T
he Mississippi and Utah Air National Guards worked together to aid rescue operations for the six miners trapped in a coal mine in Utah, reports MSgt. Burke Baker. The 172nd Airlift Wing at Allen C. Thompson Field, Miss., flew one of its C-17s to Kansas to pick up some underground video equipment and transport it to Salt Lake City, where airmen of the 151st Air Refueling Wing assisted the Mississippi Air Guardsmen. The operation was moving within hours of a help request from Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. “This mission is typical of what the National Guard is all about,” said Col. William Crisler, 172nds AW commander.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…