Free Republic

TUCSON — The Arizona Air National Guard will field the newest squadron of the Air Force’s unmanned Predator aircraft, to be stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, officials said Tuesday. The fort’s Garrison Commander Col. Jonathon Hunter said he was aware the post “was one of the leading contenders to post a portion of the Air Guard Predator program.” Several months ago an Air Force survey team reviewed several possible installations to support this mission, the fort being one of them, Hunter told the Herald/Review late Tuesday afternoon. “We have not received any...

  U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aurelia Garza Senior Airman Patricia Maghanoy Sisters Share Career Field, Squadron, Flight By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., March 9, 2006 — Twins obviously have a lot in common, but for Senior Airmen Patricia Maghanoy and Aurelia Garza, twins, the similarities don't end there. These 20th Component Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion journeymen also share the same career field, squadron and flight. Born Jan. 30, 1984, in Yakima, Wash., the twins began their Air Force career together Jan. 18, 2002. "They didn't know (we were...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 2, 2006) -- During July 2005, a small group of Marines from Marine Attack Squadron 223 detached to join Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (Reinforced), the air combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. They didn’t expect to see their parent squadron again until the end of their deployment, but they were wrong. When the 22nd MEU deployed to northwestern Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, the AV-8B Harriers in the unit relocated to Al Asad, Iraq, the same base their parent squadron deployed to months before. “Before we left, there was talk we might...

Navy's first UAV squadron in place John L. Paul We are now among the pioneers in UAV operations at sea: Admiral Arun Prakash UAVs play a large role in maritime reconnaissance that is of paramount importance, it is pointed out The UAVs can be operated from any location and controlled from specially equipped ships KOCHI: The Indian Navy is among the first few in the world to induct Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which enhance the force's surveillance capability, the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Arun Prakash has said. He was speaking after commissioning the first UAV Squadron (Indian Naval Air...

1/5/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force will reactivate the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 12. In a letter to Airmen, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, cited the history of the unit as “legendary” and said the aggressors will “directly contribute to the combat capability of our Airmen.” “The 65th and other aggressor units will provide realistic adversary training in air, space and information operations that make us even better,” General Moseley said. “Their training will keep us innovative as we fight this global war on terror and defend this...

11/3/2005 - HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Sixty years after serving in the Army Air Corps, a 7th Fighter Squadron pilot received a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal. First Lieutenant James Costley, a P-38 pilot in World Word II, received the last of his military decorations in front of three generations of his family, friends and fellow military veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Two Harbors, Minn., on Oct. 25. Lt . Gen. Donald Hoffman, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisitions deputy director, and Brig. Gen. Kurt Cichowski,...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sept. 21, 2005 – Rich Owens takes great pride in his role as the "owner/commander" of Kulis Air National Guard Base's "Ice Cream Support Squadron" here. Owens bought Tastee Freez ice cream shop and restaurant on Aug. 1, 1994, near the base, which is home to the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing. He didn't know anyone from Kulis then, but 16 days later that would change. Three of his friends were in a Cessna 172 that crashed near Anchorage. "The 210th Rescue Squadron, which is part of Kulis ... happened to be at a training mission right...

With all the finger pointing going on over the "disastrous" disaster relief efforts on the part of the federal government, I thought it would be informative to share an exchange between a well-intentioned sideliner who is critical of the response time of the military to relief efforts in New Orleans, and a U.S. Naval officer.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- A total force unit here supports joint missions to help save the lives of the coalition forces on the frontlines. The Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and active-duty nurses, medical technicians and others who make up the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron are on a mission: To transport injured and ill U.S. and coalition forces to locations where they can get the medical care they need. “We do everything that we can do to make sure that the people we treat have every chance at recovering from their injuries and being reunited with...

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is bracing for a spike in noise complaints when a squadron of British warplanes arrives in Tucson next week. Eight Royal Air Force GR4 Tornado jets will touch down Aug. 27 for a month of training that will put them in the skies seven days a week. The British attack jets are notably louder than the A-10s and C-130s typically flown at D-M, and their arrival tends to generate extra complaints to the base's public affairs office, a D-M official said Tuesday. Exact noise comparisons were not readily available, but a 2001 Air Force environmental impact...

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- Moving wounded American servicemembers from the frontlines in Southwest Asia to hospitals in the United States is no easy task. The effort requires everything from treating patients in forward-deployed locations to airlifting and caring for them as they move from overseas to stateside locations. One Air Force Reserve Command unit involved in this effort is the 445th Airlift Wing here. Since Oct. 10, 2001, U.S. military aircraft have moved more than 26,000 patients from Southwest Asia to Europe, and more than 18,000 of them went on C-141 Starlifters -- most belonging to the...

On June 23, this letter to the editor appeared in The Arizona Republic: A wake-up call from Luke's jets"Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at approximately 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn's early-bird special? Any response would be appreciated. - Tom MacRae,...

THE MEXICAN EXPEDITIONARY AIR FORCE IN WORLD WAR II THE ORGANIZATION, TRAINING, AND OPERATIONS OF THE 201st SQUADRON The Mexican Expeditionary Air Force is Mexico's only military organization that saw combat overseas in World War II. This organization and its operational unit, the 201st Squadron, were part of the Allied forces that battled against the Axis in the South West Pacific Area. However, there are few history works that mention the participation of this unit. Hence, the history of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force is not well known. The Mexican Expeditionary Air Force was part of the Allied forces in...

U.S. military deploys to southern New Mexico border in support of Sector mission Southern New Mexico ---Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, are concluding a 60-day joint training mission in southern New Mexico that allowed them to train in rugged desert terrain and provide surveillance support for agents of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The 60-day training mission was conducted in the “boot heel” area of southern Luna and Hidalgo Counties of New Mexico. The joint effort with the military was part of an ongoing request by the CBP/Department Homeland Security,...

US will send F-15 jets to S. Korea SEOUL - A squadron of American F-15E fighters based in Alaska will fly to South Korea next month for temporary deployment aimed at enhancing United States firepower on the Korean peninsula. The US jets will be in South Korea for up to three months of training 'to get accustomed to geographical features of the peninsula', a US military spokesman said yesterday. 'The deployment is part of US military enhancement plans announced earlier,' the spokesman added. He was apparently referring to US promises to enhance air and sea capabilities to defend South Korea...

McSally Takes Command Of Air Combat Squadron By Lynn Freehill, Arizona Daily Star The pilot who was the Air Force's first female to fly in combat in 1994 launched into new territory again Monday by becoming the first female commander of an air combat unit. Lt. Col. Martha McSally, 38, was installed as head of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's 354th Fighter Squadron in a 9 a.m. ceremony closed to the public but attended by more than 125 military personnel and families. Her new position fulfills a longtime dream after 20 years in uniform, McSally said. "Commanding a fighter squadron is...

Air National Guard Col. Linda McTague has gotten pretty good at regarding herself through the eyes of others. She does not see a pioneer for women's achievements when she looks in a mirror. But she realizes that other people consider her to be a role model – a pioneer – for what women can accomplish in this country's military service. And she strives very hard to live up to those expectations, as well as to her own. McTague is in a good position to take that kind of stock in herself, because she is the first woman to command an...

Posted on Tue, Oct. 08, 2002 F/A-18 squadron receives orders for mobilization By Chris Vaughn Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH - The U.S. Navy has mobilized all of a Fort Worth-based Naval Reserve F/A-18 squadron -- a rare step -- and ordered it to begin workups for deployment to an aircraft carrier next year. The activation of about 200 personnel in VFA 201, which began Monday at Naval Air Station Fort Worth, is likely to last at least a year, officials said. The call-up is not directly related to Afghanistan or Iraq, Navy officials said, but is necessary because one...