Approximately 60 airmen, mostly from the Texas Air National Guard, took a C-130 and an F-16 to Santiago, Chile, for a week-long exchange visit in conjunction with the FIDAE international air and space fair. “The opportunity to meet with our Chilean air force hosts promotes interoperability, which can be applied to events ranging from exercises to humanitarian-assistance operations,” said Col. Steve Pedrotty, director of operations for 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), in a release. The aircraft represented the Air Force on static display during the show, which ran from March 25 to 30. The US airmen shared techniques and ideas with their Chilean air force counterparts in C-130 and F-16 maintenance and operations, aerospace medicine, and several other areas. The Texas Air Guard and Chileans host routine exchanges as part of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. (Santiago report by Capt. Justin Brockhoff)
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.