Some 200 airmen and 10 A-10s from the Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing left Selfridge ANG Base northeast of Detroit to train at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., according to a unit release. This two-week deployment is part of Operation Snowbird, under which northern-tier Air Guard units have the opportunity to drill in warm-weather conditions in southern Arizona during the winter months. “Training at Davis-Monthan in Snowbird is like a scrimmage before playing in the big game,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Holtz, commander of the wing’s 107th Fighter Squadron. “Everybody gets a chance to sharpen their skills and build up the team,” he said. The Selfridge airmen departed for Arizona on Jan. 23; they will focus on search-and-recovery training during their stint at Davis-Monthan, states the release. While there, they will be able to nearly double their normal daily sortie rate.
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.