WATCH THIS. Stand by for something spectacular. “I didn’t think my dance card was full until I had been to Berlin.” Those documentary filmmakers deserve an award, and I hope they get one. Many thanks to John R. Murphy of FPF Training for passing it along.
RIP: Major General Joseph D. Brown ’80
I have sad news to report: A Major General in the United States Air Force was killed Friday afternoon when a small plane crashed in the Williamsburg area. WAVY, citing Virginia State Police, reported that Major General Joseph D. Brown IV, 54, had died in the crash. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller identified the female passenger as Brown’s wife, Susan, according to the Associated Press. … He had been in the Air Force since 1980, when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Military Institute, where he was in the ROTC program. [...]
Stray Voltage
On the 18th of April in seventy-five Hardly a Man is Now Alive Who Remembers that famous date and year Of the Mid-night Ride of Paul Revere Stray Voltage Over at Defense News retired Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Loh argues for the elimination of duplication as a means of achieving true service interdependence. What he really means is Army, Navy, and USMC give up you aircraft the USAF will take care of you. I know what that means, just like the Army gave up the C27 to the USAF only to see them cancel it [...]
Stray Voltage
Stray Voltage According to Battlelands Secretary Hagel is asking the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to reconsider the precedence of the “Distinguished Warfare Medal?” While I initially thought this much ado about nothing, I realized it really was important when you consider racking and stacking of who has done what in a combat zone. Given the constant brouhaha over the Bronze Star I think we need to reconsider our wartime awards. Let’s separate awards for Valor from awards for Meritorious Service. Instead of Awarding a Bronze Star with V Device; let’s instead award a Bronze Cross or the Bronze Military [...]
New SecDef Makes His Presence Felt
MajW DC sent this in with the comment, “Ironic his first big push is trying to limit a commanders discretion.” Yep. Ironic, and telling. So far, not impressed with Our New SecDef. One would have thought that with everything going on in DOD, he would have addressed the Department by letter and established his positions and policies, whatever they may be. Nothing. Or did I miss something? If someone in the Air Force can shed some light here, please do.
R.I.P., Lt Col Richard Hauben ’95
PsyOp Cop sent us this very sad news: Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hauben, of the U.S. Air Force, passed away Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, at his home in Henderson. Lt. Col. Hauben was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and lived overseas for over 18 years, graduating high school in Islamabad, Pakistan. He was commissioned in 1995 after completing Virginia Military Institute’s Air Force ROTC program as a distinguished graduate. Rest in peace.
This weeks Humor
Over at Wings Over Iraq, a rather humorous look at one of the other services. Particularly like the landing the boss at the wrong airport.
Lord Help Me
Please tell me that it is not so cold in Washington DC that the USAF marching in the inaugural parade have to wear ear muffs!
This Is NOT a DuffelBlog Article
Good Lord. Anyone interested in combat readiness… anyone??
Do We Need Service Secretaries?
In today’s Washington-Post former Secretary of the Air Force and later Defense Harold Brown proffers a provocative argument that there is no longer a need for the service secretaries e.g Secretary’s of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. That they are redundant and that the service Chiefs would remain under Civilian Control as they would continue to report to the Secretary of Defense. Several questions immediately come to mind: Who will be the independent political voice (vice military) who will challenge the programming and budgeting decisions of Department of Defense? Would this result in the diminishing of service parochialism? Would [...]
