Comm Officer Gets Bronze: Lt. Col. Glenn Rattell has received a Bronze Star for his leadership as deputy commander of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group, Kirkuk AB, Iraq, where he directed survival and recovery operations while under fire from more than 50 enemy attacks. Rattell, who now is serving as chief of the communications officer assignments branch at Air Force Personnel Center, recalls, “When you’re convoy comes under fire, obviously you’re nervous, but then the training kicks in and you do what you’re trained to do.”
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.