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A joint team of Airmen and Marines fly over the Sendai Airport here March 13 to survey the aftermath of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck the region. The service members are assisting with Japan's earthquake and tsunami recovery effort.

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Air Force officials announced today their selection of 516 lieutenant colonels, 52 majors and 109 captains for promotion.

The 2010C line of the Air Force colonel and biomedical sciences corps lieutenant colonel and major (biomedical sciences corps) central selection boards considered 4,149 lieutenant colonels, 352 majors and 132 captains for promotion.

The results of the boards are as follows:
CY10C MAJOR (BSC)
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Americans recognized the end of an era March 15 as they bade a solemn farewell to Army Cpl. Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving U.S. World War I veteran. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery here with full military honors.

President Barack Obama paid tribute to Mr. Buckles as he lay in repose in the chapel beneath Arlington's Memorial Amphitheater stage. Mr. Buckles died Feb. 27 at age 110.

President Obama was the last of a long line of mourners who began filing past his flag-draped casket early in the morning to pay their last respects to Mr. Buckles and a whole generation of combat veterans he came to represent.
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Long shifts, little sleep and an operations tempo akin to attempting to sprint a marathon can make us lose sight of the bigger picture -- Japan is in its largest and most expensive crisis since World War II, and needs us more than ever before. Recently, I saw that need first-hand, and it put new perspective on my role here, now.

I remember disasters in the past, watching them on TV like some sort of demented television series, always disconnected from the devastation. Even the events of 9/11 never sunk in all that deep, despite growing up in Connecticut. As I sit here at my desk, writing this, head swimming with sleep deprivation and trying to get my head around what might come next in these busy times, I have to reflect on the surrealistic nature of the past few days.
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Permanent-change-of-station moves to Yokota and Misawa air bases are currently delayed in the aftermath of an earthquake and tsunami that caused catastrophic damage to locations throughout the country.

Wing commanders at both bases have issued stop-movement directives that affect military PCS moves, although the orders do not prevent currently assigned Airmen from returning to their home stations following leave, temporary duties or deployments.

In support of the stop-movement order, and to enable Airmen to make new plans and port-call reservations, Air Force Personnel Center assignment officials have adjusted all March and April inbound to Japan report-no-later-than dates to April 30, according to William Warner, a AFPC military assignments representative.
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The Air Force Medical Service's simple mantra, "trusted care anywhere," fits what AFMS does today and will continue to do in years ahead, the Air Force surgeon general told Congress March 15.

In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military personnel with his military health system counterparts, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green said "trusted care anywhere" means creating a system that can be taken anywhere in the world and be equally as effective whether in war or for humanitarian assistance.
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Airmen from the U.S., Thailand and Singapore participated in a cultural exchange event March 14, at Ang Huay Yang School in Korat, Thailand, as part of Cope Tiger 2011, a multilateral joint and combined field training exercise.

Each year, exercise Cope Tiger's community outreach programs enable airmen from the three countries to strengthen ties with the local community.

"These community-outreach visits are a great way for our Airmen to experience local culture, see the positive effect we can have during these exercises, and the kids get to practice their English while we get to learn Thai," said Maj. Greg Richert, the chief of aerospace medicine at 13th Air Force, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and the medical lead for Exercise Cope Tiger 2011.
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Pacific Air Forces officials are using an RQ-4 Global Hawk from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to assist Japan responders in disaster relief and recovery efforts, following the March 11 earthquake and the resulting tsunami off the eastern coast of Japan.

The Global Hawk, a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft, is being used to help assess damage to towns, industrial infrastructure and other facilities affected during the earthquake and flood waters.

"The Global Hawk is an ideal ISR asset to aid in disaster relief," said Gen. Gary North, the PACAF commander. "It directly complements ongoing efforts in the region and represents how advanced technology can provide crucial and timely support to senior officials and search, recovery and disaster relief efforts."
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Air Force engineers currently plan to fly the second X-51A Waverider hypersonic flight test demonstrator as early as March 22, program officials said March 15.

"We are proud of the first flight results, and at the same time we understand the inherent risk in a high-technology demonstrator like the X-51A," said Curtis Berger, the director of the hypersonics programs at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, the company that built the X-51A's fuel-cooled supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet engine.  "We can't wait to get this second vehicle in the air and show what we can do."
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Afghan airmen are frequently seen piloting Afghan air force MI-17 helicopters throughout the Herat Province.

However, at Shindand Air Base, they've discovered it takes more than pilots to keep their air force moving forward and are learning self-sustaining support skills.

Deployed Airmen and their Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) counterparts make up the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group in Shindand. Their mission is to advise AAF airmen and build capacity for the AAF's future.
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