Sixteen-year-old Gabby Douglas, daughter of Virginia Air National Guard SSgt. Timothy Douglas, on Aug. 2 in London became just the fourth American to a win an Olympic gold medal in women’s all-around gymnastics. A $500 grant from Our Military Kids made Douglas’ gymnastics career possible by giving her the resources to train when she was just starting out, Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Shannon Stoneking told the Daily Report. The organization provides grants to the children of National Guard and Reserve personnel who are deployed overseas. In other Olympic news, Capt. Seth Kelsey, an Air Force Reservist, also performed well, finishing fourth in men’s individual epee fencing on Aug, 1. “I felt like I put in a ton of hard work and won some tough bouts,” said Kelsey in an Air Force release. “I would have loved to have brought home a medal, but I felt like I gave myself the best possible shot I was going to have.”
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.