The last EC-130H Compass Call assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing departed here Aug. 29 for deployment to another U.S. Central Command base, capping a 6.5 year tour of duty in which Compass Call crews flew some 23,300 combat hours in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron is home to the EC-130H aircraft and about 30 Airmen.
The move is another sign of the times for the U.S. military, which continues its responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq in order to meet a presidential mandate of only 50,000 troops in country by Aug. 31, said Lt. Col. J.D. Rye, the commander of the 43rd EECS.
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Teaching healthy habits to children at an early age can carry those habits through the teen years and into adulthood.
Here are some important habits to teach children:
Routinely and regularly washing hands is very important to stop the spread of germs and diseases and to avoid getting sick. All that is needed is clean running water and soap, or at least a 60 percent alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Daily exercise can be effective when it turns into family time by taking walks after dinner, bike riding, video workouts, or game consoles that let children move their whole bodies. Encourage children to enjoy fitness and to join team sports to burn calories and gain group, communication and bonding skills.
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Most people would agree that saving energy, especially when it saves money and resources, is a good thing. But developing concrete ways to conserve and actually produce tangible results can often be difficult to accomplish. Ed Wilson, the energy manager at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and his team have managed to do just that by installing lighting upgrades and daylight sensors in buildings throughout the base.
The lighting upgrades, which primarily work off motion-occupancy sensors in the main office areas, corridors, restrooms and break-rooms are saving energy. Also, daylight sensors that pick up the amount of lighting that is coming from outside into the work space automatically turn off the perimeter lighting when not in use, which also saves money.
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After spending more than 18 months coordinating and synchronizing airpower for U.S. servicemembers in Iraq and helping to ensure U.S. forces reached their goal of less than 50,000 boots on the ground, the top Airman in Iraq is headed home.
Serving as the director of the Air Component Coordination Element in Iraq, the director of the force strategic engagement cell for U.S. forces in Iraq, and the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force, Baghdad, Det. 2 commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Reynes Jr. has seen the number of servicemembers in Iraq dwindle from 148,000 to almost 50,000, and the number of Airmen fall from more than 12,000 to fewer than 6,000 in his time here.
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For the first time, members of the Retired Reserve who are not yet age 60, the so-called "gray area" retirees, can purchase Tricare health coverage for themselves and their eligible family members with the Sept. 1 launch of Tricare Retired Reserve.
"This new program offers a health coverage opportunity for "gray area" guardsmen and reservists who served America honorably, setting a proud example for today's forces," said Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of the Tricare Management Activity. "Tricare Retired Reserve will provide an outstanding health benefit."
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Air Force Services Agency officials are slated to begin testing a reorganization of Air Force food services this fall with a pilot program at six Air Force installations across the U.S.
The pilot program, called the Food Transformation Initiative, will test a food delivery model aimed at improving quality, variety and availability of food at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ala., Fairchild AFB, Wash., Little Rock AFB, Ark., MacDill AFB, Fla., Patrick AFB, Fla., and Travis AFB, Calif.
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The theme for the eighth annual Net-Centric Ops Conference, to be held Sept. 20 at the Wentworth-by-the-Sea Hotel and Resort in New Castle, N.H., is "Changing Environments -- Changing Applications."
Organizers of the conference say discussions will be focused on fully realizing net-centric opportunities and avoiding the pitfalls that loom in the cyber environment now and in the future.
"Our hope is to get everybody thinking about how to maximize the benefits of net-centricity for the benefit of our warfighters while focusing on the bottom line of mission assurance," said Ron Mason, the Air Force program executive officer for net-centric and cyber systems and the lead government coordinator for the conference.
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Jet engine mechanics from the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron work on refinishing and installing C-130 Hercules propeller blades here Aug. 30.
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If I were to walk into just about any shop on base and say, "We're under attack. Grab a weapon and follow me," I'm confident most people would do just that. I've spent enough time in the area of responsibility and have watched our Airmen in combat to know that we don't lack physical courage.
But what would happen if I walked into your office and announced the worst idea you had ever heard? How many people would have the moral courage to speak up and say, "Sir, that's not a good idea, and here's why..."
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Airmen from the 7th Expeditionary Air Command and Control Squadron here flew their final mission in support Operation Iraqi Freedom Aug. 31 before the Department of Defense officially transitions to Operation New Dawn Sept. 1.
The 7th EACCS has flown E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System operations in support of OIF since its inception in 2003, providing airborne battle management, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance throughout the entire area of responsibility.
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