22 Jan 2019

Offutt hub for new Air-Force comptroller software

The 55th Comptroller Squadron Financial Management Flight began testing a new scanning software, EPHESOFT, in December. The software is used to send documentation to the Air Force Financial Services Center at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, responsible for the processing and payment of temporary duty and permanent change of station travel entitlements for travel performed outside of the Defense Travel System.

17 Jan 2019

Gen. LeMay's lead operational bombing planner dies at 101, family makes unique donation

When the family of a man who lived to see 101 and served his country for 30 years in the Army, Army Air Corps and Air Force through World War II, asks to donate something, the answer is easy. Col. John Watters Sr., from Selma, Alabama, graduated from Auburn University in 1940 and immediately commissioned into the Army horse-drawn artillery. A few years later, he found himself in the Army Air Corps as a B-17 bombardier and navigator, completing more than 25 combat bombing missions when life expectancy was ten missions. It wasn’t long until the Air Force was established and he made another switch. His final assignment was as Gen. Curtis LeMay's, commander of Strategic Air Command, lead operational bombing planner.

14 Jan 2019

Embracing change: 55th CG builds Developmental Program, Warhawk Thinking Facility

Through the collective efforts of its group and squadrons’ leadership, the 55th Communications Group stood-up a new Development Program in order to ease the career-field’s pivot from traditional information technology to cyber defense operations. With the mindset of bringing the future faster, the group’s first move was to build partnerships with outside entities to advance their goals.

11 Jan 2019

Bullied second-generation citizen finds refuge in MLK

Dr. Martin Luther King, born in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 15, 1929, was a Baptist minister, son, husband, father, social activist, civil rights leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. On April 4, 1968, while in Memphis, Tennessee, to march with garbage workers on strike, he was assassinated at the young age of 39. As I think about why this holiday means so much to me, I find myself thinking of another important man - he was a migrant worker born in Hondo, Texas, with ten children. I am his daughter and second generation in America. He worked hard to care for us and impressed on his children the greatness of this country, his love for it and the possibilities it offered to so many people. In his eyes, and now mine, we have seen the greatness of some people and, unfortunately, the ugliness of others.

20 Dec 2018

100 Black Women of Omaha inducts CGO

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Valyn Beasley, 55th Medical Group practice manager healthcare administer, was born and raised in North Omaha, merely miles from Offutt Air Force Base. While stationed so close to home, she spends her time, not only mentoring those inside its gates, but also members of her community and it has not gone unnoticed. She was recently inducted into the National Coalition of 100 Black Women of Omaha, a non-profit advocacy organization designed to increase the economic growth, health & wellness, educational, political and social gains for women of color, with specific emphasis on enhancing the quality of life and lifestyles of all African-American women.

17 Dec 2018

Spouses honor 876 buried at base cemetery

If you’re passing down Nelson Drive on the north side of base, you will see an occasional visitor laying a bouquet or wreath of flowers by a headstone at the Offutt Cemetery. The Offutt Cemetery has a humble and sorrowful, beginning. While historical documents state the cemetery’s establishment as January 1, 1893, a Springfield Monitor article from 1897 has other information. The article claims the first death to be interred at the Fort Crook Cemetery was the infant son of Samuel Pittson of the Army’s quartermaster division on July 29, 1897. A permit by telegraph was received from Washington D.C. to set apart a portion of the installation for a cemetery in which to bury soldiers and their family members. This past year, the Offutt Officers Spouses’ Club was looking for a way to get more involved in the community and celebrate the lives of those buried at the cemetery. After some research, they decided to partner with the Wreaths Across America, a national program that coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies across the country.

13 Dec 2018

Friction testing running smoother

After inclement winter weather, Airfield Management is responsible for testing the friction of the runways, taxiways and aprons - cleared aircraft movement is based on their results. The 55th Operations Support Squadron Airfield Management office has successfully installed a new system - the RT3 continuous friction measuring equipment, which tests the friction of the runway. The new equipment is making the process more streamlined.

10 Dec 2018

Brain surgery to bear hugs: One Wounded Warrior’s story

Born with a birth defect causing seizures, battling anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and facing divorce and separation from a child, can be a lot for anyone to handle, but with a community of support things can get better. For retired Air Force Captain Rob Hufford, 55th Civil Engineering Squadron, no statement could ring truer. From an all-time low to bear hugging England’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, while in Australia to compete in the Invictus Games, things are looking up for Hufford.

30 Nov 2018

25th OWS celebrates 75th anniversary

Surrounded by historic aircraft in the main hangar of the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tuscon, Arizona, the 25th Operational Weather Squadron celebrated its 75th anniversary Nov. 2, 2018. Originally known as the 25th Weather Squadron, the unit provided weather support to Army and Army Air Corps units operating and training throughout the Northeastern U.S. from an office building on New York’s Long Island.

5 Nov 2018

ACC commander visits Team Offutt

U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, along with his wife, Sara, visited Offutt AFB Oct. 30-31, 2018. Holmes, the leader of the primary provider of air combat forces to America's warfighting commanders, met with Airmen, senior leaders, civic leaders and Offutt partner units to learn more about Offutt’s missions and hear what is on the minds of the members of Team Offutt. What followed was a candid, professional discussion on matters and issues important to today’s Airmen: readiness and retention, civilian hiring practices, officer and enlisted performance reporting, and empowerment.