Didn't Make The Front Page News

Found another good article;

The Doolittle Raiders tradition that was closed out Monday had its beginnings in 1959 in Tucson, Arizona, when that city hosted one of the regular Raiders' reunions. As a gift, the city presented them with a set of 80 silver goblets to use in their toasts to fellow airmen who died in the raid or had passed away in the intervening years.

Each goblet was engraved with the name of one of the 80 airmen, with the goblets for the surviving Raiders at the time being engraved twice, once right-side-up and once upside-down. At each reunion, the goblets of the men who had passed since the last reunion were turned upside down to mark their passing.

The Doolittle Raiders toasted with 1896 Hennessy V.S. cognac in a nod to Doolittle's birth year, with the following words delivered by the most senior Raider present: "To those who gave their all in the success of our mission, and to those who have joined them since, our fondest memories, sincerest appreciation and gratitude. May they rest in peace."

And of course there's more here: Northwest Florida Daily News: Local News, Politics & Sports in Fort Walton Beach, FL

 

Today's military holds their own.

• Published Oct. 24, 2022
• By Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE (AFNS) --

Air Mobility Command announced Oct. 21 commanders will present 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 12 Bronze Star Medals, and one Gallant Unit Citation to mobility Airmen who supported Operation Allies Refuge.

Of the 96 DFCs, seven will be awarded with the “V” device for valor, recognizing heroism beyond what is normally expected while engaged in direct combat conditions. An additional 74 DFCs will be awarded with the “C” device for combat. Two of the 12 BSMs will be awarded with the “V” device. The 621st Contingency Response Group will receive the prestigious Gallant Unit Citation for the actions its Airmen took to rapidly repair and run airfield operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport while surrounded by hostile forces, enabling success of the operation.

“The world witnessed history during that airlift, borne on the shoulders of mobility heroes,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of AMC. “This recognition is long overdue for what our heroes did during those historic 17 days.”

The DFCs and BSMs were among 350 additional individual awards approved for actions in support of OAR. The decorations were recently finalized following a September awards board held by Air Forces Central Command that considered the elevated level of awards for the heroic actions of hundreds of Airmen who participated in the largest noncombatant air evacuation operation in U.S. history.

“A mix of MAF and OAR experts led to award submissions being addressed thoroughly and with the mindset of recognizing actions in a way that will endure while preserving reverence for our most hallowed medals. Consequently, some submissions were upgraded or downgraded to reflect the distinct contribution of the Airman or team,” said Brig. Gen. Gerald Donohue, AMC’s deputy director of Strategy, Plans, Requirements and Programs, who served as the award board president. Donohue previously served as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, during OAR, through which most evacuees were processed on the way to their final destinations. “It’s important to note that we considered the contributions of crews as teams, and in the end, there was no disparity in award determinations among members of the same crews.”

A lapse in authorities tied to the end of the operation in September 2021 led to an administrative delay in reviewing higher-level award submissions. AMC worked closely with AFCENT and the Department of the Air Force to resolve the problem, resulting in not only the September awards board, but also new authorities that allow AMC to convene its own boards to award the same caliber of decorations moving forward.

“Make no mistake, we should have done this last year immediately after the operation, and I recognize our Airmen’s frustration with the process,” Minihan said. “We’re making that right, and we’ve worked with our partners across the Air Force to ensure AMC is able to swiftly and effectively recognize our mobility warriors as they deliver warfighting excellence across every combatant command worldwide.”

The DFCs, BSMs, and GUC are scheduled to be awarded across recipients’ units in the coming weeks.

“This is about taking care of our Airmen, and there is still more to be done,” Minihan added.

Minihan will present the first DFCs and BSMs during a scheduled base visit at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey in November.

To date, commanders have approved more than 4,500 medals for Mobility Air Forces Airmen who supported the operation.

 

Sorry I hit a sort spot. I've known your shall we say, dislike of the Air Force, you've shown that often. The "Today's military holds its own" was my header not the AF articles. See, I respect every branch of service and to be perfectly honest have my own attitude towards one branch in particular being glory hounds, one section of another being headline seekers, another going about their business without a constant "Look at us". All deserve respect. But that's just me.
I'm no expert but I do know that there's a lot more going on than the vast majority realize. The vast amount of evacuated people were flow out by US Air Force aircraft. An overwhelming amount actually compared to the two dozen other countries involved. The logistics, duration, flight skills etc: all combined into the best outcome one could expect since the Afghans rolled over.
Each award has it's own criteria and I'll agree with you on one point, today's Military in all branches are passing out too many participation ribbons. Look at the chest of any soldier today and you'd swear they're a Colonel -at the least.

 

B-1s Carry Naval Mines for Bomber Task Force Mission
Oct. 27, 2022 | By Greg Hadley
B-1B Lancers deployed to Guam for a bomber task force-conducted joint training with the Navy, with Airmen and Sailors practicing loading and releasing naval mines from the B-1s.

The naval mine exercise, or MineX, took place Oct. 24, staged out of Andersen Air Force Base, according to a release from Pacific Air Forces.

As part of the exercise, Sailors from Navy Munitions Command’s Pacific Unit built and delivered the Mark-62 Quickstrike mines, then worked with Airmen from the 28th Munitions Squadron to load them onto the B-1s.

All told, an undisclosed number of B-1s were loaded with 21 mines total, each mine weighing about 500 pounds. A B-1 can carry up to 84 of the mines.

“MineX missions require close coordination and integration between the Navy and the Air Force,” Col. Chris McConnell, 37th Bomb Squadron commander, said in a statement. “As one of the aircraft capable of releasing mines, we have to work with our Navy partners to understand where those munitions need to be placed to meet the desired objectives.”

McConnell also stated that as part of the mission, the B-1s flew alongside “Navy partners and allies,” though PACAF did not specify what other aircraft or partner nations were included in the mission.

The exercise marks a quick start for the B-1s’ bomber task force deployment on Guam. An undisclosed number of the bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base, N.D., arrived there Oct. 18. It marks the second time this year that B-1s have been deployed to Guam and the first BTF mission in the Indo-Pacific this fall.

The Ellsworth B-1s are no strangers to naval mine exercises, though. Just this past August, a B-1 from the 28th Bomb Wing was loaded with a Mark-65 Quickstrike mine and flew from Ellsworth to off the coast of California, where it dropped the munition. A similar exercise took place in 2014.

B-1s from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, also dropped Mark-62 Quickstrike mines as part of Exercise Baltic Operations in 2018.

None of those B-1 exercises, however, took place in the Indo-Pacific, where the Pentagon has placed an increased emphasis as of late as part of its strategic competition with China—the Air Force and Navy did work together during Exercise Valiant Shield in 2018 and in 2019 to load and drop naval mines.

The B-1B is capable of carrying up to eight Mark-65 Quickstrike mines, which weigh 2,000 pounds each.

 

One of my neighbors has a bumper sticker: B1 Pilot! I'm afraid to ask him about that, he might reply.

 

At least offer to buy him a coffee !
Or a couple of shots .

 

This may have hit the News but we don't get newspapers up here and for the most part I've foregone television and internet News media all together for the last four or five years.

Dec. 12, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak
The first operationally-configured AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) flew a successful test flight Dec. 9, the Air Force reported, marking three successful powered flights in a row for the hypersonic air-to-ground missile.

The test, conducted from a B-52 off the southern California coast, was “the first launch of a full prototype operational missile,” the service said. The all-up round was released from the bomber, accelerated to hypersonic speed, separated from its booster, and continued to fly at speeds “greater than five times the speed of sound,” according to a release the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

The ARRW then “completed its flight path and detonated in the target area.”

The Air Force declined to provide further details to Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Hypersonic” speed is in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.
First Test of All-Up ARRW Hypersonic Missile Deemed a Success | Air & Space Forces Magazine

 

The training is secondary !

Operation Christmas Drop 2022 Wraps Up: ‘Best Thing I’ve Ever Done in the Air Force’ | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Beginning in December, the Air Force and partner nations began practice drops. A few days later, the mission started.

“It is a very challenging task,” said Zaldivar, who also helped plan 2021’s operation. “But I told this to many people, and I am not lying when I say that this is the best thing I’ve ever done in the Air Force, the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. When you drop those bundles, and then you see the children running to it and waving, it is just a feeling unlike any other thing I’ve ever had. It’s incredible.”

According to Zaldivar, the planes are loaded with two to 10 bundles of aid, and aircraft fly between two and four different islands per sortie, with islands ranging from 800 to 2,500 miles away from Anderson. A typical day included about two U.S. aircraft and two to three allied aircraft, which the nations rotate by day, he said, and trips took around four to nine hours round-trip. What are known as low-cost, low-altitude airdrops (LCLA) occur at around 300 feet.

“It takes the whole village to really make this happen,” Zaldivar said. “It really helps just bring everybody together. And also feel really good about it.”

The last flight of the 2022 operation was to Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia in a C-130J, callsign SANTA 67.

“One of our folks from partner nation came back, and they were saying, ‘Hey, we dropped our bundle. Some of these islands have radios that they can talk to us, they got all the children around the radio, and they screamed ‘Merry Christmas!’” Zaldivar recalled. “That was just like a feeling they’ve never experienced. I think the feedback has been overall very, very, very positive, and very rewarding.”

 

I'm sure the other branches do the same;

AFSVC makes Fisher Houses homes away from home > Air Force > Article Display

"Ivana Jordovic, manager for the Fisher Houses at Travis Air Force Base, California, recalls how right before the holiday season in 2019, the Travis AFB Fisher Houses provided hope for a father and retired service member who stayed by his daughter’s bedside while she went through medical treatments at the base. While there, the family home was destroyed by wildfires that ravaged the state.

“They lost everything,” Jordovic said. “The Travis Fisher House meant so much to this family as they were going through all of this. It became their only home, and it was our job to support them as they were not only dealing with their daughter’s treatments but also trying to rebuild a life ravaged by wildfires.”

From the foundation’s inception in 1990 until recently, each Air Force Fisher House operated independently. In 2020, AFSVC, a primary subordinate unit of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, began program management and oversight responsibilities to provide consistency of care for families.

Each Fisher House provides up to 21 suites, including private bedrooms and baths, with a shared kitchen, laundry facilities, dining room and living room common areas.

“We had just realigned under AFSVC and were under a maintenance contract transition when the winter storm hit,” said Philip Harralson, JB San Antonio-Lackland Fisher House manager. “With leadership support, we worked with our base civil engineer to get the work completed as quickly as possible.”

“I’m an advocate for our house managers and help them find solutions to problems so they can remain focused on the families,” McLean said.

With leadership support being a critical component for success, the program manager conducts regular site visits and tours homes with installation leadership and civil engineers, sharing stories of families and the Fisher House mission along the way.



The 960th Cyberspace Wing additional-duty first sergeants’ symposium participants perform community service at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Fisher House, March 7, 2022. The symposium included opportunities for community service and networking to help build strong community relations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kristian Carter)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES
“Without their support after Winter Storm Uri, we never would have been able to get our operation back up and running, as we had broken pipes and fire suppression issues in multiple houses,” McLean said. “Base leadership was amazing.”

Over the past three decades, the Fisher House Foundation has served more than 430,000 families across the Department of Defense, saving families an estimated $547 million in out-of-pocket costs for transportation and lodging.

In fiscal year 2022 alone, the DAF program assisted more than 3,800 families for a total of 22,778 bed nights. Volunteers also supported the Fisher Houses with more than 3,700 hours.

Keeping the houses up and running to Air Force standards sometimes requires additional funds and support. This is where AFSVC’s management support comes in."