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  • PME incorporates Fit-to-Fight program

    Professional Military Education students will exercise under a more formal structure beginning in August as part of the Fit-to-Fight initiative. Students will perform physical conditioning three days a week to reinforce the school’s new focus, said Chief Master Sgt. Sharon R. Turk, vice commandant

  • Test pilot school selection board date set

    The Air Force plans to hold its next test pilot school selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center here Nov. 15.The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School trains pilots, navigators and engineers to test and evaluate the newest aircraft and weapons systems.Applicants from all aircraft types and

  • Bases earn awards for energy, environmental management

    Several Air Force bases were among the winners of top awards for leadership in federal energy and environmental management during a presidential ceremony held July 15 at the State Department headquarters here.The Leadership in Federal Energy Management Awards honor teams of federal employees who

  • Two of four quads experiencing life in Iraq

    One is the older, “more mature” sister, freely giving advice and guiding her younger sibling -- even if she is only senior by about two minutes.The sisters, two of a set of quadruplets born to Joanne and Reginald L. Brown Sr., are deployed here together from their home units at Kadena Air Base,

  • Air Force bids farewell to World War II hero

    The Air Force family bid farewell to a World War II hero July 20.Retired Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney, the man who flew the historic B-29 Superfortress flight that dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan during World War II, died July 16 in Boston. He was 84. “He was the best patriot, best father

  • Officials complete T-6A accident investigation

    Air Force officials completed the investigation of a T-6A Texan II that crashed April 3 at the Savannah Hilton-Head International Airport in Georgia killing two Air Force pilots.The investigation determined the accident was caused by pilot error.The pilots, Capts. Judson Brinson and Thomas Moore,

  • Teets discusses national security space strategy

    Peter B. Teets, the undersecretary of the Air Force for space, spoke about the future of space during the National Defense Industrial Association symposium on space policy and architecture.Representatives from the secretary of defense’s office, unified combatant commands and service space components

  • Air University earns accreditation

    After an exhaustive three-year process, Air University has been granted initial accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools retroactive to Jan. 1.The commission accredits degree-granting higher-education institutions and entities that meet its

  • Advisers warn Congress about special operations retention

    Retaining special operations people is crucial to the war on terrorism, special operations senior enlisted advisers told Congress on July 20.Special operations troops are deployed around the world in greater numbers than at any time in history, officials said. These senior advisers -- responsible

  • Reservists provide humanitarian aid in Chad

    Armed with sufficient medications, medical equipment and a surplus of enthusiasm and care, a team of Air Force Reserve Command medical professionals provided aid to the central African nation of Chad as part of a humanitarian effort July 1 to 15. The 13-person medical team deployed with a Marine

  • Desert Hawk gives security forces an eye in sky

    Airmen at one forward-deployed location who routinely work, eat, run errands and sleep may not think to look up in the sky. But if they did, they would see something looking right back at them. Flying at about 300 feet above the ground is a small foam aircraft with a built-in video camera. It is

  • Leaders discuss future test pilot school curriculum

    Representatives from around the Air Force met here recently to help U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School experts modify the institution's current curriculum to fit future test and evaluation demands.Test pilot school graduates and nongraduates representing organizations from Air Force Materiel Command

  • Airman helps save boy’s life

    When Master Sgt. James Gunderson volunteered to chaperon his youth group’s field trip to a local lake July 17, he thought his biggest worry would be making sure the children did not get sunburned. But before the day was over, the Air Force Weather Agency sergeant helped save the life of a

  • U.S. now training Arab air forces

    The United States, working with United Arab Emirates, is now training future Arab air force leaders. Iron Falcon, a monthlong exercise held at the Emirate Air Defense Air Warfare Center in the United Arab Emirates, is upgrade training for mission commanders. Plans are set for all members of the

  • Next group of Airman-Soldiers set to move into Iraq

    More than 150 Airmen completed the final stages of live-fire convoy training here July 16 before deploying north to Mosul as part of the 494th Air Expeditionary Force Truck Company. “You will be on the frontlines. You will be facing the enemy everyday in some of the most dangerous areas in Iraq,”

  • Balad first sergeants bare veins for IV training

    People assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron received life-saving medical training July 15 on the arms of first sergeants here.More than six Balad first sergeants rolled up their sleeves and "took one for the team" to give a few patrolmen intravenous therapy training for

  • Now showing: July 19 edition of AFTV News

    The use of what looks like a model airplane to help provide security at Balad Air Base, Iraq, spotlights the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke reports on a small unmanned aerial vehicle called Desert Hawk that is playing a vital role in monitoring areas around

  • DOD developing training to help potential captives

    Defense Department officials are taking a hard look at the way they train servicemembers to avoid capture and, if they do fall into enemy hands, how to handle themselves.A new "core captivity curriculum," expected to be completed this summer, is designed to update training currently being provided

  • Special team searches for aircraft cracks

    All combat aircraft go through extreme stresses when completing their missions. Those stresses can cause metal fatigue -- tiny cracks in the joints and welds of the frame or invisible fractures in the metal.The sooner these invisible cracks are found, the safer the aircraft will be.Finding those

  • Treatment available to troops suffering from combat stress

    The servicemember who goes to combat and the one who comes back are never the same person, the Defense Department's director of mental-health policy said July 14."No one comes back unchanged," said Army Col. (Dr.) Tom Burke.Dr. Burke and other DOD health officials try to reach out to those returning

  • Safe, adequate housing gets highest priority

    Caring for Air Force families is the highest priority and one way to reinforce that commitment is to provide safe, adequate and affordable housing, said the Air Force’s senior military leader.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper released a Site Picture on July 6, detailing his and Air Force

  • A-10 pilots guard ground forces

    As ground forces travel throughout Afghanistan, they can rest assured there is somebody available to watch over their shoulders.Actually, two somebodies: a flight of two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, often known as Warthogs, regularly keep watch over the countryside and ground troops.While deployed to

  • Services officials want a lot of happy campers

    Services officials want to see a lot of happy campers this summer.More than 500 Air Force teenagers are rock climbing, orienteering, camping, getting leadership training and even visiting the Supreme Court in a series of camps offered by the Air Force Services Agency.“For the past several summers,

  • Military working dog sniffs out suspicious vehicle in Florida

    A four-legged 45th Security Forces member did his job correctly but caused quite a stir here July 8.While doing his daily sniffing around inbound trucks at the truck inspection area at the base’s south gate, Pancho, a 7-year-old military working dog, alerted his handler to a suspicious vehicle.

  • Airman dies in Iraq

    An Airman assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and attached to the U.S. Army’s 494th Truck Company at Balad Air Base, Iraq, was killed in action July 11.Staff Sgt. Dustin W. Peters, 25, died when the convoy he was riding in encountered an improvised explosive device.Sergeant Peters served as

  • Officials announce services award winners

    Air Force Services Agency officials announced the winners of the 2003 services awards recently.Ramstein Air Base, Germany, won the Gen. Curtis E. Lemay Trophy for best overall services unit at a large base. Minot Air Force Base, N.D., won the Maj. Gen. Eugene L. Eubank Trophy for best services at a

  • Course trains Airmen to drive convoys for Army in Iraq

    Riding in a truck through Iraq, manning a weapon and facing armed adversaries is not a scenario many Air Force vehicle operators thought they would see.But that is exactly what more than 500 of these Airmen are doing -- driving convoys for the Army supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Chief Master

  • Army recruiting departing Airmen

    After they "Cross Into the Blue" Army officials said they hope Airmen leaving the Air Force will join the "Army of One."A new program, Operation Blue to Green, seeks to recruit into the Army Airmen and Sailors leaving their service because of force reductions. The Army is temporarily increasing its

  • Rewritten Airman’s Manual coming

    An Airman’s most important deployment tool just got better.The original Air Force Manual 10-100, the “Airman’s Manual,” published in 1999, has been revised and updated and hits the streets July 19. “Within four weeks, we will distribute more than 675,000 copies to every active-duty member,

  • Red Cross swimming in money thanks to retiree

    His name is Rich Rasmussen, but most call him “the fish.” That is because the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel swam in a Red Cross event for the last 13 years, raising more than $19,500 for the organization.Swimmers collect pledges to raise funds for the American Red Cross.Notorious for his

  • MedFlag 2004 kicks off

    About 250 U.S Airmen from bases in Europe and the United States joined their South African defense force partners here July 2 to begin Exercise MedFlag 2004.The annual two-week joint-combined medical training and civil assistance exercise in Africa includes units under U.S. European Command. It

  • New civilian personnel system to add efficiency, satisfaction

    The new National Security Personnel System will improve the working environment within the Defense Department while creating a more satisfied, more productive work force, Navy Secretary Gordon England said July 7."That's what this is about: great job satisfaction," Secretary England said. "We want

  • Ammo: Giving Warthog its lethal bite

    As coalition soldiers conduct operations throughout Afghanistan, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, or Warthogs as they are commonly known, are a frequent sight in the sky.When a Warthog must strike, one team here “sharpens its tusks,” making sure that the aircraft’s “bite” is effective and lethal.The Airmen of

  • July issue of Airman available

    Read about an amputee pilot helping other amputees returning from war, learn about how Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center officials handle deployments and take a look at the harmony between man and beast at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. These features and more highlight the July issue of

  • Air Force amputee returns to flight status

    An Airman here who had his leg amputated above the knee will soon fly an Air Force aircraft again.Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, the Commander’s Action Group chief, has been medically cleared to return to flight status.The Air Force surgeon general, Lt. Gen. George Peach Taylor, medically cleared Colonel

  • Some extended guardsmen, reservists may get GI Bill boost

    Guardsmen and reservists whose active-duty time is extended past the normal 12-month call-up may be eligible for active-duty-level benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill under certain circumstances, said a senior Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman.Currently, people participating in the active-duty

  • NCOs teaching at ROTC detachments

    Air Force ROTC cadets at 10 universities will soon see stripes in their classrooms.In a new program, noncommissioned officers will begin serving as instructors at Air Force ROTC detachments, positions normally held by commissioned officers.The three-year program will incorporate enlisted

  • Now showing: July 5 edition of Air Force Television News

    What is fast becoming the Air Force hub for its operations in Iraq is spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke reports from Balad Air Base, Iraq, on how Airmen there are supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Master Sgt. Jim Lawson reports on another

  • Vietnamese boy finds success in AF blue

    Maj. Phuong Tran holds a deep appreciation for America.In 1975, at age 11, Major Tran, his family, and hundreds of other Vietnamese families fled Saigon, Vietnam, to escape communism.Although he knew nothing of the language or culture of the United States when he left his war-torn country, Major

  • Class of 2008 arrives at academy

    More than 1,300 cadet appointees said goodbye to their families July 1 and entered the academy to begin their careers in the Air Force. Inprocessing was a long one-day event filled with medical and dental evaluations, haircuts, clothing and equipment issue, and squadron and dormitory room

  • ‘Military One Source' helps with family problems

    The Defense Department has established a "one-stop" place to go whenever servicemembers or family members need assistance with any kind of problem.It is called "Military One Source," and is available anytime, worldwide, said John M. Molino, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and

  • Expeditionary mindset provides stability, predictability for Airmen

    Nothing much stands out at the Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center at Langley Air Force Base, Va.The rooms upon rooms of cubicles are standard for a work center. A snack room provides lunch for those too busy to leave, and a larger parking lot would make people happier.Everything appears

  • Crew chiefs care for, feed Warthogs daily

    A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, affectionately known as Warthogs, fly over Afghanistan around the clock. While in the air, the pilot is responsible for taking care of the aircraft; but once it parks, the responsibility belongs to its crew chief.The crew chiefs “prepare the aircraft for takeoff, recover it

  • Air Force bids farewell to a legend

    The Air Force's last Vietnam-era former prisoner of war still serving retired here June 30, ending more than four decades of active-duty, Guard and Reserve Service.Reserve Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, mobilization assistant to Gen. Gregory S. Martin who is commander of Air Force Materiel Command, hung

  • Uniform board releases results

    Air Force officials recently released the results of the 96th Air Force Uniform Board held June 18 and 19.The chief of staff approved a number of changes, affecting everything from cell phones to scarves. Among the changes are:-- Establish a standardized Air Force physical training uniform.--

  • Air Force uniform heads to French army

    When a French army sergeant asked Col. David Adams for his uniform, the colonel did not know what to think. When working at a NATO base with 30 different nations, the real meaning is not always in the message.Sgt. Willy Brunet, a signal noncommissioned officer with the French National Intelligence

  • Air Force, Navy share chess title

    The Air Force and Navy are sharing the Interservice Chess Championship trophy this year, the first tie for the team title in the tournament’s history.The Air Force came to the tournament as a two-time defending champion, but tied with the Navy in points June 25, the last day of the six-day

  • Medical center responds to train derailment victims

    An early morning train collision and release of toxic fumes near San Antonio on June 28 sent at least 22 people to Wilford Hall Medical Center here for treatment. At least two people died as a result of the derailment.Workers from the 59th Medical Wing immediately responded, decontaminating people

  • General revises clothing policy for Airmen deploying to SWA

    All Airmen deploying to the Central Command area of responsibility must now ensure the clothing they pack is in step with a recent dress and appearance policy revision now in effect.The most significant change requires Airmen to wear either desert camouflage uniforms or physical training gear while

  • Airmen deliver 35,000 helmets to Afghanistan

    Airmen flew more than 35,000 Romanian military helmets to Afghanistan from here June 24 in a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The helmets are for the Afghan army.Donated by the Romanian government, the helmets were packed and loaded by a team of Romanian servicemembers and a three-person U.S.

  • Officials announce Air Force chaplain service award winners

    Officials announced the Air Force chaplain service award winners on June 25.Established this year, the award program recognizes outstanding individual and organizational performance within the chaplain service. The 2003 winners are:-- Richard C. Schneider Award (chaplain’s assistant, Airman):

  • Commander leads troops through transition

    Leading more than 160,000 troops through a transition of authority from coalition forces to the interim Iraqi government is more of an art than a science says the commanding general for Multinational Corps-Iraq.Army Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz said that art comes in the delicate balance of reassigning

  • Iraqi delegation visits Balad, applauds U.S. military efforts

    Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi minister of foreign affairs, and other members of the Iraqi governing council, including Iraqi defense minister Hazim al-Shaalan, visited here June 27 on their way to Istanbul, Turkey, to the NATO summit. While here, Mr. Zebari thanked the United States for its assistance in

  • Air Force honors Youth of the Year

    A ceremony at the Pentagon on June 23 honored Air Force youth representing bases worldwide.This year’s master of ceremonies was both the Air Force Materiel Command Youth of the Year and the Oklahoma State Youth of the Year. Michael Goodman, son of retired Master Sgt. Randall and Donna Goodman from

  • General Bradley will command Air Force Reserve

    On June 24, the Senate confirmed Maj. Gen. John A. Bradley as chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, and appointed him to the rank of lieutenant general. General Bradley is the former assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for reserve matters at the

  • Chaplain’s craft lifts him above the clouds

    Moving checklist: Pack the boxes, stop the newspaper, arrange transportation and fuel the airplane. For a Lackland Air Force Base chaplain, getting to his next base will require a flight plan of his own.Taking Chaplain (Maj.) Weston Walker to his next assignment at Hill AFB, Utah, will be his own

  • Airman loses 100 pounds

    It took a missile maintainer here nine months to fix one of the Air Force's most important weapon systems, and he did it out of uniform, without technical orders and after duty hours.Senior Airman Norman Barore, assigned to the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron here, lost 100 pounds in nine months,

  • Murray talks deployments, force shaping

    Combat needs, not current manpower standards, are what Air Force officials are using to determine how many people are filling the ranks, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray said. This, he said, is the first time in Air Force history that combat needs have been the determining

  • UAV Battlelab stands up at Indian Springs

    Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field near here is entering a new era in providing unmanned aerial vehicle support to the combat air force.Currently the only installation with a fleet of operational remotely piloted aircraft, Indian Springs is now also the home of the Air Force’s Unmanned Aerial

  • EOD is making Afghanistan safe for future

    Today, there are literally tons of explosive materials hidden throughout Afghanistan. Some, like land mines the former Soviet Union liberally scattered around the countryside, lie deceptively under a thin veneer of dirt. Others lie hidden away in caches of weapons carefully horded and

  • Manpower, personnel functions merging

    Manpower, personnel, and education and training functions will merge and realign under mission support squadrons at installations throughout the Air Force beginning July 1."Manpower and personnel have been separate disciplines throughout the Air Force's history," said Col. Douglas V. Bell, Air

  • GI Bill still important 60 years later

    Times were tough. The nation was slowly emerging from the Great Depression when World War II flared up in 1941.Before the war, the unemployment rate hovered at 15 percent, more than 11 million homes did not have running water or electricity, and fewer than 50,000 taxpayers earned more than $2,500 a

  • NCOs help with air cover

    More than 200 noncommissioned officers are helping the Army by providing air cover for patrols protecting convoys, performing raids, responding to mortar and road attacks, and training Iraqis to provide their own security.They are part of a tactical air control party, which is a self-supporting team

  • IMAX returns to Nellis for final shoot

    A production crew filming an IMAX movie on the Air Force returned here June 14 to 18 to continue work on the 43-minute action documentary about Red Flag exercises.Filming for the production began here in June 2003, and this is scheduled to be the crew’s last visit. Besides their initial visit,

  • Sembach security forces practice aerial rescues

    Eleven Airmen of the 786th Security Forces Squadron at nearby Sembach Air Base practiced their search and rescue skills here June 14 to 18 during NATO Operation Clean Hunter.They were joined by people from the 56th Rescue Squadron at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, and rescue teams from the

  • Symposium highlights changing times

    Future Air Force budgets with fewer modernization dollars are requiring Air Force people to change processes to make current aircraft last longer.This is one topic Dr. Marvin Sambur, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, discussed here at the 25th Annual Air Force Association Focus

  • ‘Air and Space Power Journal’ available in Spanish

    A Spanish-language version of “Air and Space Power Journal” is now available online and through a free electronic subscription service.Just like its English-language sister, the Spanish version provides a forum for professional discussion on air and space power, and its role in national

  • Cadets get ‘constructive’ engineering experience

    Cadets exchange computers, backpacks and books for hard hats, lumber and a bulldozer when they sign up for a summer civil engineering course.The entry-level course takes place in the academy’s Jacks Valley at the field engineering and readiness laboratory. The five-week program acquaints 60 cadets

  • Tobacco use terminated in technical training

    Tobacco use and possession are no longer allowed for nonprior-service technical training students at any time while on base or in uniform. The change is included in Air Education and Training Command Instruction 36-2216, "Administration of Military Standards and Discipline Training," published June

  • Officials announce OTS selections

    Air Force officials here announced June 18 that 17 enlisted Airmen have been chosen to attend Officer Training School and trade their stripes for gold bars. Air Force Recruiting Service officials conducted OTS Selection Board 0405, which met here May 11 to 14. The board considered 392 applications,

  • Airmen survive terrorist attack by being fit to fight

    In the early morning hours of May 30, an Airman lay in a dusty maintenance room of a building in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, with a tourniquet around his arm, struggling to stay alive.The morning before, Lt. Col. James Broome III and a colleague, Lt. Col. Ed O’Neal, both assigned to the U.S. Military

  • F-15 crashes in Nevada

    An Air Force F-15 Eagle crashed at about 11 a.m. June 18 on the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range during a training mission. The aircraft was assigned to the Weapons School here. The pilot successfully ejected, and he was taken to the hospital here for evaluation.An interim safety board of

  • Laughlin Airmen get fit during 'adventures'

    “Are you fit to fight?” That is the question Air Force officials are asking Airmen these days, and it is the catch phrase for the new fitness focus.One squadron here upped the ante among its Airmen recently asking, “Are you fit to race?”More than 100 Airmen from the 86th Flying Training Squadron

  • Restoring vintage planes preserves AF history

    Craftsmen who restore Lackland’s 40 historical aircraft displayed around the base often are greeted and thanked by old warriors who visit the base to watch their grandsons and granddaughters graduate from training.“It’s real interesting, because they’ll tell you all kinds of war stories from their

  • Utility uniform feedback survey, PT gear coming

    The Air Force’s first physical training uniform will hit the street later this year, and a Web site for Airmen to provide feedback on the proposed utility uniform will be online July 1.Feedback on the proposed utility uniform has been excellent so far, but an Internet survey will give all Airmen a

  • Reserve volunteers needed for force-protection duties

    Reserve component enlisted Airmen in any career field are eligible for a unique program allowing them to help protect Air Force bases nationwide. The air reserve component force protection volunteer program gives individual mobilization augmentee, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members

  • Air Force family fights fire with generosity

    A first-term Airman from the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here, her husband, and their two small children were left homeless when an unexplained fire destroyed everything in their base housing unit recently.Out of the ashes of this tragedy, however, rose an unexpected phoenix. The Vazquez's

  • Airmen keep deployed Soldiers healthy

    Being responsible for the healthy living environment of 60,000 Soldiers at eight different camps is no small job, but that is exactly what Airmen of the 2nd Preventive Medicine Team Air Force have been doing since mid-March.This team of nine enlisted and two officers has conducted more than 2,000

  • Bush speaks from MacDill

    With the transfer of sovereignty two weeks away, the future of a free Iraq is coming into view, President Bush told a worldwide military audience and servicemembers assembled at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., on June 16.U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command have their headquarters

  • New focus puts future training over the 'edge'

    Department of Defense servicemembers participating in Northern Edge '04 have a new focus this year, joint warfighter training, as well as a different focus in 2005, homeland defense.Pacific Command and Northern Command officials have agreed to share Alaska Command's premier joint exercise.In

  • Officials release F-16 accident report

    Pilot error caused two F-16 Fighting Falcons to collide March 9, during a training mission over the Atlantic Ocean about 35 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., according to a report Air Force officials released June 15.Both aircraft landed safely at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and the pilots were

  • Academy aircraft resume flight

    Officials here have directed academy aircraft back into service starting June 15. Flight operations here were suspended April 2 following a safety review. Since that time, numerous actions have been taken to resolve all concerns expressed by academy leaders. Major actions taken include a detailed

  • Predator crashes in Nevada

    An MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle crashed June 14 at about 2:40 p.m. at nearby Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field. The aircraft was returning from a local training mission on the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range. There were no injuries or property damage. A safety board of

  • Weapons accident leaves one injured

    A weapons accident here June 10 caused one injury. Staff Sgt. Brent Russell, a 917th Maintenance Squadron aircraft armament systems mechanic, was injured when a Gatling gun inadvertently discharged a 30 mm training round during repairs. The round penetrated a steel door causing shrapnel to strike

  • Secretary, three others receive NAACP awards

    The Air Force secretary and three other Airmen received NAACP awards for outstanding and noteworthy efforts in implementing policies and programs which promote equal opportunity in the military.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche garnered the National Association for the Advancement of

  • Convoy course prepares Airmen for duty in Iraq

    Air Education and Training Command leaders saw the need for the Basic Combat Convoy Course for Airmen during a visit to Iraq in March, and 37th Training Wing experts here assembled the course in record time.The first platoon of Airmen began the course June 7, training to relieve transportation

  • Gas pump in the sky

    When an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot runs low on fuel, he has two choices: Radio in to the closest air base control tower for landing and refueling permission, or stay airborne and fill up from a gas station in the sky -- the KC-135 Stratotanker. You can imagine which gets him back into the fight

  • Airmen play ‘bad guys’ in Alaska

    Almost every military exercise needs "bad guys," and Airmen from the 390th Fighter Squadron are playing that role for Alaska Command's premiere joint training event, Northern Edge '04.More than 160 Department of Defense aircraft are involved in the exercise, including F-15 Eagles from the 390th FS

  • Major proves age, injury no obstacles to fitness

    Maj. Jeanne Frazier could not run, and she was dreading the mandatory physical training and fitness tests.Three months later, the 50-year-old major assigned to the 552nd Operations Support Squadron here was not only running, but she finished the required run in 16 minutes and 46 seconds. All

  • Airman, Scouts save lives

    Local Boy Scouts embarked on a whitewater canoe and kayak trip recently on nearby Chattooga River. Little did they know their recreational adventure was about to turn into a lifesaving rescue.At the end of their five-and-a-half-hour river ride, the Scouts were in the process of docking and packing

  • Patient safety year-round process

    Although the National Patient Safety Foundation celebrates Patient Safety Awareness week in March, Air Force Medical Service officials take it on as a year-round process.“Delivery of safe and effective patient care hinges on the integration of a continuous process designed to detect, assess,

  • Civilian leaders see USAFE capabilities

    Civilian leaders participating in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference got a firsthand, and sometimes hands-on, look here June 8 at how U.S. Air Forces in Europe Airmen support the war on terrorism.About 50 business, academic and local government leaders nationwide sat in the cockpits of F-15

  • Flexibility helps 497th CTS Airmen succeed in Singapore

    Col. John Rogers Jr. credits being able to “think outside the box” to the success of his Airmen who successfully perform their daily mission here. Colonel Rogers is commander of the 497th Combat Training Squadron, a 36-person group comprising the basic functional elements of a small-scale fighter

  • People remember World War II nurses

    Many Americans commemorated the 60th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, watching and remembering those World War II veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy. Often forgotten are the flight nurses who served behind the scenes ensuring the men who fought that day lived to talk about it.Flight nurses

  • Veterans reflect upon D-Day, turning tide of war

    They are known as “the greatest generation.” On D-Day, they proved it. Before dawn June 6, 1944, Airmen of the 398th Bombardment Group awoke to a day that would turn the tide of the war in Europe and end with 3,000 Americans dead. Like most in the Army Air Forces, 1st Lt. Ike Alhadeff trained for

  • June issue of Airman available

    Read about Airmen chasing Olympic dreams, learn about the Army Air Forces involvement in D-Day and take a look at how one base is working to create happy trails for tiny lizards. These features and more highlight the June issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at

  • Air Force expands space-A lodging window

    The Air Force Services Agency director here announced recently an expanded space-available reservation policy designed to maximize occupancy at lodging facilities.Under the new system, lodging officials can accept and confirm space-A lodging reservations up to 30 days in advance based on low

  • Standard AEF deployment length stretches to 120 days

    Most Airmen scheduled to deploy in upcoming air and space expeditionary force packages will see their orders expand from 90 to 120 days. The change in deployment length will begin with AEF cycle 5 in September. Those who deploy as part of AEF 1 and 2 should prepare for a 120-day deployment. Air

  • ‘Integration’ theme of JEFX 04 Spiral 3

    With the successful conclusion of Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment Spiral 3 recently, the stage is now set for the largest battle management command and control experiment ever.JEFX ‘04, the Air Force’s premier experimental venue for groundbreaking command and control technology and processes,

  • A-10 pods help track bad guys, protect friendly forces

    When lightning strikes, it affects the surrounding area. The same could be said of an A-10 Thunderbolt II strike, especially when complemented by the advanced capabilities provided by the Litening precision targeting pod system.The navigation pod provides A-10 pilots with more than improved attack