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U.S. Air Force News

  • Military phone card donation program goes public

    Department of Defense officials announced April 23 that anyone can now help servicemembers in contingency operations call home.Defense officials authorized the Army and Air Force Exchange Service to sell prepaid calling cards to any person or organization that wishes to purchase cards for deployed

  • Pentagon Memorial Fund seeks donations

    The Pentagon Memorial Fund campaign was officially launched here April 22 during a ceremony on Capitol Hill.Almost $30 million is being solicited, according to a news release from the Washington public relations firm that is handling fund raising for the memorial.About $17.5 million of collected

  • Officials: TSP good way to increase wealth

    Defense Department officials urge servicemembers to invest in their future through the Thrift Savings Plan.Now is a good time for servicemembers to start paying themselves, officials said. The current TSP open season started April 15 and runs until June 30. This is the time servicemembers can

  • Air Force announces selections to lieutenant colonel

    The Air Force selected 161 majors for promotion to lieutenant colonel in the CY04A Medical Service Corps and Nurse Corps Central selection boards.Those selected will be notified April 27 by their commander. The entire list will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site at

  • Overseas quarterly assignment listing available May 4

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for overseas assignments for the January to March cycle will be available May 4.Airmen should work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences by May 20. They will be notified of their selection by mid-June.EQUAL advertises upcoming

  • Officials explain CJR 'waiting list'

    To help meet end-strength goals under force shaping, Air Force officials will limit re-enlistments of Airmen in constrained specialties by establishing quotas, a waiting list and career job reservation application windows."All first-term Airmen must have an approved career job reservation prior to

  • 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

  • ASVAB changes will not mean lower standards

    The Air Force will adjust the cutoff score used to gauge new recruits taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery in July.The change -- from 40 to 36 -- does not mean the Air Force is lowering its standards, said Tina Strickland, chief of Air Force testing policy and research integration.

  • Online system reduces trips to education office

    Four features now available under the Air Force's virtual education system give Airmen more control of their academic pursuits.The Air Force Virtual Education Center is a Web-based system available to the total force that allows Airmen to do many of the things online that once required a trip to a

  • Officers must complete online education application

    Officers who want to compete for a developmental education opportunity in the 2005 to 2006 school year must now complete the required preference application online. The 2004 Developmental Education Designation Board meets here Oct. 4 to 8.The senior and intermediate developmental education

  • Airmen complete ‘Books for Baghdad’ drive

    The company grade officer's council at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Rome research site here is sending a text message to Baghdad University.Nearly 5,000 books, predominantly textbooks and university-level literature, have been collected from laboratory people and others in the community since

  • AAFES necessity becomes collectible craze

    Since the inception of online Internet auction sites, collectors worldwide have been able to find exactly what they are looking for from the comfort of their own home.Historically, Americans have been collectors of countless types of things, from stamps and coins to military memorabilia and baseball

  • Yokota Airmen teach music to Japanese students

    The sweet sound of harmony reverberated throughout the cavernous city hall here April 15 as Air Force musicians shared their knowledge and experience with more than 100 Japanese high-school students during a music clinic.Airmen from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia at Yokota Air Base,

  • CES plays role in Honduras exercise, Airmen recount experiences

    It was a trip that two sergeants said they will not soon forget. They were among 48 Airmen from the 934th Civil Engineer Squadron who deployed here recently to participate in New Horizons 2004 as part of Joint Command Task Force Orengo.The main focus of the exercise was to build local schools,

  • Enlisted aviators put 'chevrons' in the sky

    Between 1912 and 1942, nearly 3,000 enlisted men of the Signal Corps, Air Service and the Army Air Forces became enlisted pilots. In fact, enlisted men piloted many of the aircraft flown in the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942.Although the Flight Officer Act in 1942 ended the enlisted pilot

  • Foundation seeking inputs for Air Force memorial

    Air Force Memorial Foundation officials are seeking ideas for inscriptions to be placed at the new memorial site.The official groundbreaking will take place Sept. 15 at the memorial site, just southwest of the Pentagon. The focal point of the Air Force memorial will be a 270-foot monument featuring

  • Reserve rescue crews win Jolly Green mission award

    A daring, nighttime combat rescue last year in Iraq earned three aircrews from the 920th Rescue Wing here an award for heroism.The Jolly Green Association will present its 2003 Rescue Mission of the Year Award to HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crews Jolly 23 and Jolly 24, and HC-130 tanker crew King 50

  • Readiness system saves time, money

    Robins is the test site for a new Web-based readiness system estimated to save the Air Force $79 million over the next five years. The system, called the deployment readiness service, will improve tracking and reduce the time and effort to keep people ready for deployments. It gives people access to

  • Officials announce 2004 Hennessy Trophy winners

    Air Force Services Agency officials announced the winners of the 2004 Hennessy Trophy Awards.Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the winner in the single-facility category, and Keesler AFB, Miss., is the winner in the multiple-facility category.The Air Force Reserve Command award winner is the 911th

  • Now showing: April 12 edition of AFTV News

    This edition of Air Force Television News focuses on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Tech. Sgt. Rusty Barfield went to the Pacific island to report on Andersen’s growing importance for the Air Force mission.Sergeant Barfield examines the role of Andersen since the Korean War, the deployment of B-52

  • Air Force announces Thrift Savings Plan open season

    Civilian and military employees can sign up for, or change, their Thrift Savings Plan contribution amounts during the open season April 15 to June 30."TSP is a long-term retirement savings plan which everyone should consider," said Senior Master Sgt. Felipe Ortiz, superintendent of the Air Force

  • Officials discuss new civilian system in open letter

    A letter signed by Defense Department leaders asks DOD civilian employees to be patient as teams work to make the new National Security Personnel System a reality. The April 1 letter, signed by David S.C. Chu, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, and Navy Secretary Gordon England, stresses

  • Idaho Guard helps train B-52 crews

    There’s a “war” going on. Every day deployed Airmen from the 266th Range Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, are shooting, eluding and attempting to destroy B-52 Stratofortresses flying here.However, no one gets hurt and no aircraft actually go down because the battle is done using

  • Major volunteers as instructor in Presidential Classroom

    An Air Force officer was on hand when high-school students from around the nation met here recently to participate in the Presidential Classroom program.Maj. Aurelia Carr-Olverson, chief of Air Force plans and programs staff services division, spent a week as a volunteer instructor for the

  • Airmen recruit Iraqi military

    Two Air Force recruiters are using their training and skills to recruit a distinct group of people into an organization far different from the U.S. Air Force.Capt. Pete Ellum and Master Sgt. Greg Elmore are in Iraq recruiting that country’s new military. They are recruiting for the armed forces,

  • Reserve employment information program begins

    A new Defense Department reporting system has begun so members of all seven reserve components can register their employers. DOD decision-makers need to know the civilian employers and government agencies of the department's nearly 1.2 million National Guardsmen and reservists, officials said. The

  • Flying ‘bug’ bites WASP early, pilot recounts service

    It was not Charles Lindbergh, but “a fella before him” whose name escapes her now. She remembers he came through Charleston, W.Va., when she was very young, and she said he inspired her to learn to fly.“I was about 7 or 8 years old when this famous flier came to town. Everyone turned out to see

  • ROTC instructor duty now includes NCOs

    Air Force ROTC officials have just expanded instructor duty opportunities to include enlisted Airmen from diverse career fields.The secretary of the Air Force has approved a test program designed to incorporate enlisted perspectives into the curriculum. The addition of enlisted instructional staff,

  • Now showing: March 29 edition of AFTV News

    Air Combat Command’s “Canadian connection” highlights the latest edition of Air Force Television News. In a special “Eye on the Air Force,” Tech. Sgt. Bill Scherer goes to North Bay, Ontario, to examine the close relationship between ACC and the Canadian air force. Before Sept. 11, the Canadian

  • April issue of Citizen Airman available online

    For the past 33-plus years, Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III has been contributing to the Air Force mission as a reservist, with the last five-plus years as the commander of Air Force Reserve Command and chief of Air Force Reserve. During that time, he has fought for better benefits and entitlements

  • ‘Dirt Boyz’ digging in

    Airmen of the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron woke up to a South Dakota blizzard which closed sections of Interstate 90 and the Rapid City airport. Within a week, some of the same Airmen began waking up in the snow-covered foothills of the Ala Too Mountains in Kyrgyzstan as part of the 376th

  • Officials working for reserve health benefits

    Defense Department officials are working as quickly as possible to implement enhanced Tricare health-care benefits for reserve component sponsors and their family members, officials said.The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act and the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the new

  • Base recalls teamwork following ramp horror

    A visit to Building 900 brings back a visual that retired Senior Master Sgt. Eric Truesdale said he has spent the last decade trying to forget.It was there March 23, 1994, that 24 Fort Bragg, N.C., Soldiers were killed, more than 100 were injured and countless other troops’ lives were changed in

  • ICBM security forces deploy every four days

    Security forces Airmen here and at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and Malmstrom AFB, Mont., constantly deploy but not overseas. Their deployments are to the nation's IBM fields. These Airmen provide security for the U.S. ICBM arsenal around the clock, 365 days a year.The missiles they guard are

  • Standardization program announces awards

    Officials from the Defense Standardization Program Office recognized Air Force people and teams with awards for outstanding contributions to the Department of Defense in fiscal 2003. The awards were presented March 16 during a ceremony in Lansdowne, Va.The following received awards:Individuals--

  • Armament summit examines joint weapons communication

    A global grid where information can be passed from weapons to aircraft to command and control facilities highlighted discussions at the sixth annual air armament summit here March 16 to 17.The theme of the summit that brought leaders from government, industry and academia together was, "Joining the

  • Officials extend stateside space-A travel test

    The one-year test to expand space-available travel privileges to family members of active-duty and retired servicemembers traveling within the continental United States was extended until further notice, according to Air Mobility Command's air transportation division officials.The extension will

  • Mentors program gives officers someone to look up to

    Every officer or officer candidate needs someone to look up to, someone he or she can talk with about career development and being a professional and becoming a leader. For more than 20 years, Air Force Cadet/Officer Mentor Action Program volunteers have provided officers with that someone. The

  • New service delivers civilian personnel news to inbox

    Officials from the Air Force's National Security Personnel System implementation office recently unveiled a simple way to keep employees informed of coming changes to the Department of Defense civilian personnel system.The 2004 National Defense Authorization Act established the NSPS, a new human

  • Basic training creates mission-ready Airmen

    Air Force leaders expect basic military training squadrons to deliver a tough program, professionally. Trainees want it tough as well, officials here said.This is great because training officials said they deliver. Graduates complete a rigorous indoctrination program and leave here as highly

  • NCO charged in alleged murder-for-hire plot

    Air Force officials preferred charges March 12 against a recruiter assigned to the 341st Recruiting Squadron here for allegedly being involved in a murder-for-hire plot and other criminal activity.Tech. Sgt. Rodney E. Wells is charged in separate incidents of conspiracy to commit murder,

  • Airmen search for fallen heroes in Southeast Asia

    When Master Sgt. Delbert Anderson received his deployment assignment to Southeast Asia, he said he did not anticipate his definition of patriotism would change forever.Sergeant Anderson, superintendent of trainer aircraft operations for life support in the Air Education and Training Command’s

  • Indiana teen wins ‘perfect prom’

    Surrounded by friends, family and school officials March 10, Jessica Karshner held onto the jumbo-sized check. With a smile almost as big as the symbolic piece of cardboard, she looked into the crowd and said “thank you!”Picked randomly from 97,000 entries, this Seymour High School senior was the

  • U.S. forces get tax break for combat-zone service

    American forces serving in designated combat zones supporting the war against terrorism continue to get a tax break from Uncle Sam.Depending upon rank, eligible servicemembers can exclude from federal income tax either all or some of their active-duty pay, and certain other pays, earned in any month

  • AFSOC familiarization, recruiting seminar focuses on weather

    Air Force Special Operations Command weather directorate officials held their first special operations and airborne weather familiarization and recruiting seminar here March 3 to 5.Combat weather recruiting efforts have not produced enough volunteers to fill enlisted vacancies, said Lt. Col. Michael

  • Air Force begins full-scale assault assessment

    Allegations of sexual misconduct at the Air Force Academy and Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, have prompted the Air Staff to direct an Air Force-wide review of its policies, procedures and victim programs.Officials at each Air Force major command have formed sexual-assault integrated-process teams

  • Security forces get more boots on the ground

    Security forces Airmen will see 495 new civilians added to their ranks between July and October. Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James Roche directed the positions be added at the squadron level to free more Airmen for duties at home station and on deployments.Officials expect many of the new

  • Former Airman oversees U.S. cemetery in Manila

    Dan Neese gets strange looks when he invites people for dinner and gives them his address. It is not because he is some kind of a weird character, but living inside a cemetery is something most people do not normally brag about.Mr. Neese resides at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial here.

  • Test uniforms soon arriving at Elmendorf

    In early 2002, the Air Force chief of staff and the U.S. Air Force Uniform Board put together a uniform that met distinct criteria. It had to be better fitting, less expensive and easier to maintain, and specific to the Air Force.Elmendorf is one of the nine testing sites for this proposed utility

  • Walking Shield helps American Indians

    For 10 years now, the Air Force has helped house and provide assistance to American Indians living on reservations in the United States through its participation in Operation Walking Shield. The Air Force deputy assistant secretary for installations, Fred Kuhn, co-chaired the OWS Management

  • From cosmetics to test jets

    In the tumultuous times of 1930s America, Pensacola, Fla., native Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran was a successful entrepreneur in the world of women’s cosmetics. But not many who saw her marketing powders and colored creams in those days would imagine that she would soon set records in the upstart

  • Americans, Turks find common ground through conversation

    Divided by cultural beliefs and thousands of miles, the gap between U.S. and Turkish people may appear, at first, somewhat insurmountable.Tech. Sgt. Norvel Brown, however, recently found a surprisingly simple connection -- conversation.As a volunteer at the English Language Training Center here,

  • Personnel services now available on AF Portal

    The days where people need to remember numerous user IDs and passwords for basic online personnel services are coming to an end thanks to the Air Force Portal."The portal is a powerful tool," said Col. Gregory Touhill, director of personnel data systems at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "We

  • Airmen answer National Call to Service

    Since its inception in October, more than 240 trainees who enlisted under the National Call to Service Program have attended basic military training here.Under the terms set by the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act, the new airmen can serve a 15-month enlistment, followed by a possible

  • Air Force announces promotions to major

    The Air Force selected 2,540 captains for promotion to major in the 2003B line of the Air Force, chaplain, nurse corps, medical service corps and biomedical service corps boards.Selectees will be notified March 4 by their commander. The entire list will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center’s

  • Still time to leave active duty early

    Nearly 1,250 airmen have applied to leave the Air Force early under force shaping. As the March 12 application deadline draws near, officials looking to trim the force by more than 16,000 are encouraging all airmen to carefully look at options to retire or separate earlier than they might otherwise

  • Portal provides information, access, instant messaging

    Air Force senior leaders have asked that all airmen sign up for a new Web-based technology that promises to streamline access to information across the force -- the Air Force Portal.In a December information technology initiatives memo, Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Chief of

  • New avenue available for civilian information

    Civilian appropriated-fund employees and prospective applicants can now get answers to questions about employment opportunities, benefits and entitlements and more online at the Air Force's Customer Service Center.A new database, located at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/cst, includes hundreds of

  • Academy adds editorial, speech writing to curriculum

    Writing editorials and speeches is not always easy for the “techno-centric.”Since most of the Air Force's senior enlisted leaders are people managers experienced as mechanics, number crunchers or computer fixers, they often have limited experience putting their thoughts on paper. The idea of having

  • CMSAF addresses quality of life

    The service’s ranking enlisted member addressed quality-of-life issues to the House subcommittee on military construction Feb. 25.Overall, quality of life in the Air Force has greatly improved, contributing to increased morale and retention, said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray.

  • NASA names MacDill landing site for space shuttle

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials have named this base an alternate landing site for space shuttle missions.Alternate sites are typically selected based on weather conditions or the power level of the shuttle during re-entry.Software updates to the shuttles’ landing programs

  • All-weather friends vital to CAOC mission

    It really does all depend on the weather when it comes to planning air operations.This holds true at the Combined Air Operations Center here, the central hub for air and space operations dealing with operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and in the Horn of Africa region.The CAOC weather cell

  • Airmen help community by building homes

    Spending a Saturday morning working on your house may not seem like anything new, but what about spending that Saturday morning working on the house of someone you do not even know? This is what a group of airmen from throughout the base here have been doing with their spare time for Habitat for

  • Servicemembers can apply for expedited U.S. citizenship

    Foreign-born servicemembers can now speed up the process to obtain American citizenship.The immediate eligibility for servicemembers to become a naturalized citizen is based on Executive Order 13269 signed by President Bush on July 3, 2002. Section 329 of the 8 U.S. Code allows the president to

  • Leaders call for re-energized suicide-prevention efforts

    After 11 active-duty suicides since Jan. 1 and 14 during the final quarter of 2003, Air Force senior leaders are asking commanders and leaders across the service to assess and re-energize suicide prevention efforts at all levels. The 2003 calendar year suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people was

  • BDUs in short supply

    Backorders from the military supply system are affecting the availability of battle dress uniforms in military clothing sales stores. Both Army and Air Force clothing stores are out of stock on selected sizes of the enhanced hot weather and temperate BDU coats and trousers.The military supply

  • Recruiting service unveils ‘shrink-wrapped’ buses

    Air Force Recruiting Service officials rolled out their latest advertising campaign to senior leaders Feb. 19: two very colorful buses.The vehicles are standard in every way, except they are covered with a shrink-wrap design rather than a traditional paint scheme. Each vehicle features the F/A-22

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    Air Force officials selected 84 enlisted airmen to trade in their stripes for gold bars by choosing them to attend Officer Training School, officials here announced Feb. 18.OTS Selection Board 0403, which met here Jan. 13 to 16, considered 396 applications. The board selected 263 people, including

  • 'Transformation Flight Plan’ gives airmen roadmap to future

    Air Staff officials have put the finishing touches on the “Transformation Flight Plan,” which spells out the future direction of the Air Force.The TFP, a 176-page document, can be accessed through a link on the Air Force’s Internet home page at www.af.mil or on the office of force transformation Web

  • ARC team offers link home, comfort

    There is a one-stop shop here that offers books to read, candy to eat, videos to watch and a shoulder to lean on during times of trouble. More than 1,000 books line the tent shelves, dozens of videos sit beneath a videocassette recorder and television, candy and snacks fill plastic containers, and a

  • New temporary health benefits for reserves announced

    Department of Defense officials announced Feb. 12 they will implement the 2004 Temporary Reserve Health Benefit Program for eligible reserve component servicemembers and their family members.“These new temporary provisions were designed by Congress to improve readiness and enhance access to care for

  • New Web site designed to make PCS moves easier

    Relocating an Air Force family can be challenging. To ease the strain, Air Force officials recently launched “AF Move,” a Web site designed to put as much moving-related information as possible only a mouse-click away."This is an absolutely outstanding Web site,” said Maj. Gen. Craig Rasmussen, Air

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign begins Feb. 16

    The Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign runs Feb. 16 to May 7, asking airmen to contribute to any of four Air Force-related charities. The charities benefit active-duty, Reserve, Guard, retired Air Force people, surviving spouses and families. This is the 31st year of the fund

  • Reserve system streamlines Air Force travel processing

    Accurate and secure records, universal e-mail copies of vouchers and possibly faster payouts are what Air Force travelers have to look forward to starting this spring.Financial management offices throughout the active-duty Air Force are set to begin using Air Force Reserve Command’s Reserve Travel

  • Storytelling serves as favorite pastime

    In Africa, storytelling is a tradition and a favorite pastime. After a hard day's work and after dinner, elders and children sit around the fire to tell stories.Some are fables with fictional characters, but others are true stories of great warriors from long ago.When Africans were captured and

  • Officials update enlistment test norms

    Department of Defense officials announced Feb. 6 that new norms for the enlistment test, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, will be implemented this summer. The ASVAB is a multiple aptitude test battery originally designed to predict training and job performance in military occupations.

  • Test uniforms hit the streets

    Airmen at two bases will get a first-hand look at the proposed new utility uniform Feb. 9 when the tiger-striped blue-, green- and gray-patterned ensemble begins its wear-test phase.Officials will deliver the distinctive uniforms to testers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and Langley AFB,

  • Defense Department axing Internet voting plans

    Defense Department officials are axing an Internet voting program because of concerns about security, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Feb. 6.The Federal Voting Assistance Program, which aids Americans serving overseas in the voting process, will not use the SERVE system in November. The acronym stands

  • Doors open for active duty to join Air Force Reserve

    The Air Force is opening doors and modifying programs to give people leaving active duty an opportunity to continue their military careers in the Air Force Reserve.As the active force tries to reduce manning by about 16,600, the Air Force Reserve is seeking to hire many of those experienced airmen

  • Antenna shop technicians make waves

    Onboard radar systems are the eyes and ears for aircrews conducting flying missions. These sophisticated components, a vital part of the navigation system, give aircrews a clear picture of the route ahead.Fourteen technicians here perform the important task of maintaining them. Their job is to

  • Air Force, FAA continue air traffic control modernization efforts

    Air Force sites in Michigan and Arizona joined the growing list of airfields replacing aging legacy air traffic control systems with state-of-the-art technology through the National Airspace System upgrade.The Alpena Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan and Luke Air Force

  • Emulator boosts GPS training

    Gone are the days of using a compass for direction finding.Now, through a constellation of 29 satellites, warfighters, banks, automobile drivers and others benefit from the Air Force's technological advancements with the Global Positioning System.Owned and operated by the Air Force, GPS provides

  • International student training requests increase

    The business of training international students is booming for a small unit here.Requests for globetrotting teams from the Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron have skyrocketed in recent months with the expansion of the global war on terrorism.Already this year, AFSAT is ahead of pace to

  • IDEA brings Davis-Monthan man $10,000

    A suggestion that saves labor and material costs on F-4 Phantom actuator assembly repairs here earned an aircraft pneudraulic systems mechanic $10,000, courtesy of the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Steven Herman, who works in the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration

  • Certificate of Creditable Coverage automatically issued

    Department of Defense Military Health System officials are now automatically issuing a Certificate of Creditable Coverage to any former uniformed services sponsor or family member who loses eligibility for health-care benefits under Tricare. The service began Feb. 1.Eligibility for Tricare may end

  • Group develops C-5 grease

    A low-cost, multipurpose grease developed by Air Force Research Laboratory technicians has received a positive evaluation from Air Force maintainers. The evaluation follows nearly 1,529 airframe hours, which adds up to roughly 11 months of operation, on the C-5 Galaxy aircraft.Equipment specialists

  • Team reviewing academy’s athletic department

    A team arrived at the Air Force Academy here Feb. 1 to begin reviewing the school’s athletic department. The review was directed by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper.The review team is led by retired Air Force Gen. Michael E. Ryan and his

  • Multimedia shop keeps focus

    An airman peers through the lens of the weapon, anticipating the moment the target is in sight. The target steps off the plane. “Closer,” the airman murmurs as her eye shoots back and forth in the lens, checking the scene. Her finger squeezes gently. Click. She shoots, and another distinguished

  • Nominations open for employer support award

    The Defense Department began accepting nominations Feb. 1 for the 2004 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which recognizes significant contributions and sacrifices made by employers of National Guard and Reserve members.For the first time since the awards program was established in

  • Homelink ensures family communication

    Operation Homelink is a nonprofit organization that facilitates e-mail communication between deployed servicemembers and their loved ones by providing free, refurbished computers to families of junior-enlisted servicemembers deployed overseas.“Military families want to know their loved ones are safe

  • Now showing: Feb. 2 edition of AFTV News

    The growing effect long activations are having on reservists and Air National Guardsmen spotlights the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Staff Sgt. Melissa Allan visits a reservist at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., whose family is trying to decide if re-enlistment is an option because of

  • Proposed budget shows AF path

    The fiscal 2005 Defense Department budget provides the foundation upon which the Air Force will continue the war on terrorism.Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for budget, discussed how the service’s budget priorities would allow airmen to be a better air and space

  • Air Force redesigns Web site

    The Air Force is unveiling a new look, feel and functionality for its official Web site Feb. 1.“Air Force Link, the service’s Web site, will have a cleaner, more modern look,” said Leslie Benito, chief of news technology and project manager for the redesign for Air Force News Service, a part of the

  • Helpline gives airmen vital info

    The Air Force will expand efforts to take care of its own Feb. 1 with the 24-hour-a day “Air Force One Source” live helpline for airmen and their families.The “beyond-the-gate” support and referral service is intended to help address personal and family support needs for active-duty airmen,

  • Squadron part of rovers' success

    The 45th Space Wing can now put two more historical milestones under its belt -- the successful landings of the twin Mars exploration rovers on the red planet. Opportunity touched down on its target, Meridiani Planum, shortly after midnight Jan. 25, joining its twin, Spirit, which landed on the

  • Medical, dental officer promotions announced

    The Air Force has selected 619 medical and dental corps officers for promotion. The officers were chosen by the colonel, lieutenant colonel and major medical and dental corps selection boards that convened at the Air Force Personnel Center here Nov. 17.The entire list will be posted on the Air

  • Commander selections get boost

    The latest 503 officers selected as support commanders highlights a new way of identifying future commanders using force development, said Air Force Personnel Center officials here."Squadron commanders are the heart and soul of the Air Force and support command is a prestigious leadership position,"

  • Guard legal team working hard

    For some, the base legal office is a place to take care of wills or powers of attorney, but the office staff here does a lot more than that.Lt. Col. Brent Wright, an Oklahoma Air National Guard staff judge advocate, and Master Sgt. Mary Alice Rebis, a New York ANG paralegal, are teamed together to

  • Challenger crew memorialized on Mars

    Late Air Force Lt. Cols. Francis R. (Dick) Scobee and Ellison S. Onizuka are among those now memorialized on the red planet. NASA officials have named the landing site of the Mars rover Opportunity in honor of the Space Shuttle Challenger's final crew. The area in the vast flatland called

  • Personnel Web site slow

    Internet users trying to access the Air Force Personnel Center Web site recently are seeing unusual slowdowns and having problems connecting."We're aware of the problem and have brought in industry experts to help us resolve it as soon as possible," said Master Sgt. Gregory Brennfleck, Web