For the first time, Bulgarian students were among the graduates of the Paul H. Lankford Enlisted Professional Military Education Center at McGhee Tyson ANGB, Tenn., according to a release. Bulgarian air force Sgt. Yordanka Petrova-Angelova and Cpl. Stoyko Stoykov completed leadership education through the Tennessee National Guard’s State Partnership Program, states the Aug. 19 release. Petrova-Angelova attended six weeks at the Noncommissioned Officer Academy and Stoykov attended five weeks of Airman Leadership School. Both were part of the Aug. 15 graduation ceremony, along with 334 other graduates. “I would do this again,” said Stoykov. “Those things we learn here are not just written words, but things that are beneficial to our lives,” he said. Both Tennessee Guard and Bulgarian officials hope that more Bulgarians will pass through the center, states the release. (McGhee Tyson report by MSgt. Mike R. Smith)
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury marked the U.S. military's largest air campaign in a generation, with strikes on 13,000 targets in Iran before the first in a series of shaky ceasefires began in April. Now, even as hostilities continue to flare up, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France sees several clear lessons that…
