Chief 
of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz dedicated the newest Fisher House alongside charity representatives and base officials at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Lodging a family from Eielson Air Force Base during their daughter’s treatment even before the ribbon cutting, Fisher House Alaska is the 56th military family medical support center constructed on a US base. “It’s important not to forget that every number is a person, a family,” said Dave Coker, Fisher House Foundation president, at the grand opening on Feb. 17. “When I saw pictures of the house in progress, I was struck by the beauty and the background, and the colors, and that there’s no snow on the walkways” thanks to heated sidewalks, noted the charity’s CEO Ken Fisher. Last year alone, Fisher Houses stateside and in Germany sheltered 17,000 military families free of charge while their loved ones underwent care. (Elmendorf-Richardson report by Chris McCann)
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
