Air Force bases along the US East Coast remained relatively unscathed by Hurricane Irene’s wrath after the storm reached the US East Coast Aug. 27 and worked its way from North Carolina up to New England. At JB Langley-Eustis, Va., there were some downed trees and “minor flooding,” but overall the joint installation “sustained no major damage” and was operating under normal conditions on Monday, SMSgt. Anna Hayman, a Langley spokeswoman, told the Daily Report. Langley’s F-22s, which flew to Grissom ARB, Ind., to avoid the storm, were expected back shortly, said Hayman. Members of the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., on Monday were out cleaning up damage left by the storm, which dumped nearly 10 inches of rain there, according to a base release. JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst experienced some flooding; damage assessment teams were spread out across the base on Monday to determine the full extent of damages. Continue
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.