SSgt. Kenneth J. Wilburn, a 30-year-old combat controller apprentice, died Jan. 12, three days after he lost consciousness during a water treading exercise Jan. 9 at a training pool at Lackland AFB, Tex. According to a Jan. 13 statement, Wilburn did not respond to emergency life-saving efforts on the scene and never regained consciousness at Wilford Hall Medical Center. He was assigned to the 342nd Training Squadron at Lackland. According to an Associated Press report (via the Houston Chronicle), base spokesman Oscar Balladares said officials did not know whether Wilburn drowned or some other factor caused him to lose consciousness. According to AP, Wilburn, from Union, S.C., was cross-training into the combat controller career field and previously had been assigned to the 820th Security Forces Group at Moody AFB, Ga. Air Force officials will investigate his death.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
