The Air Force announced Sept. 14 that SSgt. Bryan D. Berky of Melrose, Fla., died Sept. 12 near Bala Baluk, Afghanistan, of wounds he sustained from enemy fire during combat operations. Berky had deployed to Afghanistan from the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. According to a report by the Rapid City Journal, Berky, 25, was one of three US military members killed in the action that continued for six to eight hours after an initial attack by some 50 Taliban insurgents. The Associated Press (via the Miami Herald) reports that Berky was an explosives ordnance disposal technician.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…