Harrier Pilot honors WWII hero great-uncle in commemorative flight

Capt. Raymond Hower, a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier pilot with Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223, recently conducted a commemorative flight to honor his great-uncle, LCDR Louis A. Conter. Conter, who passed away on Apr. 1st, at the age of 102, held the distinction of being the last known survivor of the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Raymond Hower, a native of California and an AV-8B Harrier II jet pilot with Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223, poses for a photo holding his great-uncle Louis A. Conter’s naval aviator wing insignia at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, April 18, 2024. Conter was the last known survivor of the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and passed away April 1, 2024. Hower flew U.S. flags and Conter’s naval aviator wing insignia during the flight. Conter served in the U.S. Navy from 1939 to 1967. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Orlanys Diaz Figueroa)

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Honoring Mustang 22

The Nevada Army Guard is adding a permanent tribute to the crew of Mustang 22, a Chinook helicopter shot down in Afghanistan in 2005. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter, permanently grounded due to bullet hole damage, will be placed as a static display at the Mustang 22 Memorial located at the Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) in Reno, Nevada.


Image: Nevada Army Guard
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Lancaster KB 882 is getting a temporary home

A retired Avro Lancaster bomber, a legendary aircraft from the Second World War, has embarked on a new chapter. The National Air Force Museum of Canada (NAFMC) recently transported the Lancaster KB 882 from Trenton, Ontario, to a temporary hangar at Base 31 in Picton, Ontario.

New Brunswick New Brunswick-00305 - Avro Lancaster (16433084546)
Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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How Eglin AFB created the M129 E3 “Cookie Bomb” in four days

Eglin Air Force Base in Florida played a critical role in providing humanitarian aid during the 1999 Kosovo conflict. The challenge arose from the need to deliver Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs) to refugees scattered across the region. Traditional cargo aircraft were deemed unsuitable due to bad weather conditions and the threat of surface-to-air missiles.


Photo: USAF

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