Roy Bowden, now a civilian air conditioning mechanic with the 78th Civil Engineer Squadron at Robins AFB, Ga., on Aug. 21 received a Bronze Star Medal for his service in leading combat convoy patrols in Iraq from May 2005 to May 2006 as a sergeant in the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade. Bowden did not realize that he had earned the honor until February of this year when he was looking at his military record to get information for his job application at Robins. The Army Secretary had awarded him the medal in November 2007. (Robins report by Wayne Crenshaw)
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.