AFCEA - Los Angeles

Coalition airpower integrated with Operation New Dawn partners in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 5, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.

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Coalition airpower integrated with Operation New Dawn partners in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 4, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.

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If Air Force's home opener was supposed to be an easy ride, Northwestern State missed the memo. The Falcons brought down a stubborn Demons team, but only after they overcame a few demons of their own.

Air Force rallied in the second half, outscoring Northwestern State 41-0 in the second half en route to a 65-21 rout of the Division I-AA Demons after struggling to maintain its lead in the first half.

"Give (NSU) some due.  They came out and were ready to play, and they hit us in the nose in the first half," Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun said. "In some ways, we were on our heels."
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An Air Force senior NCO who was killed 42 years ago will receive the Medal of Honor for actions he took after enemy forces overran a clandestine U.S. radar site in Laos.

Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. "Dick" Etchberger, 35, died March 11, 1968, after being shot following an overnight battle on Mount Phou Pha Thi at Lima Site 85, as the radar location was known to Americans, where he helped maintain equipment that aided the U.S. bombing campaign of North Vietnam. 

Despite having received little or no combat training, Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue. Because of his fierce defense and heroic and selfless actions, he was able to deny the enemy access to his position and save the lives of some of his crew.
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Airmen have until Sept. 17 to voluntarily retrain as part of the 2011 NCO Retraining Program before the program's involuntary Phase II begins.

Air Force officials identified 1,061 opportunities for Airmen to retrain out of their current career field under NCORP. Airmen can volunteer during Phase I for career fields meeting Air Force specialty code and grade requirements listed in the implementation message. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. However, those selected under Phase II will be placed into AFSCs based on the needs of the Air Force.
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Airmen deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility will roll physical fitness testing into their wartime responsibilities starting Oct. 1.

Lt. Gen. Mike Hostage, the U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander, recently approved a policy authorizing fitness testing in the AOR for permanent party Airmen and those on one-year deployments.

"It is paramount for our Airmen to maintain peak physical condition, not just at home, but also while deployed in the AOR," General Hostage said. "Therefore, to align with the chief of staff of the Air Force's vision, we are implementing a vigorous fitness program to include (physical training) testing in the AOR."
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Members of the Air Force Academy women's volleyball team open their season with two volleyball matches. The Falcons beat Long Island College in the first match and then fell to Boise State University in the second match.

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The Air Force's top leaders remind the entire Air Force family to minimize safety risks this weekend and beyond in a Labor Day message.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy issued the following message:

"On this Labor Day weekend, we thank you for your service and hard work. As you celebrate the holiday, please remember to carefully evaluate the risks and hazards associated with holiday weekend activities.
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Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September and is dedicated to the contributions all workers make to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Over this Labor Day weekend, encourage your Airmen to recharge with family and friends, but remember to always exercise sound safety practices and risk management.

The upcoming Labor Day weekend also marks the end of our Critical Days of Summer campaign and is historically the most dangerous weekend of the year for Airmen. Our Air Force has lost 11 fellow Airmen during this year's campaign.
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In honor of the kickoff of the college football season, a special three-part "Today's Air Force" report has been prepared on the 2010 Air Force Academy Falcon football team.

As the Falcons geared up for another exciting season, a "TAF" crew went to training camp to give viewers an inside look at what it takes to be both a football player and a cadet at one of the most academically demanding institutions in the country.

The Academy football team opens up the season on Sept. 4 against the Northwestern State Demons. The Falcons are coming off an exciting campaign in 2009 that saw the team win eight games including a victory over the Houston Cougars in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Dec. 31.
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The Air Force's ongoing alternative fuels certification efforts reached a new milestone Aug. 27 when a C-17 Globemaster III from here flew on all engines using jet fuel blended with a combination of traditional petroleum-based fuel, or JP-8, biofuel derived in part from animal fat, and synthetic fuel derived from coal.

The 418th Flight Test Squadron here conducted the flight tests Aug. 23 to 27.

The flight was a first for any Department of Defense aircraft where a 50 percent mix of JP-8 was blended with 25 percent renewable biofuel and 25 percent fuel derived from the Fischer-Tropsch process, which is essentially liquified coal or natural gas.
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In a stride forward for the RQ-4B Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft program, the first aircraft landed at 9th Operations Group Det. 3 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Sept. 1 after an 18 hour flight from here.

The aircraft was flown by pilots and sensor operators from the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron here. The flight to Andersen AFB marked the surpassing of the 45, 000 flight-hour mark for the Global Hawk program.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is preparing to go through the Department of Defense-directed Initial Operation Test and Evaluation process. Upon completion, Det. 3 will be operational. The current focus at Andersen AFB will be to bed down and conduct procedural testing with the aircraft.
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Members of the 366th Operations Support Squadron and 266th Range Control Squadron recently supported the Bureau of Land Management during its emergency gathering of 198 wild horses after a wildfire charred the land the animals usually roam.

To perform this rescue mission, BLM officials needed access to the Mountain Home Air Force Base range complex, or military airspace. Maj. Blake Richardson, a 266th RANS ground and control intercept instructor, and Staff Sgt. Derek Sidberry, a 266th RANS mission crew technician, provided oversight and traffic advisory to a contracted helicopter pilot, allowing him to herd the horses within military airspace, without disturbing scheduled military and civilian flights.
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This week's photo highlights feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

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The Air Force handed over the Kirkuk sector of airspace, 15,000 feet and above, to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority Sept. 1. The Kirkuk sector of airspace consists of the northern 1/3 portion of Iraq, which previously had been controlled by the Air Force out of Kirkuk Air Base.

"Tonight marks a very historic occasion," said Maj. Jamie Flanders, Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq airspace planner, minutes after the changeover took place. "The U.S. forces in Iraq have handed over the Kirkuk sector flight level one-five-zero and above to the government of Iraq.
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The last two operational F-15 Eagles left here Sept. 1 for Portland, Ore. The 71st Fighter Squadron is scheduled to be inactivated Sept. 30.

The 71st FS, also referred to as the Ironmen, generated more than 4,000 sorties and logged more than 5,400 flight hours annually.

"When the last wheels of the venerable (F-15) Eagle leave the tarmac, it takes with it 34 years of airpower and an overwhelming record of 104 enemy fighters destroyed to zero F-15s lost," said Col. Matthew Molloy, the 1st Fighter Wing commander . "Without a doubt, the F-15s of Langley Air Force Base have left little question as to which aircraft is the combat proven, preeminent air superiority fighter."
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The undersecretary of the Air Force made her second visit to an Air Force Global Strike Command wing when she received a firsthand view of the ICBM nuclear deterrence and global strike mission Aug. 26 at the 341st Missile Wing here.

Erin C. Conaton first visited AFGSC headquarters and the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in May, less than three months after being confirmed for her position. Following her visit here, she will travel to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
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Airmen from the 75th Security Forces Squadron participate in a week-long combat skills training course Aug. 6, 2010, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The training focused on individual skills, self-aid and buddy care and encountering staged scenarios with hostile forces.

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President Barack Obama has nominated Gen. C. Robert Kehler for appointment as commander of the United States Strategic Command.

"I am honored and humbled by the president's nomination to take command of U.S. Strategic Command," General Kehler said. "I look forward to the U.S. Senate confirmation process."

Currently he is commander of Air Force Space Command and will be replacing Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, who will be retiring.

STRATCOM is one of ten U.S. unified commands under the Department of Defense. The command, including components, employs more than 3,300 people representing all four services including DOD civilians and contractors who oversee the command's operationally focused global strategic mission.
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Typhoon Kompasu may not have punched much of a storm surge here, but there was a tidal wave of activity on the Kadena Air Base Facebook page.

Kadena AB's official Facebook page swelled from around 400 "friends" before the storm to nearly 1,500 "friends" Aug. 31, demonstrating just how powerful the social networking site was to servicemembers and their families needing information on everything from storm conditions to facility and school closures to flight cancellations.
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