Posted by John McHale
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., 31 July 2011. Boeing [NYSE: BA] and U.S. Air Force officials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Wash., dedicated a C-17 Globemaster III airlifter Congressional Medal of Honor winners of the U.S. armed forces. Gen. Raymond Johns Jr., commander of Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., officially dedicated C-17 tail number 99211 as "Spirit of the Medal of Honor" during a ceremony attended by several Medal of Honor recipients.The ceremony is part of an Air Force tradition to dedicate aircraft to significant events, people, and places. Spirit of the Medal of Honor joins C-17s dedicated to groups including U.S. prisoners of war and troops missing in action; Purple Heart recipients; military families; and those serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. C-17s have been dedicated to individuals such as former President Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, and Medal of Honor recipients Sgt. John Levitow and Col. Joe Jackson. The aircraft also have been named for places such as Long Beach, Calif., where the C-17 is built.The C-17 aircraft has flown airlift missions for U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, landing with combat-ready troops in remote locations and on unimproved runways. C-17s also deploy on many humanitarian missions There are currently 233 C-17s in service worldwide.
