Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing on Oct. 4 dedicated its new operations building at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to the memory of Maj. LeRoy W. Homer Jr., a former wing member who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Homer, an airman with the wing from 1995 to 2000, was first officer aboard United Airlines Flight 93, the hijacked aircraft that crashed near Shanksville, Penn., on that fateful day. Maj. Gen. Robert Duignan, commander of AFRC’s 4th Air Force and former head of the 445th AW, called Homer a “true inspiration” who “never quit on America,” adding that Homer provided everyone he met with a “glimpse of the best of the human spirit.” His widow, Melodie Homer, thanked the Wright-Patterson community for recognizing her husband’s sacrifice and said he would be honored by the tribute. (Wright-Patterson report by Capt. Caroline Wellman)
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…