The commander of 
the 81st Training Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss., Brig. Gen. Bill Lord, said Saturday that repairing the damage done by Hurricane Katrina to the base would take at least $500 million, according to the Associated Press service. The medical center, which normally sees some 1,200 patients per day, is closed, with extensive damage.
The Air Force is on track to reach its annual goal of graduating 1,500 new pilots that had proved elusive to this point, one year after the service launched a sweeping overhaul of its undergraduate pilot training program, Air Education and Training Command said Sept. 14.
