Team Vance members (left to right) Maj.Terry Bloom, Capt. Pat Thomason, Capt. Leon Butler and Maj. Joseph Markusfeld eat dinner at the FOB Kirkuk Regional Air Base dining facility with Maj. Scott McCartt and Capt. Jamie Riddle of Columbus Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Joseph Markusfeld)
Maj. Terry Bloom returned from his deployment at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq, in October of 2008 with a stronger appreciation for not only the security and freedom America provides its citizens, but also for the Iraqis’ determination to restore their country to its former grand status in the world.
Along with 12 other American pilots, Bloom was a member of the Coalition Air Force Training Team that spent a year helping to rebuild the Iraqi air force from the ground up. read more...
The excitement of the NCAA basketball tournament hits bases around the world as people vie for top spots in the Air Force’s March Madness on-line bracket tournament promotion. read more...
Suiting up Sharon Trojan, the 71st Mission Support Group honorary commander, has a G-suit fitted by Candie David (left), and Cliff Cherry, life support specialists at Vance AFB. Trojan received an orientation flight Tuesday in a T-6 flown by Capt. Nathan Perry with the 33rd Flying Training Squadron. Trojan, a member of the Northern Oklahoma College/Northwestern Oklahoma State University advisory board and local certified public accountant, has spent the past year learning about the Air Force and Vance AFB while paired with Col. Jennifer Graham, the 71st MSG commander. The honorary commander program is designed to create a better understanding between Vance commanders and local business and community leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe B. Wiles)
SAN ANTONIO (AFNS) — Each February, the country recognizes African American History Month to highlight the struggles and triumphs of millions of American citizens during some of the most devastating obstacles in the nation’s history — slavery, prejudice, poverty — and looks at their contributions to the nation’s cultural and political life. read more...
This year’s Black History Month national theme is “The Quest for Black Citizenship in America.” As we begin celebrating Black/African-American History Month this February, it is important to remember the struggle for citizenship and equal treatment in America that blacks and African-Americans of our past endured for the sake of a better future for their descendants. read more...
Team Vance, we enjoy an outstanding relationship with our surrounding communities — military discounts, commercial sponsorship of our base activities, and great support.
Following a recent article in the Enid News and Eagle, some questions arose about Vance Air Force Base’s policies concerning off-base discrimination and the avenues for reporting these actions should they occur. read more...
My friend Dawn is the kind of mother I have always wished I could be. Not only is she one of those moms whose kids are always on time, color-coordinated and in possession of shiny white teeth and fresh breath, the woman looks like a brunette Cameron Diaz. read more...
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFNS) — An ignition module failure caused the crash of an MQ-1B Predator east of Ali Base, Iraq, May 2, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released Tuesday. read more...
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — The United Kingdom’s top leader of Royal Air Force recruitment, education and training visited Randolph Air Force Base recently to review unmanned aircraft systems training conducted by the 563rd Flying Training Squadron. read more...
A young Iraqi girl in an apartment complex accepts toys from an airman of the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Det. 4 inside the International Zone of Baghdad, Iraq. The items were gathered by a group of volunteer service members at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, called the Kids of Iraq. The items come from donors in the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Craig Lifton)
Next to e-mail, we use the telephone for conducting most of our day-to-day business. A telephone call requires courtesy and interaction to be successful. read more...
SEVEN POUNDS — An IRS agent with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers. read more...
WASHINGTON — A series of educational assistance programs administered by the Veterans Affairs Department, commonly called the GI Bill, have helped service members pursue post-secondary learning for decades.
Soon, another program will be added to the mix: The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Bill will be available to qualified individuals Aug. read more...
Tech. Sgt. Les Huddleston assembles the lower receiver on an M16A2 rifle at the Lackland gunsmith shop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alan Boedeker)
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — The only gunsmith shop in the Air Force, tucked away in a bunker-like building on Lackland’s Training Annex, has been quietly arming airmen with refurbished small arms for little more than half a century. read more...
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — The Department of Defense has selected an aviator serving at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to become one of six pilots to write a new chapter in Marine Corps aviation history.
Major Chad A. read more...
• Duty: Military working dog trainer with 71st Security Forces Squadron.
• Hometown: Shippensburg, Pa.
• Favorite PT regimen: Running.
• Mission contributions: Coordinated major command level support for presidential inauguration to deploy a Vance military working dog team. read more...
FORT LEE, Va. —Sharpen your pencils, fire up your computers and eat as much “brain food” as you can! You’ve been preparing your whole life for college, so don’t miss the opportunity to apply for a $1,500 scholarship through the Scholarships for Military Children Program. read more...
Vance Officer’s Spouse’s Club Scholarships are now available for the 2009-2010 school year.
Applications are now available at the following locations:
Base Education Office, Family Support, the Commissary, OSC Thrift Shop and from local area high school counselors.
The scholarships are available to dependents of Vance personnel who are high school seniors or who are enrolled in college, or to Vance spouses, with the exception of Vance OSC members.
Applications must be postmarked on or before March 26.
For more information, contact the Vance OSC at 213-7731 or vanceoscscholarship@hotmail.com.
Past Vance OSC scholarship recipients are not eligible.
Applicants must be dependents of active or reserve military personnel, local area retired or deceased military personnel, or Department of Defense employees.
Planning guide offered
A 39-page guide to assist with your long-term financial planning needs is available at the Vance Legal Office.
The guide, “Introducing Blue to Green — Preparing Airmen for Financial Success,” was written by Maj. read more...
Gen. Norton Schwartz (left) and Gen. Craig R. McKinley (right) pin lieutenant general stars on Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III during Monday’s ceremony at the Pentagon. Schwartz is the Air Force chief of staff, and McKinley is the chief of the National Guard Bureau. Wyatt was named director of the Air National Guard after previously serving as the adjutant general of the Oklahoma National Guard. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy)
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) — Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III became director of the Air National Guard and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in a ceremony held Monday at the Pentagon. read more...
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