A-10 in Afghanistan

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KC-10 tanker flies last combat mission as retirement looms By Rachel S. Cohen

U.S. airmen wave as a KC-10 Extender tanker jet departs Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia Oct. 5 after conducting the airframe's final combat deployment. The departure marked the end of the airframe's 30+ years of service in the Middle East and southwest Asia. By September 2024, the Air Force's fleet of KC-10s will be decommissioned, to be gradually replaced by the KC-46 aircraft. (Tech. Sgt. Alexander Frank/Air Force)

The KC-10 Extender aerial refueling jet has logged its last combat mission, closing a penultimate chapter in the airframe’s four decades of service as it heads into retirement.

The last deployed KC-10 left Prince Sultan Air Base, a U.S.-run outpost in Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 5 after supporting combat operations in U.S. Central Command, the Air Force said in a release Friday. The service did not provide details on the tanker’s final sorties.

“The KC-10 has been the anchor of air refueling in the [region] since Desert Storm,” 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron boss Maj. Joseph Rush said in the release. “Thousands of airmen have deployed to support KC-10 combat operations. … To be here at the culmination of that legacy is a privilege.”

The 908th EARS has flown the KC-10 in the U.S.-led military campaigns against terror groups in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria from Prince Sultan Air Base and Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates since 2002.

The War Zone confirmed Thursday that the mission was the KC-10′s last ride in combat operations worldwide. The Air Force did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Since entering service in 1981, the KC-10 has moved thousands of tons of cargo, transported thousands of troops and supplied many millions of gallons of fuel to other aircraft in conflicts around the world. The jets act as airborne gas stations where military aircraft can refuel without needing to divert to brick-and-mortar bases for service.

“For a fighter, aerial refueling can take a two-hour unrefueled flight time and turn it into an eight-hour combat mission,” Rush said in the release. “That translates to uninterrupted close air support coverage for coalition troops on the ground or defensive counter-air coverage to high-value airborne assets in a combat zone.”

The KC-10′s exit is part of the Air Force’s sweeping plan to overhaul its aging inventory with new aircraft that are cheaper to maintain and can withstand the demands of future wars.

The service is sunsetting the 59-jet Extender fleet to make way for Boeing’s new KC-46 Pegasus tanker, which can carry more than 212,000 pounds of fuel, 65,000 pounds of cargo and nearly 60 passengers. The new fleet is also equipped with more defensive measures that can help it survive enemy attacks, and is a testbed for communication software that could make it a data-sharing hub for forces in the area.

KC-10s will continue to fly stateside as units finish swapping out older airframes and training on the KC-46, the release said.

The first KC-10 headed to the aircraft graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in July 2020. The last of the fleet is slated for retirement in September 2024.

Despite its age, airmen often hail the KC-10 as their favorite airframe in a tanker enterprise hampered by multiple software and hardware design problems.

The KC-135 Stratotanker has faced years of flight restrictions as the service tries to fix malfunctioning autopilot software. And the KC-46 is in the midst of years of upgrades to its external cameras, the refueling boom, fuel leaks, cargo restraints and more that have delayed its full participation in global operations.

The final deployment is a “bittersweet” end to KC-10 operations, Rush said in the release.

“It’s exciting for our community, as we get to take a lot of the best parts of the KC-10 culture we’ve built over the last 42 years and bring those best practices and experiences to a brand new weapons system,” he said.

This Marine is taking challenge coins to new heights, crayons included By Sarah Sicard

For over 100 years, the challenge coin has been a symbol of esprit de corps among troops around the globe, tracing its roots back to World War I.

In the past, tokens have formally conveyed symbols of unit history or accomplishments. More recently, however, some artisans have produced more creative variants tied to military culture and humor.

One such minter is Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Spencer Garvin, owner of Sven Smash Designs and creator of a devil dog favorite, the crayon-eater coin.

“The best coin of all time has to be the crayon bottle opener,” Garvin told Military Times, noting the service’s crayon-eating trope.

Garvin’s crayon creation may be both a challenge coin and a fun way to crack open a cold one, but it is not simply some venture born out of boredom. Rather, Garvin was tasked with making a challenge coin, saw room to diversify the space and jumped at the chance.

(Sven Smash Designs) 

“I was the commander’s driver in Marine Forces, Europe and Africa, in Stuttgart, Germany, and one of the tasks they had given me one day was that the commander needs a new coin,” he said.

Several rounds of edits with vendors ensued, but to no avail.

“After probably about 10 edits, [the commander] was like, ‘You know, we’re just gonna keep the one we have,’” Garvin said.

Garvin developed an idea for a separate coin on the side, however, and spent his own money to make it. He then sold his version among his unit.

“Everyone loved it,” he noted. “That was kind of the first coin that I designed.”

Now, years into the craft, Sven Smash has a catalog of coins inspired by everything from crayons to Pokemon, Harry Potter, and Funko Pop! designs — each with a military twist.

“The tradition of it has grown,” Garvin said, adding, “They’re [just] a little bit more eccentric than the classic challenge coin.”

FWA Oct Meeting Notice

 

More Burial and Funeral Costs Can Now Be Covered by Veterans Benefits Sept 2023

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Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding benefits to help pay for veterans' end-of-life expenses, the department announced Friday.

The expanded benefits include reimbursements for transporting remains to state and tribal veterans cemeteries, in addition to previously eligible national cemeteries; allowances for VA plots or interments for tribal organizations; and higher payments for non-service-connected burial benefits, according to a news release Friday.

"Last fiscal year, VA delivered more than 84,000 burial benefits to families of veterans," Joshua Jacobs, the VA's under secretary for benefits, said in the news release. "Expanding burial benefits means we are able to ensure veterans are honored in their final resting place, and assist their family, caregivers, and survivors during the difficult time of their loved ones.

The expanded benefits comes after the department earlier this year made a push to encourage more veterans to use the burial benefits.

Fewer than half of veterans who qualified for a burial allowance or headstone last year used the benefit, while just 20% of eligible veterans were buried in a cemetery managed or supported by the VA, a benefit that comes at no cost to the veteran's family, department officials said in January.

The VA manages 155 cemeteries nationwide and funds an additional 121 state, territorial and tribal veterans cemeteries.

The department will pay a veteran's surviving spouse, child, parent or executor for expenses related to burying the veteran if they have not been reimbursed by any other organizations. The veteran must have been discharged under something other than dishonorable conditions.

If a veteran's remains are unclaimed, the department also provides benefits to the funeral home or third party who handled burial arrangements.

Depending on when the death happened, service-related deaths can get up to $2,000 in expenses covered, while non-service-related deaths have been able to get up to $893 for a burial allowance and $893 for a plot.

The average cost of a funeral was nearly $8,000 in 2021, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.

The expenses that the VA will cover can include a veteran's gravesite, burial, funeral and transportation of remains to the final resting place, and benefits are available for all legal burial types, including cremation, burial at sea and donation of remains to a medical school.

There is no time limit to apply for benefits for a service-connected burial, plot or interment allowance, or transportation costs, but claims for non-service-connected benefits must be filed within two years of the veteran's burial or cremation.

Free Cruise Tickets Available for Veterans and Active-Duty Military on This Upgraded Ship

A cruise line sailing out of the Port of Palm Beach, Florida, to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, is offering active-duty troops and veterans free passage on its three-day, two-night trips.

Margaritaville at Sea is a 1,680-passenger cruise ship that first started sailing in 2022. It features country music star Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville-themed shows and amenities, and the "iconic Margaritaville lifestyle," according to the ship's website. It's owned by the former Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Margaritaville Enterprises. The ship previously sailed as the Grand Classica through Bahama Paradise.

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In a "Heroes Sail Free" program announced Sept. 7, 2022, veterans, active-duty troops, first responders and educators who are verified through the GovX ID system can get free passage on two-night sailings through April 29, 2024.

Related: How to Find Cheap Military Flights and Baggage Discounts

Only those verified through the platform get free tickets. This offer is available for inside or ocean view staterooms, is not valid for single travelers, and applies to one qualifying member per stateroom.

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Interested users can book on the ship's website.

The freebie may carry blackout dates, and the website states that additional dates can be added at any time. Passengers on free tickets will need to pay fees and taxes, and the tickets are non-transferable. Qualified passengers can take one free cruise a year, the website says.

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