More than 20 civilian bosses, who employ airmen with the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing got the chance to visit the unit in March at Lackland AFB, Tex., and experience first-hand the wing’s operations. This visit was meant to be a show of appreciation to the employers for their support. They learned about the unit’s heritage and its current F-16 training mission and state disaster preparedness activities. They also got an upfront look at the F-16 with Viper pilots and maintainers serving as their guides. And they even got to witness F-16s being refueled in flight from their vantage point aboard a KC-135 tanker. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Keith Christian, a grocery store chain manager. “Wow. What a job!” added Jed Garmon, a local power generation equipment shop service manager. (Lackland report by SSgt. Phil Fountain)
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.