Tag Archives: Air Force

Newsweek reports: A decorated U.S. Air Force colonel slated to take command of the base that hosts Air Force One has been sentenced to five years in prison for receiving child pornography. Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, Virginia, was jailed on Friday after he plead guilty to receipt of child pornography in October. He was also sentenced to 15 years …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling in Roe & Voe v. Esper that halted efforts by the Trump administration to discharge members of the Air Force because they are living with HIV. The decision will allow two active-duty Airmen living with HIV, identified pseudonymously as …

Stars & Stripes reports: For years, Cory Reeves allegedly posted hundreds of messages on a secret online forum for white supremacists under a pseudonym. In now-public posts, Reeves appeared to swap workout routines and diet tips with his like-minded internet friends; he also appeared to paper his town with far-right propaganda, participate in white-nationalist group meetups and share racist memes. …

Politico reports: The U.S. Air Force has ordered a world-wide review of how it chooses overnight accommodations on long flights following revelations that air crews had occasionally stayed at President Donald Trump’s Scotland resort while refueling at a small commercial airport nearby. The review comes as additional instances of military personnel staying at Trump properties have been uncovered. The C-17 …

CNN reports: The crew of a US Air Force C-17 stayed at President Donald Trump’s golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland, during a March refueling stop en route to Kuwait, the Air Force acknowledged, again raising ethics questions about government use of the President’s private entities. The Air Force, which said in a statement it was reviewing the trip records, said …

From the military blog Task & Purpose: At least one Air Force base is on the lookout for a sinister new threat: angry men who can’t get laid. Personnel at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland were recently treated to a threat brief regarding an “increase in nationwide activity” by self-described “incels,” members of an online subculture of “involuntary celibacy” who …

The Air Force Times reports: Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will resign and take a job in academia. The University of Texas System Board of Regents on Friday announced that it had voted unanimously to make Wilson the sole finalist to be president of the University of Texas at El Paso. Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate, has been Air …

The Associated Press reports: Sen. Martha McSally, the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, said Wednesday that she was raped in the Air Force by a superior officer. The Arizona Republican, a 26-year military veteran, made the disclosure at a Senate hearing on the armed services’ efforts to prevent sexual assaults and improve the response when they occur. …

Foreign Policy reports: President Donald Trump is peeved with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson over her handling of his directive to stand up a separate Space Force in the U.S. military, and he’s considering ousting her after the midterm elections, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Foreign Policy. Wilson, a former Republican congresswoman from New Mexico, recently angered …

The Associated Press reports: One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors. A third admitted, “I absolutely just loved altering my mind.” Meet service members entrusted with guarding nuclear missiles that are among the most powerful in America’s arsenal. Air Force records obtained by The Associated Press show they bought, distributed and used the hallucinogen LSD …

Stars & Stripes reports: The Air Force has affirmed the religious rights of a colonel who claimed he was wrongly disciplined for refusing to sign a certificate of appreciation for the same-sex spouse of one of his airmen last year. The Air Force said that Col. Leland Bohannon “had the right to exercise his sincerely held religious beliefs and did …

NBC News reports: A FedEx delivery arrived at Helen Grace James’ door on Wednesday. It was a message from the U.S. Air Force. She called two of her closest friends to come be with her before she opened it, and they arrived 20 minutes later. Once she opened it, she received the good news: The military had upgraded her discharge …

The Air Force Times reports: Airman Second Class Helen Grace James wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father and her great-grandfather and serve in her country’s military. But her service was cut short after she was investigated, interrogated and then given an “undesirable” discharge from the Air Force because she was a lesbian, the Washington Post reported. Now, …

The Air Force Times reports: An Air Force colonel who refused to sign a certificate of appreciation for the same-sex spouse of a retiring master sergeant in his command claims he was wrongly disciplined for holding to his religious beliefs. Following the May incident, the master sergeant filed an Equal Opportunity complaint alleging that Col. Leland Bohannon, then-commander of the …

Hate groups are furious over the nomination of openly lesbian Col. Kristin Goodwin to be commandant of the US Air Force Academy. The Foundation for Moral Law, the hate group founded by deposed Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, has written an open letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The letter was written by Moore’s wife, Kayla, the group’s …

This seems like the right story to follow up a Star Wars post. CNN reports: The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, said it’s on track to demonstrate a working laser weapon on a fighter jet by 2020. “It really is a national tipping point,” said Kelly Hammett, chief engineer for the AFRL’s directed energy directorate. “We see the …

Via USA Today: The Air Force announced policy changes Thursday that will make it more difficult to discharge transgender troops, a move that mirrors one made in March by the Army and puts the Pentagon a step closer to allowing transgender people to serve openly. Troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria or who identify as transgender are generally discharged from serving, …

From the Colorado Springs Gazette: The Air Force Academy class of 2015 is the first to come through four years at the academy with the open acceptance of gays and lesbians in the ranks. Tricia Heller, a 1987 graduate, and Tara Sweeney, a ’95 grad, attended the ceremony to support Lydia Hill of Boston. Heller and Sweeney helped found Spectrum, …

Pat Robertson is denouncing the Air Force for caving to “one little Jewish radical” and dropping its “so help me God” oath requirement. That Jewish radical, Mikey Weinstein, responds at Friendly Atheist: “Pat Robertson is to human dignity and sanity and integrity and character what dog shit is to a fine French restaurant on the menu.” Snork!