Free Republic

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (March 1, 2010) — As part of its yearly training doctrine, the 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, a full-time Missouri National Guard unit based at Fort Leonard Wood, goes through the process of making its tactical vehicles and trailers flight-ready in the event it would need air transport to a real-world incident. “We are a rapid deployable unit,” said Capt. Theresa Wagner, the team’s operations officer who lives in Saint Robert. “If there would be an incident in New York, we would have to be able to get there within our response time.”...

Kirtland Air Force Base will lose 18 ANG F-16Cs from the 188th Fighter Squadron & hundreds of jobs as part of the federal government's plan to cut its fighter fleet. By the end of this autumn the USAF will have reduced its fighter fleet by 250 jets. The first jets begin to leave as of April 1st and the government hopes the last will be retired by the end of September. The hope is that some of the money saved will allow the USAF to purchase new aircraft such as the F-35. Retired Col. Charlie Thomas a military analyst and...

Pilots thrilled by CV-22 capabilities by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Larlee Air Force Print News 10/6/2006 - KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- When he talks about his new aircraft, the CV-22 Osprey, the lieutenant colonel's face lights up like a kid opening presents on his birthday. After 10 years of flying the MC-130H Combat Talon II, CV-22 instructor pilot Lt. Col. Darryl Sheets, from the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., said he has enjoyed his time in the aircraft. "When it's in the airplane mode, to me this is like a C-130 sports car," he said....

SAN ANOTNIO -- Guardsmen and reservists are used to international situations that call for them to put out fires. Now, they are doing it here at home -- literally. More than 60 guardsmen and four specially equipped C-130 Hercules from North Carolina and Wyoming Air National Guard units are battling blazes in the western United States, saving private property and lives during a perilous wildfire season that is keeping firefighters working around the clock. Aircrews from the 145th Airlift Wing and the 153rd Airlift Wing have flown more than 70 sorties this past week over Idaho, Oregon and Utah spraying...

I Suddenly Saw The Mob Amanda Smith We sold our beautiful home in Kirtland for a song, and traveled all summer to Missouri—our teams poor, and with hardly enough to keep body and soul together. We arrived in Caldwell county, near Haun's Mill, nine wagons of us in company. Two days before we arrived we were taken prisoners by an armed mob that had demanded every bit of ammunition and every weapon we had. We surrendered all. They knew it, for they searched our wagons. A few miles more brought us to Haun's Mill. . . . My husband pitched...