Check out this week’s Air Force Times: Religion in the Air Force, no iPads for AFSOC, SERB board and more
February 27th, 2012 | Air Force Flightlines | Posted by Jeff Schogol
In this week’s Air Force Times:
The Air Force continues to struggle with the role of religion in the military. The new head of the Defense Information Systems Agency recently gave a presentation at his first commander’s call that told airmen to “Always put God first, and stay within His will.”
This comes after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz issued a memo in September warning service leaders to avoid even the appearance of proselytize.
“My intervention on this issue related to the very special relationship that commanders have with their subordinates,” Schwartz said at last week’s Air Force Association winter symposium. “It is unique. It is something that exists in the armed services that is not replicated elsewhere, and the fundamental point was for commanders to exercise care.”
Meanwhile, Air Force Special Operations Command has canceled plans to buy more than 2,000 iPads to store thousands of pages of flight instructions digitally.
A Toronto-based security and identity management firm claims AFSOC shelved its plan to buy iPads due to security concerns, but a command spokeswoman said security concerns were not a factor in its decision.
Air Mobility Command still plans to buy up to 18,000 iPads or equivalent computers.
In other news, a Selective Early Retirement Board selected 106 colonels for early retirement. The colonels, who have between 21 and 27 years of service, must leave the Air Force by June 1.
And retired Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Ross suffered career-ending injuries when a Navy pilot accidentally shot down his plane during war games in 1987. Now that Navy pilot has been nominated for a promotion to rear admiral. You can read what Ross has to say on the matter.
The issue is on newsstands now. To read it immediately, subscribe to our digital edition.
Tags: AFSOC, early retirement, Religion, SERB, shoot down, technology
Air Force Spouse of the Year needs votes
February 27th, 2012 | Flightlines | Posted by Kristin Davis
Jeremy Hilton reads to his daughter Kate, 9, (left) and son Jackson, 2, at their Burke Va. home on Feb. 22. Jeremy Hilton has been nominated to represent the Air Force for Spouse of the Year. // Thomas Brown/Staff
Jeremy Hilton left his burgeoning Navy career in 2002 to become a stay-at-home dad to daughter Kate.
Born with a condition called hydrocephalus that left her brain dangerously swollen, Kate required near round-the-clock care. His wife, Renae, was in the Air Force and less likely to be deployed.
Hilton’s devotion to Kate – and the advocacy work that grew out of it – has earned him the title of Air Force Spouse of the Year.
Now Hilton is one of six finalists for Military Spouse of the Year, an annual honor bestowed by Military Spouse magazine.
He’s up against Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and National Guard winners. Hilton is also the only husband in the running, and he’d appreciate your vote.
Renae, now a lieutenant colonel who commands the 2nd Field Investigations Squadron, nominated Hilton for Military Spouse of the Year. You can read her nomination at msoy.milspouse.com.
Here, you can also cast your ballot for Hilton as often as once an hour until March 5.
The winner of Military Spouse of the Year will be announced at a banquet May 10, said Babette Maxwell, the magazine’s founder. Instead of prizes, Military Spouse provides a platform for the winner’s initiative.
If he wins, Hilton will have the opportunity to contribute a monthly article to the magazine, write a blog and appear before lawmakers and others, Maxwell said.
Airmen help return $500M in shipwrecked treasure to Spain
February 23rd, 2012 | Flightlines | Posted by Jill Laster
Odyssey Marine Exploration officials examine a coin recovered from the "Black Swan" shipwreck. // Odyssey Marine Exploration via AP
I’m not saying that whatever is in your average sortie isn’t cool, but it’s hard to beat 17 tons of shipwrecked treasure worth at least half a billion dollars.
Airmen at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., will help return 594,000 coins and other artifacts to Spain later this week, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. The treasure is going back to Europe on two Spanish C-130s after a five-year legal battle.
According to the AP, the treasure is believed to be from Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a galleon sunk in 1804 by British warships traveling in the Atlantic Ocean. More than 200 people were aboard the ship, which was discovered by deep-sea explorers who flew the treasure to Tampa in May 2007.
Boxers eye Olympics
February 21st, 2012 | Flightlines | Posted by Markeshia Ricks
Senior Airmen Kent Brinson and Adam Hassan are on the hunt to add some Olympic gold to the gold and silver hardware they earned at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships this year.
Heavyweight fighter Brinson and super lightweight fighter Hassan are members of the Air Force Boxing Team that took home three medals — two gold, one silver — during this year’s championships at Camp Pendleton, Calif., according to a press release. Air Force Reservist Kenneth DeJesus-Cruz, who is based at Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, brought home the other gold medal, according to the press release.
The men were just three of the six boxers that represented the Air Force at this year’s championship, according to the press release. The other fighters were Dustin Southchack, super featherweight, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland; Daniel Logan, super middleweight, Tinker AFB, Okla.; Thomas Jacobs, light heavyweight, Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
Brinson, who is based at Fort Carson, Colo. and Hassan, who is based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. are prepping for the upcoming Olympic games which will be held in London this year, according to the press release. DeJesus-Cruz might not be able to compete because of a prior military commitment
Both airmen will compete in the 2012 USA National Boxing Championship Feb. 27 through March 3, which is the official qualifying tournament for the 2012 Americas Olympic Qualifier.
Tags: 2012 Olympics, Air Force Boxing Team, Armed Forces Boxing Championships, USA National Boxing Championship
Trainees to get new digs at JB San Antonio-Lackland
February 21st, 2012 | Flightlines | Posted by Markeshia Ricks
New basic military training housing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland is on pace to be ready some time late this summer, according to a press release from the base.
The $900 million dollar project has been under construction since 2009, but it looks like it’s going to be worth the wait.
The Air Force is constructing four airmen training complexes and two dinning/classroom facilities to replace eight housing and training buildings built in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The old basic training facilities apparently were scattered around Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, but the new facilities will consolidate BMT into a central area, housing up to 1,200 trainees, according to the press release.
The construction that will be finished by late summer, is the first phase of the project known as the east campus. Plans have also been designed for a BMT west campus. That part of the project is expected to be complete some time in 2018, according to the press release.
Tags: air force, basic military training, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland
Check out this week’s Air Force Times
February 20th, 2012 | Air Force Airframes Flightlines Politics | Posted by Jeff Schogol
In this week’s Air Force Times, you can read about what is buried in the service’s budget for next fiscal year, which plans to cut 9,900 airmen.
The Air Force has budgeted money for a reduction-in-force board to separate 388 officers, but a top service official says the Air Force isn’t planning any RIF or Selective Early Retirement Boards in fiscal 2013.
Meanwhile, airmen should expect to spend more time in classrooms and less time actually flying. The proposed budget would axe $38.4 million for pilot training, translating into 24,000 fewer flying hours next fiscal year.
The proposed spending cuts mean the Air Force expects to retire 227 aircraft next fiscal year. This week’s Air Force Times has a map showing which bases are losing or gaining planes.
In other news, the Air Force plans to roll out a system in which airmen can email Air Force doctors and request prescription renewals. The MiCare system should be available staring June 26.
Tags: AETC, budget, health care, personnel cuts, pilot training, prescription, RIF
Remembering the U-2′s long history
February 14th, 2012 | Air Force UAV | Posted by Jill Laster
Call me nerdy, but all this budget news about the U-2 is making me think about the plane’s storied past – specifically the 1960 incident in which an American pilot operating a CIA U-2 was shot down while conducting a recon mission over the Soviet Union. The incident strained an already tense relationship between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, happening just two weeks before a planned East-West summit in Paris.
Powers was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison during what is largely considered in the West to be a show trial. However, he ended up serving a little under two years before being exchanged for a Russian intelligence officer named Rudolf Abel.
Above is an old-school clip of a news report on Powers’ trial (about half of the clip is about Powers – the other half is about Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, which is a cool story in itself). You can also read more about Powers’ case here and about the U-2 here.
Barksdale airman: ‘Tim Tebow, be my date?’
February 9th, 2012 | Air Force Offbeat Video | Posted by Brian Everstine
An airman from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., is the newest service member to go viral asking a celebrity out.
Senior Airman Jamie Walden already has more than 14,000 views on a Youtube video asking Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow to be her date for the 2012 Military Ball in Shreveport, La. Who knows, following the success of Marine Sgt. Scott Moore asking out Mila Kunis and Cpl. Kelsey De Santis asking out Justin Timberlake, maybe the QB sensation will do it.
Tags: Barksdale, Jamie Walden, Tim Tebow
Pentagon: No imminent Syria attack
February 8th, 2012 | Flightlines | Posted by Jeff Schogol
The Pentagon is pushing back on a media report that it is looking into its options for a military strike in Syria if called upon by the president.
For months, Syria has been racked with violence as forces loyal to the government clash with anti-regime protesters.
President Obama has called upon Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but he has also stressed the importance of resolving the issue through diplomacy instead of military intervention.
But on Tuesday, CNN reported that the U.S. military has begun a review of what capabilities it could bring to bear on Syria should the president order military action.
“One of the senior U.S. officials called the effort a ‘scoping exercise’ to see what capabilities are available given other U.S. military commitments in the region,” CNN reported.
However, a Pentagon spokesman sent an email to reporters Wednesday making clear that no U.S. military intervention in Syria is imminent.
“Our military plans for a variety of contingencies,” Marine Corps Maj. Chris Perrine said in an email. “That’s what we do. Our focus remains on diplomacy, which we believe is still possible.”
Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson sings on The Voice
February 7th, 2012 | Air Force Air Force swag Flightlines Video | Posted by Blair Tomlinson
Cee Lo Green nabbed Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson for his team on NBC’s The Voice on Monday. After her performance of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker,” Cee Lo said “I love a girl with guts and confidence.”
Johnson was discovered on YouTube covering Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” with her band Sidewinder. The video now has over 2 million hits.
Sidewinder is part of the 571st Air Force Band, 131st Bomb Wing, Air National Guard.
Tags: Adele, Air Force Band, air national guard, Angie Johnson, Cee Lo Green, Heartbreaker, Pat Benatar, Rolling in the Deep, Sidewinder, The Voice