BATH, Maine — Making the switch from building corporate jets to building Navy warships has been reinvigorating for a soldier-turned-business executive who’s leading Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works.

Charles “Chuck” Krugh said he wasted no time in getting his hands dirty, meeting daily with workers on the ships’ “deck plates.”

“I’m a hands-on guy that likes to get into the details,” he said.

Shipbuilders weren’t so sure at first whether it was just an act, but after six months they’re now accustomed to him regularly chatting with shipbuilders to get a handle on their workflow, at all hours of the day and night.

Labor relations have improved along the way.

“It’s all been good. We’re moving in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep moving that way,” said Rock Grenier, president of Local S6 of the Machinists Union, which represents production workers.

Krugh, 58, arrived in June after the abrupt departure of former Bath Iron Works President Dirk Lesko, who led the General Dynamics subsidiary through a difficult period that included a pandemic and a two-month strike, both of which lengthened construction delays.

The future USS Carl M. Levin that completed acceptance trials this month is more than a year behind schedule. The silver lining, Krugh said, is that the warship earned the highest marks for a Bath-built ship in years in a review by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey.

Krugh said he’s encouraging the shipyard’s 7,000 workers to rethink processes to ensure they can complete tasks as efficiently as possible. A big part of that is ensuring proper planning before a task even starts.

“We show people that you can do the impossible, or the seemingly impossible, if you spend enough preparation time to get things ready. So that’s the good news side of what we’re doing, and we’re seeing a momentum building now,” he said.

The Army veteran formerly served at Gulfstream, another General Dynamics subsidiary, which builds business jets, before being tasked with overseeing a historic shipyard that dates to the late 1800s.

He said he was taken aback by labor relations and the condition of the company upon his arrival.

Part of the improvement in relations with the union and in shipbuilding efficiency was the rehiring of shipyard veteran, David Clark, from Marinette Marine, to serve as vice president of manufacturing, Grenier said.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep building those ships faster and more efficient,” the union president said.

The shipyard is continuing to hire hundreds of new workers to replace older workers who are retiring, and Krugh said they’ll picking up the necessary skills to build the latest versions of the Arleigh Burke destroyer along with the next-generation destroyer in coming years.

Continual improvement made possible by cooperation is necessary to assure the shipyard’s survival, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute.

The future isn’t assured for the shipyard beyond the current decade unless the shipyard continues to become more competitive, Thompson said. Bath Iron Works competes with the larger Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi for contracts to build destroyers, the workhorse of the Navy.

“It is imperative for the union and management to get along because if they don’t, the long-term consequences for the yard could be fatal,” he said.

As for Krugh, he said some outsiders mistakenly suggested he’d struggle with the transition from aerospace to shipbuilding.

But he said he’s rejuvenated by being closer to the military — and urged any critics to watch and see what happens at the shipyard before casting judgment on the shipyard’s abilities.

“This is really personal for me. This is our country. We don’t build mixers here. We’re building the warships that are going to protect my family, your family and other Americans,” he said.

WASHINGTON — The Navy’s next amphibious assault ship will be named after the city of Fallujah, which saw some of the bloodiest battles in the Iraq war when U.S. Marines fought al-Qaida extremists in deadly house-to-house combat.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the USS Fallujah will commemorate what have become known as the “First and Second Battles of Fallujah,” following the tradition of naming the assault ships after Marine Corps battles or other early sailing ships and aircraft carriers.

“It is an honor to memorialize the Marines, soldiers, and coalition partners that fought valiantly and those that sacrificed their lives during both battles of Fallujah,” Del Toro said in a statement Tuesday.

Located about 45 miles (65 kilometers) from Baghdad, the city became the base for an anti-government Sunni insurgency after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein. Al-Qaida militants, who rose up against the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad, fought two bloody battles with U.S. troops in Fallujah in 2004 that killed more than 100 Americans and wounded more than 1,000.

The first battle of Fallujah was triggered by increasing violence in the city including the deaths of five U.S. soldiers hit by a roadside bomb, and four security contractors working for Blackwater USA. The contractors were killed and their bodies set on fire. Two of the corpses were hung from a bridge, and photos of the carnage were distributed to media.

In response, Marines battled for days to get control of the city, and in a turning point, a Marine vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a mosque, wounding five Marines. U.S. forces converged on the mosque and eventually fired a Hellfire missile at the base of its minaret, and an F-16 fighter jet dropped a 500-pound bomb, killing dozens and fueling anti-American sentiment. Within a month, however, U.S. forces withdrew from Fallujah and turned control over to local Iraqi security forces.

The second battle came in November 2004, and was a massive air and ground offensive by U.S. forces, along with British and Iraqi troops, to take control of the city. Dozens of Americans and hundreds of militants were killed and large sections of the city were damaged and destroyed.

An Iraqi journalist in the city at the time told The Associated Press, “People are afraid of even looking out the window because of snipers. … The Americans are shooting anything that moves.″

Gen. Richard Myers, who is now retired but was chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff during that time, said that “hundreds and hundreds of insurgents” had been killed and captured. He said the Fallujah offensive was “very, very successful” but wouldn’t finish the insurgency.

“If anybody thinks that Fallujah is going to be the end of the insurgency in Iraq, that was never the objective, never our intention, and even never our hope,″ he said.

A decade later, the city once again became a deadly hotbed of insurgency as the Islamic State group swept control, starting its dramatic blitz across Iraq. It took nearly two years, and the entry of U.S. forces back into the country to rebuild the Iraqi military, to retake the city in a crucial step toward ousting Islamic State militants from major Iraq cities.

In addition to announcing the ship’s name, Del Toro said the sponsor for the future USS Fallujah will be Donna Berger, who is the wife of Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger.

An Iraq War veteran scarred by invisible wounds has found a unique way to cope with his anxiety and post-traumatic stress: writing children’s books that feature his beloved dogs.

Larry Wexler, a Virginia Beach native and former Army colonel, recently published “Forest of Dreams,” a children’s book inspired by his desire to escape the anxieties of deployment he still carries with him. The book tells the story of a young boy who is led on journey through a magical forest by his two cockapoos, Max and Maggie, who are based on Wexler’s real life pups.

“It was about escapism… Some people do horseback riding. For me, it is Max and Maggie and writing children’s books,” Wexler said as Max, one of his 3-year-old red cockapoos leapt into his lap.

While Wexler had not written a book before, he said he always enjoyed writing when he was growing up, even recalling winning an eighth grade writing competition. Before starting “Forest of Dreams,” he considered penning an autobiography or a memoir of his time in the Army, but he said he was most drawn to literature meant for children.

“I chose children’s stories because children are innocent. They don’t have the baggage of adults,” Wexler said. “The entire world is open to them. They can dream about anything and in many cases make it come true.”

Wexler joined the Army in 1978, serving as active duty until 1989 before he left active duty for the Army Reserves. But it wasn’t until his deployment to Balad, Iraq in 2009 that he began experiencing severe anxiety. His first night in the unfamiliar Middle Eastern combat zone was spent alone in his housing unit with no ammunition as “incoming, incoming” warnings blared.

According to Wexler, the high-stress job was worsened by a lack of camaraderie. He was quartered alone, ate alone and provided with a private office, which he said was “totally different” from his first deployment to Iraq in 2005. When he was promoted to deputy program director for the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program for Iraq, he was further isolated, he said.

Wexler self-referred to the combat stress clinic for treatment of what he suspected was post-traumatic stress disorder after the command shared tips on how to identify PTSD.

“I thought, yes I am probably yelling at people that I shouldn’t, not being able to really sleep well at night because I am watching the door,” Wexler said.

A psychiatrist said Wexler had an “adjustment disorder,” and prescribed him medications and set up regular counseling sessions. According to the Defense Health Agency, adjustment disorder symptoms arise in response to an identifiable stressor that occurred sometime within the prior three months — this can include a new job, the end of a relationship, loss of a loved one. The symptoms, which can range from anxiety to depression to mood swings, typically go away after the stressor is removed. On the other hand, post-traumatic stress is considered a long-term disorder that arises after a traumatic event.

“I did not tell anyone because of the stigma associated with PTSD at the time and because I was a colonel — afraid I would be perceived as weak,” Wexler said.

Wexler was in Iraq for around eight months before he relieved from his position, effectively ending his 30-year career as an Armor Officer for the Army. His command, Wexler said, took issue with him trying to revamp the program.

“So I returned home both suffering from PTSD from being isolated and from being punished for doing my job and trying to reform the contracting environment in Iraq. I was David against Goliath, but without the rocks for the slingshot. My entire value system was turned on its head. I was now lost,” Wexler said.

Following his final deployment, Wexler struggled with mental health for more than a decade. Having been diagnosed with PTSD stateside, he sought treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs and private mental health professionals to no avail. He spent months unable to sleep alone in his home and having flashbacks of his time in Iraq triggered by dark parking garages. It was October 2020 before he found an outlet that helped him expel the anxiety and gave him a renewed purpose.

“While looking at the (Chesapeake) Bay one day, with Max and Maggie sitting in the chair with me, the idea of the children’s book came to me,” Wexler said.

Wexler put pen to paper, drawing on inspiration from his hyper but ever-so-loyal cockapoos. The dogs, who are litter mates, spend their outside time gallivanting the Chesapeake Bay beach, chasing ghost crabs and seagulls. Max and Maggie’s real-life adventures guided Wexler’s writing as they guide his main character, Adam, in the book.

“Adam is me. In Iraq and even in the condo, I am alone just like Adam. And the ‘Forest of Dreams’ is my escape where you need to hang onto your dreams and make them happen,” Wexler said, adding that he channeled the dogs’ carefree, fun energy into the book.

Wexler published “Forest of Dreams” in October through Olympia Publishers, which did the illustrations for the book. He is already planning to write another book — one that includes bigger roles for Max and Maggie and a deeper message.

“I want to try to have the “Forest of Dreams” series help kids facing life issues — like if one lost their father in Iraq, it would show them their father is still with them in their heart. It would be to help them get through it, like how this book helped me get through things,” Wexler said.

For Wexler, publishing the books is not about making money — it is about pouring his trauma into his writing.

“It is about finding something to help deal with PTSD. It is about coping in a positive way and not giving up,” Wexler said.

Caitlyn Burchett, [email protected]

This month, Chesapeake Public Schools became the first division in Virginia to have all its schools designated as Purple Star schools.

“The Purple Star designation is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated their commitment to meeting the needs of military-connected students and their families,” states a press release from the Virginia Department of Education.

Schools are selected by the DOE and the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which oversees the state’s commitment to remove barriers to academic success for children of military families. Schools retain the designation for three years before having to reapply.

There are more than 80,000 military-connected students attending schools in Virginia.

To qualify for the award, schools must have a staff member designated as the point of contact for military students and families. Award-winning schools also provide resources and programming on issues important to military families, such as academic planning and transitions between schools, divisions and states.

The education department has awarded the Purple Star since 2018. This year, 189 schools were selected for the honor. The Chesapeake schools receiving Purple Star awards this year: Crestwood Middle, Great Bridge High, Great Bridge Middle, Greenbrier Intermediate, Greenbrier Middle, Hickory Elementary, Hugo Owens Middle, Indian River Middle, Jolliff Middle, Norfolk Highlands Primary, Oscar Smith Middle, Western Branch Middle and Hopkins Elementary.

Multiple other Hampton Roads schools also received the Purple Star designations this year. Armstrong Elementary School for the Arts, Jones Magnet Middle, Kecoughtan High, Paul D. Burbank Elementary and Thomas Eaton Fundamental Middle in Hampton; Katherine G. Johnson Elementary in Newport News; Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, Camp Allen Elementary, Larchmont Elementary, Northside Middle and Willoughby Early Childhood Center in Norfolk; and Churchland Elementary, Churchland Middle and Victory Elementary in Portsmouth.

In Virginia Beach, this year’s awardees were Arrowhead Elementary, Alanton Elementary, Bayside 6th Grade Campus, Bayside High, Bayside Middle, Brookwood Elementary, Centerville Elementary, Christopher Farms Elementary, Corporate Landing Middle, Creeds Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, First Colonial High, Glenwood Elementary, Green Run Collegiate, Green Run High, Holland Elementary, Independence Middle, Kempsville Meadows Elementary, Kempsville Middle, King’s Grant Elementary, Landstown Elementary, Landstown High, Landstown Middle, Larkspur Middle, Luxford Elementary, Lynnhaven Middle, Ocean Lakes Elementary, Ocean Lakes High, Old Donation School, Pembroke Elementary, Pembroke Meadows Elementary, Plaza Middle, Providence Elementary, Princess Anne Elementary, Princess Anne Middle, Red Mill Elementary, Rosemont Forest Elementary, Salem High, Salem Middle, Strawbridge Elementary, Tallwood High, Thalia Elementary, Thoroughgood Elementary, Three Oaks Elementary, Trantwood Elementary and Technical and Career Education Center.

Nour Habib, [email protected]

NEW YORK — Before turning against the U.S. military to command the Confederate army, Robert E. Lee served as the superintendent of West Point, the hallowed military academy that produced patriots like Ulysses S. Grant, Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower.

But in the coming days, the storied academy will take down a portrait of Lee dressed in his Confederate uniform from its library, where it has been hanging since the 1950s, and place it in storage. It will also remove the stone bust of the Civil War’s top southern general at Reconciliation Plaza. And Lee’s quote about honor will be stripped from the academy’s Honor Plaza.

The moves are part of a Department of Defense directive issued in October ordering the academy to address racial injustice and do away with installations that “commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy.”

That includes a trio of bronze panels, measuring 11 feet tall and 5 feet wide, that depict significant events and figures in U.S. history, including Benjamin Franklin and Clara Barton. But the oversized plaques, dedicated in 1965, not only featured Lee and other supporters of the Confederacy but an image of an armed man in a hood, with “Ku Klux Klan” written below.

The congressional Naming Commission, which initiated the changes at the academy, noted “there are clearly ties in the KKK to the Confederacy.”

In a message posted on the academy’s website, Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland, the academy’s superintendent, said it would begin complying with the commission’s recommendations during the holiday break.

“We will conduct these actions with dignity and respect,” he said.

The United States Military Academy, as West Point is officially known, was established in 1809 along the bank of the Hudson River in upstate New York.

The school has about 4,600 cadets, two-thirds of them white and about 13% Black, according to federal data.

West Point was not the only installation under scrutiny by the congressional commission. It also recommended that eight other installations address symbols of the racist past.

The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, renamed buildings and roads that memorialized Confederate admirals or those who sought to perpetuate Black enslavement.

More than a half-dozen of the commission’s recommendations for West Point involve Lee, who graduated second in his class in 1829 and later served as superintendent.

The commission recommended that Lee Barracks, Lee Road, Lee Gate, Lee Housing Area and Lee Area Child Development Center all be renamed.

The report said Lee’s armies “were responsible for the deaths of more United States soldiers than practically any other enemy in our nation’s history.”

Two other Confederate officers in the commission’s crosshairs were West Point grads P.G.T. Beauregard and William Hardee. The panel called for Beauregard Place and Hardee Place to be renamed.

It was not until the early 1930s when West Point began installing Confederate memorials, the commission noted, saying it did so under pressure from the revisionist “Lost Cause” movement that sought to recast the causes of the Civil War and depict those who fought for the Confederacy as deserving of honor for their sacrifices.

MOSCOW — A fire broke out onboard Russia’s sole aircraft carrier on Thursday, Russian state media reported.

The Admiral Kuznetsov, a flagship of the Russian Navy, suffered a “minor” fire while undergoing repair work at a shipyard in the Arctic port of Murmansk, according to reports by the Russian state Tass and RIA Novosti news agencies. Both cited Aleksey Rakhmanov, head of the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) which is overseeing a major refit of the carrier, as saying that the blaze was quickly extinguished and caused no casualties.

Delays and accidents have marred the Admiral Kuznetsov’s ongoing overhaul, which began in 2017 and was initially set to conclude last year. At least one person was killed and 12 others were injured after a fire broke out in December 2019. The previous year, a crane crashed onto its deck after a floating dock holding it began to sink, causing unspecified damage.

Rakhmanov told Russian media in June that he expected the Admiral Kuznetsov to return to service in early 2024, almost three years behind schedule.

SAN DIEGO — The commanding officer of SEAL Team 1 was found dead in his San Diego County home Monday, Navy officials announced.

Cmdr. Robert Ramirez III was 47.

Foul play is not suspect in his death, which is under investigation, Naval Special Warfare officials said.

Capt. David Abernathy, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, which manages all San Diego-based Navy SEAL teams, offered his condolences to Ramirez’s family.

“Bobby was an outstanding leader, devoted husband and father, and a good friend to us all,” Abernathy said in a statement. “This is a devastating loss to our community and all who knew him. We will remain in support of Bobby’s family, friends, and teammates during this extremely difficult time.”

Officials said Ramirez’s family requested privacy.

Ramirez enlisted in 1996. He was commissioned in 2004.

His awards and decorations include five Bronze Star Medals, three Combat Action ribbons and six medals combined for the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

©2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

USNS Comfort will be home for Christmas following a two-month deployment to the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship will return to Naval Station Norfolk around 11 a.m. Wednesday. The hospital ship, easily recognized by its stark white hull and bold red crosses, departed Norfolk on Oct. 19 as part of its Continuing Promise 2022 mission.

During its deployment, the floating hospital made stops in Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, providing humanitarian assistance to the five partner nations.

The crew, made up of trained medical teams, worked alongside local government and nongovernment organizations to provide medical care to around 12,000 people. This included running more than 600 laboratory tests, conducting around 750 x-rays and ultrasounds and performing 237 surgeries aboard the hospital ship and at nearby land-based medical sites.

But the deployment was not entirely smooth sailing. Ship-to-shore medical services were temporarily suspended Dec. 12 during the Comfort’s final stop in Haiti after 19 people with the mission fell overboard amid a heavy swell hitting the Caribbean region, the Associated Press reported. Two U.S. Navy sailors sustained minor injuries.

The Comfort wrapped up operations Dec. 17, and began the journey back to its homeport in Norfolk.

The hospital ship’s return marks the completion of Continuing Promise 2022, the 12th mission to the region since 2007 and the eighth mission involving USNS Comfort.

Caitlyn Burchett, [email protected]

Marital turmoil, mental health struggles and an “inability to acclimate” to military life — “life stressors” contributed to the life-ending decisions of three sailors assigned to the USS George Washington in April, a Navy investigation released Monday reported.

Xavier Mitchell-Sandor, an 18-year-old sailor, lived aboard the dry-docked carrier for just three months before sending a final text message to his parents. During his time on the Washington, he slept in his car “on several occasions” and traveled home to Connecticut often to escape the shell of a ship that was periodically without hot water or power.

“Quality of life concerns were major sources of stress for Mitchell-Sandor, but these were not the sole cause of his suicide,” the report concludes.

Mitchell-Sandor was one of three sailors who died by suicide within a week in April while the carrier was undergoing an overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding. In response, the Navy launched two investigations — one into the cause of and any correlation between the deaths, and another seeking answers to more extensive questions about what sailors experience while their ship is in the yard.

The roughly 60-page report includes summary interviews of more than three dozen people who worked with each of the sailors leading up to their deaths.

“We have diligently worked to determine the facts and understand the circumstances surrounding these tragic events with the hope that this will not only provide closure to those grieving the loss of our shipmates, but to learn and better refine our process to address a public health issue that affects families, communities, and our society,” said Rear Adm. John F. Meier, commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.

Besides being assigned to the same ship undergoing a lengthy overhaul, the suicides, the Navy found, were not connected.

Mika’il Sharp, a 23-year-old retail services specialist, died by suicide April 9 at a private residence in Hampton. While Sharp had been assigned to the Washington, he was on temporary additional duty orders to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek to attend barber school and lived at his mother’s house at the time.

The Navy reports that on the night of Sharp’s “impulsive decision to end his life,” he got into a drunken physical altercation with his wife while at a house party. Theinvestigation concluded that Sharp “likely felt his actions had irreconcilable negative consequences for his marriage, his life and his career.”

The same night, Natasha Huffman, a 24-year-old interior communications electrician, died at her residence following a night of heavy drinking and an argument with her boyfriend.

Huffman had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was taking prescription medications from military and civilian doctors.

“Based on discussions with the George Washington Senior Medical Officer, Psych Boss, and the investigation team’s own mental health consultant, mixing any of these medications with alcohol would increase the effect of sedation, likely affecting IC3 Huffman’s decision making ability,” the report read.

Like Sharp, Huffman was not living on the Washington. As of November 2021 — around five months before she died — Huffman had moved off the carrier and was living at Huntington Hall barracks on temporary additional duty orders.

Less than a week later, on April 15, Mitchell-Sandor died by suicide aboard the Washington. According to the report, Mitchell-Sandor’s death was the result of sleep deprivation, undiagnosed and untreated depression and an “inability to acclimate” to military life and the shipyard environment.

But the investigation found that during the three months he lived aboard the ship, it was periodically without hot water or power and other sailors reported constant noise and cold temperatures.

Mitchell-Sandor considered opportunities to live off ship, including looking into off-base housing or renting a residence. According to the Navy, Mitchell-Sandor was offered the opportunity to change his berthings multiple times, but he declined.

“However, for a brand-new 18-year-old sailor, more senior sailors, sponsors, or mentors should have helped him to understand his options and encouraged him to relocate,” the report reads.

Senior enlisted leadership, the report continued, knew Mitchell-Sandor was sleeping in his car and counseled him, but “there is no evidence of any follow through to understand the root cause for his decision making.”

“This was a time for intrusive leadership,” the report said.

But, the Navy maintains Mitchell-Sandor’s qualify of life aboard the Washington was not the cause of his death. The investigation found Mitchell-Sandor was sleep deprived from juggling 12-hour shifts aboard the carrier with 8-hour commutes to visit family and friends in Connecticut and South Carolina. The investigation also reports Mitchell-Sandor expressed suicidal thoughts to loved ones multiple times in the months leading up to his death, and that he told them he felt “trapped” in the Navy.

The report released Monday does not address overall sailor quality of life when assigned to units bound to the shipyard for extended periods of time, but was provided to give context to potential stressors each sailor was facing.

“We have taken a number of additional steps to provide for the care and well-being of our service members but the bottom line is that we can, and will, do more for our Sailors and their families. I look forward to the further recommendations that are expected in the coming months to inform future actions, which I am confident will have lasting benefits for our Navy,” Meier said.

Following the deaths, 370 of 422 sailors living on USS George Washington were moved to on-shore housing. The Navy installed cell repeaters, wireless internet and stepped up morale and welfare programs. The Navy also dispatched an additional clinical psychologist and a mental health clinician to supplement the Washington’s medical team, and the sailors have immediate access when calling the Hampton Roads appointment line as well as being provided expedited appointments for mental health referrals.

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The rash of suicides also prompted senators to call for increased Department of Defense mental health funding, which included a 4.6% pay increase. The bill was passed by the House and the Senate in recent weeks, and has gone to the president’s desk.

Before the Navy’s investigation in the USS George Washington suicides was complete, the Navy began investigating another string of suicides — this time four sailors assigned to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center in Norfolk. The four recent deaths occurred in the span of a month, with the most recent occurring Nov. 26.

“We have not fully cracked the code both on the availability of mental health services within the DoD and (the Department of) Veterans Affairs, but also breaking down the stigma that too often exists within the military that makes a young soldier or sailor reluctant to use mental health services,” said Sen. Mark Warner during a media availability in December.

Stigma surrounding seeking mental health treatment is not an issue that is unique to the military, Warner said.

“But it is exacerbated with young men and women who are oftentimes separated from their families under high-stress jobs,” Warner said.

Resources for service members and veterans struggling with mental health, including 24-hour crisis hotlines, can be found below:

• The Military Crisis Line: call 1-800-273-8255, ext. 1; or text “273Talk” to 839863
• Military OneSource: 1-800-342-9647
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 — call or text

Caitlyn Burchett, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — The Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of B-2 stealth bombers following an emergency landing and fire earlier this month, and none of the strategic aircraft will perform flyovers at this years’ college bowl games.

A bomber experienced an in-flight malfunction on Dec. 10, forcing it to make an emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, where it caught fire. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries.

The standdown is significant in that there are fewer than 20 stealth bombers in the entire fleet and the aircraft provides, along with the B-52 Stratofortress, the air leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. The B-2 has been regularly deployed to the Indo-Pacific and more recently to Europe as a show of force. During the standdown the entire fleet will be inspected, 509th Bomb Wing spokeswoman Air Force Master Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio said.

The B-2 was scheduled to fly over the 2023 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game but it will be replaced by the B-1 Lancer, the 509th Bomb Wing said in a statement.

The B-2 stealth bomber took its first flight in 1989 and its flying-wing design formed the base of its eventual replacement, the B-21 Raider, which was introduced this month. The B-21 is scheduled to make its first flight next year.

In Sept. 2021 another B-2 at Whiteman had to make an emergency landing after the hydraulics system failed, resulting in the bomber’s landing gear collapsing. The bomber’s left wing dragged for about a mile before the aircraft came to a halt, resulting in at least $10 million in damage to the aircraft.