Beginning this year, the Air Force tightened tuition assistance criteria to mandate that airmen maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher to continue receiving funds toward an undergraduate university degree. “If it is not maintained, your records will be locked, tuition assistance will be denied, and you will have to pay to take classes to bring your GPA up,” said Alice Patton, training and education chief at Nellis AFB, Nev., in a Jan. 8 base release. Graduate students must meet higher GPA standards than undergraduates, maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA to continue receiving assistance, states the release. Under the new criteria, airmen keeping up those grades will be eligible for $4,500 a year or up to $250 per credit hour. “Otherwise, airmen would just be wasting their time as well as Air Force funds,” said Patton. (Nellis report by A1C Monet Villacorte)
The U.S. military conducted a punishing series of airstrikes against Islamic State militants on Dec. 8 following the sudden demise of the ruling Assad regime. U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, F-15E Strike Eagles, and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes against Islamic State leaders, fighters, and…