Military Archive

Hurlburt Field – U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Travis J. Hackett, a member of the 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, has an inspiring story that intertwines his love for baseball and his dedication to serving his country.

Hurlburt Field – As an Air Force Comptroller, our ability to adapt to the ebbs and flows of the budget environment and our customer needs is what makes our career field essential to the success of our great nation and the Department of Defense. It is exactly the mind set we need as the Air Force shifts into the Joint All Domain environment. In the conflict against a peer competitor, it will be key to provide flexible and resilient formations to meet commanders’ intent–within the Air Force, we call it Agile Combat Employment.

In 2020, an F-22 Raptor crashed deep within the Eglin range.  In the barren location with nothing but trees, snakes, fires, and jet plane wreckage, emergency responders endured sweltering 100-degree May heat for hours without access to restrooms or just a cool place to sit down and recharge.

Hurlburt Field, Fla. – Extended Reality (XR) is revolutionizing the way Air Force Special Operations Command is approaching training and readiness. XR is an umbrella term that encompasses Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) to create a spectrum of experiences that range from fully virtual environments to overlays of digital content onto the real world. These technologies manipulate our perception of reality, hence the term “extended.” The manipulation of reality is at the core of XR, and it’s transforming the training landscape of AFSOC.

Eglin Air Force Base – The base hosted two resiliency training sessions here Oct. 2.

Kristen Christy, a national resilience trainer, shared her message with base personnel, including her own heartbreaking story of tragic losses.

Eglin Air Force Base – The Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie, a highly autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle successfully completed its first test flight here Oct 3.

The Marine Corps partnered with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Naval Air Systems Command and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to facilitate the ongoing research, development, test and evaluation of the aircraft.

When veterans return from war, they face many challenges. Some struggle with readjusting to civilian life while others deal with physical scars or psychological trauma. To help veterans reclaim their lives through treatment, services and other resources, Jamie Wells started Defenders of Freedom Florida in 2020. He serves as its CEO and president.

U.S. Navy Capt. Paul Flores, commanding officer at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, was the keynote speaker at Monday’s Memorial Day service at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Milton. He said there are two ways to best honor the men and women of our military services who died in the service of our freedom: Teach others about their sacrifices, and ensure their legacy endures.

Northwest Florida is home to quite a few veterans. In many places, veterans can enjoy designated parking spots but at Santa Rosa County-owned facilities, the only veterans parking spots were for Purple Heart recipients. Other veterans did not have designated parking. At least not until now.

A soldier from Milton was killed in a helicopter crash at Fort Campbell in Kentucky March 29. The crash killed nine other soldiers as well. Warrant Officer 1 Jeffrey Barnes, 33, of Milton, had been flying in a Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter during a training exercise when his helicopter and another Black Hawk crashed around 10 p.m. During a news conference the following day, Brig. Gen. John Lubas said the helicopters were flying a multiship formation and using night vision goggles.