On his last day as Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld sent one last “snowflake” announcing the “blizzard is over.” His dispatch of thousands of memos, asking for answers and seeking action—usually tagged with aggressive deadlines—over the past six years became one of his signature trademarks. This last snowflake absolved those who had yet to respond to his latest flurry. Rumsfeld invoked the “spirit of the season” and offered a “general amnesty for any outstanding snowflakes.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
