SrA. James A. Hansen, 25, of Athens, Mich., died Wednesday of wounds suffered during a controlled detonation at JB Balad, Iraq, the Defense Department has announced. Hansen was assigned to the 46th Operations Support Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla. He was one of the roughly 6,000 airmen still in Iraq supporting Operation New Dawn, the advise-and-assist mission that supplanted Operation Iraqi Freedom on Sept. 1. (DOD release)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.