Luke Airman makes ultimate sacrifice in freedom fight

The Defense Department announced Wednesday the identity of a Luke Airman who recently died in Afghanistan, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Master Sgt. Randy Gillespie, 44, of Coaldale, Colo., died Monday due to wounds sustained from small arms fire encountered outside Camp Stone, a forward

New energy-saving initiative starts at Luke

The 56th Civil Engineer has implemented an energy conservation initiative after normal duty hours. Computers will automatically shutdown daily starting at around midnight. Prior to shutdown, a countdown timer will be displayed on each computer screen and users will have the option to cancel the

Command performance

JPED returns cherished items

Photos of a soldier's family, a wedding band of a Marine, a bible of a Defense Department civilian -- items left behind of those killed in action. These are items regularly seen at the Joint Personal Effects Depot, which is three warehouses on a U.S. Army post just northeast of Baltimore. Maj. John

Thunderbolt of the Week: Senior Airman Melissa Johnson

Senior Airman Melissa Johnson, 56th Medical Operations Squadron,  Pediatric Clinic Aerospace Medical Technician Hometown: El Paso, Texas Years in service: Five Education: Pursuing Community College of the Air Force degree at Rio Salado Community College Inspirations: My husband and family because

63rd FS graduates nine fighter pilots

The 63rd Fighter Squadron "Panthers" welcomed class 07-BBG to Luke Dec. 11, 2006. These nine aviators hailed from all parts of the country, but had one goal in mind -- to become "world-class F-16 fighter pilots." When I read the 63rd's mission statement, the words fighter pilot stand out, and makes

Luke's library - a history of successful changes

The Luke Library has always been an integral part of the base community-- a comfortable literary oasis for Airmen and their families. As early as 1958, the library was a well established facility located in the heart of the base, southeast of the little white chapel.  According to the 1958 base

Luke Air Force Base Fourth of July Flyovers

Luke Air Force Base will participate in Independence Day observations throughout the valley with F-16 flyovers supporting various community events July 3 and 4. Flyovers July 3 will begin at approximately 7 p.m. with the Lake Pleasant celebration, then onto Anthem before finishing up over the

AFS021 keeps wheels turning

Air Force Smart Operations 21, a continuous process improvement program, requires Airmen to keep attacking their work processes until the best result is achieved. The idea is that Airmen are tasked to always look at their work processes with an eye for how they can do things better. Year in and year

Academy cadets get OJT at Luke

Approximately 40 cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy are at Luke from June to August, participating in Operation Air Force. Ops AF provides academy cadets experience in the operational Air Force while focusing on different areas of cadet development. Ops AF offers three, 20-day programs: the