Those former CIA employees of the iconic “Air America” clandestine flight service who were not already military veterans have been trying to get the Air Force to recognize their efforts in Southeast Asia as active duty service—making them eligible for veterans benefits, according to National Journal. An Air Force review board turned them down once for lack of evidence they actually supported military missions, but it is now reconsidering based on newly revealed documentation. The effort parallels one by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Rep. Shelley Berkeley (D-Nev.) to give the AA crowd civil service benefits.
The Air Force Personnel Center announced that just 14.8 percent of eligible tech sergeants were selected for promotion to master sergeant in the 22E7 promotion cycle, marking the service’s lowest E-7 promotion rate since at least 2010. All told, 4,040 technical sergeants were selected to become master sergeants out of…