Faced with the Air Force’s force shaping plan to drop some 4,000 officers in 2006 (not to mention the 40,000 personnel cut coming for 2006-11), two lieutenants at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., already have opted to head out for the Army, which is hiring not firing. First Lt. Christopher Isbell, 28th Munitions Squadron section commander, hopes to get a job in armor, while 1st Lt. Nic Sanchez, 28th MUNS production flight commander, expects to work in ordinance, reports the Black Hills Bandit. They both say they want to make the military a career.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…