National Guard Bureau officials have dedicated Sheppard Hall, the new $52 million addition to the Air National Guard Readiness Center at JB Andrews, Md. The addition, named after retired Maj. Gen. Donald Sheppard, former ANG director, includes administrative offices for the ANG directorate and a fitness center. The new office space allows all ANG directorate staff to be united under one roof. Previously some staff worked out of a building in Crystal City, Va. The united location at Andrews also provides enhanced force protection measures for the entire directorate staff, which was required by BRAC 2005. The addition also features an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient design, including a roof that absorbs rainwater and provides insulation. The dedication ceremony took place Sept. 24. (Andrews report by TSgt. John Orrell)
The top Air Force commander on on the Japanese island of Okinawa has clamped down alcohol and issued a curfew for junior enlisted Airmen and Guardians at Kadena Air Base for the next month. The order came roughly two weeks after a U.S. Marine was arrested for allegedly robbing and…