Joint Base San Antonio > News

Budget analyst earns AFRC’s Outstanding NCO honor
June 22, 2016 — Tech. Sgt. Gilberto Hernandez, 340th Flying Training Groupbudget analyst, may have been the most surprised person in the room when hereceived one of the Air Force Reserve Command’s most prestigious... MORE

Technical Sergeant Gilberto Hernandez, (right) 340th Flying Training Group, non-commissioned officer of the year, briefs Major Thallas Lumpkin, June 15, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. Hernandez was announced as the Air Force Reserve Command’s Outstanding NCO of the Year for 2015 at a banquet April 16 in Jacksonville, Fla., and he advances to represent the command in the competition for Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year honors.

12th Operations Support Squadron keeps aircraft flying at JBSA-Randolph
June 22, 2016 — At Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, hundreds of thousands ofaircraft landings and takeoffs occur each year and the unit responsible forcoordinating the large volume of air traffic is the 12th... MORE

Jeremy Sebesta, 12th Operations Support Squadron, air traffic controller, looks for incoming aircraft, aircraft landing lights and birds at the East Control Tower, June 15, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. Air traffic controllers keep planes a safe distance apart, advise on landings and alert planes to potential problems.

Proper preparation essential for marathoners
June 15, 2016 — With the Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air ForceBase, Ohio, three months away and theRock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon less than six months away, it’s time forrunners who wish to compete in... MORE

Joint Base San Antonio members run down Harmon Drive April 26 during the start of the JBSA Half Marathon at JBSA-Randolph. In its second year, the race not only provided an opportunity for members from all JBSA locations to tour the scenic route and rich history of JBSA-Randolph, but to experience camaraderie and teamwork between runners and volunteers alike throughout the event. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexandria Slade)

Career Skills Program, P4 helps Airmen with post-military careers
June 15, 2016 — A partnership between Joint Base San Antonio, businesses andpublic entities in the San Antonio area is providing job skills and training toservice members who are making the transition from the... MORE

Jim Ockenden, Information Technology Foundations Facilitator for Onward to Opportunity, provides instruction and gives an insider perspective to the Information Technology world during a briefing June 9 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. A partnership between Joint Base San Antonio,
businesses and public entities in the San Antonio area are providing job skills and training to service members who are making the transition from the military to a civilian career.

Loan Locker provides household items for Airmen in transition
June 15, 2016 — For active-duty members and their families, one of thestressors of the military lifestyle is moving to a new installation andawaiting the arrival of their household goods.That waiting period often... MORE

Kelli Franklin (right), Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Military & Family Readiness Center community readiness consultant, provides a microwave to Airman 1st Class Yan Cui from the Loan Locker June 8 at JBSA-Randolph. The Loan Locker provides temporary loans of household items to incoming and departing permanent party personnel.

Air Force directive aimed at preventing Airmen suicide
June 15, 2016 — Five Military and Family Life Counselors have been added tounits at Joint Base San Antonio as part of an Air Force initiative to preventsuicides among service members.The new MFLCs are being assigned... MORE

Hurricane Awareness Tour kicks off in San Antonio
May 31, 2016 — The 12th Operations Support Squadron Weather OperationsFlight at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph attended the annual HurricaneAwareness Tour, which kicked off May 16 at the San Antonio International... MORE

Alvin Hill, 12th Operations Support Squadron Weather Operations Flight chief, speaks with Loyce Clark, San Antonio Airport System assistant aviation director, after touring a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Gulfstream IV aircraft during the Hurricane Awareness Tour at the San Antonio International Airport May 16, 2016. The NOAA G-IV is used to collect, process and transmit vertical atmospheric soundings in the environment of a hurricane using a dropsonde, which is an instrument dropped from the aircraft carried by a parachute that transmits information about temperature, pressure and humidity.

Distracted driving: Big consequences, easy fix
May 31, 2016 — One moment to change the radio station; one moment to checkthe GPS; one moment to send that text; one moment to crash. According to a 2009 Virginia Tech Transportation Institutestudy, five seconds is... MORE

According to a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study, five seconds is the average time your eyes are taken off the road while texting. The U.S. Department of Transportation claims texting is the most alarming distraction while driving because it involves visual, manual and cognitive attention.

99th FTS carries on Tuskegee Airmen legacy, trains ‘world’s best’ instructor pilots
May 17, 2016 — During World War II, a group of pilots from the 99th FighterSquadron made a name for themselves as being experts in the sky abroad, whilealso breaking racial barriers at home. With red-tailed aircraft... MORE

The 99th Flying Training Squadron is the Department of Defense’s sole provider for T-1A Jayhawk pilot instructor training. The squadron was formed during World War II as the first flying unit for African Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen, and it was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.

12th OSS/OSW plays vital role in JBSA-Randolph flying mission
May 9, 2016 — Cirrus, altostratus and cumulonimbus.While most people may assume these terms are all spells outof a Harry Potter scene, Alvin Hill, 12th Operations Support Squadron weatheroperations flight chief,... MORE

Terry Roberts, 12th Operations Support Squadron weather operations technician, surveys a Kestrel to check wind speeds on the east flightline at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph May 4, 2016. A Kestrel is a manual way to gather wind information when there is an outage to the primary weather data sensors.

Doolittle Raiders honored during 74th anniversary at JBSA-Randolph
April 19, 2016 — The World War II Doolittle Raiders were honored during aceremony marking the 74th anniversary of their Tokyo raid April 18 at JointBase San Antonio-Randolph.On the same day, in 1942, Lt. Col. James H... MORE

Retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, co-pilot of Aircraft No. 1 of the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, raises a glass to toast the 74th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid April 18 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. On the same day in 1942, Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle led a select team of 80 pilots, gunners, navigators and bombardiers to execute a surprise attack over the islands of Japan in retaliation after the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. Cole, at 100-years-old, is one of two remaining survivors of the Doolittle Raid. Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, who was unable to attend, is the second survivor.

Schertz supports JBSA-Randolph mission, places noise signs throughout city
April 18, 2016 — Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and the city of Schertz helda ceremony April 12 recognizing new street signs that inform city residents oflocal flight operations. Schertz Mayor Michael Carpenter and... MORE

From left to right: John Kessel, Schertz city manager, Col. Matthew Isler, 12th Flying Training Wing commander, Michael Carpenter, mayor of Schertz, and Chief Master Sgt. Troy Palmer, 12th FTW command chief, unveil the new city sign in front of the Schertz Council Chambers April 12, 2016. Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and the city of Schertz are committed to keeping residents informed about aircraft training in the local area and the effects it may have on noise levels.

Live*Work*Play Expo is April 13; full schedule set
April 11, 2016 — Joint Base San Antonio and the 502nd Air Base Wing willhost an installation-wide expo to showcase the benefits of living and workingin the JBSA community from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13 at the... MORE

The “Investing in You: The Live*Work*Play Expo - Reimagine Your Future” event aims to highlight the benefits of a civilian career at JBSA and also with the 502nd ABW, while allowing civilian and military personnel to learn about the wide array of quality of life services available across the joint base’s 11 operating locations.

902nd SFS partners with local K-9 unit for training exercise
March 29, 2016 — The 902nd Security Forces Squadron here welcomed the ComalCounty Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit for a military working dog training exerciseMonday outside the JBSA-Randolph MWD kennel. The exercise... MORE

Beky, 902nd Security Forces Squadron military working dog, looks up at her handler after she discovers a simulated explosive during a training exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph March 28, 2016. Beky has been at JBSA-Randolph since 2012 and has deployed with her handler Tech. Sgt. Matthew Phillips to Afghanistan and South America.

JBSA ‘Investing in You’ at base-wide expo April 13
March 21, 2016 — Joint Base San Antonio and the 502nd Air Base Wing will hostan installation-wide expo to showcase the benefits of living and working in theJBSA community from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13 at the... MORE

Communities increase support for JBSA-Randolph flying mission
March 18, 2016 — Cities around Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph are takingseveral steps to support the flying mission of the 12th FlyingTraining Wing, and local governments have started formalizing support... MORE

Lt. Col. Emil Bliss, 12th Flying Training Wing Community Initiatives director, addresses the Converse City Council about the Joint Land Use Study during a public meeting March 15, 2016. The city council unanimously voted to adopt the study, ensuring joint development planning and compatible land use between the city and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

560 FTS honors legacy of POW fighter pilots at 43rd Freedom Flyer Reunion
March 7, 2016 — A retired Air Force chaplainextolled the contributions and sacrifices of all of America’s service memberslast week as the 560th Flying Training Squadron again paid homage to the AirForce fighter... MORE

Retired Air Force Col. Robert Certain addresses the audience at the 43rd annual Freedom Flyer Reunion wreath-laying ceremony in front of the Missing Man Monument March 4, 2016, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. Certain was imprisoned for 101 days after his B-52 Stratofortress was shot down over North Vietnam Dec. 18, 1972.

Newest 'Freedom Flyer' takes final flight for his B-52 crew
March 7, 2016 — The events of Dec. 20, 1972, wereclearly on the mind of former Air Force pilot Paul Granger as he exited a T-38CTalon following a special hourlong flight March 3 that began and ended on theeast... MORE

Lt. Col. Joel Deboer (right), 560th Flying Training Squadron commander and Paul Granger (middle), present "Freedom Flight" patches to Thomas Klomann at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, March 3, 2016. Granger and Klomann were shot down in the same B-52 Stratofortress while on a combat mission near Hanoi in North Vietnam on December 20, 1972, in support of Operation Linebacker II.

Resilience on the Homefront: A POW wife's story
February 26, 2016 — When Capt. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris ejected from his F-105 ThunderchiefApr. 4, 1965, he left behind the cockpitof a doomed airplane and a family he dearly loved. At his 67th Tactical Fighter... MORE

Retired Air Force Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris and wife Louise spend time together at their home Feb. 3, 2016, in Tupelo, Miss. Louise Harris faced a myriad of obstacles during the time her husband spent in captivity during the Vietnam War but prevailed in part due to her resilience.

Former POWs to speak at Freedom Flyer symposium March 4
February 24, 2016 — More than 30former prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict will reunite for the 43rdtime March 4 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph during the annual Freedom FlyerReunion. The reunion,hosted by the... MORE

Col. Matthew Isler, 12th Flying Training Wing commander, speaks during the wreath laying ceremony March 20 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. The annual event is held in conjunction with the 42nd Freedom Flyer Reunion which honors all POWs held captive during the Vietnam War. The tradition began when members of the 560th Flying Training Squadron were given the task to retrain more than 150 POWs returning to flying status. To honor their return, their initial training included a “freedom flight.” The last group of POWs was released from captivity in North Vietnam March 1973. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Harold China/released)