This from TNT Husky beat reporter Todd Milles:

As a way to recognize Sunday's killing of four Lakewood police officers, the Huskies are offering four free tickets to Saturday's Cal game to all active police, military and fire department personnel. 

They can walk up to the ticket window on the northeast plaza Husky Stadium on game day to receive the tickets, or call the UW ticket office (206-543-2200) ahead of time.

Four reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing have earned 2009 Fourth Air Force Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez awards in their respective categories.

• Civilian manager - Ralph Myers, 446th Aircraft Maintenance Group
• Senior NCO Aircraft Maintenance - Master Sgt. Brian Goodin, 446th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
• NCO Aircraft Maintenance - Tech. Sgt. Anna Jezek, 446th AMXS
• Airman Aircraft Maintenance - Senior Airman Joshua McCabe,446th AMXS

The award is presented to maintainers who have demonstrated the highest degree of sustained job performance, job knowledge, job efficiency and results in the categories of aircraft, munitions/missile and communications-electronics maintenance.

Retired Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez, now 77, visited McChord in April to partake in the 62nd Maintenance Group’s Knuckle Buster award ceremony.

After serving at McChord as a maintenance officer in the 325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in 1962, Marquez later became commander of the 325th Organizational Maintenance Squadron in 1964.

“I fell in love with maintenance guys here at this base,” Marquez said on his visit.

In this week's Northwest Airlifter:

• Spanaway resident Ed Shadle, a former Air Force maintainer, has assembled a team of local aviation minds and a modified F-104 Starfighter in an attempt to break the land speed record of 763 mph.
• Airmen from the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Lewis are utilizing a new simulator to practice calling in air strikes and talking to pilots before deploying.
• McChord was recently assigned a new command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Greg Warren, who replaces Chief Master Sgt. Cary Hatzinger, who recently retired. 

Aircrews from the 446th Airlift Wing flew some unique cargo recently. Read more about it here.

The Buffalo Bills cheerleaders will sign autographs and hand out posters from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 12 at the McChord B/X. 

If you miss them on McChord, head over to the Fort Lewis P/X from 3 to 5 p.m.

Nearly 2,000 emergency services vehicles from all over the U.S. and Canada gathered at McChord Dec. 8, lining up for the miles-long funeral procession for the slain Lakewood police officers. One airman from the 446th Maintenance Squadron stood at attention for nearly four hours as the procession exited the flightline. Read more here.

McChord Force Support Squadron officials announced this week that they'll host a special screening of the classic holiday flick "A Christmas Story" at 6:30 p.m. Friday (Dec. 18) at the base theater.

All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Rider BB gun and everyone keeps telling him, "You'll shoot your eye out." The movie has to rank up there with "Christmas Vacation" as one of the best-ever holiday movies.

FSS officials will also be awarding a leg lamp door prize (just like the one Ralphie's father wins in the movie). 

Military spouses can earn up to $1,000 to obtain professional certification or to attend post secondary or graduate school. The deadline for filing an application is Jan. 31. For more information, click here.

12/22, 12:24 P.M.  STORY UPDATE HERE.

A family traveling from North Dakota to Western Washington awoke this morning to find their pickup and rented moving trailer stolen from a Spokane Valley motel parking lot.

Dewey and Sharon Brown and their 7-year-old daughter were headed to McChord Air Force Base, where he's scheduled to fly to Korea for a year-long military assignment after the family gets settled.

The Browns were due in Tacoma today but are staying in town in hopes of finding the pickup and rented U-Haul trailer missing this morning from La Quinta Suites, 3800 N. Sullivan Road.

In the trailer were clothes, toys, photo albums, checks, family quilts, medical records, Christmas gifts and $50,000 in jewelry. Also gone are Dewey Brown's military uniforms and paperwork, including his transfer papers, and his daughter's beloved doll.

"That's a big Scrooge move," said Sharon Brown. "We're going to sit here for a day or two and hope for a Christmas miracle."

Crime Stoppers is offering a $500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

The pickup is a blue 1995 Dodge with Alaska license plates, oversize tires and a chrome strip along the lower sides. The single axle, 5 x 8 trailer has Florida license plates with a Tucson, Arizona graphic on the sides.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS, or submit tips online.

It's the second time this year a visiting family's U-Haul has been stolen from a Spokane Valley motel parking lot.

On July 12, a family moving to Florida from Canada discovered their 17-foot U-Haul truck stolen from the Holiday Inn Express on Mission Avenue.

It was found in an abandoned barn July 15 with most of the family's possessions intact. No arrests have been made. 

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is encouraging military shoppers to share family memories for a shot at a $1,000 shopping spree in the "Memories Etched in Images Holiday Photo Contest."
Shoppers can submit their funniest, most creative or heartwarming photos to PatriotFamily@aafes.com with the title "Memories Etched in Images" in the subject line. The top 50 entries will be posted online and the winners will be announced by Jan. 22. The first place winner will receive a $1,000 AAFES gift card with $500 going to the runner-up. Third and fourth place will receive a $250 gift card and with the next five places earning $100 each. Entries will be accepted until Dec. 31.

Complete contest rules and entry details are available at aafes.com/Patriot Family Connection/Memories Etched in Images Contest.