Vance Air Force Base looks very different today than it did in June of 1954.
That’s when 84 members of Pilot Training Class 55-Q first set foot on the base.
June 12, several members of class 55-Q returned to Enid to dedicate a memorial plaque for their classmates who trained at Vance.
The plaque was unveiled during a ceremony in Vance’s Air Park, where it sits surrounded by retired aircraft, some of the types used to train class 55-Q. read more...

For more than 2,200 military personnel and their families, Vance Air Force Base is home away from home.
Officials hope a new base housing addition will make life for Vance airmen and their families even more like home.
Ground was broken Monday afternoon for 30 new homes at Vance.
The houses will be located just to the north of Eisenhower Elementary School, on a 132-acre parcel of land donated to the Air Force by the city of Enid in 2006.
The houses will be built by Hunt Building Co. read more...

The layoff of 30 civilian employees, announced earlier this month by CSC Applied Technologies LLC, went into effect Monday.
The layoffs, in the areas of aircraft and base maintenance, involved some employees with many years on the job, said Jerry McCune, president and directing business representative for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 171, who added “some of the craftsmen laid off will seek employment locally, and some will leave Enid.”
District Lodge 171 is the parent unit of IAMAW Local Lodge 898, which represents most CSC employees.
Morale among the remaining CSC employees at the base, McCune said, is low.
“The work force really feels violated through this corporate layoff,” McCune said. read more...

Whether you enjoy backyard barbecues, backpacking, cycling or just sitting by the pool, summer is the time to enjoy the outdoors. read more...

Through many heroic efforts by members of the Ghostriders and other airmen on base, I survived the first fires in the crucible. read more...

For more than a year, my senior in high school talked about joining the military. She’d met some women who served on the ship with my husband and suddenly saw herself as one of them — strong, tough, and doing jobs a lot more important than making copies at the copier. read more...

Tuesday morning began with a flight for me. I’d flown poorly the last few rides and wanted to do well today. read more...

Saturday, 7 p.m.

SHUTTER — A newly married couple discovers disturbing images in photographs they develop after a tragic accident. read more...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional investigators have upheld Boeing’s protest of a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract awarded to Northrop Grumman Corp. read more...

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) — A new restraint system based on the same technology that brings speeding roller coasters to a smooth stop may soon help save warfighter lives and reduce mobile aircrew injuries. read more...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) — Comedian Bill Engvall is famous for his shtick on certain people wearing the “I’m stupid” sign. read more...

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EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) — The walls are decorated with old Soviet Union propaganda, urging admirers of the art to note a “Glory to the Soviet People — The Creator of Powerful Aviation,” and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics flags with the infamous hammer and sickle graphic are spread throughout the building. read more...

The annual Consumer Con-fidence Report on the quality of tap water for Vance AFB is complete. Vance's drinking water is well within all federal and state mandated standards and is safe to drink. read more...

FORT LEE, Va. — The backyard barbecue is such an Independence Day tradition, skipping it would be like skipping the fireworks — a bad idea! Still, if you’re looking for something to pop on the grill that’s lighter in fat and lower in calories than the typical burgers and dogs, I’ve got just what you need. read more...

GENOA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Even the Air Force knows a good burger is hard to find. Aaron Kay’s superior officer agreed to extend the serviceman’s leave by one week so he could be on hand for the opening of a new White Castle restaurant in Livingston County.
The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus of Howell reports Kay was scheduled to return Monday to his base in Okinawa, Japan, and learned about Tuesday’s planned opening in Genoa Township.
The Howell High graduate had returned to Howell with his wife and children to visit family. read more...

Top pick

Meadowlake Park rides
Carousel, kiddie and train rides at Meadowlake Park off Rupe are open 6:30-9 p.m. read more...