Retired Brig. Gen. Thomas R. Mikolajcik, who last served as the Air Staff’s director of transportation and was a member of the C-X Task Force that led to development of the C-17, died April 17 at age 63 after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1969 and over his career flew the C-9, C-17, C-130, and C-141 airlifters. Among his assignments, he served in Air Staff and NATO positions, was project officer for a Congressionally directed mobility study, and commanded two airlift wings, one at Ramstein AB, Germany, and one at Charleston AFB, S.C., where he established the first C-17 squadron. (Also read JB Charleston report by Rose Alexander; WCSC-TV report)
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…