Airmen of the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron airfield damage repair team here participated in a combined-rapid-runway-repair-training exercise with the South Korean air force's 19th Tactical Fighter Wing and 91st Air Civil Engineer Group Aug.19 at Jungwon Air Base, South Korea.
"This is the first time 51st CES has participated in this kind of exercise or training with the (South Korean air force)," said Master Sgt. Christopher Belknap, the 51st CES NCO in charge of structures.
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Airmen with an Air Mobility Command air evacuation liaison team and Soldiers from Army patient administration staff trained with each other during Joint Readiness Training Center Exercise 09-09 at Folk Polk, La., through Aug. 25. Their goal: prepare for Middle East deployments.
"Our main goal is to show the Army folks how we do our job," said Maj. Scott Wilbert, a flight nurse assigned to the air evacuation liaison team, or AELT. "We've been training the staff on how to prepare patients for flight."
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NASA's next generation of a manned-spacecraft made a stop at Holloman AFB on its way to White Sands Missile Range, N.M. where launch abort tests will be performed.
The Orion Program's Pad Abort One Crew Module arrived here Aug. 19 via a C-17 Globemaster III and left aboard a tractor-trailer Aug. 21 for WSMR. The crew module has a launch abort system used to for the crew to escape from the launch rocket should something go wrong on the pad or during the ascent to orbit.
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Defense Department federal employees could receive up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a military family member injured in the line of duty if an Office of Personnel Management proposal is adopted.
The proposal would allow eligible federal employees to take 26 "administrative work weeks" provided for under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a servicemember wounded in the line of duty, OPM officials explained during a telephone conference call.
The provision would extend to families of National Guard members or reservists injured while on active duty, explained Jerry Mikowicz, the OPM deputy associate director for pay and leave administration.
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More college-educated professionals will enter the next generation's professional work force as a result of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said this week at the American Legion's 91st National Convention in Louisville, Ky.
Secretary Shinseki lauded the organization's efforts in advocating the new legislation, just as it fought for the original GI Bill more than 65 years ago.
"Just as you were responsible for the passage of the original GI Bill in 1944, your commitment here was instrumental, yet again, in getting this 9/11 GI Bill through the Congress," Secretary Shinseki said.
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USAF Marathon officials here say you should plan to be informed and inspired at the USAF Marathon Sports and Fitness Expo on Sept. 17 and 18.
Nationally-syndicated "consumer warrior" Clark Howard and Boston Marathon Director Dave McGillivray are just two of the speakers scheduled to provide information focusing on health and wellness during presentations at the Ervin J. Nutter Center at nearby Wright State University. WSU staff and faculty are in partnership with USAF Marathon officials for both the expo and the marathon's 5K race, which will be run on the campus grounds the evening of Sept. 18.
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Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley met with deployed servicemembers Aug. 26 at an air base in Southwest Asia and visited base facilities there during a brief stop on his tour of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
He began his visit by making a presentation of six battle streamers to accompany the U.S. Air Force colors.
Lt. Gen. Mike Hostage, the commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, accepted the first of the six battle streamers on behalf of all senior Air Force leaders. He was followed by five representatives accepting streamers on behalf of the junior enlisted corps, NCO corps, officer corps, civil service branch and the contractors of the Air Force.
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A new chapter of military history was recognized here, Aug. 26, as the Secretary of the Air Force added six campaign streamers to accompany the Air Force colors.
The new streamers were presented by the Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, and received by Lt. Gen. Mike Hostage, U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander, to approximately 500 Airmen deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and the USAFCENT Combined Air and Space Operations Center.
"These campaign streamers serve as symbols -- symbols to help us pay homage to the sacrifice, bravery, and patriotism of our men and women," said Secretary Donley. "These campaign streamers are part of our Air Force history -- one that is still being written by nearly 40,000 deployed Airmen, like you, supporting worldwide operations."
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A new customized mental health program is helping security forces Airmen here manage combat stress.
The "Defenders Edge" is tailored to those security forces Airmen who conduct missions on or outside the wire. This program is intended to improve Airmen's mental resiliency to combat-related stressors.
Senior Airman Brian Hafner, a member of the 532nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron's quick reaction force and former Marine Corps infantryman, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder earlier this year. After a few months of traditional mental health care proved unsuccessful, he found relief in "Defender's Edge".
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The F-22 Raptor and F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets are fast, screaming through the air at twice the speed of sound. But the SR-71 Blackbird was faster, flying Mach 3 until mechanical problems and exorbitant operating costs forced it out of service in the late 1990s.
Now, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency scientists are striving to build an engine that will propel a hypersonic jet at Mach 4 and faster, while also bringing new efficiencies to ships and ground vehicles.
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