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Air Force saves Airmen time, no longer requires first year evaluations
January 5, 2018 — Air Force officials announced Jan. 4, 2018, Enlisted Performance Reports are no longer required for regular Air Force Airmen in the grade of airman first class and below with less than 36 months’ Time-In-Service or Air Reserve Component Airmen below the grade of senior airman... MORE

JBSA-Randolph to host Warrior CARE event Jan. 8-12
January 5, 2018 — The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program will host a Warrior CARE Event Jan. 8-12 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph where more than 150 wounded, ill or injured service men and women from across the... MORE

Veterans not forgotten during the holidays
January 4, 2018 — (Editor’s note: Last names were omitted for security reasons) For some, the holidays are a time of giving and an opportunity to express one’s gratitude. For one Airman, he expressed his gratitude by... MORE

Five hundred packages were delivered to the San Antonio Military Medical Center and Center for the Intrepid, 200 packages went to the Audie L. Murphy Veteran Affairs Hospital, 200 to the Army Residence Community, 200 to the Wounded Warrior Project, and the remaining 100 went to the Join Base San Antonio-Lackland Fisher House.

Local Army researcher among those working to regrow limbs
January 4, 2018 — For some animals, such as salamanders, regrowing a missing limb is a common healing process. But what if people could do the same? Could the future of treating amputations include Soldiers regrowing their own muscle, bone, and nerve tissues?... MORE

A juvenile California tiger Salamander migrates across the Travis Air Force Base, Calif., airfield in search of a suitable burrow. Military researchers are studying how some animals, such as salamanders, are able to regrow limbs. The work is designed to help those with amputations regrow their own arms and legs.

BAMC medical personnel provide lifesaving support in Puerto Rico
January 4, 2018 — Brooke Army Medical Center doctors, nurses and medics recently returned after being deployed to Puerto Rico for more than a month, providing support to the local population in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Maria... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 14th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga., work with the Puerto Rico National Guard to provide medical assistants the residents of Humacao, Puerto Rico, Oct. 15, 2017. The 14th CSH is augmenting the local hospitals who were affected by Hurricane Maria.

Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers: the dynamic duo of fire safety
January 3, 2018 — Often taken for granted is the smoke detector, which is a common feature in American homes. Surveys conducted for National Fire Prevention Association, or NFPA, found that 97 percent of the household surveyed reported having, at minimum, one smoke alarm. Based on those surveys, that means almost five million households do not have any smoke alarms at all... MORE

Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers are the dynamic duo of fire safety.

24th AF participates in Hack the Air Force 2.0
January 3, 2018 — Hack the Air Force 2.0 is a continuation of the Hack the Air Force event held June 2017. Initiated by the Defense Digital Service, the event is a by-invitation opportunity for computer experts outside the Air Force to assist in strengthening the service’s defensive cyber posture, by discovering and reporting vulnerabilities in Air Force websites... MORE

Maj. Barret Darnell, 315th Cyber Operations Squadron, assists local high school students with some “Hacking 101” challenges

No appointment ... no military, CAC or dependent ID cards
January 3, 2018 — All Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting system, Command Access Card and military ID card locations throughout Joint Base San Antonio are by 100 percent appointment only and wait time for an appointment can be up to 30 to 60 days... MORE

It can take from 30 to 60 days to get an appointment for a new military or dependent ID card or CAC.

5th Medical Recruiting Battalion training conference a call to arms for medical recruiters
January 2, 2018 — Leaders from the 5th Medical Recruiting Battalion at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston believe that good ol’ Army-issue discipline trumps the bells and whistles of today’s high-tech recruiting tools when it comes to achieving mission success... MORE

Lt. Col. Michael Peacock, 5th Medical Recruiting Battalion commander, speaks to recruiters and company leaders attending the battalion’s 2017 Annual Training Conference held Dec. 12-14 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Kelly Field: the name is official
January 2, 2018 — Kelly Field Annex, home to the one of the Department of Defense’s only joint-use airfields, is ringing in the new year with its official new name: Kelly Field... MORE

An aerial shot of Kelly Field in 1928 outlines the layout of the airfield.

Beneficiary Town Hall with Army Surgeon General
January 2, 2018 — Lt. Gen. Nadja West, Army Surgeon general and Commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command, holds a Beneficiary Town Hall at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 at the Brooke Army Medical Center fourth-floor auditorium... MORE

Lt. Gen. Nadja West, Army Surgeon General, holds a beneficiary town hall at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 4 at the fourth-floor auditorium at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Vogel Resiliency Center to improve readiness, resilience for JBSA Soldiers
January 2, 2018 — The Vogel Resiliency Center, or VRC, is a project that brings together eight entities of resiliency services into one location. This facility is unique to JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and in the Army and opens at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Raphael B. Bonair, executive aide, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), sets up and prepares the teaching kitchen in the Vogel Resiliency Center. The Vogel Resiliency Center is a project that’s going to bring together eight entities of resiliency services into one location. This facility is unique to JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and in the Army.

Many U.S. Troops Serving Overseas During the Holidays
December 22, 2017 — It’s the holidays, and millions of Americans are making their way to visit family and friends. And many of those travelers are military personnel returning home from their duty stations. But hundreds of thousands of military personnel will not be traveling. They will be continuing to protect the United States. And they are based around the globe. ... MORE

Members of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron participate in a white elephant gift exchange Dec. 25, 2016 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The mission continued over the holiday, but service members took time to celebrate the holiday by talking with their families and spending time with their units.

President Trump Announces New Whole-of-Government National Security Strategy
December 22, 2017 — President Donald J. Trump announced a new national security strategy Dec. 18 rooted in a whole-of-government approach that stresses the economic might of the United States... MORE

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, center, and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff listen as President Donald J. Trump announces a new National Security Strategy, Dec. 18, 2017, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.

Local Air Force Reserve doctor leads life-saving medevac mission
December 21, 2017 — A week before Thanksgiving, a Navy explosive ordnance disposal technician clung to life in a Baghdad hospital after an roadside bomb he was clearing left his body in tatters... MORE

Dr. (Maj.) Jeffrey DellaVolpe, an Individual Mobilization Augmentee, works to place a Navy explosive ordnance disposal technician on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy, or ECMO for short. The procedure, which artificially oxygenates the blood, stabilized the sailor's body, allowing him to be transported directly from Baghdad to the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Army South Soldiers spread holiday cheer with toy ruck march
December 21, 2017 — The holiday season is well known for acts of generosity and kindness and Soldiers from U.S. Army South at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston helped out by participating in a toy ruck march sponsored by the Headquarters Support Company... MORE

Soldiers from the U.S. Army South Headquarters Support Company gathered early Dec. 14 at the MacArthur Parade Field and stuffed lots of toys and goodies into their ruck sacks before heading off on a three-mile road march Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Child Development Center.

Navy Recruiting District San Antonio kicks off district training with operational stress control class
December 20, 2017 — “Let’s have a conversation, not training” was the theme of the Operational Stress Control class held during the annual district training meeting of Navy Recruiting District San Antonio at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Austin Dec. 19... MORE

Navy veteran Michael Lindsey, a facilitator assigned to the Navy’s 21st Century Sailor office in Norfolk, Va., speaks with second class petty officers of Navy Recruiting District San Antonio about operational stress control during a district training meeting held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Austin Dec. 19. More than 250 recruiters, support personnel and their spouses attended the training where they were provided with support networks, programs, resources, training, and skills needed to overcome adversity and thrive.

Holiday hours around JBSA
December 19, 2017 — During holiday season office hours can be unpredictable so we listed the holiday hours for the base exchange, commissary and Military & Family Readiness centers across Joint Base San Antonio... MORE

Be sure to plan for holiday hours and closures.

U.S. Army North commander relates lessons learned during 2017 hurricane season
December 19, 2017 — The most recent hurricane season was not unprecedented in terms of the number of storms, but it was unprecedented in terms of damage, the commander of U.S. Army North at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston said in a recent interview... MORE

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, commander, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, speaks with civil engineer Airmen from the 85th Engineering Installation Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., at a communication tower located in the mountains of Pugnado Adentro in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, Nov. 8, 2017. Several civil engineer Airmen were assisting local contractors repair the communication tower that works as a main communication radio hub for the island.

Blended Military Retirement System to Take Effect Jan. 1
December 19, 2017 — One of the most wide-reaching and significant changes to military pay and benefits over the last 70 years goes into effect Jan. 1 with the implementation of the Uniformed Services Blended Retirement System, known as BRS... MORE

This graphic represents service members from around the world who participate in the Blended Military Retirement System.