Nine Reservists, most from the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland AFB, Tex., stepped up to coordinate the unprecedented aeromedical evacuation efforts following Hurricane Katrina. The Air Force Reserve Command personnel shepherded 125 military and civilian airplanes, making runs from New Orleans to San Antonio. The medevac controllers cycled medical teams of active, Guard, and Reserve personnel from around the country on the flights, which transported an estimated 9,788 medical evacuees. Initially reservists handled 98 percent of the Hurricane Katrina aeromedical evacuations. By Sept. 7, the reserve share was 80 percent, largely because most of the work was done.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…