Several veteran C-130s from Ramstein AB, Germany, made a quick stop—only four minutes on the ground—at a dirt landing strip in central Africa, deploying soldiers to provide training for African forces supporting the war on terror. It was a test of joint operations to reach into sub-Saharan Africa for the new Africa Command. And, according to Capt. Justin Brumley, 37th Airlift Squadron pilot, the mission “would test the C-130’s capabilities to its fullest.” The 37th AS and 38th AS utilized E-model Hercules and crews that had been flying tactical airlift missions for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Ramstein report by 1st Lt. Matthew Wunderlich)
A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flew from Europe across the Middle East to the Persian Gulf on July 25 in a 32-hour flight, as conflicts continued to roil the area with U.S. troops coming under attack in Iraq and Syria on July 25 and July 26, U.S. officials told…