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  • Association offers scholarships to children

    The Military Officers Association of America will give $1,000 college scholarships at random to sons and daughters of military people, including reservists.Deadline to complete the online application is March 1.Formerly known as The Retired Officers Association, the MOAA will honor 100 college-bound

  • Explosive business

    Senior Airman Douglas Frey uses a mine detector to locate buried ordnance here Jan. 9. Frey is assigned to the 39th Civil Engineer Squadron. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr.)

  • Ready or not, here we come

    Staff Sgt. Kyle Truelsen marshals a U-2 Dragon Lady out of a hangar here. Upgraded U-2s with sensors and data links that improve the aircraft's data-collecting capability are deploying from Beale to support Operation Enduring Freedom and other reconnaissance operations overseas. Truelsen is a crew

  • Quarterly assignment listing available

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for people returning from overseas May through July will be available Jan. 13.Individuals need to work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences since the update process is not yet totally automated, according to Air Force

  • Comedian donates $1m for welcome center

    Bob and Dolores Hope have donated $1 million to the Air Force Enlisted Foundation to build a facility here to honor retired Col. Robert W. Gates, a pilot on many of the comedian's United Services Organization jaunts across the globe.The 6,500 square foot welcome center will be built next to the

  • Rocket launches from Vandenberg

    The Air Force launched a Boeing Delta II Rocket from here Jan. 12. The rocket carried an Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite, and a Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer.The ICESat will help scientists determine if the global sea level is rising or falling. It will observe the ice sheets

  • Mounted security forces patrol Little Rock

    Base security got a boost recently with the addition of three horses to form the 314th Security Forces Squadron mounted patrol.The horse patrol covers a designated area of Little Rock Air Force Base every day and focuses on remote areas of the perimeter, wooded areas behind housing and hunting areas

  • Keeping mail flowing while deployed

    On a daily basis, the morale of people deployed to the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing weighs on the minds of the base postal flight, and they want nothing more than to deliver."We're big-time morale boosters," said Airman 1st Class Jonathan Morgan, an information manager by trade. "That's our main

  • Pope combat controller awarded Air Force Cross

    Senior Air Force leaders awarded the Air Force Cross to Tech. Sgt. John Chapman here Jan. 10.Chapman, a combat controller killed in Afghanistan while saving the lives of his entire team, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, which is second only to the Medal of Honor as an award for

  • Air Force survival instructor shows Marines the ropes

    Huddled with a group of shivering students on a recent cold morning, an Air Force survival instructor from the 374th Operations Support Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, demonstrates the proper way to rappel from a 70-foot tower. The group watches carefully as he attaches a rope to his harness

  • Art contest deadline approaches

    Elementary school artists of military families have until Jan. 27 to enter the 2003 Armed Services YMCA Art Contest and earn a chance to win a $500 U.S. Savings Bond.The annual talent hunt is open to kindergartners through sixth graders of active and reserve-component military families in all the

  • Let it snow!

    As the first major snowfall of the season covers Aviano Air Base, Italy, on Jan. 9, Airman 1st Class Brian Hirsch of the 31st Security Forces Squadron maintains security at the base's gate. (Photo by Master Sgt. Dave Ahlschwede)

  • Team erects B-2 shelters at deployed location

    Twenty members of the 49th Materiel Maintenance Squadron here spent more than 70 days at a deployed location working 12-hour shifts to erect portable shelters for B-2 Spirit bombers.The Air Force now has two transportable hangar systems that will allow the B-2 to deploy overseas. Moving the B-2s to

  • Good morning ...

    A C-130 Hercules takes a sunrise flight near a tent city at a deployed location supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The Pentagon announced Jan. 8 that thousands of American servicemembers are deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hannen)

  • The paint is flying

    A member of the Turkish air force security forces squadron here surrenders after being hit with a paintball. U.S. and Turkish security forces team up once a quarter for paintball training to practice combat tactics, fire-control measures and cover and concealment procedures. (Photo by Staff Sgt.

  • Wings of Blue strike gold

    The U.S. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue parachute competition team won gold medals in each skydiving event and received 31 out of 44 total medals at the National Collegiate Parachute Championship in Eloy, Ariz., recently.The team competed in three events: style, accuracy and four-way. The style

  • Operation Gray Eagle unites military people with retirees

    Veterans and new recruits seldom move in the same circles. But that has changed here.The base has started a trial program, Operation Gray Eagle, which unites veterans living in the Denver area with students in the base's airmen leadership school for a session that seeks to pass experience and

  • Air Force begins smallpox vaccines

    The Air Force chief of staff has directed the immediate implementation of the smallpox vaccination program.In a Jan. 6 policy memorandum to major command commanders, Gen. John P. Jumper outlined details of the commanders' force protection program against the deadly biological warfare agent.The first

  • January issue of Airman's 'The Book' now available online

    Demographics, statistics, and a wide range of compiled information about the Air Force highlight the first issue of Airman magazine in 2003, available now on the World Wide Web."Centennial of Flight" is the theme for Airman's January 2003 issue, traditionally called "The Book." The issue focuses on

  • ARPC announces colonel promotions

    The Air Reserve Personnel Center here announced Jan. 9 the 2003 Air Force Reserve colonel promotion selection board results that selected 229 officers for promotion.The list of officers selected is available on the ARPC Web site at arpc.afrc.af.mil under "Promotions."A selection board convened at

  • Gas 'n go

    An airman from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, refuels a KC-10 Extender aircraft recently. The fuels section maintains about 1 million gallons of fuel to support the base and the KC-10 and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by

  • Air Force transforms, merges property operations

    The Air Force recently created a new agency to handle all of its real estate transactions.The Air Force Real Property Agency resulted from the merging of two agencies: the Air Force Base Conversion Agency and the Air Force Real Estate division. The move, said the director of the AFRPA, is expected

  • AFIT course stays at Wright-Patterson

    The Air Force Institute of Technology's School of Systems and Logistics here will continue to provide courses for the acquisition and sustainment workforce.Air Force officials announced recently that graduate acquisition and meteorology training will be transferred to the Naval Postgraduate School

  • Servicemembers heading toward gulf

    Thousands of American servicemembers are deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of operations.The largest deployment is that of the Army's 16,500-man 3rd Infantry Division to Kuwait.The division's 2nd Brigade is already in Kuwait. The 3rd Brigade, based at Fort Benning, Ga., flies out this week

  • Officer assignments move beyond 'seven-day option'

    Following secretary of the Air Force guidance, Air Force Personnel Center officials reviewed and improved what was called the "seven-day option" policy for officer assignments.Those officers who would be eligible to separate or retire instead of taking an assignment will now get more than seven days

  • Fueling the fight

    Staff Sgts. Ben Hritz (left) and Dave Follmuth help pull a 900-pound fuel bladder into place at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Both are fuels technicians with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. Fuels workers currently maintain approximately 1 million gallons of fuel for KC-10 Extender and KC-135

  • Congress funds more than $2 billion in construction projects

    Congress approved more than $2 billion to fund Air Force construction projects over the next year.The fiscal 2003 National Defense Authorization Act includes $1.3 billion in funding for Air Force military construction, including dormitories, fitness centers, force protection projects and operational

  • Now showing: Jan. 6 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Jan. 6 edition of Air Force Television News is the second of four special editions of the program; an extended interview with Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray. Interviewed by Staff Sgt. Pachari Lutke, Murray discusses a wide range of topics, including retention and recruiting

  • Building a boomtown

    Tech. Sgt. John Deyo guides a panel through a machine being used to construct a new transportation building at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Devo is a structural craftsman with the 819th/219th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron. Squadron people are working 12-hours a day, six days a week to build

  • Guardsman's soup provides Sunday retreat

    It is Sunday in Afghanistan's Air Force Village, and a huge 15-gallon metal cooking pot is providing a little taste of home.Folks are lining up for another Sunday helping of home cooking by Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Treaster.Treaster, an Air National Guardsman from McEntire Air National Guard Base,

  • Titan II Coriolis launches from Vandenberg

    The Air Force successfully launched a Titan II booster from here at 6:19 a.m. Jan. 6.The joint government and industry project dubbed "Coriolis," places the Navy windsat radiometer and an Air Force solar mass ejection imager in a low Earth-sun synchronous orbit.The windsat radiometer will provide

  • Flying high

    Aircraft commander Captain "Allison" looks out at the horizon as she pilots her KC-10A Extender aircraft. The captain and her crew stay airborne over Afghanistan providing fuel to coalition aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The crew is assigned to the 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling

  • Booklet offers help for identity theft

    A Federal Trade Commission booklet offers guidance for people who have fallen victim to a fast-growing crime: identity theft.Defense Department officials believe that it is possible that some Tricare beneficiaries could be subject to identity thievery because of the Dec. 14 theft of office

  • Air Force prepares for major deployment

    Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed the deployment of additional forces to support operations Enduring Freedom, Desert Spring and possible future contingencies Dec. 24.The additional active-duty forces in Air and Space Expeditionary Forces 7 and 8 as well as selected forces from AEFs 9

  • Total Force Band stars in parade

    The Air Force showed its true colors Jan. 1 here when members of the Total Force Band performed in the 114th Tournament of Roses Parade.The band, comprised of men and women from active-duty, Reserve and Guard components, marched for the second year in a row."Now more than ever, it's important to

  • Predator crashes in Pakistan

    An Air Force RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle crashed during a test flight in a remote area of southern Pakistan around 11 p.m. on Dec. 31, according to U.S. Central Command officials here.The crash was not the result of enemy fire, and the aircraft is being recovered, officials said.The cause

  • Innovation pays in more ways than one

    Innovation has paid off, not once, but four times for one 552nd Air Control Wing airman.Since his arrival at the 552nd ACW four years ago, Staff Sgt. Daniel McSwain has continually looked for ways to improve processes in his shop. He is an avionics test station and aircraft component specialist in

  • New Year's flight

    While his wingman flies formation, a Marine AV-8B Harrier takes on fuel from a KC-10 Extender over Afghanistan, Jan. 1. The KC-10 and its crew are currently assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid, Qatar. (Photo by Capt. Don Langley)

  • Military researchers receive awards

    Four military researchers were recently honored by the Institute for National Security Studies during its annual research results conference here.Majs. Steve Kiser and Troy Thomas received the Maj. Gen. Robert E. Linhard Award for their paper "Lords of the Silk Route: Violent Non-State Actors in

  • Air Force supports Rose Bowl

    F-117 Nighthawks from the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., soar over a Rose Bowl crowd of nearly 87,000 people before the game featuring the No. 6-ranked Washington State Cougars and No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners won 34-14. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Cortchie Welch)

  • Prototype saves fuel, money, environment

    It is economical, environmentally friendly, and definitely fuel-efficient. And so far, only the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard is using it.It is the PH1000EL Self-Contained Fuel Transfer Unit, better known as the "fuel buggy." Members of the 149th Maintenance Squadron are using

  • Avoiding 'Trash-ganistan'

    Senior Airman Courtney Swales (left) holds on as Senior Master Sgt. Dave Dickinson drives a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle with a load full of trash from Air Force Village at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Hauling trash to the dump is one of many additional duties airmen frequently pull at the base.

  • Directorate cleans up with new water-based solution

    Maintainers here recently replaced their chemical-based cleaning solvent with a water-based product that is proving safer for workers. The new solvent will also saves thousands of dollars each year in environmental disposal and compliance costs, said officials.The water-based cleaning fluid,

  • myPay offers W-2 forms in January

    Servicemembers, military retirees and annuitants will have their account statements and tax information online courtesy of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service's myPay.In January, active-duty and reserve customers can view and print current-year W-2 using myPay, a secure, online system.The

  • Pets traveling to UK still require quarantine license

    Currently, cats and dogs coming into the United Kingdom from the United States must still be licensed into quarantine, according to British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials.The U.K. government extended the Pet Travel Scheme to the United States as of Dec. 11. This

  • Leaders stress winter safety

    With the winter season firmly in place and bitter weather gripping the nation, the service's senior leaders urge Air Force members to be safety-conscious."The mission, travel, weather and distractions caused by family separations all factor into increased risk," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr.

  • Now showing: Dec. 23 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Dec. 23 edition of Air Force Television News is the first of four special productions of the program to be seen in December, January and February. This first of the four is the annual "Year in Review" edition, and is dedicated to the men and women of the Air Force and the job they do both on

  • A couple's first Christmas

    Airmen 1st Class Christopher and Heather Otis exchange gifts Christmas morning at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. This is their first Christmas as husband and wife. Both are crew chiefs deployed to the 379th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. (Photo by Master Sgt.

  • Forces delivering wheelchairs to Afghanistan

    The first 50 of 1,000 donated wheelchairs bound for disabled people in Afghanistan were delivered to Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, as part of an ongoing humanitarian project.Baisal Limited, a wheelchair manufacturer in nearby Bishkek, assembled the wheelchairs and then delivered them to coalition

  • Tricare computers, files stolen

    Officials from the Tricare Management Activity announced Dec. 23 that computer equipment and files were stolen Dec. 14 from its Tricare Central Region health contractor, TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp. in Phoenix.TriWest contracts with the military health system to provide health services to

  • Officials release F-16 accident report

    Air Force investigators determined there was not sufficient evidence to form an opinion as to the cause of the F-16C Fighting Falcon crash Sept. 9 during a night-training mission near Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.The aircraft was destroyed upon impact in a remote section of a cattle ranch about 60

  • Board releases HH-60 incident report

    A less-than-optimum takeoff technique combined with an attempt to out climb a dust cloud with insufficient power caused the Aug. 12 crash of an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, according to Air Force officials who investigated the incident.At the time of the crash, the helicopter was returning to its

  • Students sending supplies to Afghan children

    A handful of Incirlik Elementary School students embraced the spirit of giving this holiday season. Their gifts may not be the toys and games most children wish for, but the students hope their presents will have more lasting value.The 14-member student council worked for months to collect school

  • This is a test

    The first Air Force C-5 Galaxy featuring new avionics upgrades takes off from here on its maiden flight Dec. 21. The upgrades include flight displays, a navigation system, and installation of the Terrain Awareness and Warning System and the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The

  • Former Soviet officer joins Air Force

    When stories about job changes come up in conversation, it is hard to top 2nd Lt. Chris Sverkounov.The recent Air and Space Basic Course student here went from being a lieutenant in the Soviet army to a commission in the U.S. Air Force."I'm extremely excited about being an officer again," said

  • Academy chef builds gingerbread houses

    The gingerbread man is also a chef for the U.S. Air Force Academy.Tommie Jones Jr., a chef and baker at the academy's Mitchell Hall cadet dining facility, has produced hundreds of gingerbread houses during the past 30 years.One year Jones made 68 gingerbread houses, much to his wife's chagrin."She

  • Dropping in for Christmas

    Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen and his wife, Lorraine, inspect a stuffed bear before it was dropped Dec. 21 during the 50th anniversary flights of Christmas Drop. For 50 years people at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, have gathered Christmas gifts and supplies to be airdropped to Pacific islanders. A

  • NORAD prepares for Santa tracking

    The North Pole and North American Aerospace Defense Command are once again teaming up to track Santa Claus's journey around the world Christmas Eve.Aaron Carter is serving as the official "Santa Tracker" for this year's event. He visited NORAD's headquarters at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station,

  • Air Force leaders send holiday message

    The following is a holiday message from Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, and Dr. James. G. Roche, secretary of the Air Force:"In this season of thanksgiving and reverent celebration, we send our warmest wishes to our entire Air Force team of active, Guard, Reserve, civilian and retired

  • Air Force's top chief sends holiday message

    The following is a holiday message from Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray:"To the Air Force men and women protecting our nation at home and abroad: My wife, Sherry, and I want to wish each of you the joy and peace of the season."The demands of the past year have been great, and

  • Dover civilian employee charged with theft

    Delaware State Police arrested a civilian employee from Dover Air Force Base, Del., Dec. 16 on suspicion of stealing nearly $1 million worth of base property over several years.The arrest of Gary Kaiser, of the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron, followed a search of his off-base residence by special

  • Lending a helping hand

    Staff Sgt. Brian Seeley of the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron here sorts through gifts for families in the area. Squadron airmen helped transport food from area collection points and boxed items for the Salvation Army's holiday program. (Photo by Sue Sapp)

  • AF realigns 13k military, civilian positions

    The Air Force will realign more than 13,000 active-duty and civilian manpower authorizations now through the end of the decade to better support the service's highest-priority mission requirements, personnel officials said Dec. 19."This restructuring of manpower positions isn't an attempt to reduce

  • Air Force announces medical promotions

    The Air Force has selected 638 medical and dental corps officers for promotion. The officers were chosen by the colonel, lieutenant colonel and major medical and dental corps selection board that convened at the Air Force Personnel Center here Oct. 28 to Nov. 4.The lists of promoted officers,

  • Elmendorf, Yokota teams secure pummeled base

    Despite the devastation of Typhoon Pongsona, which pummeled the island of Guam Dec. 8, force protection remained a priority here as base officials called for help.Answering that call were teams of security forces members from Yokota Air Base, Japan, and Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska."We heard

  • Water on its way

    Airman 1st Class Randy Bennett drives a 13k all-terrain forklift carrying a pallet of water to a C-130 Hercules aircraft headed for Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Dec. 18. Water is shipped weekly to deployed troops in Afghanistan. Bennett is assigned to the 320th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron

  • T-37s collide in midair

    Two T-37 Tweet trainer aircraft assigned to the 89th Flying Training Squadron here collided in midair about 9:20 a.m. Dec. 20.The incident took place during a training mission near Lake Waurika, located about 40 miles northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas.Each aircraft had an instructor pilot and a

  • Officials release F-15 mishap report

    According to an accident investigation board report released by Air Combat Command Dec. 19, there were two main factors that caused an F-15 Eagle mishap at Eglin AFB, Fla., Sept. 3. The pilot incorrectly executed his landing sequence, and he landed 60 feet short of the runway striking a trench

  • Nutrition helps achieve fitness goals

    To achieve overall fitness, health and wellness, people need to consider their nutritional requirements as well as their physical needs."Good nutrition goes hand in hand with exercise to help a person live a healthier lifestyle," said Tech. Sgt. Ronald Cochran, the noncommissioned officer in charge

  • Giving thanks

    -- Holloman Intermediate School's fourth-graders presented 10 members of the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron with a handmade flag during a small assembly at the school. The students had sent thank-you cards to the airmen while they were deployed to Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Vanessa

  • Enlisted members hit the books at AFIT

    The secretary of the Air Force's initiative to mold a technically educated force is paying off for the eight senior noncommissioned officers selected to pursue master's degrees at the Air Force's premier graduate school.The enrollment of enlisted members into the Air Force Institute of Technology,

  • AF, Navy form alliance to better meet education needs

    The Air Force and Navy formed an agreement Dec. 18 to meet the advanced education requirements of both services and the Department of Defense.This educational alliance will leverage the capabilities of the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the Naval

  • Watch for signs of holiday blues

    Television portrays the holidays as a time filled with love and sharing. But the holidays aren't picture-perfect for everyone.People all over the world seem to go through holiday depression, now known as the holiday blues, said Capt. Pamela Novy, commander of the 5th Medical Group's behavioral

  • Anniversary aircraft

    B-2 Spirit crew chiefs Staff Sgt. Jay Pirnie (left) and Senior Airman Heath Traugh watch their jet, the "Spirit of Indiana," run up its engines here Dec. 17. The two airmen, assigned to the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, were readying the aircraft for takeoff on the ninth anniversary of the

  • Testing, one, two, three

    Tech. Sgt. Alexander Kokovidis, a laboratory technician assigned to the 819/219 Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron's materials testing lab, tests an asphalt sample Dec. 17 at a forward-deployed location in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Kokovidis is conducting a specific gravity test by

  • Special forces join combined planning operation

    Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group, Kadena Air Base, Japan, joined with members of South Korea's Special Warfare Command here recently to plan the critical first few days of a potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula.For two weeks, planners, flight crews and intelligence experts

  • Santa trades sleigh for F-117 Nighthawk

    Santa talks to an Air Force maintenance crew on the ground before exiting an F-117 Nighthawk to greet more than 150 children and parents gathered at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. Santa made a special trip to Palmdale Dec. 14 for the test force's annual holiday children's party, hosted by

  • Firefighters to do battle on ESPN 2

    Firefighting may not be a sport, but it certainly requires athleticism. Add the element of competition and it becomes "the fastest two minutes in sports," also known as the Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championships.Nine Air Force teams participated in the challenge, which was taped by ESPN

  • Osan heats up for 'Cookie Crunch'

    Pam Piekarczyk, a member of the base's spouses club, was one of more than 50 base volunteers who recently helped to mix 60 dozen eggs, 260 pounds of brown sugar, nearly 200 pounds of butter, more than 80 bags of chocolate chips and a few other sweet ingredients to bake 3,000 dozen cookies. The

  • Deployed airmen get connected

    To help deployed Air Force people stay in touch with their families, family support center workers here recently mailed off more than 40,000 AT&T Corp. phone calling cards as part of an annual Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation program.The 60-minute calling cards have also been sent to military

  • Strike up the band!

    Country and soul recording artist Lari White, gospel and soul recording artist BeBe Winans, and Tech. Sgt. Darden Safely, a featured vocalist with the U.S. Air Force Band's Airmen of Note, sing "America the Beautiful" Dec. 16 for members of the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing at a deployed location.

  • Centennial of Flight kicks off year of festivities

    A yearlong recognition of aviation began here Dec. 17 with the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission's national kickoff.Among those in attendance were a retired member of the Tuskegee Airmen and a former Air Force pilot who flew with the Flying Tigers during World War II.Wilbur and Orville Wright

  • Fox News to broadcast from Whiteman

    Airman 1st Class Corie Hudson of the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron operates a munitions lift truck Dec. 17 as Fox News Channel photographer Svein Schwab films the action for a future broadcast. The Fox News Channel will feature the base and the 509th Bomb Wing every hour throughout the day

  • Air Force supports relief mission in Guam

    Air Force C-5 Galaxy aircrews have flown more than 58 missions to deliver 1,200 tons of Federal Emergency Management Agency equipment and supplies to Guam after Typhoon Pongsona hit the island on Dec. 8.The aircraft also ferried more than 45 people, mostly family members, from Andersen Air Force

  • Officials release F-15E mishap report

    Engine valve failure and the use of an incorrect instrument during a maintenance inspection were the primary causes of an F-15E Strike Eagle mishap at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 3, according to a report released by Air Combat Command Dec. 17.The F-15E was on a weapons test mission carrying two

  • A rad reading

    Senior Airman Pamela Wiggins from the 810th Medical Operations Squadron here tests a 21st Security Forces Squadron member for radiation contamination during a weapons-of-mass-destruction exercise Dec. 11. The 21st Space Wing inspector general and a team of experts from Texas A&M University put the

  • Air Force kicks off Centennial of Flight celebration

    The Air Force joins the yearlong Centennial of Flight celebration on Dec. 17 that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight.The Air Force will participate in centennial events honoring a century of aviation heroes and communicate its contributions to airpower,

  • New system speeds up overseas check cashing

    Many of the Air Force's overseas cashier cages will soon use a new paperless check cashing system.The Military Paper Check Conversion system, developed by the U.S. Treasury, instantly converts paper checks presented to the cashier into an electronic image to be processed by the financial

  • Air Force to put CSAR units at Davis-Monthan

    Air Force officials announced Dec. 16 that the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., would become home to three combat search and rescue squadrons.The announcement follows an environmental assessment that resulted in a finding of no significant impact. The move will allow the Air Force

  • Kadena F-15 accident information released

    Air Force investigators have determined a pilot's loss of situational awareness, spatial disorientation and faulty flight control inputs led to the Aug. 21 crash of an F-15C Eagle into the ocean south of Kadena Air Base, Japan.The pilot, 1st Lt. Chris Northam, ejected safely from the aircraft with

  • New TRICARE mail order pharmacy to open March 1

    More than 400,000 military pharmacy mail order customers will be switched March 1 to a new TRICARE mail order pharmacy program, according to Army Col. William D. Davies of the TRICARE Management Activity.Services will continue under the National Mail Order Pharmacy contract until Feb. 28, he said.

  • Forces rotate for Operation Northern Watch

    More than 1,000 airmen are replacing Operation Northern Watch veterans as the Air and Space Expeditionary Force system performs its regular three-month rotation from late November through the first part of December.Based at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, the new airmen join Turkish and British coalition

  • Air Force, FAA share data network

    A new $4.5 million data acquisition and transmission network implemented by the Air Force Flight Test Center here and the Federal Aviation Administration is up and running. The new network will improve test efficiency and accelerate the ability to get information to the warfighter.The East Data

  • Combat weather teams key in mission planning

    When reporters describe the successes of the air war on terrorism, they frequently speak of special operations forces using global positioning system receivers and radios to direct laser-guided bombs to their targets.These stories are accurate and make for good video, but they only touch the surface

  • Maintainers brave elements to keep tankers flying

    Teeth chatter, hands shake, even bones ache through cold-weather gloves.While almost all North Dakota wildlife is in hiding, and most people here are sheltered indoors from the sub-zero temperatures and brutal 40 mph winds, 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron workers are fighting the elements while

  • F-16s restored after years in storage

    Pilots here will be flying training, photo-chase and test-support missions, and instructing pilots using brand new old F-16s Fighting Falcons -- four of them resurrected and regenerated from more than a decade of storage.The aircraft were originally part of a deal U.S. officials brokered with the

  • Guard, Reserve play vital roles in desert mission

    Guard and Reserve troops at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, are a vital part of the total force supporting the Operation Southern Watch mission of enforcing U.N. sanctions on Iraq and monitoring the southern no-fly zone.Not only are Air Reserve Component forces providing essential experience,

  • Airmen apprehended for drug use

    Nine airmen here were apprehended early Dec. 8 for illegal drug use as part of the Air Force's on-going zero-tolerance drug program.The airmen, from the 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 354th Maintenance Squadron, were identified as possible drug users through investigations conducted by

  • Aloha Joshua

    Col. Albert Riggle, commander of the 15th Air Base Wing here, makes friends with Joshua. Joshua and his mother, Christina, were among 51 family members who arrived from Andersen AFB, Guam. The families flew to Hawaii aboard a Hawaii Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker after Typhoon Pongsona

  • Keeping C-130 Hercules strong, mission ready

    The 320th Air Expeditionary Wing's motto is "Combat Airlift After Dark." Pilots and crews complete this mission with a fleet of aging C-130 Hercules, night out and night in.But, just like a winning driver in auto racing, pilots cannot get to the finish line without the maintainers providing the