'Fill 'er up, please'

An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, refuels Dec. 12 during a combat mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)

Celebrating a milestone

Col. David Romuald, 332nd Air Expeditionary Operations Group deputy Commander, taxis under the spray of two fire department crash trucks Dec. 2 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, after he completed his 3,000th flying hour in an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Approximately 150 F-16 pilots have surpassed this milestone. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jason Epley)

We're boarding, pass it on

The sun sets behind a C-17 Globemaster III Nov. 17 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, as Soldiers begin boarding. C-17s can carry payloads up to 169,000 pounds and can land on small airfields. The C-17 is deployed from the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Erik Gudmundson)

On behalf of a grateful nation

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz hands a folded flag to one of the family members of the fallen B-52 Stratofortress crew Nov. 14 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. A group burial took place for the crew that crashed July 21 off Guam's northwest coast. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Catherine Thompson)

Keeping up with the news

Senior Airmen Gustavo Gonzalez checks the results of the U.S. presidential election Nov. 5 while wearing protective gear during an operational readiness exercise at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Angela Ruiz)

Cleared to land

A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier waits as a MQ-1 Predator lands Nov. 7 at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Members of the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron there teamed up with Marines assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., for a joint training exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr.)

High five

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Matthew Beckerleg high fives "NASA Astronaut" Cadet Michael Maziarz Oct. 29 on the Academy's terrazzo in Colorado. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Careful monitoring...

Tech. Sgt. Kristy Wellman checks a patient's vital signs before take off at a base in Southwest Asia during a bandage mission Sept. 23. She is a charge medical technician with the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)

Perfect parking spot

An HH-60 Pave Hawk sits in the street Sept. 13 during operations in Galveston, Texas, after Hurricane Ike. The Pave Hawk is assigned to the 331st Air Expeditionary Group at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.)

Getting the 'boot'

Trainee Kyle Bean laces up the new air battle uniform, or ABU, boots during the first clothing issue Sept. 10 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He is in the first flight to receive the ABU boot in basic military training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Robbin Cresswell)

Evasive action

An AC-130U gunship jettisons flares Aug. 20 over an area near Hurlburt Field, Fla. The flares are a countermeasure for heat-seeking missiles that may be fired at the aircraft during real world missions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julianne Showalter)

Stepping up

A CV-22 Osprey and an MH-53 Pave Low fly over the coastline Aug. 20 near Hurlburt Field, Fla. The CV-22 took over Air Force Special Operations Command helicopter missions when the MH-53 retired in October. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julianne Showalter)

Feeling better?

Senior Airman Felicita Torres-Perkins, a member of the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team, comforts a young Afghan girl Aug. 10 at the Qalat Hospital in Qalat, Afghanistan. She wears the scarf to honor the customs of this conservative region of the country. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Keith Brown)

We remember

The 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., created a memorial July 24 to remember the crewmembers of Raider 21, the B-52 Stratofortress that crashed near Andersen AFB, Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Trina R. Jeanjacques)

Does it hurt here?

Capt. Truong Quach performs a general medical evaluation on a Peruvian girl June 22 during free medical exams inside a schoolhouse in Ayacucho, Peru. Captain Quach is deployed from the 452nd Medical Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III)

An ounce of prevention

Airmen from the Illinois Air National Guard spread sheets of plastic over reinforced levees along the Mississippi River June 19 near Pleasant Hill, Ill. The plastic sheets prevent erosion that could cause the levee to fail and flood thousands of acres of farmland and homes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jack Braden)

Ready for the flight check...

Capt. Jamie Riddle and an Iraqi Flight Instructor School student walk to the flightline before a mission at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. The Iraqi air force established the school for Iraqi pilots. Captain Riddle is an instructor pilot with the 52nd Flying Training Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)

French-American tribute

After laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier underneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris May 25, U.S. Air Forces in Europe Commander Gen. Roger Brady pays final respects with American and French officials. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Scott Wagers)

Show of strength

A B-52 Stratofortress flies past the USS Nimitz as two U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornets intercept. The B-52 is from the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (U.S. Navy photo)

Heave-ho!

Combat control students maneuver the "teamwork" log April 9 during a "monster mash" event of the combat control school field training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C. The monster mash is an endurance event to build individual stamina and encourage teamwork. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Scott Reed)

Tuba saluting the sponsors

Air Force Academy Senior Zachariah Thuli plays the tuba during the cadet sponsor social held in Arnold Hall at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The social honors the 3,500 cadet sponsors who open their hearts and homes to members of the cadet wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Handle with care

Members of the 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight's Critical Care Transportation Team prepare Al Amreeki, a 3-year-old Iraqi burn victim, for a flight to the United States March 21. The Shriners Hospitals for Children-Cincinnati will provide ongoing treatment and rehabilitation. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)

One Mississippi, two Mississippi

Senior Airmen Derand Javier (left) and Chris Moore test the head spacing of a .50-caliber machine gun on an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Both Airmen are 64th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons specialists. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julianne Showalter)

Stealthy stars and stripes

Two specially painted F-117 Nighthawks fly on one of their last missions. The F-117s were retired March 11 in a farewell ceremony at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey)