Imagine a Woobie fashioned into a hoodie and then dipped in Tigerstripe. If you’re not sold already, may God have mercy on your soul. Yeah, they’ve got other colors too, and even kid sizes.
Get them while they’re hot!
perseverancesurvival.com/woobies/tiger-stripe-hoodie
American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization, today reunited retired Military Working Dog Akim with Senior Airmen Jenna, his former handler and best friend, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The pair have been separated for more than a year after serving together in South Korea.
“We at American Humane honor the lifesaving contributions of all veterans, including the four-legged military dogs who risk their lives to courageously serve our country,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “We are thrilled Akim will get the retirement he deserves, alongside the person who loves him most.”
Uniquely qualified in detection and patrol, Akim was paired with SrA Jenna in 2020. The two served together in South Korea, patrolling the Air Base, searching vehicles at the gates, and training with the Republic of Korea Air Force Special Forces. In November 2021, they were forced to part ways.
While serving together, Akim had a near-death experience after accidentally swallowing a bee and suffering from an extreme allergic reaction. SrA Jenna leaped into action as Akim went into anaphylactic shock, picking up the 70-pound dog and running him to the veterinarian at the base. Thanks to her quick action, Akim survived. SrA Jenna spent the next two days by his side and even slept with him in his kennel to keep him company. From that day forward, SrA Jenna always had an EpiPen on hand.
Tragically, Akim lost his eyesight when he was resuscitated and in recovery. He eventually regained some of his sight and was able to perform his duties on base again, but it never returned fully. This unfortunate incident formed a lifelong, unbreakable bond between Akim and SrA Jenna, and the pair have been inseparable ever since.
“I don’t care about me. I care about my dog. I just wanted to make sure that he was as comfortable as he could possibly be,” said SrA Jenna, recalling the traumatic event. “No one is going to care as much about him as me.”
From the moment she became MWD Akim’s handler, SrA Jenna knew she wanted to be the one who gave him a forever-loving home when he finished his years of service. American Humane was honored to work with SrA Jenna and the U.S. Military to transport MWD Akim more than 6,000 miles from South Korea to New Mexico, into SrA Jenna’s loving arms. The reunion took place in Albuquerque.
“I want him to see everything,” said SrA Jenna. “I want him to experience the freedom of life. I want him to go in a river and go swimming and just live his best free life. He still deserves to see the world and get to have some fun.”
Retired MWDs often have medical issues stemming from their physical jobs, and American Humane provides free specialty and preventative medical care to make retired MWDs as healthy and comfortable as possible during retirement.
To help us reunite military heroes like Akim with their former handlers and give them the retirement they truly deserve, visit www.AmericanHumane.org.
The 2022 Connecticut SWAT Challenge is coming up soon, August 16-18 in the Hartford area.
Not only does the Connecticut SWAT Challenge host teams from all over the US to challenge themselves against various events and one another, there are also training courses.
For vendors it’s a great way to meet face to face with these teams and show off your wares. Spots are still available.
To learn more, visit www.ctswatchallenge.com.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
The Air Force is expecting lower promotion rates for the next few years due to enlisted grade restructuring, a leveling-off of end-strength growth, and high retention levels.
Based on structure revisions and end-strength requirements, grades E-5 through E-7 will be impacted. Through this realignment, the Air Force intends to balance and increase experience within its noncommissioned officer tier.
“We value the experience Airmen bring to their work centers and we want to ensure we are aligning our enlisted force grade structure appropriately,” said Lt. Gen. Caroline Miller, deputy chief of staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services. “Although this news may be discouraging for some, this revision is absolutely needed and allows us to grow the Air Force our nation needs.”
The review also confirmed various career field managers’ concerns on the decrease of experience levels among their Airmen after analyzing historical data.
“While a small part of the decline can be explained by the elimination of time-in-grade and time-in-service points from enlisted promotion considerations, the majority of the experience decline was attributable to the Air Force trying to achieve an enlisted force structure with too many higher grades,” said Col. James Barger, Air Force Manpower Analysis Agency commander. “We also found that experience levels would continue to decline unless the Air Force lays in more junior Airmen allocations and fewer E5-E7 allocations. So, we built a plan to transition to a healthier grade distribution by Fiscal Year 2025.”
From 2015 to 2021, enlisted end-strength grew by nearly 16,000 Airmen and since more promotable quotas were available to Airmen during the period of growth, promotion rates over this time period were higher.
Now that the end-strength growth has leveled off, the higher promotion opportunity is no longer available and will be further constrained as strengths drops by 3,000 into FY23 from its high in March 2022.
Furthermore, due to record-high retention levels across the enlisted force, promotion opportunities due to Airmen separating or retiring have also been reduced. Over the next several years, and as retention levels may be expected to normalize, increased promotion opportunity may be expected.
The revised grade structure distribution is essential for solidifying and building upon the experience gained and captured from the recent revisions to the Enlisted Evaluation System. Within this FY22 promotion cycles, the Air Force adopted the Promotion Recommendation Score, which places value on the experience of Airmen and sustained superior performance when it comes to promotions. The goal is to slow the rate at which the average Airman is promoted to give an average of an additional year of experience at each of the E-5 and E-6 grades.
Last year, the Air Force introduced Airman Leadership Qualities which focus on competency-based development and lay the foundation for “Developing the Airmen We Need” for both officers and enlisted personnel. The ALQs are also an integral part of the recently released “Blueprint: Roadmap to Enlisted Development.” ALQ-based evaluations, slated to begin this fall, allow the Air Force to measure what it values for leadership development and future conflicts.
“As we continue to improve and revise our enlisted evaluation system and grade distribution, we must ensure members are ready to both take care of their Airmen and are experts in their primary duties,” Miller added. “Our enlisted force must be poised and structured to be able to accomplish both of those key tasks.”
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
Rheinmetall has scored further contract successes in the field of 40mm ammunition. The South African subsidiary Rheinmetall Denel Munition has been awarded contracts for the supply of 40mm ammunition by two customers in Asia. In one case, this is a new customer who has ordered 400,000 40mm low-velocity grenades. These are to be delivered by December 2022. In the other case, an existing customer ordered 100,000 rounds of medium velocity grenades. These are to be delivered between December 2022 and February 2023. In total, the order is worth about 25 million euros.
“With these two contracts, we are expanding our customer base in Asia,” says Jan-Patrick Helmsen, CEO Rheinmetall Denel Munition. Negotiations are already underway to increase the quantities.
Rheinmetall Denel Munition offers a comprehensive range of high-quality 40mm ammunition, including. 40x46mm Low Velocity (LV), 40x53mm High Velocity (HV) and 40x51mm Medium Velocity (MV).
The 40mm MV ammunition has a range of up to 800 metres – 200 metres more than comparable products on the market. The 40mm LV ammunition has a range of up to 400 metres. Both types of ammunition use a High Explosive Dual Purpose projectile. This combines fragmentation and shaped charge, which has a high penetrating power. It can be used against bunkers and armoured targets and can penetrate 50 mm rolled homogenous armour (RHA).
The ammunition is manufactured in accordance with international standards and is suitable for use with suitably qualified grenade launchers of the latest generation.
FOOTHILL RANCH, CA. – July 12, 2022 – Oakley® Standard Issue has announced the launch of the new American Heritage Collection to honor and recognize the distinctive nose art seen on 1940s allied military aircraft. The three-piece collection features Gascan®, Holbrook™ and Drop Point™ models, all uniquely designed to commemorate the rich history and individuality behind these iconic aircraft and their crews.
“We’re excited to introduce the latest addition to our American Heritage collection paying tribute to the iconic aircraft art from the 1940s,” said Erick Poston, Senior Director of Oakley SI. “This method of self-expression allowed these men to showcase their individuality and give their planes a persona to not only keep them safe, but also give them some reminders of home.”
Born from practicality in identifying friendly units from foe, the nose art on these aircraft gave each plane its own personality. These designs were morale-boosting, good-luck charms, and reminders of personal lives, hobbies, characteristics and much more. It is a kind of folk art that provides a unique insight into the mindset of the aircrew and ground personnel who were thrust into an environment where the only certainty was the uncertainty of their survival.
The American Heritage Collection consists of three different configurations from Oakley’s assortment with options in the Holbrook™, Gascan® and Drop Point™ models. All eyewear includes Prizm™ Lens Technology and features a unique scheme associated with historic aircraft designs. MSRP starting at $183.
To learn more about the American Heritage Collection, check out this article on OakleySI.com.
To become a member or learn more about Oakley Standard Issue, visit OakleySI.com. Details about products, promotions and future offers can also be found on the Oakley SI Instagram, Facebook and YouTube pages.
Offered in 2 and 8 Liter versions, Matador’s Flatpack Dry Bags feature welded construction of Waterproof 70D ripstop nylon for an IPX7 rating (Submersible to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes).
They feature a roll top and clear window to ID your gear along with a Hypalon carrying handle.
matadorup.com/products/flatpak-drybag-8l
Both TXC Holsters and OTTE Gear hires Austin Miller for sales, communications, and digital marketing!
TXC Holsters, Houston based manufacturer of Kydex forearms retention, and OTTE Gear, New Jersey based manufacturer of tactical clothing any nylon, are both proud to announce that Austin Miller has joined their team.
Austin joins as OTTE Gear’s newest Social Media Manager and TXC Holsters as the Sales and Marketing Coordinator. Austin is experienced in marketing through a vast number of digital channels. From a small business owner back in 2018, to most recently, 2 years at Modlite Systems as the Customer Engagement Director where he managed the customer service and marketing team. He brings his friendly and charismatic attitude, and experience as both a salesman and product end-user to two new teams with missions that are close to his heart.
“Many of you who have known me throughout the years know that I got my start in this industry manufacturing my own holsters, and that textile products are an addictive passion of mine. Having the incredible opportunity to work in both realms is a dream come true. Working with two amazing companies that didn’t make me pick has been incredible, and frankly I was shocked when they said yes to the proposal. Days are long, but the payoff is well worth it. Both companies are uniquely positioned with the resources to have an amazing impact, but nimble enough to respond to changes and new product needs by the end-user.”
– Austin Miller
If you have any inquiries, Austin Can be reached at:
