The Air Force medics deployed to Manas AB, Kyrgz Republic, a facility that serves as a major way station for aircraft and personnel headed toward operations in Southwest Asia, now have a hard-walled hospital. For the past seven years, since operations began in Afghanistan, the medics have worked in a tent facility to treat some 600 patients each month. The 376th Expeditionary Medical Group initiated the project nearly six years ago. Following a ribbon cutting July 17, the first patient received treatment in the new hospital on July 19, kicking off “a future of first class health care at Manas,” said Col. Christopher Bence, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. (Manas report by A1C Ruth Holcomb)
The U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear development facilities saw the first use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a weapon specifically designed for such a mission more than 20 years ago. The Air Force B-2s were the only platform with the stealth and carrying capacity needed to haul the huge…