“Keep your bags packed because you never know when a door of opportunity will open for you,” said Retired Chief Master Sgt. Walter Richardson during a presentation Feb. 19 before nearly 200 airmen in Hurlburt Field’s King Auditorium. He was one of 1,500 enlisted men selected to begin desegregation of the military in 1949.

Recently Santa Rosa County was awarded two defense-related state grants. A $200,000 infrastructure grant will be used to continue property acquisitions to buffer NAS Whiting Field operations, and an $80,000 grant will be used to fund military support services, including a study of local military retirees.

Hurlburt Field – The Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device is now operational here at the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron.

Hurlburt Field – The 1st Special Operations Support Squadron base weather station provides and arranges all weather services in support of the mission at the 1st Special Operations Wing.

Eglin Air Force Base – Eglin Eagles of the Civil Air Patrol had the opportunity recently to tour the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, near Biloxi, Miss. Squadron members were also treated to a tour of the 403rd Maintenance Group Propulsion Flight and shown the operations in maintaining the WC-130s for their weather missions.

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. -- After more than a year of modification maintenance, the newly created AC-130J Ghostrider took to the skies for the first time as a gunship Jan. 31.

Air Force personnel at Hurlburt Field conducted training Thursday based on a simulated chemical weapons attack against a base outside the U.S. Staff Sgt. David Norris said the CBRN– Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear – training is for airmen and civilians that may be deployed to international locations where chemical weapons could be used against them. The training simulated for airmen what they should do before, during and after a chemical weapons attack.

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (AFNS)  Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III visited Team Eglin Jan. 26-28 to thank Airmen and their families here for their service and sacrifice, and to discuss current challenges and opportunities facing the service.

Hurlburt Field, Fla., -- TRICARE military health plan service centers will end administrative walk-in services in the continental U.S. April 1, 2014, Pentagon officials said.