The Pentagon released the names of two Air Force Office of Special Investigations special agents killed in Iraq June 5—TSgt. Ryan A. Balmer, 33, and SSgt. Matthew J. Kuglics, 25. The two were traveling in a convoy struck by an improvised explosive device near Kirkuk. An Air Force release stated that Balmer of Mishawaka, Ind., deployed to Iraq from Hill AFB, Utah, and Kuglics of North Canton, Ohio, deployed from Lackland AFB, Tex. Balmer is the fourth airman from Hill to die in Iraq this year.
The Pentagon’s watchdog has identified serious concerns over corrosion, mold, and the structural decline of “critical infrastructure” at Air Force bases and other military installations in the Pacific, according to a recent report.