At the top of the June 11 column was an item on the death of four airmen in an HH-60G rescue helicopter crash in southeastern Afghanistan. Killed in the June 9 crash were: 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Mich., assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.; TSgt. Michael P. Flores, 31, of San Antonio, 48th RQS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.; SSgt. David C. Smith, 26, of Eight Mile, Ala., 66th RQS, Nellis; and SrA. Benjamin D. White, 24, of Erwin, Tenn., 48th RQS, Davis-Monthan. Gentz and White were on their first combat deployments, while Flores and Smith had previously served in the war theater, the Las Vegas Sun reported June 10, citing Nellis officials. Three additional airmen assigned to the 66th RQS were injured in the crash. (See Arizona Daily Star report and Detroit Free Press 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…