Five special operations Airmen were honored at a ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes Feb. 24.
The award winners are:
Fighter Duty Officer Award - Capt. Brett E. Plummer
Captain Plummer is a fighter duty officer assigned to the 4th Air Support Operations Squadron at Sullivan Barracks in Mannheim, Germany. During his deployment to Iraq, Captain Plummer supported more than 300 tactical air control party and combat weather specialists across the country. He streamlined the process on how close-air support is used in theater, reducing coalition aircraft's reaction time to assist troops in harm's way.
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Projects resulting from the $7.4 billion Defense Department portion of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package will start to be visible soon, defense officials said Feb. 25.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which Obama signed Feb. 17, provides $787 billion to stimulate the economy and help the nation and world recover from the global economic crisis.
"The recovery plan we passed is the first step in getting our economy back on track," Obama said during his speech to a joint session of Congress Feb. 24.
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A gathering of military intelligence professionals from 25 Asia-Pacific nations and beyond furthered a multinational partnership critical to combating terrorism in the region, U.S. Pacific Command's intelligence director said.
"You can't overemphasize the value of this type of forum," Navy Rear Adm. Michael S. Rogers said. "It included candid multinational and bilateral side discussions on issues that have a significant impact on the entire region."
The intelligence professionals gathered Feb. 17-20 in Singapore to explore ways to increase information sharing to counter common threats. Trans-national threats such as countering terrorism, maintaining a secure maritime environment and improving responses to humanitarian crises were topics of discussion at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference.
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Kunsan Air Base Airmen accepted and processed Marines as they landed on board a KC-130J Super Hercules Feb. 23 here.
The Marines from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing out of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Japan participated in an Exercise Key Resolve, a routine training exercise designed to train and evaluate U.S. Forces Korea's ability to accept U.S. forces from outside South Korea.
The personnel deployment and reception function plays a huge part in accomplishing the follow on forces mission, said Capt. Angel Betancourt, the 8th Force Support Squadron Manpower and Personnel Flight commander.
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A line in the Airman's creed states, "I will never leave an Airman behind."
For the McMurray Crew 801 with the 492nd Bombardment Group, that promise was fulfilled, albeit 60-plus years after their B-24 bomber went down during World War II.
An international crowd gathered Feb. 20 at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium to honor the McMurray Crew's nine members who were listed as missing in action. Their remains were recovered in a field southwest of Berlin in 2002.
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Southern Nevada residents may have notice increased military aircraft activity as the latest Red Flag exercise began Feb. 23.
Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies. The exercise is conducted on the 15,000-square-mile Nevada Test and Training Range, north of Las Vegas. Red Flag is one of a series of advanced training programs administered by officials at the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and at Nellis, through the 414th Combat Training Squadron.
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When the Air Force chief of staff visited here recently, it wasn't just about looking forward and to the future of aviation with unmanned aircraft systems; it was also about looking back and recognizing where the service has been.
Before Gen. Norton Schwartz stepped into the 99th Flying Training Squadron auditorium Feb. 19 to address a group of aviators, the Air Force's 19th chief of staff spent a few minutes with the unit's other honored guests that afternoon: two Tuskegee Airmen.
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Servicemembers are more practical about their retirement needs than their civilian counterparts, according to a survey conducted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Investor Education Foundation, in cooperation with the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
The findings bode well for servicemembers' readiness to transition out of work and into retirement, said John Gannon, FINRA's foundation president.
"Unless you are aware of the amount of money you're going to need in retirement, it's going to be hard to start saving the amount you need," Mr. Gannon said. "The good thing is the military is much further along in understanding their savings needs than the general public."
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Servicemembers from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, Royal Thai air force and army, and Royal Singapore air force are scheduled to participate in Exercise Cope Tiger 2009 March 9 through 20 in Thailand.
Cope Tiger is the only multilateral combined/joint field training and command post exercise held in Thailand, and takes place at both Korat and Udon Thani Royal Thai air force bases.
More than 2,300 people will participate in the exercise, including approximately 1,200 U.S. servicemembers and 1,100 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore forces. The exercise will include 156 aircraft and air defense units, 55 of which are from the United States.
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An Air Force Special Operations Command combat control journeyman died Feb. 20 while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Timothy P. Davis, 28, of Aberdeen, Wash., died near Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla.
An open viewing is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and memorial service at 1 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Montesano High School gymnasium in Montesano, Wash., followed by burial services at the Wynoochee Cemetery.
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