The Air Force awarded pilot wings posthumously to 2nd Lt. Alec Littler, presenting the wings to his father Bob Littler during the graduation ceremony Nov. 7 for Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program Class 08-08 at Sheppard AFB, Tex. Lieutenant Little was killed in the May 1 crash of a T-38C trainer that an accident investigation board later attributed to errors by the instructor pilot on the aircraft. The IP also died in the crash. Both Littler’s parents attended the graduation ceremony. “We’re here because we want to represent Alec,” said his father and his mother added, “He would not have wished to be anywhere else.” (Sheppard report by 2nd Lt. Raeanna Elms)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.