AFCEA - Los Angeles

(This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

They shared the same name. They flew and fought the same types of Wild Weasel fighter jet missions. They looked alike and the family says they even displayed the same mannerisms. It's a fascinating tale of a father and son who lived the same life, complete with a sobering twist.

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The U.S. Marine Corps Corporals Leadership Course opened its door to service members from the Air Force and Navy here May 11-25.

The two-week course is designed to equip new, or soon-to-be NCOs with the tools and knowledge to effectively lead their troops, no matter the service.

Being able to do joint operations like this -- because they are going to be doing it later on in their careers -- is a great way to get preconceived notions out of the way, said Marine Sgt. Timothy Taylor, a Corporals Leadership Course instructor from Bulk Fuel Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group at Luke AFB, Ariz.
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With a career that spans across three decades and a warfighting reputation that rivals nearly every aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal, the B-1 Bomber has established itself as one of the United States' most crucial assets to maintaining air and ground superiority.

This achievement was built on the backs of hundreds, if not thousands, of Dyess maintainers who have kept this Cold War bird fighting well into the 21st century.

With the bomber's ever increasing role in today's combat operations, pushing the airframe to the limits of its original design, skilled maintenance professionals are crucial to ensuring mission success.
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The Air Force announced Monday, June 3, that civilian employees whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the recent Oklahoma tornadoes will be "excepted" from administrative furlough.

While most Air Force civilian employees received their notices May 28, Tinker Air Force Base delayed notifying their employees until today to ensure all authorities were reviewed and applied to mitigate the impact on those affected by tornadoes.

"This is the right thing to do," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley. "Despite some facing devastating personal circumstances, our Oklahoma-based civilian employees have shown their resilience time and time again. The least we can do is remove this additional burden."
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The Air Force appointed the service's first female chief scientist to lead the way in the technology and science fields.

Dr. Mica Endsley assumed her new duties and responsibilities as the 34th chief scientist June 3 in support of Air Force senior leaders and Airmen across the service.

"Having served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board for many years, I've had the pleasure of working closely with the current and several former Air Force chief scientists," Endsley said. "I know this is a tremendous opportunity to help the Air Force excel in its goal of maintaining the critical technological edge that gives our Airmen a strategic advantage."
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The Veterans Affairs Department is improving access for veterans to mental health services, President Barack Obama said today in remarks that opened the National Conference on Mental Health.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are hosting the conference at the White House as part of the administration's effort to increase understanding of and awareness about mental health and reduce the associated stigma.

Obama delivered opening remarks, and Biden will deliver closing remarks at the conference later today.
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The Air Force Recruiting Service is currently developing an ad campaign to teach young adults about cool career opportunities in the Air Force community, with the goal to inspire young people to join the Air Force. They also plan to demonstrate that the Air Force offers the same science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities as the private sector.

Much of the ad campaign will be housed on an interactive website where users can walk through a scenario about a current industry and Air Force-wide issue and attack the problem using creative thinking and problem solving skills. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will moderate both the submissions and the participation on the site.
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"I will never leave an Airman behind," is a part of the Airman's Creed and the spirit behind this creed was demonstrated by Tyndall Airmen May 28 as they rallied to support wingmen living in Oklahoma.

Service Before Self motivated Tyndall to take action to help fellow wingmen affected by the catastrophic tornados that ravaged the Oklahoma City, Okla., area May 19 and 20.

More than 350 families from Tinker AFB, Okla. lost their homes or were displaced and an estimated 300 Airmen were without power and water, Chief Master Sgt. Raymond DeVite Jr., 325th Fighter Wing command chief, explained.
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Defense Department officials encourage parents and students to consider various strategies for financing college education, the director of the Pentagon's office of family policy and children and youth said.

In a recent interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Barbara Thompson addressed solutions to some of the obstacles military children might face when trying to pursue a college education.

Thompson recommended researching scholarship and student aid opportunities early on, including use of the provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill that allows service members to transfer their benefit to family members.
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Fifteen Airmen assigned to U.S. Air Forces Central Command, the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing are taking advantage of a two-year accompanied tour opportunity -- and numbers continue to grow. In the next few years a total of 60 families will be here.

The Command Sponsorship Program is an accompanied-tour initiative started in 2011 to increase mission effectiveness through extended permanent party presence, greater mission continuity and fewer burdens on families. Permanent party tours are considered "accompanied" only when the overseas installation commander or designated representative approves an individual's request for their family to reside with them at a particular location.
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(This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

It was the day before the anniversary of Sept. 11 in 2011, when Staff Sgt. Samuel Lerman assumed his post for another 14-hour shift during his six-month deployment to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

On that day, the security forces member was assigned to a quick reaction force. For the Bethesda, Md., native, this meant detecting, deterring and neutralizing threats to the airfield.
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One member of the 31st Fighter Wing was killed and another was injured in a vehicle crash near Aviano Air Base here May 2 at approximately 5 a.m.

The Airman was pronounced dead at the scene by Italian emergency responders, and the injured service member has been transported to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.

"We are deeply saddened by this loss," said Brig. Gen. Jon A. Norman, the 31st FW commander. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and many others affected. We will work closely with our Italian counterparts to determine the cause of this tragedy in hopes to help prevent such occurrences in the future."
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Fourteen Afghan air force members of the Kabul Air Wing Quick Reaction Force Company graduated from Ground Combat Skills Course in a ceremony May 29 at Kabul International Airport here.

The graduation marked the completion of 50 hours of advanced upgrade training for the newest members of the QRF Company. The graduation and continued advancements made by the Afghan security forces members is vital to the force protection and security of Afghanistan as the coalition begins to draw down in the country.
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(This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

It's 6 p.m., and Chrach, a military working dog whose name is pronounced "Crash," is anticipating his evening meal.

His handler has been feeding him twice daily for more than a year, since the two became a team, and she is used to this routine -- but not because she is his handler.
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Active-duty captains proficient in Spanish may be eligible to attend the Inter-American Squadron Officer School at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland here, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

"The ISOS program is designed to develop dynamic Airmen ready to lead air, space, and cyberspace power in an expeditionary war-fighting environment," said 2nd Lt. Kyle Seifert, the AFPC Force Development Support Branch chief. "Students practice leadership and managerial skills, using lessons on leadership, military ethics, Air Force core values, and human rights."
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Under Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning was sworn in by Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley during a formal ceremony May 31, 2013, at the Pentagon here.

In his duties, Fanning will be responsible for the efficient and effective management of Air Force resources and serve as the senior Air Force energy official. Additionally, he will serve as the focal point for space operations, policy and acquisition issues on the Air Force staff.


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With a career that spans across three decades and a warfighting reputation that rivals nearly every aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal, the B-1 Lancer has established itself as one of the United States' most crucial assets to maintaining air and ground superiority.

This achievement was built on the backs of hundreds, if not thousands, of maintainers here who have kept this Cold War bird fighting well into the 21st century.

With the bomber's ever increasing role in today's combat operations, pushing the airframe to the limits of its original design, skilled maintenance professionals are crucial to ensuring mission success.
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The Air Force's chief scientist will spend his last day on the job May 31 after more than two and half years in the Pentagon.

Dr. Mark Maybury's time with the service is heavily marked by major strides in the science and technology.

Three of those major changes include studies that created roadmaps for energy, cyberspace and research and development.

All three define how the service can harness science and technology to its advantage.
His first research focused on energy. Why energy? The first sentence of the document entitled, "Energy Horizons" puts the bottom line up front.
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In a collaborative training effort, a group of six American and international astronauts participated in an abbreviated version of the Air University Leadership Reaction Course here May 22-23.

Designed to develop leadership skills, the LRC is a field exercise consisting of a series of obstacle course challenges that students navigate as teams during Officer Training School and Reserve Officer Training Corps courses. The astronauts visited the course to evaluate its potential usefulness for future leadership development.
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Since shortly after its birth as a separate service, American Airmen have worn the color blue.

Blue represents the sky above earth; a medium the Air Force first aimed to conquer. Blue in our uniforms, in our shield and in our official symbol is also commonly connected to loyalty and courage. Airmen have shown loyalty and courage in every significant conflict since the dawn of flight and continue doing so today.

Air Force blue begins entering our lives in basic military training. We learn about being Airmen. We share common experiences, learn attention to detail and become eager to dedicate ourselves to the mission. We are forged in the furnaces before proceeding to technical training where we learn a skill. Our instructors teach us the professional standards we need to follow in our specific career fields. Here, we are shaped and polished. When we report to our first assignment we are "blue". Our blue is strong, straight and true. We have become weapons of our nation -- weapons of the highest quality and accuracy.
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