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Latest Operational Camouflage Pattern guidance approves current subdued patches
December 31, 2018 — Airmen wearing Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, uniforms are authorized to add their former Airmen Battle Uniform subdued patches until the mandatory brown subdued ones go into effect... MORE

A guide on the OCP uniform phase-in and what will be allowed in regulation before OCPs become the mandatory Air Force uniform. Airmen started to wear the OCP uniform Oct. 1, 2018.

Air Force’s Officer Training School restructures program to increase quality, quantity of officers
December 31, 2018 — The Air Force’s Officer Training School is changing the paradigm for building officers, pivoting away from separate programs for line and non-line officers and conducting merged classes beginning in January 2019... MORE

An Air Force Commissioned Officer Training course trainee stands in formation, May 24, 2018, at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. OTS has recently merged COT with the Total Force Officer Training course to increase the quality and quantity of officers it can produce annually.

Missing Man formation honors Freedom Flyer organizer
December 31, 2018 — Three T-38C Talons flew over the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, at 1:45 p.m. Dec. 21, 2018. It was a missing man formation and a rare but fitting tribute to the instructor pilot who played a key role welcoming home freed prisoners of war... MORE

A photo from 2015 shows retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charles Huff during a Freedom Flyer Reunion at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. Huff died Dec. 5, 2018. The 560th Flying Training Squadron flew a missing man formation with three T-38C Talons over his interment ceremony at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. In 1973, Huff was an original organizer for training Vietnam war Air Force pilots after they were released as POWs.

Military Training Instructor Schoolhouse: training the trainer
December 28, 2018 — The distinct wide-brimmed blue campaign hat is easily recognizable and worn only by a specific group of Airmen: military training instructors. Known for professionalism, these specially selected and trained MTIs are tasked with mentoring, teaching and molding civilians arriving at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for basic military training, or BMT... MORE

Air Force basic military training trainees listen closely to Military Training Instructor Master Sgt. Michael Hernandez, Reserve Citizen Airman with the 433rd Training Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Attention to detail, discipline and teamwork learned at this stage enabled trainees to succeed and graduate during ceremonies held Dec. 14.

New Year, New Parent: bring out the best in your parenting
December 24, 2018 — With the new year comes that itch to become a new and improved you. Some make resolutions to exercise more, spend less money, be more organized, or procrastinate less. But how many of you have considered the new year as an opportunity to take stock of where you are as a parent and decide to make sure you're on track to raising the most wonderful little human beings you possibly can?... MORE

Do the best you can to be a good parent. The holidays are a perfect time to make resolutions for the new year.

Air Force issues phishing scam alert
December 21, 2018 — Recently, Headquarters Air Force Judge Advocate General has become aware of a phishing attempt targeting Air Force members using a falsified email notification from the JAG Corps. The subject line of the e-mail is "***HOT*** Jury Summons Notification." DO NOT OPEN OR RESPOND to the e-mail or follow the web link. Follow your unit's cyber security procedures if you receive this phishing attempt. Contact your respective JA office with any questions. ... MORE

Recently HAF/JA has become aware of a phishing attempt targeting Air Force members using a falsified email notification from the JAG Corps. The subject line of the e-mail is "***HOT*** Jury Summons Notification." Please DO NOT OPEN OR RESPOND to the e-mail or follow the web link, & follow your unit's cyber security procedures if you receive this phishing attempt. Please contact your respective JA office with any questions.

From start to finish: Air Force Reserve MTI's lead BMT total force flights
December 21, 2018 — Ten Air Force Reserve 433rd Training Squadron military training instructors guided four total force basic military training flights through eight and a half weeks of training and education in preparation for their Dec. 14 BMT graduation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. It was the first time in the squadron’s 35-year history that it assumed full responsibility for BMT flights... MORE

Joint Base San Antonio Warrior Transition Battalion commemorates 77th Pearl Harbor anniversary
December 21, 2018 — During the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the United States lost 2,335 American fighting men and women, including 2,008 Sailors, 218 Soldiers, 109 Marines and 68 civilians, resulting in a total of 2,403 American lives lost. To commemorate the event which drove the nation into World War II, the recovering service members and supporting staff at the Joint Base San Antonio Warrior Transition Battalion conducted a unified physical training event at the Fitness Center at the Medical Education and Training Campus Dec. 7, 2018. ... MORE

To commemorate the event which drove the nation into World War II, the recovering service members and supporting staff at the Joint Base San Antonio Warrior Transition Battalion conducted a unified physical training event to commemorate the 77th Pearl Harbor anniversary at the Fitness Center at the Medical Education and Training Campus Dec. 7, 2018.

Feedback Fridays
December 21, 2018 — Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week. If you have a question or concern, please send an email to RandolphPublicAffairs@us.af.mil using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available. ... MORE

Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week. If you have a question or concern, please send an email to RandolphPublicAffairs@us.af.mil using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Soldiers in training depart on annual holiday block leave exodus
December 20, 2018 — Starting in the early morning hours of Dec. 20, nearly 3,000 Soldiers training at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School Health Readiness Center of Excellence, or AMEDDC&S HRCoE, departed Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston via the San Antonio International Airport for their Holiday Block Leave... MORE

Army Soldiers attending medical Advanced Individual Training at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School Health Readiness Center of Excellence, or AMEDDC&S HRCoE, at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston show their holiday cheer before boarding an airplane at the San Antonio International Airport.

Know what goes down the drain and avoid the pain
December 20, 2018 — Our sewers are not designed to cope with modern disposable products. As a result, these items can cause blockages. The drains connecting your home (or place of work) to the main sewer lines are only big enough to carry water, toilet paper and human waste and are often no wider than four inches. ... MORE

Around 75 percent of blockages involve disposable items. To avoid drain pain and a drain on resources, remember to bag it and put in the garbage ... don’t flush it!

Navy scientists developing wound dressing to improve healing of battlefield injuries
December 20, 2018 — In addressing complications that hinder the ability of wounded service members to recover from their injuries, researchers at Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, or NAMRU-SA, at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston are developing and testing a type of wound dressing that contributes to the healing process and improves patient outcomes... MORE

Dr. Tony Yuan, Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio senior scientist and biomedical engineer at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, explains how the electrospinner system operates. The fully automated electrospinner, constructed in 2012, uses high voltage electricity as a force to produce a nanofibrous scaffold from biomaterials for a new type of wound dressing containing natural fibers that can be used to deliver biomolecules and drugs to heal the wounds of service members injured in combat. Advancements in electrospinning and the development of nanofibrous wound dressings made by NAMRU-SA researchers could speed up the healing process for troops wounded on the battlefield, reducing complications and scar formations and improving patient outcomes.

AFCYBER evaluates Airmen with spear-phishing emails
December 20, 2018 — Air Forces Cyber conducted a mock spear-phishing test on European bases during November 2018 to assess Air Force Network users’ cyber awareness... MORE

Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston will undergo a Command Cyber Readiness Inspection, or CCRI, from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2. An inspection team from the Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA, will conduct a thorough evaluation of all network systems for the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston area of responsibility.

JBSA gate construction begins in January
December 19, 2018 — Throughout Joint Base San Antonio, installation entry control points, otherwise known as the base gates, will undergo multiple construction projects starting January 2019. These necessary construction projects will enhance force protection capability across JBSA, and when complete, will enhance the safety and security of the workforce, family and visitors. This construction will impact mission partners, commercial deliveries and visitors across JBSA... MORE

Throughout Joint Base San Antonio, installation entry control points, otherwise known as the base gates, will undergo multiple construction projects starting January 2018. These necessary construction projects will enhance force protection capability across JBSA, and when complete, will enhance the safety and security of the workforce, family and visitors.

Housekeeping: The first step in safety
December 19, 2018 — Poor housekeeping at work is quick to result in injuries. A common cause of falls is debris, tools and materials on the floor... MORE

Poor housekeeping at work is quick to result in injuries. A common cause of falls is debris, tools and materials on the floor.

Air Force base of preference initiative evolves to permanent program
December 18, 2018 — The Base of Preference enhanced assignment initiative begins Jan. 9, 2019, and provides enlisted Airmen who have 48 months’ time on station as of May 2019 the opportunity to apply for available Permanent Change of Station assignments in the Continental United States, or CONUS, through an immediate, straightforward and transparent process... MORE

The Air Force Base of Preference program has evolved to include stateside assignment visibility for all Air Force Specialty Codes. Starting January 2019, the Air Force’s Personnel Center will post the available stateside locations where Air Force requirements exist — by skill-level and AFSC — on the Assignment Management System for eligible Career Airmen with 48 months’ time on station.

Army North's Joint Task Force Civil Support is prepared for any CBRN disaster
December 18, 2018 — Task forces can be formed at the time of a crisis, but Joint Task Force Civil Support, in Newport News, Virginia, works 365 days a year with people on call 24/7 for the past 19 years... MORE

A decontamination team of Airmen and Soldiers care for casualties in a simulated mass casualty decontamination line during the 503rd Military Police Battalion field training exercise at Camp Blanding, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2018. Army Maj. Gen. William "Bill" Hall participates as a mock victim of a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear catastrophe.

U.S. Army South hosts first Inter-American Legal Forum in US
December 17, 2018 — The U.S. Army South Office of the Staff Judge Advocate hosted the 6th annual Inter-American Legal Forum Dec. 11-13 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. The forum is a multilateral international cooperation engagement from more than 15 countries... MORE

Representatives from more than 15 countries participated in the 6th annual Inter-American Legal Forum at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Dec. 11-13. During the day, the senior legal advisors gathered at U.S. Army South headquarters to discuss developments in military justice and operational law.

Cyber operators host cyber certification training courses for San Antonio youth
December 17, 2018 — In mid-2016, four Air Forces Cyber operators teamed to create a free cyber certification academy for San Antonio teenagers. Today, their team of seven hosts dozens of teenagers every weekend for eight- to 16-week-long preparatory courses. With a combined 48 years’ experience and 18 cyber certifications, the founding team considers it a responsibility to lend their extensive cyber expertise to prepare tomorrow’s youth for the ever-evolving cyber landscape... MORE

Staff Sgt. Justin Gonzalez, 33rd Network Warfare Squadron incident response operator, and GhostWire Academy course developer and co-founder, hosts a Network+ class in San Antonio, Oct. 21, 2018. The academy is a free cyber certification training and award organization which serves San Antonio teenagers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. R.J. Biermann)

Hurricane recovery displays Financial Operations' networked capabilities
December 17, 2018 — After Hurricane Michael unveiled its might by inflicting damage and destruction at Tyndall Air Force Base, the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s Financial Operations Division displayed its networked and integrated power through the many ways it supports people impacted by the storm... MORE

Members of AFIMSC's Financial Operations Division discuss a plan for certifying the time cards of nearly 700 Tyndall Air Force Base employees affected by Hurricane Michael. From left to right, Jason Schneider, Linda Alcala, Charles Hendricks, Ellen Lounsberry, and Rick Baltes. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Ed Shannon)