The Air Force Association bestowed its Lifetime Achievement award on retired CMSAF Paul Airey, presenting the award to the 85-year-old top airman at the Senior NCO Academy in Alabama last week. Airey is the first enlisted person to receive the prestigious award, reports Carl Bergquist. According to AFA Chairman of the Board Bob Largent, the award to Airey is “past due.” At the ceremony, current CMSAF Rodney McKinley said, “In my opinion, Chief Airey is the most respected enlisted airman in the Air Force.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent direction that the military services return to a more old-school approach to basic training—with instructors "tossing bunks" and "putting their hands on recruits”—will likely require the Air Force to rewrite policies for military training instructors it has modified over time to cut down on such…