Next Monday, April 16, the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., plans to launch 70 of its F-15Es to destroy more than 1,000 targets on bombing ranges across North Carolina. The training mission is meant to pay homage to the wing’s heritage by marking the massive bombing raid against Germany on April 16, 1945, during which 4th Fighter Group fighters destroyed 105 enemy aircraft, vaulting the group’s tally to 1,016 total enemy aircraft destroyed, “more than any group or wing in Air Force history,” according to 4th FW officials. “We proudly carry on the legacy of the 4th Fighter Group’s victory today with the F-15E Strike Eagle,” said Col. Patrick Doherty, 4th FW commander, in a release. He will lead next week’s training strike. “Even though today’s fight is different, the dedication of our airmen has not wavered and we are still Fourth, but first,” added Doherty.
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,…