In San Antonio, construction is just finished on a new joint Veterans Affairs and Defense Department medical facility to be called the North Central Federal Clinic. Maj. Eric Peipelman, project manager for the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland AFB, Tex., calls the facility “a jewel” for both agencies that will serve as a test bed for similar clinics around the country. So far, the Air Force has identified some 5,600 current Wilford Hall Medical Center patients who live in the north central San Antonio area to receive care at the new clinic, which will include a pharmacy, radiology, lab, and optometry services. It is slated to open Dec. 4.
Three B-1B Lancers from the 7th Bomb Wing flew over the Indo-Pacific alongside F-16s from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force recently, as part of a joint large force exercise. The mission began and ended in the continental U.S., as the bombers flew 31 hours and landed Jan. 11.