April 22, 2013 Fightin' 55th celebrating past, present A week dedicated to the heritage of the 55th Wing is scheduled for April 29 - May 4.The annual event, designated as Heritage Week, invites current and former 55th Wing members to reflect on the wing's accomplishments and legacy."It's an opportunity to kind of open things up and let people see all of
April 22, 2013 55th Medical Group selected for two Air Force level awards The men and women of the 55th Medical Group recently learned that their hard work and dedication earned them two Air Force level awards. The Ehrling Bergquist Clinic was recognized with the 2012 Air Force Surgeon General Award for Best Clinic, and the dental clinic was named the 2012 Air Force
April 19, 2013 Thanks for your service: Longtime personnel employee set to retire An Offutt employee who devoted his entire career to serving military members and their families will soon hang up his hat.Rick Bayne, a casualty assistance representative from the 55th Force Support Squadron, is scheduled to retire here April 30 after 52 years of combined service to the U. S. Air
April 19, 2013 Offutt to start using DBIDS for base access Later this month the 55th Security Forces Squadron will begin using the Defense Biometric Identification System to verify the access authorization of everyone entering Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.DBIDS is a Homeland Security and Defense Department initiative developed to increase force protection and
April 19, 2013 Tax Center gives clients a fair share Team Offutt members recently got their share of $8,499,242 and it's all because of the Offutt Tax Center.The tax center consisted of 56 volunteer tax preparers and 14 phone volunteers that contributed 2,761 hours to help facilitate 4,135 shares of nearly $8.5 million to its clients. "I'm here to
April 15, 2013 10,000 Sorties later: 763rd Airmen flying strong The 763rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron completed its 10,000th sortie April 10, all while continuously serving in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for nearly 23 years. Using the Rivet Joint platform, the squadron averages around 10 hours a sortie with an average crew of 25 who
April 12, 2013 Retired from Active Service, Offutt's high-altitude chamber takes her last "flight" After more than fifty years of service, Offutt's altitude chamber took its last flight and was retired on April 4. The John Mohr, 20 Man Altitude Chamber was constructed in 1957 using WWII battleship steel, and in its tenure here at Offutt, the high-altitude chamber taught tens of thousands of
April 11, 2013 Air Force restarts tuition assistance The Air Force has officially restarted military tuition assistance, effective immediately. The service restarted the program as a result of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, where Congress called for the MTA program to continue in the current fiscal year. As a
April 3, 2013 Defenders of Freedom Open House & Air Show Cancelled The 2013 Defenders of Freedom Open House and Air Show, scheduled for Aug. 24-25, has been cancelled.Driven by operating budget uncertainties and sequestration, U.S. Air Force leadership at all levels are proactively implementing actions to minimize impact to military readiness while protecting
April 2, 2013 Don't want to get 'off it' -- Summer swap helps two lieutenant colonels remain on base When the Air Force Weather Agency's Lead Command Management Division chief and the 343rd Recruiting Squadron commander move on to new assignments this summer, their commutes won't change much.As AFWA's Lt. Col. Stephen Phillips moves just down the street to take command of the 343rd RCS in June,
March 28, 2013 AF to implement force structure changes The Air Force released its plan Mar. 28 to implement force structure changes mandated by the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill authorized the service to complete actions approved in previous years, such as aircraft retirements, and directed execution of
March 28, 2013 Annual 55th Wing Birthday Ball just around the corner The 55th Wing Birthday Ball takes place at 6 p.m. on May 4 at the Embassy Suites Convention Center in La Vista, Neb.The 35th annual event is hosted by Col. John Rauch, 55th Wing commander, and his wife Diane, and is the wing's largest formal social function. It is open to all active duty and
March 25, 2013 Red Flag 13-3 puts 55th ECG to the test Airmen from the 55th Electronic Combat Group from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., participated in Red Flag 13-3 at Nellis AFB, Nev., Feb. 25 - March 15.Red Flag 13-3 was a three-week joint and coalition exercise in which aircrews from all branches of the U.S. military, as well as several
March 22, 2013 Survey helps develop stronger military communities The 2013 Community Assessment Survey begins in late March and runs for 10 weeks through May.The survey gathers opinions and needs of military members, including active duty, Guard and Reserve, defense department civilians, as well as spouses of all military members.Individuals from Air Force bases
March 21, 2013 Pentagon Delays Sending Furlough Notices to Civilian Workforce Pentagon officials have put off sending furlough notices to civilian employees until they've had a chance to analyze how pending legislation that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year will affect the Defense Department.Officials now estimate that furlough notices will go
March 13, 2013 Fitness annex opens to dorm residents 55th Wing leadership, Elite 4 Airman's Council members and dorm residents gathered at Turner Hall here March 6 to open the new dormitory fitness annex.The fitness annex is the result of a collaborative effort by the fitness center, civil engineering, dorm managers and the dorm residents
March 13, 2013 55th ISS celebrates its beginnings with a new coat of arms The 55th Intelligence Support Squadron recently celebrated its beginnings with the introduction of a new coat of arms at the headquarters of the 55th Operations Group.Activated on July 22, 2010, the 55th ISS is the newest squadron within the 55th Wing and with more than 230 Airmen across 30 Air
March 13, 2013 Air Force suspends military tuition assistance In the wake of sequestration, the Air Force officially suspended military tuition assistance March 11.Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley announced the Air Force has officially suspended military TA for the remainder of fiscal 2013. The program will continue to be evaluated to determine the