Vice President Dick Cheney on Dec. 20 administered the oath of office for the new head of Veterans Affairs, James Peake, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War and former Army Surgeon General. President Bush stood at his side during the ceremony. Peake, who graduated from West Point in 1966 and retired from the Army in 2004 as a lieutenant general, is a thoracic surgeon.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.