McChord Flightline Chatter
FROM ARMY TIMES... Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has decided to scrap the controversial Distinguished Warfare Medal that was intended to honor drone pilots and other high-tech troops. Just two months after its creation, Hagel said the Pentagon will replace the DWM with a device that can be attached
Army West Blog
The Spring Fair in Puyallup is a great place for members of the military community to share time together, either as a family or with friends. To make it even more enjoyable is FREE gate admission to all active, reserve, and retired military and National Guard and their dependents, plus
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES...A successor to the Universal Camouflage Pattern is weeks away now that procurement officials have briefed the Army chief of staff on results of tests for new camouflage patterns, according to Army officials. The four families of patterns have been battling it out in a
Army West Blog
Over the weekend the AUSA Sixth Region and their Annual Meeting and Symposium. During the awards dinner, the following individuals/units received awards from the JBLM area: Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge Award for Excellence - CSM (ret) Matthew S. Shepardson
Army West Blog
FROM MILITARY.COM... If and when women assume the role of infantry soldier, one of the biggest challenges they may face is the weight on their backs, according to an official at the Veterans Health Administration. The average female will have trouble as infantry soldiers must carry
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES...Army Cyber Command is looking for computer-savvy troops to turn into crack cyberwarriors. Rapid, substantial growth inside and outside of the command is coming as demand for cyberwarfare skills - both offensive and defensive - become a greater focus of the nation's security strategy. For soldiers,
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES... The Army's drawdown will hit the senior ranks of the officer corps in August when a board meets to consider senior colonels and lieutenant colonels of the basic branches for possible involuntary early retirement. In announcing the Selective Early Retirement Board now, Army officials hope
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES...WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will sharply cut the number of unpaid furlough days civilians will be forced to take over the next several months from 22 to 14, defense officials said Wednesday, reducing the impact of automatic budget cuts on as many as 700,000 workers.SEE
Army West Blog
FROM USA TODAY... The federal government is failing to keep pace with a torrent of ailments and issues generated by two wars for the more than 2 million Americans who served overseas since 9/11, according to a sweeping assessment by a panel of leading scientists. The nearly 800-page
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES... A new officer evaluation system featuring separate reports and rating techniques for officers of different ranks is on track to be fielded with the Regular Army, National Guard and Army Reserve in December. The new Web-based system will call on junior leaders to rate their subordinates to
McChord Flightline Chatter
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The 62nd Operations Group saluted their new commander during a change of command ceremony March 21. Col. Andrew Hird, received command of the 62nd OG from Col. Paul Eberhart, who is stepping down for a new duty assignment. Col. Wyn Elder, 62nd Airlift Wing
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES... Commissaries will close on Mondays if furloughs are required for DoD civilian employees because of sequestration, according to an agreement negotiated between commissary officials and an employees' union, the American Federation of Government Employees Council 172, obtained by Military Times. That's a change from the
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES... The 10,000 soldiers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea can not drink alcohol and their three- and four-day passes have been terminated following several incidents of misconduct in recent weeks. The restrictions, announced March 18 by Maj. Gen. Edward Cardon, commanding general
Army West Blog
FROM THE OLYMPIAN...Maj. Chuck Hodges wished he was in a different desert 10 years ago today. Parked at a training exercise in the Mojave Desert in Southern California, Hodges watched reports of the opening salvos of the Iraq War, convinced that he and his fellow soldiers from Fort Lewis'
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES... The Army's first interactive electronic book for the iPad is available for download. "Vanguard of Valor," which details small unit actions and lessons learned from Afghanistan, was released March 8. It is a reimagining of a hard-copy book of the same name that was released early
Army West Blog
FROM THE TNT...TACOMA, Wash. - Shawn Graves said a final goodbye to the world as he lost consciousness. A man wearing a suicide vest had blown himself up inside a dining hall in northern Iraq. Graves had wounds all over his torso, and he did not expect to open his
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES... First sergeants and master sergeants in nearly 60 military occupational specialties will be the focus of board reviews this summer to determine whether they will have to leave the Army. The Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve sergeant major boards that convene in early June will
Army West Blog
FROM ARMY TIMES...The Army's popular Tuition Assistance program is being suspended because of the budget squeeze, although the many thousands of soldiers currently enrolled in courses will be allowed to complete those courses.The shutdown will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today.SEE THE REST HERE
Army West Blog
FROM SPOUSESBUZZ... Other people dream of falling off a cliff. Their nightmares feature running away from an attacker, losing all their teeth, or sitting down to take a final at a class they never attended. My nightmare is standing in front of a crowd of military spouses so bored
Army West Blog
FROM KING 5...For riders aboard Amtrak passenger trains, a new train route along Interstate 5 through Fort Lewis would be a shortcut and would shave minutes off trips between Seattle, Tacoma and Portland. For people who live in communities like Tillicum, the trains threaten to add
