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  • Air Guard chief selected as NORTHCOM advisor

    An Air National Guard command chief master sergeant has been selected as a command senior enlisted advisor for a combatant command.  It is the first time an Air Guardsman has been selected for that position.  Chief Master Sgt. W. Allen Usry, the current Continental U.S. NORAD Region-1st Air Force

  • Postal workers deliver pieces of home through mail

    One of the nice things about deploying is the outpouring of support given by family, friends and even strangers from back home through care packages and letters. However, without the people who run the post offices on base, none of those well-wishes would get through to boost morale. "We provide all

  • Engaging the Afghan media

    Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the Combined Forces Air Component commander for forces in Southwest Asia, met with Afghan media recently to discuss airpower missions and contributions to the safety and security of the Afghan people. Reporters from more than 20 television, radio and news print organizations

  • Practice keeps investigative skills sharp

    Practicing skills and maintaining job proficiency are key factors in accomplishing the mission on a day-to-day basis. Recently a member of the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here was able to practice and demonstrate fingerprinting skills in a mock crime scene scenario. According to

  • Air Force chief offers perspective to acquisition community

    Some 700 Air Force senior leaders, acquisition professionals and defense industry partners met at the campus of Sinclair Community College April 20 to 22 to address challenges faced by the military acquisition, technology and logistics community.The two-and-a-half day event, organized by the

  • Langley showcases airpower to conclude Air Force Week

    Airpower took center stage during the first day of Airpower over Hampton Roads, a three-day airshow culmination of Air Force Week April 24 here. Thousands of people from the surrounding Hampton Roads area came to the first day of airshows to witness static displays and aerial demonstrations by

  • AETC ensures nuclear precision, compliance, accountability

    Command officials have aligned the Air Education and Training Command staff with headquarters Air Force, creating a new directorate that began operations in February to strengthen the focus on training for the Air Force's nuclear enterprise. The new office, AETC Nuclear Operations, Plans and

  • Barrel nut team gets C-130s back in the air

    A team of 30 Airmen across five units helped keep the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's mission effectiveness rates above 98 percent during a nine-day period when the wing had only three flyable C-130 Hercules aircraft. After an immediate action time compliance technical order, or TCTO, was issued by

  • Air Force secretary discusses service's goals, priorities

    The secretary of the Air Force spoke about the service's nuclear enterprise mission, Airmen at war and taking care of Airmen and their families April 23 while visiting the campus of the College of William & Mary during Hampton Roads Air Force Week. Secretary Michael B. Donley began by explaining the

  • Officials select 37 Airmen for physician assistant training

    Air Force officials recently selected 37 Airmen to attend the Tri-Service (Phase I) Physician Assistant training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The March 2009 Physician Assistant Board met at the Air Force Personnel Center here to consider 83 applicants. In addition to those selected to attend

  • Armament unit improves operations with AFSO 21

    Six Airmen from the 20th Maintenance Group recently conducted a Rapid Improvement Event here as part of Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiatives happening across the Air Force. Senior Airman Ronnie Eveland, 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, explained that while the RIE focused

  • Medics provide care to people in Dominican Republic

    Medics treated 760 patients at a primary school here April 20 on the inaugural day of the largest Maxwell Air Force Base-planned Air Force medical readiness exercise, or MEDRETE,  to date. A group of 45 medics, translators, security and support personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Army and Marines

  • Quadrennial defense, nuclear posture review begin

    Pentagon officials kicked off the Defense Department's 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review and Nuclear Posture Review processes April 23 to determine what types of capabilities will be required to maintain U.S. national security now and in the coming years, senior officials said. "The QDR takes a

  • AF officials primed for officer qualifying test revamp

    Force Management officials will further refine the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test by conducting surveys that ensure the test content measures the most critical abilities and aptitudes tomorrow's officers need. Officials in the Air Staff Force Management Policy Division said the results of two Air

  • ISR leader shares future of intelligence field

    "We're changing the way we view intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from the past," said Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Air Force deputy chief of staff for ISR, during his visit here April 16. "In the past, we had stratified pockets of industry. Now we're heading toward an integrated,

  • Balad squadron serves as Iraq's 'guardian angels'

    Coalition military members in Iraq have plenty of equipment, tactics and techniques at their disposal in the event of a worst-case scenario in the field. However, if those safeguards fail, a team of operators from the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron is standing by, ready to help. "Our primary

  • Wilford Hall's emergency department much more than that

    At first glance, Wilford Hall Medical Center's emergency department appears to be just another level-1 trauma center, treating patients from not only Lackland Air Force Base but from San Antonio and the surrounding areas. Yet, much more is going on there than people realize. "The emergency

  • The services align, sign new working group charter

    The first big step towards achieving commonality and interoperability of expeditionary basing equipment in the joint force was taken April 13 as the service logistics chiefs came together here to sign the Joint Expeditionary Basing Working Group charter. The lead JEBWG organizations are the Air

  • AFSO 21 helps unit reduce steps, increase proficiency

    The 726th Air Mobility Squadron recently conducted an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century value stream analysis looking for ways to streamline C-17 Globemaster III refueling and increase proficiency levels. The unit pooled Airmen from a variety of backgrounds to participate in the AFSO

  • Maintainers make it happen during Red Flag-Alaska

    During Red Flag-Alaska, thousands of feet above the rugged Alaskan terrain, pilots push their aircraft to the limits, performing dog fights and defensive maneuvers against aggressors, honing their skills for combat missions. However, pilots aren't the only ones who are contributing to mission

  • JAG Airman provides unique service while deployed

    Many Air Force attorneys spend their days providing legal counsel and preparing legal documents, but for one Air Force captain being deployed means serving in a one of a kind legal position. Capt. Sophia Crawford, detention, judicial and legal policy attorney in the Office of the Staff Judge

  • Personnel accountability system live AF-wide; May exercise planned

    Air Force officials implemented the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System April 1.  The new program improves global disaster personnel accountability management, reporting and case management across the force.  They plan to test the system in a force-wide exercise May 19 to 21.

  • Joint airpower show proves military might at Air Force Week

    Hundreds of Virginia residents saw a joint airpower demonstration firsthand during Hampton Roads Air Force Week April 22 along the coastline of Virginia Beach. The event included a simulated rescue where a special forces team called in airstrikes then ran into the Atlantic Ocean to be rescued by

  • Airmen, Marines work together to test-load helicopters

    Playing a game of inches, a team of Airmen and Marines worked together April 20 to test-load two Marine helicopters into a C-5C Galaxy.With inches to spare, Airmen from the 60th Aerial Port Squadron here and Marines from the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron-303 and HMLA-367 at Camp

  • JCS chairman says Holocaust Remembrance Day important

    The top U.S. military officer called on servicemembers to use Holocaust Remembrance Day observances this week as an opportunity to reflect on the responsibilities of life, reminding them that the decisions they make matter. "The story of the Holocaust, however ghastly, offers us an opportunity to

  • Air Force civilians garner 22 Presidential Rank Awards

    Twenty-two civilian Airmen earned special recognition in a ceremony held at the Women's Memorial at Arlington Cemetery April 17. The selected Air Force senior executives and senior professionals received the 2008 Presidential Rank Award for sustained achievement in government service. Air Force

  • Task force seeks sexual assault response feedback

    Members of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services visited Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst recently to speak with base leaders, sexual assault response coordinators and other base personnel. The task force, which was chartered by Congress to look at sexual assault response

  • Security team provides safety net for Airmen

    Airmen riding the bus outside the wire for the first time may not realize it, but they're not alone out there. The 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron's security escort team, armed and ready, are out there making sure each of those Airmen get to where they need to be safely. Selected by

  • Senior enlisted leader summit set for May

    The Air Force's top enlisted leader is set to convene the 2009 Senior Enlisted Leader Summit May 3 to 8 at Maxwell Air Force Base's Gunter Annex, Ala. Command chief master sergeants, career field managers, professional military education commandants and other key senior enlisted leaders from Air

  • Airmen honor America's veterans during Air Force Week

    Air Force officials honored America's veterans during a Hampton Roads Air Force Week ceremony April 20 at the Boo Williams Sportsplex arena here. Officials from Langley Air Force Base, Va., recognized all veterans from all of America's wars and displayed some of the professionalism and precision of

  • Air Force officials emphasize bystander intervention

    Airmen have the power to stop sexual assaults. The Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office staff is leading the effort to empower Airmen with this concept. The key to that empowerment is bystander intervention. If Airmen witness a situation that could lead to an assault, they have an

  • Clouds lift for 'Cadet for a Day'

    For eight years, Academy cadets have been making wishes come true for ill youngsters. They made it happen again April 9 through Saturday when Joe Hayford, 13, became the newest Cadet for a Day through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "His eyes were huge, and he never quit smiling," said Wish volunteer

  • Panjshir PRT unites Airmen, Soldiers for common cause

    A team of nearly 80 individuals, including 25 Airmen and 12 Soldiers, come together to perform a critical mission in Afghanistan's Panjshir Province. All of the servicemembers come from different walks of life, but now come together to help the impoverished province. One year ago, Staff Sgt. David

  • Thousands honor Doolittle Raiders at the 67th Reunion

    Thousands of people, young and old, gathered to honor five of the nine surviving Doolittle Raiders at the 67th Reunion in Columbia, S.C., April 16 to 18. On April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raiders, led by then-Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, became the first to bombard Japan following the attack on Pearl

  • K-9, handler work together to keep servicemembers safe

    It is often said a dog is a man's best friend. For a Joint Expeditionary Tasking, or JET, Airman here, his dog is not just a friend, but a tool that could mean life or death for servicemembers patrolling the Iraqi streets. Senior Airman William Bailey, a military working dog handler and JET Airman

  • Hero of the Hudson visits alma mater

    Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who saved U.S. Airways Flight 1549 with a heroic water landing in January, returned to the roots of his aviation career here Wednesday to accept a coveted flight award from the Air Force Academy. Captain Sullenberger, a 1973 graduate, received the 2009 Colonel

  • DOD's eye in the sky supporting troops on the ground

    For the troops on the ground in hot zones all around the world, there are many items they rely on that are vital in their day-to-day operations: their weapons, their wingmen, their body armor. But what about their space assets? The Defense Department's space assets don't always come to mind as key

  • Doctor performs first robot-assisted surgery in the Air Force

    Lt. Col. (Dr.) Kyle Weld performed the first robot-assisted surgery in the Air Force April 10 at Wilford Hall Medical Center here. The surgery was a laparoscopic prostatectomy, or the surgical removal of prostate cancer. "The procedure went great," said Dr. Weld, director of endourology at Wilford

  • Air Force officials modernize mentoring program

    As Air Force officials continue to modernize the processes to meet 21st century mission requirements, manpower and personnel force development officials have taken a hard look at the service's mentoring program to increase its effectiveness. "Our mentoring program has existed on paper for many

  • Proposed B-1 program aims to speed maintenance

    A team of high ranking Air Force officials visited here recently in an effort to determine whether to change the way maintenance is performed on the B-1B Lancer strategic bomber. Called the "Red Team," the group from Air Force Materiel Command, Air Combat Command and the Air Staff are considering

  • Top officer cites Coast Guard-Air Force ties

    The top Coast Guard officer said the Air Force and the Coast Guard have more in common than one might think. During a speech about homeland security, Adm. Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant, told this to Air War College students here April 9 . The bedrock of the relationship between the two services

  • Congressional staff members visit AFPC

    Professional staff members from the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military personnel visited the Air Force Personnel Center here April 15 to learn more about the many initiatives the center has undertaken to deliver personnel services to Airmen and civilians. Some of the

  • New policy refines ancillary, expeditionary skills training

    As Air Force officials focus on giving Airmen more time to do their primary duty and reduce additional duties, senior leaders issued new policy guidance in March to streamline ancillary training and expeditionary skills training programs. "Air Staff, the A1 (personnel) community and major command

  • Victim advocates support, assist survivors

    A group of Airman from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at an air base in Southwest Asia stood up and volunteered to be victim advocates as their part to prevent sexual assaults in the Air Force. Last year, Airmen throughout the Air Force reported more than 620 cases of sexual assault. There are two

  • Air Force officials test ability to recall retirees

    Todd Worley and Robert Shelly hadn't seen each other in about ten years. Both are retired Air Force master sergeants. They recently met up again at the 2009 Air Force Push-Pull exercise here. The Air Force used the exercise to test their ability to recall retirees to active duty should they ever

  • Charleston Airmen fly honorable mission

    Charleston Air Force Base C-17 Globemaster III aircrews flew the most precious of cargo April 7 -- the remains of a fallen hero. Army Spc. Israel Candelaria Mejias of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment in Task Force 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Brigade Combat Team from

  • SECAF, CSAF announce 2008 safety award recipients

    Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz have announced the recipients of the 2008 Air Force safety awards. "We're grateful for the hard work of these award-winning individuals and organizations, and all Air Force safety professionals throughout the service,"

  • Airman field-tests modified PT uniform in Iraq

    An Airman here was selected to field-test the Air Force's modified physical training uniform while deployed here to provide feedback to Air Force leaders at the end of the testing process. Senior Airman James Debiase, a 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron emergency manager, was asked to

  • Uniforms for the fallen are always perfect

    An Airman irons the long sleeved shirt, giving it sharp military creases. A Soldier and a Marine spend hours building ribbon racks, making sure every ribbon is correct and that the devices are equally polished and bright. A Sailor looks over the jacket, pants and shirt, ensuring all excess strings

  • Airmen synchronize airpower with Soldiers

    Airmen in Southwest Asia must work with other American servicemembers to have synchronized forces support a ground commander's mission objectives. In today's joint combat operations, these Airmen work with Army ground liaison officers who are trained in offensive air support activities and translate

  • Airman coordinates air ops for Iraqi detainees

    There are thousands of Iraqi detainees located in different detention facilities throughout Iraq who require air travel for everything from detainee transfers to attending court cases, and thanks to one Air Force captain, the Iraqi detainees get where they need to go. Capt. M. Kathryn Kotora, Joint

  • Medal of Honor recipients visit Airmen in Southwest Asia

    Two Medal of Honor recipients visited with Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing April 10 here. Retired Army Col. Robert Howard and retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell, visited as part of a Medal of Honor Society tour of the area of responsibility. The Vietnam veterans who earned the

  • Leader magazine transitions from print to online

    In keeping with the evolving mediums for information dissemination, the Leader magazine has ceased production of its print version and has become the Leader Online. The new Web site features Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets and

  • Military doctor cites need for early intervention of autism

    A Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences faculty member discussed Autism Awareness Month recently and the importance of early, proper diagnosis and treatment of children. "Parents should feel confidence in raising questions about whether their child has autism," Dr. Janice Hanson told

  • Moving beyond the F-22

    This op-ed piece appeared in the Washington Post on April 13, written by Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.The debate over whether to continue production of the F-22 Raptor has been one of the most politically charged and controversial budget

  • Robins maintenance group wins silver in Shingo Prize

    Members of the 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group here has taken silver in the Shingo Prize, which recognizes world-class operational excellence strategies and practices in business and public sector/government owned facilities. The 402nd EMXG employs 1,407 people who test and repair avionics on a

  • New 'eMagazine' informs servicemembers, families

    All the support programs in the world won't do any good if no one knows about them, so the Defense Department's principal director for military community and family policy started the office's new "eMagazine." "What I found when I came up here was they have great programs and so forth, but they

  • Academy space fleet continues to grow

    The U.S. Air Force Academy's space fleet grows even larger this year with the launch of one satellite, continued operations of a second satellite and design work underway for a third. The newest addition will be FalconSAT-6, which is on the drawing board now. The FalconSAT space fleet is a series of

  • VA secretary embraces 'personal calling' of serving veterans

    Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki is a no-nonsense leader who wants veterans to measure his performance and that of the department he leads through concrete results, not rhetoric. "Veterans have been given a lot of promises over a bunch of years, and I have assured them that they should

  • Reserve commander meets with deployed reservists

    Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., Air Force Reserve Command commander, visited with Reserve members April 8 and 9 during a multi-base tour of the Air Forces Central area of responsibility. General Stenner, who is also chief of Air Force Reserve, took the opportunity to dine with Reservists and

  • BEAR builds new quarters for forces at Manas

    A Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources team recently made room for the influx of coalition forces here as more military forces shift from Iraq to Afghanistan. A nine-member Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources team, known as BEAR, lent their construction skills to Manas Air Base where two 4,000

  • Ceremony recognizes new NATO members

    A flag ceremony marking the accession of Croatia and Albania as the 27th and 28th members of NATO was held April 8 at Allied Air Component Command Headquarters Ramstein. Gen. Roger A. Brady, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein officiated the

  • Airmen make pledge to prevent sexual assaults

    While American and coalition forces continue fighting the war on terrorism, there are silent criminals among the warriors who cause battle wounds of another kind: sexual assault. There were 165 sexual assault reports in Iraq and Afghanistan during fiscal 2008, a dramatic increase compared to the 131

  • Tiered construct defines future expeditionary skills training

    A guarantee to eliminate duplicate expeditionary skills training requirements for all Air Force personnel through a four-tiered construct is now in effect by officials here. "This new construct ensures Airmen receive appropriate expeditionary education and training at the appropriate time," said

  • Intel deputy unveils ISR capability planning process

    For the first-time, Air Force technicians have developed a consolidated process and corporate governance structure to improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities in air, space, ground and cyberspace to meet current and future challenges facing the United States and its Allies

  • Eielson emergency teams respond to base fire

    Eielson Air Force Base emergency responders responded to a fire in a base housing residence within five minutes and helped mitigate property damage April 6 here. "There was smoke coming out of an upstairs window and a woman was screaming that her daughter was still inside," said Staff Sgt. Cody

  • Security forces unit provides combat support to Iraq

    Airmen from the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Det. 3, provide outside-the-wire combat support by doing everything from patrolling as police transition teams to performing intelligence operations to using military working dog teams to help Iraqi police with security. "The mission of

  • CSAF addresses 386th Airmen during AOR visit

    The Air Force's top officer spoke to 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen as part of a visit to the Air Forces Central area of responsibility April 6 and 7. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz also took time to visit the Airmen of the 387th Air Expeditionary Group and speak with the combat

  • Safety experts spearhead efforts to minimize bird strikes

    Americans witnessed firsthand the severity of bird strikes when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crash landed in the Hudson River in New York City after hitting a flock of birds in January. Lt. Col. Charles Wallace and his team of seven safety experts with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Safety Office here

  • Top spouse discusses deployment family issues

    The Air Force's top spouse discussed the challenges Air Force members and their spouses face during deployments while she visited the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing April 6 and 7. Suzie Schwartz, wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz, has long been considered a champion of military spouses

  • Center team works to connect new fighters, bomber

    An airborne networking team here is working to connect low-observable aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II and B-2 Spirit with each other, and with the rest of the force. These aircraft rely on a number of technological advantages to defeat adversaries and

  • Airmen in personal effects office take small items to heart

    Watches, coins, photos, dog tags and necklaces. To many, these are just items carried or worn by military members, even when serving in places like Iraq or Afghanistan. For families of the fallen, these simple items may be cherished keepsakes that serve as reminders of their son or daughter who paid

  • Helicopter pilots train Japanese forces on air refueling

    A team of HH-60G Pave Hawk pilots here provided a three-day intensive course on air refueling to Japanese Self Defense Forces helicopter rescue pilots in late March over Japan. The training, given by pilots from the 33rd Rescue Squadron, gave JASDF members hands-on helicopter air refueling training.

  • Airmen help launch satellite into orbit

    The Air Force's second Wibeband Global Satellite Communications satellite was successfully launched into orbit April 3 by officials from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. WGS-2 joins the service's first WGS satellite that was launched Oct. 10, 2007. The WGS system significantly increases the

  • Air Force officials take delivery of first MC-12

    Winning the fight from up high just got more advanced since the recent delivery of the MC-12 Project Liberty special mission turboprop aircraft. The MC-12 is the first of its kind for the Air Force and is set to venture downrange in May. Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for

  • Dutch, U.S. air forces unite for training

    Boarding an airplane can be cumbersome. Most cabins are roughly 8 feet wide and 6 feet high, with an aisle barely wide enough to fit a person and a carry on. Imagine navigating through the cabin in the dark, loaded down with gear. Add an element of thick black smoke and the intense heat of a fire,

  • Space education seeks prominence

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's newly-released special area of emphasis, "Space as a Contested Environment," draws attention to the reality that the United States can and will be challenged in space, and that military education needs modification to address this reality. The overall goal

  • Family care forum kick starts Year of the Air Force Family

    Senior Air Force officials and family care professionals set the direction for the Year of the Air Force Family April 2 here. More than 200 Air Force behavioral specialists, chaplains, family advocacy personnel and other family support members separated April 1 into five groups and focused on

  • KC-135 supports F-16 crews tracking stolen Cessna

    A KC-135 Stratotanker crew supported and refueled F-16 Fighting Falcons as the figher aircraft pilots closely trailed a stolen Cessna from a Canadian flight school crossed the U.S.-Canada border April 6 were on its trail. The Cessna 172, stolen by its pilot from a flight school in Thunder Bay,

  • Guard F-16s intercept suspicious aircraft

    Airmen on Air National Guard fighter aircraft from two states intercepted a suspicious aircraft as it flew into U.S. airspace April 6. North American Aerospace Defense Command officials directed F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing from Duluth, Minn., to initially intercept the

  • Officials discuss Air Force role for Africa Command

    Officials from Air University, U.S. Africa Command and the 17th Air Force kicked off a symposium March 31 to foster recommendations for the Air Force's involvement for Africa Command. The 17th Air Force, also known as U.S. Air Forces Africa, is the air arm of the new unified command and the main

  • Servicemembers assist Afghans with economic development

    For more than eight years, the government of Afghanistan has been building from the ground up, using millions of dollars in aid from foreign governments and private organizations. These funds impact both the central government in Kabul and the country's 34 provinces. Due to the unique relationships

  • Gates lays out defense budget recommendations

    Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates laid out his recommendations for the 2010 budget during an April 6 Pentagon press conference . The secretary said he included his experiences in national security to make the decisions. To start, Secretary Gates plans to significantly restructure the Army's Future

  • Iraqis provide new line of security for Joint Base Balad

    Another layer of outer perimeter security was added here April 1 to help protect the men and women of JBB, and the new initiative is staffed by more than 100 local Iraqis from the surrounding area. "This contract is a first of its kind," said Lt. Col. Raymond Reyes, JBB Regional Contracting Center

  • Medics, volunteers help servicemembers recover for duty

    The 379th Expeditionary Medical Group nurses and technicians here join forces with base volunteers in a program to help servicemembers with non-debilitating injuries or non-urgent surgical needs to fully recover and get back in the fight. The In-Theater Care Program was established to treat patients

  • Airman helps Iraqis bury past, rebuild future

    It has been said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, but a group of Iraqi contractors, with the help of an American Airman, are taking a different approach. They are burying the past to rebuild a new future. The past, in this case, are three villas located in the

  • SECAF visits Expeditionary Center, McGuire

    Citing the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center as a "critical component of the Air Force's ability to train Airmen," Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley pronounced his first familiarization visit to the center here on March 31 a success. "The Air Force mission to fly, fight and win ... in air,

  • VA secretary expects big impact from post-9/11 GI Bill

    All systems are on track for this summer's rollout of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, which Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said he expects to have as monumental an impact as the original World War II-era GI Bill of Rights. Secretary Shinseki, who served as Army chief of staff from 1999 to

  • Maxwell legal services wins government-wide award

    The director of the Air Force Legal Operations Agency's Directorate of Legal Information Services, or AFLOA/JAS here, said he was notified March 27 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School that his organization had won the government-wide 2009 W. Edwards Deming Award. Col. Peter

  • Kirtland provides Airmen, location for 'Terminator Salvation'

    Airmen here recently supported a different kind of war, one against futuristic machines out for world domination. The Airmen performed as extras on the set of "Terminator Salvation," which filmed several scenes in a hangar on the base's flightline. The movie is the latest in the popular

  • Memorial service honors fallen team leader

    Servicemembers and civilians deployed to International Security Assistance Force Regional Command-South gathered to pay final respects to a fallen Airman April 6 in the base chapel of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, 30, was killed April 3 by an improvised explosive

  • Air Force officials separate E-7, E-6 promotion release dates

    Air Force officials here are initiating a new process to separate the release dates for the master sergeant and technical sergeant promotion lists. The new master sergeant promotion list will now be released on May 14 and the technical sergeant list will be released on June 18 after 12 years of

  • Airman killed in Afghanistan identified

    Department of Defense officials announced April 5 the identity of an Airman killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, 30, of Hopewell, Va., died April 4 near Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned

  • Airmen cover the fallen with American flags for families

    For some, it means red, white and blue. It means 13 stripes for the original colonies and 50 stars for the states. For the families of the fallen, the American flag means so much more. Because of this, two Airmen assigned to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center here take their mission

  • Air Force instructors empower Iraqi warrant officers to lead

    Twenty-nine Iraqi air force members graduated from the warrant officer professional development course at the Iraqi air force schoolhouse with help from their U.S. Air Force instructors here March 28. The largest class to date demonstrates the commitment of the Iraqi air force throughout the ranks

  • Contingency response element deploys to Basra

    Nearly 50 members of the 615th Contingency Response Wing headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., are deployed here in support of coalition and joint operations. The mission of the 615th CRW-Contingency Response Element is to support the transition from British to U.S. responsibility of

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign ends May 1

    This year's Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign, from Feb. 9 to May 1, provides Airmen the opportunity to contribute to any of the four official Air Force charitable organizations. Now in its 36th year, 100 percent of designated AFAF contributions benefit active-duty, Reserve,

  • Force support officers represent flexibility

    Responding to evolving needs from the field has prompted several transformations in the manpower, personnel and services community over the past few years, including the recent stand up of an initial skills training course for force support officers. "Our Air Force officers are showing great

  • Air Force officials hold Caring for People Forum

    More than 200 Air Force behavioral specialists, chaplains, family advocacy personnel and other family support members gathered to discuss how to care for the Air Force family April 1 in Arlington, Va. The Year of the Air Force Family: Caring for People Forum started in a hotel in the shadow of the

  • Winter rehabilitation clinic shows veterans potential

    More than 400 disabled veterans this year are pushing themselves to the limits by taking part in the Department of Veterans Affairs' 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic at Snowmass Village, Colo. The clinic, a six-day event that began March 28, teaches veterans with disabilities