Five airmen assigned to Eglin AFB, Fla., on Monday received Bronze Star Medals for their meritorious service in Afghanistan and Iraq during a ceremony at the base. They are Lt. Col. Christopher Holmes, 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander; SMSgt. Eric West of the 96th Civil Engineer Group; TSgt. John Carroll, 96th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordinance technician; TSgt. Howard Loughran, 96th CES EOD technician; and SSgt. Lucas Dorosky, 96th CES EOD technician. It was Loughran’s second Bronze Star. A sixth airman, TSgt. Todd Kuikka, 96th CES EOD technician, was also awarded a Bronze Star, but was not present to receive it. (Eglin release by Leslie Brown) (See also Tuesday’s Northwest Florida Daily News report.)
A new survey found that record rates of Active-duty military spouses want to leave the military community, with a large number of them frustrated by the difficulty of finding employment, child care, and reimbursement for moving costs after a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move.