for any attack or disaster, from

  • Space units provide impact during OIF

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

  • Mobile aeromedical staging facility cares for war's wounded

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

  • Murderer killed in coalition raid in Kandahar province

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

  • Second F-15E crewmember confirmed dead

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

  • Air Force, Army coordinate fire

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

  • Former POW recounts 67-month experience

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

  • Feedback from survey to improve civilian leadership development

    A sampling of Air Force civilians in the grades of GS-12 through GS-15 have received and completed the civilian long-term training survey via e-mail in recent days.The 12-question survey, which is being distributed through April 25, is an opportunity for people to express their thoughts or concerns

  • Damage docs patch, repair battle aircraft

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

  • Air Force pilots help Japanese go the distance

    When your car runs low on gas during a long trip, it is easy to pull up to the pump like you have done a hundred times before. It involves a lot more planning if you are at 25,000 feet, traveling several times your average freeway speed and practicing a foreign language. When your vehicle is one

  • Ground commander lauds land troops' success in Iraq

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

  • Delivery for Baghdad

    Well aware of the threats on the ground around Baghdad, Iraq, a crew of six from the West Virginia Air National Guard loaded up their C-130 Hercules and headed for Iraq.The crew, who are deployed to a desert air base in Southwest Asia, said the mission was similar to the ones in the past but this

  • Mobile aeromedical staging facility touches lives in Iraq

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

  • Total force team excels at bare base

    A total force team of active-duty, reserve and Guard airmen deployed to this austere deployed location have worked together to provide "amazing" support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, their commander said.The 485th Air Expeditionary Wing here is composed of active-duty F-15 Eagle fighters from Langley

  • Software analyst becomes agricultural inventor

    Farming and a little laziness combined to earn a software analyst here a patent for a self-opening gate that operates with no electricity, batteries, solar panels or remote controls.Possibly revolutionizing life for cattle farmers, Dan Hix's gate, according to a patent search, is like no other. It

  • Coalition takes "Queen of Spades," continues security operations

    The coalition has trumped the Queen of Spades in the Iraqi most-wanted deck.Muhammad Hamza Zubaydi, a former prime minister and member of the Revolutionary Command Council in Iraq, is in coalition custody, said U.S. Central Command officials. He is the highest-ranking member of the former regime

  • Air Force names legal award winners

    Air Force office of the judge advocate general officials have named the winners of their 2002 annual awards. They are:-- Albert M. Kuhfeld Award for judge advocate of the year: Maj. James K. Floyd, Air Force Legal Services Agency, Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.-- Reginald C. Harmon Award for Air

  • Team cleans up unexploded ordnance

    While troops help Iraqis gain independence in the streets of Baghdad, Basra and Kirkuk, people from the 386th Explosive Ordnance Disposal team at one forward-deployed location are cleaning up remnants of the 1991 Gulf War."Unexploded ordnance poses a threat to both military members and the civilian

  • Total force soars over Iraq

    Crewmembers from active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve joined forces in a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling mission over Iraq on April 19.The crew consisted of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's Maj. Craig Campbell, active-duty pilot 1st Lt. Jacob Thornburg, and reservist Master

  • Tools of the trade

    Aircraft of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and coalition counterparts fly over the desert April 14. They were flying in formation to commemorate the success of the wing in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Each of the aircraft flew with the 379th AEW during the operation. Aircraft include the KC-135

  • Air Force clubs offer scholarships

    Air Force Clubs is offering $25,000 in scholarship money to any club member or his or her family members. There will be six scholarships awarded, with the top prize of $6,000 for higher education costs.Scholarships will be awarded based on a 500-word essay written about "Air Force Clubs -- Help Us

  • Officials announce Air Force fuels, supply awards

    Air Force officials recently announced the outstanding supply and fuels individual and unit awards for 2002.The individual supply winners are:-- Col. F. Badger Johnson III Senior Supply Manager of the Year: Lt. Col. Kenneth Hession from the 363rd Expeditionary Supply Squadron at Prince Sultan Air

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

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

  • New ID cards are secure, ready

    The high-tech identification common access card currently replacing the familiar green ID card worldwide is secure and proven in combat, despite some rumors to the contrary."Worries are unfounded" that the new ID cards are easily accessible to identity thieves or even hostile forces, said Chief

  • Firefighters keep watch over planes, people

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

  • Security forces keep base secure

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

  • JPRA helps return captives to normal life

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

  • First impressions

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

  • Readiness center orchestrates contingency support

    David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, walked through the Great Wall of China and made audience members vanish, only to reappear somewhere else. But, those were just magic tricks -- grandiose illusions.Try making 3,000 soldiers, more than 200 aircraft and nearly 5,000 tons of

  • SARS has minor impact on upcoming exercises

    With major combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom wrapping up, airmen are watching the news closely for a potential new enemy -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.Recent intense media coverage may make it seem as though the virus, known as SARS, is spreading uncontrollably. However, the

  • Air Force, Central Command set war trophy policy

    Servicemembers deployed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom may be tempted to bring home souvenirs of their war experience, but Air Force legal officials are urging them to think twice. Depending on the item, bringing home a "war trophy" could lead to court-martial, said Lt. Col. Karen L. Manos,

  • Some 'doctors' still make house calls

    Have mat, will travel.That is the newly adopted creed of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group's three-person physical therapy team at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. The 332nd EMDG is from the 10th Medical Group at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.Realizing that many of the pilots

  • Deployed chaplains: Faith on front lines

    Since the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Mobility Command chaplains have deployed alongside thousands of Air Force people.They offer spiritual and religious services and help increase the morale of these deployed warfighters, according to Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Gerald McManus, AMC's chaplain

  • Falcon phase crews push envelope

    For every 300 hours an F-16 Fighting Falcon spends in the air, it is required to go through an inspection.The F-16s at a forward-deployed location have been flying almost continuously since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, making these inspections, called phases, necessary more

  • Tax relief, danger pay eligibility expands

    Tax relief and special pay for servicemembers involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom have expanded.On April 11, a Defense Department memo certified that OIF troops stationed in Turkey and Israel and deployed to Mediterranean waters east of 30 degrees east longitude are now eligible for combat zone tax

  • Promotion study guides arrive in May

    The 2003 promotion fitness exam and supervisory examination study guides are expected at Air Force locations worldwide in May.Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron officials here said Air Force Pamphlet 36-2241, Volumes 1 and 2, Promotion Fitness Examination and U.S. Air Force Supervisory

  • On the cover

    Airman 1st Class Darnell Sharp provides cover fire during a security forces exercise here April 17. Sharp is assigned to the base's 39th Security Forces Squadron. (U.S. Force photo by Airman Joseph Thompson)

  • U.S. not asking for long-term Iraqi bases

    The United States has neither asked nor considered asking a future Iraqi government for use of four air bases, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.Rumsfeld called a New York Times story that suggested such a thing "unhelpful." He said such articles left people in the Middle East with the

  • Bone marrow donor, recipient meet

    Tech. Sgt. Daniel MacDonald and Gregg Smith have shared the same bone marrow for a year and a half, but they did not meet face to face until recently.MacDonald, an instructor with the 366th Training Squadron's Detachment 7 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., donated his bone marrow to Smith on Oct. 16, 2001.

  • Air component commander updates troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom

    Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Operation Iraqi Freedom Combined Forces Air Component commander, visited this deployed location recently to update the troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom and to award a B-1B Lancer flight crew from the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing Distinguished Flying Crosses for

  • Pilots receive Distinguished Flying Crosses for first strike of OIF

    Two F-117A Nighthawk pilots from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed desert air base in were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross recently for extraordinary achievement while flying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.On the opening day of the air campaign Lt. Col. David

  • Another regime leader captured; Coalition forces transition

    Iraqi Kurds handed over the Ba'ath Party regional command chairman for East Baghdad to coalition special operations forces yesterday, U.S. Central Command officials said this morning.Samir abd al-Aziz al-Najim was the "4" of clubs in the deck of cards issued to coalition troops to identify the 55

  • Hunters becomes gatherers for hungry families

    A sergeant here has found a way for base hunters to feed the hungry.Staff Sgt. Damion McElroy, the 30th Security Forces Squadron game warden, has begun Hunters Against Hunger, a program that gives hunters the opportunity to donate their excess game to feed homeless adults and children in Lompoc,

  • Predator is headache for enemy

    One of the most formidable aircraft in the Operation Iraqi Freedom arsenal does not even carry a pilot. Appearing almost toy-like at a mere 27 feet long, the RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle that remains a huge headache for enemy forces.Operated remotely by a pilot and sensor

  • Flight starts flag-disposal program

    The 21st Civil Engineer Squadron's fire protection flight here burned 50 U.S. flags recently. It was not done in protest but to pay homage.The flight's color guard conducted its first ceremony to give unserviceable U.S. flags a proper disposal."We had been asked on several occasions about proper

  • Doolittle Raiders honor fallen comrades

    The Doolittle Raiders held their traditional goblet ceremony April 16 during the group's 61st annual reunion, held here and in the local community this week. During the goblet ceremony, the men toast with cognac and then turn over the goblets of those who have died since the last meeting.Each

  • DOD's leaders thank military for heroism, courage, talent

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked the men and women of the department for their service in the campaign in Iraq, but said much still remains to be done.Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers spoke to Pentagon employees during a Town Hall meeting

  • Airman killed in Iraq

    Department of Defense officials announced April 18 that Capt. Eric B. Das, 30, of Amarillo, Texas, was killed in action April 7 while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Das was assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.Das was the pilot of an F-15E Strike

  • U.S. airfield troops sustain operations, assist Iraqi populace

    U.S. Army and Air Force troops at an airfield in southern Iraq are providing military air and logistical support -- and much-needed medical and other assistance to local Iraqis."Now that we've transitioned to the post-hostility phase, we're really getting our medical people out into the local

  • Surgeon's skills stay sharp helping base

    The doctor and nurses, shrouded in gowns, gloves and facemasks, lay stainless-steel scalpels and clamps neatly on the plastic-covered tray next to the patient.One of the nurses squeezes around the operating stretcher to adjust the overhead lamps while the doctor picks up his tools and prepares to

  • U.S. war leader visits airmen

    The leader of U.S. Central Command stopped April 18 at a forward-deployed bomber location to show his appreciation for the job the airmen here have done.Army Gen. Tommy Franks gave a hearty "thanks" to more than 1,200 airmen who supported and flew 100-plus B-52 Stratofortress combat missions in

  • Time-sensitive targeting adds combat flexibility

    An infusion of human decision making and 21st century technology has resulted in a system that has helped U.S. forces and their coalition partners dominate the battlefield in Iraq.Known as time-sensitive targeting -- TST for short -- this rapid response system is building a new level of flexibility

  • Nighthawks return home

    Five F-117 Nighthawks touched down here April 16 after supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.The tremendous support of the base and Alamogordo community provided the returning airmen with an outstanding homecoming, said Lt. Col. J.L. Briggs, an F-117 pilot returning from his

  • Coalition releases Iraqi noncombatants

    Coalition forces have released 887 Iraqi prisoners being held in the Theater Internment Facility near Umm Qasr.Pentagon officials said most were released because it was obvious they were not enemy combatants. The U.S. military did hold a tribunal under the Geneva Conventions Article V to determine

  • Boy Scout shows appreciation for deployed troops

    Patriotism and support for service members can even come from some of the country's youngest citizens.Corey Shoop, a member of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 43 in Carpentersville, Ill., recently made some members of the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing here, people whom he has never met before, part of

  • Tanker pilots fly with a little more in common

    Flying missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom has truly been an experience for Capt. Joel Higley and 1st Lt. Matt Mierek, 28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron pilots deployed here from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.When they initially met back at their home station, they found they had a little

  • Situation in Iraq brightening; troops still in danger

    The situation on the ground "continues to brighten in Iraq," the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman said in the Pentagon today. "But our troops are still putting their lives on the line, and the work is still dangerous."American and other coalition forces are working with local Iraqi leaders, clerics and

  • DOD getting $62.9 billion to help pay for war

    The Defense Department is receiving $62.6 billion as a result of the emergency supplemental bill President Bush signed today.With the war in Iraq costing $20 billion to date, DOD officials said they are grateful that Congress acted so quickly, said Dov Zakheim, DOD comptroller.Of immediate interest

  • 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

  • Aerial-refueling team awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses

    While conducting air-refueling operations above Iraq on April 7, a four-person crew took their KC-135 further into harm's way to help airmen in trouble.They were recognized for their actions by Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Combined Forces Air Component commander, who flew in to Camp Oasis on April

  • B-1 crew members receive Distinguished Flying Crosses

    Four Ellsworth B-1 Lancer crew members, who on April 7 struck a "target of opportunity" believed to be the site of a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting, have received Distinguished Flying Crosses.Capt. Chris Wachter, aircraft commander; Capt. Sloan Hollis, pilot; and weapon systems officers 1st Lt.

  • The last goodbye

    Betty Lenzi, the mother of Maj. Gregory L. Stone, touches her son's casket before his burial at Arlington National Cemetery on April 17. Stone was the first Air Force casualty of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by

  • Joint effort stands up Iraqi air base

    The Army said it was "austere." The Air Force called it "downright primitive."Regardless of the description, commanders on both sides agree the effort to turn an Iraqi air base into a coalition operations hub has been one of the finest examples of teamwork seem so far during Operation Iraqi

  • U-2 reconnaissance plane helps bring POWs home

    The Seven U.S. Army soldiers who were formerly prisoners of war in Iraq are safe at a U.S. medical facility in Germany and are preparing to reunite with families. The reunion was possible not only because of the rescue operation by Marines but also because of assistance from an Air Force

  • Team reduces civilian casualties with exact targeting

    So "all's fair in love and war?" Not to the Time Sensitive Targeting Team -- at least the "war" part.Team members do everything they can to minimize civilian casualties in the Operation Iraqi Freedom air campaign. They work in Iraqi Freedom's Combined Air Operations Center at a desert air base in

  • President OKs independent panel to review academy

    President George W. Bush signed into law April 16 legislation establishing a panel to review allegations of sexual misconduct at the Air Force Academy.The independent panel's creation was part of the fiscal 2003 Supplemental Appropriations Act to Support Department of Defense Operations in Iraq,

  • Lynch asks public to redirect gifts

    Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the former Iraqi prisoner of war now receiving treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, has asked the public to send cards and letters in lieu of gifts and flowers.In a statement released by the medical center, Lynch said the outpouring of gifts from well-wishers around

  • Spouses make flags to honor ultimate sacrifice

    Two Air Force spouses are helping revive an old tradition to honor the families of servicemembers killed in battle.Julie Gindhart and Claudia Schmucker, both wives of Air Force majors, have joined with other members of the Military and Civilian Spouses Club here to make "gold star service flags."