“Weapons Away”: Lt. Col. Jim Hecker dropped the first bomb from an operational F/A-22 Raptor, entering USAF record books, announced USAF officials on Oct. 21, three days after the fact. Hecker, commander of the 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va., dropped an inert 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition against a dummy target at the Utah Test and Training Range during Air Combat Command’s first deployment of its F/A-22 squadron. (DR, 10/17/05)
AFA Inaugurates New Headquarters with Doolittle Raider Toast
April 17, 2025
The Air and Space Forces Association celebrated the grand opening of its new Operations Center on April 17 with a tribute to its founder, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle—the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast.