Air Force
WWII Ace COL Perry Dahl dead at 101
Perry Dahl, who had a storied career flying for the US., died at the tender young age of 101. He is described as one of the last of 1297 air aces – I did not find a definitive list of survivors but did see a reference to him as one of four left – and […]
Valor Friday
Where last we left Lieutenant Colonel Iceal “Gene” Hambleton and 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark they were trapped in South Vietnam, amidst the largest North Vietnamese Army (NVA) combined arms offensive of the war. It was April 5, 1972, and Hambleton had been alone on the ground for three days after being the lone survivor from […]
Valor Friday
The kind grandfatherly visage of Lieutenant Colonel Iceal “Gene” Hambleton belies his true nature as a determined warrior and long-serving airman. The man who looks like he’d be at home in a library is in fact a veteran of three wars and dozens of combat missions in more than one aircraft type. If the name […]
Sick Lame or Lazy? Air Force Recruiting- There’s a Waiver For That
Aim High…With Waivers Air Force expands waivers for recruits with asthma, food allergies By Riley Ceder The Air Force has expanded medical waivers to cover asthma, food allergies and hearing loss in an effort to boost recruitment, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The Air Force Recruiting Service’s Accessions Medical Waiver Division decided to […]
Recent awards
I see a couple of recent awards in the news. Harriet Tubman was named a Brigadier General in the Maryland National Guard this Veteran’s Day for actions during the Civil War. Tubman escaped slavery herself in 1849 and settled in Philadelphia. Intent on helping others achieve freedom, she established the Underground Railroad network and led […]
Thursday closures
Closure, as in resolution. Today we have three: Monday, Captain Ronald Forrester was laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery. He was originally listed as missing in action in Vietnam. “When daddy was shot down we were told not to give up hope,” said Karoni Forrester. But after years of waiting, Karoni’s hope was shattered […]
New toys
MBDA, the European defense contractor (part of their MIC, in other words) just announced a new variant on the venerable Exocet anti-ship missile. Sounds like a winner on paper. “It features a doubled range in the class of 120km with a new turbojet engine, to regain the stand-off distance in anti-submarine warfare,” Pierre-Marie Bealleau, head […]
Army pranks Air Force
The ongoing rivalry between services… the stuff from which legends are made. And between the academies? Even better. This week, the focus moved from stealing Bill the Goat or Army academy mules to the Air Force. There isn’t as much history to work with there, partially because they just haven’t been around that long, […]
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