Photos: Ice storm paralyzes Altus
February 3rd, 2010 | Air Force | Posted by Tom Spoth
Check out these photos from the aftermath of a nasty ice storm that hit Altus Air Force Base, Okla., last week. There was an inch and a half of ice coating everything — the power was knocked out Jan. 28 and still hasn’t been restored. Most base personnel have been evacuated and normal operations still have not resumed.
All photos were taken by Senior Airman Leandra D. Hernandez.
Volunteers work to clean up the fallen tree limbs at the Wings of Freedom Park.
More photos after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Check out your new T-shirt
February 1st, 2010 | Air Force family | Posted by Michelle Tan
We have a winner.
Staff Sgt. Nathan Cruz of Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the winner of the MyAirForceLife.com T-shirt contest, officials announced.
Cruz, a radio frequency transmission technician, won the contest. His design, one of 174 submissions in the adult category, won with 1,178 votes. Check it out:
Cruz, who is deployed to an undisclosed location, won a MacBook laptop complete with iWorks09 and the Adobe CS4 graphics premium software. His prizes are valued at $2,000.
In addition, Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) will produce his design and offer the T-shirts for sale.
Last year, Air Force Services Agency officials launched MyAirForceLife.com, an interactive site to help airmen stay connected and engaged in programs as part of the Year of the Air Force Family.
“The theme of our campaign is ‘The Air Force is a great place to live, work and play,’ ” said Mike Bensen, deputy to the commander of the Air Force Services Agency. “Our focus is to make it even better for our Air Force family.”
And even though the T-shirt design contest is done, the Web site is offering airmen the chance to compete in short story, video short, original song and photography competitions.
For more, log on to MyAirForceLife.com. Also, visit the Year of the Air Force Family Web site.
Airman has NHL dreams
February 1st, 2010 | Air Force | Posted by Tom Spoth
The Army had Joe DiMaggio and Pat Tillman, among others.
2nd Lt. Greg Flynn in Paul Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass., home of the Lowell Devils minor league hockey team. (Courtesy photo/Andrew Ramsey)
The Navy: Roger Staubach, David Robinson, Bob Feller, and Yogi Berra, to name a few.
Ted Williams served in the Marines.
But the Air Force? Its top athletes apparently have been NFL players Chad Hennings and Bryce Fisher, who aren’t exactly household names.
2nd Lt. Greg Flynn, a 2009 Air Force Academy grad, is making a bid to change that. Flynn, an All-American hockey player last year, is pulling double duty as a contract manager at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., and a rookie defenseman for the Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League.
Flynn is playing for the Devils, a minor league affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey franchise, under an “amateur tryout contract.”
His left-handed slap shot helped make Flynn the nation’s top-scoring defenseman in 2009, posting 7 goals and 35 assists in 39 games, but he had yet to record a point in six games played with Lowell as of Jan. 22.
“The biggest thing I need to do is to adjust to the speed of the game,” Flynn said in an Air Force press release. “I need to improve on the little things of the game, being in the right place all the time and trying to be a step ahead of the game. The guys in this league are future NHL players. They know exactly where they need to be and what they are doing all the time. I have a lot to learn on the hockey side, but I know that my priority is the Air Force, and I take a lot of pride in that.”
Defense Department policy states that active-duty service members pursuing careers in professional sports must serve a minimum of 24 months.
“Playing professional hockey is an unbelievable opportunity, but I am an officer in the Air Force and very proud of that,” Flynn said.
Flynn wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and gets to the office at Hanscom by 6:30. After a few hours at the office, he heads to Lowell for the Devils’ late morning practice and then returns to Hanscom to complete his duty day.
“The day is a little like playing at the Academy, when I had class and then practice and back to the dorms at about 7 p.m.,” Flynn said. “The difference is that now I don’t have homework.”
Flynn, who started playing hockey as a seven-year old boy in Minnesota, has always dreamed of playing professionally.
“From the time I was a kid, I always dreamed of playing in the (National Hockey League),” Flynn said. “I grew up a North Stars fan and always thought to myself, ‘hopefully that is me one day.’”
While it might still be a long road to the NHL for Flynn, Academy hockey coach Frank Serratore said his former player might have what it takes.
“He’s a big, tough, durable defenseman who can also make things happen when the puck is on his stick,” Serratore said in the Air Force release. “His greatest strength as a pro is that he doesn’t have a weakness. That makes him real enticing as a pro. The way he works, and his intensity, I would not bet against this guy in anything he wanted to do.”
621st Contingency Response Wing aids Haiti recovery
January 18th, 2010 | Uncategorized | Posted by Mike Hoffman
A unit from the 621st Contingency Response Wing arrived in Haiti on Jan. 14 and set up a processing area for supplies that arrive at the international airport at Port-au-Prince. The unit is prepared to stay for 60 days if needed.
Airmen of the 621st Contingency Response Wing gather outside their makeshift headquarters at the Port-au-Prince airport Jan. 15. (Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Danielle Johnson)
Col. Patrick Hollrah, 617th Contingency Response Group commander, receives an update at the Port-au-Prince airport Jan. 15. (Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Danielle Johnson)
Two more photos after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Warrior Games II
January 15th, 2010 | Air Force | Posted by Michelle Tan
Wounded warriors who want to compete in the inaugural Warrior Games May 10-14 in Colorado Springs, Colo., now have more time to apply.
The Air Force has extended the deadline for applications to Feb. 15, one whole month later than its original deadline of Jan. 15.
About 200 wounded active duty troops and veterans will compete in the games, Defense Department officials announced Jan. 7. Hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the games will include events such as shooting, swimming, archery, track, cycling, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
The Air Force is seeking about 25 wounded warriors to compete in the games, which is open to military members and veterans with bodily injuries as well as mental wounds of war, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.
Participants will be recruited from each of the services, including the Coast Guard, through an independent selection process.
The plan is to make the Warrior Games an annual event.
For more information or to request an application, contact the Air Force Wounded Warrior office at 800-581-9437 or send an e-mail to afwounded.warrior@randolph.af.mil.
Start your engines
January 15th, 2010 | Air Force Recruiting | Posted by Michelle Tan
Attention all NASCAR fans.
The Air Force on Friday announced it is beginning its 10th year of sponsorship in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series by renewing its partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports for the 2010 season.
This year, the No. 19 car, driven by Elliot Sadler, a top 25 finisher in the Cup series, will represent the Air Force.
As an associate sponsor, the Air Force will be featured in a dark blue paint scheme on the No. 19 car in five of 37 NASCAR races this season.
“We are thrilled to have Richard Petty Motorsports as partners for another NASCAR season,” said Col. Michael Tillema, chief of strategic marketing and communications for Air Force Recruiting Service. “The Air Force is all about speed, agility and pushing the boundaries of technology, and we believe those features align well with this great American sport and its fans.”
Warrior Games
January 13th, 2010 | Air Force | Posted by Michelle Tan
The Air Force wants you… to compete in the inaugural Warrior Games.
The only catch is the application deadline is Friday, Jan. 15.
About 200 wounded active duty troops and veterans will compete in the games May 10-14 in Colorado Springs, Colo. , Defense Department officials announced Jan. 7. Hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the games will include events such as shooting, swimming, archery, track, cycling, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
The Air Force is seeking about 25 wounded warriors to compete in the games, which is open to military members and veterans with bodily injuries as well as mental wounds of war, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.
Participants will be recruited from each of the services, including the Coast Guard, through an independent selection process.
The plan is to make the Warrior Games an annual event.
For more information or to request an application, contact the Air Force Wounded Warrior office at 800-581-9437 or send an e-mail to afwounded.warrior@randolph.af.mil.
Don’t forget: applications are due Friday.
New fitness AFI released
January 13th, 2010 | Uncategorized | Posted by Mike Hoffman
The Air Force has finally released its new fitness AFI. Twelve days after the twice-a-year testing started, but who’s counting.
For the 10 out of 300,000-plus airmen who actually read these things, enjoy. Open up a new tab and click on this link to read it.
The highlights to the new fitness program that was partially instituted on Jan. 1 include new standards, twice-a-year testing and fitness assessment cells, which will be staffed by civilians who will administer PT tests for airmen. The PT test itself will not change. One of the biggest changes, though, is the inclusion of minimum scores for each event. Many Air Force officials said they are worried that will cause many more airmen to fail.
The only portion of the program that started this month is the twice-a-year testing. Below is a pretty good breakdown of when airmen will need to take their tests.
The second portion, which will start July 1, includes the bulk of the new program, including the new standards, the new age groupings and the fitness assessment cells across the Air Force. Read all about the new changes here.
I will likewise be poring over the 104-page document to see if there are any changes not yet reported. If anyone sees a change that is new to them please e-mail me at mhoffman@airforcetimes.com.
Air Force names its 2009 Male and Female Athletes of the Year
January 11th, 2010 | Uncategorized | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Capt. Ian Holt, a missile crewmember with the 319th Missile Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., races for the United States cycling team at an international competition in Clonmel, Ireland, during the summer of 2009.
Male Athlete of the Year: Capt. Ian Holt
- Master Sgt. Karrie Warren takes a swing from the plate during the 2009 Armed Forces Tournament held at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., Sept. 19-24. Sergeant Warren, assigned to the 601st Air and Space Operations Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., was awarded the 2009 U.S. Air Force Female Athlete of the Year. (AF photo)
Female Athlete of the Year: Master Sgt. Karrie Warren
Read more about the athletic feats of these two airmen over at Military Times’ sports blog After Action.
50 years of OTS
January 8th, 2010 | Air Force | Posted by Michelle Tan
Calling all Officer Training School alumni.
You are invited to the OTS 50th anniversary celebration Feb. 5-7 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., but you must register by Jan. 15.
OTS first opened its doors in 1959 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The first class had 89 trainees, and they underwent a 90-day program of physical, academic and military training to transform them into commissioned Air Force officers.
In 1963, when Candidate School closed its doors, OTS became the sole organization for training Air Force officers.
OTS moved to Maxwell in 1993, and in its 50 years has trained and commissioned more than 100,000 men and women.
For more information or to register for the anniversary celebration, visit the OTS Web site here.