AFCEA - Los Angeles

Efforts to help people who were injured or lost their homes began almost immediately after a deadly tornado struck Moore, Okla., May 20.

One of those willing to help was Tech. Sgt. Shane Buss, the 47th Flying Training Wing's equal opportunity NCO-in-charge, along with his wife and four children.

"I was stationed in Oklahoma when an EF4 tornado hit in 1999, so I've seen the kind of destruction these things can have," Buss said. "We consider some old friends up there to be like family, and that region feels like home to us."
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A massive tornado struck Moore, Okla., three miles south of Tinker Air Force Base, May 20, killing 24 people. Nearly 250 members of the Oklahoma National Guard, as well as members of Tinker AFB are assisting with clean up efforts. The following are photos of the damage and relief efforts.

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Six U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry and two U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft arrived here from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. during the weekend of May 17 due to severe weather in Oklahoma.

The inclement weather that caused the aircraft to divert included a tornado that touched down, destroying Moore, Okla., a small town located about three miles south of Tinker AFB.

The E-6Bs and one E-3 arrived May 17 while the other five E-3s arrived May 20th with less than eight hours notice.
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An instructor pilot with the 8th Flying Training Squadron was selected for the Air Force Rugby team and will compete in the 2013 Collegiate Rugby Championship May 29 through June 3 in Philadelphia.

Capt. John Lockard has been playing rugby since 2002 when he picked up the game during his time at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I played football at the Academy for a year but it just wasn't working out," said Lockard.

He began his pursuit of rugby in 2002 when his friends at the Academy suggested he try it instead of football.
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Contracts valued at $5 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m.

The initial cadre of F-35A Lightning II instructor pilots qualified in aerial refueling last week, adding another capability for student pilot training at the 33rd Fighter Wing's F-35 Integrated Training Center here.

"Eleven pilots had flown 14 refueling missions across the boom with the help of a KC-135 Stratotanker based here all last week," said Col. Andrew Toth, the commander of the 33rd Fighter Squadron. "Prior to this, only test pilots had done so."

The pilots discovered refueling the F-35 was an easy process, given the stability of the jet in flight and the preparation they received flying aerial refueling missions during ground school with the high-fidelity F-35 full-mission simulator.
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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion today announced a new partnership to help reduce the compensation claims backlog for veterans.

The effort, called the Fully Developed Claims Community of Practice, is a key part of the VA's overall transformation plan to end the backlog in 2015 and process claims within 125 days at 98 percent accuracy, VA officials said.

The VA can process fully developed claims in half the time it takes for a traditionally filed claim, officials noted.
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Air Force Personnel Center officials activated the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System to ensure Airmen and their families in the Moore and Oklahoma City, Okla., are accounted for and have access to assistance, AFPC officials said today.

AFPAAS is a web-based application used to account for and assess the needs of the Air Force total force including active-duty Airmen, selected Reserve members, Department of the Air Force and non-appropriated fund civilian employees, Air Force contractors overseas, and family members affected by disasters, said Brian Angell, the AFPC personnel readiness chief.
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Nearly 250 members of the Oklahoma National Guard, as well as members of Tinker Air Force Base are assisting with victim search and security in Moore, Okla., where a tornado left at least 24 dead, including nine children, authorities said.

The twister hit Monday, May 20, about 3:15 p.m. CDT, just three miles south of Tinker.

Tinker Air Force Base officials activated the 507th Air Refueling Wing Crisis Action Team and initiated accountability of all personnel assigned to the wing.
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Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend an Office Personnel Management leadership academy. During three weeks of intense and quality training, there was one story in particular from our instructor that made a deep impression and has stuck with me after all of these years.

My instructor worked as a consultant in the business world. One time he was asked to consult for a company that had one section with very low morale. As soon as he walked into their office it was profoundly obvious. Everything about the work environment made it clear this group did not like their job, or each other. One of his first questions to the group was, "What do you do here?"
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U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa is seeing the ripple effect from sequestration. Budget cuts for this fiscal year to facilities sustainment and restoration are expected to cause readiness issues now and into the future.

Lt. Gen. Tom Jones, the USAFE-AFAFRICA interim commander, said these cuts will affect USAFE-AFAFRICA installations' ability to serve as conduits for mobility, communications and logistics.

"USAFE-AFAFRICA brings critical capabilities to accomplish missions we have regularly performed in the past and are expected to perform in the future," Jones said. "Airpower is vital to the success of U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command and other combatant commands in world-wide operations."
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The Civil War ended nearly 150 years ago on May 9, 1865, marking the beginning to a new era. However, many lives were lost during the more than four-year war; and, as a result, the Grand Army of the Republic established what was then called "Decoration Day" three years later on May 5, 1868.

It wasn't until after World War I the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. More than a century later in 1971, Congress declared the last Monday in May to be Memorial Day.
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The ejection seat is the pilot's last option if something doesn't go according to plan. If it wasn't for a small group of specially-trained Airmen, pilots wouldn't be able to resort to this life-saving option.

Deployed from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Staff Sgt. Keith Billings, Senior Airman Garron Theriault and Airman 1st Class Mark Armstrong work as egress technicians assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron here. These Airmen maintain all the A-10 Thunderbolt II's Advanced Concept Ejection Systems, ensuring all the mechanical components, to include the pilot's seat and cockpit explosives, function properly.
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More than 8,000 money-saving ideas have cascaded into the Pentagon from across the Air Force this month.

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer launched the Airmen Powered by Innovation Challenge May 1, challenging uniformed and civilian Airmen to find places to save money across the service, no matter how big or small.

"If there are things we can do better, if there are things we can stop doing, or if there are ideas (Airmen) have on how we can better manage our money... we want to hear it," Spencer said.
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More than 3,800 technical sergeants have been selected for promotion to master sergeant, Air Force officials said today. The 3,841 selected represent 18.71 percent of the 20,528 eligible.

Following official commander notification, the list of selectees will be released May 23, 8 a.m. CDT.

The average score for those selected was 350.21. Selectees' average time in grade is 4.38 years and time in service is 15.27. The average enlisted performance report score is 133.85, and 11.02 is the average decorations score. Selectee average promotion fitness examination score is 82.76 and the average specialty knowledge test score is 68.43.
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Contracts valued at $5 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today announced Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., as one of five of the 2013 recipients of the Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence.

The award recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations, Pentagon officials said, and the five recipients were selected for their exemplary support of Defense Department missions.

The other installations are:

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Statements of intent for officers interested in chief nurse positions are due May 31, Air Force Personnel Center officials said May 20.

The nurse corps development team will convene in June to select candidates for projected calendar year 2014 openings.

"There are 86 chief nurses -- one in each facility -- but not all will turn over this summer," said Col. Beverly Johnson, the AFPC Nurse Utilization and Education Branch chief. "We expect to fill about 15-20 positions from this year's candidate list."
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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.)

Staff Sgt. Sophia Mantzouris of the 386th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron said she knew she wanted to enlist on active duty from the time she was a little girl, but a friend steered her toward the Air National Guard.

Her Air Guard service has provided her an opportunity to serve at extremes.

"The first guard unit I joined was the 109th (Airlift Wing) in Scotia, N.Y.," Mantzouris said. "I served there for nine years and I became an engine troop because, at the time, they had the most educational benefits, the highest bonus, and I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity the Guard had to offer."
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To mark Armed Forces Day, the services' senior enlisted advisers joined the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an inaugural wreath-laying ceremony here at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

On a gray afternoon between spells of light rain, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia and his fellow enlisted advisers hung the logos of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard on a wreath wrapped with purple ribbon just steps away from the gravesite.
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