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To say goodbye, 41 years too late Vietnam War officer, missing since 1967, comes home to rest Sunday, October 5, 2008 3:39 AM By Holly Zachariah THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH WEST LIBERTY, Ohio -- He called her Tootsie. Pat Zook doesn't know exactly why. She thinks maybe it was because her husband always liked that old Al Jolson song: Yesterday I heard a lover sigh, Goodbye, oh me, oh my. Toot, toot, Tootsie, goodbye. Oh, no, Tootsie, don't cry. She last touched his face -- those bedroom eyes, the full and pouty lips, that Elvis Presley hair -- as he left...

MINOT, N.D.—An Air Force supervisor says a Minot Air Force Base officer admitted taking a missile launch control device as a souvenir because he thought it would be "a cool thing to have."

New AF Dress Coat Left Flapping in the Wind It could just be that the Air Force is entering an era that, in part, will be defined by what will not be a hot-button issue: uniforms. "First things first," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz responded Sept. 17 when asked by Military.com whether uniforms -- new ones or modifications to current dress -- will be relegated to the back burner during his tenure. Schwartz, who had just listened as his major command chiefs offered up a list of things the Air Force needs today-right-now-thank-you-very much -- including new...

6 Air Force, 2 Army Generals Punished For Shipment Of Nuclear Fuses To Taiwan Eight generals, ranging in rank from one to three stars, have been disciplined as a result of the mistaken shipment of fuses for nuclear warheads to Taiwan, The Associated Press has learned. Defense officials said Wednesday that the six Air Force and two Army generals were given disciplinary letters that vary in seriousness but often can end careers or hopes of promotion. The officers are mainly in logistical jobs and were involved to some degree in the mistaken shipment to Taiwan of four electrical fuses for...

    Stealthy ... Brit Jon with B2 bomber        Exclusive   RAF pilot is one hell of a guy     By JOHN KAY Published: Today     AN RAF Top Gun known as “Killers” has been recruited to fly the world’s deadliest aircraft for the elite US Grim Reapers squadron.   13th bomb squadron ... badge of the elite Grim Reapers  Squadron Leader Jon Killerby pilots the £1billion state-of-the-art Stealth Spirit B2 bomber. The former Tornado ace, 34, is based with the 13th Bomb Squadron in Missouri, US. His flying overalls sport the squadron’s badge...

Servicemembers, families say goodbye as about 300 deploy MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Even pets came to say goodbye. Families gathered in a parking lot near the north side of base Sunday morning to see their loved ones off to war. There were kisses for spouses, bear hugs for kids, pats on the head for family dogs and a few tears for all, before airmen shuffled with their Army green duffle bags to a bus that marked the first leg of a journey. Final destination: Iraq. First, the bus dropped them at a hangar. Airmen were to later board a...

Was the Stephenville UFO a National Security Threat? american chronicle Franklin D. Fields, Jr. Esq. Stephenville, Texas attracted worldwide attention earlier this year (Jan, 08) after residents sighted an unidentified flying object (UFO) that some say was a mile long. By news accounts, there were more than 30 residents to specifically report the sighting. It was front-page headlines in a large number of news forums. Many of the witnesses were interviewed on national television programs such as CNN´s Larry King Live. All of the witnesses were credible and none were shown to be perpetrating a hoax. They might have been...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), its largest supplier, sought on Friday to shoot down criticism of their $299 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the costliest planned U.S. arms buy ever. Published reports that Russian-built Sukhoi fighter jets thrashed the F-35 in simulated dogfights last month are "just flat false," Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Davis, the Pentagon official in charge of the program, said in a teleconference hastily called by Lockheed to rebut negative publicity at a critical juncture for the program. > Citing U.S. Air Force analyses, he said the F-35 is at...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2008 – Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan servicemembers celebrated the 61st anniversary of the U.S. Air Force during a ceremony at Camp Eggers here today. (Left to right) Air Force Lt. Col. Mathies Santos, a reserve airman deployed from Quonset Point, R.I., Air Force Maj. Gen. Jay H. Lindell, Combined Air Power Transition Force commander, and Air Force Airman 1st Class Jordan Ramsey, a security forces airman deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., cut the traditional birthday cake during a ceremony for the U.S. Air Force’s 61st anniversary at Camp Eggers, Afghanistan, Sept. 18,...

HAWR RAJAB — Six months ago, the town of Hawr Rajab was a mere shell of its former self. Local shops were closed, their windows boarded up. The streets were abandoned. Homes were badly damaged. The town was once an al Qaida in Iraq (AQI) stronghold where violence and intimidation forced residents to flee their homes. But today Hawr Rajab is a different place. Air Force Capt. Michael Askegren, Patrol Base Stone site officer in charge, is deployed from Hurlburt Field, Fla. He had an eye-witness view of the city’s gradual transformation. “It’s a recovering city. You can see the...

In the next few weeks, my wonderful husband, Ron, will be re-deploying back to Iraq with the USAF for his FIFTH time flying the not-so-friendly skies over there. He is a pilot, and volunteered for this redeployment. (He just returned home about a month and a half ago from his last deployment and I'd rather hoped to have him home longer.) Prayers for his preparation, protection, and safe return would be greatly appreciated, as always. (Please consider adding him to any prayer lists or prayer pings, please.) Molly in California

8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia. It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on...

Travis Air Expo 2008 The Travis Air Expo is free and open to the public. Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. both days.The Travis Air Expo will be broadcast live on AM 890 within two miles of the base.Due to heightened security measures, some items are prohibited at this year's Expo. For a list of these items and other security concerns, click here.Some Things You Will See at Travis Air Expo 2008 USAF ThunderbirdsThe U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, performs precision aerial maneuvers demonstrating the capabilities of Air Force high performance...

Dnevne Novine Press 24 Aug 08 Halyard English Translation from Serbian RAVNA GORA MEN RESCUED 660 AIRMEN The American Air Attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Lt Col John Cappello, USAF, speaks about the Halyard Mission that was led by General Draza Mihailovich in WWII and presents the little known story about the achievements of the Pranjani villagers in Serbia. At the beginning of May 2008 at the American Corner in Kragujevac a very specific exhibition of photographs was opened. Its title was the “Air Bridge”. The citizens of Serbia had an opportunity for the first time to be...

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2008 – Coalition air forces in Iraq unleashed a new precision-guided weapon against enemy forces Aug. 12 when two F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots with the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here executed the first combat employment of a GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition against a moving enemy vehicle in Diyala province. Air Force Staff Sgts. Michael Jackson (left) and Anthony Bagen align a 500-pound GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition before connecting it to an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2008. F-16 pilots with the 77th Expeditionary Fighter...

Tuskegee Airman dies in Virginia Growing up, Lt. Col. Howard Lee Baugh knew he wanted to fly airplanes. For years, he was told he couldn't because of his race. But when the Army began accepting applications from blacks who wanted to join, he jumped at the chance. The Petersburg native enlisted in 1942 and was part of the original Tuskegee Airmen, a fighter group consisting entirely of black men who trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The first time he was in a plane, he was the one flying. By the time he retired, Lt. Col. Baugh logged more...

8/21/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- An MQ-9 Reaper dropped a 500-pound bomb against an anti-Iraqi target Aug. 16 in one of the first weapons engagements for the unmanned aircraft system. The Reaper began flying combat sorties in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom July 18 and joined the MQ-1 Predator as another UAS patrolling the sky to protect coalition forces. The successful airstrike, which destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, demonstrates the persistent strike capability that the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing provides commanders on the ground, said Brig. Gen. Brian T. Bishop, the 332nd AEW commander. "We are...

A real ride back in time. One of my fellow passengers flew these in WW2. Click on the link for a few more pictures.

TBILISI, Georgia, Aug. 14, 2008 – A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport jet departed Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and landed at Tbilisi International Airport here yesterday, delivering $1 million in humanitarian aid to reduce the suffering of the people of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Broegemueller, assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing's Contingency Response Group at Sembach Air Base, Germany, helps to push out the first of 16 pallets aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in Tbilisi, Georgia, Aug. 13, 2008. The humanitarian assistance delivery consisted of $1 million...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2008 – The humanitarian mission under way in Georgia is intended to alleviate suffering for now and will move into longer-range help in the future, officials said at a Pentagon news conference today. The Air Force has sent two supply-filled C-17 Globemaster III transports into Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi. More flights will follow, officials said, but none are scheduled just yet. Russian troops who invaded Georgia last week are beginning to pull back, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also spoke at...

The Air Force on Monday suspended all efforts related to development of a program to become the dominant service in cyberspace, according to knowledgeable sources. Top Air Force officials put a halt to all activities related to the establishment of the Cyber Command, a provisional unit that is currently part of the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, sources told Nextgov. An internal Air Force e-mail obtained by Nextgov said, “Transfers of manpower and resources, including activation and reassignment of units, shall be halted.” Establishment of the Cyber Command will be delayed until new senior Air...

President George W. Bush announced the dispatch of a U.S. military aircraft carrying medical supplies to the Georgian capital of Tblisi on Wednesday morning, warning Russia that he expected it to be allowed to deliver its aid by air and sea. The statement, with its echoes of the 1961 Berlin airlift, upped tensions between the two former Cold War adversaries. The day after Russia agreed to a French-brokered cease-fire, Russian troops followed by irregular fighters pushed deep into Georgia, aiming to seize the strategic city of Gori and cutting the main highway that crosses the country to the capital Tbilisi....

Word that Boeing is strongly considering a “no bid” position for the next round of the U.S. Air Force refueling tanker competition is spreading only two days after the Pentagon released the revised KC-X draft request for proposals (RFP). Multiple sources familiar with Boeing’s internal discussions say company officials are strongly considering the option of not submitting a proposal as the company’s Integrated Defense Systems sector tries to respond to the draft RFP within the government’s speedy timeline. Comments are due this week. The move would leave the Defense Dept. without a competition for the KC-135 tanker replacement. A demand...

August 08, 2008, 7:00 a.m. Testing GatesTanker re-bid. By Merrill Cook A recent report by the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) devastatingly critiques one of the Pentagon’s critical procurement processes. The July 2008 report demonstrates that the government botched contracts for an urgently needed new generation of aerial refueling tankers not just once, but twice. With years of delay and billions in budget overruns in many of the Department of Defense’s top programs, many observers are asking just how deep the Pentagon’s procurement problems run. They want to know what the Pentagon’s new chief, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will...

The Air Force is preparing for the Atlas V launch in December of the first U.S. robotic military spaceplane mission into orbit. The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle flight will mark a fundamental technology milestone for the Air Force. It will carry on winged hypersonic space vehicle technology as the space shuttle is canceled. This work is designed to propel the Air Force mission more rapidly - to where the blue sky turns to black - using a reusable hypersonic craft serviced on the ground just like an airplane. In the future, this could lead to military spaceplane capability for the...

The Air National Guardsmen who operate Predator drones over Iraq via remote control, launching deadly missile attacks from the safety of Southern California 7,000 miles away, are suffering some of the same psychological stresses as their comrades on the battlefield.

The Pentagon plans to take extra capabilities - including added fuel offload capacity - into account as it scores revised proposals from Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS that could lead to $35 billion in work replacing aging KC-135 tankers. The Defense Department will consider "value over threshold" when reviewing the revised offers, said Shay Assad, director of defense procurement and acquisitions policy, during an Aug. 6 briefing at the Pentagon. This could put Boeing's 767-200LRF-based proposal at a disadvantage as its cargo, passenger and fuel offload abilities are hampered by its size compared to the larger Airbus A330-200 design proposed by...

Deadline to submit bid is just two months away WASHINGTON – The Pentagon on Wednesday requested new bids on a $35 billion contract for aerial refueling tankers, but Boeing supporters on Capitol Hill complained that the revised criteria seem to favor the rival European airplane. [...] “It’s obviously stacked against Boeing,” said Loren Thompson, an analyst with the Lexington Institute, a Virginia-based think tank that focuses on national security and defense issues. “It appears to favor a larger aircraft in a way the original did not. But the timeline doesn’t give Boeing an opportunity to prepare a bid for a...

First of all my apologies for being so late, but I waited for the White House site to update the sitePresident Bush had a stopover at Eielson AFB, Alaska where he spend some time with the troopsPresident Bush, First Lady Laura, Bush and daughter Barbara arrived this morning in South Korea on the first leg of their trip to Asia. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

The Air Force is preparing to test an unmanned spacecraft in orbit, with a launch scheduled for December. The X-37B is designed to perform long-duration testing in low-Earth orbit of new technologies. The unmanned vehicle will carry experiments into space, then return with them to Earth. The vehicle... operates autonomously in orbit and for re-entry and landing. This first orbital flight test of the vehicle will be used to determine the capabilities of the craft, said an Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col. Mark Brown. It is part of a former NASA program that was cut as the space agency focused...

Launch going off at Kwajalein today 7pm EST. Live feed starts 1/2 hour before. The rocket has a new Spacedev satellite on it, built for the Air Force.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - An F-15 jet has crashed in the Nevada desert during a combat training exercise. U.S Air Force officials say the plane went down on the Nevada Test and Training Range outside of Goldfield, Nev. at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Two people were onboard the plane. Air Force spokesman Andrew Dumboski says their condition is unknown. The F-15D Eagle is assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. Goldfield is about 180 miles north of the base.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Elmendorf's commander will be honored later this week in a memorial service on base. Brig. Gen. Thomas Tinsley was found dead in his home Sunday night. Tinsley died of what appears to be a self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, according to Air Force officials. They say no note was found. Representatives of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology will make a final ruling on the cause of death. A memorial service for the brigadier general will be held 2 p.m. Thursday at hangar one. The service will be open to the public.

Link only Air Force Times http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/07/airforce_nuclear_072408w/

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Members of a US Air Force nuclear missile crew face disciplinary action for going to sleep while in possession of an invalidated nuclear launch code component, the air force disclosed Thursday. The breach occurred July 12 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the scene of two other recent high profile lapses involving nuclear weapons or nuclear-related components, according to the spokesman. An investigation into the violation of procedures "concluded that no compromise of the classified material occurred," the air force said in a statement.

(CNN) -- All six airmen aboard the B-52 bomber that crashed Monday off Guam's northwest coast were killed, Air Force officials confirmed Wednesday. Aboard Raider 21 were Maj. Christopher M. Cooper, 33; Maj. Brent D. Williams, 37; Capt. Michael K. Dodson, 31; 1st Lt. Joshua D. Shepherd, 26; 1st Lt. Robert D Gerren, 32; and Col. George Martin. The plane crashed about 30 miles northwest of Guam, the Air Force said in a statement. Air Force crews switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation over the 7,000-square-mile crash site, said Air Force spokeswoman Sgt. Ashleigh Bryant.

All six crew members aboard a U.S. B-52 bomber that crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Guam earlier this week are dead, the U.S. Air Force said on Wednesday. The plane crashed on Monday, while on its way to participate in a flyover to mark a Liberation Day parade in Guam, a U.S. territory.

Duke Field Airmen from the 711th Special Operations Squadron dropped the last operational Bomb Live Unit-82 from an MC-130E Combat Talon I July 15 at the Utah Test and Training Range. Nicknamed "Commando Vault" in Vietnam and "Daisy Cutter" in Afghanistan, the BLU-82 is a 15,000-pound bomb, and because of its size, the bomb was dropped by parachute from the aircraft. "We in the Air Force Reserve Command feel fortunate to have been chosen to drop the last operational Daisy Cutter," said Col. Jon Weeks, the 919th Special Operations Wing vice commander and mission commander on the drop. "Our people...

What do you get when you combine U.S. militarism, fantasies of domination and an administration that views the internet as a hot-bed of “evil-doers” and “subversives”? Cyber Command, of course! Only this scheme has the potential of inflicting massive suffering on civilian populations across the planet. Currently situated at the secretive Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, Air Force Cyber Command, the newest Pentagon command since the 1990s, is dedicated to the notion that the “next war” will be fought in the electromagnetic spectrum, one that envisions computers as “network-centric” weapons. With a unified organizational structure and a $2 billion...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/NEWS01/80720010&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

U.S. missile defense sensor test called successful 07/18/08 19:07:54 A missile launched from Alaska was successfully tracked Friday by land-, sea- and space-based sensors in a test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Boeing Co. said. The test demonstrated the most complex integration to date of radars required to support a missile intercept, Boeing said in a statement. The test used a Navy destroyer-based Aegis Long Range Surveillance and Track system in the Pacific; the AN/TPY-2 radar in Juneau, Alaska; the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and the...

USAF Sees F-16 As Bridge Fighter Overseas Jul 16, 2008 By Amy Butler The U.S. Air Force is promoting Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter as a "bridge" to eventual F-35 purchases by former Soviet satellite states now allied with the U.S., according to Bruce Lemkin, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for international affairs. Lemkin says the single-engine F-16 can smooth the transition from the "MiG 21 culture" to the Lockheed Martin F-35 in nations such as Romania. Bulgaria and Poland have already selected the F-16 for their fleets. And the United Arab Emirates is taking delivery of the most...

Joe Pappalardo got some crisp, high quality military close-ups of the Spirit of Kansas, the $1.2 billion stealth B-2 bomber that crashed in Guam last February. We published other images of the crash scene before.  Head to Popular Mechanics to see the official timeline of the crash. [Popular Mechanics]

Defense Minister Ehud Barak will head to the United States on Monday in order to convince US officials that Iran is much closer to achieving nuclear capabilities than widely believed by US Intelligence. Barak will spend three days in the US for talks with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. A week after Barak's visit, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi will head to Washington for his own round of talks with American defense chiefs, including Chairman of the Joint...

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that the Pentagon will hold a new, fast-tracked competition to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers, a move that overturns the previous award of the contract to Northrop Grumman. The decision follows criticism of the selection process by the Government Accountability Office and underscores the sharp divisions over the contract. The deal to replace the Air Force's entire fleet could be worth up to $100 billion over the next two decades. Gates said he expects the Pentagon to choose a new winner by the end of the year. On...

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced Wednesday that Northrop Grumman and Boeing will have to submit revised proposals for the Air Force’s highly contested aerial refueling tanker program. The Pentagon chief's decision comes after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) upheld Boeing's protest of the Air Force's decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS North America, the parent company of Boeing rival Airbus. “I have concluded that the contract cannot be awarded,” Gates said at a Pentagon news conference. Northrop Grumman won the heated competition on Feb. 29, but is currently under a stop-work order. The decision means...

LANCASTER [CALIFORNIA] - The brightly colored Phun Time Cruisers and the Patriot Guard Riders provided a personal "welcome home" parade for five Air Force women Sunday at the Texas Cattle Company restaurant in Lancaster. Decorated with American flags, stickers, ribbons and bows, the Chrysler PT Cruisers honked their horns to welcome home Lt. Col. Sandy Burr, who has been in the Air Force for 19 years; Master Sgt. Sandy Pfeffer, who has been in the Air Force for 20 years; Tech. Sgt. Shannon Fisk, who has served in the Air Force for 11 years; and Staff Sgt. Matrika Morgan, who...

To Darleen Druyun, wherever you are now... your name may soon no longer be tied to the most egregious procurement process in the history of the US Air Force's incredibly protracted bid for a new aerial tanker. It seems the latest attempt may just have surpassed your 2003 scandal. According to the unedited Government Accountability Office report on the USAF's recent KC-X bid, released this week, the Air Force took its level of bungling to new heights in awarding an initial $40 billion contract to a partnership comprised of EADS and Northrop Grumman. Overall, the GAO said, the Air Force...

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — An Air Force colonel was sentenced to nine years in prison yesterday and kicked out of the military for assaulting a woman, misusing his government travel card, and other crimes at Sheppard Air Force Base. Colonel Samuel Lofton III faced 140 years in prison after being convicted of 34 counts, including indecent assault, larceny, being absent without leave, and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The 49-year-old former training commander "systematically abused his power, position, and authority to the detriment of the Air Force and to the detriment of those around him," a prosecutor, Captain...

The news today that the Government Accountability Office has upheld Boeing's protest of an Air Force tanker contract award given to Northrop Grumman and EADS means that the $40 billion deal remains in doubt. Which is very good news for the campaign coffers of members of Congress. The Boeing vs. Northrop Grumman fight, which has played out publicly in dueling lobbying campaigns, hasn't just pitted two aerospace behemoths against each other. It's also been a matchup of two of the most generous political donors on Capitol Hill. The Boeing Political Action Committee has made just over $1 million worth of...