By THOMAS GNAU | Dayton Daily News | Published: April 28, 2021 WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (Tribune News Service) When Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle took command of Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base last year, she outlined her top goals. Chief among those: Orienting AFRL to support not just the Air Force, but the new Space Force. Being one AFRL supporting two services was in my top three. In fact it was No. 2. Pringle said Wednesday in an online roundtable. AFRL is based at Wright-Patterson, making the base not just Ohio s largest single-site employer with 30,000 military and civilian employees, but an increasingly crucial base for two military branches.
By THOMAS GNAU | Dayton Daily News | Published: April 27, 2021 DAYTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service) The University of Dayton s research arm has won an Air Force contract for work on propulsion and thermal management. The University of Dayton Research Institute, or UDRI, with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $96 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research enabling procurement for aerospace systems, an announcement from the Department of Defense said late Monday. This contract provides for the advancement of the state-of-the-art of propulsion, power, and thermal management technologies for transition to the warfighter, the DOD said. Work will be performed in Dayton and is expected to be completed April 25, 2029.
By STEPHANIE WARSMITH | Akron Beacon Journal | Published: April 23, 2021 AKRON, Ohio (Tribune News Service) He put his life on the line in the Middle East during Desert Storm. He risked his safety again during a shootout in the streets of Akron. Gary Frank, an U.S. Army Veteran and former security guard, was honored this week for his heroism during a shooting in June 2019 in which he came to the aid of a mother and her three children. During a ceremony Wednesday at the Veteran’s Service Commission office in Akron, Frank received a celebration coin from the Veteran’s Service Commission of Summit County, a proclamation from Summit County declaring it “Gary Frank Day,” a plaque, and a $1,000 reward from Summit County Crime Stoppers.
By THOMAS GNAU | Dayton Daily News, Ohio | Published: April 23, 2021 DAYTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service) On April 3, Lt. Gen. Harry Goldsworthy, the man considered to be the oldest living retired air force general in the world, celebrated his 107th birthday. In a career that spanned some 34 years, from 1939, when Goldsworthy was accepted for flight training with the Army Air Corps, to retirement in 1973, what was his favorite assignment? According to an account by WarHistoryOnline.com, it was Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There, he commanded the Aeronautical Systems Division, where he helped draw up specifications for the F-15 Eagle fighter. In his career, Goldsworthy flew over 30 different aircraft, the web site in a recent piece on Goldsworthy. He received the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
By RICK MCCRABB | Journal-News | Published: April 18, 2021 HAMILTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service) It wasn t until 1994, on the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, that Lt. Donald H. Steffen opened up about his World War II experiences. Like a lot of guys back then, he said he was just doing his job, said Kurt Schlicht, Steffen s son-in-law. There was a rush of patriotism during the war. Then after the war, he just wanted to get on with his life. Schlicht and his wife, Donna, 73, the oldest of Steffen s four children, will drive from their Indiana home to Butler County Regional Airport this weekend to see a restored C-47 that led the air attack on D-Day. That s All, Brother, a C-47 piloted by Lt. Col. John Donalson, is scheduled to visit the airport through today and offer ticketed tours and rides.