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 Academy operates the largest glider program in the U.S., with more than 15,000 flights every year—almost entirely led and managed by the youngest instructor pilots in the Air Force. The enterprise is poised to get even busier as USAFA leaders drive toward their ambitious objective: to get…