Vice President Joe Biden, on an April 16 visit to Whiteman AFB, Mo., addressed a crowd of airmen, saying, ” I admire you, the President admires you, and we are putting our money where our mouth is in terms of seeing to it that you have everything you need as you deploy, when you deploy, and when you come home.” During the troop rally, Biden also presented a Bronze Star medal to TSgt. David Townsend, with Whiteman’s 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron, for his actions while deployed as a convoy commander in Iraq. “It was a great honor, Sergeant, to be able to pin that Bronze Star on you,” Biden told Townsend and added, “You were probably less concerned jumping in the convoy than you were coming up here on stage.” (Vice President’s remarks) (Whiteman report by SrA. Stephen Linch)
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…