SSgt. John T. Self, 29, of Pontotoc, Miss., was killed May 14 in Iraq, the Pentagon said yesterday. Three other airmen, whose names have not been released, were wounded by the improvised explosive device that killed Self in southern Baghdad. Self was a security forces specialist who had deployed from Little Rock AFB, Ark., on a year-long tour to help train Iraqi police forces, according to a base release.
The Air Force is planning to spend $2.19 billion over the next five years to acquire new C-37 jets for transporting military and civilian leaders. That’s on top of another $1.17 billion in projected funding for the VC-25B “Air Force One” replacement.