Altus Air Force Base News

 

  • Risks of smokeless tobacco

    Over the past 12 years, the U.S. Air Force has seen an increase in the usage of smokeless tobacco, from 4 to 5.2 percent.  At 7.4 percent, the rate of use on Altus Air Force Base is higher than the U.S. Air Force average.  While smokeless tobacco is less lethal on average than cigarettes, there are

  • Base-wide Wi-Fi ready for use

    Thanks to the hard work and dedication the Mighty 97th put into winning the 2014 Commander In Chief's Installation Excellence award, members of Altus AFB are already seeing some of the benefits of being the number one Air Force Base in the world.Among the working projects, the following have been

  • Farm City Week merges farming, flying

    The City of Altus and Altus Air Force Base hosted Farm City Week, Nov. 5-7, an event that showcases everyday life for area farmers and Airmen.This is the 37th annual Farm City Week and approximately 175 Altus community members and Airmen participated in the tours and demonstrations held at the base

  • Changing of the Chief

    The responsibility charged to a command chief of any U.S. Air Force base is sure to make them an important figure on base and the surrounding community. From carrying out the wing commander's priorities, being a liaison between the base and local community, and staying in tune with the Air Force as

  • 97th Medical Group shines light on Aeromedical Evacuation heritage

    For hundreds of years, the purpose of medical evacuations has stayed the same even without the use of aircraft - to transport patients to higher echelons of care and to preserve the fighting force.What has changed is the method of transporting the patients. People have gone from using horse-drawn

  • Altus Air Force Base turns up the heat

    ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - As temperatures begin to drop, the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron has taken the call to turn up the heat. The 97th CES is responsible for two annual heating, ventilation, and air conditioning changeovers and began their preparations for the winter changeover in October.

  • Landing zone cameras mean major improvements in C-17 training

    A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft pilot calculates the math to figure out the best way to approach a small landing strip in the middle of a hostile environment in Afghanistan.This landing strip is not what the pilot has become accustomed to landing on. It is not paved. It does not

  • 97th Operations Group member retires after 36 years of civil service

    Elva Whitehead will be retiring after 36 years of civil service on Nov. 3, 2014.Here are five things you should know about Whitehead.1. Whitehead was born and raised in upstate New York and graduated from Troupsburg Central High School in 1973. Soon afterward the Air Force moved her family to Texas,

  • Those who train together, stay together

    Lineup check...Check complete. Husband. Check. Wife. Check. Spouse check complete. Prepare for takeoff.  When most people train in the Air Force it's something they can only tell family members about, but for two pilots in training at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., their spouse is a fellow student.For