Nearly 3,000 military personnel, family members, and friends gathered at Eglin AFB, Fla., to honor the explosive ordnance disposal technicians who have died in operations since World War II and add the names of the 15 EOD personnel who lost their lives in 2010 to the memorial wall. Among those 15 were two airmen: SrA. Michael Buras and SrA. Daniel Johnson. The Army lost five EOD technicians last year, while eight EOD marines were killed. There are now 269 names on the memorial wall. “You move toward danger while others flee, you create access on the battlefield, you clear compounds, you permit movement down dusty roads, and ultimately you make an area safe for the people who live there,” said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos in honoring the EOD cadre during the May 7 ceremony. Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and CMSAF James Roy also attended. (Eglin report by Lois Walsh)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.