For his actions as senior life support advisor and lead combat patrol gunner, TSgt. Natividad Ruiz Jr. received a Bronze Star Medal. Ruiz deployed to Iraq from Laughlin AFB, Tex., serving at an Iraqi Training Base in Diyala Province with the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team. Capt. Ken Hall reports that the training Ruiz provided led to the Iraqi assumption of life support operations six months earlier than anticipated. He led combat patrols over more than 1,000 miles of hostile terrain, protecting explosive ordnance disposal technicians and dismounted combat patrols.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American
