An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle sustained damage in a ground accident May 12 at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, after returning from a combat mission. The incident occurred about 10 a.m. local time. A board of inquiry will investigate the mishap. USAF has operated Reapers in Afghanistan since September 2007. They carry Hellfire ground-attack missiles and 500-pound bombs. (Bagram report by Capt. Toni Tones)
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.
