MSgt. Jeffrey Gray of the 328th Airlift Squadron at Niagara Falls ARS, N.Y., has been named the Air Force’s First Sergeant of the Year for 2008, Air Force Reserve Command announced July 9. He is reportedly the first Reservist chosen for the annual award since the Air Force introduced it in 1985. Gray is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and a 12-year veteran firefighter in Buffalo. He recently deployed to Afghanistan for eight months with the 755th Expeditionary Mission Support Group. He will receive his award in August at the Air Force Sergeants Association’s annual convention in San Antonio.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.