The commander of the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron at Andersen AFB, Guam, has received a Bronze Star for his actions during a six-month tour in Iraq in 2004. Lt. Col. Pete Ridilla, who served as commander of an Air Force engineer detachment working with the Ohio Army National Guard, led 58 airmen from various bases in completing 350 jobs directed by the Army, including building schools, bridges, prison camps, hospitals, and more. His detachment traveled 15,000 convoy miles on this deployment, during which they encountered more than 300 mortar and rocket attacks. He said, “I’m very proud of the deployment. We did life altering work … we did some awesome work.” (Andersen report by SSgt. Angelique Smythe)
In Purge, Trump Fires Brown, Slife, Franchetti, and More
Feb. 21, 2025
President Donald Trump fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announcing his intent to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John "Dan" Caine to replace him in a social media post Feb. 21.