19 Jul 2008

One day fighting fires, the next day a rescue at sea

Air National Guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing launched a search and rescue mission here yesterday at 4 p.m., to save a fisherman experiencing a medical emergency aboard a Canadian fishing boat off the coast of California. Responding to a call from the Coast Guard District 11 Alameda, an MC-130P Combat Shadow tanker met the 85-foot Ocean

17 Jul 2008

MAFFS C-130 missions: “Quite a thrill ride”

The flight line here at McClellan Airfield may be miles away from the front lines of the many wildfires in California, yet the Airmen here are giving firefighters on the ground the upper hand in battling the blazes across the state. The modular airborne firefighting system (MAFFS)-equipped C-130s of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group drop fire

17 Jul 2008

National Guard on track with recruitment, retention

The National Guard was on track to reach its recruiting and retention goals for 2008 with the military fiscal year's best recruiting months ahead, said officials here July 11 following the release of recruiting and retention statistics for all service components in June. Recruiting and retention goals for the military run Oct. 1 - Sept. 30, and

17 Jul 2008

Delaware Air Guard C-130 aircraft reaches 10,000 hour flying milestone

At mid-day June 5, 2008, a C-130 transport aircraft of the 142nd Airlift Squadron, part of the 166th Airlift Wing of the Delaware Air National Guard, flew a training proficiency flight resulting in the aircraft reaching and breaking 10,000 flying hours. This was a new milestone for C-130H aircraft flown by the unit for the last 23 years. Before the

17 Jul 2008

Gates taps McKinley as next Guard Bureau chief

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recommended Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley as the next chief of the National Guard Bureau and promotion to full general, and LTG H Steven Blum as the next deputy commander for the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) during a Pentagon media briefing Wednesday. If nominated by the president and confirmed by the

16 Jul 2008

Mechanics maintain engines for America's air power

The roar of F-16 Fighting Falcons is more than just noise to the jet engine mechanics assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Tiger Aircraft Maintenance Unit. To these Airmen, it's the sound of a job well done. The Airmen who work in the Propulsion Shop ensure the jets' engines are in top operating condition, maintaining one of the

16 Jul 2008

One size fits all: Air Guard public Web sites migrating to standard page

Air National Guard Web sites are migrating to a more consistent design that's user- and maintainer-friendly. The Air Guard has joined the regular Air Force and Reserve in consolidating and standardizing its public Web sites using Air Force Public Web (AFPW), a program that gives wings a professional-looking Web template and easy-to-use system to

15 Jul 2008

Air Force names Air Guard member 'Outstanding Airman'

A California Air National Guard member was among 12 Airmen announced by the Air Force Personnel Center July 8 as an Air Force Outstanding Airmen for 2008. Air Force officials said Senior Master Sgt. Donna Goodno was selected from a group of 33 nominees that represented all Air Force major commands, direct reporting units, field operating agencies

7 Jul 2008

California Guard ordered to battle wildfires on the ground; Air Guard firefighting C-130s continue to make drops

About 200 California National Guard members were ordered by their governor on Tuesday to provide direct ground support to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) as it tries to extinguish wildfires in the northern part of the state. "I can't say enough about the brave men and women working tirelessly, and with little

2 Jul 2008

Fighting floods and fires, National Guard on duty from coast-to-coast

National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen fought Midwest flooding and California fires Thursday. About 2,300 Guard members remained on duty in the Midwest, down from a peak of more than 5,700, National Guard Bureau officials reported. Meanwhile, the California wildfires called for fewer Guard members and more aircraft. UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47