The deputy commander of the 4th Operations Group at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., has flown his 3,000th hour in an F-15E Strike Eagle. This milestone for Col. Todd Boyd sets him apart in the 4th Fighter Wing—he’s the first current pilot there to achieve it. His commander called him a “true expert” in the Strike Eagle, reports SSgt. Shawn Jones. Boyd is a commander, instructor, and a flight examiner for every Strike Eagle mission. Achieving 3,000 flying hours also makes him one of the most experienced F-15E pilots in the entire Air Force.
The U.S. sent Air Force F-16s over central Syria in a show of force following the Dec. 13 killing of two U.S. Army Soldiers and one American civilian interpreter by a gunman linked to the Islamic State group.

