Lights, Camera, Action! AAFES to Open First-Run Movie Theater at Ft. Bliss      

     Military moviegoers living on and around Ft. Bliss will soon be able to see the hottest releases, on the installation, as the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and Southern Theaters, L.L.C. works to open a first-run movie theater at the new Freedom Crossing Lifestyle Center this fall.

      The Grand Theater will feature 10 screens, all digital projection, and stadium seating. Capable of seating 1,712 moviegoers, the theater will be only the second theater in CONUS to show first-run movies on a military installation (Ft. Benning). More

Commissary Connection        

'Apples to apples' - new calculations reveal even higher savings for commissay customers   

     "Delivering substantial savings to the brave men and women of our armed forces is now, and always has been, our top priority," said Acting DeCA Director and CEO Thomas E. Milks.  More   

Father, Daughter Share Aircraft Heritage

     While many daughters may share similar interests with their fathers, one noncommissioned officer here relates the challenges of her job with an understanding dad. He's been there and done that.

     When retired Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Seibt learned that his daughter, Jennifer, was going to be promoted from technical sergeant to master sergeant July 30, he made the trip here from Hillsboro, Ore., to share the event with her.   More 

Duckworth Takes to Skies Again

     Tammy Duckworth has achieved much since being wounded in 2004, but regaining her pilot’s license has given the wounded warrior and top VA official a unique perspective on the control she has over her destiny.

      Gen. George S. Patton once said: “Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.”

     For Duckworth, a major and an Illinois Army National Guard aviator, the bottom came in 2004, when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq. As a result of the attack, Duckworth lost both of her legs and partial use of one arm. Since then, she has devoted her life to public service, advocating on behalf of the veterans and the disabled.  More   

Soldier Overcomes Difficult Childhood

     While saying Army Spc. Ekaterina Volsky's childhood was difficult is accurate, it doesn't even begin to describe the poverty, abuse and neglect she has overcome in her short lifetime.

     The U.S. Army Europe human resources specialist was born near the Ural Mountains in Perm, Russia, 23 years ago. Her birth mother struggled with alcoholism and bouts of mental illness, and eventually committed suicide.  More

Families Take Center Stage at Guard Workshop

      Families have been the focus this week at the 2010 National Guard Volunteer Workshop in New Orleans.

     Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was at the workshop Monday, and spoke about the challenges facing military families. I highlighted the thoughts he shared on those issues in my blog, "Mullen Addresses Military Family Challenges."

     I wanted to share what other leaders had to say at the workshop as well. 

     Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry M. "Bud" Wyatt III, director of the Air National Guard, said the Guard's family readiness groups need to receive the same support as National Guard members deploying overseas.   More

‘Real Warrior’ Loses Leg, Gains New Perspective

      With a combat escort at front and rear, Army Maj. Ed Pulido drove a sport utility vehicle into an area of Iraq known as “IED Alley” on his way to Kirkuk from a base northwest of Baghdad.

     Pulido chatted with the colonel next to him, mostly about going home again, all the while unaware of the roadside bomb lodged in the asphalt directly ahead. 

     The soldiers in front saw it, but it was too late to warn Pulido. The bomb detonated, and smoke, glass, noise and dust filled the air. The air bag had deployed, and Pulido shoved it to one side.  More      

Airmen Deliver Flood Relief to Pakistan

           An Air Force C-130H Hercules crew delivered relief supplies to Islamabad, Pakistan, July 31 in response to catastrophic monsoon flooding.     

     The first flight, flown by 455th Air Expeditionary Wing airmen, delivered nearly 8,000 packaged meals prepared according to Islamic laws.

     A follow-on C-17 Globemaster III flight, flown by airmen from the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, delivered more than 44,000 of the meals Aug. 1.  

     Hassan Zulfiqar, director of Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, met the aircraft as they delivered the supplies.  More

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