Marine Corps Hornet Pilot Killed In Crash At Twentynine Palms

A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, taxis down the runway at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska on June 20, 2016. US Marine Corps Photo

By: Megan Eckstein
July 29, 2016 10:45 AM

A Marine Corps pilot in an F/A-18C Hornet died last night in a crash during a training mission near Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.

The pilot was from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The cause of the crash, which occurred around 10:30 p.m. on July 28, is under investigation. The Marine Corps has released no more details about the pilot or the crash.

Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Aviation Lt. Gen. Jon Davis said this morning that his thoughts are with the Marine’s family. Asked if aviation readiness problems, which have led to lower training hours for Marines, was a factor in the crash, Davis said that all his squadrons had enough flight hours to stay safe in the air.

JBLM bids farewell to Air Force firefighters

McChord Field firefighters will be transitioning to positions at other bases across the country as they are replaced by civilian firefighters.

BY RUTH KINGSLAND

Northwest Guardian
Published: 02:29PM July 28th, 2016

Staff Sergeant Christian Mejia had no idea last year when he and his wife, Kaitlin, and their three young children moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord from Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras that they’d be moving again within 24 months.

The 26-year-old Miami native joined the Air Force seven years ago and was able to join a military firefighter program within eight months. Here, at JBLM, he’s part of the soon-to-be dismantled Air Force firefighters with the 627th Civil Engineer Squadron.

“I’m ready to move on, but I am sad my family won’t be able to buy a house or stay long,” Mejia said. “It’s been a tremendous experience here, but it was discouraging to find out we (are) leaving.”

JBLM’s shift from military to civilian firefighters has been in the works for about a year and is expected to be accomplished by July 2017. There are currently 21 Air Force firefighters on JBLM, many of which will be moved to other bases that still use Air Force firefighters in coming months, according to Staff Sgt. Jose Cardenas, of the 627th Civil Engineer Squadron. He is coordinating the JBLM’s Airmen’s transition.

“My job is to get our guys moved out of here,” Cardenas said.

Cardenas, who has been at JBLM for the past two years, said it is a little sad the department will no longer be composed of military firefighters. Instead, it will be led by a civilian fire chief and filled with Department of Defense-hired positions.

Seven of the current Air Force firefighters will stay on with the department, in GS-7 positions, as they were retiring and have been hired on as civilian firefighters. It’s also sad that Friday’s Firefighter Combat Challenge will be the last such event, Cardenas said.

“It’s all about the legacy,” he said. “(JBLM) has had a Firefighter Combat Challenge for about 70 years,” he said.

The daylong Firefighter Combat Challenge takes place at the McChord Field Station 105, Building 6, and offers a multitude of activities — from a hose pull and body drag to tool carry, cone course, tire flip, hose throw and bucket brigade. Prizes are awarded to the top teams, but it’s more about the camaraderie and the legacy, according to Cardenas.

Technical Sergeant Roger Halle, also of the 627th Civil Engineer Squadron, will have to miss the Firefighter Combat Challenge Friday, as he and his family will be packing to move to his next assignment in eastern Washington in the coming weeks. Halle, 33, is from Missouri and joined the Air Force 10 years ago with the intent of becoming a military firefighter.

Halle and his wife, Stephanie, have four sons, ages 8, 6, 4 and 2, and another son, already named Dax Browning Halle, set to be born in October.

It’s been a rush for the family to sell their area home — which, Halle said, sold within 24 hours of being placed on the market — and purchase another house in the Spokane area near his firefighter assignment at Fairchild Air Force Base. The home the couple found in Spokane is set to close Thursday, Halle said.

“It’s all been working together great,” he said, “As (Mejia) said, it’s been a great experience (at JBLM), but we’re ready to go — on to the new experience.”

Despite this, Halle said he’s not ruling out being sent back to JBLM in the future, as he’s planning to stay in the military another 10 years. Halle said time has shown, some other joint force bases that dismantled military firefighters have later opted to reestablish those.

For example, Hill Air Force Base in Utah and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., Halle said, were reestablished.

“Some are gone, but others come back,” he said.

US 'spy plane' makes emergency landing in Russia.

The surveillance Boeing OC-135B aircraft (pictured) was flying a mission over Siberia as allowed under the Treaty on Open Skies when it reported a problem with its landing gear.

By WILL STEWART IN MOSCOW FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 06:40 EST, 28 July 2016 | UPDATED: 14:05 EST, 28 July 2016

Under the treaty, signatories are allowed to overfly the skies of each other gathering information about military forces and activities of concern to them.

The American military aircraft had left after a stopover in Ulan-Ude, in the Republic of Buryatia, and was due to fly north to Yakutsk, capital of Siberia's diamond-rich Sakha Republic.

Instead, after take-off the crew noticed the problem and the Boeing went east and made a landing 1,660 miles away in Khabarovsk.

An airport official confirmed Wednesday's emergency landing in the city, close to the Chinese border.

'A foreign aircraft made a forced landing in Khabarovsk. All emergency ground services have arrived on site. The flight landed safely at 3pm local time,' said a statement.

Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry's Nuclear Risk Reduction Centre had announce the US Boeing OC-135B aircraft's observation flight over Russian territory between July 25 and 30.

An army source suggested the malfunctioning was 'not coincidental', and perhaps related to recent military exercises in the area.

'They were due to go direct from Ulan-Ude north-northeast to Yakutsk,' said the unnamed source, as reported by The Siberian Times.

 'Just imagine the kind of loop they needed to make to request the landing at approximately the same distance, but to the east?'..

The Boeing OC-135B aircraft seats up to 35 people as it monitors foreign territory on behalf of the US government.

One vertical and two oblique KS-87E framing cameras are used for low-altitude photography approximately 900 metres above the ground, and one KA-91C panoramic camera, which scans from side to side to provide a wide sweep for each picture used for high-altitude photography at approximately 11,000 metres.

The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in March 1992 and was seen as a major confidence-building measure after the Cold War.

It entered into force on January 1, 2002.

Currently 34 states are party to the treaty, including Russia and most NATO members

It allows an unarmed aerial surveillance programme of flights over the entire territory of fellow participants. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3712608/US-spy-plane-makes-emergency-landing-Russia-problem-landing-gear.html#ixzz4Flb3xnG7 

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U.S. Air Force Hercules makes emergency landing in St. John's after cabin loses pressure

The C-130 Hercules, like the one seen in this file photo, is used by the USAF for transporting cargo and personnel. (CBC)

By Geoff Bartlett,
CBC News Posted: Jul 28, 2016 9:42 AM
NT Last Updated: Jul 28, 2016 6:07 PM NT

A large transport aircraft belonging to the United States Air Force had to make an emergency landing at St. John's International Airport Wednesday night.

A spokesperson with the airport says the distressed USAF C-130 Hercules arrived at 10 p.m., with 52 people on board.

An emergency response team from the airport, as well as officials from Eastern Health were waiting to assist when the plane landed.

An official with the USAF told CBC some passengers were brought to hospital as a precautionary measure, but there were no reports of injuries.

According to the official, the aircraft was travelling from England to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Wheatfield, N.Y., with a scheduled stop in St. John's. During the landing into St. John's Airport, the plane lost cabin pressure — which is why emergency protocol was initiated.

The USAF official said the Hercules was carrying crew and what the military calls Space A passengers, which means active U.S. military members and their families who apply for a seat on the aircraft if extra seats are available.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a large transport plane typically used for transporting troops and cargo.

18th CES fire inspector keeps Kadena safe

Kenichi Shimajiri, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector, stands in front of a fire truck July 27, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Shimajiri was a firefighter for 23 years at Kadena before becoming a fire inspector. As a fire inspector, Shimajiri is responsible for ensuring buildings are free of fire hazards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lynette M. Rolen)

KADENA, OKINAWA, JAPAN

07.29.2016
Story by Airman 1st Class Lynette Rolen
18th Wing Public Affairs

His career has been more than 20 years in the making. What started out as a humble beginning has now turned into something more influential.

Kenichi Shimajiri, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector, rose in the ranks from the role of a firefighter to 18th CES fire inspector.

The job of a fire inspector is to ensure buildings are free of any potential fire hazards and are safe for the people occupying them.

Shimajiri had been a firefighter for 23 years; all of his tenure at Kadena. As Shimajiri grew older, his desire to learn more about his career led him to his current position.

“It sounded like a job for a good man, which is what I wanted when I was younger,” said Shimajiri.

Since 2013, Shimajiri has been a fire inspector and is still helping people.

“As a fire inspector, it’s a totally different feel,” said Shimajiri. “Now, we can prevent fires from happening and try to make it a better, safer area for Kadena as a whole.”

Removing the fire hazards involves many inspections and constant interaction with Kadena’s military members.

“During inspections, we work with the facility manager or anyone involved with the inspection,” said Shimajiri. “We try to get on the same page with both sides.”

Shimajiri has relationships with facility managers and his fellow co-workers in the fire department. Since he’s on the fire prevention side, he interacts often with those on the operations side (firefighters) daily.

“He’s the continuity for us,” said Mike Toyama, 18th CES fire chief assistant. “He’s been working here longer than all these Airmen. People come and they’re new; he’s the go-to guy for asking questions, and he always has the answer for them.”

Toyama has known Shimajiri for 25 years. All of the experience they have gained at Kadena makes them the source of continuity for their fellow fire department personnel.

Shimajiri shows fellow firefighters where to enter certain buildings in the event of a fire and the different strategies they can use.

“They come and ask me questions because I have so much experience,” said Shimajiri. “Everything I know, I teach to them. It’s why I stay here. I have continuity and I can teach them what they need to know, making Kadena safer.”

It’s with this goal of keeping Kadena safe Shimajiri finds fulfillment in his work.

“Every day, I enjoy my job,” said Shimajiri. “It’s very important, not just for the fire department, but for everybody on Kadena. It’s important to maintain safe operations and safe working areas.”