The Air Force was created by the National Service Act of 1947.  It has several missions that continually lived up to over the years that it has served the purpose of protecting the people and the State.  One of these missions is to be responsible for the effective prosecution of war, as well as to expand peacetime components to meet the needs of the war.  It also aims to support national policies, and to overcome any nation that is responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of the United States.

 With such missions in tow, the Air Force has been garnering positive feedback as to the level and extent of service and devotion that they have put in on their work.  The Air Force has assumed its rightful place as the pillar of the people of the United States, providing its people and its territory with n elevated sense of safety as they deem necessary.

After a swig of beer the Marine says, ‘Well, we had Iwo Jima.’

Arching his eyebrows, the sailor replies, ‘We had the Battle of Midway.

‘Not entirely true’, responded the Marine. ‘Some of those pilots were Marines, in fact, Henderson Field on Guadalcanal was named after a Marine pilot killed at the Battle of Midway.’

The sailor responds, ‘Point taken.’

The Marine then says, ‘We Marines were born at Tunn Tavern!’

The sailor, nodding agreement, says, ‘But we had John Paul Jones.’

The argument continued until the sailor comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion. With a flourish of finality he says…… ‘The Navy invented sex!’

The Marine replies, ‘That is true, but it was the Marines who introduced it to women.’

An Army medic, Mack, of New Milford, was in Iraq from August 2006 to October 2007. When he returned it wasn’t long before his mother, Terry Mack, noticed a change in him.

He was mistrustful. When he sat down he didn’t like people behind him. In stores he would constantly look over his shoulder. He also did not want to talk about his experiences.

“I can’t tell how horrible it was,” his mother recalled him saying. “Am I supposed to tell people I went around picking up body parts because I’m a medic?”

Jeremy Mack is one of an increasing number of young veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Many have returned with permanent wounds. Others, like Mack, though their bodies may have returned the same, have been forever changed on the inside by what they saw.

 Read the full story here.

Some have trouble collecting the government money that is supposed to pay for college, or they discover that the benefits aren’t nearly enough to cover tuition and other bills. While their classmates complain about homework and hangovers, many vets struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, the effects of traumatic brain injury, lost limbs and a range of chronic medical problems. With 1.5 million service members coming out of military duty in Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001, universities across the state and the nation have been anticipating a postwar influx and looking for ways to welcome veterans to campus.

Veterans and widows of veterans may qualify for a little-known, little-used benefit through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Wartime veterans and widows may qualify for up to $22,000 a year in tax-free funds to pay for assisted living expenses. It’s been available since 1951 and no one knows about it. Only a little over 200,000 people are using it. According to a report, only 27 percent of veterans and 14 percent of widows receive the benefit. A VA study says that veterans generally “are completely unaware that the program exists.”

However, military service and financial requirements must be met for eligibility. Military requirements call for 90 days of continuous active duty with at least one day served during a declared time of war, including World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Gulf War. Veterans may have any kind of discharge except dishonorable. They must also be disabled or at least 65 years old.

Benefits are available in the amount of $18,654 for an unmarried veteran, $22,113 for a married veteran and $11,985 for a widow of a veteran. The benefit increases each year.

The Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) is a program for young men and women ages 13-17 who are interested in developing their skills in leadership, basic seamanship, courage, self-reliance and military discipline.

The main purpose is to foster good citizenship and an interest and appreciation of our nation’s sea services including the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.

Many residents are unaware that such a program exists in their own backyard.

Last year, the NSCC program prepared the Leeds Armory for training by painting, creating sleeping places and repairing issues within the Armory to make help update the facility. At some point, they hope to use the Armory as a two-week training facility during the summer.

Over 20 young men and women met recently at the armory for a two-day drill session. The two-day drills take place one weekend a month.

The Leeds Armory provides housing during drills, as well as a place where cadets learn and practice the skills needed for their training.

During the weekend’s sessions, cadets participated in drills including a victim recovery exercise, physical training exercises and swim qualifications.

Read the full story here.

Coordinates activities of and supervises personnel engaged in operating an air traffic control tower. Directs radio searches for overdue or lost aircraft. Should be responsible, decisive and handle stress well. Must be a U.S. citizen, age 30 or younger.

• Training: Complete program sponsored by Federal Aviation Administration; pass a certification exam.

• Average pay: $74,773.

Elevator installer and repairer

Also called elevator mechanic. Assembles, installs and replaces elevators, escalators, chairlifts, dumbwaiters and moving walkways in office buildings and homes. Must follow safety regulations and building codes. Should have some math skills and be able to read blueprints.

• Training: Four-year apprenticeship offered by the International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 34.

• Average pay: $50,943.

Power plant operator

Controls and monitors boilers, turbines, generators and auxiliary equipment in power-generating plants. Distributes power demands among generators, combines the current from several generators and monitors instruments to maintain voltage and regulate electricity flow from the plant. May use computers to keep records of switching operations and loads on generators, lines and transformers. Should have strong computer and technical skills.

• Training: Prior experience or on-the-job training.

• Average pay: $61,118. (more…)

He knew how to be a Marine. He hadn’t a clue how a Marine becomes a college student.

Neither did anyone else on campus. Advisers at one school Wills attended gave him incorrect information. Officials at a second offered no help. Often, he says, he felt like “the new kid who didn’t fit in.”

The Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI Bill, helped turn a college education into a right of middle-class America. It covered the cost for millions of World War II veterans as compensation for having disrupted their lives to serve.

Today, with tuition climbing, and a college degree increasingly the ticket to economic security, the promise of money for education is no less important to service members. The Department of Defense says 95 percent of Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard sign up for the GI Bill when they enlist.

For many, like Wills, 28, it is the reason they join. Yet his experience, and those of other recent veterans, suggests that often the road from combat to college can be riddled with potholes.

Read the full article here.

“This is really the culmination of a lot of great effort,” said NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., “by people who have taken this idea of unity of effort, of integration of capabilities, and brought them together in this room as a symbol of a true integrated approach to both warning and defense of our homelands.”

NORAD and USNORTHCOM have shared a commander and a headquarters building since 2002, when USNORTHCOM was established. Sharing a command center with integrated land, air, space, missile warning, maritime and cyber domains brings the commands’ missions together in a way “that creates great synergy,” General Renuart said.

“Our command center will be a huge improvement in our ability to integrate situational awareness, to begin to respond to a major event in either of our countries, and then to take the national capabilities that respond to disasters, both man-made and natural, and bring relief to our citizens in our communities,” the general said. “So this is really a weapons system for the future.”

Canadians greatly value their defense partnership with the U.S., said Canadian Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay. “In fact, we’re constantly revisiting and constantly upgrading our participation, our ability, to continue this strong relationship that we have enjoyed now for 50 years. The opening of NORAD and NORTHCOM’s new command and control center, especially now in the context of this ongoing 50-year anniversary celebration, is truly something that we value.

Read the full story here.