Eight maintainers from the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, received certificates of appreciation and small gifts from the Polish Air Force after assisting a Polish C-130 aircrew with a leaky propeller. Col. Andrzej Kusnierek, the International Security Assistance Force Regional Command-East deputy commanding general for coalition forces, presented the certificates, according to a Jan. 6 release. The maintainers responded quickly and swapped the leaky propeller for a new one, allowing the Polish aircrew to get back to their mission, states the release. “The Polish military is a valuable ally. What you did was a huge coalition building effort,” said Col. Raymond Strasburger, chief of staff of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, speaking to the maintainers. “It was really cool; not every day do you receive appreciation from a foreign military officer,” said SrA. Arianna Banks. “This is a great story to take home from my deployment.”
The Air Force’s B-52 bomber may soon be able to carry up to 20 stealthy long-range anti-ship missiles to strike moving targets at sea, a key capability in a potential fight with China.
