Air Force military and civilian firefighters from Travis AFB, Calif., just took top honors for the third time at the World Firefighter Combat Challenge, held Nov. 7-11 at Hendersen, Nev. The Travis team last month won the US competition held at Atlanta. The world competition comprised hundreds of US and Canadian fire departments. Tasks included climbing a five-story tower and rescuing a 175-pound dummy.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
