Lt. Col. Dave Iverson has the distinction currently to be the only active duty USAF pilot to reach more than 4,000 flying hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle, according to a 48h Fighter Wing report on Jan. 27 from Nevada, where wing members are participating in Red Flag. Iverson, who commands the 492nd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, has flown the F-15E since 1993, including combat sorties over Iraq in Northern and Southern Watch, over Bosnia in Deny Flight, and Afghanistan in Enduring Freedom (he reached 3,000 hours in 2007 over Afghanistan). Col. John Quintas, 48th Operations Group commander, said the number of F-15E hours is “not nearly as impressive as the wide-ranging contributions he’s made to the Strike Eagle community.” Iverson acknowledged the milestone but said, “With our current overseas contingency responsibilities you’ll see a lot more people break the 4,000-hour mark.” (48th FW report by TSgt. Chris Stagner)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.