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  • 44 civilian leaders witness airpower

    Forty-four U.S. civic, business and industry leaders witnessed military life June 9 when the Defense Secretary’s 2003 Joint Civilian Orientation Course stopped here for a firsthand look at what the U.S. Air Forces in Europe has to offer. Hand-picked from more than 6,000 applicants all vying for a

  • Dyess sets record mission-capable rates

    When the 7th Bomb Wing’s B-1 Lancer maintainers and operators here surpassed Air Combat Command's monthly mission-capable rate two months in a row last June and July, officials called it "a huge success." It was the first time the wing had accomplished the feat.But that accomplishment was just the

  • On-site trainers saving time, money

    Seven Air Education and Training Command instructors will bring a Robins initiative to life soon that not only saves the government thousands of dollars, it allows 3,000 additional depot technicians to be trained annually.The program, also being implemented at Air Force Materiel Command air

  • Air Force releases F-15 accident report

    An Air Force Accident Investigation Board determined the cause of fatal F-15 Eagle accident was a breakdown in terrain avoidance responsibilities between the pilots and air traffic controllers on the ground.This breakdown led to a descent below safety altitudes without the pilots having positive

  • Airmen capture Iraqi republican guardsman

    Three air traffic control radar controllers were surprised June 9 when they found a member of Saddam Hussein’s republican guard hiding in an abandoned building by their radar site at the international airport here.While patrolling their site, Airman 1st Class Richard Mansure, deployed from the 305th

  • F-16 crashes in Arizona

    An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jet assigned here crashed about 5:15 p.m. June 10 on the Barry M. Goldwater Range approximately 15 miles south of Gila Bend.Capt. David O’Malley, an instructor pilot with the 310th Fighter Squadron, safely ejected from the aircraft while on an air-to-ground training

  • Air Medal awarded 59 years later

    After nearly six decades of waiting, a retired Air Force master sergeant and former Air Force Research Laboratory employee received his Air Medal at a June 2 ceremony here.Trinidad Castinado received the Air Medal, second oak leaf cluster, from Col. Mark Stephen, acting director of the

  • McGuire Starlifters thrive

    The 6th Airlift Squadron here may be the last active-duty squadron in the Air Force still flying C-141B Starlifters; however, the aircraft is far from being retired.Though the squadron is being drawn down to make way for the C-17 Globemaster III, its operations tempo has been on the rise. The

  • Modifications give F-16s new life

    America's premier multirole fighter is “slipping” into some tougher armor that promises to extend the aircraft's life by about eight years.The F-16 Service Life Improvement Program modifications, better known as SLIP, are "all about extending these aircraft -- putting them back up to get more life

  • F-16 crashes over Iraq, pilot rescued

    A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft crashed early June 12 southwest of Baghdad. The aircraft was flying from a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia supporting operations in Iraq.The pilot ejected safely from the single-seat aircraft and was rescued an hour later. He was

  • Ramstein continues Algerian relief

    More humanitarian relief supplies were in the sky June 5 as three C-130 Hercules aircraft flew from Ramstein to earthquake-stricken Algeria. This is the second humanitarian mission bringing eight pallets containing more than 6 tons of much-needed supplies to the people in the areas surrounding

  • Flights resume at Tuzla airport

    The first civilian flight into Tuzla International Airport here since late 2001 landed June 4. The French corporate flight was 15 minutes late, but it hardly seemed like a long delay, comparatively speaking. Air traffic in Tuzla has been restricted to military aircraft since the airport shut down

  • U-2 pilot receiving Kolligian trophy

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper will present Maj. Jeffrey Olesen, a U-2 Dragon Lady pilot, with the 2002 Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy during a June 13 ceremony at the Pentagon.Olesen, assistant director of operations for the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron here, will receive the award for

  • Air Force teams win acquisition awards

    Two Air Force teams received the 2003 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award during a ceremony June 4 at Fort Belvoir, Va.The Air Force winners of the Department of Defense’s most prestigious team award for acquisition excellence are the Joint Direct Attack Munition’s joint program office and

  • Cooperative Cope Thunder kicks off

    Pacific Air Force's premier simulated combat-airpower employment exercise kicked off June 5, bringing allied nations to two bases in Alaska for training.Cooperative Cope Thunder runs through June 20 with operations here and at Eielson Air Force Base.The exercise showcases multinational airlift

  • Crew chief circles Earth 104 times

    Tech. Sgt. Rodger Folkerts is the first person to reach the 5,000-hour mark in a C-17 Globemaster III.It has been an “amazing” journey, said the aircraft pneudraulics specialist and flying crew chief.Folkerts reached the 5,000-hour mark during a recent Operation Enduring Freedom mission, according

  • OIF aircrews donate to museum

    Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans started the OIF page in the Air Force Museum's history book here June 4 by donating items they used on combat missions.Aircrews presented the items during a ceremony at the museum. The items will be displayed to show one of many Air Force undertakings that are being

  • War and Peace -- a look at Operation Iraqi Freedom

    As Operation Iraqi Freedom transitioned from war- fighting to peacekeeping, the speed of the campaign came as a surprise to some deployed airmen, but was a welcome relief to all.At the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing, Chief Master Sgt. Daniel Mingo said his troops were braced for the long haul, but

  • C-17 weapons instructor course set for July

    This summer, a very select group of C-17 instructor pilots will head back to school in an effort to earn their Globemaster III doctorate.Starting July 3, the four students will become the first class at the new five-and-a-half-month C-17 Weapons Instructor Course at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.“The

  • Air Force workers awarded patent

    Two modeling and fabrication shop workers from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s information directorate here have been awarded a patent for developing an advanced aircraft ground power unit for Army Comanche helicopters.Michael Iselo, shop supervisor, and production controller Timothy Hurley

  • Reservists deliver earthquake relief

    Answering the need for help after a devastating earthquake, Air Force crews delivered more than seven and a half tons of relief supplies May 30 to the rattled city of Algiers, Algeria.A 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook the coastal capital city of more than 2.3 million at 7:44 p.m. May 21. More than

  • Lab techs ensure precision engagement

    Air Force precision munitions, used with great success during Operation Iraqi Freedom, could only achieve those results through expertly calibrated weapon systems, said the service’s metrology and calibration program manager at the Pentagon.That job, said Senior Master Sgt. Maurice Hubbard, is the

  • 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

  • Machinist full of money-saving ideas

    Findings ways for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center to save money is turning into a lucrative sideline for one maintenance directorate machinist here.Timothy Case has earned two $10,000 awards from the IDEA program since December for submissions that amount to annual savings of more than

  • 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

  • Work continues at Osan crash site

    Base workers labored throughout the night surveying debris from the F-16 Fighting Falcon that crashed near a gate at approximately 8 p.m. May 29. A pilot from the 36th Fighter Squadron was taking off on a training mission in the F-16 when the crash occurred. The aircraft was carrying inert bombs

  • Sentry crews finish mission, end era

    As the big white bird gracefully touched down on the windblown runway at a forward-deployed location May 28, the mission of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia completed a 13-year, continuous mission.The aircraft, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System deployed to the 363rd

  • F-16 crashes in South Korea

    An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed here May 29 while taking off on a training mission. The pilot ejected safely and was treated at the base hospital. One Korean was injured on the ground. She is an Army and Air Force Exchange employee here.Yi, Chun Mu, 58, was driving home when debris from

  • 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

  • Space is ultimate high ground

    Space is the ultimate high ground and gives American forces a tremendous advantage on the battlefield, according to the Air Force’s director of space operations and integration at the Pentagon.“We must dominate space,” said Maj. Gen. Judd Blaisdell, “because it would be very difficult to conduct a

  • DOD announces details of tanker lease program

    The approval of the Air Force KC-767 tanker lease initiative was announced May 23 by Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, under secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.The agreement provides for leasing 100 KC-767 aircraft from the Boeing Co. for six years starting in 2006, at a cost of

  • 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

  • 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

  • Hill prepares F-16s for Italian air force

    Italian defense officials accepted the first of 34 modified and refurbished F-16 Fighting Falcon A and B models from experts here May 16.Maj. Gen. Tommaso Ferro, air defense and defense cooperation attaché for the Italian air force, lead a delegation of military and diplomatic dignitaries in

  • Air Force Reserve support continuing

    As Operation Iraqi Freedom shifts from combat to reconstruction, hundreds of mobilized Air Force reservists are returning home to family and civilian life. Thousands more, however, remain on active duty, and Air Force Reserve Command officials here say they have no clear picture as of May 21 as to

  • 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

  • New bearing system could cut costs

    Advances in bearing systems for engines powering target drones and cruise missiles could cut costs by 20 percent and increase fuel efficiency.Scientists and engineers in the Air Force Research Laboratory's Propulsion Directorate are testing a bearing using a compliant foil -- a thin, flexible sheet

  • KC-135 receiving communications relay ability

    The KC-135 Stratotanker will soon add a communications capability to its mission.The installation of Roll-on Beyond Line of Sight Enhancement equipment, will help the flow of information on KC-135s while the aircraft conduct their primary mission of air refueling.Used primarily as a "flying gas

  • Center fights for safer Afghan airspace

    Representatives from the Regional Air Movement Control Center arrived here May 16 to discuss airspace safety with aviation officials and civilian aircraft operators who fly over and within Afghanistan.The center has its headquarters at a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia. It is an Air

  • Predator proves worth in war against terrorism

    The Air Force officer is a transport plane pilot, but these days his aircraft flies "solo," and he doesn't leave the ground.Capt. Sam J. Vanzanten, is an earthbound controller of the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. He's been in the Predator program for the past two years, the eight-year military

  • Tornado damage expected to exceed $10 million

    Despite no reports of injuries or aircraft damage, a tornado inflicted millions of dollars worth of damage, base officials here said.“We are still assessing damages,” said Stephen Mallott, base civil engineer with the 72nd Air Base Wing. “But we expect the total damages will exceed $10 million.”

  • 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

  • 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

  • Tech conference stresses 'partnerships'

    "Partnerships for War-Winning Capability" was the theme here May 13 to 15 as military and industry representatives discussed changes in military operations, requirements, challenges and solutions at the fourth annual National Aeronautical Systems and Technology Conference.Operation Iraqi Freedom's

  • Tanker lease vital to global operations

    To quickly begin the recapitalization of its tanker fleet, the Air Force is pursuing a deal to lease 100 Boeing 767s converted into tankers.The proposal awaiting Department of Defense approval is vital to sustaining the Air Force’s tanker fleet, said Dr. Marvin R. Sambur, assistant secretary of the

  • Officials release A-10 accident report

    Air Force investigators determined pilot error caused the Dec. 4 collision of two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs on the Nevada Test and Training Range approximately 98 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.Capt. Eric Palaro, assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, died as a

  • 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

  • Zettler: People first in reconstituting force

    As the dust of Operation Iraqi Freedom settles, the Air Force installations and logistics community is turning its attention to the challenge that lies ahead: readying the service for the next big contingency.Replenishing the materiel and equipment reserved for wartime use, rebuilding the munitions

  • 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

  • Air Force name added to ‘The Wall’

    The name of an Air Force staff sergeant was among six added to Vietnam Veteran's Memorial here May 13. Staff Sgt. Donald S. Carson, a San Francisco native, was injured in a military aircraft accident in Thailand on April 12, 1963, and died a few days later. His name was omitted from “The Wall”

  • Air Staff move recognizes CAP security role

    One of the newest names in homeland defense is actually more than 60 years old.The Air Force Auxiliary, also known as the Civil Air Patrol, has been in the defense business since Dec. 1, 1941, when it was chartered to support national defense by providing submarine reconnaissance.In recognition of

  • 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

  • 90-year-old veteran delivers

    A Depression-era work ethic, plus some faith and stubbornness, keeps fueling Martin "Mike" Mikulski who is in his 63rd year of service to his country. Mikulski, 90, has spent most weekdays for the last 24 years volunteering his time."What the hell am I gonna do at home? Watch TV?" Mike says in a

  • 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

  • CENTCOM's Gen. Franks: 'Iraq's best days are yet to come'

    Fifty-two days after President Bush gave the go-ahead for military action in Iraq, the Army general who led the campaign stood in the Pentagon today and spoke of the mission's successes. "Today, the Iraqi people no longer live in fear of a regime of Saddam Hussein," Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of

  • Civil engineers repair runway in Afghanistan

    Tech. Sgt. John Foster sits in a truck on an active runway at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, and simply covers his ears as a C-130 Hercules races by just yards away and takes off into the blue.Foster is not lost. As the cargo plane heads over Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range, Foster climbs

  • C-17 modification marks partnership

    A ceremony May 1 celebrated the first C-17 Globemaster III to go through the Global Reach Improvement Program here.Lt. Gen. Charles Coolidge, Air Force Materiel Command vice commander, received the symbolic hand off of the Air Force Form 981, returning the aircraft to Air Mobility Command at the

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Rumsfeld: We can't know how many troops needed in Iraq

    The number of American and British forces needed to secure Iraq in the long and short term is "not knowable," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in London today.Rumsfeld met with British Defense Minister Geoffrey Hoon during a short stop in London following a weeklong tour through the Persian

  • President Bush proclaims end to major combat operations in Iraq

    Major combat operations in Iraq are over, and America and her allies have prevailed, President Bush said this evening on the flight deck of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. "In this battle we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of

  • Cheney declares Iraqi Freedom 'most extraordinary military campaign'

    Vice President Richard Cheney knows what it takes to launch a war in the Persian Gulf. He did just that in 1991 as the nation's 17th defense secretary. Who better then to compare operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom 12 years later? In a speech to the Heritage Foundation today, Cheney called

  • Focus yields 98 percent mission-capable rate

    An “extra shot of adrenaline” let aircraft maintainers ensure that nearly every scheduled aircraft was available to fly when needed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.The chief of logistics for the combined forces air component commander said the performance by maintainers during OIF has been nothing less

  • 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

  • Mr. Rumsfeld goes to Baghdad

    Perhaps symbolizing the importance of special operations forces to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad on an MC-130 from the Air Force's 919th Special Operations Wing today. Less than a month after the fall of Baghdad, Rumsfeld flew from Kuwait to Basra

  • AFSOC taking combat search, rescue

    The Air Force will turn over functional management of the combat search and rescue mission to Air Force Special Operations Command on Oct. 1.The transition to AFSOC from Air Combat Command is meant to consolidate the management of CSAR and to take advantage of the synergies of combining like

  • 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

  • War reunites deployed brothers

    None of them were supposed to be here. Two pairs of brothers thrown together as if a game of jacks were being played with aircraft and aircrew; each one being snatched up and dropped randomly at a Royal Air Force base in the eastern Mediterranean. But before anyone could swipe all the Air Force

  • Center manages all OIF ground support

    Services. Logistics plans. Transportation. Ammo. Aircraft maintenance. Supply. Fuels.They are diverse, wide-ranging specialties, but they have one thing in common – they are tied together by the same nerve center bringing logistical support to Operation Iraqi Freedom’s air warriors.The

  • U.S. aircraft leaving Saudi Arabian base

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

  • Former Robins employee sentenced for fraud

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

  • Conventional missile plays crucial role

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

  • ‘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

  • 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

  • Homeward-bound crew thankful for support

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

  • Cooperation key for coalition success, Hailston says

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

  • 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

  • Second F-15E crewmember confirmed dead

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

  • Air Force, Army coordinate fire

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

  • Former POW recounts 67-month experience

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

  • Damage docs patch, repair battle aircraft

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

  • Air Force pilots help Japanese go the distance

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

  • Delivery for Baghdad

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

  • Readiness center orchestrates contingency support

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

  • JPRA helps return captives to normal life

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

  • Firefighters keep watch over planes, people

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

  • 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

  • Tools of the trade

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

  • 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

  • Team cleans up unexploded ordnance

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

  • Total force 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

  • Some 'doctors' still make house calls

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

  • 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

  • Air component commander updates troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom

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