Two museums on JBSA-Lackland, Texas, are being consolidated into the Enlisted Heritage and Character Development Center, which looks to instill in both Air Force recruits and the public qualities that build character and resiliency in airmen. The center, which will open by October, will be replaced by a larger, privately funded $50 million facility expected to be completed in 2017. The interim center and the replacement facility both will be open to the public and will be used to educate every recruit going through Air Force basic military training. The Air Education and Training Command intends to bring recruits into the center in their final week of training for classes to meet wounded warriors and to view scenarios depicting 60 years of Air Force history and tradition. The center is part of an Air Force leadership initiative to build character and resilience in airmen “by leveraging the stories, challenges, and examples of successful airmen who exemplify Air Force core values,” said Gary Boyd, Air Education and Training Command historian in a July 29 release. The larger facility is being built in a joint venture between the Air Force and the Airman Heritage Foundation, which was chartered to fund the new project.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…