Although security has improved dramatically in Afghanistan since the war’s bloodiest days, hostile acts are still a regular part of life, reports Air Force Magazine’s Amy McCullough, who is on assignment at Kandahar Airfield. McCullough was there on July 14 and on the following day when insurgents attacked the base with rockets. And, she arrived at Kandahar just days after an Afghan wearing an Afghan National Security Forces uniform opened fire on Slovak troops on base, killing one and wounding several others. The first rocket attack occurred around 9:40 p.m. local time on Sunday. The second rocket struck roughly 10 hours later. Writes McCullough: “Sunday evening, I was sitting in my bunk working on a story for Air Force Magazine when I heard a whoosh followed by a loud bang. Seconds later, a British female voice over the loudspeaker confirmed what I had feared—I had just experienced my first rocket attack.” Continue on to McCullough’s full report, It’s Still a War Zone. (See also in the Reporter’s Notebook series: There are Worse Places to Break Down.)
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…