The 2009 U.S. Air Force Marathon may not be until Sept. 19 here, but seeking volunteers to help plan and execute the race's many aspects begins May 1.
Individuals interested in volunteering can go online to
www.usafmarathon.com to see jobs, schedules, dates, times, etc.
All registered volunteers will receive a goody bag, embroidered patch, T-shirt and volunteer certificate.
"Volunteers are extremely important to the success of the marathon," said Allison Frey, the volunteer coordinator for the marathon. "With the possibility of up to 10,000 runners participating, we will rely on volunteers for a variety of jobs, including passing out food and drinks, directing participants along the course and helping with set up for such a huge event."
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Air Force maintainers are keeping fighter pilots ready to go during Exercise Balikatan 2009 here.
Balikatan, which in English means "shoulder to shoulder," is an annual joint bilateral exercise designed to improve U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines combined planning, combat readiness and interoperability for a wide range of operations.
To assist pilots during Balikatan 2009, maintainers from the 56th Fighter Wing from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., have a top priority of safety for the pilots and aircraft. Before, during and after a flight, crew chiefs are responsible for maintaining the aircraft, observing its safety and providing flight maintenance.
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An intercontinental ballistic missile belonging to the 91st Missile Wing here will be removed for testing and analysis after water runoff from melting snow seeped into a launch facility and entered the launch tube April 12 here.
The water was a result of record levels of snowfall this winter in the missile complex.
The flooding poses no danger to the safety or security of the missile. The missile will now be sent to the maintenance depot at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
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Some 35 years ago, 2nd Lt. Norton Schwartz graduated Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base leaving with a set of silver wings and a promising career with unlimited potential.
On April 24, now Air Force Chief of Staff General Schwartz came full circle, returning to Laughlin AFB as the guest speaker at the wing's dining out.
This was the first time in the base's history that a sitting Air Force chief of staff visited the base, said Todd Schroeder, the 47th Flying Training Wing historian. The visit was not only historic for the base, but also nostalgic for the general who said he was very pleased to accept the invitation to return his first duty station.
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People who are interested in learning more about the Defense Department's Quadrennial Defense Review process can do so by just accessing the
QDR fact sheet that was posted April 29 on Defenselink, the Pentagon's public Web page.
"The QDR takes a long-term, strategic view of the Department of Defense and will explore ways to balance achieving success in current conflicts with preparing for long-term challenges," Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III stated in a Defense Department news release issued April 23.
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Whether it's the size of a chair or a driver's license, space debris travelling at speeds of 15,000 mph yields the same result if it crosses the orbital path of a space asset: collision and subsequent loss. With the work of an Electronic Systems Center group to bolster space situational awareness, these types of potential disasters can be detected early and avoided.
Specialists in the 850th Electronic Systems Group are currently working to develop the acquisition strategy for the Joint Space Operations Center, or JSpOC, Mission System, a combination of capabilities that existed in former space command and control programs.
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More than 20 Airmen participating in Exercise Balikatan 2009 visited Filipino children at schools and an orphanage April 24 and 25 here.
The Airmen from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., participating in the exercise took time to spread goodwill to nearly 150 children from the Duyan Ni Maria orphanage and the Sapangbato community center here.
Balikatan, which in English means "shoulder-to-shoulder," is an annual joint bilateral exercise designed to improve U.S. and Philippines combined planning, combat readiness and interoperability including humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping missions throughout the region.
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The operations tempo for Air Force employees, both civilian and military, is still high, but volunteers for extended deployments have dropped by more than 20 percent in the past two years.
According to an internal Air Force Materiel Command memo released April 21 by Gen. Donald Hoffman, AFMC commander, more volunteers are needed to maintain a steady-state deployment cycle.
"These declining numbers result in the need to fill deployments with non-volunteers and, in turn, negatively impact the mission and families through compressed deployment preparation time and unplanned retirements and separations," the general said.
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The Museum of Aviation here will open to the public a permanent Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft exhibit May 3, the same day the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team will perform at nearby Robins Air Force Base.
The aircraft, once a part of the demonstration team, has been repainted in the red-white-and-blue paint scheme and will be on display in the Century of Flight Hangar here.
Besides the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, the Museum of Aviation is now the only other Air Force museum in the country to have a former Thunderbirds F-16 on display.
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With just a few clicks of the mouse, servicemembers, civilians and families interested in learning more about the H1N1 Flu outbreak, otherwise known as swine flu, can access a variety of resources on the Web.
Department of Defense officials created and maintain a Pandemic Influenza Watchboard, available at
www.dod.mil/pandemicflu.
Also used during the H5N1 Flu outbreak, otherwise known as avian flu, the watchboard includes flu-related news articles, guidance from DOD leaders and links to information from other government agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services.
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