: SMSgt. Timothy O’Donnell, a veteran flight engineer and superintendent of the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., recently logged his 10,000th flight hour. “Even a bad day in an airplane is better than a good day at the office,” said O’Donnell, when reflecting on his accomplishment. He reached 10,000 flight hours during an EC-130 mission over southern Arizona earlier this month, and has racked up 1,100 of those flight hours in combat. O’Donnell enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in 1982 and then joined the active duty force three years later. He has visited all seven continents and more than 120 countries throughout his career. “He is a great, old, crusty flight engineer,” said Maj. Dwayne Killebrew, the 43rd ECS assistant director of operations. (Davis-Monthan report by Amn. Saphfire D. Cook)
Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon, spent his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 19 pressing his civilian bona fides to lawmakers, with some pledging opposition to the waiver Austin would need to become the nation’s first Black Defense Secretary. Austin spent 40 years in the military…