Members of Air Force Reserve Command’s 512th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del., are nearing the end of a huge overseas effort. They have been deployed since June 17 to Rota, Spain, along with two of Dover’s new C-5M transports and two of its C-5Bs. The unit has been delivering helicopters to various locations in Afghanistan, including Bagram and Kandahar air fields. The choppers are being supplied to the Army’s 4th Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Hood, Tex. The Army brigade is scheduled to arrive in Afghanistan later this month as part of the ongoing US troop surge there. The Dover airmen’s final mission on this tour is slated for July 17, wing spokeswoman Capt. Marnee Losurdo told the Daily Report Tuesday. When done, they will have moved more than 100 Apache, Blackhawk, and Chinook helicopters for their Army brethren. Airmen from Dover’s active duty 9th Airlift Squadron are also helping out on this tour. (Dover report by Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo)
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.