Vice President Joe Biden, on an April 16 visit to Whiteman AFB, Mo., addressed a crowd of airmen, saying, ” I admire you, the President admires you, and we are putting our money where our mouth is in terms of seeing to it that you have everything you need as you deploy, when you deploy, and when you come home.” During the troop rally, Biden also presented a Bronze Star medal to TSgt. David Townsend, with Whiteman’s 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron, for his actions while deployed as a convoy commander in Iraq. “It was a great honor, Sergeant, to be able to pin that Bronze Star on you,” Biden told Townsend and added, “You were probably less concerned jumping in the convoy than you were coming up here on stage.” (Vice President’s remarks) (Whiteman report by SrA. Stephen Linch)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.