US military members at Camp Eggers in Afghanistan gathered last weekend to dedicate a building to Air Force MSgt. Randy Gillespie, who died July 9, 2007 from small-arms-fire inflicted wounds. It’s not the first honor paid to Gillespie, a 44-year-old airman deployed from Luke AFB, Ariz., to help mentor soldiers of the Afghan National Army. Earlier two roads, one at Luke and one at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, were dedicated in his name. At Camp Eggers, Gillespie House, serving as joint service living quarters, will carry a plaque with the airman’s biography and names of his family members. The Air Force also bestowed posthumous medals, including the Bronze Star, upon Gillespie. (Camp Eggers report by Seaman Timothy Newborn)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.