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  • June issue of Airman available

    Learn about some of the famous firsts in military aviation, read about the continuing mission in Afghanistan and take a look at the “Warriors of the North” at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. These features and more highlight the June issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at

  • Phoenix Readiness training ends

    Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Readiness combat training has ended and will be replaced in October by the Air Force's expeditionary combat-support training program, Eagle Flag. The training cadre at the Air Mobility Warfare Center here are excited about Eagle Flag.“It's exciting for us to be

  • Air Force helps Iraqi dog immigrate

    A German shepherd of Iraqi descent arrived here May 30 aboard a C-17 Globemaster III after putting his life on the line to guard U.S. special forces.Fluffy, a dog from northern Iraq with visible scars, will retire at Fort Bragg, N.C., as an honorary military working dog.When Fluffy first joined Sgt.

  • AF simplifies travel-payment processing

    The Air Force has automated the process of filing travel-accrual payment requests for military travelers, making it available on the Virtual Military Personnel Flight Web page.“This should simplify the process not only for the traveler but also deployed and home-station financial services offices,”

  • Reserve unit takes ‘active’ role at Ramstein

    An air and space expeditionary force rotation to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, turned into a mission to move people and pallets of cargo to numerous airfields around the world, including battle-damaged runways in Iraq.In January, more than 200 activated reservists and six C-130 Hercules aircraft from

  • Rumsfeld: Cut safety mishap rates in half

    Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld challenged the military services to cut the number of mishaps by 50 percent in the next two years.“World-class organizations do not tolerate preventable accidents,” Rumsfeld wrote in a May 19 memorandum to the heads of military departments and defense

  • Being a reservist requires ‘juggling act’

    Recognizing that Air Force reservists must balance military obligations with family and civilian-employment requirements, the service’s senior reservist pledged to reduce unnecessary pressures.“I want to say ‘thank you’ to families and employers -- they make great sacrifices in order for Reserve

  • Iraqi forecasters back in business

    For the first time since 1980, members of Iraq’s meteorological organization are back in a Baghdad tower sending weather observations after going through training with Air Force weather forecasters. Airmen taught the Iraqis how to operate and maintain the new meteorological measuring set that was

  • War teaches major about Air Force

    Maj. Ken Sersun said he learned more about the Air Force mission during his first deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom than at any point in his 16-year career.As chief of staff for the Air Support Operations Center at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Sersun was one of nearly 150 airmen among 10,000

  • Airman convicted in arson case

    Senior Airman Jeffrey Beagle has been sentenced to five years confinement, reduction to airman basic, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge for destroying a $1.77 million vehicle maintenance building here March 16.Beagle was also convicted and sentenced for

  • Two convicted of financial crimes

    Two airmen have been convicted of various financial crimes during separate general courts-martial here.Master Sgt. Clarence Lott pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, submitting a false official document, larceny of housing allowances in excess of $500 and obstruction of justice. The sergeant,

  • Quality-of-life survey results are in

    The results of the 2002 Chief of Staff Quality-of-Life Survey have been compiled and show an increase in satisfaction with the Air Force as a job and way of life, survey officials said.The survey, sent to more than 100,000 active-duty airmen and civilian employees in September, included questions

  • Guardsmen open Baghdad facility

    The 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron has opened a 10-bed mobile medical staging facility near the military flightline at Baghdad International Airport. Facility workers there conduct joint service, coalition and civilian air evacuation missions.In the field, after self-aid and

  • Retired CMSAF travels world for bluesuiters

    Logging more temporary duty hours per year than many deployed airman, retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Robert Gaylor travels to the far corners of the world.Some people might call him crazy, but the fifth chief master sergeant of the Air Force said he has been to the ends of the world and

  • June issue of Citizen Airman available

    Thousands of mobilized reservists, along with hundreds of volunteers, performed critical roles supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since the beginning of the effort to liberate the Iraqi people, Air Force Reserve Command airmen have been involved in a variety of areas, including aeromedical

  • Life support ensures pilot comfort, survival

    When a pilot must eject from his aircraft and parachute to the ground, he builds a fire, drinks water and signals for rescue using the survival kit provided by the life-support unit at home base.The life-support unit here ensures all aircrews receive the best life-support equipment for flights and

  • World War II Ironman's remains return home

    In the hallway of the 71st Fighter Squadron here hangs a large wooden board adorned with framed names of "Ironmen" pilots from World War II and Operation Desert Storm. One of those names is 1st Lt. Carl Hoenshell. Three Maltese crosses under his name indicate the number of enemy aircraft he shot

  • Deployed airmen help Iraqi school

    Reaching out across miles of desert, a group of airmen helped Iraqi schoolchildren May 25 when it delivered the results of a “Win the Peace” program drive.Nine men and women representing the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing traveled Baghdad from their forward-deployed location to deliver more than

  • Split disbursement now mandatory for all military travelers

    All military travelers must now select the split disbursement option on their travel voucher claims to directly pay their government travel card expenses, according to finance officials.Split disbursement requires travelers to tally up their GTC expenses and authorize enough funds to be sent

  • Country music star shows appreciation for military

    One of country music’s biggest stars visited Colorado Springs to thank the troops with a free concert May 21.Tim McGraw and the Dance Hall Doctors played to more than 20,000 area military members at Pershing Field on Fort Carson.“The band and crew were completely enthused at the chance to come

  • Dover's 'first airman' visits base

    As he flew over the area on approach to the dirt "runway," he saw the farmhouse that would double as his office.There were no dorms, no paved runway lined with C-5 Galaxies, and certainly no Super Port.The year was 1941, and that was the first view of what Dover Air Force Base had to offer Drexel

  • Now Showing: May 26 edition of Air Force Television News

    The end of an era in Turkey and Air Force ground support in the wake of the war against Iraq spotlight the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Senior Airman Israel Aviles reports on the end of Operation Northern Watch, a decade-old operation that enforced the northern no-fly zone over

  • Former CMSAFs offer advice

    Two key members of Air Force enlisted history and former chief master sergeants of the Air Force are visiting with U.S. Air Forces in Europe airmen. Retired Chief Master Sgts. of the Air Force Paul Airey, the first person to hold the title, and Sam Parish, the 8th CMSAF, are here as guest speakers

  • University assists Air Force programmers

    Airmen are improving their programming skills with help from experts called in from Auburn University at Montgomery by Standard Systems Group officials here.Standard Systems Group manages information technology contracts and standard information system programs commonly used at all active and

  • Air Force punishes cross burners

    A cross-burning incident in Albuquerque, N.M., in March has resulted in discharges for three airmen from here. An investigation revealed three Air Force personnel actively participated in the burning of a wooden cross in the fenced-in backyard of one of the member’s apartment. While the

  • Deployed airman grows desert crop

    One look around this forward-deployed location shows most people there is nothing green to be had in the country.It is said that when airmen here return home, everything with color will be infinitely more brilliant. Grass will be much greener, and flowers will be far more colorful and

  • Team performs sacred act at mortuary

    Sixteen airmen with the 459th Services Flight here returned home after deploying to the Dover Air Force Base, Del., mortuary in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.For these airmen, returning home had a special meaning. While deployed, they made sure those who paid the ultimate price during the war

  • Blue, silver AEFs get rotations back on track

    The Air Force is establishing two transitional air and space expeditionary forces, blue and silver, to put the deployment schedule back on track by March 2004 and to bring home deployed airmen as quickly as possible.“We envision these two 120-day rotations filling the requirements of combatant

  • ‘101 critical days’ begin on Memorial Day

    If statistics hold true, 21 airmen will die this summer while “having fun.”The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is a period of increased off-duty injuries caused by increased activity and risk taking, according to officials from the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

  • CMSAF sends Memorial Day message

    The following is a Memorial Day message from Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray:“America remembers. We remember the names and faces of fallen heroes of past and current wars, and we honor them by setting aside a day to memorialize their sacrifice. This sacred tradition binds us

  • Deployed airmen send love with music

    Leaving loved ones behind is one of the most difficult aspects of deployment, but now deployed airmen can send their love back home in a unique way.For several years, the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band here has produced compact discs for troops and their families. Now the band has expanded

  • Med tech follows dream of becoming doctor

    Reserve 2nd Lt. Cynthia Reed, formerly an active-duty senior airman, is pursuing her goal of becoming a primary-care doctor through the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program.Reed is attending the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, a satellite school of Midwestern University in

  • B-52 undergoes worldwide testing

    The B-52H Avionics Midlife Improvement project recently completed two missions to test new hardware and software upgrades in extreme conditions around the world.The missions were part of the research and developmental test for the project before it moves to operational test and evaluation, allowing

  • Airman sentenced in first OIF court-martial

    An airman first class from the 405th Expeditionary Munitions Squadron at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia pleaded and was found guilty May 18 of larceny and violation of a general lawful order. This was the first Air Force court-martial held at an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployed

  • Gate guards help civilians trapped in tornado’s path

    With low-traffic volume, Marauder Gate here is usually a quiet posting for the 72nd Security Forces Squadron, but swing shift May 8 changed all that.Airman 1st Class Amanda DeBoer and Oklahoma Army National Guard Spec. Theea Stephens were not long into the shift when civilian workers arriving at the

  • Enlisted aide upgraded to special duty

    They have been part of the Air Force enlisted force since its beginning, but they have never had a formalized position description or job qualification standard -- until now. The enlisted aide program, now an official Air Force special duty, was authorized the new Air Force Specialty Code of 8A200

  • Hollywood entertainers play ball at Edwards

    Hollywood entertainers “traveled” here May 10 for the second annual National Basketball Association Entertainment League game.Zane Stoddard, NBA director of entertainment marketing, said he was happy he could bring the entertainers out, show base people a good time and support the

  • Airman killed, 2nd injured in ambush

    Staff Sgt. Patrick Lee Griffin Jr., 31, of Elgin, S.C., was killed in action May 13 near Diwaniyah, Iraq. Griffin was killed when his convoy was ambushed en route to Baghdad. Master Sgt. Jeffery Gore suffered a leg wound in the ambush and is in stable condition. He is the weapons and tactics

  • Air Force negotiates extra Raptor

    Air Force officials have negotiated the procurement of one additional F/A-22 Raptor as part of a recent purchase, raising the total to 21 aircraft, according to service acquisition officials.The F/A-22 acquisition has a “buy-to-budget” philosophy, said Dr. Marvin R. Sambur, assistant secretary of

  • Myers praises 64th AEW during visit

    America’s top general stopped briefly at a forward-deployed location May 11 to thank the people of the 64th Air Expeditionary Wing for their contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom.Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a crowd of active-duty, Guard and Reserve

  • Veterans thank those who led them to freedom

    A Belgian woman risks her safety to help more than 130 airmen avoid capture by Germans. A bombardier survives a crash landing with his crew behind enemy lines and escapes with help from members of the French Underground. A tail gunner bails out of his badly damaged B-17 Flying Fortress and

  • Air Force eases Stop-Loss restrictions

    Air Force personnel officials announced May 14 the release of more than half of the Air Force specialty codes restricted from retirement or separation May 2 under the Stop-Loss program.Following a review of operational requirements, 31 officer and 20 enlisted career fields were released from

  • SECAF Vector addresses possible move

    In the latest edition of “The Secretary’s Vector,” Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche discusses the possibility he may soon become secretary of the Army.President George W. Bush announced May 7 his intent to nominate Roche for the Army’s top spot, which became vacant when former Secretary

  • Unit puts the 'deploy' in 'deployment order'

    Television images of jets launching and bombs dropping during Operation Iraqi Freedom showed airmen doing what they are trained to do. What most viewers did not see were the people responsible for getting the jets there to put bombs on targets and patrol the sky.The Air Combat Command Air

  • Pilot tours with his ‘Dream Machine’

    Air Force Reserve Command’s recruiting service has teamed up with a veteran F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot and aerobatic performer to increase command awareness and attract young people interested in aviation.Maj. Ed Hamill is a private contractor in civilian life. He owns and operates the Air Force

  • Helicopters squeeze into modified hangar

    What a difference 4 feet makes -- in this case it was $20,000. Every May, the 76th Helicopter Flight's fleet has to move because its hangar here is used for Guardian Challenge ceremonies. Guardian Challenge is an Air Force Space Command five-day competition of space and missile units. For years,

  • Now showing: May 12 edition of AFTVNews

    A list of symptoms and simple precautions to protect airmen against Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome are spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Joe Wallace’s story on SARS emphasizes the Air Force has not been affected by the virus, thus far, but as a member of

  • Plan will get AEF back on track, fix ‘disparity’

    While many deployed airmen are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom to hero's welcomes, others deployed for as much as three times longer are still waiting to hear when they will go home.What appears to some as an obvious disparity is actually a case of differing mission objectives, said the

  • Reservists, guardsmen get extended per diem

    Air reserve component officials at the Pentagon are reminding reservists and Air National guardsmen that those called to active duty to support Operation Iraqi Freedom will receive per diem consistent with periods established for other recent conflicts.Reservists and guardsmen ordered to support

  • Arlington chaplains provide spiritual support

    More than 280,000 people are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Another 25 are added to those ranks each day.For the organization charged with providing spiritual support to those left behind when a veteran passes away, those numbers can add up to a hectic schedule. But according to the head

  • Official: Ranges important to success

    Training ranges are vital to the Air Force’s success on the battlefield, Air Combat Command’s chief of ranges, airfields and airspace operations told a congressional committee May 6.Col. Frank DiGiovanni's testimony was part of a fact gathering effort by the House Resources Committee as it considers

  • Guard, Reserve leaders address retention

    The top generals of the Air Force’s reserve components told members of the Senate they are concerned about retention in the coming years.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, director of the Air National Guard, and Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, chief of Air Force Reserve, met with members of the Senate

  • Air Force journalists win DOD awards

    Air Force print and broadcast journalists won 12 categories in the 2002 Thomas Jefferson Awards for excellence in military media. The results were announced May 6 by Defense Information School officials at Fort Meade, Md.Air Force winners in the print-media category are:-- Print Journalist of the

  • Airmen blend science of healing with art of caring

    Air Force medical troops are playing an instrumental role in restoring the quality of life of individuals experiencing problems from physical trauma or general “wear and tear.”The seven-person physical therapy team from the 374th Medical Group here provides services that help restore function,

  • CSAF adds books to reading list

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced May 5 the addition of three books to his recommended reading list.In a Chief’s Sight Picture, Jumper said the new books will help provide a broad understanding of where the service is as an air force, the challenges and demands it faces, and a

  • Robins spouse wins Joan Orr Award

    When her phone rang on an otherwise routine afternoon last week, Tammie Bocook was surprised at what she heard: "Please hold for General Wetekam."In seconds, Maj. Gen. Donald Wetekam, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center commander, was congratulating Bocook on being named winner of the 2003 Joan Orr

  • May issue of Airman available

    Learn about stripe-wearing pilots before the days of the Air Force, read about the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom and take a behind-the-scenes look at the enlisted Thunderbird members. These features and more highlight the May issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and

  • Waiver ensures per diem beyond 180 days

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche recently granted a blanket waiver authorizing payment of per diem to servicemembers if they remain on temporary duty beyond 180 days.Normally, an individual waiver must be requested and approved as outlined in the Joint Federal Travel Regulation, said

  • Employee celebrates 50 years with Air Force

    After 50 years of Air Force service, Paul Barber shows no signs of slowing down. “I don’t want to quit unless I absolutely have to,” said Barber, an electrical equipment repairman in the Maintenance Directorate commodities division here. “I am 67 years old, and I’ll be 68 in July. I still feel

  • Pin honors parents, bolsters support

    A new program will help airmen honor those who are often their biggest supporters -- their parents.All uniformed airmen can now sign their parents up to receive a new lapel pin. The pins are about three-fourths inch square and feature a silver letter "P" cradled within the Air Force symbol. A

  • Jamming squadron accomplishes mission

    After more than 220 sorties, almost 2,000 combat flying hours and more than 6,000 jammed enemy signals in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the airmen of the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron can call it a day.As part of the 64th Air Expeditionary Wing deployed to Southwest Asia, the

  • Family members can return to Incirlik

    State Department officials announced May 1 that family members who were part of the authorized departure instituted March 18 are now allowed to return here.Family support centers in the area of departed airmen will be advising them how to coordinate a government travel request and will answer other

  • Ceremony ends Operation Northern Watch

    The Combined Task Force Operation Northern Watch guidon was encased May 1, in a ceremony signifying the successful end to its mission of enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolutions north of the 36th parallel. Gen. Charles F. Wald, U.S. European Command deputy commander, officiated the ceremony -- an

  • Air Force preparing for next contingency

    Even as deployed airmen return home from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Force officials are focusing on what they need to do to reload the service for the next contingency.According to Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, the three priorities in reconstituting

  • Success in Iraq result of lessons learned

    The reason the Air Force performed so well during Operation Iraqi Freedom can be traced back to lessons learned from earlier conflicts, according to the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at the Pentagon.“We were better trained, better organized and better equipped than we have ever

  • Air Force starts assessment survey

    After a short delay because of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 Air Force Community Assessment survey is under way.According to the director of family advocacy research, the agency responsible for conducting the assessment, the survey is now being sent out to more than 180,000 randomly chosen

  • Air Force earns two public service awards

    Organizations at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and Schriever AFB, Colo., recently earned Public Service Excellence Awards from the Public Employees Roundtable.The 355th Aerospace Medicine Squadron’s airman’s attic at Davis-Monthan, earned the award in the community service category.The

  • POL troops fuel massive air campaign

    Equipped with not much more than grit and determination, deployed airmen have dispensed jet fuel at a pace up to nine times faster than their stateside counterparts.According to Col. Duane A. Jones, chief of logistics for the Combined Forces Air Component Command, three bare-base airfields

  • 2002 mission support awards announced

    Officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Air Force Mission Support Awards.The awards recognize airmen and their units for outstanding performance in the areas of personnel, military equal opportunity, professional military education and training.The winner of the Gen. Robert J. Dixon

  • CSAF: Instructor duty vital to future

    The Air Force’s top uniformed leader is stressing the importance and value of instructor duty to all officers.In a Chief’s Sight Picture released in April, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper encouraged officers to invest in the future force by considering instructor opportunities an

  • Space program pioneers meet AF leaders

    The father of the Air Force space program and a key leader in the development of weapons systems such as the Minuteman missile assembled former colleagues here April 23 to 27 for the annual meeting of the "Old Timers."Retired Gen. Bernard A. Schriever led the intercontinental ballistic missile

  • Program documents art of war

    Four aviation artists spent two days visiting Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq to visually document and experience firsthand bare-base Air Force operations there. John Witt, Phil Weisgerber, Gregg Thompson and Harley Copic traveled to Southwest Asia to support the Air Force Art Program. Their job

  • Force development prepares airmen for success

    Force-development efforts are under way to ensure the Air Force’s enlisted corps remains the best in the world, said the service’s top enlisted leader.According to Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray, force development is simply a methodical approach to giving airmen the tools,

  • 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

  • ‘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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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)