Air Fo
rce 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)
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.