A Hawaiian Air National Guard KC-135 tanker brought more than 55 US military personnel to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Wednesday to participate in the latest iteration of Pacific Air Forces’ Pacific Angel humanitarian-assistance exercise. It runs June 12-16. The US contingent includes civil engineers, doctors, dentists, optometrists, and hospital administration specialists. This Pacific Angel “will consist of several concurrent civil-military assistance activities, in addition to medical care for local citizens, and engineering projects for a local school,” said Lt. Col. Scott Long, Pacific Angel mission commander. There will also be subject-matter expert exchanges between US and Bangladesh military personnel. Previous Pacific Angel missions were conducted in the Philippines in February and Vietnam in May. The final iteration will take place in Sri Lanka in August. (Jessore report by 1st Lt. Chris Hoyler)
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
