Capt. Pamela Tan, an engineer with the 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., has received a Bronze Star medal for her actions while deployed as an electronic warfare officer with an Army battalion in Iraq. In her normal role, Tan helps test the ALR-56M radar warning receiver pod for the F-15. She volunteered to serve as a ground EWO for six months with another five weeks training up front. In Iraq, her job was to install and maintain frequency jammers on Army vehicles and train soldiers how to use them and troubleshoot them in the field. Tan often traveled “outside the wire,” to see how the soldiers employed the equipment to help her with the training. She said: “It was very important to get face-time with those soldiers who were actually using the equipment. … Many times the soldiers had never seen or touched this equipment before arriving in theater.” (Eglin report by Samuel King Jr.)
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.