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Women’s Equality Day: BAMC Troop Command female commanders setting example
August 27, 2020 — As the nation celebrated Women’s Equality Day Aug. 26, Brooke Army Medical Center Troop Command marked a milestone. For the first time, the battalion and all five companies are commanded by women... MORE

(From left) Brooke Army Medical Center Troop Command leaders; Capt. Arie Emde, Capt. Audrey Mosley, Capt. Veronica Waites-Moore, Lt. Col. Meghan Muller, Capt. Tamara Johnson-Caswell, 1st Sgt. Carrie Hurst and 1st Sgt. Melinda Griffin pose for a photo outside Troop Command Headquarters, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Aug. 27. For the first time, the battalion and all five companies are commanded by women.

MICC leader: Responsiveness, continuity, team cohesion keys to success
August 27, 2020 — The current pandemic situation has presented more than a few changes to how the MICC executes its continuity of operations mission... MORE

Clay Cole is the deputy to the commanding general for the Mission and Installation Contracting Command.

Amid pandemic, Army program helps families get back to school
August 27, 2020 — Master Resilience Trainers, or MRTs, help support families with children to maintain their resilience and connection... MORE

Two students who attend a Department of Defense Education Activity school in Vicenza, Italy, complete classwork from home through digital learning.

METC radiology instructor saves car crash victim
August 27, 2020 — According to Staff Sgt. Karrie Prescott, her medical training helped with knowing the steps for CPR and how to check responsiveness and breathing. She may also use this experience as a teaching moment for her students... MORE

Staff Sgt. Karrie Prescott, a Medical Education and Training Campus radiologic technologist program instructor assigned to the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, checks the angle accuracy on the portable x-ray machine following student testing.

MEDCoE 2020 Best Warriors adjust to a virtual, higher-level competition
August 27, 2020 — Challenges associated with the 2019 coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, have meant adjustments for the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence 2020 Best Warrior NCO and Soldier... MORE

Spc. Jesse Estrada, pictured in front of the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, headquarters building at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, represented the Soldier category during the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command 2020 Best Warrior virtual oral board Aug. 25.

403rd Wing evacuates aircraft to JBSA, continues to fly amid hurricanes
August 27, 2020 — The Air Force Reserve’s 403rd Wing relocated its 20 aircraft today as Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura make their way toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. Some of those aircraft were relocated to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland... MORE

Staff Sgt. Zachary Faith, 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, performs a pre-flight check on a C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft Aug. 25 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Eight C-130Js evacuated from Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, to avoid damage from Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura.

BMT high intensity, interval training focus of 'The Air Force Starts Here' podcast
August 26, 2020 — The implementation of high intensity, interval training as part of the Air Force basic military training fitness curriculum is the focus of the latest episode of "The Air Force Starts Here," released Aug. 25, 2020... MORE

"The Air Force Starts Here" is Air Education and Training Command's professional development podcast. The professional development podcasts are designed to help communicate and inform Total Force Airmen across the globe on relevant, timely topics related to the recruiting, training, education and development fields and can be listened to on the government network on the AETC website, or via mobile application as well as on Apple Podcasts (iTunes). For Android or Google mobile users, the podcast can be found on their favorite third-party podcast phone application. (U.S. Air Force graphic / 1st Lt. Robert Guest)

COVID-19 patients can give back with convalescent plasma
August 26, 2020 — With flu season fast approaching and no approved vaccine developed for COVID-19, supplies of life-saving measures such as blood and plasma are being put under strain. To help hold back the tide, the Defense Department has established a goal of obtaining 10,000 units of donated COVID-19 convalescent plasma by Sept. 30, 2020, to combat the potential rise in cases. ... MORE

A patient that recovered from COVID-19 donates COVID-19 convalescent plasma at the Armed Services Blood Bank Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Aug. 20, 2020. The procedure separates plasma from red blood cells and returns the blood cells back to the patient producing three units of COVID-19 convalescent plasma per donor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Melody B. Bordeaux)

Women's Equality Day – Recognizing Soldiers who lead the way
August 26, 2020 — Aug. 26 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing and protecting women's constitutional right to vote... MORE

Capt. Jennifer Alvarez, company commander for the 42nd Infantry Division's Operation's Comany, does a 26.2 mile ruck march on her deployment to the Middle East March 18, 2020.

Update to law helps service members with auto, home lease payments
August 25, 2020 — Lawmakers recently passed an amendment to the Service Members Civil Relief Act, or SCRA, allowing service members to terminate an auto or housing lease agreement without a 30-day notice due to a Defense Department stop-move order... MORE

A newly assigned drill sergeant with the 199th Infantry Brigade approves a move-in inspection form at his new home on Fort Benning, Georgia, June 25, 2020.

SAMHS COVID-19 Nurse Info Line discontinued
August 25, 2020 — The SAMHS COVID-19 Nurse Info Line has been discontinued as of 5 p.m. Aug. 27... MORE

After duty hours, call the MHS Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-TRICARE (824-2273) or visit MHSNurseAdviceline.com to speak or chat with a nurse.

433rd Airlift Wing welcomes Travis aircraft during California wildfires
August 25, 2020 — In the late evening hours of Aug. 19, the 433rd Airlift Wing command post at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland was notified by the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, that eight C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft from Travis Air Force Base, California, would be evacuating to the airfield as a precaution against damage from the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Northern California... MORE

C-5M Super Galaxy cargo aircraft assigned to Travis Air Force Base, California, sit among C-5Ms with the 433rd Airlift Wing on a ramp Aug. 20 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

New ID cards being issued for military family members, retirees
August 24, 2020 — Defense Department began issuing Next Generation Uniformed Services Identification Cards July 31, the first time since 1993 that changes to the card have been made... MORE

Spc. Shunterika Fields and Army Pvt. Stephen Hines create ID cards to track non-patient personnel’s temperatures at the temporary medical facility in New Orleans, April 4.

Former Army nurse, 100, recalls World War II experiences
August 24, 2020 — World War II was raging in 1944. American troops were instrumental in the effort to take back France, including the beach landings in Normandy that caught the Germans off guard. American forces took possession of Rome, and a Soviet counterattack pushed Germany back into Poland... MORE

AFCEC restoring iconic Cadet Chapel at U.S. Air Force Academy
August 24, 2020 — The Air Force Civil Engineer Center is renovating an iconic Air Force symbol – the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. The $158 million project aims to fix structural damage to eliminate a longstanding leakage problem after years of ineffective smaller repair efforts... MORE

Crews erect scaffolding around the interior of the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel on May 11, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SAMHS releases Labor Day operating hours
August 24, 2020 — The San Antonio Military Health System has released its Labor Day weekend operating hours for Sept. 4-7... MORE

Smoking in bed is the leading cause of fire deaths
August 24, 2020 — In the United States, smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths, as reported by the U.S. Fire Administration. Some significant deterrents in combatting these unnecessary deaths are smoke alarms, smoldering resistant bedding and upholstered furniture. Smoking material fires are preventable... MORE

In the United States, smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths, as reported by the U.S. Fire Administration. Some significant deterrents in combatting these unnecessary deaths are smoke alarms, smoldering resistant bedding and upholstered furniture. Smoking material fires are preventable.

Air Force releases technical sergeant/20E6 promotion cycle statistics
August 24, 2020 — Air Force officials have selected 8,246 staff sergeants for promotion to technical sergeant out of 28,358 eligible for a selection rate of 29.08 percent in the 20E6 promotion cycle... MORE

Blue graphic with Technical Sergeant Stripes

Re-launch of Army app aims at saving lives
August 22, 2020 — During these unprecedented times of COVID-19 and increased isolation among personnel, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command re-launched a smartphone app designed in 2013 that provides resources for the prevention of suicide with a few simple pushes of a button... MORE

TRADOC’s “WeCare” app is location/post specific, and it supports the Army’s Suicide Prevention Campaign. It serves as a 24/7 ready resource for those feeling alone and considering suicide, or for those who are concerned about someone and are trying to intervene. The app also provides instructions for reporting sexual assault, and has other useful embedded tools.

For historians, COVID-19’s a big story, but operational focus continues
August 21, 2020 — At Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, historians at Air Education and Training Command and the 12th Flying Training Wing acknowledge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their organizations’ missions, but it does not obscure the telling of their operational stories... MORE

Lane Bourgeois, 12th Flying Training Wing historian, sifts through a pile of historical documents in his office at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph June 12, 2019.