Air Force

PRECIOUS CARGO. AF moms-to-be are having a tough time finding the maternity ABU. Have a similar problem? Tell us! (via stock images and AF logo).

TELL US: How would you improve the Air Force maternity uniform?

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 29, 2014 Air Force, Uniforms, Women

The Air Force is changing up its ABU maternity uniform in 2015, and while some of you say the change is great, more still needs to be done. TELL US: What problems have you had with the maternity Airman Battle Uniform? Where have you looked to purchase an ABU maternity uniform? Where have you found the biggest success in finding a new uniform? Have you experienced a shortage in the uniform, and if so, where was the shortage? How much have you paid for a maternity uniform, or have you found success in borrowing one? EMAIL your thoughts to Oriana…

Airman gets creative in airport proposal. Internet, smartphone users love it.

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 23, 2014 Air Force, Video

Airman 1st Class Jon Greko wanted to make the most of it when he saw his girlfriend Emma for the first time since basic training. Greko, who had proposed to Emma over the phone in October, wanted to properly get down on bended knee when he arrived home. And this time, he solicited the help of Delta flight attendants and passengers. Watch below as A1C Greko makes it official: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrj8mHOFY5E]

Ret. Air Force Colonel Martha McSally won Arizona's 2nd Congressional District Wednesday, becoming another proponent of the A-10. (AP photo/arizona daily star, kelly presnell)

Another A-10 ally gains a seat

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 17, 2014 Air Force, Leadership, Politics, Washington

Republican Martha McSally beat incumbent Ron Barber on Wednesday after a recount to take over Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District. McSally, a retired Air Force colonel who flew A-10s over Iraq and Kuwait, picked up six more votes to give her a 167 votes victory, according to RollCall. McSally joins the coalition of congressional members — which include Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. — rallying to preserve the A-10. McSally criticized Barber during the race saying he “was asleep at the switch while the obvious threat of the A-10 retirement grew on his watch,” according to the Arizona Daily…

Academy Athletic Corporation seeking donations to send troops to bowl game

By Brian Everstine on December 10, 2014 Air Force, Air Force Academy, Sports

The Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation is soliciting donations to help send troops to their football bowl game later this month. The Air Force Falcons will take on Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 20 in Boise. The Academy has set up a site for supporters to donate money to get troops in the Boise area to the game. The Academy is donating helmets and jerseys for different amounts that have been donated. The donations are tax deductible. As of Dec. 10, the site has raised money for 272 tickets with a goal of 1,000 by…

Capt. Eric Koenig accepted an offer from Paramount Pictures to purchase one of his screenplays, "Matriarch," on Veterans Day. (Photo of Koenig by Rebecca Amber/Air Force; Paramount Pictures via The Associated Press).

Airman’s screenplay bought by Paramount Pictures

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 10, 2014 Air Force

Whatever started out as just a hobby has now brought this airman one step closer to Hollywood. Capt. Eric Koenig, the 412th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental flight commander, recently accepted an offer from Paramount Pictures to purchase one of the many scripts he’s written in the last three years, according to a news release. The screenplay sold for an amount in the mid six-figure range, the release said. The story, called “Matriarch,” revolves around two powerful, female characters. According to Koenig: The plot follows a female serial killer on death row and her prison psychologist. There is one undisclosed piece of…

Colorado guardsman named Broncos ‘man of the year’

By Brian Everstine on December 5, 2014 Air Force, Air Force Academy, Air National Guard

The Denver Broncos this week announced that offensive guard, and Colorado Air National Guard Capt. Ben Garland has been named their Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient. Garland, a public affairs officer with the 140th Wing at Buckley Air Force Base and Air Force Academy graduate, received the award for “outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community,” according to the team. Each NFL team names a player for the award, and one player will be named the award winner league-wide at the end of the season. Garland was selected both for his service and for founding…

NORAD launches Santa tracker. We still have questions.

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 1, 2014 AF kids, Air Force, Air Force Space Command, budget cuts

Each year, North American Aerospace Defense Command launches a website that allows little children to track Santa. Other media outlets may think, “Wow, what a cute story,” but we at FlightLines/Air Force Times want to go deeper and ask the hard-hitting questions you’ve come to expect from the best Air Force news blog on the web. Here is what we want to know about Santa’s upcoming sortie: 1) Has Santa cut training due to sequestration? The Defense Department’s fiscal 2015 plan – over the sequester cap, calling for $115B more over the next four years – still sits in the…

Welsh: ‘We lose about one AF member a day’

By Oriana Pawlyk on November 24, 2014 Air Force, Leadership

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh is reminding airmen this holiday season in a somber – but realistic – message that Air Force casualties affect everyone, and the need to take care of one another has never been greater. In his latest “Airman to Airman” video, Welsh emphasizes the need to stay safe this holiday season by showing a rolodex – one of four on his desk – that holds the names of every airman who’s died since he became chief. “I’ve been the chief for 820 days now, and there are about 818 names in these boxes, so we…

Inside a close air support mission in Afghanistan

By Brian Everstine on November 24, 2014 Afghanistan, Air Force, Video

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S-HeOrg98c] The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing posted this interview with F-16 pilots who recount a recent close air support mission in Afghanistan. The pilots featured are from the 100th Fighter Squadron of the Alabama Air National Guard.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh promotes Goldie the therapy dog to the rank of major during a ceremony at the Pentagon Nov. 12.

Welsh promotes airman’s best friend

By Kristin Davis on November 13, 2014 Air Force, Defense Department, Military dogs, Uncategorized, Veterans

If this newly-minted major rises through the next three ranks as fast as he did the last three, he’ll pin on his first star next March. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh presided over Goldie’s “commissioning” just eight months ago at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. There, the 4-year-old Golden retriever is a beloved member of the therapy dog program, visiting service members undergoing rehabilitation. On Nov. 12, the general and the dog crossed paths again, this time at the Pentagon, where Welsh promoted Goldie from second lieutenant to major. “It’s a rather fast…

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