The Air Force Memorial will commemorate its 10th anniversary on Oct. 14 with a public ceremony to take place between at 10:00-11:30 a.m. at One Air Force Memorial Drive in Arlington, Va. The ceremony will include a performance by The United States Air Force Band; appearances by celebrity guest vocalist and American Idol alumna Melinda Doolittle, renowned Air Force DJ and radio personality Adrian Cronauer, and American TV journalist Bob Schieffer; a Red Jacket presentation to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James as Honorary Tuskegee Airman; an Air Force Heritage Flight, and a cupcake reception hosted by James. The Air Force Memorial, which is managed by the Air Force Association, hosts events throughout the year to include retirement, promotion and re-enlistment ceremonies, a Summer Concert Series featuring The United States Air Force Band, student and Honor Flight tours, various holiday celebrations, and wreath-laying and commemoration ceremonies. (Click here for parking information and trolley schedules.) (See also: These Magnificent Spires from the October issue of Air Force Magazine.)
Three B-1B Lancers from the 7th Bomb Wing flew over the Indo-Pacific alongside F-16s from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force as part of a joint large force exercise. The mission began and ended in the continental U.S. The bombers flew 31 hours and landed Jan. 11.