US Pacific Command activated the airmen of the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen AFB, Guam, sending them to the area hit by the Feb. 17 mudslides to assess the situation for air support. The airmen, who were in the Philippines for the Balikatan 06 exercise, initially were put on 12-hour alert when the disaster struck. Officials say that many of the 36th airmen were among those who provided aid during the 2005 tsunami relief effort.
An electrical power disruption wreaked havoc on an F-16's flight and navigation instruments, and poor weather meant the pilot had no other way of gaining his bearings, resulting in a fiery crash in South Korea last year that destroyed the $29 million aircraft, according to a new U.S. Air Force…