SSgt. Bartek Bachleda, a KC-135 boom operator with the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, was flying aboard a commercial flight en route from Chicago to Japan when he noticed that the aircraft was losing fuel. He had spotted what he thought was a leak during take-off and continued to monitor the situation as the aircraft reached cruising altitude. Bachleda notified a flight attendant who initially dismissed his story, but he captured the fuel flow on video and tried again, identifying himself as an airman and showing the video. That brought the flight’s captain to his side and the decision to land in San Francisco. The captain credited Bachleda with saving the flight’s 300 passengers. (Kadena report by TSgt. Rey Ramon)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.