The first Air Force-operated chapel at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, opened its doors earlier this month. The nondenominational Christian chapel, co-located with the Airman Ministry Center, is on Bagram’s flight line, according to an Oct. 20 base release. It is meant to serve “airmen on the flight line who can’t get away from their job for an extended time to worship” at one of the base’s other chapels, said Maj. Gary Coburn, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing’s deputy chaplain. “Airmen in these units rarely get an hour to two hours to leave their shop to attend a service that’s more than a 30-minute round-trip walk,” said SSgt. Lowell Wann, the wing’s chaplain assistant. The chapel held its first service on Oct. 6, states the release. Other faith groups are welcome to use the chapel, said Coburn. The facility also provides amenities like free phone cards, computer access, wireless Internet connectivity, games, and a big screen TV. (Bagram report by TSgt. Rob Hazelett)
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.