Posted on January 30, 2012 by Fighter Country
Arizona Wing Aviation Museum
SPECIAL INAUGURAL TRIBUTE EVENT TO RECOGNIZE THE FIRST INDUCTEES TO THE CAF ARIZONA WING AVIATION MUSEUM’S WALK OF HONOR
PHOENIX – The Commemorative Air Force (“CAF”) Arizona Wing Aviation Museum, located at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, announced today the inauguration of its Walk of Honor as a tribute recognizing the contributions by Arizonans to the field of military aviation. Inductees will be honored for their achievement with the installation of a special bronze plaque at the Museum.
The inauguration will be celebrated at a dinner recognizing the first inductees on Saturday evening, February 18, 2012 at the Phoenix Hilton East-Mesa Hotel, 1011 W. Holmes, Mesa, Arizona 85210. Cocktails will be from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Dinner and the induction ceremony will follow. Brigadier General Jerry D. Harris, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB will be the keynote speaker.
The first six inductees into the Arizona Military Aviation Walk of Honor include: Lieutenant Frank Luke, Major Fred Ferguson, Rear Admiral W. L. Chatham, Mr. Sergei Sikorsky, Major Joseph Foss and Dr. Harry Robertson. Inductees are native, resident or former resident Arizonans, living or deceased, who made noteworthy contributions to the field of military aviation.
Posted on January 2, 2012 by Fighter Country
Credit Union West continues to build its long and unwavering commitment to the Luke Air Force Base community. This is evident in the cooperative relationship they have developed over the years with the Airmen and Family Readiness Center. In collaboration with the Airmen and Family Readiness Center, Credit Union West conducts two of the required four hours of financial education during FTAC. They equip young airmen with the tools necessary to make sound financial decisions. The goal is to provide basic education to minimize the missteps that can so easily divert families from achieving financial success. For their dedication to…
Posted on January 1, 2012 by Fighter Country
As Wigwam resort owners kicked around the idea of naming golf course holes after patriotic Arizonans, one name quickly separated itself from the rest: Lt. Frank Luke Jr. “This was a natural,” Wigwam’s most recognizable owner, Jerry Colangelo, told the View Wednesday. “We’re honoring people who’re deserving, and Frank Luke is at the top of the list.” “Who would be at the first tee? I can’t think of anyone else but Frank Luke,” the deceased airman’s nephew, Don Luke, told the View. “It is a perfect fit.” What made the Wednesday afternoon ceremony perfect was the fact it began with…
Posted on December 31, 2011 by Fighter Country
The Glendale Fire Department recently joined forces with Luke Air Force Base to provide enhanced fire and advanced life safety protection for the base and West Glendale. The two agencies have begun a pilot program in which the Glendale Fire Department will provide a fire truck and two trained paramedics at Luke’s Fire Station 362 to provide advanced emergency medical services to the area. The program, which launched Dec. 6, is grant funded thanks to the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery, Public Safety Stabilization Program. Because Luke is located in a remote area, the nearest Glendale fire station was approximately…
Posted on December 30, 2011 by Fighter Country
An F-100D Super Sabre Air Force jet that served at Luke Air Force Base 1962 to 1969 was used to train young pilots. The jet was retired from use by United States Air Force and placed into the National Museum of United States Air Force Static Display Program in 1971. In 1973, the jet was installed at Bonsall Park, 59th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, Glendale. Visitors to the park and passers by might not realize that the plane was piloted by retired Lt. Col Warren H. Rice, who had more than 200 missions with the F-100D during the Vietnam…
Posted on December 29, 2011 by Fighter Country
Posted on December 29, 2011 by Fighter Country
With more than 280 Thunderbolts currently deployed around the world, Operation Thunderbox focuses on sending care packages to deployed Luke Air Force Base Airmen.
The program started around 2004 by a former Luke command chief, Scott Dearduff and his wife.
“They wanted to ensure Luke personnel received a taste of home and to let them know that Luke leadership was always thinking about its deployed Thunderbolts,” said Master Sgt. Evelyn Proctor, 56th Security Forces Squadron logistics superintendent.
Operation Thunderbox is a self-sustaining program. It relies solely on donated items and money from local charitable organizations and retired communities.
Posted on December 28, 2011 by Fighter Country
At Luke Air Force Base, we’re proud to be part of the community in the West Valley. We recognize that the support of surrounding communities is vital to our success as we carry out our mission of training the world’s greatest F-16 pilots and maintainers.
We’ve had an outstanding year at Luke. This year, we graduated 372 pilots, 529 crew chiefs, and 68 intelligence specialists. We deployed 484 Airmen in support of U.S. operations overseas, while continuing to accomplish the mission at home.
We also earned a rating of “Excellent” on the Unit Compliance Inspection conducted by Air Education and Training Command. This is a major inspection conducted every two years which assesses our compliance with regulations. The results validated what I have seen over the past 14 months as the wing commander here and are a testament to the professionalism of our men and women at Luke.
Posted on December 28, 2011 by Fighter Country
When one hears of all the wars, crime and political strife, it easy to feel a sense of hopelessness, but there are a lot of good things happening that can restore hope. One such event took place on a sweltering late-August day at Luke Air Force Base. “I received a call from Jenny Voss, a retired Air Force major, who was a combat nurse in Iraq, asking for help in finding volunteers to help her load boxes into a U-Haul truck,” said Vickie Muniz, 56th Force Support Squadron Airmen and Family Readiness Flight community readiness specialist. “She was moving to San…
Posted on December 14, 2011 by Fighter Country
GLENDALE — The F-100D Super Sabre, nicknamed “The Hun,” displayed at Bonsall Park, has been refurbished and will be rededicated on Thursday to the military veterans of Arizona who have served our country. The rededication ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. and feature comments from city dignitaries, including Glendale’s Mayor Elaine Scruggs and council members Norma Alvarez and Phil Lieberman. Bonsall Park is at 59th Avenue and Bethany Home Road. Also attending will be special guests from Luke Air Force Base and Warren H. Rice, a fighter pilot that actually flew this F-100. The F-100 at Bonsall Park served at…
