Three airmen were among the seven military members honored May 16 for their volunteer work during a USA Freedom Corps President’s Volunteer Service Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Maj. Laird Abbott, assigned to the Air Staff, has served as a volunteer firefighter with five fire departments over the course of 20 years. MSgt. Tammy Caban, an Air National Guardsman at the National Guard Bureau, has volunteered with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors since 2004, providing grief assistance, and assists patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C. SMSgt. Rene Rubiella, an Air Force Reservist at Patrick AFB, Fla., volunteers for activities such as Habitat for Humanity and a local soup kitchen. (American Forces Press Service report by USAF TSgt. Adam Stump; NGB report by MSgt. Greg Rudl)
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…