Frank R. Walker, 66, an Air Force civilian supporting Operation Enduring Freedom died Oct. 28 of non-combat-related medical causes at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. Walker, of Oklahoma City, Okla., was assigned to the 72nd Civil Engineering Directorate at Tinker AFB, Okla., the Defense Department said in a release Oct. 31. The Tulsa World reported Nov. 1 that Walker died of a heart attack, citing a Tinker spokeswoman. Walker was a project construction manager with the US Army Corps of Engineers while overseas and was on his fifth trip to Afghanistan, according to the newspaper.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.