New pregnancy policy means new achievement possible for airmen

DYESS AIR FORCE

BASE,

Texas (AFNS) — As Maj. Lauren Olme, 77th Weapons Squadron assistant director of operations, fires up the engines of a B-1 Lancer on Dyess Air Force Base, she is living out her lifelong dream of being a pilot.

In addition to that dream, she achieved a new feat that will affect future generations of servicewomen: Flying while pregnant.

Olme garnered her passion for flying by watching her father fly as a pilot in the Air Force.

“My dad flew (F-15C Eagles), so I instantly fell in love with flying and the Air Force culture at a pretty young age,” Olme said. “There was never really a time that I officially decided I wanted to join the Air Force; it was just something I always wanted to do.”

Lauren met her husband, Maj. Mark Olme, 7th Operations Support Squadron bomb wing weapons officer, while attending the Air Force Academy. They became fast friends and started dating in November 2011, eventually getting married seven months after graduation.

“We were navigating being newlyweds while both going through Undergraduate Pilot Training,” Lauren Olme said. “Both of our flight commanders were B-1 pilots, and the bomber community combined a lot of aspects that we both wanted out of flying. We were extremely fortunate to both get assigned the B-1 out of UPT and haven’t regretted it for a second.”

After completing training at Dyess Air

Travis Tailwind

Force Base, the Olmes moved to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, and over the next few years journeyed to several assignments together. They deployed on a Bomber Task Force to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, multiple times at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and a combat deployment to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. In 2020 they completed the Air Force’s version of “Top Gun,” the U.S. Air Force Weapons School course.

“Lauren and I have been very blessed with the opportunity to be stationed together, deploy together and go on multiple monthlong exercises together,” Mark Olme said. “The aviation world is stressful enough, then add competing with your wife, who is better than you, for everything. However, we have got to share some special moments together because of it.”

The couple found out in August they would be adding one more member to their family.

“I was honestly shocked when we found out I was pregnant,” Lauren Olme said. “We had been trying for a few

See POLICY Page 9

Publishers: Foy S. McNaughton and T.

Editor: Glen Faison

Burt McNaughton

Advertising Director: Louis Codone

Distribution: Bob Franks

Copy Editor: Todd R. Hansen

Layout : Robinson Kuntz

Photo Editor: Robinson Kuntz

Air Force Recruiting Service

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas

(AFNS) — Air Force Recruiting Service launched an expanded, redesigned version of airforce. com on Monday as a new, onestop destination introducing potential recruits to the total force opportunities available in the Air Force – whether full time or part time, in or out of uniform.

The new site is be an all-inone destination for any prospect interested in serving in the Air Force.

Airforce.com has always served as a hub for the Air Force’s engagement efforts, providing inspirational and functional content to a wide spectrum of target audiences – including youth, specialized officer candidates, current and prior service airmen, parents, influencers and the American public. The total force evolution of airforce.com makes it simple to understand the many options and pathways available to become an airman.

“Today’s recruiting landscape is more challenging than ever before and we want the American public to understand that there are many different ways to become an airman,” said Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, Air Force Recruiting Service commander. “The new total force airforce.com website will help us support our active, Guard and Reserve front-line recruiters by better showcasing the unique strengths, opportunities –and importantly, the flexibilities –of each component in one place as one team within one fully integrated Air Force. Operationally, this shift helps to improve our digital efficiency, collaboration and coordination across the total force, freeing us from recruiting in narrow lanes.”

The new total force version of airforce.com consolidates three websites (airforce.com, goang. com and afreserve.com) into one cohesive web experience that emphasizes the total force mission while creating clear, distinct destinations for active, Guard and Reserve components throughout the site. The site introduces an updated navigation that’s intuitive and all encompassing, debuting new sections that highlight the different ways to serve and their specific benefits and requirements, while maintaining existing content that’s relevant across all three components.

New sections include Ways to Serve, an entry point that allows visitors to dive deeper into their options within the Air Force’s active component, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, a new Benefits section that outlines the benefits provided by each, a redesigned interactive Locations page that showcases the breadth of total force locations across the United States and overseas, and a new How to Join section that informs enlisted, officer and priorservice prospects about specific qualifications and requirements.

Because all Air Force components share a common mission, history and vision, and the careers and Air Force Specialty Codes are shared across the service, this information largely mirrors what was previously provided. The total force airforce. com provides an opportunity to consolidate the information that’s true for all three components and spotlight the differences for visitors – all in one location.

“We know from independent research and our own experiences in the field that most of the general public, and specifically American youth, aren’t really aware of the differences between active duty, Guard and Reserve service paths in the Air Force,” said Barry Dickey, Air Force Recruiting Service Marketing