SrA. Nicholas Eischen apparently died in his sleep on Dec. 24, 2007, at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, but the actual cause of his death remains a mystery. The Los Angeles Times reported on Jan 13, citing the airman’s grandfather, that Eischen had had his gall bladder removed three weeks before his death. But the procedure was thought to have gone smoothly and the 24-year-old airman was regarded as being otherwise healthy, the newspaper said. Eischen leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son.
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.