The Air Force announced Feb. 9 that the remains of Maj. Kenneth Bourland, 37, of Birmingham, Ala., were found Feb. 7 at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he had traveled on official business for US Southern Command on Jan. 12, the day the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck, collapsing the hotel among other widespread damage. The brief announcement noted Bourland in June 2009 had been selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel, and USAF was processing a posthumous promotion. (Also read Birmingham News report; CBS42 TV report)
A C-130J transport plane took flight at Ramstein Air Base, Germany on July 15, five years after being grounded by a hard landing that damaged its wings, landing gear, and engines.