Navy Birthday

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mark R. Alvarez)

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Dr. Pedro Loureiro checks a film reel at the automated search and retrieval system at the Defense Imagery Management Operations Center-Riverside, Calif., Oct. 9, 2012. Loureiro, the archivist at DIMOC-R, helped find a film reel containing clips of the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. The ASRS has about 280,000 analog tapes, 80,000 rells of 16mm and 35mm film and 40,000 negatives, slides and photos in storage. (U.S. Air Force photo/Val Gempis)

retired Col. Clarence Anderson

Retired Col. Clarence Anderson recalls various memories of flying during World War II during the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technical Exposition on Sept. 17, 2012, in Washington. Anderson's anecdote was just one of many shared on the panel as the former fighter pilots spoke about the issues they faced as part of the Army Air Corps during that era. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)

retired Col. Clarence Anderson

Retired Col. Clarence Anderson recalls various memories of flying during World War II during the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technical Exposition on Sept. 17, 2012, in Washington. Anderson's anecdote was just one of many shared on the panel as the former fighter pilots spoke about the issues they faced as part of the Army Air Corps during that era. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)

Phantom in the water

A piece of an F-4 Phantom II fuel tank lies on the ground of the Port of Anchorage, Alaska, Sept. 18, 2012. The Anchorage Port Authority and the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Crash Recovery Unit, under the 3rd Maintenance Squadron, are removing an F-4 fuel tank that is embedded in the harbor bank. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Omari Bernard)

Phantom in the water

Airmen from the 3rd Maintenance Squadron Crash Recovery Team survey the area where they will dig out an F-4 Phantom II external fuel tank at the Port of Anchorage, Alasak, Sept. 18, 2012. F-4s were flown at Elmendorf Air Force Base through 1982. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Omari Bernard)

Phantom in the water

Tech. Sgt. Richard Hittie uses a high-pressure hose to clear the silt that has built up inside a jettisoned F-4 Phantom II fuel tank at the Port of Anchorage, Alaska, Sept. 18, 2012. Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and the Port of Anchorage worked together to safely remove the external fuel tank, which was discovered earlier by Port personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Omari Bernard)

Honor Guard Shield

Air Force Honor Guard Shield. (U.S. Air Force graphic/Richard Rapoza)

UK's 'Friendly Invasion' 70 years on

Airmen from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, salute the last active B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe as it flies over the former Knettishall Airfield on July 14, 2012. The fly-over was part of the 388th Bombardment Group memorial re-dedication at Coney Weston, England. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Megan P. Lyon)

UK's 'Friendly Invasion' 70 years on

Col. Mark Ciero, the 48th Fighter Wing vice commander, lays a wreath at the 388th Bombardment Group memorial at Coney Weston, England, July 14, 2012. The memorial was re-dedicated to the Airmen who lost their lives while serving in the 388th BG at Knettishall Airfield, England. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Megan P. Lyon)

Former Air Force pilot posthumously awarded Silver Star

Francis Gary Powers (right) talks to U-2 designer Kelly Johnson in 1966. Powers was an Air Force fighter pilot recruited by the CIA in 1956 to fly civilian U-2 missions deep into Russia. Powers and other Air Force Reserve pilots resigned their commissions to become civilians. (U.S. Air Force photo)

National Memorial Day Parade

The Chesapeake Caledonian Pipes and Drums Band performs at the National Memorial Day Parade, May 28, 2012 in Washington D.C. The annual National Memorial Day Parade is an opportunity for thousands of patriotic Americans to come together and honor those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country.

National Memorial Day Parade

A precession of flags is carried by volunteers at the National Memorial Day Parade on May 28, 2012 in Washington D.C. The annual National Memorial Day Parade is an opportunity for thousands of patriotic Americans to come together and honor those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country.

150th anniversary of taps

Buglers from across the nation gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, May 19, 2012 to honor the 150th anniversary of taps. (Photo by Jim Dresbach)

Etchberger legacy lives on

The sons of Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger flank the statue of their father following its official unveiling at the Senior NCO Academy at Gunter Annex, Ala., March 26, 2012. Rich Etchberger, left, and Cory Etchberger, right, joined other family members and dignitaries, including Gen. Philip Breedlove, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy, in honoring their father's legacy with the dedication of his Medal of Honor and the bust unveiling at the Air Force SNCOA. (U.S. Air Force photo/Melanie Rodgers Cox)

Etchberger legacy lives on

The bust of Medal of Honor recipient Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger shines onstage at the Air Force Senior NCO Academy at Gunter Annex, Ala., March 26, 2012. The bust, sculpted by John Lajba, will be a part of the permanent exhibit at the academy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Melanie Rodgers Cox)

Retired Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. funeral

A member of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard renders a final salute to retired Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. at his burial site Jan. 20, 2012, at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia. Weathers’, an original Tuskegee Airman, was one of 300 Tuskegee Airmen who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 for their actions during World War II. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mareshah Haynes)

Retired Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. funeral

Members of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard deliver the casket of retired Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. to the burial site Jan. 20, 2012, at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia. Weathers was an original Tuskegee Airman who shot down two German planes during World War II. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mareshah Haynes)

"Double Victory" screening

(lLeft to right) Tuskegee Airmen Lemuel Lewie Jr. and William Broadwater, actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and Maj. Gen. Darren McDew answer questions after a screening of “Double Victory” Nov. 10, 2011, at the Pentagon. Lewie and Broadwater discussed their time as Tuskegee Airmen and the struggles they faced with overseas’ enemies and racism at home during World War II. Mc Dew is the commander of the Air Force District of Washington . (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Tiffany Trojca)

Doughboy’s burial marks end of era

Soldiers with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” salute to honor Army Cpl. Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last American World War I veteran, during his viewing March 15, 2011, at the Memorial Amphitheater Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (U.S. Army photo/Staff Sgt. Adora Gonzalez)

Squadron marks 30 years of honoring fallen comrades

Staff Sgt. Zachary Kelhi, a loadmaster with the 1st Special Operations Squadron, assisted in the release of a wreath from an MC-130H Combat Talon II Feb. 26, 2011, in memory of fallen brethren lost 30 years ago, when a 1st SOS MC-130E, call sign STRAY 59, crashed during an exercise, killing eight crewmembers and 15 passengers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen)

Squadron marks 30 years of honoring fallen comrades

Loadmasters assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron prepare to release a wreath from an MC-130H Combat Talon II Feb. 26, 2011, in memory of fallen brethren lost 30 years ago, when a 1st SOS MC-130E, call sign STRAY 59, crashed during an exercise, killing eight crewmembers and 15 passengers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen)

Buffalo Soldiers

In order to settle problems in 19th century New Mexico, the U.S. Army called upon a group of recently freed black men to form the 9th and 10th Cavalries. They subsequently became known as "Buffalo Soldiers." (Courtesy photo/49th Fighter Wing History Office)

A holiday remembrance

Col. Thomas Geary lays a wreath on a veteran's grave at Belvedere Cemetery, in San Angelo, Texas, during the national Wreaths Across America Ceremony Dec. 11, 2010. Wreaths Across America was formed in 2007 to promote veterans remembrance where wreaths are placed on veterans' graves during the holiday season. Colonel Geary is the commander of the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kent Cummins)